Page 73 of Sleeping with Her Enemy (49th Floor 2)

“I think you should pick the song,” Misty said, prying the binder from Danny, who had been clutching it to his chest.

She surprised herself by saying, “You know what? I don’t think I want to do a ‘boys suck’ song.” Honestly, hadn’t she given Mason enough airtime? And, Dax, too, for that matter? “Let’s do that song ‘Long Live.’”

Everyone’s face was blank except Emma. “Oh, I love that song!”

“Don’t know it, but I’m game,” Cassie said.

“It’s not one of her biggest hits,” Emma said, “but it’s a great one. It’s about a young couple. They’re kind of misfits, and they do some big prank or something and amaze everyone in their town.”

“I always thought it was about a pair of friends,” Amy said, trying to think back to the lyrics. There was a trophy, some pledges to remember each other forever. She’d always pictured a gaggle of teen girls on the cusp of adulthood. It was a buoyant, hopeful song, and as fun as the single lady anthems had been, she wasn’t in the mood for defiant wallowing anymore. “Whatever,” she said, grabbing Emma’s hand. “You’re not getting out of this one. If you’re the only other one who knows it, I need you.”

…

“Well, this is turning into a real laugh a minute.” Dax plunked his empty glass on the bar at Edward’s.

“Sorry,” said Marcus, the CEO of the Rosemann Agency.

“Don’t be,” Dax said. “I started it.” And indeed he had, telling Jack and Marcus about how he’d thought he had an investor hooked for the restaurant app, and after weeks of wooing, the guy bailed. He was back to square one with the project. It was getting to him more than something like that usually would. Normally, he could shake off this kind of setback, but in recent weeks he’d been impatient, touchy…a real charmer, in short.

Normally, he wouldn’t have spoken so openly in front of Marcus. Dax and Jack were fairly tight, but Marcus, the third CEO from the forty-ninth floor, while not unfriendly, wasn’t really one to hang out. But he was glad the adman had decided to join them, because Marcus had suggested an intriguing lead, promising to introduce Dax to a friend whose holding company owned a bunch of restaurants. Then, to Dax’s utter shock, Marcus had launched into a harrowing tale about his mother’s recent death from breast cancer. Marcus hadn’t seemed like the kind of guy who was close to anyone, much less his mother.

Jack, of course, had not made an entry into the Sweepstakes of Woe. He was currently living the charmed life, both personally and professionally. In fact, as the drinks flowed, Dax had a fleeting thought of telling him about Amy. Just to see what he thought.

But he quashed the idea as soon as it arose. There was nothing to discuss. Amy was interested in hookups. So was he. And hookups didn’t last more than a couple of dates, so they were over.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Jack said, looking at his phone. “Cassie’s at a karaoke bar.”

“I am not doing karaoke,” came Dax’s reflexive reply.

Jack raised his eyebrows. “And you think I am?”

“I don’t know,” Marcus said. “I can see you maybe rocking some Johnny Cash, Lou Reed. Something grumpy.”

Dax laughed. It was true. Historically, Jack had been kind of a grump. And as if on cue, his friend shot Marcus a quelling look. It was nice to know that although Cassie had lightened him up a lot, he hadn’t changed elementally.

“No singing,” Jack said. “But girls.” He grinned. “They have a way of lightening the mood, don’t you find?”

“I’m out,” Marcus said. “I believe a couple of my copywriters are at this karaoke extravaganza, and I make it a policy not to socialize with my employees.”

Dax rolled his eyes.

“We can’t all hang around coding with a bunch of bros all day,” Marcus said. “Anyway, I have a ton of work to do this weekend. We’re pitching on Burger Prince.”

“Well, that’s something new.” Jack delivered the barb with a smile. Marcus had been trying to diversify his client base. But the fast-food accounts, it seemed, just kept coming out of the woodwork.

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