Lip and Annie Ch. 02

"I... you... you caught me by surprise, Robert. I'm not really mentally prepared to tell you the whole story about what happened to me, but I will tell you that I was attacked and raped five years ago." Annie got up from her seat and walked to the window, obviously uncomfortable with speaking about what had happened to her. As she stood there she was holding the Taser to her chest with both hands.

This whole conversation had veered wildly from what Robert had expected, and he quickly said, "I understand, Annie. You don't need to say any more about it; I understand why you have that in your purse. Just please realize that you don't have to worry about me in any way. I can't even imagine a situation where you would want to use that Taser on me."

Annie turned to face him, still holding the Taser with both hands and said, "I'm really sorry, Robert. I only remember once when I know I felt a little uncomfortable around you, and that was the first time I came in and waited for you in your room, before we went for supper that day. I didn't really know you then." She was looking at him with a clearly sad expression on her face, well aware that she had just admitted to being uncomfortable with him that day.

Robert quickly thought back to the day he had met Annie and realized that in her situation, as the victim of a rape, it was not surprising; in fact it was totally understandable that she would be hesitant to enter a hotel room with a man she had just met. Knowing that his intentions were entirely above board, and not knowing her history, it had never occurred to Robert that his invitation for her to wait for him in his room could have been looked at as potentially being a danger to her.

"I didn't know, Annie. I'm sorry that I inadvertently caused you concern." Robert was now quite aware that his conversation with Annie was approaching a point where it would be better to return to a more normal subject, so he continued, "Let's just go down and play poker. I'm sorry I brought up the subject. I would never have mentioned your habit with your purse had I known anything about your history."

Annie slipped the Taser back into her purse and said, "I guess it's probably good that you did mention it. I didn't realize I was still being so paranoid about my safety. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for years to help me deal with... things, and I haven't seen her in over four months. I think I'm going to make another appointment with her as soon as I get back home, because apparently I still have a long way to go before I get past this, or maybe I'm having a bit of a relapse."

Robert was about to apologize again for bringing up the subject when Annie continued, "I don't want you to think it's just you. Last Christmas I was visiting my parents, and we were watching a Christmas show on TV. At some point my dad got up to get some potato chips, and when he came back with the bowl he touched me on the shoulder, intending to ask me if I wanted some. I must have had my hand on the Taser while I was watching the television show, because the moment he touched me I had the Taser out, and was all prepared to trigger it. I think I was milliseconds away from tasing my own father."

As she finished her explanation, tears began to flow and she was quickly back at digging in her purse, but this time it was for a tissue. As she finally blotted away the last of her tears she said, "It's a good thing I don't have on any makeup, or I'd have to redo it." She managed a small smile after saying that.

Robert smiled back at her and said, "Let's go downstairs. You look very lovely without makeup, and your tissue has taken care of the tears." He led the way to the door, and then held it open for her. Robert couldn't tell whether it was an intentional decision on her part, or whether their little discussion had cleared the air between them, but he noticed that she was carrying her closed purse in a normal fashion, and exhibited none of the caution that he now realized she had displayed earlier. Knowing that she seemed more comfortable with him, for whatever reason, pleased him more than he had expected it would.

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They spent the afternoon playing poker, and both of them were only mildly successful. They had played at the same table, as Annie wanted Robert to see if she had changed her playing style enough to eliminate the tell that he had picked up on earlier. When they stopped playing to have supper, neither of them had won enough chips to be interested in cashing them in. Instead, they kept them for use later in the evening when they returned to the poker room.

They had a pleasant supper, and it was obvious that they were both more comfortable together. Their conversation about Annie's Taser had cleared the air somewhat, either by making both of them realize that nothing should ever be taken for granted, or by prompting both of them to try a little harder to be friendly and to enjoy their time together. In truth it wasn't hard to do, as they both enjoyed each other's company. Annie was pleased to find out that Robert hadn't noticed any evidence that her chip viewing habits were still giving away the quality of her cards.

Robert found it was very pleasant to be with a woman who seemed to pay no attention to his appearance, and Annie was happy to spend some time with a man she now knew that she could trust, one who really seemed to enjoy being with her, but who wasn't trying to push her into a relationship of any sort.

When they finished their meal Annie passed over her Taser to Robert so that he could take a look at it. He gave it a quick inspection and after getting some information from Annie on how it was used, he passed it back to her and she quickly replaced it out of sight in her purse. In the course of their conversation Robert found out that she had three of these units. She had spent close to $1000 in order to have one in her car and one in her nightstand, as well as the one in her purse. She explained that by doing that, she never had to wonder where she had left her protection; there was always one close by.

When they returned to the poker room they found that it had become much busier, and they were forced to put their names down for the next available seats. As a result they ended up at different tables. At just before midnight Annie walked by Robert's table and quickly told him that she was going back to her room for the night. Her big smile when he asked her how she had made out gave him the answer to that question. Robert stayed at his table and played until almost 2:30 in the morning, eventually leaving with winnings of just under $400.

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At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Robert called Annie in her room to see if she would like to go for breakfast. He discovered that she had been waiting for his call, not wanting to phone him and possibly disturb his sleep. By 10 o'clock they were on their way to the restaurant for a pleasant breakfast and more enjoyable conversation. When they compared their winnings from the previous night it turned out that they had enjoyed very similar successes. Both of them planned to spend the afternoon and evening playing poker, and both would return home on Monday morning.

Robert spent a couple of hours working on his business accounts, and then both of them spent the afternoon and evening as planned, playing poker. They managed to have supper together again, and on Monday morning they had prearranged to meet for breakfast at 9:30 a.m. After an enjoyable breakfast, and agreeing to keep in touch by email, they both went to check out and begin their individual drives home. Once again they were both heading home with a profit for their time at the poker tables, although neither of them would get rich from their winnings.

To Be Continued