Mia drained the last drop of champagne from her flute and set it on the table, sighing contentedly. \u201cAnother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d Ana said, standing up. \u201cYou went last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet snacks too,\u201d Willow called after her.<\/p>\n
The three of them were sitting the business class lounge waiting for their flight to be called. The lounge was fairly quiet, a couple of people plugged into their laptops desperately trying to finish off last minute reports, and a group of three guys who had been monopolising the space by the bar for ages. Willow, Mia and Ana had made a snap judgement that they were arrogant, misogynistic losers, which was confirmed as soon as Ana returned with the champagne glasses balanced in one hand and a plate of crackers and goats cheese in the other. She was fuming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat guy just said to me \u2018great legs, what time do they open\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia and Willow turned around subtly to get a better look at the guy, feeling justified in their previously unfounded assumption of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my god. I know him,\u201d said Willow, taking a bite of the luscious, creamy cheese. \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t know<\/em> know him. But I recognise him. He\u2019s that actor who was in that bad dance movie – about the girl who falls in love with the guy from the wrong side of the tracks. You know the one.\u201d<\/p>\n She received blank stares from the others.<\/p>\n \u201cOh come on,\u201d Willow exclaimed. \u201cYou know it. We watched it together. In the end they save the dance school and her parents finally accept him and they win the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWillow, you\u2019ve just described every dance movie ever made,\u201d Mia said.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but this was the really<\/em> bad one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I remember that one,\u201d Ana said. \u201cIt totally sucked. In fact, it might have been the worst movie I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI read that he only got cast in it because his mum is some big-time producer,\u201d Willow said in a low voice.<\/p>\n \u201cWell he couldn\u2019t dance, act or sing,\u201d said Ana, \u201cso I suppose that explains it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShit,\u201d Mia said, ducking. \u201cDon\u2019t look. He just caught me staring.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, Ana and Willow immediately swiveled around in their seats and stared directly at him. They saw him nudge his friends, pick up a fresh glass of champagne and saunter over to where the girls were sitting.<\/p>\n \u201cI noticed you were staring at me,\u201d he said, a playful grin on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were looking out the window behind you,\u201d said Ana. \u201cThere was a\u2026 er\u2026 plane that was interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s OK. You recognised me. I get it all the time.”<\/p>\n \u201cNo we didn\u2019t,\u201d said Ana stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest. \u201cShould we have recognised you? Are you famous?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m an actor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have you been in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, a few big movies,\u201d he said waving his hand dismissively.<\/p>\n Ana smirked. Obviously he realised how bad the dance movie had been too.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Blake,\u201d he said, sitting down uninvited on the couch next to Ana. The two friends stood behind him, looking menacing.<\/p>\n \u201cAna,\u201d she said reluctantly, shaking his hand with disdain.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Chuck,\u201d he said pointing to one of the silent friends, \u201cand that\u2019s Norris. They\u2019re my bodyguards.\u201d<\/p>\n Mia suppressed laughter by faking a spontaneous coughing fit.<\/p>\n \u201cWillow and Mia,\u201d Ana said. \u201cThey make sure I don\u2019t get accosted by losers at airports.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake threw back his head an laughed. \u201cHard to get. I like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ana went red. \u201cI\u2019m not playing hard to get, I\u2019m genuinely\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She was cut off by an announcement over the loud speaker, asking Blake to come to the first class lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cMeeting the pilot,\u201d he said. \u201cApparently he\u2019s a huge fan.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake stood up and blew Ana a kiss, walking away before she got a chance to give him a piece of her mind.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear,\u201d she muttered, \u201cif those\u2026 idiots\u2026 are sitting near us on the plane I am switching to economy.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Ana craned her neck from her seat to see if she could see Blake and his \u2018friends\u2019. Thankfully she couldn\u2019t. She let out a sigh of relief and settled back into the huge seat, closing her eyes and waiting for take-off.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me.\u201d<\/p>\n Ana opened her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cA gentleman in first class wondered if you and your friends would like to join them after take-off,\u201d a pretty flight attendant said, almost apologetically.<\/p>\n Ana groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cThey wanted me to let you know you could be a good luck charm for their in-flight poker game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood luck charm?