Chrissy's Deception Pt. 01

Christina Michelle Stanton sat in the airport terminal doing one of her favorite things - people watching. As usual, she had arrived at the airport with way too much time to spare. Her flight didn't leave for another hour and she had already been at the gate for almost that long. She sighed and berated herself for her overly serious approach to life. "When will I ever learn to take life less cautiously?" she thought to herself, as she watched the other passengers milling about through the terminal.

She was about to turn her attention to a story that she had running in her head, when she noticed a man pacing - and not just any man, but a man in uniform - camouflage, to be exact. She laughed silently to herself as she mentally cursed her attraction to uniforms. What she wouldn't give to have that particular uniform notice her, though. This man gave definition to his clothing that made Chrissy sit up and take extra notice!

Chrissy covertly watched the man, through her lowered eyelashes. He looked to be a real man - not some teenager. She would guess that he was in his mid 30's. His hair, what of it she could distinguish from his regulation "high and tight", appeared to be dark brown. She would have enjoyed looking at him anywhere, but she was getting a particularly spectacular view because of his pacing. In fact, she notice, he seemed to be pacing a little too quickly. He seemed agitated. Chrissy's interest was way beyond casual now. She was totally caught up in her secret surveillance.

Suddenly, without warning, the man turned toward her, walked rapidly over to her and stopped abruptly, directly in front of her. Chrissy noticed that he towered over her and that his face was knit into a deep scowl as he frowned down at her. His dark brown eyes were flashing with some emotion that looked a lot like anger. Chrissy knew that her eyes had to be as big as saucers. She was stunned by his actions, and as such, she was able only to stare up at him, waiting for him to speak.

"May I ask what you are staring at?" asked Chrissy's GI Joe. Chrissy almost moaned when she heard his voice - it was just as deep and smooth as the richest chocolate. But she couldn't spend any time enjoying that thought, because Chrissy knew she needed to focus to handle this situation with tact. She wasn't sure what she was dealing with here. Maybe GI Joe was just a normal guy who didn't like to be stared at or maybe he was a stressed out war veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was about to erupt into violence. Chrissy decided that humor was the best route to go in this situation - say something funny and not insulting.

With a sweet smile and a twinkle in her eye, Chrissy said, "I thought you looked like you were on a mission to wear tread marks into the carpet, single handedly!" Her GI Joe looked at her and his scowl seemed to get even deeper as he processed her response. Then, suddenly, without warning, GI Joe burst out laughing. Chrissy gasped as his face transformed from attractive into stunningly handsome. He dropped into the seat beside her.

"I'm on my way home for Christmas and I HATE flying!" he stated. Chrissy was looking at him with some confusion because he seemed quite at ease in the seat beside her, almost as if they had been life long friends.

"Well, considering how hard you were pacing, you certainly could have walked where ever you are going by now" she teased him, deciding to stick with the humor since he was responding so well. And she sure didn't want him to get up and leave.

GI Joe smiled at Chrissy and stuck out his hand, "My name's Mike. Mike O'Connor." He was holding out his hand and looking at Chrissy expectantly. Chrissy's mind was spinning. This incredible specimen of the male species had approached her and was acting quite solicitous. She wasn't sure, because she didn't have a lot of experience, but it felt like he was flirting with her. If he was . . . "My name is Mickey - Mickey Smith," Chrissy stuttered.

Mike continued to smile at her and began waving his hand that he was holding out to her, "Do you shake on command?" he questioned, with a glint of humor in his eyes. Chrissy forced herself to shake his hand, as her mind was reeling with possibilities. Of course, changes were slim that anything would come of this meeting, but oh, if only something could come of it. And Chrissy had a pretty good idea of exactly what she would like to have come of this meeting.

See, Chrissy had recently made some life altering decisions. She had a wonderful job as Commercial Loan Officer in one of the largest bank chains in the country. She had bought her first condo and had it almost paid off. Her life was going right as she had planned, except for one minor catch. Chrissy had decided, after long and careful deliberation, that she was ready to have a baby. But she was 30 years old and had never had a serious relationship with a man. She had always told herself that true love was just around the corner and that the man who could appreciate her was just about ready to enter her life. But she had waited and waited, done everything she could think of, and she still hadn't met that someone special.

