Page 35 of Royal Pain
My eyebrows dance with the thought.
Belinda:I’m calling the Lyft at 7. Think that will be enough time. I’ll get there a couple of hours ahead of the flight.
Zan:I’ve arranged a car to pick you up. He’ll be there at 7:15.
Belinda:Really? I love how you think. I can’t wait to be with you. To see your handsome face. Get ready.
I chuckle at the innuendo.
Zan:I’ve been ready. Get your fine ass here so I can bite it.
The rest of our conversation involved sexual references, longing to be together and excitement for the fact it’s only a day away. I thought about how beautiful it’s going to be as I packed and placed the luggage at the front door. And I’m going over it all in the dark, as the clock turns to one thirteen am.
* * *
“Ms. Banks?”
The perfectly put together British Airlines employee addresses me as if I’m the Royal. And I’m barely two feet into JFK’s Terminal 7.
“Yes?”
She smiles and extends her hand. “I’m Judith. I’ll be escorting you. We need to go through Fast Track Security first. Then I’ll take you to The Concorde Room, British Airways’ premier lounge.” Reaching in her pocket, she brings out a black business card. “If you have any questions, or requests concerning any of your flights, please don’t hesitate to contact me. My direct number is on there.”
I’m shocked at this whole experience. Zan has made it so special and I haven’t left New York yet.
“Thank you. I’m a little surprised. You have to excuse my shock. I didn’t have any idea there’d be someone here to greet me.”
“It makes the experience so much better, don’t you think? The Royal Family are absolute favorites of ours. Oh! Here’s our ride.”
She gestures to the cart coming our way. It doesn’t look like the others I’ve seen. This one has better seats, wider leg room and it’s another design completely. A tasteful sign readsBritish Airways Premier.
The driver stops a foot from where we stand.
“Perfect,” Judith says, motioning me on.
“It is.”
We move forward, passing through the crowd of travelers. Once in a while someone looks to see if I’m a celebrity. Hysterical. I could get used to this first-class world. Within minutes we’re deposited in front of the Concorde Lounge guarded by a tall thick door. Judith opens it, letting me pass in front of her. I walk into the rarefied room, and join the other four lucky travelers occupying the room. The space is complete with seventy-five inch televisions and plush chairs. There’s even private cabanas! This is better than anything I could have imagined.
There’s a long granite bar with bowls and plates of breakfast offerings.
“We have vintage champagnes and private label wines,” she adds. “Of course there’s full waiter service.”
But it’s the espresso maker that catches my eye. I’ll definitely have one of those.
“As you can see, there’s lots of choices, Ms. Banks. If you’d prefer to recline, there’s comfortable chairs along the far wall. Of course wherever you sit you have Wi-Fi access and plug-ins. If you’d like to read a newspaper we haveThe Wall Street Journal,The New York Times,and many others. There’s even international periodicals. It’s a little old fashioned to provide the hard copies in this era, but many of our guests prefer the experience.”
“Yes.”
I’ve been mostly silent, because it’s so freaking awesome. I’m sure she’s used to seeing wide-eyed passengers.
“If you’d like, we offer spa services. You could have a facial or a relaxing massage. Whatever makes your trip more enjoyable.”
“I’m sure I’ll be happy here, who wouldn’t? Thank you, Judith. I don’t think I’ll need this,” I say, waving her card. “What could I possibly want for?”
She chuckles softly and adds a gentle touch of her hand on my arm. “Well, if there is something, anything, just let me know.”
When she walks off, I look around for the perfect seat. They’re all perfect. Each is angled to a television, and somehow they’ve made them both private and inclusive. If you want to be alone with your reading you can, but they’re close enough to have an intimate conversation if you choose. I place my purse and park my carryon next to a British Airlines blue leather chair, and head for the espresso machine.
