My Restless Billionaire

He turns his head and stares out into the world through the large clear seamless floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse bedroom, overlooking the sleeping city below, watching the first rays of the approaching sun color the night sky a fabulous shade of burned orange and indigo. Another sleepless night... It would have been acceptable if it was one in a hundred nights, but somehow after months of unexplained restlessness and sleepless nights, thousands of dollars spent on doctors' opinions, second and third opinions, unfortunately, the diagnosis never changes. Insomnia... Acute Insomnia to be exact. Acute insomnia by definition is short-term insomnia, which in my case is quite laughable, as the symptoms ate said to last from a few days to a few weeks, his, however... not so short-term, ....has been ongoing for over two years now with no relief. I seriously need a break. As the owner of Warldon Enterprises, a multi Billion dollar Investment firm, James Warldon can't sleep at night, or at least he doesn't sleep more than an hour or two. You would think he would be able to take care of a simple problem like Insomnia with his available resources at hand, but sadly after trying everything money can buy, he is still at a loss. Not being too bad in the looks department, with killer abs from working out all the time, or well, most nights, at least, he has many warm bodies to keep him occupied during those long, long hours of the night and early mornings. His mind is never quiet enough to just shut down and let him sleep, maybe he just needs to get away from the city? Away from appointments, investments, stocks and margins, computer screens, electronics, conference calls, and market analysis. Find a way to get some balance back in his life, maybe find a place in the country or on the coast to break away from all this. Maybe, just maybe he can get this restlessness under control, find a place that makes him happy, and maybe even a woman to settle down and enjoy life with. Now wouldn't that be something..... A Billionaire happily married and content in a remote location enjoying life with a spouse and probably even a kid or two. I mean whom else am I going to leave this empire to? The girls next to him stir and he's brought back to the present. Ugh...two girls.Sammy? Tammy? Veronica? What the hell were their names?... I have got to start paying more attention! Shrugging he rubs his hand over his face and then runs it through his dark shoulder-length hair. I need to shave this stubble. Sitting up he tosses the covers off and gets out of bed. The girls moan...something about it being too early after only going to sleep at 3. Wow, glancing at the clock, I 2 hours of sleep...What the hell... Ping!Ping!....a message breaks the silence of the living room where he finds himself staring out the window into the world beyond not really looking and not seeing anything either. Melissa: Hey baby, you up? Me: how did you know? Melissa: HaHa, I know you ;) Me:... Melissa....how many nights have we shared over the past years? I need something...something different... Melissa: Are we on for tonight? Me: I have a meeting till late Melissa: I can wait for you Me: I think we need to cool it Melissa: ?? Me: Yeah Melissa: Fine He tosses the phone on the couch and heads to the bathroom. Needing a shower. Turning on the water he steps under the rain. The water falling over his head seems to calm his thoughts for a brief moment, so he just stands there, hands on the cool tiles of the wall till the water runs cold. Quickly washing before it turns too cold. Closing the taps he steps out and grabs a towel to dry his hair. Wrapping it around his hips, he stands over the wash basin staring at the stranger in the mirror. Deep blue eyes, somewhat sunken of late, guess that is kinda expected after so many sleepless nights that he has stopped counting. He needs to make an appointment at the spa, a facial and a moisture block should do his skin some good, he definitely needs some sun....mmm maybe a vacation would be good for me, someplace remote and sunny or remote and cool.... when was the last time I had a break? January? last year? maybe the year before? ...what the hell...wrecking my brain I can't think of the last time I took a break from working. He will have to check with Shirley. Walking out he grabs his phone off the couch and checks the time, it's after 7, She should be on her way to the office already. Dialing her number he waits for the connection... "James, I'm not in the office yet"... "Morning Shirley, I know, I was just thinking.." "oh boy,... you thinking... this early.." she laughs and he chuckles " yeah well, I was wondering if you can recall my last vacation day?"...she is quiet for a beat and then answers "James, I'm not so sure, I think the last time you went away on vacation was that year that I joined the company...and that's like... wow! 4 years ago..." wow indeed, stunned, I knew it had been a while, but 4 years?? " yeah....I think I need to remedy that," he tells her and she laughs on the other side " well I'm pulling into the office now, I will check it just to make sure, ok? I'll message you in 5" "sure, thanks," he says and hangs up. Opening up a browser he checks out some cool vacation spots but it looks too crowded at all the main holiday destinations. A private advert pops up for a cottage in the national forest. Not really my thing, but maybe a change of scenery will do me good. He clicks in and scrolls through the photos, yeah definitely not my normal, but it looks doable, a bit more wild man outdoors than he's used to, but it could be good to get some fresh air in these lungs. He sends an Inquiry on availability and heads to the kitchen to make breakfast. Ping! Ping! Shirley: July 2018 Shirley: Your schedule is not that bad for the rest of the week, well into next week, want me to book you a breakaway? Me: shit Me: I'll handle it Shirley: Remember your meeting 10:30 McKinsey Me: yeah yeah see you then Me: tell Brighton to be there Shirley: will do He finishes plating breakfast and sets it down on the nook. Strolling over to his bedroom he hollers, "Good morning, breakfast is ready. Get you ladies anything else?" "no" they grunt in unison. "well I got to get to the office, let yourselves out," he says as he pops his head in the room to confirm they are awake and stirring. "ok". he grabs his running shoes from the dressing room and heads for the door, keys and phone in hand he steps out the door into the Foyer, "morning George " he greets the security " Good morning Sir, have a great day" "thanks, oh and George, please have the car ready to take the two ladies inside the home, wherever that might be" "sure thing sir" he gives his thanks as the doors to the private elevator close and he descends to the parking garage. Stepping out he clicks the remote and the car unlocks, getting in and pulling out, not sure where he's heading but he needs a good run. Fifteen minutes later, he's just outside the city and turns onto a dirt road heading towards the mountain. Looks like a good enough spot to break out. A few miles up he parks the car under a canopy of trees and locks it up. Stepping off and starting at a slow jog, focusing on clearing his mind and just being present in the moment. ..focus on nothing.....nothingness....picking up the pace he starts a steady run over the rough terrain, his feet finding a stable fall with every stride, it feels good. So good. Breath in, Breath out...Deep breaths, good rhythm, good pace...focus, nothingness, clear mind. Half an hour later he's back in the car feeling great, I need to do this more. He gets in the car and overwhelming exhaustion settles over him. Laying his head back and shutting his eyes, just calming his thoughts and trying to meditate, focusing on mindfulness...he inhales the fragrance of the forest, hears the quiet wind in the trees, and... When he wakes the sun is already well on its way across the morning sky, glancing at the clock, s**t, he needs to get to the office. Heading home at the speed of light, without breaking too many laws, Rushing back to the penthouse for a quick shower, luckily the house is empty. On his way out he grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and heads down to the car and off to the office. Parking in his usual spot, he locks up and heads into the modern cool grey skyscraper that houses Warldon Enterprises. He steps into the conference room just as Shirley sets down the coffee and the day begins.