Up in the Air 2: West Coast

by George Loveland

  Jane commanded the room and ran through the briefing, assigning us to our different areas. James had recently been promoted to First Class, so I hoped Jane would put me up there for a change. She bit her bottom lip, and I knew she was contemplating it before she put me into Premium with Amy and swapped one of the other girls to First. I couldn’t argue but wondered when it would be my turn to climb the ladder.

  With the briefing finished we made our way out of the room. All except Jane. She stood in front of the door and stopped me from leaving.

  “I don’t want any shit from you, Max.”

  I sputtered before I could get my words together in defence, but she stopped me again.

  “I know you and James swapped shifts, again. I don’t know why, and I don’t care what the excuse is. But I won’t have any shit in the air, while we’re in LA, or on the way back.”

  “I’ll be good, Jane.” I dragged out her name. It was childish, but my only way to defend myself and attack at the same time.

  “Good.” Her face softened. “If you behave, I’ll put you in First on the way back, okay?”

  I couldn’t find the words to reply to her. I wasn’t sure what I could say but managed an “okay” before she walked ahead of me, leaving me to close the door.

  Chapter Two

  Danny had waited for me. “What happened?”

  “Oh, nothing. Jane wanted to make sure I was up to date on procedures.”

  “Uh-hmm.”

  “Tell me exactly what you want me to do tonight. And how are you performing at Flamingos anyway? I heard they were a hard club to get into.”

  “I don’t know. They got in touch with me. I guess they’d seen some of my videos online. Tonight, I need you to help me with the costume changes. There’s only a short change-over of outfits between songs.”

  We had caught up to the rest of the crew and that’s when I must have zoned out as I became transfixed by the broad shoulders and pert arse of one of the flight deck crew walking in front of me. I scanned his shoulders to see he was a captain, and I was more than ready to be taken to his cock pit.

  “Are you listening to me?” Danny said.

  “Yes, of course I am. Two costume changes you want me for, got it.”

  “No, I said you better roll your tongue in, you don’t want to catch anything.”

  I gave him a side glance and raised an eyebrow. “The queen is out already, I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you, darling, but to give you an FYI, he’s taken, so don’t bother.”

  “What? Captain Sweet Cheeks there? Pfft. It’s never stopped me before.” I waggled my eyebrows at him.

  “It will this time.” He lowered his voice. “He’s with Jane from what I’ve heard.”

  “Ah fuck,” I replied. “Oh well, plenty of men in LA, I’m sure we’ll find a couple for the night.”

  “Amen to that, sister.”

  “Urgh, I’m not your sister.”

  “Amen, brother?” He winced at his words. “No, that doesn’t work either. Just an amen then.”

  “That’ll do.” I nudged Danny and this time focused on what he said.

  We boarded the plane and with the rest of the crew, went straight into action. Premium was different to Economy in that we had a smaller section of the plane to deal with, and with two crew members we were able to split the duties between us to get ready. Amy and I loaded up a couple of trays of orange juice and another of champagne ready for our passengers to board. Half an hour later, and the passengers started to take their seats.

  I worked my arse off on the flight. I suspected a couple had been upgraded from Economy to Premium, and thought they deserved First Class treatment. As much as I tried to be accommodating, they started to drink the cart dry and there was only so much I could give. They tried to complain to Jane, but she was on my side when I refused to serve them anymore. The threat of airport police being called on their arrival brought them into line, and they were pleasant for the rest of the flight.

  When the final passengers left, the crew and I were able to close the plane down for the cleaners. Danny found me the minute he’d finished and didn’t stop talking all the way to customs. I was grateful it was “one person at a time” when we went through passport control, to give my ears a rest. He soon started up again while we waited for his luggage. Most flights, I only ever had the one case which went on the plane with me, but Danny had a suitcase for his wigs and costumes. I thought I’d better show willing by staying with him, plus it was something James would have done, and I still owed him.

  We checked into the hotel and Danny gave me four hours rest before he wanted to meet in his room to go over everything.