\u201d Mia chipped in. \u201cThat\u2019s outrageous! What makes them think that we want to sit there and watch a boring game of poker while they oggle\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in,\u201d Ana said, cutting her off. \u201cOn one condition.\u201d She paused, a smile curling her lips. \u201cThat I can play.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n As soon as the seatbelt sign was off, the flight attendant led them upstairs to the first class private suites, where Blake and another couple of men in sharp suits were already seated at a round table. Their various entourages stood back, looking bored. Chuck and Norris were drinking beer and trying to get the attention of a very striking woman who was busily writing something on a laptop and ignoring them. Blake didn\u2019t bother introducing anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you want in,\u201d he said coyly. \u201cHave you ever played poker before?\u201d<\/p>\n Ana cocked her head to one side and twisted a piece of hair around her finger. \u201cIt\u2019s the game where you put bets and have to guess what other people have?\u201d<\/p>\n Blake smirked and the other two men ducked their heads so she wouldn\u2019t see the laughter in their eyes. They was going to enjoy taking her money.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the one, sweetheart,\u201d Blake said. \u201cIt\u2019s ten thousand buy in. Still interested?\u201d<\/p>\n Ana nodded. \u201cI don\u2019t have the cash on me though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot a bank card?\u201d<\/p>\n Ana paused and nodded again.<\/p>\n \u201cShe can do the transaction for you,\u201d said Blake nodding towards the woman with the laptop.<\/p>\n \u201cWillow, can I use your card,\u201d Ana said quietly. \u201cI don\u2019t have enough in my account.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be joking,\u201d Willow hissed. \u201cTen grand? No way!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI\u2019ll pay you back. Promise.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Willow and Mia watched horrified as Ana lost pile after pile of chips. The other players didn\u2019t say much – preferring to sip their whiskey and play in silence – but the girls could see them smirking to themselves, wondering why such a pretty – but obviously stupid – woman would want to play poker against pros like themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to kill her,\u201d Willow said though clenched teeth, glaring at Ana.<\/p>\n Ana looked up and gave Willow and almost imperceptible smile and a nod of the head.<\/p>\n \u201cYour deal,\u201d Blake said, giving Ana the cards.<\/p>\n The three men, Willow and Mia looked in obvious surprise on as Ana began to distribute the cards as efficiently and effectively as a Vegas dealer. Blake glanced at his hand and shoved a huge pile of chips into the centre of the table, smiling confidently. The other two men folded. Ana looked at her cards and pushed everything she had left into the centre, rapping the table with her knuckles. Call.<\/p>\n Blake turned his cards over, smiling. He had a full house. Ana frowned, and Blake started pulling the chips towards him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d she said, slapping her cards down, face up. \u201cFour of a kind.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n The rest of the game was fantastic. Ana ditched the ditzy schoolgirl persona and showed her true colours as a serious card shark. She won every single hand and fairly soon controlled the majority of the chips. Willow and Mia were laughing and high-fiving each other, watching on in delight as the three men squabbled, not understanding how this girl was getting the better of them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a lying bitch,\u201d Blake snarled. \u201cYou said you\u2019d never played before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo I didn\u2019t,\u201d said Ana, as she placed a straight flush face up. \u201cAnd that, gentleman, is the game I believe.\u201d She scooped up the huge pile of chips in front of her. \u201cI\u2019d like to cash out now.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake scowled and downed the rest of his whiskey. He muttered something derogatory under his breath, but nodded towards the laptop woman, who handed Ana several wads of cash.<\/p>\n \u201cWell Blake,\u201d Ana said, standing up from the table. \u201cI suppose you\u2019ll need to call your mummy and see if she can get you cast in another truly terribly dance movie in order to pay for your losses tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Blake visibly brightened. \u201cHa! I knew you recognised me,\u201d he shouted after Ana as the three girls left the cabin.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n A few hours later they landed at Heathrow airport. Ana linked arms with her friends as they stepped out into an unseasonably sunny London morning.<\/p>\n \u201cWell ladies,\u201d she said. \u201cBreakfast is on me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mia drained the last drop of champagne from her flute and set it on the table, sighing contentedly. \u201cAnother?\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d Ana said, standing up. \u201cYou went last time.\u201d \u201cGet snacks too,\u201d Willow called after her. The three of them were sitting the business class lounge waiting for their flight to be called. The lounge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[218],"tags":[220,221,219],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=968"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1312,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968\/revisions\/1312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}