The Friendly Skies

Author's notes:

Frequent readers of my work know that much of it tends to fall within two primary genres. Still, once in a while, I do like to venture onto the road not commonly taken and throw a curve. So please take note of the category this story has been posted to and be forewarned. Still, even if it isn't your normal cup of tea, I do hope that you might read it anyway.

Although ratings are nice, nothing beats a comment or two about what you liked or disliked about a story. Please take a moment to leave one. Thank you.

May 2007

Peggy Oxenberg sat back in her seat, enjoying both her drink and the comfort of the first-class cabin. Over the last thirty years, the fifty-one-year-old brunette had probably logged more air miles than all of the passengers around her combined, but it was only since her retirement six months ago that she had been able to really relax in the air.

Peggy had been a senior air attendant when she'd finally turned in her crew pin, working for the very airline she was now flying, California Air Express. In fact, the L.A. to Vegas flight had been her route for most of her career. She loved Las Vegas, and still spent two or three weekends a month there, especially since her long history with the airline allowed her to fly for free, space permitting of course.

"Can I get you another drink, Ms. Oxenberg?" the long-haired redhead in the red and white uniform asked.

"No, I think I'm good, Judy," Peggy said with a smile, holding up her champagne flute to show it was still half full. "But if you could sneak me two more of those delicious apricot pastries, I'd be in your debt."

"Coming right up," Judy replied, returning the older woman's smile.

As the flight attendant started up the aisle toward the galley, Peggy couldn't resist leaning over just far enough to watch the thirty-year old's ass sway back and forth.

'She's still got a great ass,' Peggy thought, recalling a time when it wasn't Ms. Oxenberg that the shapely attendant was calling out at the top of her lungs.

But that had been a number of years back, and both of them had moved on since then. If first class had been full and Peggy had been forced to fly coach, she'd have been served by another crew member who had once shared her bed, Carol Nelson. A tall athletic black woman with a dominant streak, Peggy fondly remembered her as being quite versatile with a strap-on. But Carol, like Judy, now found her pleasures elsewhere.

The days when airlines used slogans like, "Hi, I'm Barbara, fly me," were long gone, but that didn't mean there wasn't still a lot of hanky panky going on up in the wild blue yonder, especially among the flight crews.

If she could extend her gaze up to the flight deck, Peggy would've found another familiar face at the controls of the mid-sized aircraft, Roger Stevens, pilot in command. Once upon a time, when he'd had fewer stripes on his sleeve, he had also enjoyed her charms. Of course, that was before Peggy had decided that she preferred women over men. It wasn't that she had a problem with a hard cock. In fact, truth be told, she rather enjoyed them at times. It was the lunkheads that usually came with them that she couldn't stand.

"Here you go," Judy said as she returned with the sweet delicacies.

Peggy thanked her and closed her eyes as she bit into the flaky crust, enjoying the treat. When she opened them again, she noticed another figure in red and white moving down the opposite aisle, collecting empty drink glasses. A woman she didn't recognize but found she literally couldn't take her eyes off.

As the olive skinned blonde reached the same row in which Peggy sat, she managed to get a better look at the oval shaped name tag on her uniform, silently reading off the name, Paulette.

'So that's Paulette,' Peggy said to herself, the name bringing back a memory from just before she'd taken her last flight.

She'd been having lunch in the office of Bill Brady, head of personnel, going over her retirement package. The sixty-one-year-old was an old friend and had asked for one last try at dissuading her from putting in her papers.

"I can't understand why you're so eager to turn in your wings," Bill had said. "You're ten years younger than me and in better shape than most women in their forties."

"It's time, Bill," she replied. "There's nothing more to discuss."

"Well, you can't blame me for trying," he smiled. "You're going to be hard to replace."

"But somehow, you will," Peggy smiled in return. "And knowing you, I'm willing to bet that you already have someone in mind."

The expression on his face said that he did.

"It's not what you think though," he quickly said, "the request came from the twelfth floor."

The twelfth floor, Peggy well knew, was the executive level.

"What's her name?" Peggy asked.

"Paulette Delgado," Bill said, "she's been with the airline about a year."

