Chapter Five
It had been a hard week for Melanie, a hard month even, and she was feeling it more than ever on this particular morning. Since the breakup with Mitch, she hadn't been herself. Normally she would have been up at 3:30 on a day like this one in order to look her best for the morning flights. But today she had barely made it out of bed by 6:00. Her personal routine was coming apart at the seams.
She put on her best smile as the well-dressed man in his early thirties approached her to check in. Her smile disappeared when she saw who it was.
She had spent the return flight yesterday from Columbus, Ohio yesterday avoiding him. She even asked Richard if she could switch to economy in order to stay far away from him. Strangely enough, the normally unhelpful cabin crew manager was happy to oblige. Normally he wouldn't be that accommodating
Alex stood in front of her smiling lecherously and staring brazenly right at her. He was as good-looking as the impression he had made on the plane. In fact, he was insanely good-looking with a square jaw, tanned skin, perfectly manicured dark hair, and intense brown eyes. But the stupid grin was a total turn-off. Whatever kudos he had originally gained with her had disappeared when he tried to pressure her into a date and then arrogantly offered her charity to pay her mother's medical bills. How dare he use her financial situation to force her into a date with him!
Now with that disgusting grin on his face, he was into definite negative territory.
"Can I help you, sir?" She said as professionally as she could muster.
He continued to stare at her and although he was tall, he stood up a little higher on his toes to peer over the desk, arrogantly looking down at her, taking it all in. Melanie felt exposed. She positively didn't like this man and dreaded having to serve him later on the plane. If there was any funny stuff this time, she would have no hesitation in having him hauled away by the Air Marshal in a heartbeat. His dark eyes seemed to undress her as he took a good long look, just helping himself as though she were the breakfast buffet at a five-star hotel.
She repeated, "Can I help you, sir?"
"Nah." He said. "Just came over to see what eye candy at the Drummond desk is like today."
Very little shocked Melanie at this point. She’d had crazy people, drunks, and even suspected terrorists on flights. All in all, this guy was small change. Just an asshole. Good-looking as hell, but still just a jackass.
"Not bad." He continued. "A little less makeup and who knows?"
She was about to let him have it when he abruptly turned and walked away.
He obviously wasn't even on her flight today although he was obviously ready for travel with a small and very expensive designer overnight bag. Well, at least she wouldn't have to spend another four-hour flight with him. Obviously, he just couldn't take rejection and had to come over and do something stupid to get revenge for being turned down.
Other passengers began to arrive so she forgot about the handsome but obnoxious Alex Murray and prepared for the onslaught of travelers.
Twenty minutes later, there was a tap on her shoulder.
"Get up, Melanie," her supervisor Rhonda said, "I'm taking over."
"What's up?"
"You've been reassigned."
"To what?"
"Another flight."
Melanie was surprised. In her six years of working as a flight attendant, she had never been reassigned to another flight at such short notice. There were protocols and procedures, even with Drummond Airlines, where profits were small to nonexistent and everyone was expected to be flexible and pull their weight, as management described it.
"Go see Mitch. He'll tell you where you need to go."
Her stomach tightened. The last person she wanted to see was her ex.
"Do I have to see him?"
"He's the boss. Who else are you going to see?" Rhonda smirked.
For all she knew, it could have been her that he had cheated on her with. Not that she cared really. All she wanted to do was put the whole stupid episode behind her.
“Okay." She said and collected her things.
How bad is this day going to get? Late out of bed. Late to work. Then that asshole Murray and now Mitch. Someone please hit fast forward on this day.
It was absolutely taboo at Drummond Airlines for staff to have romantic relationships, especially if they were at different pay grades and even more especially if they worked in close proximity to each other. She and Mitch had ticked all those boxes.
True love conquers all. She thought and then choked back a sob. She still wasn't over him. That stupid Drummond Airline rule had made them sneak around like illicit lovers until she was sick of it. But it had all been worth it because of their feelings for each other.
