Always

"Always" is a story of young man and young woman, from different backgrounds and socioeconomic worlds, that meet unexpectedly. Neither were looking for love, but sometimes, love finds you whether you're looking for it on not.

As with my last -- first -- story, this is a tale of love and romance more than a sex story, but there's a little of that too. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

A special thanks to my editor, RandyD1369. The man is a marvel and he keeps me honest and ensures my stories flow well and make sense. He's taught me more about grammar in these past two stories than I remember from high school English all those many years ago.

All characters in this story are completely fictional and any that engage in any type of sexual situations are 18 years old or older.

*****

Early on a bright and sunny day in the Texas Panhandle, a pickup pulled into the parking space in front of the TAC Air FBO or Fixed Base Operator. The driver exited the truck, put on a pair of aviator sunglasses, and hung a satchel and a small overnight bag over his shoulder. A few minutes later he sat inside the pilot's briefing room, pulling weather reports and going over his IFR flight plan. Once his briefing work was done, he headed out onto the tarmac to start the preflight inspection of his aircraft. He would be flying the Socata TBM-850 today, with four passengers, from Amarillo to Austin. It would be a 411 mile flight taking just under an hour and a half. He finished his preflight just as the fuel truck arrived to fill his plane with the allotted amount of fuel he would need.

"Morning Raph," the fuel truck driver greeted as he exited his truck.

"Morning Joe," the pilot replied.

"Looks like you need 210 gallons," Joe said, looking at his clipboard.

"Yes sir," Raph said, signing the fueling order.

Raph climbed into the cabin, making sure everything was ready for his passenger service.

"Okay Raph, you're all good," Joe called.

"Thanks Joe," Raph said, sticking his head out the plane's rear door.

When the fuel truck left and he was satisfied that all was well within the plane, he jumped out and headed back toward the FBO.

*****

While Raph was out with the plane, four young women came into the FBO and approached the front desk.

"Hi, I'm Riley Barrett. We have a flight to Austin today."

"Yes Ms. Barrett. We have you reserved for a charter flight to Austin leaving at 8:30," the desk attendant replied. "The pilot is preparing the plane right now. Please place your luggage on the cart and an attendant will get it loaded. You can take a seat in the lounge and help yourself to anything in the fridge or on the table."

"Great, thank you," the girl replied brightly. The girls all put their roller cases on the wheeled cart and the attendant took it immediately out the door to the plane. Turning, Riley went toward the lounge with the other three girls close behind.

"Ugh, I can't believe you made us get up so early, and on a Saturday morning, Riley," one of the other girls protested.

"You'll love it at my mom's," Riley said. "She has a really cool swimming pool and they've got a lot of cool places to shop in Austin and we only have three days. It takes over seven hours to drive to Austin and according to the charter service I talked to, they can get us there in an hour and a half."

The girls each grabbed a water bottle from the small refrigerator and two of them grabbed some snacks from the table.

*****

When Raph entered the FBO from the tarmac, the desk attendant simply pointed toward the passenger lounge.

"Good morning ladies," Raph said, entering the lounge.

All heads turned to look at the pilot. They saw a young man, tall with short cut, light brown hair. He had a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on top of his head. He was wearing a short sleeved button up shirt with the Charter Air logo above the breast pocket and khaki 511 pants. He was slim but athletic. His face was clean shaven and handsome. His eyes a light gray, almost silver. All four girls quickly perked up.

"Good morning," Riley said.

Raph quickly surveyed the speaker. She was tall, with straight brunette hair, hanging just past the tops of her shoulders. She had hazel colored eyes, a beautiful clear complexion, and supple lips. Her makeup was minimal, but she didn't need makeup to make her more beautiful. She appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties. She was wearing a white sundress with a light, pale blue sweater. Her figure was trim with subtle curves in all the right places.

"Uh, my name's Raph," he said, stammering slightly as those gorgeous hazel eyes had taken him off his game for a second, "Raph Savage. I will be your pilot today. We will be flying nonstop to Austin aboard the TBM-850. We will be flying at 31,000 feet and 300 miles an hour," he said, giving the usual preflight statistics.

