HOTLINE
Chapter 3

"Hi Lucas. I'm glad you called."

After Sami answered her phone, Lucas remembered that he hadn't planned what he'd say to her before calling. Now that he was hearing her voice lilting so playfully in his ear, it wasn't making it any easier for him to think. However, he wasn't one to let an opportunity pass him by.

"So you're glad I called, huh?" Lucas replied flirtatiously, not missing a beat. "Are you saying I've been on your mind all morning? What have you been thinking about me?" his husky voice asked suggestively. This conversation had gone to the gutter rather quickly, even for him.

Sami instantly forgot her playful greeting as soon as she heard Lucas' cocky response. He had hit a little too close to home for her liking. He had been on her mind not only all morning but all of last night tooincluding in her dreams. Perhaps that was why the ease with which he slipped into a casual yet provocative banter unnerved Sami. She was beginning to question whether it was a good idea to open the Pandora's Box that was their relationship. Automatically, her defenses went to red alert. Nevertheless, leave it to Lucas Roberts to piss her off by being as vulgar as possible.

"You really know how to charm a girl, don't you Casanova," was Sami's sarcastic reply. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm only glad because I knew you were going to call and it's good that we're getting our confrontation over with." Her testiness was never a good sign and Lucas could hear her clicking her pen nervously. "I'm sure you've spoken to Fred over at Will's camp but before you start, I just want you to know that"

"Calm down, Sami. Talk about a mood killer! Why do you have to get so defensive?"

As soon as the words left his mouth the answer had already popped into his head. She must be feeling pretty vulnerable and embarrassed, afraid that he would be annoyed with her. She always tried to cover it up with sarcasm, but he knew her better than that. It took him a little longer than it used to this time but at least he had pinned it down. "Look," he said calmly and slowly, "I'm not mad or annoyed or any other expression of irritation."

There was silence on the other end as if Sami were digesting his words. "Oh," she said simply. "I knew that." Her response was so soft, as if she was speaking more to herself.

Lucas grinned smugly at her backtracking. He was comforted by the fact that he wasn't alone in this. Her reaction told him that she was over-thinking things too. "I really did believe you last night. You didn't have to have someone from Will's camp call me but it was a nice gesture. I'll try not to let it get out what a sweetheart you can be." He chuckled as he heard her mock gasp at the implication.

"Don't get all mushy on me Lucas. It's not like anyone would believe you anyway."

"Me, mushy...never, Sami."

"Right," Sami replied skeptically. There was a long pause before she continued. "I know that you aren't in the habit of trusting me." Sami cut Lucas off quickly when he tried to interrupt her. "And I know that I haven't given you reason toand that I'm not one to trust you either." When she got no response from him, she went on. "I wanted you to know that I was really serious about what I said last night. We have to start somewhere, right? So that was my peace offering, sort of. To let you know that maybe we can start to trust each other again, if only for Will's sake."

For the second time in a twenty-four hour period, Sami had rendered him speechless. He could live to be a thousand years old and he would never figure this woman out. But, boy did she make it a whole lot of fun to try.

When he got his thoughts back on track, he found that he didn't really know what to say. How did you tell someone who it seems has always been in your lifefor better or for worsethat you want things to be different? How could he find the words to express to her this combination of fear and excitement? Did he really want her to know about the hopefulness that was currently overwhelming his heart? It sounded like she already knew and maybe was feeling it too.

When he finally found his voice, it was quiet and intense with emotion. "Let's do it, Sami. I know we should do this for Will, but we need to do this for us too. We were so good once." On the other end of the line, Sami nodded in silent agreement smiling warmly at his words and at the memories. They had been the best.

The seconds lingered on with neither knowing where to go next with the conversation. "So..." Sami said clearing her throat.

"So..." Lucas said at the exact same time. They both giggled nervously until Lucas finally got his question out. "What are you doing working on a Saturday? I thought that was my department." Since he began working for Tony, Saturdays had become Will's day to spend with his mother due to Lucas' work schedule.

"Well not anymore," Sami spat out bitterly. "I just don't want to give your mother any excuse to bitch about me to everyone within earshot. Not that my being her productive little slave is going to stop her from doing that. You know your mother hates me." Sami didn't feel comfortable divulging her real intentions. She accepted that he was a pretty decent guy these days but she knew all too well what a pushover he could be when it came to his mother. When those two got together, it usually spelled trouble for her.

