Like a Bird (6 page)

At 9:17 p.m. Kitty stepped out of a black cab in her white curve-hugging dress and the pink platform heels — all preapproved by her Prowler Nation. A small faux fur shawl protected her shoulders from the cool spring air. She rushed past a homeless man sitting next to the front door, holding out a battered coffee cup. His head spun round like an owl’s to watch her enter the lobby, which was lit by a massive overhead light fixture that had gone out of style at least a decade before. She paused in the middle of the lobby to check her phone for the room number. She popped the phone back in her purse and walked past the empty front desk to the elevator.

The elevator doors, painted dark brown, were chipped in places. Leaning into the narrow metal trim, she saw just enough of her reflection to check her lipstick before the doors parted. A heavy man in a jogging suit walked out of the elevator with a pregnant brunette right behind him. As Kitty stepped into the elevator, he craned his neck to leer at her white dress. She waved to him as the doors closed. She pushed the button for the ninth floor then straightened her dress and adjusted her belt. The elevator clunked upward and jerked to a stop that nearly knocked her over. The plaque on the wall indicating the suite numbers sent Kitty all the way to the end of the hall and past the out-of-order pop machine. At the last door, she paused to adjust her hair and dress one last time before she knocked lightly.

Shifting her weight from one leg to the other, she drummed her fingers on her thigh while she waited. And waited. She knocked again, with a little more force, and wrinkled her nose at the sting in her knuckles. Still, she waited. As her anxiety rose, she closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths. There was no response. She rechecked the room number on her phone. It was the same as the number on the door. She texted Gareth.

I’m outside 907. Are you here?

Kitty held her phone in her hand, awaiting an answer.

The door opened just a crack, startling Kitty, who gasped as she stumbled backward. Gareth cleared his throat and stepped back into the dark room to hold the door for her. With her shawl over one arm, she walked into the unlit room and tried to take a quick look around before she returned her attention to Gareth, who remained hiding in the dark corner behind the door.

“Hi,” she whispered and took a step toward him. She heard Gareth lock the door by way of response. Kitty reached for his hand and pulled him toward her. She could barely make out a crooked smile through the hair that deliberately covered his face.

“I missed you.” She placed her palm on his chest, and managed to roll up onto her toes to part his hair with her other hand. Kitty closed her eyes and Gareth tilted his head to kiss her. She yanked on his T-shirt to bring him closer.

His hand caressed her back, then slid further down to grip her round ass. He pulled her hips into him and she moaned while biting down on his lip. Gareth didn’t flinch but lifted her up. Her shoes fell off as her feet left the floor, and she wrapped her legs around him, squeezing tight.

Gareth moved toward the bed and lay Kitty on her back, her legs still gripping his torso. He briefly caressed her cheek before he dove in for another kiss. His lips traced her neck and followed the map of her dress to her breasts where he lingered, until Kitty pulled his face back up to hers. She released her belt with a flick of her fingers and as it hit the bed Gareth quickly reached for the hem of her skirt. He snuck inside and Kitty gasped as he massaged her bare thigh, his thumb just grazing her moist gateway.

Kitty grabbed Gareth’s hair, pulling his face back toward hers. He growled and tried to pull away but she held tight. “I need you inside me. Now,” she ordered and released his hair. She sat up halfway and reached in the direction of his fly, fumbling in the darkness, and when she found the waist of his pants she yanked him forward.

Gareth moved just enough for Kitty to open his jeans. He groaned as he pressed into her hand and then lay on top of her. The two warm bodies writhed on the bed in a battle for pleasure and dominance. They tore at each other’s clothes, while Kitty held Gareth in a cage fighter’s grip with her legs wrapped around him.

Their kisses were hard and frantic. When Gareth slipped inside her, Kitty let out a soft gasp as her body arched to meet his. Gareth moved with a slow rhythm, pausing just outside of her, which made her beg and press forward to lure him back. They fought harder, until Kitty shivered with pleasure and released a loud sigh. Gareth continued driving into her, his pace increasing, until he came and then let his chest collapse onto hers.

He kept his face turned away as he lay panting, while she played with his hair, brushing the long strands out of her face. Kitty wrapped her arms around Gareth and pulled his hot, damp torso onto hers. When he realized she could take only shallow breaths with his weight on her, he rolled onto his back and Kitty curled up next to him, her forehead resting on his shoulder and her arm stretched out across his chest.

