Star Maker (10 page)

“Almost
three years.”

“See,
you’ve held a job for three years.”

He
chuckled. “Never looked at it that way.”

“Work
is work, babe, whether you’re paid or not. And it’s my goal in the New Year to
turn you guys into a band that gets paid to play. I did it with Scorcher. You
guys are next on my radar. Don’t worry about the money, Sull. We’ll figure it
out. I’ll help you.”

He
stared at her and a faint grin surfaced. “You will?”

She
faced him and took his hands in hers. “Listen, you told me you need me to make
you a superstar. Let me. We’ll do this together. It will be amazing!”

He
chuckled. “You’re a maniac, Kit McKenna, but I love your enthusiasm.”

She
smiled. “So, is that a yes? Sull, tell me right now. What is your biggest
dream?”

He
shook his head and grinned. “Aww, see. Now you’re getting to me. How do you
know me so well already? Jeez, I only met you like four months ago and you’ve
already got my number.”

“You’re here to talk, so let’s talk. Tell me your vision from
beginning to end.” She grabbed her drink and took a sip, grinning. “I’ve got
all night. Start talkin,’ Foxx.”

Kit
awoke at six, hopped into the shower, drew her wet hair back into a ponytail,
and threw on the closest outfit she could find. She didn’t care what she
looked like. She had to study. She had only gotten two hours of sleep. She
had been up all night talking with Sully.

She was
buried in a mess of law books and notes when Alexa padded by her, headed to the
kitchen to make coffee. She returned a few moments later and gazed into the
living room, frowning. “Kit, why is Sully sleeping on our sofa? Doesn’t he
live with his slut girlfriend?”

She
looked up at Alexa and put her finger to her lips. “Shh! Don’t wake him up.
He’s a little fragile right now. Got his heart broken last night. It’s over
between those two. He needed a place to stay. I told him he could stay here.”

Alexa’s
eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She put her hand over her mouth and
shook her head, glaring. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Kit! Are you
crazy? He’ll turn this place into party central. He’ll be having sex with
groupies on our sofa. Especially now that he’s single! Ew!”

Kit
giggled and shook her head. “No he won’t. I set very clear ground rules for
him. He agreed and he knows that if he violates even one of them, he’s out on
his ass. Absolutely no women at any time and if he wants to have a party, he
has to clear it with both of us beforehand.”

Alexa
took a sip of her coffee and sighed. She smirked. “Ok, but if he messes up,
he’s out!”

“I
know, Lex. He’ll be good. Remember how you said you’d be willing to front me
to help the band?”

She
nodded. “Yes.”

“Well,
you’re starting now if you agree to this. He needs us. Lex, he has it in him
to be one of the biggest rock stars this planet has ever known. I don’t know
why I feel so strongly about this, but I do. I had the same feeling about Joe
and look what happened with his career. We have to at least try to help Sully
get there. Please, Lex?”

She
stared at Kit and noticed the pleading look in her eyes. “Ok, but only for a
little while. I don’t want to be having this conversation a year from now figuring
out how to kick him out.”

Kit shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. I don’t want that
either.”

Sully
had only been living with Alexa and Kit for two days and already Alexa had
changed her reluctant attitude. She was thrilled. Since he didn’t have any
money to contribute, he cleaned their entire apartment and was now cooking her
dinner.

Kit
walked in and smelled something delicious wafting through the apartment. She
heard laughter coming from the kitchen and headed in. She smiled when she saw
Sully at the stove cooking while he and Alexa talked and laughed.

Alexa
took a sip of her wine and looked over at Kit. “Guess who is going to help me
cook Thanksgiving dinner this year.”

Kit
chuckled. “You cook, Sull? Where did this come from? I didn’t know this
about you.”

He
giggled and grinned mischievously. “There are lots of things you don’t know
about me, Kit-Kat.”

She
rolled her eyes. “Lex, pour me a glass of wine, please. It’s been a day.”

