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“I’ll bet you do,” she replies, giving me a sincere look of sympathy. She hits me once again with those incredible blue eyes. It must be the contrast against her dark hair and tan skin that makes them so amazing.
“How are you doing?” Liv asks me as she boards the plane.
“I’m doing okay, how are you?”
“Well, I’m a little too sober… so I’m nervous as hell.” She bounces up and down flailing her arms.
“Here, have one of these.” I hand her a glass filled with Woodford Reserve.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Mandy counters. “I gave her a muscle relaxant on the way over here.”
Before I could take it back or even say a word, Liv guzzles the whole thing. “God, that’s harsh!” She cringes at Mandy and then turns back to me. “I’m already starting to feel better, though.”
“Well, you better sit down, girl.” Mandy shakes her head. “Because you are about to feel a whole lot better.” Liv throws her purse in the overhead compartment and plops into her seat.
“Next time someone offers you straight bourbon, you might want to sip it instead of slamming it.” Mandy tells her with a pat on the shoulder.
“I was desperate,” she replies, still gagging and cringing from the taste.
“Get ready for takeoff,” I tell both of them before heading to the back of the plane. “I need to make a quick call.”
Mandy
Just minutes after getting settled, Liv’s head is already starting to bob. “You might as well sit back,” I tell her, reclining her seat to a forty-five degree angle. “You are going to be out cold before we even get off the ground.”
“Thank you Mandy,” she replies sweetly while cuddling with a large pillow.
She definitely is a much nicer person when she is under the influence. I’m staring to wonder how much she drinks prior to yoga class. Then it occurs to me that maybe she is only on edge when she is around Trey. I glance back at him and he is already absorbed in a conversation with someone. He sure seems to be taking his father’s death in stride.
Settling into my seat, I can hear that he is talking about the Swiss biotech company that he has been meeting with. He is telling someone that he plans to increase his stake in the company and advising them to do the same. If he does that, along with shorting stock in the other company, he is going to be committing two felonies. The U.S. trades will be instantly flagged in our system, since we are already monitoring him. If only he had turned out to be like his dad, then I would have the pleasure of watching him fry while being a hero at the office. After getting to know him, I don’t know if I can actually go through with it.
I close my eyes and sit back in my seat wondering what, if anything, I should do. Maybe I can give him some type of subtle warning. I pull a copy of the Wall Street Journal out of my bag and begin searching for an article about two Americans who were just convicted of Economic Espionage for selling trade secrets to a Chinese firm. I lay the paper on the tray table next to me with the headline of the article exposed. I lay back and close my eyes once again.
“I’m going to refresh my drink. Would you like anything?” Trey’s cologne drifts into my consciousness.
“Something light and refreshing would be nice.” I open my eyes to see him gazing down at me. “Do you have any chardonnay?”
“Of course. I’ll see if it’s chilled,” he replies with that charm of his before strolling to the front of the plane and bending over next to the wine fridge. He looks back and flashes the label in my direction after pulling out a bottle.
“That’s perfect!” I reply, not having a clue. He has impeccable taste in everything else, so I’m sure I can trust his taste in white wine. My palate can’t tell the difference between a ten-dollar and a hundred-dollar bottle anyway.
“Liv, would you like a glass?” he asks with a chuckle. I glance over at her and she is out cold. Two mimosas, a pain pill and a rocks glass filled with bourbon are going to make for a quiet flight home. Good deal.
“Here you are.” He hands me a glass and takes the seat right next to me. “The next time you fly with me, there will be a personal chef and a flight attendant.” He reaches over and clinks his glass against mine.
“Next time?” I raise my brows and give him a sideways glance. “That’s quite an assumption.”
“You’ll be back.” He gives me a confident grin. “I guarantee it.”
