Rock Her(4)

“Oh, Sorry,” Kip said. “Annie, this is Jack Treme. We usually keep him caged behind the drums on stage and rarely let him out and about when we’re not doing a show. His claims of being respectable are, well, way off.”

Annie gave him a quick smile as she sat on the couch and reached for her shoes.

“Jacky, this is Annie Beecher. She’s going to be my biographer, like I said.” Only my biographer, apparently, he thought.

“Annie the biographer, Let me ask you something. Do you know how hard it is to get this guy to do any talking about himself?” Jack asked.

“I’ve noticed, yes,” Annie replied, grinning.

“So, do you have a plan?” Jack asked.

“A plan?”

“To get him to talk. I’ve known this guy for four years now, and all I really know about him is that he can sing, and make his guitar speak better than me,” Jack said.

“Well, that doesn’t take much, Jacky,” Kip said.

“No, I really mean it, Annie,” Jack said. “He’s a hell of a guy, really. But he doesn’t talk about himself. You’ve got your work cut out for you, I can tell you that.”

“Yeah, I figured that out last night. I guess I am going to have to work some of my Annie charm on him,” Annie said, smiling a knowing smile at Kip.

“You heard that?” Kip asked, embarrassed.

Annie shrugged. “I am a good listener. It makes me good at what I do,” she said.

“Ah,” Kip said.

Jack looked between the two of them. Then, “Hey really, how’s about you come along with us to the Steel Rain night club tonight?” Jack said.

Annie shook her head.

“Aw, come on. How are you going to write Kip’s life story if you don’t follow him wherever he goes? And Kip at the club is a huge part of his life, believe me.”

Annie was reaching for her other shoe and she paused. She looked up at Jack and then at Kip.

“Actually, you’re right, Jack the drummer.” She said, then picked up her shoe and slipped it on her foot, wincing as she did. “But I am still afraid I have to pass for tonight. I have another appointment, I am afraid.” She looked at Kip. “Sorry, Kip. I know I should spend all of my time with you working on this book, but I could not get out of this meeting.”

Damn, kip thought. “No problem,” he said.

“But,” Annie continued, “My meeting is not far from the Steel Rain nightclub. Maybe when my meeting is over I can come find you there?”

“Actually, I haven’t even…” Kip started.

“That will do just fine, Annie. Looking forward to seeing you there,” Jack cut in.

Kip gave Jack a sideways look.

“Annie, I haven’t agreed to go to the club. I hadn’t planned on it,” Kip tried to finish.

“He’ll be there,” Jack said as he slammed the half empty bottle of Crown Royal down on the coffee table and walked around to escort Annie out. “Won’t you Kip?”

“Jacky…” Kip said.

“Won’t you Kip?” Jack said again.

Kip shrugged and took a drink from his glass. “I’ll go if Annie does,” he finally said.

“Great!” Jack exclaimed. “What time can he expect you, Annie?”

Annie could see that Kip really wasn’t interested in going to the club, but she felt like now they were both committed. “Well, I’m not sure when I’ll finish up, but I will come over after that.”

“Great!” Jack exclaimed again. “Listen, I’ll leave word with the doorman that you’re coming. Just give him your name. I’ll have him escort you to us. That work?”

Annie gave another look at Kip, who was smiling at them both. Kip shrugged and nodded toward Jack.

Annie smiled back. “Yeah, sure, that’ll work.”

Jack walked her to the door. Just as she was about to walk through it she turned back to Kip.

“Oh, Damn, I almost forgot my notebook!” She rushed back into the room and over to the coffee table. She picked it up and smiled at Kip. “I have a habit of forgetting this damn thing,” she said.

Great! Maybe you could forget one of your rules, Kip thought.

“See you tonight then, Annie,” Kip said from the couch.

Jack smiled at her as she crossed in front of him toward the empty hallway. Then he closed the door behind her.

“Whoa!” Jack said to Kip when the door was shut.

“No shit,” Kip replied, smiling. Then he picked up the bottle of Crown and poured another glass.

“You going to fuck her Kip my man?”

“I wish! She says she doesn’t date rockers.”

“It’s fucking! You don’t have to date her.”