FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2007 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, Tonya and Zig Zag are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. ZZ Studios, and all characters associated with ZZ Studios, James Sheppard, and Marvin Badger © James Bruner and appear here with his permission. Although characters from and events referring to Zig Zag the Story appear here, this story is not canon to that one, and the author will disavow any knowledge of this story. Wanda Vixen © Chris Yost and appears here with his permission. Sabrina Mustidalae © Eric W. Schwartz and appears here with his permission. This story is not canon to Sabrina Online the comic, or Sabrina Online the Story, either. Matt Barstock, Angie, Intermountain Charter, The Bitch, and her crew, and Jerry Kitt © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Gail Rutherford © me and is not canon to any other story involving ZZ Studios.
Chapter 44
Lessons
Alex sighed. The fog and mist still held non-instrument flights on the ground this morning. It was Thursday, and a cold front bringing rain and thundershowers had passed through the afternoon before, ending the day’s flying just after lunch. It had been just as well. Corrie had been both tired and a little testy. Ben had told Alex that, after the incident with the lion Tuesday afternoon, he was lucky Corrie was even speaking to any male. The wire-haired terrier had indicated he’d seen her have run-ins with overbearing males a couple of times before, and she usually came out of it very withdrawn, without a good word to say to anything male for a couple of weeks following the confrontation. After spending some time on procedures review, Corrie had gone home early. Alex stuck around, but the bad weather kept most of the Old North crew either out where they’d put in to ride out the weather or at home since their flights were canceled. Just before he’d decided to go back to his hotel, Alex’s cell phone had rung. The call came from Scatcat Higgins, canceling Alex’s Air Force Reserve training weekend until the Tigerkahts got back from the William Tell competition. The same weather system that was causing the murky weather in Maine had caused severe thunderstorms in the Florida panhandle, delaying the train-up and start of the event. After the interrupted sleep he’d had the night before, Alex shrugged off the cancellation and called it a day early, as well.
Now, flying was on hold awaiting better weather forecast for later in the day. Corrie had gone to check the latest prediction. She now returned with two steaming cups of coffee in her paws.
“I heard that sigh all the way over at the coffee pot. Impatient to get in the air?”
Alex took the proffered cup and shrugged. “I suppose so. I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting the hang of how to coordinate the controls, and I don’t want to backslide.”
“Good. I always thought you were serious about this, now I’m sure. I’ve had students in the past who jumped on any chance to slack off. No worries, though. The forecast still says clearing by noon.”
Corrie sat down in the chair next to Alex’s and leaned back, prepared to wait out the weather. Alex relaxed too. He found himself feeling very at ease with his instructor now. Corrie seemed to feel the same, as she initiated the conversation.
“So, you’re an Air Force fightah pilot, and co-owner of a business? How d’you manage all that?”
Alex smiled and gave his head a slight shake. “Well, that would be hard. Actually I retired from active duty a while back. I’m still in the Reserves, serving as an instructor pilot for a unit in Virginia. My partner was the main one at the business until I retired, but now we work Kentiger together, and that’s what takes up the major amount of my time. How about you? How did a young lady from
“You, retired? After 20 years? Gee you, ah. uh, you’ve had a lot of adventures.” Corrie fell silent for a long moment, as if she was either waiting for what was almost a faux pas to pass, or deciding whether to answer Alex’s questions. Finally, with a slight nod, she continued.
“Well, I grew up in
“Wow, quite an adventure.”
“Ha, yeah, I suppose so. I took my degree in Aviation Business Management, and I hope to start me own business one day. I’ll have to go somewhere else to do that, though. I couldn’t see meself competing against Ben aftah he’s been so good to me.”
Alex nodded. “Good ethics, that. I can see the determination in you. You’ll do well when you decide to do it.”
Alex smiled at the lioness. She seemed a bit taken aback, and returned the smile hesitantly.
“Uh, thank you, that’s nice of you to say. Now, since we’re talking dreams and futures, what about— Hey! Look, the sun’s out.”
Alex followed her gaze out the window. The murk was fast dissipating, and the sun shone brightly, reflecting off the damp metal of the aircraft parked on the ramp outside. Corrie stood up and flicked an ear toward the door.
“Let’s make the most of the daylight we have left. Head on out to the Robinson, I’ll be along in a sec.”
“Okay Corrie. Ah, how were the winds forecast for this afternoon?”
She smiled over her shoulder at him as she walked toward Ben’s desk. “A little brisk. Three four zero at twelve. Not too bad, since it’s not too gusty.”
