“Have a great trip.” The Uber driver smiled at me as he popped the trunk and presented me my suitcase.

“Thank you, sir.”

My plans had changed drastically in the past three days. I was at the airport early Friday morning, getting ready to check in to my nonstop flight to Jamaica. A trip to Jamaica where I was technically hired to play my sister’s boyfriend’s best friend’s girlfriend.

Like, seriously. Try to say that three times fast. I bet you couldn’t. It was a total mouthful.

Rose had already secured Mom’s permission. And in spite of my fears regarding her being left alone for the weekend, she insisted I didn’t worry. She stated that God always made a way for us, but I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her side. What if she needed me? What if she suddenly needed to go to the hospital and I wasn’t there?

“Your aunt Kelly will be spending the weekend here,” my mother advised. Hearing that eased my fears. I loved my aunt, and she was very meticulous. If anything happened, I knew she would contact us and stay on top of the situation.

I would still feel some separation anxiety though. I made her promise to answer the phone when I called, or at least send me a smoke signal to let me know she’s okay.

Rose and Axel were already at the terminal, their luggage checked in. Thank God we agreed to be at the airport three hours early. TSA officers were doing what they could, but the line still moved at a snail’s pace.

“There you are!” Rose yelped, making her way to me as I neared our terminal. She hugged me like we were long-lost sisters who hadn’t seen each other in ages as opposed to three days ago - you know, when she held me hostage in her kitchen? “I’m so excited you’re here! OMG, this is real!”

“Thank you,” I said, feigning a smile. The excitement had yet to really hit me. Part of me knew I needed to get away, and that this was a gift from the Universe. Yet the other part of me was going insane. I was still filled with anxiety, about my mother and about this weekend getaway. “Is he here yet?”

Rose nodded and I nearly fainted. Yes, Hunter was handsome in the picture, and he offered $5,000 cash plus all expenses paid on anything I wanted to do while we were in Jamaica.

I wanted to be purely excited, but my nerves were jittery. I was going on a blind date for three days. Three days filled with romance and adventure, at least for everyone around us.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Rose coached. “Hunter’s totally fine to be around. If he were a creep or jerk, I would have never suggested this. He’s actually a gentleman, and I’ve already laid the ground rules with him.”

“Ground rules?” My eyebrow arched at that statement.

She smirked. “Don’t worry. We’ll go over them once again when we arrive. Right now, we need to head to our seats. We got an hour before we board.”

I followed her, sashaying in her sundress, dark hair flowing in shiny waves, as she led me to the seating area. Even though it was only lunchtime, over half the seats were taken, letting me know I’d better not leave to head to the bathroom.

Thank God I didn’t eat or drink anything. I had a couple of sleep aids I would take once we were in air. I wouldn’t need to pee until we landed.

“Hey Axel,” I said. Axel stood up and gave me a hug. He smelled nice, compliments of the cologne Rose got him for his birthday a few weeks ago.

“Hey sis,” he said. “You ready for this trip?”

“Yeah, just about.” I glanced around, my attempt to remain casual as I tried to figure out where my “date” was.

“Hunter’s here,” Axel responded to my unspoken question. He pointed to a gray Herschel bag on the floor next to his black one. “He gets bad nerves on flights, so he has to take a sleep aid. He went to grab something to eat so he wouldn’t take it on an empty stomach.”

I nodded quickly, feeling myself turn red with embarrassment. I couldn’t help being so obvious. Yes, I was nervous, but there was this part of me that was… eager to get the “meeting” part over with. He was so hot in the photos, I didn’t think he was real. I didn’t know, but I would see when he returned.

Axel, Rose, and I engaged in small talk, people watching and making light banter. I began to forget where we were, becoming more comfortable with each passing moment.

We were in the middle of discussing The Originals, one of my favorite shows, when a deep baritone interrupted.

“I’m back, guys.”

My heart stopped then and there, and a pound of lead dropped in my stomach. My eyes were peeled to the floor, suddenly fearful to face the reality of this trip. I wasn’t ready to meet my “vacation lover.”

“Hey Hunter, guess what?” Rose’s voice heightened to an octave of cheeriness God must have reserved specifically for her alone. “Chanel is here.”

“Chanel,” Rose prompted me, standing, and gesturing to the tall, handsome beast standing next to her. “This is Hunter. And Hunter, this is my baby sister, Chanel.”

“Chanel,” Hunter looked directly in my eyes. “Beautiful… name. Nice to meet you. And thank you for coming.”

You know, I’ve read romance novels where characters swear their panties get wet at the first sight of seeing someone. And you know what I do when I hear that? I laugh. I laugh my fucking ass off because there’s no way in hell that’s possible.

