Page 21 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
Why the fuck are you thinking about James? Pull yourself together. That’s the last person you should think about right now.
With Graham’s hand guiding me, I pulled my arm backslightly before throwing the dart toward the board, fully expecting it to bounce off like every other time I’d ever played.
Instead, it stuck. In the far upper left of the board, but it stuck.
“Oh my gosh!” I jumped for joy, completely caught up in the moment. “I did it!”
Graham laughed as he watched me bounce on the balls of my feet. “You did it!”
“Only because I had an excellent teacher.” Graham’s smile deepened and his mouth opened as he prepared to respond but was quickly interrupted. Every ounce of hope that had grown in me over the past five minutes evaporated in an instant as my brain registered the voice.
“I’ll take next.”
James.
He stood a few feet away. Tonight, he was in a navy suit that complemented his tan skin perfectly and if I didn’t find the man infuriating, I would have allowed myself to acknowledge how attractive he looked.
What thefuckwas James doing here again? Didn’t this man have any other bars to spend his happy hours at? Or late hours to work as he sold his soul to capitalism?
James better thank his lucky stars that we were in a public place. That was the only reason I wasn’t letting him have it right now.
“Sure, man.” I wanted to scream with frustration as Graham gestured for James to take his spot. Blood drummed in my ears and the corners of my vision grew fuzzy as I stared at the smirk on James’s face.
The last thing I wanted was to let him think he’dswooped in and thwarted my evening once again. If James wanted to play, then we were going to play.
“Graham, do you mind getting me another glass of wine?” I asked lightly, offering him my glass with a smile. He didn’t hesitate, sliding out of his seat almost eagerly. I got some sort of sick thrill from the way James’s eyes narrowed.
“It would be my pleasure.”
I knew I was playing with fire, but I felt strangely brave tonight. Bold, even. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the sting of James’s intervention still lingering like cheap perfume. Either way, I wasn’t going to let him thwart my plans a second time.
“What a fool,” I heard James whisper under his breath as Graham made his way through the throng of people toward the bar.
“What was that?” I asked innocently, batting my lashes in his direction. James’s expression hardened, and I wasn’t sure which one of us was going to crack first.
“Ladies first.” His voice was low as he finally looked away, gesturing to the waiting dart board. Satisfaction bloomed in my chest as I stepped forward. My shoulder brushed against his chest, and I felt the sudden tension in his body before he stepped back, creating space between us.
Following the same tips that Graham had given me earlier, I pulled my arm back and let the dart fly. It bounced off the board with a sad little thud.
“Damnit,” I hissed. Despite having the finesse of a baby deer on ice, Ireallydidn’t want to lose to James.
“You didn’t put enough behind that one.” He movedin closer, and my pulse slowed as the air seemed to warm between us.
“I don’t need your help. I already have Graham’s.”
His jaw tightened. From this close, I could see the different shades of blue in his eyes—far too distracting for my own good.
“Graham’s an idiot and is currently chatting up the bartender,” James said flatly.
I glanced toward the bar. Sure enough, the bartender was leaning across the bar top and Graham looked like he was trying very hard not to drool directly into her cleavage. My empty wineglass was still in his hand.
Refusing to give James the upper hand again, I shrugged. “He’ll be back.”
A smirk tugged at his mouth. “Oh, he’ll be back—to let his friend know he’s staying put until the bartender’s shift ends and skipping the next bar entirely.”
“You areinfuriating,” I snapped. “You’re quite full of yourself, you know that, right?”
Time suspended for a moment as James stepped closer, until his chest hovered just a breath from mine. Our inhales and exhales lined up, synced like some cruel kind of duet.
