Read Online Songbird by Victoria Escobar - Free Book Online Page B

the door. I
had been focused but I thought I heard someone knock.
    Wondering who needed what, I crossed over to
the door and opened it. “Yes?” Empty air greeted me. Frowning I
stuck my head out but the hall was void of life.
    Weird.
    I stepped back into my room and stopped when
the knocking came again. However, now that I was standing it was
obvious where the noise was coming from. Weren’t hotel bed boards
attached to the wall?
    When Darys’s voice drifted through the wall,
I sighed. Time to plug in my noise canceling headphones. As I dug
through the bag that I brought in from the bus I couldn’t stop the
little tinge of jealousy as her voice grew even louder.
    By the sound of it, Nicholas was doing a fine
job and I wondered briefly what that would feel like. Not
necessarily by him—though hey, it was my fantasy—but to have the
momentary connection of bliss. Not for the first time, I wondered
again, what an orgasm might feel like. Reading about it only
provided so much insight.
    The men in my life hadn’t been interested in
my pleasure, only theirs. Shame welled in me a little as I
remembered how I had been instructed to act, to sound, hell, I’d
even been instructed on what position was tolerated and where my
hands belonged. In the end, I had only been a stick to scratch an
itch, but not in the way Darys was for Nicholas. At least he was
considerate of her desire as well.
    I did have a chance once, I reminded myself.
The memory hurt as much as it comforted. He had been willing to
wait. He had died waiting for me. I pushed the depressing thought
away and went back to business.
    After a heartbeat focused on work with the
headphones humming in my ears another thought crossed my mind. What
if someone actually knocked on my door? How would I be able to hear
if anyone needed something from me with the headphones on?
    However, listening to them wasn’t an option.
I certainly didn’t want to be cross because I would never
experience euphoria. Well, hell. I was stuck between a rock and the
hard place.
    I went back to my bag hoping it held the
solution. My lime green cross country shoes were at the bottom and
could be the distraction I needed. I would have my phone on my belt
so I could still be contacted but I’d be out of this room. I would
definitely not have to wallow in the misery of my sad and pathetic
sexual ventures.

    Cross country running had been my escape in
high school and had paid for most of my college education in the
form of scholarships. As tall as I was it made sense that I could
use my long legs for something but no one understood my double
digit waist when I tried to explain I ran for fun. Running had
little impact on core strength. The act did help keep weight down,
but it did nothing for hereditary size.
    After the four miles on the cross country
machine I felt it would be safe to go back to my hotel room. Surely
enough time had passed for seconds and thirds. In a better frame of
mind I declined the elevator and jogged up the stairs to the band
wing.
    I stopped short when I saw Nicholas leaning
against my closed door with his bag over his shoulder.
    “Is there something wrong with your room?” I
stopped in front of him.
    Nicholas glanced over his shoulder at his
door. “No.”
    I waited and when it appeared he wasn’t going
to elaborate I prodded. “Well?”
    “I only fuck them, Songbird. Responsibly.
I’ve never sexed without a condom and I never will. I don’t cuddle;
I don’t sleep—at least not by the definition of the word—with them.
It’s too intimate.”
    I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And if you
wanted some early morning loving?”
    He shook his head. “Not likely at the ass
crack of dawn we have to get at. Why are you covered in… Is that
sweat?”
    I sighed and opened my door. “I went for a
run.”
    “Nice room.” Nicholas tossed his bag on the
floor next to the desk.
    “Yes.” I grabbed some clothes out of my bag.
“Let me shower and then we’ll discuss what