Page 5 of New Girl in the City
“All right, all right. What’s the name of the new hot shot I’m going to steal from Chalmers down there to make up for letting you go?” she asked, bringing us back to the real reason I had called. There was nothing more I enjoyed doing than talking up talented friends, so it was easy to sell Claudia to Claire, and sell I did.
By the end of the call Claire was ready to send down a new hire paperwork packet and I promised to have Claudia send her resume up first thing in the morning. It was nearly a done deal. There was no way Claire would be able to resist Claudia’s natural charm and aptitude for the job. Claudia would be ecstatic. I was smiling when I hung up the phone, gathered my coat and reached for my phone to text her that it had gone better than good.
It had gone awesome.
Send your resume and references first thing to Claire Bryans at the Twin Forks branch. She’s already in love with you. You’re welcome.
I had just hit send on the text and was walking towards the elevator when a couple bumped into me on their way out of an office. Or rather, their tangled limbs stumbled out of a vacant office and into the hallway.
“Oh shit,” the man breathed, his hands tight on the woman’s waist. She was giving me a sheepish smile. “We thought everyone had left. I—we didn’t mean to just,” he shrugged and blew out a sigh. “You know.”
“Sorry,” the woman murmured and blushed before she cleared her throat, looking at me with worried gray eyes. She had really pretty eyes, I could tell that even with the concern in them at the moment. “Can you....not...I mean, can you not--”
“Tattle?” I asked, waving a hand flippantly. “Consider it forgotten,” I added, raising my hand to my lips and twisting an imaginary key before tossing it over my shoulder.
She let out a relieved giggle. “Thank god. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me! This is my first job out of college!” She gave me another embarrassed smile before the man took her hand and pulled her towards the office door.
“C’mon babe,” he said before tossing a quick “Thanks” over his shoulder to me.
I nodded numbly, watching them for another split second before I turned on my heel and set off at a decent clip towards the elevators. I had to move, had to get out of there and quick.
‘My first job out of college.’
‘We thought everyone had left.’
I squeezed my eyes shut and gave a quick shake of my head. The scene had gone from romantic romp at work to something far more sinister, more familiar and insidious. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the man, but he seemed...older than her.
I jabbed a finger at the elevator button with a jerk of my hand. “Don’t go there,” I warned myself, but even so I glanced over my shoulder towards the now closed office door. I didn’t know them. Shouldn’t project... but it was hard not to.
The elevator pinged and my eyes snapped back to it. “Thank god.” I got into the elevator and sank against the wall after hitting the home floor button. I needed a nice glass of wine and to get home. My phone dinged with a text and I pulled it out, grateful for a distraction for my thoughts. What was a newly graduated coed in PR thinking she was up to with an older man? Well, probably exactly what I had thought with Martin.
I was frowning when I looked down at my phone to see that I had been right. It was Claudia and boy, she was excited.
HOLY SHIT. YOU ARE A GODDESS.
My lips turned up in a smile at the text.‘Finally my greatness is recognized.’
‘I’m serious. How can I repay you?!!!!!!’
‘Just be amazing and charming like usual. Oh and cookies. I like cookies.’
‘I’ll buy you an entire cake. I love you.’
‘Back ‘atcha.’
‘Wait! Okay, so I’m going to get you cake but I also have this free pass to an elite online dating service. I was going to use it but that was when I thought I was going to be stuck down here in the city like a pleb. Do you want it?’
My eyebrows knit together as I stared down at her message. A dating service? Yes, I was lonely but outside of thinking of sparkly eyed men, I’d considered dating. Yes, I’d had some shitty luck, but had put in no real serious effort on my part since getting to the city. How was I going to navigate a dating app? And an elite one at that?
When I had tried dating I’d hardly had the stomach for a regular version of men’s nonsense, but now I was supposed to entertain ones that made it onto an elite dating app? Did that mean they were elite assholes? Fuck boys of the highest grade?
I tilted my head to the side, lips pursed in consideration. I mean, that did sound like a pretty fucking great time. Pretty men who wanted nothing more than a fling. And ones that had a real apartment and checking account.
Okay, I was interested.
‘What the hell. Send it my way.’
‘Yay! I’ll send it over in a sec. You are going to have your pick of the D.
