Songbird (Songbird, #1) by Lisa Edward Page B

me, that smile in his eyes ever present. I gave him a smile and leaned into his side, and I felt him physically relax as he leaned over and gave me a lingering kiss on the head.
    About half an hour later, to our dread, Marcus called out table seven again. We all looked at each other, waiting for someone to volunteer.
    “I’ve already taken one for the team,” Riley declared, sitting back and settling in with his beer.
    Kelli leaned over to me. “Please don’t let Coop sing. You have to do it.”
    Taking a deep breath, I finished the rest of my Bud, and then stood.
    Okay, you can do this, I told myself, but what to sing? Kelli and I had been listening to Beyoncé in the car again, so that was the music that was freshest in my mind.
    “‘Love On Top’ please, Mr Music,” I said to Marcus.
    Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Okay. It’s your call.”
    I walked over to the microphone, closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I could do this; I used to sing all the time and enjoyed it. This was step one in getting my old mojo back again.
    My heart was racing as I looked at the crowd of expectant faces, and I quickly closed my eyes again. Better not to look.
    The music started, I opened my eyes, and began to sing.
    By the chorus I had found my groove and was enjoying myself. By the second key change, the crowd were really cheering and some people were up and dancing. I felt at home up on the stage, and I wondered to myself how I could ever let anyone take this feeling away from me. I wouldn’t allow it to happen again.
    At the end of the song, I went over to Marcus. He was beaming at me. “You were great!” He leaned over and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Unbelievable!”
    Making my way back to the table, I felt exhilarated after having sung in front of a crowd for the first time in ages.
    “You were fucking awesome. I knew you were a sly one,” Cooper declared as he jumped up and gave me a huge hug.
    Kelli gave me a nudge. “You were okay I guess …” She trailed off, laughing.
    I sat back down. Riley was beaming at me with pride, then leaned in and kissed me tenderly on the cheek, the heat from his lips searing through my body. “You were amazing. You looked like you were born for the stage.”
    We had another drink—was it my fourth or fifth?—and celebrated and toasted each other loudly for whatever excuse we could think of, before I excused myself for a moment and made my way to the bathroom.
    I was just heading back to the table, enjoying the song that a guy wearing a cowboy hat was singing, and wondering to myself why anyone would be wearing a cowboy hat in the middle of Melbourne, when someone grabbed my wrist and yanked me backwards. Before I knew what was happening, I was plonked unceremoniously onto a guy’s lap, his hands groping as they clumsily slid under the hem of my dress and up my thigh, rank beer breath in my face.
    “I’ll give you love on top,” he slurred as he leaned forward and I felt his slimy tongue lick my face.
    Ugh! It was gross, he was gross, and I struggled to push him away, while at the same time trying to keep his hands from reaching any further up my dress. Blind panic was making my feeble attempt futile and my throat closed up so I couldn’t call for help. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think what to do, I just wanted to get away from him, but everything I tried was useless. He was too big and too strong.
    Then as suddenly as it had started, I was lifted off him and gently placed on my feet.
    “Are you okay?” Riley asked, searching my face for an answer.
    I nodded, shell shocked, before he nodded and turned his furious eyes on the drunk.
    “That’s my girlfriend you’re manhandling,” he blazed.
    “Well, I think she needs a real man to show her a good time,” he slurred, standing to his enormous full height.
    Within about five seconds Riley had the drunken guy face-down on the table with his arm twisted up his back.
    He leaned over the man,