"Who made the request?" Peggy asked, thinking that there had to be a dozen girls with more seniority vying for the popular route.

"I'm really not at liberty to say," Bill replied.

This sort of thing wasn't all that unusual, Peggy knew. Someone up high needed a place to stash a girlfriend where his wife couldn't find her, or else it was a payoff for a relationship that was now over. Either way, they rarely lasted long once they found out how hard the job could sometimes be.

"This one is different," Bill said after Peggy had expressed that sentiment.

"How so?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Well, she's a really hard worker for one thing, with an exemplary record," Bill offered. "In fact, if she'd had a little more seniority, I might have considered her for the Vegas run on her own merits."

That, Peggy thought, was surprising. Usually, girls hired as a 'favor' proved to be so entitled as to be more trouble than they were worth.

'I guess there's an exception to every rule,' she finally thought as the discussion moved on to another subject.

As she watched the young woman serve drinks, Peggy made her own assessment of Miss Delgado. She looked to be in her early twenties, about five six and a hundred and twenty pounds. The well-fitting uniform displayed a nice set of breasts, even if they were on the small side. Then again, Peggy smiled, not everyone could have a 36C bust like she did. The younger woman more than made up for it with the nicest legs that Peggy had seen in a long time.

Peggy also recalled a comment Bill had made in his own description of the girl, about her bearing a striking resemblance to the actress who'd played the Invisible Woman in the Fantastic Four movie of a few years back. Peggy hadn't seen the film, comic characters never having been her thing, but had to think the remark incongruous as the young lady was the opposite of invisible.

Twenty minutes later, the pilot announced that they were making their final approach to McCarran International Airport and the flight attendants moved to collect the last of what needed to be stowed away. Peggy secured her seat belt and turned her attention to what she wanted to do first once they were on the ground.

-=-=-=-

Most visitors to Las Vegas liked to stay at a hotel right on the Strip. Peggy, however, preferred the same budget motel the airline used for crews on overnight runs. She even rode the bus there with them. Most people saw her idiosyncrasy as misplaced nostalgia for her days as a flight attendant, but the simple truth was that the privacy of the airport motel suited her, allowing her to let her hair down with fewer prying eyes.

The bus was only half full when Peggy climbed aboard, with plenty of seats to choose from. She was about to take her customary place behind the driver when she spotted an empty spot a few rows further down, one right next to the window seat that Paulette had taken. Thinking this might be the perfect opportunity to introduce herself, she headed for that one instead.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

Paulette answered with a motion of her hand toward the empty seat.

"I'm Peggy Oxenberg," Peggy said in way of introduction as she sat down. "I used to work the L.A. -- Vegas run when I was an attendant."

"I know, Judy pointed you out to me," Paulette replied.

Wondering if that had been before or after Paulette might have caught Peggy staring at her, she turned her head toward her old lover, who was sitting two seats over in the next row up.

"Whatever she said, it's all lies," Peggy said whimsically as she turned back to Paulette.

"Actually, the little she told me was all very flattering," Paulette replied.

"Really?" Peggy said, again glancing momentarily in Judy's direction.

As they began to talk, Paulette proved to be friendly enough, but while she wasn't what Peggy would call evasive, she also didn't volunteer a great deal of information about herself either. Which just sparked Peggy's interest even more, wondering what, if anything, the young woman might be hiding.

"You know," Peggy said as the bus made a final turn onto the approach to the motel, "back in the day, when I was senior attendant, I liked to take a new girl out to dinner when they were first assigned. Technically, you came onboard while I was still in charge, even though we never got the chance to actually meet."

As if to confirm what Peggy was saying, Paulette looked across the narrow aisle to where Judy was sitting. The now senior attendant had heard the conversation and nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"So, if you don't already have plans for the evening," Peggy continued, "I'd love to correct that oversight."

There was a flash of hesitation on Paulette's face, one Peggy couldn't help but notice. Thinking she might have put the girl on the spot, Peggy quickly added that it was just an invitation and Paulette was certainly free to decline.

"If that's what everyone else has done, then who am I to break tradition?" Paulette finally replied, flashing a soft smile.

"Lovely," Peggy smiled in return. "How about we meet in the lobby at, say, seven o'clock? That'll give you plenty of time to settle in and change."