"I'm Riley," the tall girl said. "This is Maria," she said, motioning to the shorter black haired girl to her right. Maria was cute with a small upturned nose and wavy black hair. "Next is Nicole," Riley pointed to the blonde girl who raised her hand dismissively. She looked like she's just stepped out of the beauty salon, but her face seemed to have a constant look of disdain. "And last but certainly not least, Peyton," she said, indicating the redhead with large breasts and a cocky smile on her lips.

"Your luggage has been loaded so if everyone's ready, it's time to go," Raph said, stepping back and holding his arm out, indicating the way he wanted them to go. Each girl walked by and smiled, except for Nicole who kept her eyes straight ahead and her expression neutral. Riley brought up the rear. He followed as the ramp marshal stood, holding the door open for them.

"Thank you Bobby," Raph said, bumping knuckles with the ramp marshal. Bobby gave him a quick double-lift of the eye brows as his gaze following the four beautiful young girls.

When they reached the aircraft, Raph stood at the steps and extended his hand to each girl in turn to help them aboard. He couldn't help but hold on to Riley's hand just a little longer than necessary, savoring the soft feel of her long delicate fingers. After the girls were loaded, he climbed in, closing and securing the door behind him. He went over his passenger safety briefing, got them each a set of headphones and then headed up to the cockpit.

Raph got the turboprop engine started, called over the radio to get his weather and clearance, and then taxied to the runway.

"Okay ladies," Raph said over the internal intercom. "We're about to take off so please ensure your seat belts are fastened."

Raph added power and taxied out onto the runway. Once lined up, he powered up to takeoff power, gliding smoothly down the runway. At rotation speed he pulled back on the yoke and the sleek powerful plane rose smoothly into the morning sun.

As the plane reached its cruising altitude Raph alerted the passengers.

"We have reached our cruising altitude for today's flight. The weather looks great, there are no clouds. Turbulence should be at a minimum so enjoy the flight."

He could hear their chatter, but he needed to concentrate on radio calls from Air Traffic Control or ATC. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Riley smiling at him.

"Would it be okay if I sat up here with you for a little bit?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure, just slide in the right seat but try not to touch any knobs, switches, yokes, pedals, or levers," he said.

Riley slide gracefully into the seat. He couldn't help but notice how nice and shapely her legs were as she maneuvered around in the tight space.

"Is this your first time on a charter flight?" he asked.

"I've flown with my dad a couple of times on his jet, but this is the first time I've chartered a plane myself."

"Your father has a private jet?"

"Yes. He's Steve Barrett," she said, expecting him to know who that was.

Raph did indeed know who Steve Barrett was. Everyone is Texas knew who Steve Barrett was. He was the biggest of the big Texas oil magnates. He had oil interests all over Texas and around the country. He had a huge ranch in Amarillo which was built on the site of his old family home.

"So if you have your own jet, why charter a flight with us?"

"Well, first off, Daddy's using his jet on some business trip or other, and secondly, I prefer to handle my own things. I know this may seem hard to believe, but I try really hard not the be the heiress of Barrett Oil and just try to be me. I understand that I'll never be 'normal' in the eyes of most people but I do try to make my own way and do my own thing. I won't say that I don't enjoy the freedom I'm given by being who I am, but I don't want to always be just Steve Barrett's daughter. I know that may not make much sense, but it's how I feel."

"No, it makes perfect sense and I commend you for wanting to be your own person. In your situation it would be all too easy to just sit back and live the life provided by your dad's success, but I think it's very admirable that you want to make your own mark on this world."

"Thank you Mr. Savage, I appreciate you seeing me as an individual and not just a spoiled rich kid."

"Please, call me Raph."

"Riley," she said, holding out her hand.

Raph took it and gave it a shake.

They continued talking until he began his descent into Austin. Raph received landing clearance and gently sat the TBM down on the runway. He taxied to the Henriksen Jet Center FBO where he powered down the turboprop engine and prepared everyone to deplane. Raph opened the rear hatch and stepped down onto the tarmac, turning and offering his hand to each passenger as they stepped down. Peyton, the confident, busty redhead seemed to stumble coming off the last step, falling into Raph as he wrapped his arms around her to steady her.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I tripped," she smiled devilishly, her face inches from Raph's.

