Hot Fudge Fraud by Anisa Claire West Read Free Book Online Page B

“All that emergency info will only freak you out.”
    She happily complied, accepting the fashion magazine with a smile and trying to banish any lingering fears about the flight.  The Coach section quickly filled up, and she noticed how several passengers shot her sour expressions that looked an awful lot like envy.
    “This is so weird,” she whispered to Keith.  “I feel like I should be in Coach class with everyone else.”
    “Not at all.  You are a first class lady, Melanie Bradley,” he replied, refusing to let her feel guilty about enjoying the luxury cabin.  “Ah, here’s the beverage cart.  Would you like a glass of champagne?”
    “Champagne?” She echoed.  “I heard that planes only serve little baggies of peanuts these days.  And maybe a soft drink watered down with a bucket of ice.”
    “Not in First Class,” Keith said, cordially nodding at the stewardess as she poured them two flutes of champagne.
    Melanie wrapped her hands around the stem and marveled, “These glasses were pre-chilled!”
    “That’s right,” he said casually, raising his glass in a silent toast.
    As she sipped the champagne, her nerves turned to putty and she eagerly looked out the window as the plane started to taxi.  “I wish it weren’t so dark outside.  I’d love to see how Charleston looks from the sky,” she commented.
    “Well , it will be broad daylight when we land in Dublin, so you’ll be able to get a bird’s eye view of Ireland,” he promised.
    The force of the plane’s ascent rattled Melanie, even with the champagne numbing her fears.  She latched on to Keith’s hand and interlaced their fingers.  He winked encouragingly at her as the wheels lifted off the ground.  Hastily shutting the window, she leaned back in her seat and braced herself.  The plane felt alarmingly unsteady and heavy.
    “It doesn’t seem natural for this huge hunk of metal to be soaring through the sky!” She hissed as the champagne reached a plateau in her system.
    “It’s not natural.  It’s technology,” Keith quipped.  “Just hold on tight, darlin’.  You’re gonna be just fine.”
    “That’s what my father always says.  Just fine,” Melanie mused, comforted by the familiar line.
    She settled back in the seat a little less stiffly, indicating for the stewardess to refill her glass.  The plane swayed back and forth in the sky and the muffled voices of the crew floated near the cockpit.  Keith sipped his champagne nonchalantly, trying not to panic about the turbulence that was rocking the plane.  But in his gut, he felt that something was wrong with the plane.  Ignoring this impression, he kept his hand clasped over Melanie’s and tried to fall asleep.  His eyes blinked open when the voice of the pilot streamed through the cabin.
    “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.  This is your captain speaking.  Please remain calm as I issue the following announcement.  We have detected a mechanical issue with the aircraft and will need to make an emergency landing in Myrtle Beach.  Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.”
    “Emergency landing?! Mechanical issue?! Is that what he just said?” Melanie demanded, unable to contain her panic.
    “Yes, but don’t worry.  I’ve been on flights where this has happened before,” Keith said without any compelling certainty.
    “You don’t sound too confident, Keith!” She accused, gripping the armrests as the plane wobbled through the air.
    In Coach Class, a commotion was breaking out as passengers disobeyed the captain’s directive and scrambled out of their seats.  Flight attendants rushed to hustle them back into their seats, but people were too agitated to be appeased.
    “We’ve only been in the air for half an hour!  How in God’s name did this happen?  Why the hell wasn’t the problem detected before we took off?” An angry man grumbled loudly as a flight attendant tried unsuccessfully to calm him down.
    Melanie’s jaw clenched