And then this happens, and I feel this faucet between my legs start to flow. It creates this river of desire that oozes from within.

I want to cum and die all at once. I will never laugh at a romance novel again.

He’s honestly, truly, and authentically, the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. He’s paying me $5,000 to play his girlfriend for the weekend. We are going to be sharing a room together. And he’s almost too hot for me to catch my breath.

A man this gorgeous is a fucking crime - a crime, I tell you - yet we’re meeting in the middle of the airport, less than 45 minutes away from boarding time, and this is, frankly, insane.

“Nice to meet you too,” I say, finally removing the frog from my throat. I extend my hand awkwardly, and suddenly realize we can throw out everything thing I said about not needing to leave my seat and pee. Because yeah, looking at him’s made my knees weak. My bladder’s twirling like an excited puppy, and I have to run off and pee now in order to save my dignity.

“I’ll be right back,” I announce. “Running to the restroom.”

I hightail it to the bathroom before anyone stops me. Thankfully, the restroom is empty, and there’s a clean stall available.

I open my phone and text Rose.

Me: You didn’t tell me he was that fucking hot.

Rose: LMFAO… Yes I did. I showed you his picture, remember?

Me: Are you sure he’s not a serial killer? *flushed face emoji*

Rose: *eyeroll emoji* Hurry up and pee, and stop being a weirdo. The plane’s here and they just announced they’ll be boarding early since everyone’s checked in for the flight.

It was easy for Rose to be so blasé about Hunter. She dated Axel, which meant she’d probably spent plenty of time around him.

With my tight schedule of school and taking care of Mom, I hadn’t really dated in a while, which meant I hadn’t had close contact with any kind of guy whatsoever, much less a hot one. To be exact, my last sexcapade, if you will, was last summer, and I hadn’t bothered looking to hook up with anyone since.

As I washed my hands and fervently checked my appearance in the mirror, I double checked that nothing was out of place. I was wearing a simple sundress, like Rose, and my makeup was well applied - that Lime Crime matte lipstick never moves - but I just needed to make sure I had my best foot forward.

Lord knows if my panties were dripping this early in the game, it wouldn’t be fair if I looked as undone as I felt.

After saying several humble prayers for confidence - and that I didn’t embarrass myself - I inhaled excellence, exhaled doubt, and returned to the seating area. Just as I returned, our boarding levels were called.

I reached for my bag, but Hunter grabbed it first.

“Allow me, love.” His eyes pierced mine as he smiled. My heart burst into a thousand butterflies at the chivalry, mixed with the intensity of his gaze, and I simply giggled like a silly teen and nodded.

God, I was goofy.

* * *

An hour later, we were on board and in the air. I’d never flown first-class before, and I could already feel the difference. There was much more leg room, and instead of being sandwiched between two people, you were either in an aisle or window seat.

Hunter gave me the choice of choosing my seat, and of course, like a little kid, I choose the window. Rose and Axel sat directly across from us.

There wasn’t a lot of small talk between Hunter and I at first. His anxiety kicked in, and he started taking his sleep aids. That was fine by me; I was still freaked out about this hot stranger I’d be sharing a room with - and paying me for the privilege. I felt like I should be paying him instead.

As the plane took off, his silence remained. Once we were in the air, he loosened up enough to speak to me.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet,” he spoke, sheepishly. “Flying sometimes gives me anxiety.”

“Oh that’s okay,” I lied. “Flying scares me too.”

What’s a white lie for a hot guy?

He smiled, more at ease than he was. “Yeah, I don’t always have it. But when it pops up there’s nothing I can do about it. I try to pop a sleep aid so I’m not anxious the whole flight.”

“That’s funny. I did the same thing when I went to the bathroom.

We chuckled, and he started to yawn.

“At least we have something in common already,” he said, winking. “Keep my secret, and I’ll keep yours?”

“No problem.”

The little icebreaker was enough for me to relax just a bit, especially as he closed his eyes and went into his own world.

When he fell asleep, he snored lightly, and his body leaned in my direction, eventually leading him to lay his head on my shoulder.

He looked so peaceful sleeping on me, and I felt an enticing tingle flow through me. For some reason, it felt good to have him lay on me. I registered it as a subconscious sign of comfort. My nerves relaxed a little, just enough alleviate puppy bladder.

“Psssst.” Rose looked at me from across the aisle, giving me a thumbs up. Axel had fallen asleep against her too.

She made kissy faces, so I shot her a middle finger and rolled my eyes. She was clearly getting a kick out of watching this.

I guess I’d better breathe and get used to this, I thought to myself, the heaviness entering my lids and lulling me to rest. He’s my boyfriend for the next couple of days, right?