Alexa
poured a glass of wine and handed it to her. “Are you working tonight?”

She
shook her head and took a sip. “No. I quit.”

Alexa’s
eyes widened. “What? When?”

“Yesterday.
I can’t handle it. It’s too much with school and managing. I have enough to
float me until the New Year, I think, and I’m pretty sure Scorcher’s deal will
come through.”

Alexa
smiled and clapped her hands. “Good! Then you can have dinner with us and
hang out. Sully and I are going to watch a movie.”

Kit
chuckled. “No you’re not. Sully is going flyering with me.”

He
looked at Kit. “Not until ten or eleven. There’s no point in going out to the
Strip earlier than that. We’ll eat dinner, watch a movie, and then go.” He
pointed at her with his wooden spoon.

She
shook her head. “I have to study. I have finals in two weeks. No way.
Watching a movie is not in the cards. Ok, enough about me. Sully, how do you
know how to cook?”

He kept
his attention focused on the sauté pan in front of him. “My mom had a café
when I was growing up. She needed an extra short order cook from time to time.
She showed me how to do it and it went from there. I’ve had a few jobs in
L.A. doing this since I arrived, but my ‘doesn’t play well with others’
attitude inevitably gets me canned. Either that or daydreaming and letting the
food burn.”

Alexa
laughed. “You’re doing just fine here. That smells delicious.”

Sully
grinned. “I have better company. It’s easy to cook when you’re doing it for
people you like.”

Alexa
walked up to him and hugged him from behind. “Aww, Sull, I had no idea you
were so awesome. I’ll be your sugar momma. You’re awfully cute.” She kissed
him on the cheek and they both burst into giggles.

Kit leaned against the counter, drinking her wine, and laughing. As
she watched them the wheels started turning in her head. Maybe having Sully
around would be better than they thought.

Thanksgiving
Day proved to be one of the best experiences Kit had ever had. She thought her
Thanksgiving Day celebrations with her college friends in Philadelphia had been
fun, but this Thanksgiving with Alexa, Maxine, and all of Gypsy Tango had been
one for the record books. The food was delicious, courtesy of Alexa and Sully
teaming up in the kitchen, and fun had ensued—from a morning touch
football game in one of the local parks to a food fight after dinner followed
by a long drinking game. They had all passed out by midnight.

Alexa
was the first one up and made a large pot of coffee, taking out mugs for
everyone, and waking them. She yelled. “Ok, guys, get yourselves together.
Do whatever you have to do. We’re leaving in one hour. No excuses.”

Kit
heard Alexa and padded out of her bedroom, squinting from the bright light, and
noticing all the longhaired rockers in her living room, rousing. “What did you
say, Lex?”

She
handed Kit a cup of coffee. “One hour. Melrose.”

Kit
yawned. “Oh yeah. I forgot we were doing that today.” She grinned and patted
Alexa’s hand. “Thank you. I really appreciate this. I’ll get this back to
you with interest.”

Alexa
smiled. “I know you will. I dunno, I’m starting to feel like these guys are
the brothers I never had, y’know? Jimmy’s always been like my big brother and
even though Sull is the same age as you and me, I feel like he’s my little
brother sometimes.”

Sully
walked over sleepily. “You talkin’ about me?” He rubbed Alexa’s back.

She
giggled and playfully shoved him. “No. Why do you think everyone is always
talking about you? Think you’re a rock star or something?”

He
smiled. “Yes.” He walked past her and headed for the bathroom.

Kit and
Alexa giggled. Kit nodded. “That boy is gonna be famous one day. And it’s
one day really soon.”

Alexa
leaned on the doorjamb that led to the kitchen. “You know, I didn’t realize
how nice he is until he started staying here this week. I mean really nice.
Good manners too. The guy has a big heart. He plays off like a real hot-shot,
gigolo, bad boy, but deep down inside he’s this kind, polite, hardworking
Midwestern boy who wants to do right.”