Lucas also accepted that talking about his mother was guaranteed to cause the conversation to go downhill fast and he hadn't called her to start a fight. True, he didn't really know why he had called her but a pleasant conversation was his hope. That meant that all talk concerning his mother was off limits. "I didn't call you to talk about my mom, Sami." He tried to keep his voice neutral so as not to ignite her temper.

"So why did you call then," Sami drawled out coyly. Her tone made it sound like she was taunting him and maybe she was a little bit.

Lucas switched his phone to the other ear to stall for time before finally answering her. "Maybe I just wanted to bug you at work," he replied enigmatically, his trademark smirk appearing on his lips. He picked up his remote control and started flipping through his cable channels aimlessly.

"Ha! You didn't even know I was at work so maybe you better try again, General." If they had been face to face, she would have also told him to lose that insufferable smirk she knew he couldn't help but flaunt.

There it was again, her old nickname for him. Upon hearing that, said smirk transformed into a 100 watt smile. Things were definitely looking up. Of course, that didn't stop him from taking her bait since he could never back down from Sami's challenging tone even when they had been the best of friends so many years ago.

"I did too know you were at work!"

"Are you psychic now too? I guess now you and Celeste are going to start your own club. This time I really have underestimated your various talents," Sami said rolling her eyes. "Can you give me a couple of lotto numbers while you're at it." She laughed at her own silly joke, enjoying the harmless ribbing she was giving him.

"Aren't you the comedian today?" Lucas hated when she made fun of him but he was currently taking some sort of perverse pleasure in it. What was this woman doing to him? "Damn right you underestimate my many secret talents. I'm sure you're dying to find out what they are, right Sami?" he added sexily, trying to goad her further.

Sami wasn't going to fall for his silly attempts to flirt with her and continued to chuckle into the phone. "Well, I'm no Dave Chappelle but I can come up with a zinger or two on occasion. Come on Lucas, just tell me why you called."

"I'm serious, Sami. Don't tell me you're having trouble believing I would call simply to give you a hard time." He was clearly frustrated that she wasn't playing along but tried not to show it too much. "But since you brought it up, I can tell you that I knew you were at work because your neighbor Bruce told me. He said he saw you earlier this morning as you were leaving your apartment."

"Oh yeah." Sami now remembered talking to Bruce before leaving the building. Of course she hadn't had her coffee at that point but she had spent a few moments playing with Ben and Jerry, his two little dogs. "I sure did run into Bruce on my way out. Did he have his cute little dogs with him when you saw him? Those dogs are so cute! Maybe we should get Will a little dog like that." She clapped her hands together at the idea of getting a pet for Willone that she could actually enjoy.

Lucas attempted to pay attention to Sami's idle chatter but he was too busy trying to figure out when Sami got complete control over the conversation. Still, he could practically feel her delight through the phone and it was infectious. Then the image of his son cooing over a little chihuahua materialized in his mind and he knew he needed to put a stop to this plan right now. Will was meant to have a big, playful dog like a golden retriever or one of those cool black labradors.

"Sami, come on nowa chihuahua? I think our son would be more interested in a dog with a little more bite if you know what I mean." He leaned his head back on the couch and tossed a pillow up in the air.

"But they're so cute Lucas! Did you see Bruce's dogs? How could you resist those little guys? We could get him cute little outfits and take him for walks..."

Lucas' over-dramatic placating sigh cut off her remaining plans for their potential addition to the family. "How about when Will gets back from camp, we can discuss getting a dog with him. For now, don't start heading for the dog run, okay?" He needed to slow Sami down as difficult as it was for him. Her excitement made him want to give her the world.

Sami pouted as she shifted in her uncomfortable office chair. "Fine, spoil sport. But you can't silence me for long since according to Fred, Will be be back in a few short weeks. That'll be plenty of time for us to research our new plan." Sami smiled with pleasure over their first new scheme in ages. It felt good.

However, her mention of the camp counselor brought the tinges of frustration back into Lucas' mind. He had a burning question for her and he meant to get an answer. "That's something else I wanted to ask you about." He started slowly and carefully to gauge her reaction. "Since when are you and 'Fred' so chummy, huh? When he left that message for me, he made it sound like you two were old friends or something." He knew that he had been unsuccessful in keeping the slight bitterness out of his question but he was too focused on her answer to really care.

Sami stared blankly at the ceiling as she pondered Lucas' bizarre queryposed in a less than congenial tone. He sounded totally pissed which only confused her since he had just told her not two minutes ago that he appreciated Fred's call. Men were so weird with Lucas being the prime example every time.