“Great, see you in a few.”
Alex left the building as Corrie walked up to Ben’s desk. Ben looked up and Corrie spoke briefly with him before she turned and followed after Alex. She made the turn and walked along the front of the hangar. As she walked around the far side, she could see Alex already undoing the lines that secured the rotor on the little Robinson when it was parked. She stopped and watched as he opened the doors and began to go through the preflight inspection of the helicopter. In just a short time she was smiling and nodding as Alex continued without missing a step.
Corrie suddenly realized that she felt very relaxed around Alex. More so than she did around almost any male, save for maybe Ben. Normally after she’d had The Nightmare, she was foul company for any male and most females for at least a week, as well as cautious almost to the point of paranoia, but today she felt pretty good. Alex completed the preflight and looked up to see her standing by the hangar. He waved to her, indicating he was ready to start the day’s flying. Corrie gave a nod and walked on out to the aircraft.
“Right good job, Jet Jockey. Let’s see if you did get rusty with the time off.”
“Let’s go beat the air into submission, then,” Alex replied with a grin.
Corrie gave a snort and a chuckle at the old helicopter pilot’s expression. “Lead the way, Alex.”
They got strapped in and Alex went through the engine start procedure. Then at Corrie’s urging he carefully brought the helicopter to a hover, called for clearance, and taxied out to the runway. After they received clearance from the tower, Corrie pointed to the west.
“That way, Jet Jockey. Take us off.”
Alex pulled on the collective and they lifted as they moved along the runway. They turned west and climbed away. The weather was now clear, and the sun warm in the cockpit of the Robinson. It promised to be a great afternoon.
# # #
“Billy, Fred Bostick. Got you the Gee Four and the Citation.” The fox was smiling to himself as he waited for Billy Panelli to respond.
“Hi Fred. Great! What price did you end up having to pay?” Billy had just returned from lunch with his wife, and he was in a mellow mood. Fred quoted the price, and the extras that would go with it. Billy arched an eyebrow.
“Geez, Fred! I thought you were on my side, or at least neutral. These must be some aircraft.”
“Weeelll, the Gee Four has a bit of history you’ll find interesting. Makes it too perfect a fit for your stable to risk not getting it.”
“Why, are the last two letters in the registration number Bravo Papa or something?” Billy was still recovering from the price quote. Fred had pushed to the limit that Billy had set for him.
“No,” the fox replied with a soft snort. “Not that much of an ego trip. This aircraft carried a V.I.P. that Kentiger has also flown.”
There was silence for several seconds, and then Billy said tentatively, “Zig Zag?”
“Right the first time.”
Billy grinned broadly. “Oh yes. Now I see why the price tag is that high. Well, we can always paint tiger stripes on the tail and call it our Zig Zag Special. By the way, who did you say the current owner is?”
“I didn’t, but it’s Intermountain Charter. Matt Barstock.”
“Good ….grief! And he agreed to the sale?”
“Sure, why not? As you said, the offer was top notch. He even wants a date and time to meet in person and sign the paperwork. Come to think of it, though, I got another call and clicked off with him right after I told him who the buyer was. Why might that be a problem?” Fred’s nose twitched, sensing a story that needed telling.
“Well, I don’t know for sure if it is, but it could be. I haven’t talked to Matt in quite a while. The last time I did I got the feeling he wasn’t too happy with me.” Billy cleared his throat, knowing Fred would ask him to go on with the story if he didn’t pick it back up. He was a bit embarrassed to admit what he was about to tell, but this far along it should have been just a funny story, not a point of anger. With a sigh, Billy began his story.
“Matt and I went to the Academy and flight training together, sort of. I didn’t know him well. I was near the top of the class, he near the bottom. Anyway, back then I was a bit more…reckless. One day in UPT, we were both out solo in the Talons. We were supposed to be doing instrument and navigation work, but I saw him off to the side of me. We were between cloud layers, with a solid deck above and below. I, ah, went inverted and sidled up alongside of him. I came up on the radio and convinced him he was upside down. He rolled over and we flew like that for a few minutes before I laughed and let him in on the joke. I thought it was all in fun until we landed and got immediately called on the carpet by the safety officer. Seems an instructor and student saw us flying inverted between the layers and reported it. I got extra duty and a letter in my file that was pulled when I graduated flight training. My scores kept me on track for fighters. Matt got the same punishment, but he ended up in transports. I haven’t had any regular contact with him since then, but he always seemed a bit hostile. I’d pretty much forgotten about it until my partner had a chance to lend a paw to one of his crews awhile back. You don’t suppose that’s why he acts so ticked the few times I’ve talked to him down through the years, is it?”
