"What'll it be, darling, another Cosmopolitan?" slurred Susan as she lay sprawled in the seat it front of Audrey, who snorted with disgust. It didn't seem to matter to Susan that she hadn't been taking advantage of the first-class service all evening. She did, however, oblige and stop a hostess to order another two drinks for Mrs West.
She hated being embarrassed by her minder in front of other passengers. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and this flight was virtually empty but there were still another few celebrities heading over to Milan ready for the start of the ready-to-wear parades that opened Fashion Week.
The plane soared through the darkness with a contented rumbling and Audrey closed her eyes to nap, only to be woken a short time later by a loud snarl as Susan began to snore in her deep, drunken sleep. Audrey abhorred such people, who would tell her what to do (be it their job or not), tell her what to wear, how to act, and who she could be with. As a public person, they were always around her... except for times like this, brief reprieves when Susan would be in a stoned or drunken stupor. She wondered how to make the most of her 'me'-time- and it occurred to her to call over an air hostess and make a special, celebrity first-class passenger request.
"Excuse me, ma'am. I have a friend in Economy class on this flight, may he be brought into this empty seat here for a moment so as I can speak with him? The name is O'Reilly... a Mr Donovan O'Reilly". She fluttered her lashes at the hostess, who smiled back blankly, with a murmured, "Sure...", and went off to consult her team leader.
Audrey watched them through the gap in the first class-business class curtains. They argued intensely, the hostess quite obviously bitter about helping Audrey. A lot of other women were bitter and resentful in that way; it took only a flirty gaze at the captain for him to blush back at her and order the hostess to fetch Mr O'Reilly.
She turned back in her seat and waited. It wasn't even certain that Donovan was on this flight. There had been a few in close succession that were going to cities all over the globe. But Audrey knew that just to see this mysterious man once again, perhaps even to talk to him, could be a chance to rid herself of the incessant feelings of raw sexual excitement and passion she experienced at the very thought of his beautiful, exciting self.
Her dream was interrupted by a smooth whisper so close to her ear she could feel the gentle warmth on it. "Miss Prescott. Miss..."
"Call me Audrey. Come on, take a seat".
"Er... what is it I can do for you then, Audrey?"
"Oh, don't be so formal..." she said, looking into his face, and lost her words as she looked once again upon his beautiful form. She blushed. "I was just... just a little cold and lonely. Susan here's not much company just now." She indicated Susan with a nod. Donovan laughed; his laugh was clear, ringing and innocent, nothing like the forced guffaws of the high-society men in New York that she had always been around. She found it exciting. Hot, it was definitely hot.
"Miss! Miss-"called Donovan to the very same hostess who had brought him down from the back of Economy. "This lass is a mite chilly. Could you get her a blanket please?" A huge, warm blanket was fetched promptly, and Donovan spread it gently across the two of them, tucking it into the far edges of both chairs, creating a wide warm tent over the both of them, only their heads and shoulders showing above it. They blushed in unison at the intimacy it entailed, and an uncomfortable silence followed...
"Audrey, I'm sorry, I must apologise for my behaviour this morning. That was really rude. A man shouldn't ever disrespect a lady like that and I'm awful sorry to have offended you so."
"That's O.K, there's no excuse for the way I left so fast... woman I might be, but it's not 'lady' like to leave that way without an explanation". Donovan frowned and turned to face forwards in his chair again, and Audrey melted once more at the cute look of concentration on his face. He thought to himself with disappointment, that surely it was Susan who had called her away? Perhaps it was true what all his friends back home had told him; that all New York women, especially the beautiful ones, would be users- get a quick bit of action, then spit you back in the gutter where you belonged. "Donovan... d... what is it?" Audrey stammered. He turned back to her again. "I'm so confused. You... when you... you kissed me like that... and now, you're excusing the way you left me bare like that. It was rude of me, but then we had something there and you just left. You're so... cold".
Audrey felt her gentle heart quiver with hurt. How could he be like this? He had seemed so different, she had almost assumed he could never hurt her the way she had been hurt by men so many times in the past. Well, screw that, she thought indignantly. She knew they had some sort of chemistry, even if it wasn't to be a long-term thing. Dammit, she'd show him once again how a 'cold' woman could work with him.