Page 29 of A Hard Sell

“Not adorable. Badass,” Finn corrected, popping his aviators on. “Bar’s over there. Get on it.” Finn pointed at Luka. “And there’s karaoke later. I’d better see your ass up there, Sandy.”

A rock dropped into Luka’s stomach. He smiled in what he hoped was a pleasant, non-committal way, and was relieved when Finn moved on to greet the next group of revelers.Karaoke. Fuck no.

“Shall we?” Luka asked Thomas, waving an arm toward the bar. They made their way over, greeting Ilona’s assistant Sabrina as she darted by, dressed, appropriately enough, like a witch. She was followed by a giggling black cat and a tipsy dragon, whose cardboard wings Luka had to dodge as it stumbled by. When they arrived at the bar, Thomas fished in the tub of ice and handed a beer over to Luka. They popped the tops and clinked bottles.

Georgia, Aleandro’s head of marketing, was pouring herself a glass of wine when they caught her attention. She was dressed as a princess in a sweet lavender dress with a long blonde braid winding down her back. “Oh, cute!” she exclaimed. “You’re Danny and Sandy!”

“Actually”—Luka chuckled—“Thomas is the Terminator. Tawney was supposed to be Danny but she’s sick.”

“Really?” Georgia giggled. “No way. You match perfectly.”

They looked at each other. “Yeah,” Luka agreed. Thomas took a sip.

“Can I get a picture of you two?” Georgia asked.

“Uh…sure?” Luka glanced at Thomas. He nodded.

He put a hand on his hip in his best Sandy pose while Thomas shuffled closer. There was a tingle where Thomas’ shoulder touched Luka’s back.

“Thanks!” Georgia said, snapping a few photos on her phone. “I’ll text it to you.”

Then Morgan strutted in.

“Oh, God,” Luka muttered when he saw him. Morgan was wearing pale blue jeans, a white tank top and a black studded leather belt with a matching armband. His hair was slicked back and sprayed black, complete with a ratty-looking mustache stuck precariously to his upper lip.

“What?” Thomas glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, nice, I love Queen.”

Luka sighed. “Just wait.” Of course Morgan was dressed like Freddie Mercury. Of course. He probably thought he was better than one of the biggest music icons in the history of the world.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Morgan drawled as he approached.

“Morgan,” Luka nodded. “And who are you?” he asked, pretending he didn’t know, just to be an ass.

“Freddie Mercury, of course.” Morgan smirked and tossed his head. “I thought it was fitting.”

I’m sure you did.Luka couldn’t help himself and took the bait. “How’s that?”

“Well, I don’t know if you know, but I’m starting a band, so…”

“’Course you are.” Luka tried not to sneer.

“Ah,” Thomas said politely. “What kind of music?”

“Sort of pop slash arena rock, you know.” Morgan plunged ahead, oblivious to Luka’s curled lip. “I’m the lead singer and lead guitarist. I’m still working on a name, and I just need to find a decent drummer and bassist. Honestly, the people out there who call themselves drummers…” He rolled his eyes. “My dishwasher keeps better time than most of them.” He sighed, then his eyes flicked back and forth between them. “And who are you supposed to be? Oh.Grease. Cute.”

“Actually—” Luka started, reluctant to have to explain to Morgan that it was just an accident.

“Thanks,” Thomas interrupted. “Turns out Luka and I are both big fans.”

Luka raised a subtle eyebrow at Thomas as he covered a grin with his bottle.

Thomas shrugged at him, corner of his mouth twitching. A little bubble of happiness fizzed up Luka’s throat. Morgan managed a half-hearted nod before he wandered off into the kitchen, saying something about needing fresh ice.

“It just seems easier than explaining all night,” Thomas leaned over to murmur into Luka’s ear.

Luka shivered. “Yeah, totally.”

“Happy Halloween,” a smooth voice said from behind them. They turned to see Aleandro and Penelope smiling at them.

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