Page 28 of Last First Kiss
She nodded, still looking around, one hand pressed against her pants trying to feel the comfort of the steel from her weapon.
“Hey, it’s cool,” he said, looking over his shoulder waving to a small group still gathered taking photographs of them. “They’re just fans, you’ll get used to it.”
The door buzzed and Rocco pulled the door open. Once inside, he pressed the button for the elevator. “Take a breath. Breathe. Are you okay?”
“How would I know the difference between a crazed fan and a regular fan? I need to reevaluate my security plan,” she said, mostly to herself.
“Stop worrying. Seriously, nothing is going on but the usual. This is my life. That was actually not bad. One of the reasons it was an easy decision for me to stay in Miami was because the paps aren’t as crazed here. In LA, they’re everywhere. Here, it’s easier to blend in.”
“If you say so,” she said as the elevator doors opened to a big room, all sleek marble and racks of clothes. A man in a tailored suit approached. “Welcome, Mr. Monroe, Ms. Clad. May I offer you some champagne?”
“I’d like some water, please,” Annie said.
“Me too, thank you, Jonas.”
Jonas signaled behind him while escorting them to a lovely velvety mustard-colored couch. Another man handed them glasses of water, and Jonas sat across from them.
Annie quickly gulped half the glass trying to regulate her nerves. She felt a panic attack right on the precipice. The sudden mob reminded her of the ambush in Kandahar. She had to focus on where she was and what she was doing. “ . . . already in the dressing rooms.”
“Perfect. Thank you, Jonas.”
Jonas extended his hand to Annie. “You zoned out, didn’t you?” Rocco asked. “They pulled some outfits for you. Follow Jonas to the dressing room. I’ll be right here.”
“Okay, yeah. Sure.”
Two sweet women were waiting for her in a big room full of mirrors and they handed her a yellow shift dress. It looked way too small for her.
“How fancy is the thing tonight?” she hollered.
“Cocktail attire.”
She smoothed the yellow dress down her body, surprised by how well it fit. She rarely wore dresses but this one was admittedly nice. Feeling a little ridiculous in the expensive and very sexy dress, she inhaled before opening the curtain. “What do you think?” she asked.
He looked up, surprised, his phone tumbling out of his hand and crashing to the floor. “That’s a good sign.” Jonas said, chuckling. And she exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
“Wow,” Rocco said. The women came to where Annie stood, and pulled and tugged and made a few adjustments.
“It’s too short.” She turned and looked over her shoulder at the mirror. “If I have to move quickly, you’ll see my ass.”
Rocco said something under his breath which sounded like “Fuck,” but she couldn’t make it out. He cleared his throat. “Could you even hide a gun in that?”
“Sure,” she lifted the hem slightly. “Right here. I have a special holster.”
This time she heard him loud and clear. “Jesus Christ, woman.” He ran his palm down his face, his eyes on the spot she’d just shown him on her thigh. “We’ll take that one.”
“Wait! No we won’t.” She felt under her arms and around her neck. “How much is this?”
“I’m paying. Don’t ask prices. Go try on some more.” He waved his hand back to the dressing room. “But we’re taking that one!” he yelled over the curtain, which made her laugh.
She tried on a dozen dresses. He had similar reactions to three more and demanded that those be purchased too. A few alterations needed to be done, so they took the one for tonight with them with the rest to be delivered the next day. She also left with two bags of bras and panties.
“I’m sorry I lost it earlier.”
“You didn’t lose it. You were doing exactly what I hired you to do. You pretended to blend in while still looking out.”
“But I felt so ill-prepared. All I wanted to do was whip out my gun and make everyone move away.”
“Crazy, it seems to me that you don’t need your gun to make anyone move. When you narrow those hazel eyes and get in your ninja headspace you can will people to move.”