  “I’m not helping you tuck.” The thought had suddenly hit me.

  “But it’s so big,” he whined. “I have trouble getting it back there. I can’t have a meaty tuck for Flamingos.”

  I stared at him until he burst out laughing.

  “Nah, I don’t want your hand anywhere near my dick, thanks. I need you to know what to do with the costume changes. If they aren’t done right, then it could screw up the whole act.”

  “Right, costume changes. I can do that.”

  Danny gave me a pained smile, and then touched my arm. “Thanks, Max, this means a lot to me. If I do well tonight they’ll book me for more.”

  “No pressure then?”

  He gripped my arm and narrowed his eyes. “No, none. But my whole career as a drag queen could go up in smoke if we don’t get this right!”

  I gave him a false smile and un-wrapped his fingers and hand off me. His nerves were showing through. “It will be fine. Now let’s get out of here. I need some shut-eye before we do all this.”

  We walked to our rooms, with Danny’s a few doors down from mine and said goodbye and scoped out my room. A queen-size bed, a small seating area and a gorgeous shower. I decided on a shower and then to sleep for a bit before I had to help Danny.

  Once showered, I got into bed, put my eye mask on, laid back and waited for sleep. Despite the amount of tossing and turning I did, sleep evaded me. Ten minutes later, I gave in and tugged my dick a couple of times, but knew I needed more to get me to sleep. There was an app for what I needed, and there was usually someone online who would be able to wear me out and help me get off to sleep with a smile on my face.

  None of my favourites were online in the area, but there were a couple of local potentials. XXLTOP was one of them, and after a brief chat, the customary share of dick pics and my location, he knocked on my hotel room door ten minutes later. I was too tired to hide my disappointment. He was shorter than he appeared in his photos, but he had a beard and wore a tank top which showed off the definition of his body.

  Our lips hit together the second the door closed. He was a good kisser, and I loved the way his hands raked up and down my body. We made it to the bed, and I dispersed of my T-shirt and boxers and got on all fours for him. I needed this, and I needed it quick. He had taken the hint as I heard his jeans fall to the floor. When I turned around, I knew he hadn’t been lying with his name. I stroked him up and down before I took his cock in my mouth, needing to take a breath to go all the way down. His gasp told me I was doing well, but now he needed to prove the second part of his name.

  I crawled up the bed and turned around to show him what was next. The bed moved as he got onto it, then he slapped my arse. My head shot round and I gave him the evil eye, but he sniggered, then bent down and licked the smacked cheek. His tongue moved to my hole and I gasped when his nails dug into my arse and he pulled my cheeks apart as his tongue brushed over my hole.

  “Fuck,” I cried out.

  “Where are your condoms?”

  “There.” I pointed to the bedside cabinet where I’d left lube and condoms. I’d prepared myself a little but I wanted to feel him.

  The familiar sound of the condom wrapping being ripped open sent shivers through my body. He squirted lube into his hand and then his fingers circled my hole before he press
ed one in. I gasped and called for him to hurry up. He answered by removing his finger and pressing his cock head against my hole. His hands dug into my hips as he pushed inside me, little by little, until I could feel his pubes brush against my arse. I groaned in pleasure, but it was short lived as he drew his cock out and then slammed back into me.

  My eyes rolled back as he thrusted into me. His movements quickened until he grunted and then pounded into me with three long strokes. I knew he was spent, and I wanted my own happy ending with him still inside. I beat at my cock until I spilt into my hand, letting out my own cry of satisfaction.

  XXLTOP, I didn’t bother finding out his name, slapped my arse before he headed to the bathroom with his clothes. I cleaned myself up, satisfied I could get off to sleep now. Exhaustion swept through me, so I put on my shirt and boxers, and waited for him to come out of the bathroom. When he did, I made it as clear as possible there was no chatter to be had, and that he needed to go.