She closed her eyes and her breathing slowed. As she started to doze off, Gareth placed his left hand on top of hers. He lay still and stared into the darkness toward the ceiling, a starless void.

Once Kitty was snoring, Gareth shifted a little to try and get comfortable without disturbing the sleeping beauty curled into him. He closed his eye and tried to relax but his eye sprung open. He glanced at the clock on the side table. He sighed and waited for signs of the sandman, but nothing could erase his unease.

- -

Sunlight shot Kitty in the eye through a small part between the curtains. She sat up, her face smeared with makeup and her hair matted. The bedside clock glowed 9:17 a.m. The sheets next to her were cold. On Gareth’s pillow was a slip of paper bearing a note scratched in blue ink.

Had to leave early. Didn’t want to wake you. You can stay as long as you want. Call the front desk for room service.

— Gareth

Kitty tossed the note aside and slumped her shoulders. She wiped under her eyes and looked at the black makeup on her fingertips. She walked to the window to whip open the curtains. Across the street, a man in a suit stood at his office window, holding a coffee in his hand, which he raised, along with his eyebrows, in a toast to her. Kitty looked down at her naked figure, spun around, and went to the bathroom to clean up. She gathered her clothes off the floor and pulled herself together as fast as she could. On her way out, she picked up Gareth’s note and crushed it into a ball before she tossed it in the empty garbage can.

Chapter 6

“Good morning, Gareth. What’s on the agenda today?” Denise said, her crisp, confident tone coming through his speakerphone.

Gareth leaned back in his chair to rest his feet on his desk. “Morning, Denise. I have a few contracts that need revisions and signatures. I’m sending them now.” Gareth leaned forward to tap at a transparent screen on his desk. “I also need you to clean up a letter I sent last night and give the revised version to Louis. He needs it by tomorrow morning.”

“Not a problem,” Denise said. “Anything else?”

Gareth rubbed his chin and rocked back in his chair. “Oh, and I need you to pick up a birthday gift for my sister this week. I have no idea what to get her; you know what she likes.”

“I’ve already picked up a lovely Caravelli handbag for her. It’s being gift-wrapped and will be delivered on Monday.”

Gareth chuckled. “Of course she’ll know it’s not from me.”

“She’ll know you were thinking of her. I’m sure she’d like a call from you, though.”

Gareth paused. “I know.”

“Call her today.”

He sighed and shook his head. “All right, put it in my calendar.”

“Anything else?”

Gareth hesitated and rocked back in his chair again. He lifted his feet off the desk and stood up. “Hmm, well . . . I might need some other things. I’m not sure what.” He began pacing around his desk.

“OK, who is it for?”

“I have a guest at the house and she probably needs . . . some girl stuff. I have no idea what women need.”

“No problem, I’ll ask her directly. What’s her name?”

“Sky.”

“Have her call me and I’ll take care of it,” Denise said. “Is that everything?”

Gareth continued pacing.

“Gareth?” Denise asked.

“There is one last thing.” Gareth paused at the side of his desk to play with a pack of sticky notes. “What do you give a woman you don’t know that well but want to apologize to?”

“Well, that depends on a few factors. Like how old she is, her personal tastes, how badly you messed up, and whether or not you are sleeping with her,” Denise answered.

Gareth cleared his throat. “Mm, well, she is in her twenties, I think. She’s rather flamboyant, and I don’t think I messed up that badly. I just left abruptly. But I did leave a note.”

“I see. So I’m going to assume that means you left before daylight, like a vampire. In that case, I think you can’t go wrong with cupcakes.”

“Cupcakes?”

“Trust me. Send me her details and I’ll take care of it.”

“All I have is her phone number and her first name.”

“No problem. I’ll find her.”

Gareth finally relaxed and sat back down in his chair.

“Do you need anything else?” Denise asked again.

“No . . . Thank you.”

“Enjoy your day, Gareth.”

“Bye, Denise.” He checked the time: 9:17 a.m.

