Always

"Yeah, I don't really have any close family. My mother passed away from cancer when I was in high school, and my dad, during my last year of college -- heart attack. I'm an only child and didn't really have any close family so once I graduated college and got my commercial pilot's license, I moved from South Texas up to Amarillo because I got hired with Charter Air."

"What about your girlfriend?"

Raph smiled. "No girlfriend," he said. "It's kinda hard to meet girls when you spend most of your time at 30,000 feet. How about your boyfriend? Is he doing the guy weekend while you're doing the girl weekend?" he asked.

"No boyfriend," she said. "I meet basically two kinds of guys. Either they find out who I am and become intimidated, or they find out who I am and try to figure out how that can help them either socially or economically."

"Yeah, I can see that," he said, honestly.

"So which category would you fit into, Raph?" she said, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

"Well, I'm not really one for labels and boxes, but of the two, I guess I would most closely fit into the first category. I'm not going to lie, it is a little intimidating sitting across the table from someone who could buy and sell me with what you probably carry in your pocket book, but I don't really get that vibe from you. You seem quietly confident, but you don't flaunt your money or your status. You dress conservatively and don't display that 'look at me' persona, even though you would stand out in any crowd."

"I stand out?" she asked.

"Well yeah," he said. "Look at you, you're beautiful," he said simply.

Riley actually blushed. "Thank you," she said. Many men had told her she was beautiful, but it always seemed patronizing or like they were trying to just get in her good graces. When Raph said it, it was like it was just a statement of fact. That it was something he truly believed and he was shocked that she didn't already know it.

"You're welcome," he said.

After a moment of silence Raph decided to try and change the subject.

"So, where are your three amigos?" he asked her.

"They're probably still sitting around my mother's pool drinking margaritas," she laughed, but the laugh didn't sound humorous.

"Well, that sounds like fun," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I guess it is if you're into that," she said, slowly turning her coffee cup on the table. "My mother's 'very' into that so she's the perfect hostess for them."

"Not really your scene?"

"No, not really. My mother's basically an alcoholic and the alimony she receives from my father is more than enough to keep her in booze and fancy clothes for the rest of her life without ever having to work again. Don't get me wrong, I mean, she's my mom and I love her, but one of my greatest fears is turning out like her so I don't drink at all. Sitting around drinking and gossiping is not really my scene, no."

"So what do you like to do for fun?"

"I like to ride horses. I like to draw and paint. I like to exercise. I like to read, both fiction and nonfiction. I like to learn about Daddy's business, since apparently I might inherit it one day and I don't want to be just a figurehead."

"Wow," he said simply.

"What? Are you disappointed that I didn't mention country club parties and debutante balls?"

"Disappointed, no. Surprised, yes," he admitted, grinning. "I guess I'm as guilty as the next guy about assuming I know how the 'other half' lives. I guess I assume that you spend your days at the country club, eating things that I can't even pronounce and your evenings at rock star parties where the women compare diamonds and the guys light cigars with burning hundred dollar bills."

"Oh, I'm not saying that isn't all true," she said winking at him, "I'm just saying it's not really my thing. I mean yeah, I've grown up having more money than I know what to do with, so I guess you could say that I'm probably not as fascinated by money as someone who never has enough. Do I use my money sometimes, sure, like having you stay here this weekend to make sure it's 'you' that flies us home, but I really do try not to flaunt my wealth."

"Well, you hide it well," Raph said. "You seem like a regular old girl next door to me."

"Well thank you, Raph. Is that short for Raphael? Are you named after the Archangel?"

"Yes and no. It is short for Raphael, but it's from Raffaello Sanzio, the Italian painter. My mother was a high school art teacher and she loved Rafael's work so I got stuck with that moniker."

"Well I like it. It's different."

"What about Riley? Where did that name come from?"

"It's a family name. My great-grandfather was Riley Barrett. He and my dad were very close, so I was going to be Riley whether I was a boy or a girl."

"It suits you," he said, taking a drink of his now lukewarm coffee.

Raph and Riley talked for a couple more hours and a couple more cups of coffee. They also shared a cinnamon roll.

"Well, I guess I've hidden out as long as I dare," Riley said.

Raph motioned to the waitress for the ticket which she promptly sat on the edge of the table. Raph picked it up immediately.

