Chapter 13: Diverted Travel

I wondered, headed to the shower for a quick rinse off how Jackie would explain the smell of sex that surely lingered on her. Or if she wasn’t going to worry about it with customers, she saw for a couple of minutes. Hell, it might even get her bigger tips, if the customers smelling her thought they might have a chance of getting in her pants.

For the next couple of weeks, the phone calls were a bit strained. The banter of old was missing. I even had another chance to visit Karen for a weekend. Jackie and I kept our two weekends together hidden from Karen. The one good thing was Jackie had to work most of the time I was there. It limited the time together and the chances of saying the wrong thing in front of Karen. After the visit, the calls slowly returned to normal. The sexual innuendo statements again flew freely. I missed the actual travel with Jackie. But knew it was too soon after her controlled meltdown to ask about traveling with me again as a companion.

Two months later work would require my going to Romania for the maximum allowed ninety days. Over those two months, Jackie had been doing better and better work for my company. And since I didn’t work directly with her, she didn’t know of the long trip out of the country. She did however know of a job in Denver that needed a manager there for about the same length of time. It made for a perfect opportunity.

To make sure Karen would not blow a head gasket, I went to visit her. Sure she would turn me down, I started the conversation with Karen while Jackie was sitting right next to her. “Do you think you could take ninety days or so off?”

Karen’s answer was swift, “Hell no. I’d be fired for sure.”

Keeping the location out of it I asked, “So you couldn’t go with me on a business trip. I figured since you say I don’t do anything but work on them, maybe you could go. That way we could go out after work most nights and see sights on weekends.”

“I’d love to, but I did just get married, and as I said. I’d get fired. So where are you going for so long?” Karen inquired.

“Right now it looks like Denver, but that can change,” I said seeing Jackie shifting in her seat, with a look of expectation on her face.

“Damn I’ve wanted to go there,” Karen said. “God I wish I could go.”

“Me, too.” I stated before adding, “I know you’d be a great travel companion. And I think a companion would actually make the trip fun.” Jackie’s look of expectation just got more intense. I let her stew for a few seconds.

“Well, you don’t need to work so hard, even if I don’t go with you. I bet one of the guys that go with you would be up for dinner most nights, and you could probably get them to see a few sites with you. If for no other reason than to get brownie points.” Karen speculated.

“Yeah probably,” I agreed. “Maybe I could get Jackie to do that. I think her boss is going to see about sending her along with a few of the other junior people so they get real-world experience.”

Karen’s hackles immediately raised, “But she has a job, and isn’t a full-time employee for your company. Why would she go? Plus I don’t think she could get away from her full-time job. From what Jackie says, I’d bet Fred would gladly be an after-work companion. I think Sarah would also.”

“Yeah probably,” I said non-committal. Looking over at Jackie I said, “Fred would be too work-oriented to be fun to be around. I guess Sarah could be a kind of travel companion. She could work during the day and keep me company after hours. And it’s not like I’d expect sex from her just for having dinner or going to a show or two.”

“Exactly,” Karen looked relieved. “She’d be perfect.”

“Maybe,” I started. “What do you say, Jackie? If you were Sarah would you go as a travel companion by night and a worker by day?”

“And no sex of any kind would be involved when being a companion? Separated rooms and I could say no to going somewhere I did what to go, or do something I didn’t want to do?” She asked. “And during the day it’d just be work?” I was amazed her level of detailed expectations didn’t raise any questions with Karen.

I quickly answered the questions in order succinctly. “No sex, separate rooms, but have to do what is asked as long as it isn’t immoral or breaks the no sex thing, and except the fall out if not. Yes, then work during the day. What would you say?”

Karen stared at Jackie like she was trying to influence her answer to the hypothetical. “Then yeah I’d do it for a small fee from your account, so work and personal life didn’t get mixed. That could get messy in a hurry.”

“Yeah, that is what I was thinking. Probably be better if I already knew the person outside of work so the companion thing didn’t get mixed up.” I said pleasantly surprised at Jackie’s suggestion. Then to Karen’s horror, I said, “So, you’d do it if you were Sarah. But, would you do it if you were you?”

Karen’s horror came out in an outburst, “What? No, she wouldn’t.”

Ignoring Karen’s hysterics I said to Jackie, “Well?”

“I guess so. But as you can see it’d upset Karen. And I don’t work for you guys full time.” Jackie voiced her concerns.

It was my turn to stare. I gave Karen one of the looks she got when I meant business, and she knew better than to cross me. It was one I gave her as a child, rarely. Over the years, she had learned the hard way to do as I said, because not doing so ended in severe punishment. And I would stay angry with her until the punishment was completed. “You’ll be OK with her doing this. It will be good for her.” Karen meekly nodded her agreement.

“And you.” I had Jackie’s attention. “Ron said you’re doing a good job.” Jackie beamed at the compliment. “And, he thinks I should offer you a full-time job with benefits.” Jackie’s ears perked up and Karen smirked like she knew, I would be the one benefiting. “So what do you think you’re worth?”

Jackie suddenly looked like the cat that ate the canary, “I’m priceless.”

I had to grin and nod, “Cute,” I used the other meaning of priceless, “So you’ll work for free. Better for me. You know other people like you? I’ll save a mint.”

“Very funny.”

“I thought so. So if not zero then?” I left the question open

“How about fifteen dollars an hour. And a week of vacation.” Jackie suggested.

I did some quick math in my head. “That is a little over thirty-one thousand. You really think you’re worth that much?”

Karen’s eyes bugged out a bit at the number. “Damn, that is more than I make.”

“I guess I would work for less,” Jackie said no longer beaming but looking like a cowed dog.

“Good because I’m not going to pay you that much.”

