Flying Too Close to the Sun, George Jehn [freda ebook reader txt] 📗

to meet his it became entangled in the lanyard holding the huge gold rimmed Ray-Ban sunglasses screaming out, pilot. After freeing herself she took his hand with warm, thin and smooth fingers. Her touch jolted him, while the gaze from her dark almost black, brandy-colored eyes set in clear white riveted him in place. The shower smell still clung to her and his heart was melting quicker than an ice pop exposed to the summer sun. There was no wedding ring, in fact, no jewelry as it wasn’t needed.

“Pleased to meet you, Mister Preis,” she replied. Her slightly crooked smile was so effortless it couldn’t have burned any calories. There were endless lines of bright teeth resembling Chiclets and a sexy dimple cutting into her left cheek, along with just a smidge of lipstick or lip gloss. “Please, call me Carol.”

“Then you call me Erik,” he insisted, adding with a wave of his hand. None of the Mister stuff. And please, sit down.”

“Okay, Erik.”

His new student exuded a certain impression of incredible sexuality, yet also with undefined choirgirl traits. The flawless skin and white teeth contrasted with gleaming dark eyes that seemingly lit up from the inside drew him in like a pool of warm water in the dead of winter. When coupled with the glistening straight hair as black as the night, she attracted him like no one had ever done before. Her feathered bangs were cut in such a way to perfectly frame the mesmerizing, makeup-free face and bestow the embodiment of pure virtue. Yet her clothing did the opposite and accentuated every sexy curve. She was definitely his type. Pushing the lustful thoughts aside was about as easy as pouring an ice cold beer down the drain on a steamy summer day. But Erik knew his first chore was to put the student at ease, relaxed enough so she even heard what was spoken. But this time he was the one who felt like a high schooler on a first date.

“Why do you want to learn to fly?” he asked.

“Well, my father—”

“Do you live nearby?” he interrupted, dying to know more about her.

“I live with my parents in Queens, a little less than an hour’s drive away.”

“You go to school?”

“Yes. I’m studying at Fordham University in the Bronx for my undergraduate teaching degree. My dad, Sal entered a contest in FLYING magazine and won an hour of free flight instruction here. He’s a wannabe pilot and made the appointment, but then chickened out. They said he could do whatever he wanted with the hour so I told him I’d give it a whirl.” She giggled and asked with eyes that lit up, “Is it scary?”

A few less than memorable flying experiences with students quickly came to mind as Erik replied with a smile, “Sometimes it can be, well, exciting, but if you listen it’s easy and fun. For starters, let’s go over the basics.”

They sat down and Erik patiently explained the concepts of flight. He figured she might be a bit tense doing something new she didn’t yet fully understand, with someone she had just met. They were sitting close enough when she moved her head, the shiny hair would gently brush up against his face. Without going too deeply into detail, he vividly explained the theories of speed, lift and drag, beginning by explaining how the speed of the air over and under the wings produced enough lift for flight. A half-hour later, he asked, “How do you feel?”

“I’m a bit nervous. I mean, you’re so young to be teaching. I thought my instructor would be more seasoned, someone with gray—”

Erik put up his palm. “There are older guys here. If you’d prefer someone else I can—”

“No,” she immediately replied, holding up her hand. “You’re nice, just young.”

A relieved Erik smiled and as they strolled on the tarmac to the single engine Cessna 152, he couldn’t help but notice her hair swung in rhythm with her hips. Both competed for his attention, but the hips easily won out. He completed the pre-flight inspection, which included checking all of the control surfaces, landing gear and tire condition, as well as amount of engine oil and fuel. He also drained a small amount of fuel from the low point in the wing tanks to make certain it was the proper grade; one hundred octane low lead fuel, confirmed by the light blue color and also ensured it wasn’t contaminated with water.

After a short taxi they took off and once airborne he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The sun’s brilliance above the wispy lower clouds added a mystical luminosity to her skin. Although it took some time for her to settle down, once Erik sensed she was over her initial tenseness, he let her handle the controls. He explained how the ailerons, elevator and rudder worked and cautioned her it only took very small and deliberate control inputs to get the plane to respond.

“Let’s take her up to two thousand, five hundred feet,” he directed, pointing to the round altimeter while quickly describing how it worked. “We’ll practice some basic techniques of flight; climbs, descents and turns.” Wanting to spend more time he extended the session beyond the normal hour.

After landing they reviewed everything and as he handed her a small booklet explaining and illustrating each maneuver, Erik noticed impatient glances from Andrea who obviously wanted to close up. But he was smitten with this young lady and concluded by informing her what to expect during their next hour together.

“But I only signed up for the hour my Dad won.”

“You did so well I’d like to put you down for a few more sessions.”

“Well, my father earns a decent living, but stock options and the like don’t come with his position.”

“Then be certain to tell him he’ll only have to pay for the plane and not the instructor. That’s on me. How about next Saturday?”

She hesitated only a few seconds. “Okay, it’s a deal,” she said with a