- -

Gareth ate dinner that evening in the library, with Wisdom at his side waiting patiently for leftovers. If he spent too long staring at the screen on his laptop, she would remind him of her presence by resting her chin on his leg. Her technique proved quite effective, and Gareth struggled to focus on the evening news. He leaned back in his chair, one hand scrolling through the daily drama and the other scratching behind Wisdom’s ear, until his phone rang on the small table next to him. He glanced at the caller ID and picked it up.

“I was going to call you today,” he said, smiling.

“Sure you were.”

“No really! Denise made me promise to call you.”

“What were you waiting for?” Ellie said, teasing him.

“Well, I figured you were busy with work, and I wanted to wait until after dinner, or whenever.”

“Bear, you know I work late. I’m actually in the car on the way to a client meeting, so I’ve got just a few minutes.”

“It’s good to hear your voice,” Gareth said, his own softening.

“It’s good to hear yours, too. I’ve missed you. I want to come visit soon. Maybe we can celebrate our birthdays at your place? How about lunch next week?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll have Takao put together something special.”

“It doesn’t have to be fancy.”

“Whatever you want, Ellie.”

“As long as there’s wine.”

Gareth chuckled. “Of course.”

“OK, I gotta try and park. The goddam media are clogging up the street already. I’ll call you later.”

Gareth said good-bye to his sister and hung up. He returned to the news but was distracted when Wisdom, who had been lying beside his chair, began growling at the doorway. He glimpsed a small figure disappear into the hallway. He caught up with Sky, who had almost reached the staircase.

“Sky.”

She froze with her back to him, her head down. She stared at his shoes as he came round in front of her.

“Have you had dinner?”

Sky shook her head.

“If you’re hungry, you can just ask for something to eat,” he said, placing his hand on her back to guide her to the library. The only light in the room came from a small desk lamp and the computer screen. Gareth directed Sky to an overstuffed armchair. Wisdom stayed close to Gareth but kept her eyes on the guest. A small platter of meat, cheese, and bread sat on a table between them. Gareth pushed it toward Sky and passed her a napkin. She tore off small pieces of bread while her hair shielded her face from Gareth’s view.

“How long were you waiting there?” he asked.

Sky swallowed her mouthful. “Not long.”

“Did you talk to my assistant this morning?”

“Yes, she was really nice.”

Gareth nodded and took a sip of tea before he resumed reading. Sky continued to pick at the plate of food. She noticed Wisdom watching her, so she dropped her hand under the table and offered the wolf a piece of cheese. Wisdom leaned forward to inspect the offering. Sky’s hand shook a little and she dropped the cheese on the floor. Wisdom scooped up the morsel and looked back at Sky for more.

“She’s starting to warm up to you,” Gareth remarked, startling Sky. “Hold it in your open palm to avoid her teeth,” he instructed.

This time, she placed a piece of cheese on her flat palm before she offered it to Wisdom. The wolf took a quick sniff then licked the cheese off of Sky’s palm and swallowed it whole.

“She didn’t even chew it,” Sky said, looking up at Gareth.

“Where do you think the term
wolfing down your food
came from?”

Sky smiled and took a few pieces of cheese for herself as Wisdom inched forward and rested her chin on Sky’s leg. They sat in silence for a while, Gareth absorbed in reading and Sky scanning the room. Tall shelves filled with old and new books lined one wall behind them. The circle of comfortable chairs faced a stone fireplace flanked by two large abstract paintings. A window filled the outside wall but was obscured by heavy drapery.

Sky shifted in her chair. “Are you mad at me?”

Gareth looked up through his hair. “No.”

“Oh. I just wondered because you left me in the cage last night.”

“I wasn’t here. I should have had Rose let you out. I’ll let her know for next time.” Gareth picked up his phone to type a note.

Sky seemed pleased and reached down to stroke Wisdom’s head.

“I have some work to do. Make yourself comfortable, and if you need anything, ask Rose.” He carried his laptop out of the room. Wisdom perked up her ears and followed him.

Sky sat still in her chair for a while and watched the door until Gareth was long gone. Feeling more at ease without his dominating presence in the room, she looked around for more light. The curtains caught her eye so she walked to the window and pulled one open to peer outside. The window looked out on a small clearing of grass, a helicopter pad and flowers with rocky cliffs and dense trees just beyond it. The ground dropped away from the front of the house and it looked to her as if the house had been built into the side of a mountain, but it was hard to see the details clearly in the twilight. On the other side of the room Sky found a series of switches. She tried the first one and a row of recessed lights in the ceiling illuminated the bookshelves. She began to scan the titles within her reach, ignoring the ones on the top few shelves because she was far too short, and she didn’t trust the nearby gliding ladder.

