Rock Her(9)

Brag much? Hope she forgets I said it.

Annie stopped walking and turned toward him. Looking very serious she asked him, “How rich, Kip?”

Fuck. Kip stopped walking, too and looked deadly serious right back at her.

“Very.”

Annie squinted, “How very is very?”

“You got your notebook on you?” Kip asked.

“No.”

“Well, you might want to wait for me to answer that until you get it.”



Kip looked over Annie’s shoulder and saw a familiar face approach. It was the dirty grey duster he was wearing that Kip first noticed. Shit, not a good time.

Kip had learned in his short time of fame that when you’re in the public spotlight you should never dodge your fans and admirers. So, he straightened up and looked sincere.

“Annie, do you have a pen on you?”

Annie patted her tight dress and cupped her luscious tits in her hand. “Fresh out,” she said. “Left it in my other bra.”

As the same disheveled man from before the Hilton bar incident approached, Kip held up his hands toward him. “Sorry, buddy, I’ve still got no pen.”

Then the man opened his duster and pulled out a small handgun, aimed it and fired.

Kip saw it coming and pushed Annie to the ground and dodged to the side, rolling on the concrete sidewalk. Pandemonium broke out on the crowded street. Kip quickly recovered and looked up to see the man spinning around and looking at all of the running people, a huge grin on his face. Kip was on his feet and heading toward him just as the bum caught sight of him and brought the gun up for another shot. Kip dove and planted his shoulder in the filthy guy’s chest, knocking him to the ground in the street. Traffic screeched to a halt and Kip gained feet again just as a taxi skidded to a stop inches before hitting him. Kip slammed his hands on the hood and steadied himself. He looked around for Annie, who was safe on the sidewalk, pulling down her dress where it had ridden up during the fall. Then he spun around looking for the gunman. He was nowhere to be seen. Others had seen him though, and were pointing in the direction he ran. No one went after him.

Kip caught his breath and walked over to Annie, who was being helped to her feet by two men.

“This night just keeps getting better and better, huh?” he said to Annie smiling.

Annie looked up and her jaw dropped open just as her eyes, widened.

“Kip,” she said, exasperated and staring at his chest.

Kip stopped. What? He thought. I was just a hero for the second time tonight? Why the anger?

But it wasn’t anger that Annie was trying to express. It was horror.

“Kip, I think you’ve been shot!”

“Huh?” Kip looked down following Annie’s gaze. He saw a bright red flower growing on his shoulder. Shit, not again!

The man next to Annie that had helped her up rush to him. “I’ll call an ambulance,” he said. “Stay calm.”

Kip looked up at him and smiled. “Oh, I am calm, buddy. No worries there. And don’t do the ambulance thing. I will be fine.”

He walked to Annie calmly and held out his hand. “Shall we? I promised you some truths about me, didn’t I?”

Annie was in more shock than Kip. She just nodded with her mouth open.

“Good. The Plaza is right there. I can get this cleaned up in my room.”

The gathering crowd all looked at one another in confusion, as did Annie.

He took her hand and led her through the milling people. One woman looked at him and pointed to her own shoulder. Kip smiled at her. “All it did was graze me. Nothing that gauze can’t fix,” he said, winking at her.



Kip and Annie reached his room and made their way inside. As soon as he closed the door behind them he pulled his shirt off and walked to the bathroom, leaving the door open. Annie just stood in the living room, still in shock.

“Yup,” Kip said from the bathroom, “Just as I thought. It’s hardly anything.” She finally cleared her senses and went to the bathroom. She saw Kip splashing water on his shoulder. As she approached, he turned and showed her his shoulder. “It was just a .22 and the bullet only grazed me,” he said. “He must not have been serious anyway because it wouldn’t bring down a poodle.”

Annie saw the deep cut in his shoulder and watched as more blood seeped out. Kip washed it away too. He walked to the bedroom and pulled an old T-shirt out of the drawer, balled it up and put it over his wound, keeping pressure on it. Then he walked back to the bathroom, pulled a wash cloth from the rack and escorted the still somewhat shocked Annie back to the living room.

“Have a seat, Annie,” he said. She just stared at him. Kip walked to the freezer and pulled some ice from inside the door; he wrapped it in the towel and brought it back to Annie. He motioned for her to put it on the side of her head. She took it and did so.