Heartstopper(39)

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."

"What the fuck do you mean, not now?" Nathan says in my ear, sounding as  breathless as the rest of us. "Roxy was just on the radio."

"I know," I gasp, looking around my office. My body is burning, my chest  tight and my stomach twisting. I know what I need to do. "But I need to  think."

"Look, just listen up for a moment," Nathan says, laughing. "I just got  off the phone with the insurance company. They got back to me, and  they're cutting us a check. All of it, full policy value."

"That's great, Nathan, but right now, I need you to do something else," I  say, grabbing my suit coat and pulling it on. Elena and Hannah are  still staring at me, trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing. "Is  there anything we can do to escalate the cleanup? Triple the amount of  workers if we need to, get the club cleaned and patched up. If we can't  do that, then we're doing this thing in the fucking parking lot in front  of the fountain. That still works, right?"

"Uh, It works, but what are you talking about?" Nathan asks.

"I've got a woman I need to win back. And she's got a concert to put on.  Roxy's going to sing Heartstopper live for her fans. No matter what."

I hang up my phone and head for my office door. As I reach the handle, Elena calls out. "Sir!"

"What?" I ask, turning back.

"There is a board meeting in forty-five minutes," Elena says. "You're supposed to be there."

I button my suit coat, nodding, and head back, grabbing my laptop and  briefcase before I turn back around. "I forgot, but I'm still leaving.  Tell them I had something very important to attend to. If they don't  accept it . . . well, they can fire me."





Chapter 29





Roxy





"And now, that local artist who's shooting up the charts. She's reached  number twenty-five on the iTunes download charts already . . . here's  Roxy with Heartstopper!"

I look over at the radio, shaking my head as I reach over and turn it  off. While I'm amazed and shocked that my song has gained so much  traction, I don't need to listen to it again. I suspect that most of the  buzz in downloads is from locals who saw me at the club, but it still  feels good.

Mr. Felix is sitting in my lap, purring. It helps, even though I still  feel a little down. Looking around the apartment, it's hard. In packing  my stuff up, this place just doesn't look at all like the apartment I've  shared with Hannah.

Some of the things are the same, the voice in my head says. This sofa is the place you and Jake first had sex.

I run my hands along the cushion, sighing. Setting Felix aside, I glance  at the clock. It's nearly five thirty now, and Hannah said she'd be  home around six. I promised her that I'd get some delivery Chinese food  for us to share. I feel like hell, running out on her, but she said that  she's already got people lined up to share rent with her. I think she's  trying to make me feel better about it, but I hope it's true.

There's a knock at the door, and I set Felix aside. Going over, I look  through the peephole to see that it's Mindy, and I open up. "Hey, Min,  what's up?"         

     



 

"What's up?" she asks, grinning. "I just heard you on the radio again,  and you ask what's up? I see you've got the jaded pop star act down  already."

I smile slightly, letting Mindy in. She looks around, whistling. "Wow, you got packed quickly. Is Hannah upset?"

"No, she says she understands, and we're going to have some girl time  later. I mean, I still haven't turned in my resignation to the office.  I've got another three days of vacation time built up."

"That's good," Mindy says. "So where is your stuff, anyway?"

"I packed up what I'm going to take. It's in my room. Feels strange to  be living out of a suitcase again. Well, partially. I gave Hannah a lot  of my office clothes. If I ever have to put on a professional pencil  skirt and those damn heels again, I'm going to scream."

Mindy chuckles, nodding. "The advantages of owning a cafe. I wear New  Balances to work most days. The only heels I have I wear when Oliver and  I-"

"TMI!"

Mindy laughs. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here."

"Where?" I ask. "I mean, I promised Hannah dinner!"

"Send her a text. She'll understand. And if she is upset, tell her  Oliver Steele will pay for her to go out to dinner tomorrow anywhere in  town."

I can't help it. I smirk. "More of his ‘fuck you' money?"

"Something like that. Come on, the whole family's waiting for you."



I wake up with a start, surprised that I dozed off. Part of it was that  I've been getting over my depression, and part of it has been that my  body clock is still so screwed up. I blink, looking around. "Where are  we?"

Mindy, who's driving, glances over. "Ha, you don't recognize it?"

I sit up some more, looking out the side windows. Unfortunately, Mindy's  got some of those dark tinted windows and it takes me a minute. "We're  heading downtown. I thought you said we were getting together with  everyone. The hotel's out near the airport, right?"

"Right both times, but I didn't say that the rest of the fam was at the hotel."

I'm immediately suspicious, my shock growing as we make a right turn and I see Club Jasmine. "What the hell are we doing here?"

"Trust me," Mindy says, parking out front. The amount of work that's  been done is amazing. There's still some scorch marks on the front, but  all of the fire smell is gone. Mindy leads me up the steps, opening the  door. It's dark inside, and I blink, trying to adjust to the gloom.  "Well, here we are."

"Mindy, this is so not cool," I complain. "I mean, why remind me . . ."

"She's baaaa-aaaaaack!" an electronic voice booms out of the darkness,  and suddenly, stage lights blossom. The floor is still a mostly scarred  wreck, but they've swept and cleared out an area in the middle, where  the bare concrete is surrounded by lights.

Hannah steps out of the shadows, grinning. "Our guest of honor has arrived. Have a seat."

"Mindy, what is going on?" I ask as the lights come up and I see Mom, Grandma, Brianna . . .

"Hit it!" Hannah says as Mindy leads me over to a chair and sits me  down. Hannah moves out of the light as bumping dance music starts up.  There's a silly little curtain, nothing more than a rope with a sheet  hung over it, and Hannah giggles as she gets on the mic again. "Welcome  to the Club Jasmine Gentlemen's Revue!"

Suddenly, the curtain twitches, and Bertha comes running out, yapping  furiously. "Goddammit, Mary Jo, if you don't stop dragging that thing  with you everywhere, I'm not going with you anywhere anymore!"