Until she found those panties under his bed.
The thought of it still made her blood boil.
"Are you going or not?" Rhonda asked impatiently.
"Oh yeah, sorry. Enjoy your trip to Columbus."
"Thanks. I can't wait."
She took a deep breath and headed towards his office in the Drummond executive lounge. She was nearly there when she saw Alex Murray walking slowly in front of her.
Oh great, this guy is everywhere I go today. She thought. Better give him a wide berth.
Still, she had to admit he did cut a fine figure. He was visibly muscular under his tailored suit and exuded self-assurance in every gesture and movement. She couldn't help but compare him to Mitch. He was taller, better looking, obviously more successful. Probably an even bigger jackass as well. They had been so good together. Why did he have to go and throw it all away?
She was lost in thought when she felt the impact of the body in front of her.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She looked up and realized she had collided with the very person she was trying to avoid.
Just great. She thought. Now he's going to think I was following him. Her flight attendant’s hat had fallen to the floor and worse, she had knocked his hand luggage to the ground as well.
Damn, don't tell me I'm going to have to pay for that as well. She groaned inwardly. On her current flight attendant’s pay she could hardly feed herself, let alone pay for damage to overpriced designer bags. Unfortunately, frequent flier miles couldn't be traded for cash. Bonuses and pay raises had been frozen for the last three years.
She waited for him to turn on her with his smarmy grin but instead he stooped to pick up the tiny decorative hat in his large strong hand. He looked at it for a moment before he turned to face her. He smiled gently as he did so.
"Melanie Hutchinson, right? Are you okay?" He said kindly.
Huh? Was this even the same guy?
"I don't know," she said testily, "Is this too much make-up for you or not?" His puzzled look seemed entirely real.
"It looks just perfect to me." He said. "If it matters what I think."
"No it doesn't, actually." She said petulantly and took her hat from him. "Thank you." She said as she straightened her hair.
Why are you letting this guy fluster me? She thought. In reality, she knew though. He was gorgeous when he was being nice, even if he was only pretending.
"Which way are you going?" He asked.
"I'm going to the Drummond Airlines executive lounge if you must know."
"We can walk together." He said, with the confidence of someone who has never been refused anything in his life. Melanie didn't quite know what to do. If he was just being obnoxious it would be pretty simple, she was used to that from her work with the public. But his return to charm? It confused her. She allowed her eyes to linger a little, connecting with his intent, masculine stare. Although he was smiling, his eyes revealed a lot more. If Melanie didn't know better, she would have said he was seriously interested in her. Big time.
"Come on." He said and took her overnight bag gently but firmly from her. "Let me carry that. I'm going that way too."
“Okay." She said, resigning herself. It was a short walk; what could happen? It was kind of a crazy day already so why fight it, just go with the flow.
"About the other day on the flight to Columbus--"
"Don't." She cut him off. "Really, I would prefer if we just forgot about it entirely. Please."
“Okay. You're the boss."
When they reached the executive lounge, he made a point of holding the door for her.
"Still playing the last of the perfect gentleman." She said.
"I'm sorry. I can't help myself. Just the way I was raised."
She remembered the monographed handkerchief he had given her on the plane.
Why did I ever take it from him? Never again.
The stupid thing was probably still in her bag.
"I guess this is where we say goodbye then." She said.
"Where are you headed to now?" He asked, as if it were any of his business.
"I'm going through to the office in back. I have to see my boss, so I guess this is adios. Thanks for hauling my bag for me." She reached out her hand to take her things but he pulled the bag just beyond her reach as though he were playing with a child.
"You have beautiful hands." He said, with the same supremely confident smile. Melanie would even have said smug, if her heart hadn't been beating so fast. Who did this guy think he was? First insulting her, then bossing her around and now throwing compliments at her.
"Can I have my bag please?" She said.
"Are you always this friendly?" He said playfully.