"Uh, no worries," Raph stumbled, trying to quickly release her from the accidental embrace.

Riley, still inside the aircraft but next in line to deplane, rolled her eyes and shook her head as she saw the blatant attempt of her friend to flirt with the handsome pilot. Once Raph had released and stepped back from Peyton, Riley started to descend the two steps down to the tarmac.

Raph quickly extended his hand up to Riley when he saw her starting to step out of the aircraft.

"Thank you Raph," she said sweetly.

"My pleasure, Miss Riley," he returned, smiling.

Once everyone was off, an employee of the FBO appeared with a small baggage cart. Raph quickly gathered the girl's luggage and placed it on the cart before following the girls into the FBO.

"Are you being picked up?" Raph asked Riley as they walked.

"No, I've arranged a rental car," she said. "We're going to spend the 3 day weekend at my mother's place in town, but I wanted my own car, just in case."

"In case of...." Raph began. Riley looked up at him, arching one eyebrow. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business," he said quickly.

Riley laughed softly, sweetly. "It's okay," she said. "I love my mother dearly, but our relationship can be trying at times, so whenever I visit I try to make sure I have the means to 'get a little space' if needed."

"I'm sorry again," Raph said, "I didn't mean to pry. We at Charter Air don't make it a habit of getting into the personal lives of our passengers, although, you don't exactly fit into the mold of our typical passenger."

"Because I'm a spoiled rich kid?" she asked, almost defensively.

"No, just the opposite actually. Most of our clients don't really speak to us much beyond what is absolutely necessary. They usually just want to board, ride in silence or talk only with those riding with them, but never to me outside of asking when we're going to arrive or something like that. We typically don't have 'conversations' and if I may say, I really enjoyed our conversations today."

Riley's look immediately softened. "Oh, well thank you. I enjoyed our conversations as well and I hope we can continue them on the ride home."

"I look forward to it, if I wind up being your return pilot."

"Oh, I can guarantee that," she said, smiling brightly before turning toward the FBO.

As Riley went to the rental desk and signed the paperwork for her rental car, Raph went with the FBO employee to take the baggage to their designated rental, a BMW SUV, black with shiny aluminum wheels. The girls came out as Raph was closing the rear hatchback door.

"Ladies," Raph said turning to face the small group of beautiful women, "it has been my pleasure flying you today and I hope you fly Charter Air again. Enjoy your weekend."

Maria was the first to approach him. She shook his hand and slipped something into his hand at the same time. He quickly, and without even looking slipped it into his pocket.

"Thank you for a wonderful flight," Maria said before moving to the rear door of the BMW, being held open by the FBO attendant.

Peyton quickly approached him next, also holding out her hand. Raph took her hand but she quickly stepped closer, kissing him on the cheek before whispering in his ear.

"Thank you so much," she whispered, releasing his hand and placing her hand on his shoulder, "I really, really enjoyed it," she concluded, before slowly letting her hand slide down his arm, placing something in his left hand. Again, he quickly put it in his pants pocket.

Nicole was next. She simply handed him something and without saying a word, headed toward the car.

Finally Riley came up, holding out both hands like they were old friends. Raph took her soft delicate hands in his, gazing down into her hazel colored eyes.

"Thank you Raph, for the flight and the conversation," she said as she squeezed and released his hands. She put something in the breast pocket of his shirt then turned and got in the driver's door of the BMW. Raph stood and watched until the SUV had exited the parking lot.

Raph reached into his right pants pocket and pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill that Maria had given him. Reaching into his left pocket he retrieved the one-hundred dollar bill that Peyton had given him, complete with a pair of red lipstick prints. Along with that was a twenty dollar bill that Nicole had given. Finally he reached for his breast pocket and pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill and a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it he saw a telephone number and a single word, "Riley".

He pulled out his phone and put her number in before folding the paper up and putting it in his wallet. As he reentered the FBO he saw the lady at the desk waving him over.

"Raph Savage?" she asked as he approached.

"Yes ma'am."

"You have a phone call on line one. You can take it here or in the pilot's lounge."

Raph reached over the counter and picked up the phone and pushed the blinking button.

"This is Raph," he said into the handset.

