“I’ve been really busy,” Elodie mumbled.
Aaron bent down to retrieve her phone and as he handed it back to her. As he did so the screen lit up, displaying a message from Chase. Elodie’s eyes flew to Aaron’s; she wasn’t exactly sure why she wanted this message to go unnoticed, she just did. Her heart sank as she saw Aaron’s eyes flit from the phone’s screen to the floor. A crestfallen look darted across his face. It was never nice to make someone feel sad; however, Elodie couldn’t feel too bad about it as Aaron was the one with an ‘other half’ and she was the one who was single and free to get messages from whomever she liked. She snatched the phone from Aaron, mumbled a thank you and slinked past him, feeling very much as though this interchange had already gone on too long.
“Hey, hold up,” Aaron called after her. Elodie paused and turned on her heel to face him. The concourse was busy and several people had stopped to look when Aaron had called out to her. “Are you doing anything later?” he asked. “Maybe we could have that second date?
“I can’t,” Elodie replied, making her way past him again and averting her eyes to avoid his.
“If you don’t like me enough Elodie, just say. It’s kind of embarrassing for you to ignore my messages and then pie me off in person too, just be honest with me. I’m a big boy, I promise I can take it.” He gave her a heartfelt look that almost had Elodie finding herself feeling sorry for him – almost.
“Are you kidding?” she asked hotly. To keep a relationship a secret was one thing but to outright deny it was another. “I know about Grace, I’m not angry, I’m just… done.”
“Grace?” Aaron repeated, puzzled. “What about her?” Elodie raised one eyebrow in reply. “I don’t get how you know?’ Aaron said eventually. “Did she tell you?”
“I saw a picture on your Instagram. I’ve seen you two together and, besides, it’s common knowledge.”
“It’s common knowledge? What is?” Aaron asked, his puzzled look giving way to one of indignation and finally one of realisation. “Elodie, look, it’s not what you think. The thing with Grace is…”
“No, you look,” she said sharply, cutting across him mid- sentence. “I’ve been embarrassed enough. I told literally everyone how nice you were, what a great date we had, how bloody wonderful the whole thing was and all the time you had a girlfriend. Who I now have to work alongside and who absolutely can’t stand me. So, thanks for that.”
Elodie gave him a disdainful look and stalked off, anger bubbling with each step; some men were solid gold dickheads. Aaron called after her; she could hear desperation in his voice but she carried on regardless. ‘You’ve had a lucky escape there,’ Elodie thought as she rounded the corner and made her way to Mr Bosford who would be, as always, waiting patiently for her in the collection bay.
Her journey back to the tube station was fraught. No matter how many times she repeated the mantra that it was only one date, that it didn’t matter and that she was moving on now, she couldn’t help but feel hurt and agitated by Aaron in equal measure. It was more the fact that she had felt something, really felt something that evening. She had been tricked into feeling a connection and it was that which hurt her the most. She would just have to keep her eyes firmly fixed on the future from now on, and who knew what that held?
“Are you alright?” Mr Bosford asked. Elodie saw his eyes flick to hers from the rear- view mirror.
“Boy trouble,” she said expressionlessly.
“Is there any other kind?” Mr Bosford asked kindly. “Want to tell me about it? We’ve still got another twenty minutes or so and it might help to bend my impartial ear.”
Elodie was at a crossroads; she felt as though talking about it merely extended the pain and that by burying everything resignedly she would be far better off. Reluctantly, and after some encouragement, she eventually told the entire story, leaving out a few choice details. No matter how kind Mr Bosford was, he didn’t need to hear about the more intricate intimacies of her love life.
“Well, for what it’s worth I think you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. You don’t know anything for certain, you didn’t let the lad finish, and as for the pilot, do you not think you might be a bit young?”
Elodie bristled. She knew there was an age difference, but it was like Carla said: “It’s not about the age gap, it’s about the page gap.”
“Age is just a number, we get on, and besides at least he’s single,” Elodie quipped.
