Lucas Handler

Sex with the most beautiful woman in the world and a scheduled round of golf? Best fuckin' day.

Everything we just did. Scratch that. Everything I just drew out of Talia is permanently wiring itself into my brain to be played over and over again. The way her body moved and writhed against me. The way she moaned so much her voice started to give out like a smoker trying to talk. Everything that just transpired is fueling a blissful buzz in my body.

Why did I wait so long to do that? The answer seems so far away like it just dipped under the horizon leaving only colorful remnants in its wake.

After getting dressed, I manage to convince Talia to get some sleep next to me. It doesn't take much of a fight as Talia is slightly intoxicated from what just occurred, just like I am, with her long drawn-out blinks and slow movements.

She's nestling against me in the spooning position, the original gateway drug to this high we're in, after putting her clothes back on. "Please don't tell anyone," she whispers.

My heart sinks. Is she already regretting this decision? "Tell anyone what?"

"That I'm scared of turbulence."

Tension in my shoulders instantly releases. A small smile tugs at my lips before I take in a deep breath. I want to kiss her until I erase everything that plagues her mind. But Talia likes an even playing field so that's what I'm going to give her. "I'm scared of spiders."

"What?"

"They're so creepy and crawly like they're out to get you and eat you alive."

Talia's body shakes against me as she laughs.

I smile and close my eyes, relishing the sound of her laugh against my eardrums.

After a few moments of silence and all sorts of pleasant activity in my stomach, Talia speaks. "Lucas?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think I can beat you at golf?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"I guess it's only fair that you see my golf skills after I had to witness your dance skills."

I laugh and she joins before I say, "I thought I did a great job with that routine. Ana gave me a gold star at the end of it."

"For effort. That star was for effort."

"Whatever. I crushed it." I lift my eyelids and take in the slope of her waist in front of me before quickly dropping them again. Talia needs to relax and get some sleep for the long day we have. This isn't the time for round two.

"Have you ever been to Vegas before?" she asks in a quiet, relaxed tone.

"Yeah. A couple of times. Have you?"

"Yeah. I hate it."

"Hate it?" While I don't think Vegas is all that it's cracked up to be, I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate it.

"I hate seeing people throw their money down the drain like that. Life's savings. College funds. It all goes to the casinos in the end." She sighs before continuing. "My dad has a bit of a gambling problem and my brothers tell me it's getting worse."

I stay deathly still. The times in life where Talia shares something personal are too few to count, and so when it does happen, I make sure not to cause a single ripple of disturbance.

"He was always so good with money, and then when my mom died, he started to gamble. It wasn't so bad until he drained out one of his accounts that he had been putting money into for over twenty years."

"I'm so sorry, Tal. That must've been hard to see."

She nods before sighing again. "It is what it is. But sometimes I worry if I'm going down the same path. Sometimes I think about the investments we make for people. It is a bit like gambling if you think about it."

"Not really though. We're smart about it and we never put all our eggs in one basket."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Each nugget of information about Talia's personal life is like stumbling upon a chest of treasured gold. How close is she to her dad and brothers? I shouldn't pry. I know better than to shake us out of this bubble we've gotten ourselves into.

It isn't long before light snoring reaches my ears. Yet, any chance I'm able to fall asleep has disintegrated with our mindless chit-chat tinted with unrestriction. We talked about random things, making each other giggle like we're two school kids catching up under the bleachers.

I try not to think of long-term scenarios, but I can't help it. My job mandates me to strategize. But any way I look at it, I come to the same conclusion I had earlier. Better to just forget about everything, including the strong current of emotion rippling through me, and just have fun on this trip. It's settled. Whatever happens in Vegas needs to stay in Vegas.

"We got this. Remember to stick to the plan," I say as we walk into the golf course lobby. There is no telling what rogue action Talia will take during this upcoming meeting. Still, I need to trust her if we're going to get anywhere.

"You remember to stick to the plan, Mr. I Love Interrupting People And Talking For Five Years Straight." Talia rolls her eyes with a smirk playing on her lips.

"Watch that tone, or you'll regret it later tonight when I have you on your back again," I whisper as we make our way to the check-in desk.

Talia's body visibly shudders, making my groin tighten. Shit. How am I going to get through the day, let alone a full meeting, without ripping her clothes off?

After checking in, I stride into the golf club's restaurant while Talia goes to change into the golfing outfit the front desk held for her. I re-read through the email one of my analysts sent regarding the potential client. It details the estimated revenue we'd make if we signed with Tucker, indicating this deal could set us up well to meet our financial targets for the rest of the year. Translation: This is a big one and I can't screw it up.

Tucker and his manager Derek arrive a couple of minutes later and I stand up from my seat at one of the tables along the window. "Nice to meet you! My colleague Talia is just getting changed, and she'll be out any minute," I say to the pair once they reach me.

One is clearly Tucker, a nineteen-year-old kid in a red zip-up hoodie and jeans. The other is clearly Derek the Manager, around my age, and in a well-tailored charcoal suit. It almost looks as if Tucker is a kid being dragged out by his dad to have lunch with his dad's friends. When I register their attire, my brow shoots up. "No golf today?"

"I'm afraid not," Derek responds. "We have a couple more meetings after this, so we figured we'd just chat over drinks and then head out."

