Songbird

by Victoria Escobar

  “We know.” Guy rolled his shoulders. “And if we even attempt to forget your scheduled reminders will ping through on the phone.”

  “Fine. Fine.”

  “We have a rule.” Nicholas pushed back from the table.

  A rule? Crap. Yes. I wasn’t allowed to call him Mr. Walker. Oh, well. I sent him a bland smile. “Ready?”

  “You haven’t eaten.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s go. You’ll be late.”

  He crossed his arms and glared. “You haven’t eaten.”

  I grabbed a muffin off the table and started walking away. “Let’s go.”

  Nicholas grabbed my arm before I managed two paces. “That’s not breakfast.”

  I lifted my chin. “Do not test me on this. You will not be late.”

  He studied my face. “Why are you pissed at me?”

  “Not a discussion to have right now. Let’s go.”

  “Yes. It is.” His fingers flexed.

  Henry cleared his throat. “Car’s waiting.”

  “In the car. Now.” I jerked out of his grip and walked away.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nicholas didn’t wait for the car to pull away from the curb.

  “Nothing.” Since it was here, I began to eat my muffin. Blueberry. Gross. To prevent further conversation I ate it anyway.

  “You were fine this morning.” He folded his arms and stared out the window. “Perfectly fine, though you cursed me all through the shower.”

  I smiled and continued to eat the muffin that was now stuck in my throat. I would not get in a fight with him here. Not with ears in the front.

  “I am fine.” I shrugged. “Tired.”

  His dimple flashed. “Well then. Memo to self—Songbird isn’t a nice person in the morning on little sleep.”

  I managed a tight whatever smile and was relieved when the car stopped again and Henry stepped out. The current schedule of interviews would keep him occupied enough.

  This interview was supposed to be casual, in one of the cities up and coming cafes. The blonde woman that greeted us looked anything but casual and my back went up.

  “Nick, great to see you again.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, lingering entirely too long. “It’s been a while.”

  I had no claim on Nicholas. I reminded myself. None. We never defined any borders.

  Like fucking hell. The border was defined when he crawled in my bed and gave me mind boggling orgasms first thing in the morning. That was definitely a line.

  I kept my face polite and wondered if I could have a voodoo doll made after all. For Nicholas, I decided when he hugged her a little longer than polite.

  “Valerie. I didn’t realize you were my first appointment today.” And he sounded entirely too pleased about it.

  Her eyes shifted to me. The glint was unmistakable. “Why don’t we ditch your chaperon and talk?”

  “I’m Bianca Sheridan. The Tour Manager. Nicholas has five other appointments after this one. If you’re done with the pleasantries you can start with your interview. You have thirty minutes.” I smiled and it was anything but polite. “I don’t’ tolerate tardiness.”

  “Sadly, true.” Nicholas sat in the closest booth. “Can we get some coffee?”

  I sat next to him forcing the blonde to take the seat across. Just to make my point I stretched out my legs—one of the advantages of being tall—in front of Nicholas’s legs. Let the bitch try to play footsie.

  “How’s the tour been?” Valerie asked and didn’t quite successfully hide her frown at me.

  “Punctual.” Nicholas grinned. “My tour manager is a genius with time.”

  The rest of the questions were standard and honestly, boring. Why did no one think of new and creative questions? The same fare every time was bound to be tedious to answer.

  Near the end Nicholas bumped my shoulder. “If I agree to let Henry walk me to the bathroom, would you let me out?”

  My lips curved against my will. “Sure.” I stood letting him out and remained standing when Henry walked over. “Mr. Walker needs the loo.”

  Nicholas winced. “Really, Songbird?”

  I waved him off. “You have five minutes. We have a schedule to keep.”

  Valarie waited for Nicholas to be out of hearing range before standing to face me. “You’re awfully possessive of the man.”

  “My job.” I cut off the words and turned to watch Henry standing outside the bathroom.

  “He’s obviously not sleeping with you.”

  “I only take out the trash.” I gave her a pleasant smile.