  As soon as I closed the door, I rushed to check my phone to see I had three hours before I needed to meet Danny and jumped into bed. With a small throbbing in my arse, but a smile on my face, I put the eye mask back on and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Three

  Danny opened the door and I had to take a step back. The colour had drained from his face, and I couldn’t be sure if he’d been crying. He didn’t say anything to me but turned around and walked back into his room. I followed him and gasped at all the dresses, wigs and high-heeled shoes which were strewn about the place. Danny slumped into a chair and dropped his head into his hands.

  “Right, what do you need me to do?”

  “Don’t bother,” he cried. “It’s not happening tonight, nothing’s working.”

  I counted to ten, breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. “What’s not working?”

  “I’ve forgotten my Union Jack dress. It’s retro night at Flamingos and they said they wanted something nineties. They booked me because they liked my Spice Girl numbers.” He let out a breath. “Now the whole thing is ruined because I forgot my Union Jack dress for ‘Spice Up Your Life.’ The whole act is ruined.”

  Tears threatened to spill from his dark brown eyes.

  I sucked in a breath. “What else do you have with you?”

  He waved his hands at the other outfits and then dropped his head back into his hands. It was strange to see the confident Danny I knew so distressed.

  I looked through his outfits and found a short pink dress. “What’s your other number?”

  “What?”

  “Your other number, what else are you singing?”

  “I’m not singing; I’m lip-syncing.”

  “Okay, what are you lip-syncing to?”

  “Nothing, it’s all ruined, I’ll call Flamingos and tell them I can’t make it. I’ve got the flu.” He coughed for emphasis.

  It was my turn to put my head in my hands and scream out. Feeling better, I looked over at a shocked Danny.

  “Before you lost the all-important dress, what were you going to lip-sync?”

  “‘All The Things She Said’ by t.A.T.u.”

  “Okay, what were you wearing for that?”

  Danny strolled over and picked out a short tartan skirt and white shirt. It was an obvious choice, but would work.

  “You can start in that, and then move onto the Spice Girls in this pink dress. I don’t know why you thought you could pull off Ginger when you’re obviously born to be Baby.”

  I let the suggestion sink in before the penny dropped.

  “It will work, won’t it? My God you’re amazing. I need to sort out this blonde wig and put it in pigtails. Let’s do a quick costume check, see how long it takes.”

  Danny got into the mini skirt and shirt, pressed play on his phone and the familiar intro of t.A.T.u played. He swayed around the room, performing for an invisible audience until the song reached its end. The skirt and shirt were ripped off and I helped him into the dress before the first words were sung of “Spice Up Your Life.”

  “Quicker, Max, we need to be quicker. We’ve not done it with wigs yet.”

  I didn’t say a word, but did what he asked, or barked at me to do, until we had the timing right, complete with wigs and shoes as well.

  Two hours later, we were done. “Let’s get something to eat before I get ready,” Danny insisted.

  I cheered inside; being a drag queen’s assistant was hard work.

  We found the rest of the crew in the restaurant and joined them at the end of a long table. The only spot available was next to Jane and a guy I presumed was Captain Sweet Cheeks, who I’d seen from behind earlier. He wasn’t as handsome as I’d imagined him to be, but cute enough for Jane. I kept on my best behaviour and made small talk with Jane and those around me.

  After we’d eaten, Danny made his excuses to leave and everyone wished him good luck. A couple of the girls said they would try and go along, but like me, they were all knackered. I checked my watch; Danny said we had to leave at nine and it was ten past seven now. If I was quick, I could get an hour’s sleep in before I had to be ready. Making my excuses, I left for my room. The bed calling my name.

  The hour’s sleep did me good, and I was able to have a shower and get dressed in enough time to get to Danny’s room. When I knocked on the door, it wasn’t Danny who answered, but Miss Dai Zee. High-heeled shoes meant he now towered over me. The blonde wig added to his height and the blue sequinned catsuit showed off more curves than I knew he naturally had.

  “Bloody hell, Danny, I didn’t recognise you.”