Sami sighed heavily deciding that she didn't want to bother guessing what had got him so worked up when they had been having such a fun conversation...unless...

No, it couldn't be!

Although it seemed to be the most logical answer, why on earth would Lucas be acting so jealous? Surely, he wasn't suggesting that she and Fred had a thing going. But that thought was quickly forgotten when she considered the other factors contributing to the absurdity of what he was insinuating. It was almost too incredulous for Sami to believe.

He was just asking for her to play with him. She knew that it might be a little mean but it was probably the only entertainment she would have all day. "Lucas, are you asking me if I was flirting with good 'ole Freddy?" She pretended to contemplate the possibility before continuing. "So what if I was," she finally replied, albeit cryptically. "What's so wrong with that?" As a mischievous grin lit up her face, her immediate reaction was that this was way too easy!

Lucas hadn't actually thought that Sami would admit to itor that it would irk him as much as it did. "That's just great Sami. Now you're throwing yourself at Will's camp counselor? I can't believe you!" His irritation was growing by the second and he had no idea why. Why should he care if Sami flirted with some guy? Well, he knew the answer to that, but those thoughts were beside the point right now. She was the one on the hotseat.

Sami, on the other hand, was about to hurt herself over silently laughing at Lucas. Sure she wasn't pleased with what he had implied about her "throwing herself" at their son's counselor but really, the situation was too funny for her not to appreciate. She couldn't help but torture him a little more for his insolence.

"I know this may be hard for you to recognize but I'm a young, virile woman, Lucas."

Great! Now all he could think about is just how virile that sexy, young body of hers actually was. That admission certainly got his attention. He agreed with that 100.

Sami figured that the mental image of her body must have given him pause and kept the commentary rolling. "Ever since my accident, I just don't feel very attractive." She conjured up her best damsel-in-distress voice for him and tried to sound as hot and bothered as she could muster.

On his end, Lucas couldn't believe Sami was saying these things. Was she kidding? Who wouldn't notice how hot she is?

"I just need to feel a little sexy every now and then," she purred. She was having so much fun with this. "When I talked to Freddy this morning, we just clicked. He said I was a doll and that he LOVED chatting with me. He's SOOO cute, and funny too. He told me this one story"

Lucas was reaching his limit. He had jumped up from the couch and was now pacing around his apartment in agitation. "I don't want to hear about any of his stupid stories." He had liked the friendly camp counselor 20 minutes ago but now he loathed the little troll with an intense, burning passion.

Sami stopped abruptly trying her best to hold back her laughter. "You don't have to get all huffy. I'm just trying to explain. Why do you have to ruin everything Lucas? He said I sounded fun and sassy and that he would like the chance to get to know me better. Nobody ever talks about me like that. Not even people who are supposed to like me," she added with a whining lilt in her voice.

"That's not true," Lucas said quietly. He had always thought that she was fiery and sassy even when they had been bitter enemies. It was something that he always loved about her; she had to know that.

"Yes it is and you know it. So don't go making fun of me and Freddy." When Lucas didn't answer her right away, she figured she had tortured him enough. "Besides, you have nothing to worry about."

"What makes you think I'm worried?" Lucas asked on impulse although his tone was more on the defeated side.

"Oh please, Lucas. Have you been listening to yourself for the last five minutes of this conversation?"

He knew it had been a dumb thing to say but how could he be expected to think straight around her? She made him so crazy! Little did he know that thinking straight was way off base.

"For God's sake, Lucas, Fred isn't even playing on my team, if you know what I mean." Her tone was one of irritation but the giggle that escaped did not go unnoticed.

"What!" Lucas shouted into the phone.

Sami twirled around in her chair relishing in Lucas' shock and discomfort. Playing with him really had been too easyand too fun. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and burst into peals of laughter. "Do I have to spell it out? He's G-A-Y. Gay." When Lucas became silent on his end of the phone, Sami got a little worried. "Geez, Lucas, you're not going to get all 'Boyscout' on me are you? I thought you knew that."

Lucas was quiet for a few more moments. "That's not what I meant and you know it," he pouted. She had totally played him and he walked right into her trap. Now that he thought about it, he did remember being told that Fred was gay. The realization slowly hit him that Sami and Fred Woodbridge couldn't possibly be having a "thing." He didn't join in Sami's laughter for trying to hide his immense relief.