Fred smirked to himself, shaking his head. “Oh no, of course not. It only might have cost him a chance at fighters instead of transports. C’mon, Billy, if you never offered an apology, my bet is he could still be pissed. Tell ya what, though, when are you and Penny available? I’ll set up a meeting, and you and he, along with Penny and his assistant Angie, can have dinner and seal the deal, and possibly even apologize and make things right.”
Billy looked at his schedule book. “Looks like I’m booked up until at least a week after Alex gets back. That’s a month away.”
“Good, that gives plenty of time for all the title searches and paperwork to be ready. I’ll call you back when I’ve confirmed it. Gotta run. Talk to you soon, Billy.”
“Yep, bye Fred.”
Billy put the pawset down and rubbed his eyes. It bothered him that he hadn’t realized his juvenile prank all those years ago might have caused that much damage.
“Well,” he mumbled to himself. “Now I have a chance to apologize. If what Fred says is true, that’s all I can do. How do you make up for killing a dream?”
Billy sighed once more as he turned back to his work.
# # #
“Matt? Fred Bostick. Got a tentative date for the meeting with Billy Panelli at Kentiger. Looks like a month from now. He’s tied up until his partner gets back in town.”
Matt’s face had been pulled into a frown ever since Angie had told him who was on the line. “Great. You know, you sneaky fox, that if you’d have told me who the buyer was before you told me the package, I’d have hung up on you.”
Fred took a second to make sure he sounded calm. It might take some delicate wrangling to keep the deal from falling apart. “Yes, Billy said there were some things that were…unresolved between you in the past.”
“Damn straight. But the price and the extras are too good to pass up, so I’ll go ahead with it. I’ll even meet with that stripy loose-canon and sign the deal like I would any other. Business is business. Hey, did you say he has a partner? I thought he was sole owner. I never hear any names out of Kentiger but him and his salesfur.”
Fred looked confused. “Matt, Kentiger doesn’t have any salesfurs. Billy and his partner do all the prospecting and sales calls.”
“Then who was flying that white tiger-striped T-38 that assisted one of my crews? Alex O’Whitt was the name I’d heard was doing sales work for them.”
“Ah,” Fred replied. Now he knew what Matt was talking about. “Alex is Billy’s partner and co-owner of the business, not a paid salesfur. He retired from the Air Force a little while ago and went full time working the business with Billy. That’s why they’re buying additional airframes.”
That gave Matt pause. He grudgingly found his opinion of both tigers going up a bit. “Well, I can put up with him for an evening. Any day that week?
“Tuesday works for me. This is far enough out that it should be workable for Billy, too. Matt, you might get mad, but I have to say something here. What happened, it sounds like it was a long time ago. Billy’s grown up, and co-owns a great business. You’ve had a remarkable career in flying, and your business is growing, too. Make peace with Billy. Both businesses will be more prosperous if you work together.”
Matt’s voice growled into the phone. “I wouldn’t merge Intermountain with that . . .”
“No Matt. That wasn’t what I was suggesting. You do cargo. Very well. They do pax. Very well. Work together, instead of against each other, and you’ll have both markets covered.”
Matt was quiet a moment, and then let out a sigh. “Okay Fred, I get you now. I’ll think about it. Let’s just get this deal done first.”
“Sure thing, Matt. I’ll fax a copy of the appointment to you as soon as Billy confirms it. Talk to you soon. Bye.”
“Bye.” Matt hung up the phone. It grated on him to have to deal with Billy the Damned Kid, but he had to. The avionics and MFD’s in the package would just help out too much with the C-130 his crews had dubbed “Numbers” because of the amount of cash the aircraft was absorbing in their attempt to make it airworthy and productive. He rubbed his temples and sighed again. Perhaps it was time to put it to rest. He hadn’t gotten anywhere by staying mad all these years. He’d thought about it before, and had even gone down the mental path that said if they hadn’t gotten caught, he’d be laughing with The Kid about it. Then he’d think about the kind of flying he’d wanted to do. The kind the Kid had done. Then he’d get mad all over again.
Shaking his head with a snort, Matt stopped that thought before it got started. He clicked on the intercom to tell Angie to put the date on their schedule, resigned to his course of action.