Kit nodded
and took a sip of her drink. “They’re all good guys, that’s why I like working
with ‘em, but you’re right. Sully has a big heart. Double-edged sword. He’s
also super sensitive. Keep that in mind while he’s living here. He may not
show it, but he gets his feelings hurt really easily, especially when it comes
to his writing. I’ve seen it play out with he and Jimmy constantly.”

Alexa
nodded. “Got it. Where is Max?”

Kit
chuckled. “In my room. She crashed in my bed with me last night since the sofa
and the floor in the living room were occupied by all of our longhaired
gentlemen. Was Jimmy with you?”

“Yep,
passed out on the floor next to my bed. Oh shit. I need to go wake him up.
He’s probably still totally passed out! Crap!” She set her cup of coffee down
and made a beeline for her room.

An hour
later, the band trailed Kit, Alexa, and Maxine as they took them on a shopping
spree on Melrose. Kit was reinventing their image. They were scheduled for a
photo shoot a month prior, but Kit pulled the plug on it, knowing they weren’t
quite ready. With new wardrobes and some restyling to their hair, the guys
would be ready for their photo shoot the following day in a large warehouse in
the meatpacking district of Los Angeles. 1985 was going to see a new and
improved Gypsy Tango.

CHAPTER 9

Kit had
a great strategy for her Christmas break from school that didn’t include going
to Antigua on Joe’s dime. She planned to work with all of the guys in Gypsy
Tango personally, but mostly Sully, so they would hit the ground running in the
New Year. First though, she had to get through her first round of law school
finals.

She
walked through the door and noticed Sully standing on one of their kitchen
chairs, the attachment from the vacuum cleaner in his hand, extended into the
corner of the ceiling while he sung at the top of his lungs a cappella. He
didn’t hear her come in. He kept on going until he caught a glimpse of her out
of the corner of his eye. He turned off the vacuum and looked at her. “You
know how many cobwebs were up there? It was disgusting. Have you guys done
any vacuuming up there since you moved in?”

She
chuckled. “No. But thank you for doing it. I’m standing here trying to
figure out how a guy who is so anal about a few cobwebs can’t seem to pick up
his wet towels off the bathroom floor after he showers.”

He
grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.” He jumped off the chair and walked over to her.
“Are you home for the day? How was school?”

She
sighed and shook her head. “I start finals tomorrow. I’m a little freaked
out. Most of them will be a breeze, but there’s one that I’m a little worried
about. I’ve got a B in the class right now.”

Sully
feigned a horrified look. “You have a B? Oh my God, Kit, the world’s gonna
end! You have to do something about this at once! Armageddon will be upon us
before we know it!”

She
chuckled. “Shut up. I’m serious, Sull. I cannot have a B or worse. If I
bomb the final my grade could drop even lower.”

He
walked up behind her and started massaging her shoulders. “You’ll be fine.
When is this big final exam?”

“Tomorrow.”

He
walked around to face her. “Are you gonna meet up with your law school pals
tonight to study?”

She
nodded. “Yeah, later. Right now I have to dig in on my own. I don’t want
to.”

He
frowned. “What do you mean? That’s not like you.”

She
sighed. “The advantage of the study group is that my classmates and I quiz
each other. You know, test each other on the material. I don’t want to wait
until tonight. That’s still five hours away. Studying notes on my own isn’t
all that effective for this type of coursework.”

He
perched on the chair. “How hard could it be? Just someone else looking at
your notes and asking questions?”

“Uh-huh.”

He
folded his arms in front of him and smiled. His brilliant, steel blue eyes lit
up. “I’ll do it.”

She
smiled. “What? Really? Or is this you being a smart ass?”

He
shook his head. “I’m serious. Kit, you’ve done so much for the band and me
already. Let me help you do something. I don’t have anything to do this
afternoon. I’m all yours.” He opened his arms wide and smiled.