"Could've fooled me," Sami commented through a string of chuckles. "Besides," she said, remembering the other subject of her and Fred's conversation. "Let's just say that if good ole Fred were to take a crack at one of Will's parents, it wouldn't be me." With that statement she broke into another fit of laughter. When Lucas still didn't respond, Sami feared she had taken the joke too far. They were just starting to get along again and she really didn't want to screw it up by making him angry over a stupid, yet wildly funny joke.

In actuality, Lucas was thinking he'd never been so happy to have caught the eye of another guy. He noticed that Sami's laughter had died down and he could tell she was waiting for his response thinking that maybe he was mad at her.

Lucas once again smirked into the phone. "Well, try not to sound so jealous," he said plainly. "I can't help it if all manner of human beings find me irresistible." The sound of her laughter tickling his ear again through the phone was the sweetest of music and he joined in willingly. Only Sami could have this kind of effect on him.

They laughed for what seemed like forever, enjoying the new comfort and friendship they had found in each other.

"Hey, do you maybe want to have lunch or something?" Lucas asked spontaneously. He hadn't really expected such a request to fall out of his mouth but today seemed to be all about spontaneity and he genuinely wanted more of her company. He waited with patience and expectation for her answer.

For some reason, she really wanted to spend some more time with Lucas. The two short conversations they had had made her yearn for more. There was no denying the connection between them. Sami wanted to immediately say yes to his invitation but a quick glance at the piles of paper on her desk brought her back to reality. She was again reminded of Kate and the horrid turn of events that had made her the underling of her nemesis. Of course, thoughts of Kate also quickly reminded Sami that things between her and Lucas just weren't going to be simple or easy.

"Umm, I would really love to but"

Her hesitance to answer made Lucas suspect that she would turn him down. He should have known better than to rush things. It was just that they had been having a moment and he hoped that maybe it didn't need to end.

"Sami, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have asked. I know you're at work and I'm really sorry." He reasoned that giving her an out was the best way to remedy this now awkward situation.

"No Lucas," Sami added quickly. "That's not it. I mean, that IS it actually but..." Sami sighed into the phone. "I'm not explaining myself well."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Sami. I shouldn't have asked." Lucas said regretfully.

Sami could hear the disappointment in his voice which perfectly matched the emotions she was feeling. "It was a lovely offer Lucas. And I AM hungry," she said reassuringly. "It's just that I have so much work today and"

"And I've been distracting you with my charm and witty banter," Lucas finished lightly. "It's okay. Maybe some other time."

"Yeah," Sami replied. He had put himself out there and she felt like she had poured a bucket of cold water over the situation. She got the impression that he thought she wasn't interested but she wasn't feeling that at all. Suddenly, she felt a panic rise from the pit of her stomach compelling her to do something before it was too late. "Lucas?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?" He hoped he didn't sound as desperate to her as he felt. This was one straw that he wanted to grasp with all of his might if it would get him what he wanted. And right now, he wanted his friend Sami back.

"How about dinner instead?" Her voice was hopeful and Lucas quickly realized that she wanted this as much as he did. Whatever "this" actually was presently.

Lucas beamed and looked down shyly even though she was nowhere in the room. "That sounds nice. How about at the Pub?" It was only fitting that their new beginning should take place there. "We did some of our best plotting in those booths didn't we?"

Sami chuckled quietly into her phone. "We sure did. I think people will get a little nervous seeing us together there. You never know; it might inspire us. I'm sure we've still got it."

"You bet we do," Lucas said warmly. "So, 7:00? You should be done then, right?"

Sami flipped through her pile and did a mental calculation. "7:00 sounds fine. But I better get back to work. I'll see you tonight."

"Wait!" Lucas said quickly before she hung up. When he was sure she was still on the line, he racked his brain for one more thing to say to her before they parted ways. "Don't forget to eat lunch, young lady." His stern voice was tinged with amusement. "I mean, I can't have you pigging out at dinner. People will talk, you know." He knew it was pretty lame but at least their conversation was ending on a light note.

"Thanks Dad!" Sami whined mimicking his earlier sentiment from the night before. "Don't worry. I brought some food from home so I'll be sure to eat that well before dinner. I don't want to be responsible for ruining your pristine reputation."

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other." With an almost inaudible sigh, Lucas finally forced himself to end their phone call. "I guess I'll see you later. Bye Sami."

"Bye Lucas, I'll see you soon."

They both hung up with identical smiles on their faces. They glanced at their respective clocks hoping for the day to go by faster.