"Seven would be fine," Paulette agreed.

-=-=-=-

Peggy recalled a nice surf and turf restaurant not far from the Strip and called as soon as she got to her room to make a reservation. Most people preferred to take advantage of the highly subsidized buffets many of the casinos offered, but Peggy liked to sit and enjoy her meal without distraction, something impossible to do in the casinos.

She took a quick shower and changed into a casual short sleeved dress that came down to just below her knees. The weatherman was calling for a pleasant sixty-eight degrees for the evening and Peggy wanted to be as comfortable as she could.

The lobby clock was just chiming seven as, exiting the stairwell, Peggy saw Paulette already waiting on one of the two-sided couches by the front desk. Spotting Peggy, the younger woman rose to her feet and started toward her. Paulette had also changed into more comfortable attire, a dress not dissimilar to the one Peggy was wearing, only in green instead of blue.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long," Peggy said, despite the fact that she herself had been right on time.

"No, I only got down here a few minutes ago," Paulette replied.

"I also hope you like steak and lobster," Peggy asked, thinking that she really should've inquired earlier. For all she knew, her guest could've been a vegetarian.

"I love a good steak," Paulette replied, "and who doesn't like lobster?"

"Excellent," Peggy said with relief. "I called for a cab before coming down. It should be here in a few minutes."

-=-=-=-

The food was as good as Peggy remembered it being, and her guest seemed to enjoy it as well. Over a seafood appetizer and a very nice house wine, Paulette even opened up a bit, answering a few personal questions once they'd gotten past the how did she like working for the company and what were her future goals stage.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Peggy inquired.

"Not at the moment," Paulette replied.

"Girlfriend?" Peggy asked, recalling that there were also three women on the board.

"I've had girlfriends, but again no one right now," she replied candidly.

'So, you do like girls,' Peggy thought but didn't say, the acknowledgment causing a smile to form at the corner of her mouth.

"I take it you're not married," Paulette said, noting with a glance at Peggy's hand that she wasn't wearing a ring.

"I guess I was one of those people who were married to the job," Peggy replied. "Which was probably a good thing, because I've always preferred playing the field over anything long term."

"Judy mentioned that," Paulette said.

"Did she now?" Peggy reacted in surprise, wondering what else her former lover might have shared. "Tell me, did she just volunteer information about me, or did you ask?"

"I asked," Paulette replied.

Pleased, Peggy asked why.

"I guess I wanted to know if dinner was really supposed to be just dinner or something more," Paulette explained.

"I see," Peggy replied. "And which would you prefer it being?"

"Well, it has been a tiring day..." Paulette started to say, referencing the fact that the flight that Peggy had been on was the aircrew's third of the day, the first two having been turnarounds.

Peggy thought she could see where this was going and honestly didn't blame Paulette. She'd always hated turnaround flights and the Los Angeles to Las Vegas runs were notorious for barely being on the ground an hour before taking off again. The only reason their flight hadn't done so a third time was that the plane was scheduled to go out of service for maintenance, allowing the crew to stayover before returning on one of the morning flights.

"I understand..." Peggy interrupted, only to have Paulette continue to talk.

"... but not so much that I'd rather sleep than have a little fun."

That brought a smile back to Peggy's face.

"You're taking the 10:40 back to L.A. in the morning, right?" Peggy asked.

"That's right," Paulette confirmed.

"Then might I suggest we cut this short and head back to the motel?" Peggy offered.

"I'd like that," Paulette replied, "but before we do, there's something that I have to tell you. Something that might change your mind."

"I rather doubt that, but do go ahead," Peggy said with a smile.

"It's a bit complicated," Paulette said, the inflection in her voice suggesting that she was hesitant to share what she felt she needed to.

"Life usually is," Peggy observed, "and yet we managed to get through each day as it comes."

"I wasn't always Paulette," the woman across the table finally said, lowering her voice so as not to have it carry to any of the neighboring tables.

"I don't understand," Peggy said, confusion on her face.

"I was born Paul," she replied. "I didn't become Paulette until shortly after I turned eighteen."

It took a few seconds for that to sink in, but once it did, the confusion on Peggy's face turned to disbelief.

