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.”

“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.”