********
Thursday rolled around and my imagination was filled with what was going to happen this weekend and how it was going to play out. I tried to play it cool, but it was a losing battle. Thank God I didn’t have to work. I was picking Terri up at one. I told her I was taking her to lunch. As far as I could tell, she didn’t have any idea.
Alana was meeting me at eleven to hand over her packed bag. Then I was gathering up some last minute items...some special things we might need for our four days. Sunscreen was one of them, but I also wanted some body butters and things we could play with. They would be stashed in my bag where she wouldn’t find them.
Finally, it was time to head her way. She was ready and waiting so I helped her into the Range Rover and off we went. She began to get suspicious when I got on the interstate.
“Where are we going?”
“I told you honey. I’m taking you to lunch.”
“Hmm. But where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I didn’t take the normal airport exit. I took the next one. She was truly confused now.
“Justin, I don’t know of any restaurants up here. What’s going on?”
“You’ll see.”
We drove in the back entrance of the airport and when we went through the private security gates and had to show our ID’s, the light bulb flicked on.
“You’re taking me somewhere, aren’t you?”
Her voice was edged with excitement and her eyes were sparkling.
“Maybe,” is all I would say.
“Oh my God! We’re going somewhere in the Middleton jet, aren’t we?”
“Perhaps.”
When we pulled up to the G5, she started screaming. If she hadn’t been buckled into her seat, she would’ve been jumping up and down.
“Holy shit! We’re going on a trip!”
I couldn’t stop laughing at her. “You should see your face.”
Her eyes were about to bug right out of her head.
“Lunch, huh?”
“Well, yeah. We will be eating on board.”
She punched me in the arm.
I pulled the car to a stop and we got out. Jerry came to greet us. He handled everything at the airport for us.
“Dr. Middleton. Hope everything’s well with you.”
“Yes it is, thanks. Jerry, meet Terri Mitchell.”
After they exchanged greetings, Terri and I climbed the stairs and were greeted by our flight attendants, Roy and Kathie. They were a married couple that worked solely for Middleton Enterprises. Then I introduced her to the pilot Mitch, the copilot Mark, and the flight engineer Ryan. Roy and Kathie took our drink order and Mitch told us we were ready to taxi to the runway.
We took our seats and buckled up. Her hand grasped mine and she said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited in my life. By the way, where are we going?”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Terri
The plane took off and Justin would not give me a clue. I hounded him for details and he just smiled.
Once we reached ten thousand feet, Roy and Kathie brought us lunch. This was no ordinary airplane lunch. We started with shrimp cocktail and prosecco. Then we had a mixed greens salad with candied pecans, pears and blue cheese crumbles. As for the main course, they brought us a grilled halibut with a lemon butter sauce, risotto and grilled vegetables. It was all served with a lovely chilled white wine, but I only had a few sips of it. I was so excited, I hardly let go of Justin’s hand during the meal. When we were finished eating, I looked at him and said, “This isn’t flying, it’s soaring.” He laughed.
“Follow me. I want to show you something.”
We got out of our luxurious reclining seats and headed toward the back of the cabin. He opened the door and we walked into a stateroom. It was a bedroom, with a large bed, desk that had a computer station and there was also a TV, stereo and God knows what else. It also contained a bathroom that included a walk in shower.
“You all know how to live right.”
“We were lucky Terri. We were born into money.”
“I’ll say. You don’t act like it though.”
He held my hand and we both sat down on the bed. He faced me and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well, you obviously can afford to buy whatever you want...go wherever you want. Your home is lovely and it’s filled with fine furnishings. Your parent’s home is...well, Justin, there are no words. Your brother has that damn yacht and there’s no telling what else you all own. But none of you act like it. I mean you understand humility and generosity. You live and breathe it. Your parents did an amazing job of raising you. That’s what I mean.”
He gifted me with a slow sexy half grin and said, “I’ll be sure to pass that on to my mom.”