Page 34 of On the Power Play

She blew out a breath. "Not going to lie, I'm a little distracted this afternoon."

"Does that have anything to do with a certain hockey star?" Finn waggled an eyebrow. And there it was. Of course Finn had seen everything. Delia was about to blow him off when she remembered that Tony, Kels, and Mary were the only people on her team who would be privy to the knowledge that her relationship with Jack wasn't a true burgeoning romance. Well, and her mother. She hadn't officially gotten permission from Tony for that breach, but he had to know by now that she told her mother everything.

Delia plastered a smile on her face. "More like the media frenzy that came along with him."

"You threw chum in the water, love. What did you expect?" Finn grinned and swivelled on his chair. "How did you and Jack meet?"

Delia took a drink from her water bottle. "He came to the Calgary pop-up. His sister's a big fan." Not him, though. She stifled a grin remembering the flush of his cheeks when Clara announced he didn't know who she was.

"Convenient." Finn tapped his fingers on the edge of the mixing board. "You had a good time?"

"I . . . had tacos."

Finn nodded. "A good start."

Delia pulled out her tablet and cleared her throat. "Is there anything in particular you want me to pay attention to with this song?" She opened the sheet music to a bubbly pop number titled "Heartbeat on the Dance Floor." It was penned by a well-known songwriter named Jessie Harlow, and IndieLake had it poised to be Delia's next single. She scanned the lyrics.

"In the club, our eyes lock,

Magic in the air, tick-tock,

Feel the bass, let's rock,

With your heartbeat on the dance floor."

Delia sighed inwardly. A night club encounter. So hot right now. And so far from reality. Her lyrics definitely would’ve included lying about hair plugs and venereal diseases.

Finn fiddled with settings on the soundboard. "Let's play around and see what we get. You listened to the backing track?"

Delia nodded. "It's a little synth heavy."

"It is a dance track."

"Right."

Finn smirked. "You don't have to pretend it's your favourite."

"Good, because I wasn't going to." Delia glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above Finn's head. "Mary should be here soon, but we don't need to wait for her." She stood and took her tablet with her into the recording booth.

"Please, your enthusiasm is staggering." Finn's voice piped in through the speaker.

Delia held up her middle finger, then smiled to make sure he knew she was joking. Finn had always been on her side. Yes, he worked for IndieLake and had to give them what they wanted, but he wasn't a lackey. He owned their pandering fully and was more than willing to poke fun at the sellouts. Even when they were part of that group.

"From the top." Finn hit play, and the upbeat instrumental filled the room. Delia drew a deep breath and started to sing. She focused on her vocals. Her breath. Pretending she was singing something other than a cheesy pop anthem.

As the last notes faded, Finn rubbed his chin behind the glass. "Lovely. I know this was a warm up, but you're holding back, darling. This song is about letting go, feeling sexy in the moment."

Delia snorted. "Right, I'll just tap right into that energy."

"Delia, you’re a sexy beast." Mary's voice came over the speaker. "Do I need to force you into a club wearing a halter top this weekend so you can remember what it's like to get your hair sweaty and leave with unexplained glitter on your neck?"

Delia shuddered. "Hi, Mary."

Mary waved and almost spilled her coffee. Finn looked horrified and forced her away from the sound equipment.

Delia stretched her arms over her head. "Okay, channeling horny club energy."

Finn laughed silently behind the glass then pressed the speaker button. "Excellent. Take two."

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