“Ok.” her confidence gone.

“There is a six-month probationary period when you will be paid a salary equivalent to twenty dollars an hour, that goes to twenty-five after that. And two weeks paid vacation after a year and health insurance.” I thought Jackie was going to blow me right there in front of Karen, she was so happy.

Karen was incensed, “What you are going to pay her more than she said she’d work for? What is the extra pay for sex?”

If it had been to protect Jackie, I would have accepted my daughter’s criticism. But it wasn’t the reason. She didn’t like the idea of the girl that she directed where she slept possibly stepping out of her shadow. “How long did I try and get you to work for me, but you said it was boring. Well, it turns out boring pays. And doing boring well pays well. So you will be happy for Jackie, understood.” Again my tone said she would or else, coming to me later would be welcomed with a flat-out no.

“Yes, sir.” it was said with contempt.

“So what do you say, Jackie, you want the job?”

“Yes, definitely yes.” she was about to jump out of her skin.

“Good because we fly out tomorrow.”

“What? How did you know I’d say I’d go?” Jackie questioned.

“Because I’m smart.” modesty wasn’t needed.

Karen jumped in, “Then mister smarty pants you know Jackie is deathly afraid of flying.”

“No,” I only knew she hadn’t flown before not all the reasons why. “Seriously?”

Jackie nodded, “Yes.”

“Good news, I know a way around it,” I stated thinking her fear would be a blessing for me.

“Really, what?” Jackie asked.

“I’ll show you tomorrow,” I answered vaguely

“Shit, I have a lot of packing to do,” she bolted from the room without asking anything more. Karen was still pissed but held it in. The rest of the night, I spent with her and Tom. While Jackie packed, Karen did everything she could steering any talk away from their roommate and her change of fortune. She kept it up until we all went to bed. And while I wasn’t sure what day it was in Karen’s schedule, she didn’t have Jackie sleep with her or her and Tom.

The next day was tense but hugs were given all around before Jackie and I climbed into the rental car along with Jackie’s luggage a little after lunch. It wasn’t until we were halfway to the airport did Jackie say, “Yesterday you said you could make it so I wasn’t afraid of flying. What were you talking about? How can you do that.”

“I found the key is not thinking about it. We have a couple hours before the flight. So I want you to trust me.”

“Nothing good ever starts with trust me.”

“You’re probably right, but please do it anyway.”

“Ok. What do I have to do to get on the plane?” she asked with trepidation.

“Well, this morning while you were still packing I ran out and got a couple things. First are the big round patches. I will need you to put them over your eyes. And then put on the sunglasses.”

“What? Why?” She sounded even more scared.

“Remember trust me. They will not only make you unable to see but make you look blind.”

“Not knowing where I’m going will make me even more afraid. And I’ll know when we are getting on the plane. I just won’t see it.” She reasoned.

“Couple of other things. Earplugs ... Earplugs will make you close to deaf. Not even yelling at you will you hear. We use them all the time at work in the field. So between the two, you shouldn’t have any idea where you are. Then I will be moving you around a couple times. It should be enough to make it so you don’t know which move is onto the plane. And seeing as you can’t see, they will likely put us on the plane first.”

“But won’t they be like it doesn’t say anything about being blind and deaf on my license?”

“Don’t worry that has been taken care of. Again trust me.”

“I don’t know,” She said putting the first patch over her eye. The second one soon followed along with the glasses. “How do I look?”

“Blind. Now I need you to put the earplugs in and cover your ears with your hair so they aren’t seen. Can you do that?”

“Sure but how will I know when I can take them out?”

“You’ll know when the plane takes off. And I’ll give you a kiss.”

“You’ll what?” I think she was thinking of kisses like in Washington D.C.

“On the cheek. We’ll be in a plane its not like I’ll do anything.” I explained.

“I’ve heard of the mile-high club. And you won’t be joining it.” She said sure of herself.

“Too late. I’m already a member.” I said remembering a hot blonde flight attendant with gorgeous blue eyes from Georgia. She had me eat a Georgia peach in the galley before screwing the succulent fuzzed fruit, filling it full of a lot of seeds. “So it’s already off my bucket list.”

“God, men. What won’t you do?” she shook her head in disdain.

“Hey, a woman was right there with me, enjoying the activities as much if not more than I was.” I defended my actions from her ridicule.

Though unable to see her eyes, Jackie’s face showed a kind of contentment, “I’m sure she was. So I can then go back to normal?”

“I guess so. But you should start up the act again before we land.” I stated though was pretty sure it would be unneeded.

“Ok. Just this once to get out to Denver, after that, I don’t really have a choice but to get on a plane, cause there is no way I’m driving two days to get home.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her there was no such thing as driving home where we were headed. She would likely find that out over the Atlantic.

At the counter, I gave the nice young and less-than-average-looking woman a sob story for Jackie’s blindness and being deaf. That and a friendly smile, when needed, had me our first-class tickets and a basic wave-through at TSA.

Once on the secured side of the airport, I led Jackie by the arm to different locations. For over two hours I moved her about the airport. Seating her on the tram both frontward and backward so sudden movements while seated weren’t something to fear. Each move in the terminals to a new chair was about the distance between check-in and the seat on the plane. The first few times I moved her, there was a tension in her body I could feel. The next few times she had relaxed and had evidently trusted her fate to me.

She didn’t have a clue when on the last move I directed her to was onto the plane. She waited patiently after putting her in her seat while I talked to Dianna, the redheaded flight attendant for the flight. She was likely in her late thirties but still had a tight body. Seniority had put her on the plane. But her hot figure and pretty face with an overly friendly attitude probably were what kept her on the overseas flight. I began wondering if there was a frequent flier membership for the mile-high club.