  Her mouth formed a perfect “o” before she recovered. “Well, you won’t have to worry about me.”

  “I know I won’t. We’re leaving tonight and there are no backstage passes for San Diego.” I tilted my head at her. “The only thing I’m currently worried about is keeping Mr. Walker on schedule.”

  When I saw Nicholas emerge I walked forward with Valerie at my side.

  “Nick, it was good to see you.” Valerie leaned in and kissed him again. “Bianca and I were just talking about the concert. Do you still give out passes to your favorites?”

  I kept the smug smile off my face. Certainly to gloat over this point wouldn’t be professional. She didn’t know to the extent Ezra had given me control.

  “Passes are approved or denied by Bianca.” Nicholas rolled his shoulders in a dismissive manner. “I appreciate that the responsibility of keeping track of them has been taken off my shoulders. One less thing for me to worry about, you know?”

  “Indeed.” Her mouth thinned. “I’ve been told there are no passes for San Diego.”

  “Timeline is probably too tight for entertaining. Again, Bianca’s responsibility. It’s great that all I have to do is sing and make my appointments. She’s the best tour manager to date.” Nicholas draped an arm over my shoulders. “I love the freedom it gives me.”

  “I bet.” Valerie’s smile went brittle around the edges. “I’ll see you next time you’re in town then.”

  Nicholas managed to shrug with his arm draped over me. “We’ll have to see. I have no intentions of coming back out here any time soon. See you around. Maybe.” He tugged me toward the door leaving her gapping at his back.

  I doubted he realized how he had snubbed her. Or maybe he did know and it had been intentional. I pondered it and waited until we were out of eye sight to duck out from under his arm.

  “Professionalism, Mr. Walker.” I said and climbed into the waiting vehicle.

  “What did Valerie really want? I doubt it was a backstage pass.” Nicholas commented sliding in beside me and crowding my space. My elbow missed its target but the action was still enough to make him slide back a fraction.

  “My guess? A turn in your bed.” I shrugged. “Could you tell me how many of your other lovers I’m going to come face to face with?

  “Jealous, darling?”

  I crossed my arms and looked straight ahead. I would not give him the satisfaction.

  Nicholas drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t remember most of the last tour. I was in a constant state of drunkenness. I managed down to buzzed for singing, but,” he shrugged, “I don’t like touring.”

  “Obviously,” I quipped.

  “I told you. No more girls.”

  I glanced over at him. “There’s no need for you to change your habits, though I do disapprove of the alcohol.”

  He scowled. “What about you?”

  “What about me?” I tried to shrug but the action was more an uncomfortable shoulder jerk.

  He stared long enough to have me shift in my seat. “You’re joking right?”

  I was saved from answering by Henry parking and hopping out to open the door once more. Nicholas, however, was having none of my avoidance and grabbed my arm before I could slid out.

  “A moment, Henry,” he said and yanked the door closed.

  “Walker, there are people waiting—” I was cut off by his crus
hing mouth. The angry man was back, but this time he didn’t frighten me. I fisted a hand in his hair and yanked. When his only reaction to my pull was shifting closer I did the only thing left to do. I bit his lip. Hard.

  He jerked back and a little drop of blood stained his mouth. Surprisingly, he licked his lips and then grinned. “We’ll have to explore that later, but for now I want you to understand something. I do know what monogamy is and I do believe in it. When I’ve decided to dedicate to one person, that’s it.”

  I nodded keeping my mouth firmly shut and knocked on the glass. Henry opened the door and said nothing when Nicholas stepped out disheveled. He did send me a worried glance that I gave him a thumbs up for.

  “Walker’s sugar is dropping, Henry. Can we find a chocolate bar or something?” I said sliding out.

  “Your mouth is swollen.” Henry’s tight lipped disapproval was apparent.

  “Better than black and blue.” I squeezed the big man’s arm then dropped my voice as Nicholas was speaking to the reporter already. “I’m fine. His mood is dropping. I didn’t think he’d need a chocolate bar this early in the day; I left them on the bus. See if one of the guys can find some sugar. He does prefer chocolate.”

