Chapter 4 4.

"So, Mr. Antony is one of those clients who have a strict routine and he is not as lenient as others would be if you mess up that routine. Once he arrives, you are to greet him at the door. He doesn't speak a lot, so don't take it personally if he gives you one worded answers, or small sounds. You get used to it. Once he sits down, he buckles himself in, it is your job to notify the pilot that he's settled in. What you will do is sit and buckle in, then use the phone next you chair to let the pilot know that you're ready. After takeoff, he usually likes a drink before he starts working.

Its either he goes with wine, or a scotch, depending on his mood. Are you getting all this?" Karen asked after I didn't make a sound.

"Oh yeah, yeah, go ahead." I assured her as I nodded my head.

"Okay, so after take off, you will approach him, always address him by his last name, be very clear when speaking to him. Asking what he would like to drink, and once you've served it to to him, you go back to your seat. Every hour, check with him and make sure that he doesn't need anything. Because we are flying to Rome, you will be required to serve him lunch around noon, and dinner about an hour before landing. The kitchenette will have everything you need, his lunch is always the same. It is a platter of fruit, ham and assorted cheeses, with either a glass of champagne or red wine. Once you've served him, make sure you grab something to eat. There is a small fridge in the hall that leads to your room. After lunch, just regular check on him, same thing with dinner, then once it's time to land, the pilot will alert you on the overhead, check and make sure he doesn't need anything, then sit down, buckle up and prepare to land. After landing, he will already have a personal driver waiting for him. We are taken care of by our company drivers, and they will take us to a hotel. Before every trip, we are given a schedule which tells you how long your client will be staying, and it doesn't happen often, but every once in a while some clients do request our services for small errands. But you don't have to worry about that with Mr. Antony, he only sees us on the plane. Good so far?" Karen paused after another crash course on hosting Mr. Antony.

"Doing good." I confirmed, though the more I heard about this man, the more nervous I became.

"Good. Now because it is your first day I will introduce you, but remember, he is not very talkative, so don't take it personally if he barely addresses you. The one thing you shouldn't do is interrupt him when he's talking, and if he is working on his computer, and the time comes for you to check on him, wait for him to acknowledge you, do not leave until you are dismissed by him. Always address him as Mr. Antony, try to keep your conversations to a minimum, and always be on guard. Avoid any form of back talk. He is our top client but not an easy man to please. I am not going to beat around the bush when it comes to him. I have seen some of the most confident hosts buckle and leave this job because of him, so I just want you to put your best foot forward. Don't get on his bad side, because one word from him, and you're done. Ready to run away yet?" Karen teased when she saw my face, and I sighed, building up my courage as I said "no, I think I can handle him." I nodded, trying to convince both Karen and myself.

"Good, because he's here." She stated, and my heart dropped in my stomach.

At her words, Karen stood up and I did the same, she straightened her uniform and plastered a smile on her face.

She looked at me, and held my shoulders as she said "smile, we got this girlfriend."

With a firm nod, she led me to the door.

Each step I took towards the door, I felt my heart thud in fear. I haven't even met the man, but I was already afraid of screwing up.

As an airline hostess, I have had my fair share of intimidating passengers, but this time it was only one intimidating passenger, for a 14 hour and 50 minutes flight. A passenger who could either make or break my chances at keeping this job.

We arrived at the door just as his car began to approach the plane.

Once I saw the car, I had to do a double take because it looked exactly like the car I saw yesterday.

When the driver stepped out, my breath clogged in my throat. Same driver.

The anticipation I felt only grew with every step the driver took towards the back door. And when he opened the door, the thudding in my heart had filled my ears, and I could feel my body tremor with nerves.

When he stepped out of the car, my heart felt like it leaped from my chest.

It was the same man.

Once again he did not acknowledge his driver. His eyes looked up and noticed Karen, then slowly, they fell on me.

Even from afar he seem to squint his eyes, but maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

The driver handed him his black briefcase, and he began making his way towards us.

As he got closer, I gulped. His footsteps began to echo simultaneously with my heartbeat, I tried to take a deep breath, but I knew nothing was going to calm my racing heart, and the closer he got, the more my nerves pumped through my veins.