And Chrissy was tired of waiting. She just wanted to get on with her life. In her plans, Chrissy had always seen herself as a mother. Just because she didn't have a husband, it didn't mean she couldn't have her child. Chrissy had decided that she wanted several children eventually, but she realized that she was going to have to start with one. Although adoption was in her future, she wanted to experience pregnancy with her first child. She had done her research, contacted her doctors and created her strategy. First she would go celebrate Christmas with her sister and her sister's new fiancee, then she would head back home and be artificially inseminated. After that, her life would be on "go" and she would be able to continue with the plans she had made for herself.

But sitting right here, beside what happened to be the most handsome man she had ever met, Chrissy was having second thoughts. If this man really was flirting with her (a concept almost completely outside her comprehension), then maybe she could actually seduce him and have a real live sperm donor. It wasn't the perfect time of the month, but, if it worked, it would be exciting to not be a virgin when her child was born. She would also be able to honestly tell her child something about his or her father. And since she had had the sense to not give him her real name, she could walk away from this man and never have to see him again. He would never need to know that he fathered her child.

Chrissy realized that, if she ever hoped to pull this off, for the next 24 hours, she needed to truly become someone different from her everyday self - she needed to become Mickey Smith - confident, sexy and available Mickey Smith. So she took a deep breath and grabbed onto her new identity.

As she turned to look at the man beside her, she wondered how one went about a seduction? She also wondered what he saw when he looked at her. She didn't delude herself into thinking that he was blown away by her beauty and charm. Chrissy knew what she had to work with - not only did she consider her features to be plain at best, but she also knew her body didn't meet society's expectations of appealing, either. She was short, barely topping out at 5 foot. She also was plus sized, extra curvy or fat depending on her mood any given day. Never had Chrissy been slender and sexy, but she had long ago decided that she could be neat and presentable. Not that anyone could tell, considering the ratty old outfit she had put on this morning, but most days she wore a suit and pulled her hair into an executive bun, looking as polished and attractive as she could, given what she considered to be her limitations.

And most days Chrissy could deal with the fact that none of the men in her life saw her as a woman, only as an executive, a confidant and a friend. But some days it hurt. She was a woman, and she would have appreciated somebody noticing. But day after day, she listened to her male friends, which she seemed to have a lot of, bemoaning or bragging about their current love lives. Some days she wanted to pick up her briefcase and knock them over the head. She wanted to shout, "Don't you see that I am a WOMAN?!?" But she didn't. And, if the truth was to be known, there weren't really any men in her life that she was interested in having notice her in a romantic way.

But, right beside her sat a man that she was very interested in having notice her in a romantic way.

So, putting aside her doubts, she began thinking out her seduction. It made sense that first, she needed to find out where he was headed. This was a big airport and he might not be going her direction. If they weren't going to the same place, her plans would be all for naught.

Putting on her huskiest voice, she drawled, "So where are you going for Christmas?"

Mike seemed not to notice her effort at sounding sexy and answered blandly, "My brother invited me out to see his new ranch just south of Boise. I had a little leave time coming, so I decided to take him up on it. He has just up and decided to settle down, so I figured I better go make sure he's making the right decision. Once a big brother, always a big brother!"

Chrissy's breath caught in her chest as he rambled on, talking about his family. She didn't bother listening to the rest of his story after he mentioned his destination. He was going to be on the same plane as her. Great! Now, how did she get him where she wanted him? Interrupting his continuing monologue, she abruptly asked, "Are you really scared of flying?"

He looked at her, arching his eyebrow in surprise, realizing that she hadn't been listening to him. "As a matter of fact, today, I really am," he answered.

"Maybe we could get our seat assignments together and I could walk you through deep breathing if you get too scared."

Mike looked at her skeptically. "Deep breathing?" he questioned.