# # #
Alex had a smile on his muzzle. He’d been flying the Robinson, and doing the radio and navigation work, for the entire time they’d been flying today. It was getting on toward time for Ben’s end-of-day gathering. They’d heard most of the Old North pilots that were out call on the radio as they arrived back at Lewiston. Alex was feeling very pleased at his progress, and he had a sneaking suspicion Corrie might let him solo the next day. She seemed very at ease with his flying, only occasionally giving a bit of instruction if something seemed a bit tentative in Alex’s flying, or something came up that he hadn’t encountered before.
“You’re spot on today, Alex. Now, let’s head to the airport for some pattern practices.”
“Sounds good,” Alex replied, and then called the tower to clear them for their first approach. After receiving clearance, he turned the helicopter in that direction and began setting them up for their first approach.
“Stay on it, Alex. There’s a bit of a crosswind kicking up now.”
“Ugh! Yep, it’s bouncing around a bit… There, I’ve got it now.”
They flew through several approaches, touching down briefly or hovering before lifting back off to go again. Alex noted on their last couple of passes that several furs had begun to gather in front of the hangar. As he set up for another approach, Corrie rather casually announced, “Take us ovah to the ramp in front of Old North and set us down.”
“Will do. Are we done for today?”
“Almost.”
Alex told the tower his intentions, and received clearance to proceed. The approach was smooth, despite the winds becoming a little gusty. The hover-taxi over to the hangar was going well, too.
Just as they were about fifty yards out from the spot in front of the office entrance, the slightly gusty breeze suddenly grew fitful and picked up in intensity. Alex was caught a little by surprise, and his fixed-wing instincts got the better of him. He moved the cyclic and anti-torque pedals as he would have the stick and rudder pedals in his own aircraft. The result was that the tail came around a bit and the hover became decidedly wobbly. Alex struggled to get back into the hover. Corrie was instantly on the controls with him.
“Whoa, easy there, Jet Jockey. The winds are picking up. Might be a cool night. Ehrm, easy, don’t fight it so hard. Steady…steady. There you go. Good job.”
They got the hover re-established and stabilized, and Alex managed to bring them in to land.
“Whew!” Corrie exclaimed. “Well, I was going to solo you today, but with these winds setting up, I think we need to wait. Tomorrow—”
“Tomorrow I’ll get it right,” Alex finished. Corrie saw the smirk on his muzzle. She decided to not comment on it.
“Let’s get her buttoned up and tied down for the night, then.”
They got out and set about securing the helicopter for the night. The group of furs in front of the hangar began milling about, but none seemed to be leaving. Corrie and Alex collected their gear and walked toward the hangar. As they got closer, Alex noted Ben giving a slight shake of his head in Corrie’s direction. As they reached the group of furs, Ben nodded to Alex.
“Too bad about the winds today. Theyah supposed to die back down tomorrow.”
Several of the others murmured, generally agreeing that this would be a good thing. Corrie noticed Alex’s self-depreciating smirk give way to a controlled stone-faced look. She gently smacked him on the shoulder.
“Aw, c’mon, Jet Jockey. That sudden gust would’ve given anyone a hard time while in ground effect.”
“Yes, which means I need more practice, and I need to make sure I let go of my fixed-wing habits when I’m in a rotorcraft.”
Corrie stepped around in front of Alex, stopping him where he was. She looked up into his eyes. She could almost see him beating himself up on the inside for his lapse. Her eyes narrowed, and she got a very intense, and slightly angry, look on her face. The note of anger was in her voice as she spoke, as well.
“Alex O’Whitt, you are doing amazingly well. It hasn’t even been a full week yet, and I’m ready for you to solo. I was going to do it just now, but I will not send a student up solo when the winds are that variable. It takes experience and muscle memory to handle a chopper in winds, and you haven’t got that much time in yet. Before I even think of soloing you, though, you have to let that big perfectionist ego of yours take a rest. Nobody, I mean nobody is that perfect. It gets you so wound up it’s causing you to make over-corrections."
Alex’s eyes narrowed as well. He’d had about enough of the ego comments, plus he didn’t like the idea of her broadcasting his training problems to the rest of the group standing there. Besides, he knew he wasn’t perfect. That wasn’t possible, but the only thing he’d accept from himself in his flying was to be as perfect as it was possible for a fur to get.
“I demand perfection from myself because that’s the best and only way to fly. Ego has nothing to do with it.”
The other furs were shifting uncomfortably. They didn’t want to be witness to it if Corrie and Alex were going to argue with each other. Corrie was still eye to eye with Alex, and showing no signs of backing down.
“Oh yes but it does! It’s what is driving you to demand more from yourself than is possible for a fur.”