  “It’s Dai Zee now,” he countered as he, or she, looked me up and down. “You’ll do as my entourage, although that shirt has seen better days.”

  I looked down at my dark navy shirt, and yeah it could have had an iron, but I didn’t think it would matter in a club. I followed Dai Zee into her room and she motioned for me to take the suitcase we had packed earlier.

  “Is everything in there?” I wanted to make sure it still had all her wigs, shoes and costumes for tonight. A meltdown in the hotel was one thing, but a meltdown in the club would be a whole other story.

  “Yes, darling. Now be a dear and take it. I have an Uber coming in,” she checked her phone, “five minutes.”

  I took the handle of the suitcase and followed Dai Zee out of the hotel.

  We arrived at Flamingos and were ushered into a dressing room fit for a queen. When the bar owner came in, his jaw almost hit the floor when he saw Dai Zee. His face flushed as he walked over to her. He was all muscle in his black vest with the Flamingos logo, which directed me to his chest hair poking out over the fabric. I couldn’t work out his age but guessed he was in his late thirties, which was young for a club owner. Although he looked comfortable and in charge, which sent a jolt to my groin.

  “Miss Dai Zee, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” His southern accent had me weak at the knees.

  “Brandon? Oh my, you look so much better in person,” Dai Zee cooed.

  “Um, thanks.” He ran a hand over his shaved head, which happened to show off his biceps.

  I had to turn away to adjust myself, he was sex on legs and I doubted he knew it.

  “You’re welcome, darling. How long do I have before I need to be on?”

  “Well, if you can do me a favour? My other girl let me down. Do you have a couple more numbers you can perform tonight? Anything with love in it will be great. With it being Valentine’s Day tomorrow, the guys will go crazy for you.”

  “Of course. Let me check over what I’ve got with me.”

  Dai Zee turned to me with her eyes wide and nostrils flared. With pursed lips, she took a CD out of the suitcase and then turned back to Brandon.

  “Give me a minute to mull it over, but I’ll have something for you.”

  Brandon let out a huge breath and rubbed his head again. “Sure thing, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Can I get you a drink or anything?”

  Dai Zee declined, but I asked for a soft dr
ink. My resolve to behave was strong.

  As soon as Brandon left, Dai Zee dropped into a chair.

  “What the fuck am I going to do?”

  I counted to ten. I hadn’t expected to do this much and was now cursing James. A disciplinary would have been better than this meltdown. When I knew I had better control of my emotions, I took the CD from Dai Zee and scanned through it. I let out a breath.

  “Oh, this is easy. Look, start with ‘Baby One More Time’ while you’re in the schoolgirl outfit, and then go into ‘All The Things She Said.’ Then costume change to Baby and do ‘2 Become 1’ and then ‘Spice Up Your Life.’ They’ll love it.”

  Dai Zee jumped up in the air and hugged me.

  “You’re right. Okay, go tell Brandon and I’ll get ready.”

  “I’m sure he’d prefer to hear it from you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You don’t see the wood for the trees, do you?”

  Her blank expression said it all.

  “I’ll go tell him, you get ready.”

  I found Brandon and told him what Dai Zee would be performing. He grinned at me with a sparkle in his eye, and then went off to tell the DJ what was going to happen. It gave me the chance to have a look around the club. It was larger than I remembered, but there was the stage and the dancefloor, and several high tables and stools around the edge of the bar. Everything slowed down and went quiet when I saw a guy standing in the corner on his own.

  He had it all: about six foot, muscles shown off in his tight white polo shirt, dark hair and a styled beard. Our eyes met, and for the briefest of seconds a smile flashed across his face, before the lights shone around the room. When I refocused, he was talking to another guy, who happened to now be squeezing his bicep. I let out a breath. Why were all the nice guys already taken?

  Dai Zee called my name, and like a good assistant, I went back to the dressing room. She was dressed in her schoolgirl outfit and ready to go. I gave her a big smile, told her how great she looked, and then stood aside so she could make her way to the stage.