"Raph, it's Angela," he heard on the line. Angela was the Charter Air scheduler whose job was booking charters and scheduling pilots and planes.

"Hey Angela, what's up? You have me a charter back so I'm not deadheading?"

"Well, sort of. Your services have been hired for the weekend, through Monday."

"Uh, okay, where am I going?"

"That's just it. You're not going anywhere. You're to stay there in Austin, we'll get you a rental car and hotel, and then you'll have a return flight to Amarillo on Monday evening, but you'll be paid for the entire weekend."

"Okay then. I'm going to assume this is for Miss Barrett?"

"Yes, she called after you landed and asked if you would be flying them home. I told her it all depended on scheduling and your availability for the pick up. She wanted to ensure 'your' services and said she would cover your layover expenses so you've basically been hired to kickback in a hotel, go sightseeing, or whatever it is you want to do until her return flight on Monday evening."

"Okay, you're the boss-lady," Raph said jokingly.

"You must have made quite the impression," Angela said. "She was adamant about you specifically flying her home. Spoiled little rich girl used to getting anything she wants because she's Steve Barrett's daughter," Angela said, somewhat testily.

"You might think so," Raph defended, surprising himself, "but she seems very down to earth and humble. She's a lot different than I would have expected."

"Well, she didn't seem to mind throwing her money around," Angela said, not convinced of Raph's take on the girl.

"Well, if you or I had access to the money she has, I'm sure we'd probably use it to arrange things in our lives."

"Yeah, I guess I can't argue that," she said, not totally convinced, but seeing his point.

"Anyway, use your company credit card to get a rental car and hotel. Use it for your meals and anything else you need to pick up for your stay and we'll put those charges on her bill."

"Yes ma'am," Raph answered. "I'll call in Monday before we take off."

"Okay, talk to you Monday," Angela said before hanging up the phone.

Raph headed out to secure his plane for the weekend and grab the overnight bag he always carried when traveling. Once he had the TBM secured in the overnight hanger, he returned to the FBO, got a small sedan rental and headed to the budget hotel he'd called. He couldn't bring himself to rent a flashy car or a big hotel room, even though he knew Riley could afford it.

*****

Raph was sitting on his bed in his hotel room watching Discovery channel on the TV when the phone on the bedside table rang.

"Hello?" he said, wondering who would be calling him in his hotel room.

"Raph?" came a familiar female voice.

"Riley, hey, what's up?" he asked, surprised.

"Not much. I'm taking one of those breaks from my mother that I told you about. I hope you don't mind that I called your company and got the number where you were staying. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Not at all, I was watching a fascinating documentary on African lions," he tried to sound serious.

"Yeah, the more you know...." she laughed.

"Exactly," Raph laughed.

"So would you be available to meet a girl for coffee?" she asked.

"I guess it depends on who the girl is. Do I know her? If she's you, certainly I'd meet her. I'll even pay for the coffee."

"Well the girl will be waiting at Epoch Coffee on W. North Loop," she said, playing along.

"I can be there in about 20 minutes," he said. "I'll text you my number in case I get lost and have to call you, so you'll know it's me."

"Sounds good, I'll be waiting."

Raph ran into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, put on a shot of cologne and headed out. Twenty-five minutes later he was pulling into the parking lot of Epoch Coffee.

As he entered, he quickly spotted Riley sitting alone in a booth.

"May I sit?" he asked as he approached.

"Of course," she answered, smiling sweetly.

Raph slid into the booth opposite Riley.

"I'm glad you could come out," she said.

"Well, I literally had nothing else going on since I am still on the clock," he said.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't even stop to think if you had plans this weekend. I'm afraid I acted like that spoiled little rich girl that I tried to convince you I'm not."

"It's okay," he said, letting her off the hook quickly. "I didn't really have any plans other than flying whatever charters might have come in over the weekend. I typically try to pick up the weekend stuff so that the married pilots can have their weekends off."

"Oh, that's sweet," she said, reaching out and putting her hand on his where it rested on the table.

"It's nothing," he said, blushing slightly. "I'm the newest and youngest pilot so it just makes sense that I get the off-hour flights."

"Well, it's still sweet that you think of the others being able to be with their families, but you still miss time with your family."