Chapter 1

The flight from Chicago to Tampa so far had been relatively smooth and Mark Scales hoped it would last but doubted that it would. He had checked the radar before leaving for the airport and noticed a rather severe storm entering Georgia that could cause some turbulence which could make for a bumpy flight.

What was outstanding about the flight so far was the flight attendant in the first class section. She was beautiful and just watching her was making the flight very enjoyable. Mark thought that flight attendants that looked as good as she did were just a man’s fantasy. She was about thirty years of age, five feet six inches tall with short blond hair and was immaculately groomed. She was wearing a knee-length skirt with a white blouse that showed a pair of fine legs, thin ankles and a cute little butt. Her breasts weren’t overly large but were in proportion to her body. Just watching her move around was a treat. She was definitely eye-candy.

Mark’s thoughts about the calmness of the flight not lasting were proven to be correct. The pilot announced to the passengers that they were going to be going into some rough weather for a while and asked everyone to take a seat including the flight attendants. The fasten-seatbelt sign was illuminated. The good looking flight attendant sat in a jump seat kiddy corner across the aisle from Mark who was sitting in the first row of first class seating. He was staring at her when she looked up and caught his gaze. Since the window seat next to Mark was unoccupied he asked, “Would you be more comfortable sitting here if I moved over to the window seat?”

She smiled at him and responded, “Thanks, that would be nice,” and she moved to sit next to Mark.

“It was very nice of you to offer your seat to me.”

“Well it’s every man’s fantasy to have a beautiful flight attendant sitting next to him.”

“I thought Pam Anderson was every man’s fantasy?”

“I would have to agree that she certainly is in the top ten. Every man has his own list of women that are his fantasy. Changing the subject where are you going next after the plane lands in Tampa?”

“Oh that’s it for me, it’s my home. I started out from there today and went to Kansas City, to Chicago and now back to Tampa. Normally I fly Tampa to Atlanta to Europe and after a layover then fly back. This month I just wanted to break the routine so I selected a route that was more of an 8 to 5 job. In a few days I will go back to my normal hop.”

“As a world traveler it must be interesting to be seeing the world and the many different countries.”

“It is, but we don’t get that much time between flights so it’s a lot of airports and hotels I only get to see. The advantage of these long flights is that my flight hours add up quickly which gives me some time off between flights.”

“Is Tampa your home town?”

“No, St. Pete is. I was born in Ocala and raised in St. Pete and its right next door on the other side of Tampa Bay.”

“I was wondering that if you aren’t doing anything tomorrow, if would you like to be my tour guide? This is my first time in the area and I do have some free time as this trip is a combination of business and pleasure. I would like to see the area and it would be nice to be shown the area by someone who is familiar with it.”

“Are you asking me out?”

“I guess in a roundabout way I am. But like I said, I would like to see the area.”

“How do you know I’m not married?”

“Well, I don’t see a ring on your finger. As attractive as you are I don’t doubt that you get asked out a lot. I am hoping that there currently is no significant other. You seem to enjoy helping people and I can only hope you would take pity on me and help me see the interesting places. By the way, my name is Mark Scales. I know I have a choice of tour guides when I tour and I can only thank you if you will be my tour guide.”

His remark brought a little smile to her face.

The pilot came on the speaker just then and announced that we were through the rough weather and the flight attendants could resume their duties but advised everyone to keep their seatbelts fastened when seated.

“Let me think about it,” she said as she got up to check on the other passengers.

When it was announced to fasten the seatbelts for landing, she sat in the seat next to Mark. She handed him a card that had her name and address and other contact information on it. The name on the card was Trish Stevens.

“You can pick me up at ten and I will give you a tour. There are places I haven’t seen in a while myself, so it should be interesting to see if they have changed.”

The landing was smooth and Mark received a nice smile from Trish as he exited the plane.

Getting a rental car with GPS made the drive to the condo worry-free. When Jim Stanford the father of Brad, a life long friend of Mark’s, heard that Mark was going to Tampa he insisted that Mark stay at his condo. The condo was in St. Pete. Jim and his wife had gone back to Chicago for the Christmas Holidays and wouldn’t be going back to the condo till mid-January so it was available. Jim insisted Mark stay there saying it would be nicer than staying in a hotel. Mark had to agree with Jim that staying in a three-bedroom condo on the top floor of a fourteen story building overlooking the gulf was a very nice accommodation.

