The Merger

Chapter 17

Talia Nassar

Even though the dance ended over twenty minutes ago, my heart is still pumping harder than a jackhammer against concrete. After the final bow, I fled to the small office at the back of the theater. The loud chatter from the audience and the squeals of joy from the other performers were like incessant sirens and I needed space to think.

What the hell just happened?

Before I can even begin to process it, Ana barges into the room and slams the door behind her. "Okay, Tal. Take it from the top. Spill. Tell me everything!" Ana's excitement only makes my stomach churn harder.

I can see how it looks. A no-holds-back performance ending with an impromptu, passionate kiss - a mind-blowing, panty-dropping kiss with a man who I thought about stabbing with a fork last week.

"I have to know... is he the Lucas you work with?" Ana asks with childlike wonder grazing her eyes. When my brows furrow in response, Ana shrieks with excitement.

I laugh and cover my face before sitting on the navy blue couch that's on the side of the small room. "Oh my God, what if your patients heard their neurosurgeon squeal like that? Do you think they'd happily have you cut them open?"

"Oh, hush!" Ana playfully hits my shoulder and sits down next to me. "Okay, seriously I need to hear everything. Don't you dare leave out a single detail or else I won't give you free medical advice anymore."

"Ana, I don't know what happened. Obviously I didn't expect him to be here. And that dance...it was like I was possessed or something. And when he moved his mouth to kiss me, it was like a full-blown earthquake couldn't stop me from kissing him back."

"Oh my God, so you like him!"

"Like him?" My eyes grow wide and I shoot up from the couch. I start pacing the room, turning the word over in my mind and thinking about Lucas. The dark, distinct look in his eyes made me feel like the most beautiful and powerful woman in the world. I touch my cheek remembering the five o'clock shadow on his face brushing against me when our lips were connected. Another surge of heat flows through me and I quickly shake my head, unable to make sense of an answer.

"I have to say that was hands down one of the spiciest performances we've ever had for this event. I bet you anything, ticket sales are going to go through the roof on the next one just so people can see that again."

I press a hand against my forehead, feeling feverish. Images of Lucas' hands all over me flood through my mind and a pleasurable ache streams through my abdomen. "That can never happen again, Ana!"

"How do you think he found out about it?" Ana says, completely ignoring my desperation.

"I have no clue, but he's so crafty I should've seen it coming. Oh God, now he's going to use this whole thing as leverage against me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know how guys like him work. All guys in finance are like this. They manipulate others to get ahead." I bite my bottom lip and nod. "Wow, it's so clear now. He kissed me just to mess with me." Even though I'm starting to convince myself of that, a small voice in the back of my mind is telling me that Lucas is different. There's no way a kiss like that could have been ill-intentioned. But maybe it was?

"Tal, you know that's a generalization. How do you know all guys in finance are the same?"

"After fifteen years, I just know. Plus, after Gary, I promised myself I would never get involved with any guy in finance. Whatsoever." I shudder as the memories of Gary resurface. I heard about his successes over the years - he's the head of some small firm in the area. Yet, I always managed to steer clear of him.