Something about him was throwing her off balance. She felt like she was in high school again being noticed by the team quarterback for the first time.
Come on Melanie, get a hold of yourself. You're a grown woman for God's sake.
"Look," he said, "I'm going that way myself, so why don't I hold onto this until we get there?"
"You're going that way, too? To Mitch's office?"
"Is Mitch your boss?"
"He is, if that's any concern of yours."
"Well I don't know if that's anything I should be concerned about. Come on, let's go." He offered her his arm.
"I guess you wouldn’t take no for answer." She said.
"You make that sound like a bad thing." He joked as he gently took her arm and directed her towards her boss’s office.
"You seem to know exactly where you're going." She said. "Do you work for Drummond Airlines? Am I in some kind of trouble about our conversation the other day?"
"Don't worry Melanie; you're in no trouble at all."
She felt a sense of impending doom in the pit of her stomach.
When they reached the office, Mitch was there. He had a responsible job and the airline industry was always stressful. Although he was in management with things, the way they were now, this didn't turn into much, financially speaking. As Melanie looked at him, stressed out and tired, for the first time she thought that it was entirely possible even he was struggling to get by despite all the crap he had to put up with on a daily basis.
She didn't pity him though. He was a sneaky two-timer, so he deserved any hassle he got until he learned his lesson. He was damn lucky she had only smashed his laptop and mobile phone with that baseball bat and not anything more attached to him physically.
"Hey Mitch, how's it going today?" Alex announced loudly as he entered the office.
"You guys know each other?" Mitch looked as though he had been caught in the act of doing something illicit.
"Mr. Drummond, sir, I had no idea you'd be dropping by. I'm... uh... sorry."
Mr. Drummond Sir? Who is this guy?
"Don't be sorry Mitch and forget that Mr. Drummond stuff. Relax, you can call me Alex."
Alex Drummond? Of the Drummond family that owned the airline? She had seen old Mr. Drummond once or maybe twice in the six years she had worked herself into exhaustion with the crazy shifts and low pay of his airline. This guy must be...
"Alex Drummond, Jr." He held out his strong, capable hand, circled by a gleaming white linen shirt cuff. His cufflinks glinted with what Melanie presumed was some kind of precious or semi-precious stone. She reached out to take his hand and almost curtsied by accident.
Damn. She berated herself.
"I thought your name was Murray?" She inquired.
"Melanie!" Mitch cut in. "Just ignore her, Alex--"
"It's okay. She's right Mitch. I sometimes travel under that name. It's my mother's maiden name."
"Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry Alex."
The billionaire stood there with a smile that Melanie found smug, aloof, arrogant, and annoyingly playful smile. She couldn’t figure out if she hated it, or kind of loved it.
She couldn't believe that she was standing next to a billionaire, couldn't figure out if she loved or hated that one either.
She knew that the Drummond family's wealth was measured in the tens of billions and that Drummond Airlines was just one tiny little part of their vast empire. It was rumored that the company was just a pet project for old Mr. Drummond who had started out with the carrier in the 1930s as a mailroom clerk and had then eventually become CEO, owner, international business tycoon, and Forbes List billionaire he was today.
Melanie's head was spinning.
She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"How do you do?" She said.
Alex Drummond Jr. let out a belly laugh that almost knocked her down.
"Where did you get this one, Mitch?" He said.
Mitch looked very uncomfortable for a change and even though Mr. Hot Young Billionaire Alex Drummond was putting her off balance, it was a real pleasure to see Mitch squirm. Normally he was always so cocksure, but next to Alex Drummond, he was very far from being the alpha male in the room. He nervously brushed his sandy brown hair out of his eyes.
"Melanie is really an excellent employee." He said with an awkward formality that brought a quite smile to her face.
Eat it two-timer. She thought.
"Is she coming on the flight with us?"
What? So this is why they had pulled her from the Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio route: to be a personal flight attendant to Mr. Alex Drummond Jr.
