Head in the Clouds
Avery Sam
Head in the Clouds
by Avery Sam
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Special Surprise
Strict Discipline
Rejuvenating Effects
Quite a Ride
Smooth Skies Ahead
Special Surprise
Captain Steele pressed the button to engage the autopilot and then let out a long sigh.
“So, this is really it, then, eh?” said his copilot, First Officer Lyons. “Your very last flight?”
“Yep,” said Captain Steele with a curt nod.
From what he'd seen of him, Lyons was a capable enough pilot, but the man was irritatingly obtuse at times.
“Well, at least Vista gave you the transatlantic route,” said Lyons, a simpering little smile on his face. “Not too many get to go out with such honors.”
“Not too many have done what I’ve done for this company,” muttered Captain Steele.
Had he really given 35 years of his life to the airline? It seemed so, although part of him felt like he’d just captained his first solo flight yesterday.
A lot of things sure had changed over the years, some for the better, but many not so good.
In the old days, the stewardesses - ahem, flight attendants - had been a lot prettier, and the layover parties in places like London and Paris had been legendary.
But now everything was all about being politically correct, and “diverse,” and you’d lose your job if they caught you with a bottle of duty-free whiskey in your carry-on bag.
The old days had been a lot more fun, but heck, maybe the new ways were for the best.
Either way, Captain Steele urgently needed to stretch his legs, so he got up from his seat, intending to head back to the galley for a cup of coffee. And maybe to chat up that blonde stewardess he’d seen, the first one in ages that actually looked like a woman instead of an ugly boy wearing make-up.
“Everything okay, Captain Steele?” said Lyons, jumping to his feet and blocking his path.
“Yes, I’m just going to get a cup of coffee,” growled Captain Steele. “If that’s alright with you.”
“Well, it’s just, uh...” said Lyons, looking nervous. “We’ve got a surprise planned for you, so you can’t go back there.”
“Oh?” said Captain Steele, feeling quite pleased.
At most, he’d expected a stupid certificate of commemoration given to him at a quiet retirement ceremony with the CEO, the scrawny doofus who’d inherited Vista after his father died.
But his father? My goodness, Rock McKenzie had been as old-school as it gets, and if he were still alive, Steele wouldn’t have been surprised if there’d have been hookers and blow on hand for his sendoff party.
Yet as he’d already acknowledged, those days were over. So what kind of surprise was Lyons talking about? Maybe a fruit basket. After all, the majority of the company's air crew were all fruits now, anyway. Sigh...
“Very well,” said Captain Steele, easing back in his seat.
Just then, the cockpit door chimed, signaling that someone wanted to come in.
That was another thing that had changed, too. In the old days, everyone in his crew would’ve wandered in for a quick pick-me-up after the autopilot had been engaged. But then those idiots with box cutters went and ruined everything.
“Ah, good,” said Lyons, rubbing his hands with glee after peering through the bulletproof glass in the cockpit door. “Okay, sir, on behalf of Vista Airlines, I officially commend you for all your years of service.”
“Right, right,” mumbled Captain Steele.
And with that, Lyons pressed the button to unbolt the cockpit door. He briefly exchanged words with someone and then disappeared, much to Captain Steele’s relief.
“Well, hi there, Captain,” said the blonde stewardess who had earlier caught his eye as she breezed her way into the cockpit.
My, now here was a breath of fresh air, thought Captain Steele. How old was this lovely creature? She looked like she couldn’t have been more than 20 years old, and she had curves in all the right places. She even smelled like a woman, too, as a hint of her perfume wafted into his nostrils.
“Someone told me today is your special day,” said the blonde stewardess, a coy smile on her lovely face. “That this is your very last flight for Vista.”
“You heard right,” said Captain Steele with a grin.
Not only was she exactly his type, but there were no signs of a fruit basket. He had no idea what his special surprise was going to be, but he was already enjoying this encounter.
“My word, they didn’t tell me how handsome you were,” said the blonde, reaching out to stroke his shoulder. “And strong, too.”
“I may be getting on in years, but I like to keep in shape,” said Captain Steele, his eyes hungrily roving across the front of her blouse, which, against regulations, had the top three buttons undone.
“Rumor has it that you were quite the wild man back in the day,” said the blonde with a little giggle as she eased her way into a sitting on his lap. “Is that true?”
“A gentleman never kisses and tells,” said Captain Steele with a grin.
“Wow,” said the blonde, reaching down to unfasten another button on her blouse, giving him a lovely view of the lacey bra she was wearing underneath. “So the legends are true, then.”
Who was this woman? It was almost as if the sexy blonde had been thrown forward a few decades by a time machine, back from the days when young, nubile stewardesses enjoyed partying with senior pilots.
If so, he damn sure wasn’t going to complain. Those days had been quite a blast, in more ways than one.
“There’s a reason they call me Captain Steele,” he said with a knowing chuckle.
The blonde looked confused by that remark, but he didn’t care. If this was going the way he thought it was going, she would find out soon enough what he meant.