  I kept my distance for the rest of the morning; or at least I tried. Distance was difficult in a Lincoln, but I did my best. When he was being charming with reporters it was easier to stand back as a safety net and keep his mood in check.

  When the scheduled time came to meet up with the guys Nicholas’s dour mood rose a fraction. He may not like publicity but he liked the music. Too bad they walked hand in hand.

  “I’m going to run down the checklist really quick,” I waved to Nicholas already stepping away. “Henry will escort you to the dressing room.”

  Nicholas stepped forward and wrapped an arm around my waist. “You need to eat. Half a muffin and a cup of coffee doesn’t count as food.”

  My struggle to get out of his grasp failed and I was forced to glower up at him. “Let me go, Walker.”

  He dropped his head and I turned mine away. “You need to eat.”

  “I will. After the checklist.” Curious eyes were starting to gather and I shifted uncomfortably. “Let me go. You’re making a scene.”

  His brows furrowed. “Making a scene?”

  “Yes. There are people watching. Let me go.”

  His brows drew lower and his eyes threatened thunder. “Why is being seen with me a problem?”

  “Professionalism. The same reason it was a problem in Los Angeles,” I replied and jerked away again but his arm held firm.

  “And if I wanted to kiss you?” His voice dropped to a growl.

  “Don’t.” I glanced helplessly at Henry.

  “Nick.” Henry stepped forward but stopped when Nicholas’s head snapped up to lock eyes with him.

  “Stay the fuck out of this.” Nicholas curled his lip. “Just stay the fuck out of this conversation.”

  “We can continue this at lunch. Let me check in on the crew.” I gentled my voice hoping to placate him enough to let me go. I should have found a better way to agree to lunch before this had gotten out of hand. There were a lot more people watching than there had been moments ago. The last thing I wanted was to lose respect from the crew for sleeping with “the boss”. Or even worse, for it to get back to Ezra.

  “Let me go.” I placed a hand on top of his. “Please, Walker. Let me do my job.”

  His eyes shifted over mine, studied and he relented, letting go. “We need to talk.”

  I concentrated on keeping the friendly smile on my face. “Sure. Go with Henry.”

  I watched him walk away before turning in the other direction. An older man I didn’t know by name stepped out of an office and smiled at me.

  “I’m Greg, Manager of this establishment. I haven’t seen you yet.”

  “Bianca Sheridan.” I held out a hand, “I’m the Tour Manager.”

  “Oh good. You can help then. Your production man didn’t have instructions for what to do with the press people that showed up. They’re up in the balcony right now. Perhaps you can handle that?”

  I didn’t huff. I didn’t curse. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Petty should have been expected but I hadn’t considered Jimmy would lose all consideration for professionalism. Jimmy knew what to do about press that didn’t have stage passes. When I was sure I could smile and mean it I nodded. “Yes. Can you show me where?”

  “Sure. Sure.” Greg led the wall down a tangle of halls and up a few sets of stairs.

  The balcony seating was impressive and the stage perfectly set to be seen from any angle. The crowd of reporters—sixteen, I would kill Jimmy later—were snapping pictures of the stage and anything else they thought they could put in their article.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” I greeted with the professional, polite smile that bordered on indifferent. “Thank you for coming to Nicholas Walker in San Diego. Would everyone please pull out their stage passes so they can be approved before going down to the stage?”

  As a collective they looked stunned. One brave soul ventured, “Stage passes?”

  I put on the polite confused face, “Yes. All who were approved for preshow and backstage access have stage passes.” I knew damn well none of them had a pass. I hadn’t issued any for San Diego. I hadn’t seen the point when the morning had been filled with more than enough interviews to cover all the bases.

  Feet shifted and no one would meet my eyes.

  “I see. I’m very sorry, but if no one has stage passes I will have to ask you to leave. We’re very busy with the anticipated show and cannot include any additions that haven’t already been approved.” I gestured towards the exit.