"Yeah, it always works on TV!" she answered him quickly with a sweet smile.

Mike's deep laugh drew Chrissy's breath up into her throat. She couldn't do this. Oh yes she could! And she was going to, even if she did have to make a fool out of herself. She was going to give this man a run for his money. If he didn't want her, he was going to have to spell it out.

Mike was fascinated by the red haired tiger beside him. She was feisty with comebacks and quick with her wit. She seemed to not have a pretentious bone in her body. Her hair was pulled back loosely in a clip that flipped it up off of her neck. Her ample little body was covered in a sweat suit and her tennis shoes looked like they had seen better days. Comfortable clothes to travel in, but not really suited to trying to catch the attentions of a man. If she hadn't been so obviously trying to hide her observation of him, he doubted that he ever would have approached her. He enjoyed shocking people, but he hadn't managed to knock this little lady off balance. She hadn't been as put out as he had hoped by his forthrightness. She had just matched him, jest for jest. He liked how that made him feel. He liked how she made him feel, just sitting here talking about life.

Mike hadn't had an easy life. He had been abandoned by his birth parents before his first birthday. When he was four, he had been adopted by an older couple, who weren't able to have children. When he was eight, his parents brought him home a brother. Mike was fascinated by his little brother. He was two years younger than Mike, he had been orphaned only the year before and he had been completely alone in the world. Mike had seen the fear and uncertainty in his little brother's eyes and had immediately taken him under his wing. Mike and his brother were inseparable as they grew up.

Early on, Mike had filled out his lanky 6'3" frame and a coach grabbed him as a football player. Mike discovered that he enjoyed the game. Mike's parents weren't wealthy and Mike's upcoming college years were going to be a huge expense. Mike was fairly sure he could cover his cost with a football scholarship. That just left Mike's brother. But Mike wasn't really worried about him, because his brother was the real brain of the family. Mike was proud of the fact that his brother had even managed to skip a grade in junior high.

But then the unthinkable happened. Mike's mother had discovered that she had cancer. After a long, painful battle in Mike's junior year of high school, she finally died, the first day of summer break. Mike's dad just couldn't face life without his wife. Even his sons couldn't bring him out of his depression. When Mike got the call that his dad had been involved in a one car, fatal accident, Mike couldn't even say that he was surprised.

That turning event in Mike's life had occurred in February of his senior year in high school. Mike was going to turn 18 in March. After the funeral, Mike sat his brother down for a serious talk. They decided that since there was no money for college they needed to make other plans. Mike had asked his cousin, who was older, with a husband and little boy of her own, if his brother could live with them during his senior year. She had readily agreed and that situation had worked out really well.

Mike was in a different situation, though. He knew that he had lost his focus during his senior year, and even with his athletic abilities, his grades were too low to get into college. So, without too much thought, Mike dropped out of high school and joined the Marines. Fortunately, Mike had a recruiter who was truly interested in helping the young people he was enlisting. He had made sure that Mike got his GED, even if he wasn't going to get his diploma. Mike entertained thoughts of going to college later on, but, once he got into the Marines, he felt like he found his niche in life. He loved the order, the planning and the opportunities.

Mike was a good Marine and worked his way up the ranks. While serving his country in Kuwait City during Desert Storm, Mike had managed to save the life of a young Kuwaiti woman. Her father was a diplomat, and his praise of Mike's actions reached important people of higher rank. Mike's reward was to be moved to a job with a senior officer. He now served as Personal Assistant to one of the highest ranking officers in the country. Even though he was looking forward to his upcoming retirement from the military, he liked his life and he was proud of his accomplishments.

The years had passed quickly for Mike. He had only visited his brother on rare holidays. His brother had managed to go on to college and didn't stop until he had his PhD in agricultural business. Mike had no idea where that interest had come from, but his brother had done well for himself. Neither of the brothers had ever married or had children. Mike knew that his own reasons were fairly simple. He had never met a woman that knocked his socks off. Occasionally, he thought about settling down and starting a family, but, since he hadn't met the right woman, and he was so often traveling, he had never even given the thought serious consideration. Mike had often wondered why his brother hadn't married, though.

