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Devin shifted beside me. “Comfortable?” he asked.
“Not. Really.”
“Would you like a drink to take the edge off? Gibraltar serves premium vodka in first class.”
“No. Thanks.”
I couldn’t seem to say more than one word at a time, although my mind was racing. The engine revved and I heard a series of bumps. A whimper escaped my lips.
“That’s just the jet way disengaging,” he said in a low, soothing voice. The air from the vent above me paused, and the lights flickered. “And that’s the APU powering down. This is perfectly normal pre-flight activity.”
I nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Does it help for me to explain everything, or is it annoying?”
“No, please explain. It helps.” It gave me something to think about besides my embarrassment, and my impending doom. The engines roared, coming to life. I laced my fingers, popping a few knuckles, then all the words came at once. “I would like to know what every hum is, please, every beep. I want every hiss, bang, and tilt of the plane to be explained as normal, or abnormal in the event of a disaster. Also, please let me know when we’re experiencing turbulence versus a more serious plunge toward the earth.”
He laughed, a deep, rich sound, and the plane started to move, rolling slowly out onto the tarmac. I looked around the cabin but no one else was alarmed, or even paying attention. His friends across the row had already closed their eyes, leaning into each other. The man’s hand traced over the top of his partner’s over-the-knee socks like he didn’t have a care in the world. Were they taking a nap?
I envied their lack of nervousness, and the fact that they had each other to lean on. My career kept me too busy for serious relationships, and I had a history with the man beside me that made me reluctant to lean on him for comfort of the physical type.
“We’re taxiing to our runway,” Devin said as the plane picked up speed. “All movement at an airport is coordinated and back-up coordinated, so there’s no chance of anything accidental happening now.”
“Except a flat tire,” I commented as I felt a bump.
“I doubt we’ll get a flat tire. What you feel are tar strips on the tarmac, like, airplane speed bumps.”
“Okay.”
“Right now, while we taxi, the pilot and first officer are going over last minute checks, making sure all the systems are working correctly, and nothing is turned off that should be on. You can’t see from where you are, but the control surfaces on the wings are going through their paces to be sure they all work. These mechanical systems are triple-backed-up, so they never fail.”
“Never?” The theoretical scientist in me rejected that word. “I’m sure there have been instances of them failing.”
“Okay, very limited instances, but you have a better chance of winning the lottery than dying on a plane because of mechanical issues,” he said, a platitude I’d heard many times by now.
The taxiing stopped. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. I knew the takeoff was coming next, the rush and rise and loss of safety. Along with the landing, it was the hardest part for me.
“Jesus, please.” I breathed the two-word prayer, though I wasn’t the least bit religious. I was only religious on planes. “Jesus, please. Jesus, please.” The engines revved again. The plane started to move, going from stopped to very fast so quickly that I felt my stomach slide to my knees. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
“Deep breaths.” Devin took my hand, enveloping it in his big fingers. “One moment at a time. Let it happen.”
Oh God, that was totally something a Dom would say. I remembered the warmth and force of his fingers stroking my pussy, making me toss in my bonds. It sent me to a weird, detached place where I was partly in the plane freaking out, and partly back in the dungeon with my blindfold and gag. The plane lifted, along with my stomach, going airborne. I could feel the nose tipping up.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I whispered.
“Breathe,” Devin insisted, his tone more serious. “We’re off the ground and everything’s fine.” He started describing the principles of lift and thrust as the engines roared louder. I heard nothing he said, just a bump and then another, louder, bump. “That’s the landing gear folding into the plane,” he reassured me, and I bit hard on my lip, waiting. I knew if anything catastrophic were to happen, it would most likely happen now as we gained altitude. The plane banked to the right and I gave a strangled scream, grabbing Devin’s arm.
“Just turning on course,” he said.
“But we’re still climbing!”
His friends across the aisle gave me sympathetic looks, which made me feel even more embarrassed. The roar of the engines ebbed. A stall? Total power loss? No, the plane was nearly to cruising altitude, Devin explained. I realized I was still clutching his forearm, like he was a life preserver and I was in a sinking boat. I wasn’t sure if two minutes had passed, or two hundred.
He leaned down to catch my gaze. “We’re on our way, Ella. May I call you Ella?”
I stared at him.
“Or would you prefer Dr. Novatny?”