  “We were told to wait here for approval.” Another brave soul ventured.

  “I am the Tour Manager.” I spoke firmly now tired of this. I had to check the rest of the stage and pray Jimmy at least had some pride in his work. If not, well, the guys would be pitching in. “I can’t at this time approve any additional people backstage. I apologize for any misinformation you have been given, but at this time, everyone who has been approved has already been contacted and the according passes have already been issued.” I turned to the vendor manager. “Please show them out.”

  I left him there to deal with the rest of the mess. I went hunting for Jimmy. He still had to finish this one show. If he had abandoned this I would make sure Ezra was notified in time to have the severances canceled. Deliberately undermining my authority was not atypical of a wanna-be alpha male. And even though this was his last show with us, the move still rankled a little.

  The crew must have known I was head hunting because no one crossed my path as I mentally went down the checklist as well. Everything looked in order, lights were being tested and instruments hooked up. At least the regular crew knew enough to complete their tasks before moving on. Since the guys would have brought their instruments over after checking out of the hotel—thank you Guy for being responsible—I knew they were around.

  Denton stood on the edge of stage set up monitoring progress. He checked his watch—probably to see if sound check for the girls would be on time—before turning back to the stage.

  With a pat to his shoulder, I moved around him and went in search of my responsibilities. After the last few concerts I didn’t need to speak to Denton. We had a rhythm that worked and all I had to worry about was my guys. I found them gorging on subs and chips in the dressing room.

  “Hey, Stilts.” Arc waved to the pile of food on the table. “We saved you some. No one knew what you wanted.”

  “You’ve got veggies in there?” I asked without any real hope as I stepped closer to the group.

  Nicholas sat apart, an acoustic in his lap. His eyes came up from the notebook next to him. I was growing tired of him frowning at me.

  Arc’s brows formed a straight line. “Why would we order one of those?”

  “Because it’s healthy?” I asked.

  “You need more mea
t,” Nicholas complained. “There’s a chicken salad in there.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t like mayonnaise.”

  “Oh, oh.” Arc rifled through wrappers apparently to be helpful. “There’s an Italian club in here. It doesn’t have mayonnaise on it. It’s like some vinegar crap.”

  I sighed. “That’ll work.”

  “Drink?” Max asked.

  “Bottled water,” Nicholas answered for me. “Haven’t you noticed by now she doesn’t do juices other than coffee?”

  I was surprised he’d noticed. Or even cared. To placate him a little, because I knew he was still pissed by his posture, I took my sandwich and water over to where he sat and wiggled in beside him. He huffed and moved over but I noted, he didn’t tell me to go away.

  “What are you doing all alone over here?” I picked at the sandwich. Protein was good for the body, I knew that, but I also knew deli meat held a hell of a lot of sodium.

  “Eat it. Don’t pick at it,” Nicholas glanced over at me. “And I’m writing more music, Songbird. You do that for me.”

  “You’re welcome?” I hesitantly took a full bite of the sandwich. I could run the carbs off in Vegas.

  He grunted and went back to work. Thankfully, the music held more interest than fighting with me at the moment. I knew the peace wouldn’t last forever but I would hold on to what I had.

  After eating, I floated in and out of the room as the final prep was being done. I stood off to one side during sound check and calculated how Taylor might see this production.

  There wasn’t much to it and that could be disappointing for him. Since he was used to managing plays and Broadway productions I knew this to be miniscule in comparison. Still I found it a nice change of pace. I hoped he would too.

  After sound check the waiting game began. Max and Guy played chess while Arc dealt himself a hand of solitaire. Nicholas sat in his corner writing music and I decided to sit with my notebook and make a list of things that could be improved upon in the future. The list wasn’t needed but it would pass time.

  The music from Nicholas’s guitar soothed part of my tired soul. I was almost grateful we’d be on the bus tonight. There was no way he could pull a stunt like last night on the tour bus.