Right into his arms.
"Whoa there!" He said, effortlessly scooping her up as though she were a doll. "I don't want to lose my beautiful air hostess before I even set foot on the plane."
His mouth was close to her ear as he spoke, his breath causing just the slightest tingle as his strong arms wrapped themselves around her, encircling her, protecting her. Mitch had put his back out once fooling around and trying to lift her into his spindly arms. There was no sign of that here.
"Mr. Drummond--"
"Alex." He said firmly.
"Alex... just because I'm flying with you to Tahiti--"
"Hmm, you make it sound almost romantic when you put it like that."
"Just because I'm a flight attendant on your holiday doesn't mean that you got what you wanted."
"What do you think I want?"
He was still holding her. A whole lot longer than was necessary. She wanted to care but made no move to liberate herself. It had been a long time since someone had held her like that. She had been so busy trying to make ends meet and traveling the world these last few years that she hadn't really had time for relationships, apart from her recent disaster with Mitch.
Alex slowly set her on her feet again. His rugged cheek brushed against hers as he lifted her, his arms rippling with powerful muscles, his hands lightly swept across her hips as he released her.
Melanie could feel blood rushing to parts of her body that weren't appropriate for someone who was on duty and standing right in front of her boss.
"I'm sorry." She stammered. "I just want to do my job, that's all."
"Don't apologize," He said. Everything sounded like an order from him, but in a kindly way. "That's all I want too, really." His easy smile belied the intense burning of his eyes as he stared into hers.
Inside, the aircraft was pure luxury from floor to ceiling. It was a Boeing Business Jet. Not a flashy aircraft, but a very expensive luxury nonetheless. Working in aviation, Melanie had often seen these on the runway or in the sky and knew the value to be somewhere between $50 and $60 million. She had never been on one and although she had often flown business class and occasionally first class with her flier miles, nothing could compare to the absolute luxury aboard the custom designed interior of this aircraft.
"Do you like my ride?" Alex said casually.
"Where's the galley?" She asked.
"The galley?" He seemed perplexed. "Oh, you mean the kitchen area, of course. This aircraft may be a little different to what you're used to. But don't worry, you'll soon get used to it and feel right at home."