"Ahh okay no worries, please have a seat," I respond, while I internally pout like a five-year-old kid who can't go to the zoo anymore.

"Thanks for meeting us, we-" Derek's voice stops as soon as something catches his gaze behind me.

I turn around and my stomach flutters when I see her. She's wearing a white, sleeveless tennis dress that clings to her torso and flares around her hips at the bottom, reaching her mid-thighs and showing off her long legs. The zipper on the front of the dress isn't zipped all the way up and reveals a hint of cleavage. Blood drops to my groin as I rake my gaze over her. I tear myself away and notice that the room has quieted slightly. Every man has been cast under her spell, including Derek whose smile widens as Talia nears our table. Close your fucking mouth, Derek.

I clear my throat before standing up. "There she is," I say as I move to block half of the restaurant's view. I place a hand on the small of her back, guiding her to her seat. "Derek, Tucker, please meet my colleague, Talia."

"Nice to meet you, both," Talia says, putting out her hand for a shake.

Derek's smile widens even more as he shakes her hand. He holds it for a couple of seconds longer than necessary and lets Talia know how pleased he is to meet her. Calm your dick, Derek.

My jaw clenches as I pull out Talia's chair for her to sit. The words of my dad speed through my mind. Maybe the client took a liking to Talia's looks. Yet, I quickly shake the thought away and force back my friendly smile.

After introductions, Talia and I dive into our prepared spiel about Legacy Wealth. While we try speaking to both Tucker and Derek, Tucker looks as if he could care less about this meeting. The young man even yawns at one point.

"This all sounds great, thank you for sharing with us," Derek responds after I go over some points about my customer success team. "We'll be in touch."

Talia and I look at each other with questioning glances before I ask, "Tucker, what are your thoughts on all of it?"

Tucker faces Derek who gives the kid a stern look. What is going on?

Finally, the young man turns back, glancing between Talia and I. "Sounds like a load of horse shit."

Derek sighs and glances up to the ceiling, like he's saying a silent plea while Talia and I sit here, utterly dumbfounded.

"Excuse me?" Talia asks with a raised voice and I place a hand on her knee to keep her calm. She relaxes slightly under my touch.

"Sorry, Derek, I know you told me not to say anything, but this all sounds like a load of horse shit." Tucker crosses his arms and leans back in his seat.

"Which part?" I squeeze Talia's knee tighter as if it'd help me control myself. We flew across the country this morning for this kid to tell us their work is horse shit? Fuck that.

"All of it!" Tucker huffs and turns to his manager. "Derek, I told you I don't want a traditional firm!" He glances back at us with a scowl on his face. "Do you guys even do cryptocurrency or Bitcoin? That's where the future is and that's where I want to put my money."

Talia's head shifts back before she scoffs. "If you wanted to put your money in crypto you might as well just use the slot machines right outside. That'll throw it all right down the drain. Talk about horse shit."

My breathing stops for a moment. While I thought something similar, I'm not going to tell that to a potential client. But we're in this together and I can't butt heads against her right now, so I need to just roll with it. "Talia is right, Tucker. Crypto is extremely volatile, unpredictable, and largely unregulated. We have a proven track record with our methods that we can guarantee will give you a better return on your investment in the long run."

Tucker sighs. "I'll think about it, okay?" He turns to his manager. "I'll be outside waiting."

I open my mouth to say something but then quickly close it when no words come to mind except for: What the hell?

Talia's knee bounces under my hand and she turns to Derek once Tucker leaves the room. "Derek, I'm surprised and, quite frankly, pissed off you had us come all the way out here just to turn us down. Our understanding was that your client was very interested in our business. And now this? What the fuck is the issue here?"

Fuck. My dick hardens instantly. Talia has rendered Derek speechless for a moment and I try to contain my smile. I glance down at her cleavage which is begging to break the zipper resting between it and gulp, forcing myself to look back at Derek.

"R-right. So sorry about that. We are. I mean he is interested." Derek pulls at his collar before taking in a deep breath. "Here's the truth. I like you guys and I wouldn't be doing my job correctly if I didn't take this meeting. We all know you would be the best choice over funneling everything into some crypto bullshit, but Tucker can't see that. I guess I was hoping you'd say something that would spark his interest."

Talia crosses her arms and leans back in her seat. The zipper has shifted slightly lower and now her tits are all I can think about.

Focus, Lucas! I remove my hand from Talia's knee and thread it with my other on the table. "Well, we didn't know, Derek," I sneer a little too heavily on Derek's name. "If we'd known we would have approached this situation very differently."

"You're right. Listen, I want this to work out just as much as you guys do. Tucker's birthday party is tonight at Caesar's Palace Omnia Nightclub. I'll get your names on the list and we'll figure something out. I have to go." And with that, Derek scurries away like a rat caught eating a scrap of food on the ground.

Talia's gaze meets mine and the confusion on her face softens into a smile of disbelief. "Well, I guess we're going to a teenager's birthday party tonight."

My eyes drop to Talia's plump lips. "Follow me," I command before shooting up and leading the way to one of the private business rooms. I had Ethan book it for us just in case we needed to catch up on work. Yet, what I have in mind has nothing to do with work and everything to do with Talia.