The topmost shelf within her view was filled with a leather-bound encyclopedia set that looked antique. Sky brushed her fingers across the spines and then scanned the lower shelves:
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
,
The Art of Short Selling
,
Security Analysis
.
Nothing here seemed compelling.
She skipped to another shelf to read the titles there:
Numerical Methods for Engineers
and
Modern Physical Metallurgy and Materials Engineering.

“God, doesn’t he have anything good to read?” Sky whispered to herself as she moved along to the next set of shelves. She came upon rows of earth-toned hardcover books with familiar titles:
War and Peace, The Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World
.

Not in the mood for a lesson on great English literature she continued on, her finger resting on her lips as the selection became more contemporary and more interesting. She stopped at one book with a white spine and simple black letters:
How to Keep a Girl.

“Hmm.” She plucked the book off the shelf, returned to her chair and plopped herself down, curling her legs into the plush cushioned seat to get comfortable. Without looking, she reached toward the table for more food to find the platter was gone. Sky checked the empty doorway for signs of Rose and seeing nothing, returned her focus to the book. With her one hand, she pressed it open on her lap and rested her head against the wing of the chair.

The book began with the narrator stalking a beautiful English major. Sky scanned the pages, looking for the juicy bits. By the second chapter, the protagonist had slipped a drug in his target’s drink at a bar while she fixed her lipstick. Sky leaned in closer as the narrator described the challenge of getting a limp and barely conscious girl into a cab.

“You’re still here.” From the doorway, Gareth’s deep, rough voice startled her.

Sky slid the book into the crevice between the cushion and the arm of the chair. Gareth turned off the overhead light and walked over to Sky.

“What are you reading?” He leaned across her to reach in the crevice and pull out the book. Sky sat rigid and observed him as he looked at the book.

Gareth sniggered. “This is terrible,” he said. He put the book back and pulled out another. “Here, this is much better.” He handed Sky a copy of
Lolita
.

“I’ve read that already, sir.”

Gareth raised his eyebrow. “Oh, OK.” He looked for another.

“What about
Dracula
? Have you read that?”

“Yes.”

“Mm, you probably haven’t read this.” Gareth pulled another white book off the shelf. He handed Sky a copy of
Blindness
.

Sky gave Gareth a crooked smile. “
Blindness
?” She shook her head. “I haven’t read this.” She looked up at him with her large, amber eyes.

Gareth smiled and nodded. “If you want other books that I don’t have, just let Denise know.” Sky’s face lit up.

Gareth walked toward the doorway. “I’ll be in my room. Come up when you’re tired of reading,” he said and left.

Sky placed the book in her lap to slide her fingertips across the embossed cover then flipped it over to read the back. She nestled into the chair and opened to the first chapter.

Oh his way upstairs, Gareth received a message from Kitty.

Thank you for the cupcakes. They were delish! You are very sweet.

- -

Sitting in her room, Kitty flashed a big smile into the webcam. “Hello my darlings, how is everyone tonight?” She glanced at the flurry of comments on her computer screen as they rolled in.

“Mm-hmm, I’m so glad to hear that. I’m excited for the weekend. Most of you probably know I’ve got tickets to the Menagerie Fashion Show and it’s going to be very, very hot. I’ll have pictures and video for all of my Prowlers, so if you want to be in the loop just sign up on the right and click the pink button.” Kitty leaned forward and pointed at the screen.

“OK, let’s talk about some exciting new developments in my love life. I have a few hot date details to spill. Of course, I’ll leave a few things to your imagination. But first, I want to show you these gorgeous yummy cupcakes Mr. Mystery sent me today.” Kitty slid the small box of cupcakes in front of her and tilted them up to her screen.

“I’m sorry there’s just three, but I had to try one. What did you think I was going to do, wait?” She threw her head back and laughed. “Mm, look at these. Don’t you just want to sink your teeth into them?” Kitty dipped her finger into the delicate mound of blue icing on one cupcake and scooped it up. She stared into the camera and wrapped her lips around her finger, licking it clean.