"I can get that," Riley said, producing a credit card.

"Yes ma'am, I expect you could, but I'm sorry, that's not how I was raised," Raph said, removing his own debit card and handing it and the bill to the waitress.

Riley looked at Raph. He was genuine, honest, confident, and she decided, incredibly sexy. He claimed earlier that he was intimidated by her, but if he was, he hid it well. This was the most comfortable she'd been with a young man her age in as long as she could remember. He didn't appear to be overly interested in her wealth, or elevating his social status by being with her. He spoke openly and honestly and didn't ever try to steer the conversation to money, or things he might do or buy if only he had the means, or any of the other conversational traps that had been laid for her over the years. He just seemed genuinely interested in her as a person.

When the waitress reappeared with his card, he signed and returned the receipt before pocketing his card. He then removed the twenty dollar bill Nicole had given him and placed it on the table for a tip before rising and holding his hand out to Riley to help her up. She smiled and took his hand, rising.

"Isn't that Riley Barrett?" someone said from a nearby table.

Raph looked over at them and smiled easily. "I wish," he said, looking at the speaker. "She gets that every where we go, but to be honest, I think she's even prettier than Riley Barrett," he said winking.

Riley blushed again before allowing Raph to take her hand and guide her out of the cafe.

"So you think I'm prettier than Riley Barrett?" she said teasingly.

"Well, I've never seen your great-grandfather, but I'd wager you're prettier than he was," he said with a mischievous grin.

She playfully slapped his arm as she laughed. He walked her out to her BMW in the parking lot and as he heard the door unlock, he reached for the handle and opened the door for her.

"Thank you, Raph," she said as she slid into the driver's seat. "I had a wonderful time tonight."

"As did I," he said. "Is it far to your mother's house?"

"Not too far," she said. "The traffic looks pretty light now so I'll probably make it in 15 to 20 minutes."

"Okay, well buckle your seat belt and drive carefully," Raph said, stepping back to shut the door.

"You too," she smiled at him as he closed her door.

Raph stood in the parking lot and for the second time in as many days, he stood and watched her drive away.

Raph found his rental car and headed back to his hotel. It was late, but between the coffee and the company, he wasn't sleepy. In is his room, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed in the bed, certain he wouldn't sleep, but within minutes he was indeed sound asleep and his dreams were filled with the hazel eyes, brunette hair, and beautiful smile of Riley Barrett.

*****

Riley returned to her mother's house. She parked the rental BMW and went inside. She found her mother and the girls still sitting around the pool, minus Maria, who they said had gone back inside. Her mother, Peyton, and Nicole were pretty drunk so Riley headed inside to check on Maria. She found her in one of the spare bedrooms, lying on the bed and looking at her phone.

"Hey," Riley said, sticking her head in the door.

"Hey yourself," Maria said, patting the bed beside her. Maria was probably her closest friend. They had been friends since sixth grade.

"Sorry I bailed on y'all," Riley said, kicking off her shoes and rolling onto the bed next to Maria.

"It's okay," she said. "Your mom was pretty entertaining -- for a while."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I hope she didn't embarrass herself too badly, or any of you."

"It's fine, Riley," she said, reaching over to pat her arm. "You're not responsible for your mother, and she really didn't get too bad. She and Peyton did get to talking about sex and stuff which was a little embarrassing at the time, but mostly it was just a bunch of gossiping and laughing."

"Oh God," she said, covering her eyes with her arm. "I might have know Peyton would go there, and Mom's all to happy to talk about her sex life."

"It's all good," Maria said. "So what did you do?"

"Went and hung out at a coffee shop," Riley said innocently.

"Alone?"

"Yeah -- for a little bit anyway."

"So some sexy hipster joined you?"

"Not exactly."

"Well come on, spill it. I know you want to. Is it anybody I know?"

"Yes."

"It is?. Let me think, who do I know in Austin?"

"He's not from Austin."

"So what was he doing there tonight?"

"He's here for the weekend, for work."

"What kind of work does he do?"

Riley hesitated for a minute. "He's a pilot," she groaned.

"As in 'our' pilot?" Maria asked, surprised.

"Yes, as in 'our' pilot. As in Raph Savage," Riley said.

"Why is he still here? I thought he said he may have other flights this weekend and he didn't know if he was going to be the one to fly us home."