"Apparently so." Mitch said. He seemed so unsure of himself in his boss’s presence that Melanie hardly recognized him. "I just got the news myself about fifteen minutes ago."
"Well, I for one couldn't be more pleased." The tall billionaire smiled charmingly. "Aren't I glad I was nice to you now? Imagine if I'd been rude and then it turned out I am in your hands for the next nine hours en route to Tahiti."
Melanie couldn't hide her smile now. She had a lot of flight time behind her and had been all over the world in the last six years, but rarely had her itineraries taken her to the exotic islands of the South Pacific. She had always dreamed of visiting Tahiti ever since she had seen Gauguin's famous pictures in one of her mother's big color art books as a little girl.
"Have you been to Tahiti before?" He asked as though he were talking about a neighborhood diner down the block.
"No, I haven't." Melanie tried to sound calm but inwardly she was exulting in the opportunity. "I've always wanted to go though."
"You're going to love it." He said. "I go there all time to just get away and leave the world behind." It somehow didn't sound like bragging when he said it. Obviously for someone as rich as him, it was perfectly normal to fly regularly to somewhere as outrageously expensive and exotic as Tahiti.
Alex turned to the groveling Mitch again.
"Is her schedule clear for the next ten days?" He asked.
Her heart sank. She needed to work all the routes and she could to have a hope of making that payment to her mother's nursing home. Then she had counted on working part-time shifts on her days off at a diner near to where she lived to make up as much of the shortfall as she could. But now she would be stuck. To make matters even worse her roommate had moved out leaving her high and dry with the rent this month and she didn't even have money to cover this month's rent as it was.
"I'm sorry sir--"
"No more 'sir', Melanie. Please just call me Alex."
"Thank you sir -- I mean Alex. But I have regular flights all week--"
"Canceled. Reassigned." Mitch said.
This was a disaster. Her mother was in real danger of being evicted.
"Is there a problem?" Alex asked. He sounded so kind. Melanie just couldn't put the two pictures together. The charmer on the Columbus flight followed by the manipulative billionaire. Then the crass asshole at the check-in counter this morning followed by the magnetically charming hunk from her dreams who stood before her now.
"I'd love to go." She stammered, "It's just that...."
Mitch glared at her, willing her to shut up. He knew that no one ever said no to Alex Drummond, Jr.
"There's no problem Mr. Drummond," he said. "Her schedule will be absolutely cleared; I'll see to it myself."
Screw you. A flash of defiance ran through her. Mitch was trying to run her life again, even after she had broken up with him. You're not in charge here. Although a little overwhelmed and star struck in the presence of the tall handsome billionaire, she was still a woman and sure he liked her. He had offered to pay her mother's medical bills for God's sake. She decided to lay it on thick to get a little revenge on Mitch. God knows he deserved it. She dropped her head demurely and then looked up at Alex with coy little girl eyes.
"Mr. Drummond," she said, and then flashed him a shy smile. She saw his pleased response, which he tried to cover up quickly. There really was something there.
Mitch stood there fuming, just visible from the corner of her eye.
"It's just, well, my roommate left suddenly and I'm short on rent this month..."
"Stop right there." He said. "Mitch will take care of that, won't you Mitch?" He turned his commanding gaze to the stooping manager with a look that threatened doom if disobeyed.
"Of course, Mr. Drummond." He said.
"Mitch will give you the details before we board the flight. Don't worry Melanie; I consider this a special service so you won't be out-of-pocket. Mitch will make sure that your rent is covered and then some. Isn't that right?"
Mitch nodded unhappily and gave another sharp look to Melanie as if to say he would get even with her for this indignity.
"Any other problems, Melanie?"