“Alright, well if you’re sure. You should be happy, you know, and at the minute you look anything but. Why not speak to a friend and get a second opinion?”
Elodie thanked him. Maybe getting an outsider’s opinion wouldn’t be such a bad idea. She took out her phone and texted the only person she could think of who would be totally impartial.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!” Jess exclaimed, wrapping Elodie in a big bear hug. Elodie had messaged her and suggested they meet on her way home. Jess had replied almost instantly saying she’d love to and the two had met up at a cocktail bar in town not long afterwards. “So what’s up? How are you getting on with work, tell me everything.”
Elodie and Jess chatted non- stop for the next hour; they talked so much that they barely touched their drinks.
“So tell me, are you seeing anyone yet?” Jess asked. Whilst on the course Elodie had told Jess all about Tom and their breakup, she had told Elodie that to get over someone you needed to get under someone else, a notion that Carla had echoed as well.
“Actually, yes. I went on a date with an absolute dickhead first, but then I met someone else and, well, we’ve had a few dates really and I think it’s going really well,” Elodie replied coyly.
“Good for you, well you’re doing better than me. I was seeing someone but he was too hot and cold. Kept messing me about. He was a bit weird, really. It all got super- intense and I ended up leaving my job. I just couldn’t handle seeing him. Anyway, that’s over now, unless he calls me, and then of course I’ll go running back. I can’t seem to stop myself.” Jess rolled her eyes at herself and took a sip of her cocktail. “Men, eh?”
“You were seeing someone at your work?” Elodie asked. She knew exactly what it was like to be trapped in ‘male jail’; it was one of the reasons she’d stayed with Tom for so long. She took a sip of her own drink and felt thankful that she’d figured out what Aaron was like before she’d become too involved and that Chase was a nice guy who, so far, had treated her well.
“Kind of, well not anymore. To be honest, I don’t really want to go into it: mixing business with pleasure just doesn’t work,” Jess said, taking a long sip of her drink.
Elodie wanted to ask her advice on Chase, but judging by Jess’s deflated demeanour at her own lacklustre love life, hearing about Elodie’s new man probably wouldn’t go down well. Instead, Elodie decided to try and cheer her up by telling her about her disastrous date with Aaron.
After their drink, Jess had to go. She was on a mid- morning flight the following day and as she no longer worked at the fancy airline she had been with when she first passed the course she needed to get to bed at a reasonable hour as her new work had a much tighter schedule with very quick turnarounds.
“Let’s not leave it so long next time,” she said as she climbed into the back of a cab and waved goodbye to her friend. Elodie watched the taxi disappear down the street before making her way towards the nearest tube station.
A week had passed and Elodie had spoken to Chase properly just once, which was fine. They had bumped into each other a couple of times, but Chase was always on his way to a flight or on a quick turnaround. Elodie didn’t mind, though: she had every intention of playing it just as cool.
She had just finished a shift. She was utterly exhausted and needed to rally herself around. It was Steph’s birthday meal in a few hours and, as it stood she would be falling asleep before they’d ordere
d their first course. She decided to grab a quick coffee from the staff room: the machine in their produced the most powerful coffee known to mankind. Elodie hated it but thought she could manage one cup if she viewed it as medicine. She pushed the door open and was dismayed to see Grace leaning against one of the tables in conversation with Chase.
“Excuse me,” Elodie muttered, averting her eyes and making her way across the room. She stood there, watching the dark liquid trickle into her paper cup. Their voices were barely above a whisper now and, try as she might, Elodie couldn’t make out what it was they were saying. Suddenly she felt a hand run the length of her side, she turned and saw that Chase had leant against the counter, his body precariously close to hers. Elodie snapped her head around, knowing that Grace was still in the room. She was staring down at a clipboard, her brows furrowed.
“Grace?” he said.
Grace turned round and gave him a withering look.
“Yes?” she answered coolly.
