Chapter 31

Adam didn’t know whether it was Glenn Fielding who made the decision or his editor, but the story about the fake sex film was pulled from The Sunday Echo. Adam got up early to buy the paper and scoured every column inch of every page to make sure it wasn’t there. Josh picked him up just after eight and drove him to Chloë’s hotel in London. She was waiting for them in the foyer, along with a man in a smart blue chauffeur’s uniform.

“May I take your bags, sir?” the chauffeur said. Chloë and Adam followed him out to the waiting limousine.

“Who’s this guy?” Adam asked.

“He’s from the airline. Anglo-Atlantic likes to treat its VIPs well.”

The chauffeur put Adam’s bags in the boot with Chloë’s while the young lovers got in the back of the white limousine for the journey to Heathrow.

“Have you ever been to the States before?” Chloë asked as they got out of the car at the VIP entrance to the terminal.

“No. I’ve never flown first class before either.”

“Oh, you’ll love it,” said Chloë. “Anglo-Atlantic is the best airline in the world to travel first class with.”

“How many times have you been?”

“Not as many as you’d think. I’ve been to a few premières in Hollywood, and I’ve been shopping in New York a few times. And, of course, I’ve been to Disney World, but who hasn’t?”

“I haven’t for one.”

“Really? We’ll have to go this summer. My treat. I think we’ll deserve a holiday when the exams are over.”

A concierge pushed their luggage trolley to check-in where a lady dressed in a bright blue and white uniform processed their tickets and passports. “That’s fine, Miss Goodman; Mr Smith. Your flight is on-time and boarding for our First Class guests will begin in an hour. Until then, please enjoy the use of our exclusive lounge.” She handed them boarding cards. “Have a nice flight, and thank you for choosing to fly with Anglo-Atlantic.” Her forced smile relaxed and became natural. “Oh, and good luck, Miss Goodman. I really hope you win.”

Chloë returned the smile. “Thanks.”

They had cocktails on the observation platform in the first-class lounge as they watched the aeroplanes take off. “This is so cool,” said Adam. “Much better than EasyJet. I bet this is costing you a bomb.”

Chloë shook her head. “Not me. The studio is paying. They think it’s all good publicity for the film. Apparently, they’ve already recouped the cost of the flights and accommodation for the actors and crew from extra ticket sales in the UK alone—that’s before you start looking at the increased interest in the US. How they work it out, I don’t know. I mean, how do they know how many people that have been to see the film in the last couple of weeks, wouldn’t have gone even if it hadn’t been nominated for all these awards? Not that I care—I’m just glad I don’t have to pay for any of this.”

A flight attendant interrupted them. “Excuse me, Miss Goodman, but we’re ready for you to board now. If you’d come with me, please.” She led them to the aircraft. “As you can see—” She gestured to the aeroplane through a window as they passed, “—we’ll be flying on a new Airbus A380. It’s only the second one in our fleet.”

Adam looked out at the massive plane and gulped. How could something that big make it off the ground? The attendant took them through the First Class entrance and led them down a corridor in the centre of the cabin. On either side of them, were individual rooms that contained a seat, a television and a table. Each room had a large window onto the aisle and two smaller windows to the outside.

“This is a bit posh? We get our own room?”

Chloë grinned and squeezed his hand, “I know. Isn’t it cool? It’s brand new—they only have it on the A380. It the only plane big enough to do it.”

The attendant stopped at a door at the very end of the corridor. “This is your suite. As you can see, you have a double suite, an innovation unique to Anglo-Atlantic. At the moment, the suite is configured as seats, but when you press this button here, the seats flip over and convert into a double bed. If you need any assistance with that then please call me and I’ll be glad to help. If you like some privacy, you can pull down this blind on the aisle window. Can I get you a drink?”

“No, thank you,” said Chloë. “Not just yet.”

“Maybe later,” said Adam.

“Very good. Well, enjoy your flight. If you need anything, then this button here will get my attention. Don’t confuse it with the bed button though, not if you’re sitting down at the time. Enjoy your flight.”

They sat down and Adam waited until the attendant was out of earshot. He nudged Chloë in the ribs. “A double bed, huh? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I bloody well hope so, buster. I hope so. Why do think I booked a private suite? Shall we pull the blinds down now or wait until we’re in the sky?”

They settled down in their double seat as the plane prepared for take-off. Once in the air, when the plane had levelled out, the captain addressed the passengers. “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard this Anglo-Atlantic flight to Los Angeles. My name is Captain Mark Hollister, and my co-pilot is Matthew Fursey. Our navigator for today’s flight is John Hawkins.

“The weather forecast en-route is fine and dry, and we should be in for a very comfortable fight. You can follow our progress on the monitors situated throughout the aircraft and I shall keep you updated from time to time. Our flight time will be a little over ten hours and the local time when we arrive will be around three-thirty. “Please feel free to make use of our onboard facilities and should you have any questions, our flight attendants will be happy to help. For now, sit back, relax and thank you for flying with Anglo-Atlantic.”