She searched her mind for something to say other than the problem with her mother. She didn't want Mitch to know and she didn't want this Drummond guy to somehow use it against her again. She was somehow still looking for a reason to escape. Was she really going to be a serving girl for this guy with his huge sense of entitlement? Didn't she have a say? After all, he was still a virtual stranger and here she was suddenly changing all her plans and getting ready to spend nine hours on a flight with him and then eight days with him on Tahiti.
"If it's a question of money," he added, "then don't worry in the least. Whatever financial commitments you have, and I mean whatever they are, they will be covered by the additional time on this flight. This trip is a personal flight for a family vacation. This means that the money you earn wouldn't be at your standard Drummond Airlines rate of pay, am I right Mitch?"
Mitch was churning inside but didn't dare disagree.
"That's right Mr... uh, Alex."
"What do we usually pay cabin crew staff for these trips?"
"I'd have to check that out sir."
"Alex."
"Yes, Alex. I'd have to check it out."
"Do it."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes Alex."
"Yes."
"Do it now."
Melanie was loving it. This was even better than watching him nearly cry as she destroyed his iPad, his MacBook, and his iPhone with the baseball bat.
Mitch got onto his desk computer and quickly had an answer.
"Two nine-hour flights, approximately and then a period of eight days in between with a vacation day--"
"Paid vacation?" Alex asked in a way that made the answer obvious.
"Sure, I mean of course. All that would come to..." he did the calculations "$500 per flight."
Melanie was stunned, realizing that was over $50 an hour. After six years with Drummond, she still made less than $10 an hour on her usual flights.
"That's $1,000 plus seven days at $50 per hour--"
"It's eight days."
"Yep. Of course. Eight times eight--"
"Eight times twelve. Bill her for twelve hours a day just in case we need her for something. Oh, and Melanie, do you speak French?"
"I... uh, yes I do. I majored in it and spent a year in--"
"That's fine. Put in the supplemental rate for translation work."
"That comes to $80 an hour, Alex. Are you sure?"
"Mitch, stop kidding around!" He said with a laugh and an edge of absolute seriousness. "I want to know how much to pay her, not figure out if we can afford it or not."
“Okay, that comes to $80 per hour by twelve, which is $960. Multiply that by eight gives you $7,680 then add on the $1,000 for the round trip, and that's a total of $8,680."
Melanie breathed in and out very softly. She was afraid to move or speak in case it all went away. That was nearly the whole amount she needed to keep her mother in the home for another month at least. With only $1,320 short, she might be able to negotiate something with them.
"What about expenses?" Alex asked.
"What about them?" Mitch said. "She can keep receipts and then submit them."
"Put her on a per diem. Tahiti is an expensive place and Melanie is doing us a favor. I don't want her worrying about keeping receipts for bottled water and deodorant. What's the US State Department per diem rate for Tahiti?"
"Those are very high--"
"It's not what I asked, Mitch."
"Of course not." He could barely hide his resentment. He took a deep breath as he read out the numbers.
"The current maximum rate is... $421."
Melanie's jaw dropped.
"Multiply that by eight days and that comes to $3,368, for a grand total of $12,048."
It was more than half her annual salary and more than enough to keep the nursing home happy.
Alex looked at her.
"So what do you say Melanie? Do you want the job or not? It's entirely up to you."
"I... I..." she stammered, "I only have an overnight bag." She finally said.
"Is that all?" He smiled. "Don't worry, we have everything you need at our place on the island, and whatever we don't have, we can find. I never travel with anything other than hand luggage anyway." He held up his designer hand luggage and Melanie winced as she saw the large scuffmark from where she had knocked it out of his hands. He noticed her expression and looked at the large black dirty line. He gave it a brush or two with his big strong hand, making no impression on the stain.
Then he laughed chivalrously.
"That mark has been there for ages," he said, but she knew he was fibbing. "Come on, let's go." He put out his hand for her. She felt like a princess in a fairytale as she put her slim white delicate hand into his strong tanned fingers, feeling them close gently around hers. She hadn't been this excited or terrified about anything in years.