Chase proceeded to ask her if she would be able to re- stock one of the planes. This had not gone down well; she had told him that re- stocking wasn’t in her job description and that she was incredibly busy at that moment. Grace had given Elodie a purposeful look as if to communicate that it was alright for some, swanning off to attend a birthday party.
“Well, can you spare Elodie for a while?” Chase asked.
“I can always spare Elodie,” Grace retorted snidely before heading out the door. Elodie, baffled and a little offended, turned to Chase.
“I don’t have time,” Elodie said, starting to explain that she needed to leave sooner rather than later. Chase gave her a sneaky sort of look, raised one eyebrow and beckoned her to follow him.
Elodie stepped onto the plane and did a double- take. Even with the last passengers’ wares still lying about, the lavishness was still utterly breath- taking and Elodie found that she was still not yet used to the sheer opulence in which she worked.
“Take a seat,” Chase said, pulling the door closed behind him. He gestured to one of the plush armchairs. Elodie looked at him with uncertainty: this wasn’t his personal plane and she wasn’t a passenger. As if reading her thoughts he placed a strong hand on her shoulder and gently, but persuasively, coerced her into the chair.
“Chase, what’s going…?” She trailed off as he took a step towards her. Elodie felt a tingle as she saw the expression on his face.
“I’ve missed this,” he said, taking her hand in his.
Elodie suddenly realised that this had been his intention all along, to get her on her own. This sent thrills through her veins and she suddenly found herself feeling flushed. Chase stood in front of her, drinking her in; a heady look of lust graced his features. Without breaking his stare he pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, letting the cool white material brush over his smooth, olive skin and fall to the floor. Elodie’s gaze followed it and when she looked up again she saw that Chase had abandoned the rest of his uniform and stood there in just his underwear.
“I…” she began, but no other words came, her breath purloined by desire.
Her eyes ran over his body appreciatively, just the sight of his smooth muscular chest and strong arms made her shiver. He reached out for her and, in one effortless movement lifted her from the chair up towards him. She wrapped her legs around his torso instinctively and let her heels slip from her feet; they fell to the floor with a dull thud, but Elodie barely noticed. Their lips met and she felt her heartbeat quicken as everything else seemed to slow. She could barely breathe as she was overcome by a wash of longing. Pulling her in closer, the tentative kiss became more urgent, as though being together was their sole purpose in life and the two became completely entwined in one another.
Reaching behind her Chase began to unzip her dress; he did this slowly as if to savour every single second. Elodie opened her legs slightly and slid back down to the floor, Chase eased her dress down the very second the tip of her toe reached the soft carpet and she stepped out of it. She stood there before him; he took a step back and looked her up and down admiringly, devouring the sight before him. Elodie noticed a hungry look in his eyes and suddenly felt a little like his prey. The feeling was fleeting, as before Elodie had a chance to react, Chase was upon her. He sank to his knees and joined her in a lustful embrace, never once breaking away from one another. Chase slipped the strap of Elodie’s bra down, freeing her breasts, and inhaled deeply.
“You are absolutely gorgeous, you know,” he said before taking one of the pink buds in his mouth.
It stiffened under his attention. Once satisfied, he transferred his attention to the other and gently sucked on the soft, pink mound. Elodie’s head fell back and a soft moan escaped her lips. He pulled away from her and traced soft butterfly kisses down her midriff. She gasped as his lips brushed her skin, the feeling as soft as silk. He trailed the kisses lower and lower until he had made his way to her most sensitive parts. Elodie’s breath caught in her throat as he removed her underwear; she parted her thighs ever so slightly to allow for his eager fingers, which had found their way there without direction. Chase parted her soft folds, gently stroking her most intimate area and leaned towards her. She felt his breath on her neck and reached out for him. Running the tips of her fingers through his dark hair, Elodie let out a gasp of pleasure as Chase pushed his fingers further into her sanctum. He curved them upwards and stroked, beckoning the climax from her. Elodie felt herself ache for him, she wanted more than anything to feel him inside her and she yearned for their bodies to move as one. Seeming to sense her need Chase withdrew his fingers and, kneeling between her legs grasped her thighs firmly. He eased them apart further, his eyes transfixed on her glistening wetness. Elodie’s heartbeat quickened, she could feel a pulsing in her deepest recesses, a hunger akin to no other. She lay there, on the plush carpet, bathed in soft sunlight and completely naked, with a man that up until recently she could only dream of. The idea that someone could stumble upon them at any moment only made things more exciting and she felt a jolt of anticipation as he moved in closer. The tip of his shaft began to penetrate her; he paused, and Elodie stole a furtive glance at him. Chase was looking at her intently; she looked away, but he reached out and pulled her face back towards him. As he leant into her, Elodie could smell his raw, masculine scent. It invaded her senses; it was an animalistic smell that rendered her powerless to resist.
