Nina swiped her card at the kiosk
and printed her ticket. She wheeled her carry-on past the line of economy
passengers and entered the first class lounge. Jerry was already there. He was
surrounded by empty glasses and was cursing like a sailor to random strangers.
Jerry hated flying and was sure to let everyone know about it.
“Save any for me?” Nina put her
hand on Jerry’s shoulder. His eyes were unfocused. She hoped she wouldn’t have
to have him carried onto the plane.
Jerry waved at the bartender.
“Bourbon. Neat.” Nina could hold
her liquor. Not to mention flying was old hat for her. She didn’t need the
liquor like Jerry did. “Are you ready for this?” she asked him.
“Hell no. I’ll never be ready. I
hate airplanes.” He muttered several choice words and took a swig of his drink.
“No, I mean the deal. You have all
your ducks in a row?”
“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s set. Now
you just have to swoop in and pretend like it’s your deal. Never mind that I
did all the legwork.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get your cut.”
Nina smiled.
The bartender clunked a glass down
in front of Nina.
“Hey, can I get a receipt for
this?”
Jerry looked sideways at Nina. “Cheapskate.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “It’s a
necessary business expense.”
“Crocker’s here.”
“What? Jon? He’s here? I thought he
was flying out of Dulles.”
Jerry motioned toward the
observation deck.
Nina left her near-full glass on
the counter and walked out to the deck. The sun was low enough to pour through
the expanse of windows. Nina instantly recognized Jon’s silhouette. Her heart
fluttered at the sight of him. “What are you doing here?”
He turned at the sound of her
voice. “Nina.” His eyes lit up.
“I thought you were in D.C.” She
crossed her arms.
“It’s not much of a drive up here.
I couldn’t let you fly cross country alone with that lousy oaf.”
“Jealous?”
“Oh, please. I thought merely to
rescue you from his drunken stench.”
“I can handle him.” Nina pushed her
nose into the air.
“Still, you could use the company
once he passes out. It’s a long flight.”
“What makes you think I would like
you as my company?”
Jon raised his eyebrows and took a
step forward. “Come on. I could impart on you my infinite wisdom about the
business world.”
Nina burst out a laugh.
“Ouch.”
“Sorry. I don’t think there’s one
bit of information you could give me that I need.”
“Oh? And what makes you so
special?”
“Boobs. They will close the deal
for me. No need for your wisdom.”
“You’re awfully confident.”
“They brought you here to Baltimore,
didn’t they?”
Jon smirked. He took another step
closer. “And what is it that brought you out onto the deck? I’m sure it’s not
the view of the tarmac. Why aren’t you nursing some bourbon back at the bar?”
“You remembered my drink.”
“Hard to forget a woman who can
handle her liquor.” He took another step forward.
Nina turned and feigned disinterest
in him. “I do like the view of the tarmac.”
Jon took her arm and pulled her
close. “I like this view.”
Nina allowed his arms to envelop
her. She smiled…
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This story is another based off of a writing prompt. This week's prompt was to fit five words into the story: receipt, observation, wisdom, kiosk, sailor.