Page 89 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
Brandon leaned over, having ditched his apron for dinner, and whispered in my ear, “If Hallie could bring some extra attention to this place, it could really give us the edge we’ve been looking for. Plus, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you like this before. Not even with Cassidy.”
I had to give it to my cousin. He was quick as a whip and, despite his love for a good club in Dumbo, he’d do great things for the restaurant.
“I really like her, man,” I told him. Because that was the truth. Fate and a copious amount of bickering over Old Fashioneds had brought the two of us together, and I hoped it was fate that would keep us together as well.
“I can’t wait to bring Roxie to the restaurant. I can just imagine what she’d say about the food, and the pictures she’d take.” Hallie had been nonstop in the car since we’d left. She’d been busy switching between writing her initial thoughts and raving about nearly every item on the menu. “And your grandfather came up with the entire menu?”
I nodded.
“I think I want to center my article around him. How he’s built this amazing restaurant around two of the most important things in life—food and family.” Hallie finally looked up from her phone long enough for me to see the bright flush in her cheeks and the shine in her eyes. She looked happy, wild. “Plus, I think we owe him for saving us from a potentially awkward conversation about ‘Love on Wall Street’. I cannot believe your mother and grandmother have been following it weekly, like some kind of soap opera.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” I told her. “Honestly, I’m kind of relieved my mother basically knows the details of every one of our dates so far. That means she has less to interrogate me on.”
During the rest of dinner, there was only one thing on my mind. How in the hell could I convince the woman sitting next to me we should date? Like officially. With titles and everything. Because the longer I hung out with her, the more I doubted my usual methods of charming would work. But during dinner, I was repeatedly reminded that Hallie was unlike any other girl I had ever dated. She didn’t care if I had the smoothest pickup lines or knew exactly what to say. Words were more her thing anyway.
“I know you just stayed over last night, but I think it would be rude if I didn’t invite you over after our fourth date.”
Hallie’s eyes lit up, relieving any worry I had. “I thought you’d never ask. I’d love to, but it also works out pretty well. Roxie texted halfway through dinner that she was having someone over. She didn’t give me much detail,only asked if I could stay here again tonight because she wasn’t sure if he was going to stay over all night or not.”
My brows drew together in confusion. Roxie wasn’t the type of girl to be shy about her conquests. “I didn’t think Roxie cared if she had someone over while you’re home.”
“She normally doesn’t,” Hallie said with a shrug. “But who knows with her sometimes? She’s been tight-lipped about whoever she’s been going out with lately.”
“Then to the Upper West Side we go,” I declared as we emerged back in Manhattan off the Brooklyn Bridge.
“This is my favorite time of day,” Hallie mused as she looked out the window as the skyline of Manhattan twinkled back at her. “There’s so much excitement brewing for the possibilities of what a weekend in the city will bring.”
The skyscrapers of lower Manhattan and the Financial District towered over us to our left. Random floors and offices were still lit despite the late hour. I used to be one of those people, wrapping up business late on a Friday night. But it had been weeks since I’d stayed past five on a Friday. The rest of the city that never sleeps was clocking out of their day jobs and checking in for their dinner reservations or lining up outside of a club. A few months ago, I would have just been arriving at Whiskey Locker to claim my normal corner booth with Sebastian. But now, there were other things I wanted to taste than just my regular cocktail, things only Hallie could offer me.
I pulled up in front of my brownstone, my blood roaring in my ears as I walked around the car to open Hallie’s door. She gave me the same smile she always did when I did something so simple for her—pouring her a glass of wine, opening her door, walking on the part of thesidewalk closest to the traffic. I’d realized that she must have never had someone treat her with the respect and decency that she deserved.
It only made the pressure in my chest tighten, pressing down like it weighed a hundred pounds. Was I the right person for her? Could I give her what she wanted? What she deserved?
Theo Drake’s offer was at the front of my mind. If he stayed true to his word, I wouldn’t waste nights at the office away from her.
Was it even fair of me to ask her to start officially dating if I wasn’t sure my circumstances would align with what she wanted from a partner?
“Penny for your thoughts?” Hallie asked me as I locked the front door behind me.
Fuck it. Why the hell should I let someone like Hallie slip away from me simply because of a bunch of what ifs? I said I was going to make her mine. It’s time I put my money where my mouth is.
But when I turned to tell Hallie exactly that, my mouth grew dry again for a far different reason this time.
A pair of pants was the first thing I noticed. A pair of shoes. A shirt. Each article of clothing leading me toward the stairwell where Hallie stood in a black lace lingerie set. The moon shone in through the window next to her, illuminating her like she was a Renaissance painting.
Her curves were backlit, slipping in and out of shadow. I eyed the creamy expanse of her body. Nearly everything I’d planned to discuss with her slipped my mind.
“I’m not sure what I was thinking about,” I drew out, nearly stumbling over my words like a teenage boy seeing his first half-naked girl.
“You know that cannoli didn’t quite satisfy my sweet tooth.” Hallie trailed a finger up the banister as she ascended the stairs, one step at a time. “What do you think? Do you still have an appetite?”
This was a completely different side of Hallie. I’d seen glimpses of her like this—wild, and unapologetically free—but never this vividly. And the fact that I made her feel safe enough to let that part of herself breathe? That was everything.
A light, melodic giggle echoed off the walls as Hallie watched me undo my belt, slipping it slowly through the loops before letting it fall to the floor. Next were my shoes. Then my shirt, landing in a quiet heap. I was down to just my boxers as I climbed the stairs after her, chasing her laughter.
“How do you not get out of breath climbing those stairs every day?” she teased, already stretched out like a goddess across my bed.
“I work out in my home gym,” I said, suddenly struck with a strange kind of nervousness I didn’t recognize. Shy was normally never a part of my vocabulary. The woman of every dream I didn’t know I had was waiting for me, and I was frozen in the doorway like a fool.