“I do not have an ego problem!” Alex practically growled the words out.
Corrie’s expression was fierce. Her eyes were slits, her ears down, and her tail lashed back and forth. Alex’s expression matched the lioness’. To anyone but another feline, it seemed they were ready to draw blood. Several of the others looked at Ben to see if he was going to put a stop to it. Ben simply looked on, oddly enough with a slight smile on his muzzle. What happened next took almost everyone by surprise, most of all the two angry felines. Corrie’s voice was nearly a hiss as she spoke.
“Oh yes you do, Alex O’Whitt. A HUGE one, but it’s between you and yourself. And another thing…”
Corrie suddenly seized Alex’s head in both paws, so fast even he couldn’t react. She then planted a passionate, teeth-clacking kiss on him.
To Alex, it suddenly felt like someone had connected every cell in him, mind and body, to a high voltage line.
Corrie finally released the kiss and blinked.
“Lighten up!” she stated emphatically, in a much firmer voice than her own shocked expression indicated.
She took a step back, looking unsure as to what she’d just done or what she should do next. She raised a paw and touched her muzzle tentatively, as if to prove to herself that she had indeed done what she thought she’d done. Alex was standing there open-mouthed as well, still trying to process what had happened. All murmurs and motion had ceased among the gathered pilots. Shocked and disbelieving looks were on every face except Ben’s. The terrier’s small, knowing smile had increased in size, now quite visible under his bristly fur. Corrie suddenly turned and walked to the door into the office area of the hangar, her tail swishing uncertainly behind her. She stopped and looked back at Alex over her shoulder as she made to go inside. She couldn't help giving a half-smile at the dumbfounded look on his face as she disappeared into the doorway.
Somewhere back in the small part of his brain that hadn’t completely overloaded, Alex was processing what Corrie had said. He realized she probably was right. It took a certain ego to fly fighters. One that said you were better than anything else in the sky. Otherwise few would ever attempt to pit themselves against another pilot in a fight to the death. While in most, the ego needed for that manifested itself in bravado and swagger, in Alex it made for a hard-driven demand from self to be perfect. He suddenly realized it was that same drive to perfection that told him he should blame himself for his brother’s death. He hadn’t been perfect, in that he hadn’t prevented it.
With that sudden realization, he snapped out of his stupor. He gave his head a slight shake and turned to Ben and the others.
“I think she’s right. I expected to be perfect, and when I wasn’t I didn't react to it as a new student who learns from his mistakes and moves on. I was reacting like the fighter pilot who can fly anything in the air, and chastises himself for having to learn like everyone else. I’ve been fighting my mistakes, instead of learning from them.”
“Ayuh,” Ben replied. “And I say that if you don’t talk ovah youah feelings foah and with Corray right now, I’m going to kick youah stripy tail all the way back to Kentuckay.”
Alex gaped at the terrier a second, and then simply closed his mouth and nodded. He then started out after the lioness. Along the way, he heard several whispered comments as the others came out of their shock.
“Well what do you know.”
“Can’t hardly believe that.”
“Someone finally melted the Ice Queen.”
The last thing Alex heard before he went inside was Ben’s reply to them all.
“Ayuh. ‘Bout time, too.”
# # #
Corrie sat on a bench in front of a row of lockers. She was in the pilot’s locker room behind the office area, where she’d retreated to after the scene in front of the hangar. She shook her head in disbelief, for the third time since she’d sat down.
“What evah possessed you to do that, ol’ gal? Sure, he’s a handsome one…and smart…and kind…and strong, but ya hardly know him. With all the trouble you’ve always had with males, what were you thinking?” she muttered to herself.
She had no answer to the question, but she was quite sure of what she was feeling. She was very attracted to the tiger, on several levels. More so than she could ever remember feeling. Sure, she’d had a crush or two, but things had always gone sour pretty fast. That was the question now. What to do about it. She was sure Alex would find her before long. Unless she’d scared him off. Somehow the look on his face as she’d turned to look back told her he was definitely not running. Still, he was only going to be there for another three weeks or so. Was that enough time? Could they continue a long-distance relationship after that? Did she even want a relationship?
The longer she pondered it, the more she became sure that yes, with Alex, she did want to pursue a relationship. Then the ifs began to assail her. If he was single. He’d never mentioned a wife or girlfriend. If he really did fancy her. If she didn’t end up doing something to sabotage the relationship before it got anywhere. If he would be patient with her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Corrie stood up, prepared to dare any of the other pilots to laugh at or tease her. When she saw Alex’s face peer around the end of the row of lockers, she wasn’t sure whether to laugh, be mad, or be impressed. She knew he would eventually find her, but as far as she knew, he’d never been told about the locker room. It had taken him less time to locate her than she’d thought it would.