"This is a joke, right?" Peggy finally said. "Judy put you up to it."

"No joke, I was born Paul Delgado," she reiterated.

'She's serious,' Peggy finally realized.

"You're a ...." Peggy started to say, then hesitated as she was unsure of the proper term, at least an inoffensive one.

"I'm a woman," Paulette said strongly, "I just happened to be equipped slightly differently."

"You mean you still have a ..." Peggy started to say, only to again hesitate.

"Yes," Paulette simply said.

"And it still works?" Peggy heard herself ask, surprising herself with the question.

"Fully functional, as they say," Paulette replied.

'Complicated,' Peggy thought, 'was definitely an understatement.'

She spent long seconds staring at the person sitting across from her, but try as she could, despite the revelation, Peggy still couldn't see Paulette as anything but an attractive young woman.

"Does anyone else know, I mean at the airline?" Peggy asked, her head suddenly filling with questions.

"Well, the doctor who gave me my physical," Paulette said, "and of course Judy knows. I mean, we do share a room."

"Wait, Judy knows?" Peggy said, again surprise in her voice.

"I thought it only fair that I tell her," Paulette stated.

Peggy had the feeling that it wasn't that simple. Knowing Judy as she did, it was more than likely that the senior attendant had expressed an interest in getting to know Paulette better and her new roommate had decided that it was better to be totally honest, especially since they were going to be living together.

Peggy also discarded the notion that there might be anything between the two roommates other than sharing expenses. Judy was all girl all the time, to the extent that, technically speaking, the thirty-year-old could still be considered a virgin, even though she'd had a string of lovers dating back to her late teens.

Paulette's medical record, Peggy also considered, had most likely been marked confidential, at least aside from anything that might adversely affect her job. Not a difficult task, especially if the request to mark it such came from a board member.

Then those other questions, well at least the primary one, asserted itself.

"Paulette, I'm flattered that you'd share all this with me," Peggy said once she'd caught her breath, "but I have to ask. Why did you?"

"For the same reason that you invited me to dinner," Paulette answered. "I find myself attracted to you, and I had the impression that you were to me as well. I guess I was hoping that, even after I told you the truth, you'd still feel that way."

A very long moment passed. Then, rather than respond directly, Peggy turned to catch the attention of the waiter who had been serving them. Once she did, she said that they wouldn't be staying for dessert after all.

-=-=-=-

The night clerk at the motel's front desk barely looked up as Peggy strode through the lobby's sliding doors, just long enough to recognize her as a frequent guest. That immediately changed, however, when he saw Paulette following closely on her heels. He quickly dropped the magazine he'd been skimming through and moved to the center of the counter to see if he could be of some help.

To his disappointment, neither woman seemed to even notice his presence as they sped part the counter and headed for the sole elevator a dozen feet away. He didn't recognized the woman in green, but recalled the clerk he'd relieved mentioning a knockout blonde that had been part of the CAE crew. Peggy, he knew, had once worked for the airline, so it didn't take much in the way of deduction to conclude that was the same girl.

The crews for California Air, he knew, had economy rooms on the first floor, while Peggy, who was paying for her own accommodations, had more luxurious lodgings on the top floor of the three-story inn -- luxury being a relative term.

The clerk watched with a more than casual interest as, reaching the elevator, Peggy eagerly pressed the call button -- more than once. If asked to describe the look both shared as they waited, impatient was the word that came to mind. Finally, the door opened and the two of them quickly stepped inside.

It was unfortunate for the clerk's curiosity that, from where he stood at the desk, the closing elevator door obscured his view of the interior. If it hadn't, he'd have seen Peggy surrendering to the urge to kiss Paulette. She pressed the smaller woman against the rear wall of the tiny car, their lips meeting even as she gave in to another impulse, slipping her hand down between Paulette's legs and ...

'My God, she really does have a cock,' Peggy cried out in her head, not having fully believed it until she felt it for herself.

Whatever might have been said next was interrupted by the pinging of the elevator door as it unexpectedly opened on the second floor. Peggy and Paulette quickly broke their embrace, putting as much distance between them as they could as they moved to opposite ends of the car.