Chase kissed her. It was not the tentative kiss of before, it was different. Overwhelmingly and commandingly he bore down on her. She responded passionately and felt his hips thrust towards her. She broke away, unable to keep herself from crying out as he drove himself inside of her. His imposing erection filled her entirely and momentarily quenched her thirst for him; however, it seemed like the more she was given, the more she wanted. Greed took over and Elodie raised her hips to allow him to enter her more deeply. He obliged and pushed in further, a guttural moan escaping his lips. The two writhed in ecstasy; each and every second that passed journeyed them closer to the peak of their pleasure. Elodie felt herself flushing: she was so close to climax but wanted to delay her gratification., knowing that the sweet release was yet to come. Elodie’s efforts to resist were futile as Chase bucked inside her; his own movements were becoming wilder now and she understood that he was close too. She felt the pending waves of climax begin to break over her body as she went into spasm and lost all control. In the wake of such intense pleasure she was feeble and was barely aware of Chase reaching his summit too. She cried out as fresh jolts of ecstasy pulsed within and grabbed onto Chase’s shoulders in an effort to brace herself. She felt him jerk inside her and buck hard. His hair fell over his face and a bead of sweat trickled down his torso. He cried out one last time and held himself above her. After a few moments he withdrew and lay next to her, his body warm against hers.
“That, was, incredible,” he murmured as he lazily stroked up and down her arm. Elodie nodded not
yet able to find her voice. “Well, we should probably make a move, think you’re probably on the verge of pushing it.”
Elodie sat up, her hair wild and skin clammy. Chase was right: she really should make a move. Her career would be completely over if she were caught here, a fact that up until that very moment had conveniently seemed to escape her. Suddenly the recklessness of her actions seemed monumental and Elodie wondered exactly what it was she had been thinking.
“Do you think it’d be OK if I used the bathroom?” she asked hopefully.
“If we can fuck in the living room, I think we can use the bathroom,” Chase laughed, “In for a penny and all that.”
Elodie giggled and, scooping up her clothes, made her way to the bathroom where after a few minutes she re- emerged looking as though nothing had ever happened – well, almost.
“You’re gorgeous, you know,” Chase said, echoing his earlier sentiment. He slung his tie around his neck and pulled her in for a kiss. The two broke apart just as the door to the aircraft was heaved open. The cleaning team had arrived, preparing to ready the plane for the next passengers. Elodie averted her eyes as an all- too- familiar cleaner in a yellow tabard backed onto the plane.
She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole: it was Aaron. ‘Of all people,’ she thought to herself. Aaron turned around, wheeling in a small cleaning cart and, upon clapping eyes on them both, stopped in his tracks.
“So after you’ve stocked this fridge you can carry on as before…” Chase said commandingly, giving Elodie a sideways look.
Elodie looked from Chase to Aaron and back again before muttering something not quite comprehensible. Chase sidled past Aaron as if he didn’t exist, leaving and Elodie and Aaron alone together. Elodie had never felt more transparent in her entire life: there was no escaping what they had been doing, but she felt that it wouldn’t hurt Aaron to know that she had upgraded. She’d gone from economy to business and if that hurt his feelings a little, then who cared? It was no less than he deserved.
Chasing Clouds Page 29