She
grinned. “That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever offered to do for
me. I’m taking you up on that and you’re probably going to be sorry. Let’s
grab some lunch first and then we can hit the books. Deal?”

“Deal.”

As Kit
and Sully headed out to lunch, he glanced over at her. “What law class am I
going to help you study for?”

She
looked at him. “Torts.”

He
chuckled and grinned. He then frowned and joked with her. “Is that like an
old moldy tart? A tort?”

She
burst out laughing, having to take an extra moment to compose herself. “Oh
Sull, you always know how to make me laugh. That’s a good one. I’m gonna tell
my law school buddies that one tonight. Tort law deals with situations where a
person's behavior has unfairly caused someone else to suffer loss or harm.”

He
linked his arm in hers and looked straight ahead at the path in front of them.
“I like my definition better.” He smiled and she giggled.

They
were in the middle of Kit’s study session and she was feeling more solid about
her upcoming final. Sully’s quizzing her was definitely helping. His lack of
knowledge on the subject was even better. He was naturally inquisitive and
this was no different. She found that his rapid fire questioning style, trying
to understand the subject matter and cases, actually helped her to know her
material more extensively. She found the entire process endearing.

The
phone rang and Kit didn’t miss a beat, answering Sully’s question and then
answering the phone. She frowned. “No, I’m sorry. There’s no one named
Patrick here.”

Sully’s
eyes widened. “Kit, wait, that’s for me.”

She
frowned and handed over the phone, eyeing him closely. He held the receiver
and said hello. Seconds later she heard him retort. “Hi, Mom.” Kit’s eyes
widened and she smiled. She wondered if she was about to learn something new
that she didn’t know. Her mind reeled with questions. Why was his mother
calling him Patrick? Was his last name really Foxx or something else? She sat
and wondered. The suspense was killing her.

He
stayed on the phone for a few moments, telling his mother he would call her
back after he was done quizzing Kit on torts. He then offered an explanation
of what tort law was like an expert. Kit chuckled. He had nailed it.

He hung
up the phone. “Sorry about that. Ok, where were we?”

Kit
shook her head and smiled. “Oh no you don’t. We’re taking a study break
effective now,
Patrick
. What’s that
all about? Is that your real name?”

He got
up. “I think I’m gonna get a drink in the kitchen. Do you want anything?”

She
followed him. “Tell me. I wanna know. Tell me.”

He
shook his head. “No.”

She
started tickling him. “Tell me!”

He
laughed and tried to free himself. “No!”

She
boldly reached into his back pocket for his wallet while she continued to
tickle him. He tried to stop her, but was unsuccessful. She held up his
wallet victoriously. “Ha!” She ran off toward the table, thinking she had
escaped unscathed, until he came up from behind and started tickling her. She
screamed out laughing.

He
reached, but it was still slightly out of his grasp. “Give me that back. Give
it back now!” He tried again to get the wallet, but she kept her grip tight.

She
broke free from him, opened it up hastily, pulled out his driver’s license and
then threw his wallet back to him, still laughing as she tried to catch her
breath. “I don’t need your wallet anymore.” He stood before her with an
annoyed look on his face while she stared at his driver’s license, smiling from
ear to ear.

She
giggled. “Patrick Seamus O’Sullivan? Seriously?” She looked up at him,
wide-eyed and smiling.

He
leaned forward and plucked it from her fingers. He stared at her, not amused.
“Yes. Ok? Sully Foxx is a stage name. My friends and some of my family have
called me Sully since I was a kid. You can’t tell anyone. Only Jimmy and
Bryan know my real name and that’s ‘cuz I grew up with those guys. Most of my
family back home still calls me Patrick or Pat.”

She was
unable to wipe the smile off of her face. “Ok, Patrick. Or can I call you
Patty Cake?”

He
sighed and gave her a look of warning. “Kit.”