After a short drive along Gulf Boulevard, Mark stopped at one of the many restaurants located there and had dinner and an adult beverage. He went back to the condo and watched a little TV before calling it an early night.

Since the rental car came with GPS there was no problem in finding Trish’s condo next morning. Mark pressed the doorbell and he heard her say on the speaker that she would be right down. A minute later she opened the door and looked as beautiful as he remembered her. She had on a white blouse with khaki shorts that came down to just above her knees. The shorts weren’t overly tight but they did show a nice jiggle to her butt when she walked.

“Well, are you ready to start your tour?”

“Who wouldn’t be with a beautiful tour guide such as yourself?”

That brought a little blush to her face but Trish was serious about the tour. She started off by showing him downtown St. Petersburg, its pier which was slated to be torn down and the Baywalk. She pointed out the route of the formula one road race that runs through downtown St. Pete and into the small airport that would be staged there in about three months. They went past Tropicana Field where the Rays played baseball and drove out to Fort Desoto. There they visited the fort which was in a little disrepair, gazed at the Sunshine Bridge, and walked on the famous and highly rated north beach. It was back up from the fort and over to Gulf Boulevard to head north and up the coast to St. John’s Pass. They stopped for a late lunch overlooking the water and took a walk around the many shops that were there. Their tour finished up with a quick drive farther north into Clearwater and its downtown.

While Trish was nice and personable, Mark sensed something was going on with her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. He felt that she was being defensive with him and that she had put up a shield for some unexplained reason. Mark assumed that she must get hit on quite a bit and maybe this was her normal reaction to men. He hoped he could get through this barrier he sensed that she had erected. A second thought he had was that he hoped she did like men and that she didn’t bat from the other side of the plate.

Back at her condo Mark said, “Seeing the area with you was very informative and enjoyable. In view of you hard work today how about you letting me take you out to dinner? That way you can continue your tour and show me some of the nightlife the area has to offer.”

“I enjoyed seeing those places again and the drive as well. I hadn’t been to some of those places in a long time. It is a pretty city and an interesting area. You have been a perfect gentlemen and dinner would be nice. Where do you want to go to dinner?”

“You pick the place. Somewhere with good food and atmosphere and if it has music, that would be a plus.”

“One of the ex-Tampa Bay pro football players has a restaurant in Clearwater that meets those requirements. If you want, I can call and make a reservation.”

“That would be great. How about I come back and pick you up a seven?”

“I’ll be ready.”

Driving back to the condo and getting ready for dinner Mark couldn’t help but think about Trish. She was a walking wet dream and while she had a nice personality and was intelligent, he sensed that she was holding something back. Maybe she just didn’t know Mark that well yet and that was the problem. He again hoped that he could overcome her hesitancy if that was what it was.

Wearing an open collared button-down blue shirt and a tan sport coat with dark slacks he pressed the doorbell on Trish’s condo precisely at seven. She answered that she would be right down. When she opened the door Mark thought it couldn’t get any better that this. She was wearing a dark green straight cut knee-length dress with a square neckline that just showed the tops of her breasts. The dress was made of some sort of shiny material and while it wasn’t overly tight, it did highlight the enticing curves of her body.

“Wow, you look absolutely beautiful but I bet you hear that all the time.”

“It’s nice to hear those remarks anytime.”

Mark helped Trish into the car. He had a hard time driving because his eyes wanted to stay on her instead of the road. He could tell she knew she had this effect on men. He thought that maybe she wanted to be appreciated for something other than her good looks and he thought he would take that approach with her.

At the restaurant her entrance confirmed what Mark already knew. She was a head-turner. All of the men and most of the women watched Trish as she was escorted to their table. This gave Mark a sense of pride as he knew all the men would be envious of him.

While sipping on their cocktails and during the meal Mark avoided any talk about her physical beauty but instead asked her about her work and the places she visited. He asked her about her insights as to those places and she seemed to enjoy relating her thoughts on the various locations. He complimented her about her comments on these various cities although he thought they really weren’t that insightful. She seemed to enjoy these compliments. What she thought the historical significance of certain places were and the shopping that was available at those places seemed to be her two favorite subjects. She seemed to warm to Mark as she talked of these locations and what to her were the attractions.