But things were different now. Suddenly his brother was getting married and he was inviting Mike home to meet the woman of his dreams. These two lovebirds were planning to spend the rest of their lives together and Mike's brother wanted Mike's blessings. Mike was a serious cynic when it came to romance, having seen far too many military marriages crumble under the stresses of life. But he wanted to give his brother the benefit of the doubt, so he was dutifully coming to spend Christmas with the couple. He genuinely hoped that he would be able to truthfully bless their union at the end of the holiday.

But, right now, he was stuck in an airport with a cute little redhead. And right now, she was worried about his fear of flying. Hell, he was worried about his fear of flying. Not that it was really a fear of flying. He had never had a problem flying before, but of course, he had never bothered taking the time to think about it before, either. He was always on a mission, following orders, jumping ahead in his thoughts to his next maneuver. But here he was on "holiday" and he had nervous jitters about getting onto a commercial flight. Go figure. However, this fascinating creature was offering to help him out and he was just tempted enough to see where this was going.

"Let me see your ticket," Mike said to Chrissy. She looked at him skeptically. He explained, "I'll go up and see if they can change our seats to put us together."

Mike would have sworn that the redhead's eyes couldn't get any bigger. "OK," she murmured. He wondered at the expression on her face, but decided that it must be some woman thing that he didn't really want to understand. She handed him her ticket and he went up to the counter.

Chrissy sat in stunned silence as she watched Mike's handsome backside walk away from her. She couldn't believe that this was going to work. She really hadn't counted on that, but now she really needed to plan her next step.

She was still pondering the situation when Mike returned. He looked slightly perplexed when he handed her back her ticket. But before Chrissy could ask what was wrong, Mike shook his head, as if clearing out imaginary cobwebs. "I sure could go for a cup of coffee. Care to join me?" he asked. When he held out his hand to her, Chrissy took it with a look of wonder on her face. This was going to be easier than she had thought.

Mike looked over at the woman beside him as they walked through the terminal. Apparently she hadn't realized that, when she gave him her ticket, she had given herself away. The name on her ticket was not Mickey Smith. It was Christina M. Stanton.

Mike knew how tight airport security was these days and he knew that if this woman was able to get on a plane with that ticket, she had to have ID that stated she was Christina Stanton. Maybe the M. stood for Mickey and she went by her middle name, but Smith still wasn't Stanton. He reasoned that maybe she was smart enough not to give her real name out to just any stranger she met. That had to be it. She was just protecting herself.

Mike breathed out a sigh of relief at having solved that mystery. Now that he was sure that he understood, he decided that he would wait until later to tell her that he had sleuthed out her identity. They could have a good laugh and she could tell him, in her own words, how she was trying to protect herself from some stranger she had just met.

Over coffee, Mike stopped worrying about Chrissy's name. And Chrissy forgot all about her plan to seduce Mike. She got so engrossed in talking to him and enjoying his company that she lost track of her main objective. Mike was not only easy on the eyes, he was also a great conversationalist. He told her funny stories about his years in the service and made her laugh with exploits from his childhood. For his own part, Mike found that he liked to make her laugh. He enjoyed seeing the genuineness that shone from her eyes. He found himself wishing that the Christmas holiday with his family could be this pleasurable. Maybe he should ask where she was going to spend the holidays so he could look her up if things got too crazy with his brother. When he opened his mouth to ask, the PA system announced the boarding of their flight. Deciding that he would ask about her destination later, Mike helped Chrissy out of her seat and they walked back over to their gate.

Chapter Two

Chrissy and Mike's seats were the last two in the plane. By the time they boarded, Mike had completely forgotten that he had been worried about this flight. Apparently his Mickey had not forgotten though. She settled into the seat by the window and looked up at him expectantly as he stowed his carry-on. He sat down beside her and she reached over and took his hand. "Tell me what I can do for you," she whispered to him.