Lucas Handler

"Honey, I ran into Sheryl's sister's niece at the luncheon yesterday, and realized you'd be perfect for each other!" My mom's excitement streams loudly through the speakerphone on my desk. "She said she-"

"Mom." I quickly interrupt. "We've been over this. Just because a woman looks to be my age and does things like luncheons doesn't mean we're perfect for each other." I lean back in my desk chair and glance at my watch. While I always try to call my mom on Sundays, it slipped my mind yesterday. Instead, I spent the whole weekend trying to process the life-changing event that's kissing Talia.

"I know sweetie, but I'm not getting any younger! I did the math and if you start dating now, then you can get married in a year. Then get straight to business, and then give me a grandchild nine months later. It's math. You like math, right?"

I laugh and shake my head at the phone as if Mom can see me. "Nice try!"

Should I say anything to her about Talia? I abandon the thought as quickly as it comes. This situation needs to be treated as delicately as possible. While my weekend of deep thought only pushed me toward one clear path forward, telling my mom would only push her to meddle as if I'm a teenager who can't find a date to prom. And I never did have trouble finding dates. "Listen, Mom, I need to go. I'm at work."

"Okay, hun. I'll see you at the party?"

"See you then, bye!" I close my eyes briefly after hitting the red circle. The pre-scheduled meeting with Talia is in an hour, and my stomach is already in knots as I think about being face-to-face with her again.

It's time to run through a SWOT analysis of the situation for the hundredth time. With any strategic thinking, it's best to review the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which is exactly what I spent my weekend doing.

Strengths: Talia is attracted to me. She likes kissing me. And she likes my company even though she'd never admit it.

Weaknesses: She hates me. She may have a voodoo doll of me that she sticks pins in every night. She is still so unendingly sure that I tried to sabotage her internship interview all those years ago, and has never gotten over it.

Opportunities: Talia has to spend time with me. She has no choice but to get to know me more. And I have three more months to spend as much time with her as I possibly can.

Threats: She'd likely punch me if I try to kiss her again. We're competing for the same job and if either of us lost, it'd chop the last thread of our relationship.

I sigh heavily. I can't deny it anymore. At first, the thought of having feelings for Talia scared me shitless. I spent that night of the performance tossing and turning in bed thinking about it. But then, somewhere in between jacking off to thoughts of her in that black tight bodysuit and picturing us as a real-life couple, doing real-life coupley things, it hit me. I don't have unnamed feelings for Talia. No, I'm madly, cartoon heart pumping out of chest, falling for her.

These feelings. It's like I'm about to throw up but I feel so high and excited it doesn't matter - like a kid who gets sick from too much candy but still wants more. It's such a strange phenomenon.

I always wondered if I'm capable of it. The big L word. Sure, I've had strong feelings for girlfriends in the past. But those feelings that took years to develop aren't even close to what I'm feeling now. Talia Nassar is different and, dare I say, my equal in more ways than one. It's as if I've been struck by Cupid's arrow and incapable of feeling any other way for her.

A part of me suspects I've always felt this inescapable pull toward her - from the first moment I laid eyes on her at the Harvard party all those years ago. Cupid was standing in the corner with an evil little smirk on his face.

And now? That arrow is sinking in deep, its venom seeping into my veins and gloriously spreading throughout my body. The side effect of such a strong drug is the incapacity to think of anything else but her. Her sharp tongue, her drive to succeed, the movement of her hips when she walks down the hallway.

Those hips. I picture myself finding Talia in the elevator. I'd run my hands over those hips, leaning down and kissing the side of her neck as she arches her back toward me. I'd move my hands lower and hike up her short skirt, trailing fingers up her legs to meet her center and eliciting a whimper I know she's capable of making. My dick grows hard as I think about all of the things I want to do to her. All the places I desperately want to fuck her.

I shake my head. Talia is likely nowhere near feeling the same way. That kiss may have been a fluke for her, but for me, it's as if I got Lasik surgery and now my vision is a perfect 20/20. No need for glasses. I can read that lettered bottom row of my feelings just fine. Yet does Talia need a new prescription? I'm not sure.

