My beautiful billionaire player

1 Mandy Eliot I have had enough of flying at this point. The flight from New york to Washington, which took four hours and fifty minutes, went without a hitch. The airport bar made the layover much more bearable than it otherwise would have been. However, the remaining portion of our trip to Canada is turning out to be an intolerable experience with each passing minute. I am trying to determine how much longer it will be until we touch down in Toronto. My exhaustion makes it difficult for me to perform the straightforward calculation in my head, but it appears that it will be close to two hours before I will once again be able to feel the steady support of the ground beneath my feet. I let out a sigh and tell myself to practice some patience. I've gotten up to this point. I have room in my schedule for another two hours. If you really want to get down to it, I don't really have a choice at this point, do I? When I look over at my best friend, who is currently dozing off in the seat next to mine, I can't help but feel aggravated. Sasha has been sleeping through the majority of the flight, which has given me more time to entertain myself. I turned down her offer to lend me some of her Valium because I was confident that I wouldn't require it. Wrong. I get up and climb over Sasha, then I stretch my legs by walking up and down the aisle here in the airplane. This makes me feel much better. As soon as I got back to my seat, I made the decision that reading would be a good way to pass the time, so I got out my e-reader and continued reading the slutmance that I had begun reading earlier. Only at the sixth chapter, and of course, the woman is in love with the charming new guy, but she refuses to acknowledge it. How unremarkable. When we are nearing the end of chapter twelve, the pilot informs us that we are going to land in Toronto in approximately ten minutes. I put away my naughty tale and gently nudge Sasha, knowing that it will take the next ten minutes for her to wake up from the drug-induced sleep she is currently experiencing. Sasha does not stir. "Wake up, Sasha. We're very close to arriving in Toronto." I give her one more nudge because she is hardly moving at all. “Sasha. Get up. We are currently in Toronto." You need to make sure that you are fastened in for the landing. She raises her chin and stares at me with eyes that aren't quite focused. She sits up straight in her chair and takes a few moments to gather her bearings before continuing. "Wow, that happened much more quickly than I had anticipated." "Well, since you were in a freaking coma, I suppose that's the case. Thirteen hours felt like an eternity to me at that point in my life. Because I was too busy worrying about whether we were going to wind up as shark food, I didn't get a single wink of sleep during the entire flight." That came out sounding more hostile than I had intended it to. "You don't have to be miserable if you don't want to be, and there's no reason to be. You should have just taken a happy pill, and then maybe you wouldn't be acting like such a grouch right now." When she returns home three months from now, she won't have to make the same offer twice. What a fool I once was. As I am fastened into my seat, I squeeze my eyes shut as the wheels of the plane make a screeching sound against the pavement. When we finally arrive at our destination without incident, the other passengers start cheering and clapping. There are others on this plane who are just as happy to be leaving as I am. After retrieving our luggage, which contains enough belongings for three months, we find a seat in the terminal to wait for our final flight. I have an hour to kill, so I'm going to stop by the bar at the airport. I'm going to go get myself a hot toddy because I so richly deserve it. When Sasha's phone rings, I immediately recognize the ringtone, which was her brother's. She issues a caution to me before answering my question. "Return within the next thirty minutes, or I'll have security come get you." I don't respond verbally, but I make sure she understands the gesture that my hand is making for her. I stroll over to the airport bar, which is not too far from our terminal, and I sit down on one of the stools there. What kind of gift could I get you? Even though my physical surroundings aren't giving it away, I can tell that I'm in Canada just by listening to his accent. "Please pick something from one of the local breweries. I tend to favor lighter flavors." A pale ale brewed in Toronto is what he offers me to drink. It's on the heavier side, but tasty. I am currently enjoying my ale while sitting at the bar. There is no attempt made by the bartender to engage me in conversation regarding my background or my future plans. Since he appears to be in his fifties, I can only assume that he has been exposed to more crap than he would like over the course of his life, and as a result, he isn't interested in hearing about mine. Works fine for me. After I've finished, I head back to the area where Sasha is keeping watch over our enormous stack of luggage. "Did Ben just call to see how we are doing?" “Yeah. He was checking to make sure that our flight would depart on time. I informed him to anticipate our arrival around three o'clock. He informed us that he will be bringing a friend to help us with our luggage." When I look at how many bags we have, I can't help but think that we look like a group of nomadic gypsies. There is no way to travel lightly for a stay of three months, so the majority of it belongs to Sasha, but I also have some of it. "That's not a bad idea." "He is family. He is aware of how needy and demanding I can be." I make myself comfortable and prop my feet up on the suitcase that is placed in front of me. "He didn't say it, but he really can't wait to meet you." He can't wait to finally put a face to my name. This should serve as a huge warning sign. I really hope she isn't going to try to set us up with someone. "You dare not even entertain the idea of bolstering his morale. At this point in my life, I have no desire to date anyone." She is the most knowledgeable person on the subject. This entire trip to Canada is about getting away from all of that sh*t, not about finding another pile of it somewhere else. During his time in Canada, he hasn't gone out on many dates with the locals. I'm just trying to let you know that you shouldn't be shocked in the event that he makes an effort to begin something with you. Oh, hell no. Even though we haven't arrived yet, she's already trying to set us up with someone. “ It is not going to happen, Sasha." "For the next three months, the two of you will share the same apartment," the agent said. Who can predict what might happen?. Okay. Now, I'm getting pissed because it feels like I'm being ambushed. "Even though I don't know what will happen, I do know what won't, so you can forget about it." "All right, all right, I won't bring it up again. Ben has expressed interest in going out with us tonight, but I'm aware that you haven't had much sleep. I warned him that he might not be in the mood for it. If I can get some shut-eye on the flight to Victoria, perhaps I'll be able to muster the energy to complete the task. When our plane is getting ready to land, Sasha is the one who pokes me in the ribs this time. "Mandy. Wake up. We've made it, at long last." I straighten my long brown hair as I sit up in bed. After my nap, I'm sure that it's lying against my head and makes me look awful when it's in that position. I don't think I could have slept for more than an hour and a half, but I'm enjoying the refreshed feeling that comes with it — except for my mouth. The combination of mouth breathing, drinking beer, and not practicing proper oral hygiene while we were traveling has caused things to become messed up. It would be awkward for me to first meet Sasha's brother and have him wonder which end of my body is supposed to be my face. "I could really use some gum. Do you have any on you at the moment?" Sasha reaches into her purse and pulls out a pack of lime-green gum, which she then hands to me. "Does the double mint help you out?" I take two pieces because I am fairly certain that in order to do what needs to be done, two shots of double mint will be required. “Thanks.”