"It's ok, little one, you have time for a nap," Mr. Hamad pulled me into his side as we inched down La Cienega in the back of a chauffeured Mercedes heading for the airport. I still wasn't feeling right, but anxiety drains my energy.
I'd calmed down a bit. He had sent me off to the shower by myself. I scrubbed away the guilty feelings. When I finished, I'd found fresh clothes on the counter, but I didn't see anyone.
The clothes I had on before were gone and there was a fresh pair of mint green briefs, tight and tiny like he liked them. There was also a pair of supersoft green jogger pants and a long-sleeved green t-shirt that matched the briefs. The shirt made my biceps and pecs look impressive. He picked things out for me that hugged in just the right places or I guess his stylist did. I thought back for a minute on the day I'd stood naked in his office protesting as he took pictures for the stylist.
At my first yawn in the car, he pulled me over by the waistband of the green jogger pants. I struggled only slightly and his strong arm and warm chest quickly had me closing my eyes against his heartbeat. He put a hand on my hair and stroked it softly as he held me. I felt the anxiety from the Caleb incident fade out of me with each pass of his hand.
I buried my nose in his neck, then realized he didn't have that heavy musk to which I'd grown accustomed. I breathed him in and it was different but familiar. I'd smelled that cologne before, but not on him. "What happened to your cologne?" I asked.
"I thought it was time to make a change. I wore the old one for so long because Caleb liked it. You like this one?" he looked over at me, our noses brushed and his beard tickled my chin.
I nodded and suddenly remembered I'd smelled that cologne on a Latino guy who came to meet with Mr. Hamad earlier this week. He flirted with me a little and I wasn't interested, of course, but I couldn't help sniffing him when I passed to grab a file or make a copy for them. He was a handsome guy though not as built as Mr. Hamad. The cologne, light but insistently male, tied together his image as someone important, someone to obey. He was someone Mr. Hamad saw as an equal.
I finally did stop when Mr. Hamad gave me a raised eyebrow and told me to go take a break while he finished things up. The businessman stood and shook my hand then pulled me close and kissed my cheek. I got one final whiff of him and lingered just long enough to feel his hand grip my ass on the side of me out of view for Mr. Hamad.
"I do. I might steal some of it," I joked. He wore the old cologne for Caleb. This new one he had investigated and purchased for me. I felt butterflies flap around inside my stomach. I pretended to fall asleep on his shoulder, just listening to his heartbeat throb in his neck.
Out the window, I saw the city I was leaving behind. I'd always dreamed of someday moving down to LA and making something of myself, making my family proud. But now I would leave it behind. I'd turn it all over to Caleb. Los Angeles was all is, Mr. Hamad was mine.
++++++
Shortly, we pulled up to the airport and he attempted to lift me out of the backseat of the car, but I flailed and said, "No no, I can walk." We attracted a few asian tourist onlookers at that, but he set me down on my feet and instructed the driver to give the bags to an airline employee waiting near the door.
I rubbed the red of my sleepy eyes as we traipsed through to the security line. We went off to a smaller area where an officer did a quick security wand and let us through. The gate wasn't too far away either, and we boarded directly onto an empty plane. I followed Mr. Hamad through the door and then he pushed me in front of him down the narrow aisle. This plane was huge and had three rows of cramped seats hugging two narrow aisles.
He pushed me all the way through to the back where there was a staircase that wound up to the second level. We went through a bar lounge area that had tvs and comfortable benches. There was a lady there and she opened a door for us back to a narrow hallway. There were three doors on the right and three on the left all spaced about 8-10 feet apart.
We went to the last door on the right and it opened to a small cabin. There were two large blue fabric chairs with a sort of protruding pod between them that functioned as a table with a surface that glowed a warm, soft amber. Across from the chairs there was a large flat-screen TV built into the wall.
"Hello, Mr. Hamad, good to see you again. I'll be exclusively yours for the duration of our journey for anything you may need. Would you like a double or single?" a deep voice said in perfect British from behind us. I turned to see Mr. Hamad smiling at a dark man a few inches shorter than him in a grey suit. He looked to be early 20's and had jet black hair pushed up in neat spikes atop his arab complexioned face. He was in good shape but slender, and I smiled to myself remembering Caleb saying Mr. Hamad only liked light boys.
"Single of course, Andir," Mr. Hamad said with a smile to the man as though he weren't disappointed in the least at our choice of flight attendants.
"Of course, Mr. Hamad, and what name would you prefer for your... companion?," Andir said and moved to push back curtains on the windows to let in the last bits of the day's sunlight. I backed up to give him space and felt Mr. Hamad's chest behind me.
"You'll need only to address me," Mr. Hamad said.
"Of course, sir. I will put that in the notes for your future travels," Andir said. He may have been a slight man, thin, not built, but his voice showed more power and privilege than his body. I felt Mr. Hamad pull me back into his chest and his strong arm crossed over my chest protectively. A man was bringing in our two smaller bags. He set them inside the doorway and I had been moved to accommodate them.
"Thank you," Mr. Hamad said. The luggage steward bowed and moved away.
Andir opened an overhead compartment and pulled out two small blue pillows. He fluffed each and set them in the oversized chairs. He took a small blanket out and put it on the seat by the window.
"I will be back after take-off to set-up the beds to the single unit. What may I bring you prior to take-off, sir?" Andir ignored me completely and looked only at Ali.
"A Samabir for me, neat please, and a juice box or something with a straw for the boy," Mr. Hamad said, "Oh and water of course."
"Of course, sir. I will get those and we should be taking off as soon as the steerage below are safely in their pens." He laughed at his joke about the common people in the regular seats.
Andir left us with a small bow and closed the door to the cabin behind him. Mr. Hamad released me and I moved about to survey our tiny room; our holding cell for the next 13 hours. I thought back to all Caleb had said, the things Mr. Hamad would try on me. I looked over at him and he smiled and waved a hand towards the seat by the window. I peered into his large brown eyes and soft brown lips. He didn't look capable of the things Caleb had said.
"Is there some work you want me to complete while we fly, sir?" I said, assuming office speak to hopefully give us some direction on this long flight.
"Let's focus on relaxing. We have a long time together here, and I know it's your first flight. There are some movies on the TV. I think there are three or four with big explosions. I know explosions are important to you," he said with a laugh and sat in the seat by the door.
