They both grin at me like a pair of mischievous school boys, not saying a word.
“Spit it out!” I beg as their smiles become infectious. “Or I’ma make Mindy come up in here and sing Barney.”
They both laugh at me, but Oliver is the one to speak. “Gavin and I have decided to invest a little in you using what I like to call ‘fuck you money’. Tomorrow, in ten different time slots on the local radio, Heartstopper is going to be played.”
“Yeah,” adds Gavin. “Not only that, but we’re going to release it on iTunes, Amazon, all that. You don’t need a label to self-publish.”
I blink, shocked. “You two . . . you’re batshit crazy!” I exclaim heatedly. “You realize this isn’t going to sell shit, right?”
“Who cares?” Gavin says with a shrug. “This isn’t about the sales.”
“I care!” I protest. “Guys, I tried iTunes already. I put a whole album on there. It sold exactly one hundred copies, and I suspect five of them were you guys!”
“Seven,” Gavin says matter-of-factly. “I wanted it to be a round number.”
“See!” I say. “You prove my point!”
“Girl, stop with all that fussing. You’re amazing,” Mindy, who’s been out in the hallway and talking with the sound guy, says, coming in. “It’s going on there or so help me God, I’m going to turn into Iggy Azalea and treat you guys to my first rap song.”
I throw my hands up in immediate surrender. “Oh, hell no. You win!”
Everyone in the studio laughs and Mindy says, “Girl, I promise you, Leigh’s going to be singing all the lyrics and copying her auntie’s twerk routine by lunch tomorrow.”
I grin, the first one I’ve had in awhile. It feels unfamiliar on my face—that’s how down I’ve been over the past few days. “Well, someone has to teach your daughter some life skills.”
Everyone laughs while we close up the studio, turning in the keys to the front desk.
“Mindy,” I say as we leave the studio. “Wait up.”
“Sure,” she says, waving Oliver and Gavin on. “You two go. We’ll see you at the hotel.” The guys leave, and she turns to me, smiling. “What’s up?”
“I can’t go back to my job,” I say, shaking my head.
“Is it the job or is it Jake?” Mindy asks, and I shrug. She pulls me in for a hug, and I gotta admit, it feels good. “I see. Well, if you find that you can't, why don’t you quit your job and come back home with us?”
“After what happened, I feel so guilty. I can’t face Jake. I just can’t. Not only because of the club, but it will just be so awkward after what we had going.”
Mindy nods. “We can help you back on your feet. Hell, I might even have a job for you in the cafe.”
When I think about it, what is here for me if there’s no Jake? Work is going to be so awkward. I just can’t imagine it. I want to go to Jake, but now I can’t bear to look at him, not after destroying his hard work and his relationship with his sister.
“I think I might take you up on that offer. Give me the weekend to think about it.”
Jake
Coming into the office Friday morning, the first thing I do when I get off the elevator is look over at Roxy’s desk.
Empty.
Again.
I sigh and go into my office, setting my briefcase down on my desk before slumping into my chair. I rub at my temples. It’s only eight forty-five and I’ve already got a headache. I know why, too. Sure, Sophie’s talking to me and the club’s cleaned out now, but there’s an aching hole in my chest. The same hole that’s in a cubicle just outside my office.
Elena drops off something for me to look over. I don’t really give a damn. A familiar figure goes by the office, and I look up, but it’s just Hannah. I can’t stand this any longer. I pick up my phone. “Elena?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have Hannah Fowler report to my office immediately, please.”
“Of course, sir,” Elena says in that tone of voice that says Great, he’s doing something crazy again. FML.
Still, Elena’s a professional, and fewer than five minutes later, Hannah knocks on my office door. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
I nod at the chair. “Relax, Hannah. I think you know what this is about. How is she doing? I haven’t seen her all week and she isn’t answering my texts. I miss her.”
“There isn’t much I can tell you,” Hannah says. “Mindy dragged her out of the apartment Wednesday, and she hasn’t been back since. Honestly, I’m sort of glad she’s out for a while. Her room was getting funky.”
I nod, and it breaks my heart to hear that. “Do you have any idea what she’s doing?”
Hannah shakes her head. “Sorry. She sent me a text last night saying to keep my ears open and that she’d have more information for me today, but that’s it.”
I swallow, leaning back. “Okay. Well, if you see her, talk to her, whatever . . . tell her I’d like to get in touch?”
“Of course,” Hannah says. “Will that be all?”
“Yes, thank you,” I say, when suddenly, my office door opens, and Elena’s there.
“Turn on the radio!” Elena says, running over to the old-fashioned FM radio that came with my office. “You have to hear this!”
She switches on the stereo, punching in 97.3, the local pop station. She cranks the volume and turns, giving me a look as the DJ goes on. “ . . . so after the recent fire, Roxy decided she needed to say she was sorry for the incident. And as a thanks to her fans from Club Jasmine, here’s the song that she was going to debut a week ago. Heartstopper.”
I jump to my feet as the background track that I’d heard only once before starts bumping and thumping on my stereo. Seconds later, Roxy’s pure, sensual voice fills my office.
It’s been too long, gotta get out
Hittin up the new spot with my girl
Lookin’ sexy as hell, workin’ the floor
Hoping to give this place a whirl
Nothin’ working so far, I’m getting desperate
I can’t stand this creep, where is my Superman?
He’s late, but I don’t give a damn.
One glance in his eyes, and I know what I need.
Gimme mouth to mouth, because he’s a total Heartstopper.
Heartstopper, Heartstopper
Can you feel it in my chest?
Heartstopper, Heartstopper,
Fingers on my breast
Your touch is electric,
Has been from the start
Give it to me baby,
Or I’ma stop your heart.
We head to the back, his lips on my neck
My knees shaking, my eyes rolling back
I feel like I’m drugged, everything’s a blur,
And I can’t believe when I grab his . . .
The bed’s right there, he pushes me down,
I bite my lip, I’m not like this,
But I won’t stop, can’t stop,
I have to have his kiss.
Heartstopper, Heartstopper
Can you feel it in my chest?
Heartstopper, Heartstopper,
Fingers on my breast
Your touch is electric,
Has been from the start
Give it to me baby,
Or I’ma stop your heart.
He’s looking at me, and I know he’s feeling the same
This isn’t a dance, this isn’t just one night.
Somehow it’s become more than a game,
He pulls off his shirt, I can’t believe the sight.
I’m leaving town tomorrow, I can’t stay the night
Have places to go, catching an early flight
If you want me to stay, you gotta come correct
My heart’s almost yours, take that final step
Heartstopper, Heartstopper
Can you feel it in my chest?
Heartstopper, Heartstopper,
Fingers on my breast
Your touch is electric,
Has been from the start
Give it to me baby,
Or I’ma stop your heart.
The final notes fade away, and I stare at the radio as smooth silence drifts over the radio for a few seconds before the DJ comes back on. “Wow. You know, I’ve been in the radio game for a long time, going on twenty years now, and I haven’t heard a song this hot from a new singer in—well hell, I’m going to get in trouble with my bosses, but fuck it, let’s play that every hour!”
“That’s Roxy?” Elena says. “I mean, I heard she was a singer but . . .”
Suddenly, my cellphone rings and I pick it up. It’s Nathan. “Nathan, not now.”