"I called the charter service and hired him for the entire weekend, just to make sure he would be able to fly us home. Does that make me a terrible person?"

"No, it doesn't. I'm just surprised. I would expect Peyton to be the one that might do it though. She was really flirting with him."

"Peyton is probably outside flirting with the hedges," Riley said flatly. "Do you think she'd be mad if she knew I was interested in him?"

"Are you interested in him?" Maria asked. She knew how cynical Riley was when it came to men. It seemed everyone wanted something from her and she'd become a little jaded when it came to romance.

"Honestly, I don't know. I know I liked being with him and talking to him. It's so refreshing to talk to someone about something other than wealth, money, or oil futures. He's so down to earth and he treats me like I'm just a girl, not Steve Barrett's daughter or heiress to his oil fortune."

"So what did y'all talk about?"

"His parents, they're both dead so he's kind of alone now. His mother was a high school art teacher and he's named after Rafael, the Italian artist. His dad was a small town police officer. He went to college and got an aviation degree. He moved to Amarillo to take the job with the charter flying service."

"And he didn't ask you to buy him an airplane or anything?"

"No, that's just it. He didn't talk about money, or who I was or anything. If fact, he got the check and paid the bill. When someone recognized me as we were leaving, instead of him saying 'look at me, I'm out with Riley Barrett', he told them that I wasn't Riley Barrett, but that I 'get that all the time'. He was so sweet, but not like he was trying to get something from me. He seemed to really like me for just me."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Riley," Maria said, hugging her friend.

"Can I join in?" a slightly slurred voice from the door said. Riley and Maria both looked up to see the red hair and crooked smile of Peyton, leaning against the door jam. She was still wearing her swim suit which barely concealed her nipples or her vagina.

"Sure, come on," Riley said, scooting over on the king size bed.

Peyton came in and nearly collapsed onto the bed next to Riley.

"Where did you disappear to Sweetie?" she said, her breath smelling strongly of alcohol.

"I just went into town for a coffee and lost track of time reading a book," Riley fibbed.

"Your mom is such a hoot." Peyton said, rolling over onto her back. The movement caused her top to shift, completely exposing the nipple on her left breast. It wasn't the first time Riley had seen the light colored nipple and nearly transparent areola. Peyton was not shy about nudity, but it's close proximity to Riley's arm made her a little uneasy.

"Yes, she is," Riley agreed, reaching down and trying to subtly move the fabric of her top back over the exposed nipple. Her finger slipped and grazed right over her nipple. Peyton's eyes opened and she looked over at Riley.

"Did you just tweak my nipple?" she asked with an accusing smile.

"No -- Yes -- I didn't mean to, I was trying to cover it back up," she stammered, her face turning red.

"Sure, Honey," she laughed, pulling the fabric back over her now erect nipple.

Riley and Maria exchanged looks and shaking heads. Within five minutes, Peyton was breathing steadily and easily. She was fast asleep.

"You can sleep in my room," Riley said to Maria, who just nodded. Riley got out of the bed, pulled the blanket over Peyton, turned out the light, and headed to her room.

*****

Raph was up early Monday morning. He had to check out by 1:00pm but his return flight wasn't until 6:00pm. He went down for the free breakfast of tiny boxes of cereal and milk along with a bowl of fresh fruit. After having two boxes of shredded wheat and an apple, Raph checked out and headed to the airport.

He spent most of the day in the pilot's lounge, going over his flight plan, weather reports, and advisories along his flight path. He filed his flight plan with the FAA and double checked the weather. All looked good for the return trip.

With all the paper work completed and double checked, he went out to the overnight hanger and started his preflight checks. Once his checks were completed, he signaled the ground crew to tow the airplane from the hanger onto the tarmac. By 5:00pm he was set and ready to go. He went back inside the FBO and freshened up in the pilot's lounge restroom. By the time he finished and came out of the lounge, he spotted Riley and her party coming through the doors of the FBO.

"Hello again ladies," he smiled at the group, but he had eyes only for Riley.

"Hey there, cutie," Peyton said.

"Good afternoon," he said simply. "You girls ready to go?"

"Yes," Riley said.

"If y'all want to grab a drink from the lounge or make a pit stop before we leave, now's the time while I load your luggage and then we'll be ready."

