The Merger

Chapter 11

Talia Nassar

Oh my God. That turned out way better than I expected.

I sip on a glass of Merlot as I wait for Matteo who's attending to things. When Lucas' gaze lands on me, I raise my glass to him from across the room. He playfully shakes his head and continues cleaning himself off while discussing something with his server.

My smile falters and I shift my gaze away. Maybe I went a little too far? When the thought came to me that afternoon after googling Tiffany Voss, the next thing I knew I was asking Imani to order something with fur. And then somehow a bikini was selected. And then soon after, Imani thought to put in a label that said the fake fur item was authenticated real fur, which made me consider giving her a raise on the spot.

I shouldn't be feeling guilty, but a part of me does feel a teensy bit bad about the wine splashing on him for the whole restaurant to see. Who knew Tiffany was that much of an activist?

But I have to be prepared for whatever retaliation Lucas is going to throw my way. The more I think about it, the more my chest tightens. God, four months of this back and forth is going to feel like a lifetime.

As I'm about to turn back to see what Lucas is doing now, a deep voice hits my eardrums and causes my stomach to flip. "Any other tricks up your sleeve tonight?" Lucas says brightly before taking a seat across from me. He boldly pours himself a glass of wine.

My stomach does a couple more somersaults as I see him up close. He has on a crisp suit. Despite the white wine stain on his button-down shirt, his strikingly blue eyes make it impossible to look elsewhere. I set my glass down and give him a mock glare. "That's Matteo's seat."

Lucas glances around with a touch of drama. "I think you might've scared him off," he says before taking a sip of wine and leaning back. "You know the goal is to get the client to feel comfortable around you. Not having them call their mom to say their last 'I love you's."

A chuckle escapes my traitorous mouth. "You're so dramatic."

"You know you could've just asked me to join you for dinner. You didn't have to go through this whole charade of getting Tiffany to leave." He smirks and my cheeks warm.

It must be the wine. I need to slow down and drink some water.

Before I can even think of a response, Lucas continues. "I mean, I would've said no, of course. But it would've been nice to hear you beg for my company."

"Oh? Is that right? You think I'd beg for your company?" I grin and swish the wine around in my glass before taking yet another sip. Slow down, girl.

"Among other things, yes," he says in a low, velvety voice as he leans forward with a challenging glint in his eyes.

Heat invades my body like wildfire. For a moment, I envision myself on my back begging Lucas to touch me. I cross my legs and chide myself for taking it there. This is Lucas after all. Flirting with him is as dangerous as a child playing with fire. But like a pendulum, my mind swings backward. I didn't take it there. Lucas did first. Right?

Note to self: never drink wine again.

"You alright there?" Lucas asks with a cocky grin.

I shake my head before quickly nodding. I feel flustered and confused as to why my mind decided to debut an R-rated movie starring Lucas Handler and myself. Is this Lucas' doing or not? Get it together, Talia. This is Lucas. The Ass Lucas.

"Begging is not really my thing." I purse my lips which catches Lucas' attention.

"No, it certainly is not," he says as his eyes come back up to meet mine. He sits back in his seat with a contemplative expression.