Excerpt from Zumia a WIP

Excerpt (unedited) from my WIP Zumia near the beginning of the story. Grady and Tuyen grew up together as kids and are now co-owners of a charter flying service. Their primary occupation is delivering clients to resort destinations in Central America. Carson Naplier has hired them and as you will see, Tuyen is not impressed with Mr. Naplier's lecherous ways.   

Grady made the pre-checks of his instruments and started the left engine. When it came up to speed, he started the right one. The roar of the PBYs engines and the vibrations rippling through the craft were soothing to him. With both props spinning in a blur, he peered at the instruments again. Satisfied, he relaxed and let the engines warm up. His pretty copilot slipped into her seat beside him.

 “Everything secure back there and is our passenger comfortable Tuyen?” he asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye and with a smile on his face.

She returned his smile with an angry frown “Humph,” she snorted. “If that fucker grabs my ass or rubs my leg one more time when I walk by, I’m going to turn around and slap the shit out of him. Especially if he propositions me again.”

 Grady's mind focused on his little flight attendant-slash-friend-slash-partner. Tuyen was twenty-three now and she was most definitely, no longer that skinny little girl. Though still short, just under five feet, she’d filled out in all the right places and was now a very beautiful young woman. She had black shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes that glistened with intelligence. In addition to her great looks, she was feisty as hell and sharp as a tack. Something he both loved and hated about her.

His thoughts jolted back to the present. Sometimes she’s still a pain in the ass, just a little older and a whole lot prettier. I love her as a friend though. He hid a grin from her that was triggered by his thoughts. 

“Now, now mustn’t anger the passenger,” he joked. “Mr. Naplier paid a lot of money for our services.”

“Grabbing my ass or touching any other part of my anatomy, for that matter, is not--I repeat, is not--a part of the services offered,” she snapped.

"Want me to go back there kick his butt and boot him off our plane?" he asked.

"No. You're right, Mr. Naplier paid a lot. Besides if there's any ass kicking to be done you know I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."

“I know. Tuyen I can hardly blame the guy.” He took his eyes off the instruments, cast a sideways glance at her and winked. Her white half-sleeve button type blouse was made of a silky material. A narrow tie, blazer and mini skirt were all royal-blue. White slip-on tennis shoes completed her uniform. “Your tight little body and those well-tanned, shapely legs of yours are to die for. I will remind you that the outfit you’re wearing was your idea, not mine." If I wasn't afraid of compromising our friendship I’d no doubt find it hard to resist a little touching myself. 

“Humph,” she snorted.   

 “I'll admit the advertisement picture with the two of us standing in front of the PBY and you wearing that mini certainly doesn’t hurt business. You know what they say, sex sells. You look hot in that outfit.”

He noted that the already short mini skirt she wore had ridden higher with her seated, exposing even more of her well-toned legs. In fact, almost their entire length was exposed. Quickly, he glanced away, but not before he saw her initial glare at him soften and a smile come to her shiny red lips.

“Thanks… At least I’ll take what you said and the look you just gave me as a compliment.” Her soft reply almost purred. “You look pretty yummy yourself.”

Glancing down, he viewed his own outfit. She had designed one for him too. He wore the same royal blue color dress slacks, with matching tie and a white shirt. His royal blue sport coat hung in the closet behind him, beside her blazer. Both his sport coat and her blazer had a company logo on it that depicted a PBY and the company name on the left pocket. Though he never wore it, his captain's hat was in the closet too.

From their frequent candid conversations during their lengthy flights he knew Tuyen wasn’t a prude. On several occasions she had accompanied one of their clients as a companion during their stay. He had little doubt that sex was involved but it had always been her choice to accept or decline the invitation. He had been a companion to more than one of their female clients himself so he certainly was not judgmental of Tuyen. Although he and Tuyen did not have a physical arrangement, he frequently had erotic dreams of her naked in his arms.

Feeling his cheeks heat at his thoughts, he knew he was blushing and hoped she didn’t notice. He had never made any advances toward her, nor tried to move their relationship to a different level. There was no way he wanted to jeopardize their friendship by introducing a physical one.

During their conversation, he finished warming up the engines and taxied out on the runway. “Are you buckled in?”

“Yep,” she answered.

After final clearance from the airport tower, he took off. When they leveled off he turned in the direction of their destination, set the autopilot and relaxed.

****

While Grady was busy taking off, Tuyen studied him. Grady wasn’t tall, slightly less than six feet. Even so he towered over her. His blond hair didn’t quite cover his ears and was, as always, mussed up. Blue eyes and a muscular frame made him very attractive to members of the opposite sex.

On more than one occasion, she imagined him taking her naked body, pressing it against his equally naked one, and covering her lips with kisses. A smile stretched her lips.

 “What are you smiling about?”

“Just thinking of that day we became partners," she lied.

“Regrets?”

“Not a one. And you?”

“Nope. Working with a shrewd business woman that just happens to be my best friend is great. A woman that’s, by the way, drop dead gorgeous. What more could I ask for?”

“Wow, now that was a compliment. Thanks Grady.”

He smiled and changed the topic. “Our passenger paid a large amount for our services.”

“I don’t care how much Mr. Naplier paid; he’s not entitled to grope me. For Christ's sakes Grady, he's an older man. Older than my father. He has to be at least in his mid-fifties. Nobody is entitled to touch this body without my permission.” 

“I’ll speak to him,” Grady sighed.

“Thanks. I’ll put up with his roaming hands this time for the sake of your… our business but I have an idea. If he ever hires our services again you can wear the fucking mini skirt and I’ll fly the damn plane.” When Grady snapped his head to look at her, she flashed him an impish smile. 

For a moment he visualized himself wearing a mini skirt, judging from the grin on her face, Tuyen was picturing the same thing in her mind.

“I hardly think he’d be interested in touching my legs or ass. I don’t think Mr. Carson Naplier is attracted to men. Besides, as I said before, your tight little body is very appealing, while mine, is not.” He laughed more.

“Well I guess I should go see if Mr. fucking Hands wants a drink or a snack, or maybe both.” 

“I’m sure I know of one snack Mr. Naplier be very happy to have,” he said in jest.

Tuyen slapped him on the arm. “Well that snack is not on the menu and most definitely not for Mr. Hands. Maybe I’ll accidently stumble and dump a cold drink in his lap. That should cool things off a little.”

“Tu-yen,” he warned.

“Oh I won’t. I can’t help but think about it though. I’ll behave myself.”

“Now that would be a first.” He grinned. “You behaving I mean.”

Winking, she blew him a kiss. “Just don’t get used to it. My behaving.” Slipping from her seat, she smoothed her skirt back down. She grabbed its hem and in vain tried to pull it down further. Glancing up at him, she put two fingers at the corners and stretched her lips into a fake grin.

“See, I’m smiling.”

“That’s a smile of pure evil,” he teased.

“Regretting your decision?”

“Not one bit.”

“Good because you’re stuck with me now… partner.”

“Go do your thing partner.”

“I can hardly wait to dump our passenger off and stop in Mexico on the way back. We are still stopping there aren’t we?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Good because I got this tiny little kini that I’m planning to use.”

“Use?”

“I intend to use it as bait when I’m trolling for a handsome hunk on the beach in Cancun.”

He shook his head. “That smile on your face isn’t fake anymore.”

“Nope. I’m thinking of that hunk.” She cleared her throat. “Would you like me to bring you something?” she asked over her shoulder before she left the cockpit to go back into the rear of the plane.

“No thanks, not right now.”