Page 20 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
Roxie:
Tell Richard and Molly I said hi :)
Roxie:
Wear something hot tonight. We’re getting you a finance bro one way or another.
“I’ve got to run. Roxie’s waiting for me for … dinner tonight. I’ll talk to you guys next week?” My parents nodded and waved as I disconnected the call.
Roxie was right. After striking out on my first attempt at securing a date for “Love on Wall Street” because of James’s intervention, the only solution was to try again. Show up on a different day and hope that my very attractive arch-nemesis had somewhere else to be tonight.
Tonight called for the leather jacket that was collecting dust in the back of my closet. I wasn’t about to let the opportunity of a lifetime slip out of my grasp just because I ran into a roadblock. Even if that roadblock had the warmest blue eyes I’d ever seen, a smile that made my stomach flip, and a stupid dimple. Did I mention he was really, really tall?
“What about them?” Roxie pointed toward two men casually leaning by the dart board in the far corner of Whiskey Locker. Both had their suit jackets draped over their chairs, sleeves rolled up to reveal well-toned forearms. They looked nearly identical—perfectly styled hair, clean-shaven, expensive watches, shoes without a single scuff on them. Each of them held an Old Fashioned.
They were just what I needed.
Without allowing enough time for my mind to talk me out of it, I slid off my stool and sauntered across the bar, with Roxie following closely behind.
“You know, I’ve always found people who can play darts so impressive.” I hated how my voice rose in pitch, as if I suddenly shared matcha latte girl’s personality. “Every time I even attempt to play, I never get a single one on the board.”
The only difference between the men standing in front of us was their hair color—one dark and the other fair. Except for that, from their suits to their watches, their shoes to their clean shaves, they were pretty much interchangeable. The blond guy had posed to throw his dart, but dropped his hand and gestured for me to step forward.
“I can help you, if you’d like.” He smiled, a row of gleaming white teeth shining back at me. “I’m Graham.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Graham. I’m Hallie,” I told him as I stepped in front of him to the white line on the ground. Graham was average build, average height, without a single blemish on his face. Everything about him wasaverage. But that didn’t stop me from ever so slightly enjoying the feel of him behind me as he drew close.
All it took Roxie was a sly look as she tucked her hair behind her ear for Graham’s friend to pull a chair out for her and slide into the free one across from her. The two already diving into their own conversation.
“It’s all in the wrist,” he murmured. He handed me a dart, his breath tickling my ear, and gently guided my hand upward. Unlike James’s rich timbre, his voice was much lighter. It barely tickled my eardrum, where James’s voice sunk deep into my bones.
