tried to think of ways he could protect Juliana, but he knew if the plane really did go down, his options would be limited.
The plane dipped twice more as the cabin rattled and his armrest vibrated. Now a man shouted from somewhere behind him. Much more of this, and none of the passengers would be able to hold it together. He could feel the pilots struggle to get control of the nose once more. Then, after another harrowing few seconds, the plane righted itself. Sheesh. What the hell had that all been about?
The pilot came on the intercom seconds later. She sounded calm, and completely collected. “Sorry about that, folks. We hit an unexpected patch of turbulence, but we’re all okay now.”
Law made a mental note to find out the pilot’s name and send her his own personal commendation. Not only had she gotten the plane back on track, but she’d made it look easy, too.
Applause rippled through the cabin as collectively everyone let out a sigh of relief. “We’ll be keeping the seat belt sign on for just a little bit to make sure we’re out of it.”
He damn well wasn’t taking his seat belt off this whole flight at this point. He glanced over at Juliana, and he could tell by the look on her face she wouldn’t, either.
“Are you okay?” he asked her, realizing her breathing came in rapid, staccato breaths. She kept a viselike grip on his hand, nearly cutting off his circulation.
“I think so.” Her voice sounded shaky. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her until she stopped shaking. A flight attendant darted down the aisle and grabbed the backpack that had fallen onto the carpeted floor. She grabbed it and tucked it back up into the open overhead bin and then shut the door.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I need a drink.”
Juliana laughed a little, still holding his hand tightly. “Yeah, for sure,” she said. “But now? We’re at the back of coach, and there’s no beverage service.”
“Actually, sitting at the back of the plane is the best place to be,” Law said, sharing a little-known secret. “Flight attendants are more likely to give you special treatment, because the other passengers can’t really see.”
“Really?” Juliana seemed skeptical. No matter, Law would show her. CEO or not, passengers at the back of the plane did get a few perks. The studies at his airlines showed flight attendants were twice as likely to respond to a call button at the back of the plane than the middle. This was part convenience, but also practicality. There only existed so many blankets and extra drinks on a plane. If staff gave them out where everyone could see, there’d be more demand. Besides, if he needed to, he’d pull rank.
“Trust me. What’s your poison?” he asked.
“Wine, normally, but I’d say this deserves a vodka soda,” she murmured, taking a deep breath.
“Coming right up.” He signaled the flight attendant sitting in the jump seat behind them, realizing he knew her. He’d met Sari on her first day a few years ago when she’d accidentally spilled soda on his pants. She’d spent the rest of the flight profusely apologizing and near tears after another flight attendant told her who he was. He’d told her that as long as she treated every customer as if they were the president of the airline, then she’d do just fine.
Her face broke out into a smile when she saw him.
“Law! So nice to see you,” she said. “What can I do for you?”
“You and the crew okay? Anyone banged up after that little bit?” he asked, concerned. After all, these were his people and he wanted to make sure they were all right.
Sari shook her head. “We’re fine.” She flashed him a brave smile. Juliana still held his hand and he was almost afraid to move it for fear she’d realize they were still touching. He liked the feel of her hand on his, her long, delicate fingers wrapped around his.
“Good.” He nodded. “Could you do me a huge favor? Would you mind grabbing us two vodka sodas?”
“Right away, sir,” Sari said, not missing a beat as she turned around and disappeared into the plane’s galley.
“How do you do that?” Juliana exclaimed, watching the flight attendant shuffle off. “Normal, non-first-class passengers don’t get to order up drinks whenever they want.”
Law shrugged. “Well, it’s the magic of the back of the plane,” he improvised. Juliana shook her head, clearly still skeptical. “Plus, I’ll admit, Sari owes me a favor,” he said. “She spilled soda all over me on her first day a few years ago.”
“Do you know everyone on this airline?”
“Almost,” he said.
Juliana seemed to realize that she was still clutching his hand, because she glanced down as an “Oh!” escaped her lips. “I’m sorry... I...” She hurriedly withdrew her hand, and his felt cold suddenly, empty. He’d liked comforting her. “I didn’t mean to...”
“Comfort me? I thought I was going to chuck a piss.”
“Chuck a...?”
“Pee my pants,” he added and grinned. Law flashed Juliana a smile and she laughed a little.
“Thanks, but I think I was the one about to panic. I almost thought I was going to hyperventilate there for a minute.”
Sari reappeared almost instantly then with two bubbling plastic cups, tiny slices of lime floating in each one. “Here you go, sir,” she said, handing one to Law and the other to Juliana. Law reached into his pocket for his wallet, but Sari held up a hand in protest.
“No, no. On the house, sir.” She bustled away, leaving Juliana with another perplexed look on her face.
“Apparently, I should make a note always to travel with you,” she joked.
“You’re welcome anytime.” Law realized he meant this. It wasn’t just formality as he held up his plastic glass in a toast. “To not dying.”
“Yet,” Juliana breathed as she touched her cup to his and took a big sip. “We still have...how much time to go?”
“I think one patch of bad luck is probably all we’re allotted this trip,” he said, swallowing the crisp, but potent, vodka down.
“I hope you’re right.” Juliana sounded rueful. She took another long drink, her hand still shaking slightly. He wanted to comfort her but wasn’t sure how. Crack a joke? “I was supposed to do work on this flight.” She nodded toward the laptop stowed under the seat in front of her. “But...”
“Work can wait,” Law said, voice firm. “We almost died. So, work can wait.” He clinked his plastic cup against hers. Before he knew it, they’d both downed their drinks, though it still hadn’t taken an edge off his nerves. Even when the pilot turned off the fasten seat belt sign, he still felt a tad uneasy.
“My life just flashed before my eyes and, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t like what I saw,” Law admitted.
“Why?”
“All work. No play. Hardly anything real about
