Like a Bird Read Online Free

his straw out, tapped it on the side of his glass, and tossed it on the floor.
    “You can call me Kitty,” the nurse said, stretching up to reach Gareth’s ear.
    Louis jumped in to fill Gareth’s awkward silence. “I’m Louis, this is Gareth,” he shouted over the music.
    “Let me introduce you to some people.” Kitty reached for Gareth’s hand and pulled him back toward the main room with Louis still following behind them. Gareth tried to throw a desperate glance toward Louis again, but his large hood got in the way.
    Moments after they entered the room, Kitty began greeting random characters with hugs and kisses. She made a round of introductions and Louis dove in to the conversation. Gareth hung back, silent and still. There was the clink of glassware as the trio moved from one cluster to another like the formal greeting crew. Gareth kept his gaze on Kitty’s gentle curves and the lace of her bra peeking above the deep neckline of her costume.
    Rounds of shots appeared one after another, and Gareth began to sweat under his oppressive cloak. Kitty stayed close with one hand on him when she wasn’t embracing someone new. By now the club was densely packed: a nightmare of pulsating noise and gaudy strangers filling whatever small space remained.
    After the third round of drinks in quick succession, Gareth began to sway uneasily.
    “Are you OK?” Kitty asked. Gareth shook his head. She grabbed his arm once more and dragged him, stumbling, to a back-alley door with a metal stoop. Gareth sat down on the step, inhaled the cool night air, and closed his eye. Kitty sat close to him, her thigh pressing into his. He turned his head away from her and leaned on the cold metal railing. She made small circles with her fingertips on his back.
    “Do you want me to come back and check on you in a bit?” Gareth nodded. She stood up, tugged at her dress to cover her bottom, and headed back into the club, leaving her little white hat in the doorway so the door wouldn’t lock.
    Muffled sounds from the club mixed with horns honking and people laughing as they stumbled down the street. The reduced volume and the crisp spring air were enough to restore Gareth to his senses. He briefly pondered the white of Kitty’s hat against the dark mottled door and the soot-covered brick that framed it before he descended the few steps to the alley to make his way toward the street. He had not gone far when the club door flew open with a bang.
    “Are you leaving me?” Kitty called. Gareth turned to see the uncomprehending look of an abandoned puppy on her face, her wide blue eyes mournful. He smiled slightly and lowered his head to conceal his own face. He shoved his hands in his pockets and ambled back toward the door. From the bottom of the low steps, Gareth accepted her extended hand, and together they disappeared into the dark club.
    They found a booth in a dark corner of the back room. Gareth slid in first and Kitty settled in close. She reached up to touch his face but his hand intercepted to grip her wrist. Again, he shook his head. Although his hood still concealed most of his face in shadow, she sensed him staring into her eyes. Undeterred, Kitty appeared charmed and pulled her arm back, which pulled Gareth in still closer. When she pressed her lips against his, he pressed back. Gareth released her wrist, and put his arm around her back, pulling the softness of her chest into the hardness of his. Kitty moaned.
    They explored each other’s mouths, biting and sucking. Teasing. Kitty pulled up her skirt enough to straddle Gareth. The remaining piece of satin fabric that separated her from this mysterious man, glided along the stiff ripples of his black jeans. A prickling energy sizzled up from her thighs and traveled through her chest, all the way to her lips. She pushed harder into his groin, and he grabbed her thigh with one hand and her ass with the other.
    The confidence in his grip was clear, yet Kitty continued to push against