Caution is key. I have to approach things with more attention than a kid playing a game of Operation. I also have to figure things out as we go along. Take things day by day to capitalize on the strengths and opportunities as well as address the weaknesses and threats.

Sighing again, I swivel in my chair back to the list of clients on my computer screen. Better to get some work done and try not to jerk off in the office. Glancing back at my list, I find 'Notify Clients' still hasn't been done. I spent the latter half of last week calling up my top clients and discussing the upcoming merger but still have a few names left.

After scanning the remaining names, I dial the number for the next one on the list. A waiting tone beeps out a few times before a man's voice streams through the speaker. "This is Gary. Talk to me."

"Hi Gary, this is Lucas Handler, President of Handler Finance. How are you doing today?"

"Good. Am I paying for this phone call?"

I make a face and tilt forward. "No, not at all. I'm not sure if you saw my email last week but I'm calling to share some company news with you directly."

When all that can be heard on the line is silence, I clear my throat. "Gary? Are you still there?"

"Yeah. I'm waiting for the news."

I raise a brow and go straight into the spiel I prepared, making sure to hit on the points that help alleviate any fears a client may have when it comes to a change this big. I talk about how they are our most valued client, how I'm excited about the future, and how I'll be here every step of the way to guide them.

"Cool. Sounds good," Gary responds. "What did you say the name of the company was again that you'll be merging with?"

"McAvoy Investments."

"It sounds familiar. Who's running that company?"

"Bill Goldernberg's the CEO and Talia Nassar is President." When no sounds come in through the receiver, I continue. "Bill and Talia are highly skilled with decades of hands-on experience. They've led McAvoy to where it stands today and have done an outstanding job carrying on the legacy from their predecessors."

If I just said Bill's name, I wouldn't have to sound like a desperate salesman trying to hit their quota for the week. I hate having to try and convince these men that Talia is a good leader. On my calls last week, there was a mountain of hesitation whenever I mentioned her name. I got questions like, "Are you sure she's qualified?", or "So she'll be reporting to you, right?", or even one idiot's "Is she Bill's mistress?"

Hearing those questions grated on every last nerve. Yet, I simply pushed the conversations forward and coddled the morons.

Gary seems like one of those pricks that would ask a question like that and I brace myself for it. Yet when Gary says, "Cool," my brow tightens.

"Uh, um, yeah. It'll be good. Anyways-"

"Well, thanks for sharing all that," Gary quickly jumps in. "I look forward to seeing how things progress and it'd be nice to catch up in person. I know it's been a while since we last spoke and we've never actually met face to face."

I nod. Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all. "Yeah, let's meet then. We can catch up over a meal or-"

"Do you play golf?"

I laugh."Is the sky blue?"

"What do you say we meet up for a round next Saturday?"

"That sounds great," I say before remembering I have my mom's Labor Day party that day. "Oh, actually. Sorry, I have plans on Saturday. How about sometime this week or weekend?"

"Shit, man, I can't. I'm out of town until next week."

"Well, let me look at my schedule and send some options over email."

"Sounds good! Thanks for calling, man. We'll talk soon." Without another word, the line cuts out.

After pulling up my calendar to start looking up times to send, my next scheduled meeting with Talia catches my eye. "CANCELED: Weekly Check-In," is listed as the event title, causing my stomach to drop slightly. I click into the updated event and don't see any explanation or reason on why it's canceled.

I shoot out of my seat and pace out of the office to Ethan's desk. "Hey, Ethan. Why did my eleven o'clock with Talia get canceled?"

Ethan's eyes grow wide as if I just asked the most out-of-the-blue question. "Um, uh."

"Did Talia say anything?"

Ethan quickly shakes his head. "No, Mr. Han- I mean. No, sir, Lucas. Her assistant just said she had something come up."

"So, she didn't reschedule?" I grimace and walk back into my office without waiting for Ethan to respond. I pace the length of the space. Is she avoiding me? I break out into a laugh at the thought. We work together. She can't avoid me forever. Still, what's going through her mind?

I can't wait. With urgency in my steps, I grab my suit jacket and leave my office. "Ethan, I'll be back later. Text me if there's anything urgent. I'll be at McAvoy."

Remember, be delicate. Don't do anything stupid. Delicacy is key.