As Alex walked down the line of lockers, she smiled at him tentatively. “Well, nice job finding me back here. Did Ben tell you?”
As the tiger walked up and stopped right in front of her, Corrie just stood there, unable to move or take her eyes off him for the moment. Alex smiled back, looking into her eyes. His face then turned serious as he spoke.
“No, I came in after you right away. It took me this long to track you down. I finally guessed that the unmarked door behind the office might lead to something other than a bathroom. Can we sit down and talk?”
The lioness blinked, and then motioned toward the back of the room. “Ben has a private office back there. Not much to it, but it should give us some quiet if anyone comes in to use their locker.”
“Good. Lead the way.”
Corrie led them back to a small office with a table and two chairs in it. The room was at the back of the building, and a window in the back wall opened onto the aircraft ramp. They sat down, and then Corrie spoke first.
“Alex, I apologize. That was way forward of me to do. I was frustrated at you, and then, I don’t know, it just came into me head to do that. I…”
“Stop right there. You were right, Corrie. I was too demanding, and not allowing myself time to learn. If I’d ‘lightened up’ a couple of days ago, I’d have a lot more feel for the aircraft by now. I should apologize to you for being such a pawful to teach. Don’t apologize for the kiss, either. It made me realize why I’d been so jumpy.”
Alex paused and took a breath, giving Corrie a chance to respond. She sat there slightly open-mouthed, so he went on.
“I was, and am, very attracted to you. When I turned that corner by the hanger, and found myself looking into those lovely green eyes of yours, I think my heart knew it. My head was so busy trying to keep a professional approach to you, that I almost denied myself out of it. I can’t deny it now, though. I still think you’re a fantastic pilot and instructor, but I also want to say I think you’re a beautiful, intelligent, strong lady, and I’d like to get to know you better.”
Alex waited. Waited for Corrie to either laugh, or dismiss both the kiss and his feelings as not practical. She still sat with her muzzle slightly open. After what seemed to Alex to be an eternity, she blinked and swallowed hard.
“Uh, Alex. I…geez, this is hard to put into words. I’ve had such a time of it, dealing with males and dating. Evah since I was a teenager. I’m waay attracted to you, as well. You’re kind and smart, and strong…and very handsome. I’m…not sure where to go from here, luv. Do we go on a date, get a chaperone, or just jump each othah right here?”
Corrie laughed nervously. Alex smiled, a bit ruefully, but as reassuringly as he could as he answered.
“Ah, would you believe I’m saving myself for marriage?”
Just as Alex began speaking, a lound voice outside the window called out, “CLEAR PROP!”
In less than a second, a small aircraft engine roared to life, drowning out all but the loudest sounds in the room. Corrie only heard part of Alex’s answer.
“Would you believe….I’m…married?”
What happened next, Alex could only watch, as shock at her response froze him. Corrie’s expression fell and clouded over like a rampant thunderstorm. She jumped to her feet, her tail lashing back and forth.
“HOW DARE YOU! What’d you think? Go out of town and find y’self a pretty sheila, roll ‘er in the rumbles and then go back home with a smile?”
Corrie delivered a stinging slap across Alex’s muzzle. He was so much in shock, and so ingrained with the idea never to raise his paw to a lady, that he didn’t even try to deflect it. The lioness continued her tirade as she walked to the door, her tail continuing to whip back and forth in anger.
“You can go just get bent, Jet Jockey. I thought you were different, with your kind defender act, but I guess I was right all along. All ego, and all of it male ego. Oh…oh, good night!”
With that, she stormed out the door, slamming it behind her. By the time Alex recovered enough to try and go after her, she was gone. He reached the door out of the building just in time to see her car speeding off. He looked around, but Ben and all the others had gone, too. There was a note on the back of the door from Ben.
“Corrie, lock up when you finish. Ben.”
Taking a deep breath, Alex tried to assess the situation. He didn’t have Corrie’s phone number, but he was sure Ben would. Thing was, he didn’t feel at all comfortable about going through Ben’s desk without his permission. He thought about calling Ben to ask, but then realized he didn’t have the terrier’s home phone number, only the business one. Finally, his shoulders dropped in defeat. Before pulling the locked door closed as he left, Alex paused to sum up the situation and his feelings right then in a single word.
“Shit.”
End of Chapter 44