The girls all headed toward the lounge. His heart skipped a beat when Riley winked at him as she filed out behind the other girls.

Raph followed the attendant out with the luggage and stowed it in the aircraft. Once that was completed he returned to the FBO for the girls.

"Okay ladies, we're all set if you are," Raph said.

The girls came out following Raph to the TBM. He once again stood at the step, holding his hand out to each woman as they boarded. Riley once again went last, squeezing his hand as he helped her aboard.

Once aboard himself, he repeated his passenger safety briefing and proceeded into the cockpit. As he was powering up the TBM he turned and looked back at Riley.

"You said when we landed you wanted to see the takeoff procedure so come on up if you want."

"Sure," she said quickly and unfastened her seat belt, moving up to the copilot's seat.

"Thank you," she mouthed. Raph just smiled and continued his startup procedures.

Once he had the TBM up and running, he radioed for his taxi clearance and when granted, he signaled the ground marshal who waved him out toward the taxiway. Raph taxied to his assigned runway and changed to the tower frequency to get his takeoff clearance. Cleared for takeoff, Raph turned out onto the runway, powered up the turboprop engine and released the brakes. The powerful plane quickly attained rotation speed and lifted free of the runway. He tapped the brakes and raised the landing gear as the plane gained speed and altitude.

Once he reached cruising altitude with the autopilot set, he notified the passengers as was his custom.

"I've flown my whole life, either commercially or on Daddy's jets, but I've never had this view or knew what the pilots were doing up here. It's so interesting. I had no idea you did so much, so fast. I mean you talked to a half dozen different people, you were constantly twisting knobs or pushing buttons. I don't know how you keep it all straight."

"Lots of training and repetition," Raph said humbly.

They continued talking until it was time to get ready for landing. Raph explained that he needed to focus entirely on what he was doing so she sat quietly and watched as he expertly maneuvered the aircraft, seemingly as an extension of himself. His mastery of his craft was impressive.

Raph touched down right on his marks and rolled out to his assigned taxiway. He taxied to the FBO and shut the plane down, but before he unbuckled he turned to Riley.

"Could I call you sometime?" he asked Riley.

"I'd like that," Riley said.

"Can we get out now?" came a call from Nicole in the back.

"Yes, of course," Raph said, getting out of his seat and moving to the back to open the hatch. Raph stepped out onto the tarmac and helped each of the young ladies from the plane. Peyton decided to forgo her fake fall and just smacked Raph on the butt as she passed.

Riley, once again was last off, and with all of the others already walking toward the FBO, she moved close and kissed Raph quickly on the lips. It surprised him and she had already moved away before he could get his mind in gear enough to kiss her back.

He stood, stupefied and watched her walk toward the FBO. The station agent had already taken their luggage to their car so there was nothing left for Raph to do except secure his plane in the hanger, finish his paperwork, and go home. An hour and half later as he prepared to leave, he could still feel that kiss and taste her lip gloss. It was cherry flavored.

Raph arrived at his apartment later that night, threw a pork tenderloin in the oven to cook and headed to take a shower. Once his shower was complete, he threw on some shorts and a tee shirt and went to put his phone on the charger. As he picked the phone up off the table it vibrated. He looked at it and saw he had a text. Unlocking the phone he saw it was from Riley.

"I just wanted to say thank you for this weekend. I finally got the girls home and have made it home myself. I'm worn out and headed to bed but I wanted to say I look forward to hearing from you. -RB," she had texted.

Raph typed back a short simple text. "Good night, sleep well. -RS"

Raph got his supper out of the oven and set it on top of the stove to rest while he mixed a quick salad. He had his supper, cleaned up and headed to bed.

*****

Riley woke later than usual. She was tired from the weekend. Her mother always stressed her out and Peyton and Nicole were about as stressful. They had both been friends from college and she secretly knew they hung around her for the benefits, but they were less obvious than most. She doubted if Nicole even really liked her. Peyton on the other hand sometimes liked her too much.

She knew Peyton wasn't a lesbian because she was always moving from one guy to the next, but her bi-curious nature seemed to flare up around Riley. She was always flaunting her body around Riley and trying to pinch her boob or slap her butt and had tried a couple times to kiss her. It wasn't anything forceful, rather more playful, but Riley had no doubt that if she gave Peyton any encouragement she would go for it.