She
could tell he was sensitive about it and decided to drop it. “Ok, Sull, your
secret is safe with me. But if you ever get out of line, I’m gonna call you
Patrick and if you’re really naughty I’m pulling out Patty Cake complete with
the song. Got it?”

He
nodded. “Fair enough.”

She
grinned. “Although it is tempting…”

“Kit,
please.” His steel blue eyes pleaded with her.

She
leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Relax. I’m joking. Practically
every performer here in Hollywood hates their real name. Joe’s real name is
not Joe.”

Sully’s
eyes widened. “What? What’s his real name?”

She mimicked
a stuffy, pretentious voice. “William Joseph Arden Valois.” She giggled. “Oh
yeah. Now that’s a name for ya. He legally changed it to Joe Arden before he
started at Berklee.”

Her
sharing had broken his mounting tension and he laughed. “Really? I know he
said he had a privileged upbringing, but I don’t know the details. He wasn’t
exactly forthcoming.”

“Yeah,
that’s an understatement. You have no idea what that boy is really made of.
Let’s just say even before his Steel Pony days, he
alone
was worth eight figures, his family combined is worth a whole
lot more. He’s a direct descendent of French nobility.”

Sully’s
mouth dropped open. “Shit! He doesn’t like to talk about his upbringing. He
keeps that close to the vest just like you do, Lake Forest girl.”

She
squirmed in her seat and kept the focus on Joe. “Yep, he does. Don’t worry,
Sull. I won’t let the cat out of the bag about your name. Consider it
officially on the down low, babe.”

He
grinned. “Thank you. Now, you need to get back to studying. Break’s over.”

She
frowned. “Jeez, whip cracker. Are you enjoying this foray into the depths of
sadism? You’re worse than my study partners at school.”

He
chuckled. “You want an A don’t you? You wanna be the best, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s hit it.”

Kit
walked over to Sully, who was still sleeping on the sofa, lightly snoring. She
opened the curtains, letting in bright sunshine. He rolled over and put his
back to the large windows in the living room in an attempt to shield the light
that was streaming in. She walked over, grabbed his arm, and dragged him off
the sofa to the floor slowly and carefully with a thud.

He
finally opened his eyes and stared at her. “What the hell are you doing?”

She
stood above him, one foot planted on each side of his body. “Good morning was
more the greeting I was looking for.”

He glared.
“Good fucking morning.”

She
nudged him with her foot. “Get up, bum. We had a deal. Get your ass up.”

He
groaned and sat up, yawning. “Ok. Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready to
go.”

Kit
headed to the kitchen and quickly downed a cup of coffee. She was on Christmas
break now, after acing her finals thanks to Sully’s help. Now, it was time to
maximize her break and get to work shaping and training Sully. Once January hit,
she knew things would heat up on all fronts and she wanted to prepare them all.

Sully
emerged in track pants, running shoes, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap ten
minutes later. He looked at Kit who was wearing grey leggings, a navy blue
Penn sweatshirt, and running shoes. She had her hair tied back in a ponytail
with not a trace of makeup on. He scanned her from head to toe. “You look
very sporty this morning.”

She
grinned. “Is that the best you could come up with?”

He
nodded, expressionless. “At eight in the morning yes, Miss Perky Pants, that
is the best I can come up with.”

She
pulled her car over and parked at the top of Vista Street five minutes later.
She glanced over at Sully. “C’mon, Mr. McCranker. I can’t believe how cranky
you are this morning. Let’s go. Some endorphins will do you good.”

As they
headed toward the entrance for the trails at Runyon Canyon he looked over at
her. “We’re hiking?”

She
shook her head. “No. We’re running. You said you were in shape, right?”

He
stared at her. “I was joking. Are you?”

“No.”
She started on the trail and motioned him to follow her.

She
kept at a steady jog the entire time while he trailed her. He finally stopped
and bent over to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. She stopped
and turned around to face him, jogging in place. He looked up at her, still
breathing hard while sweat rolled down the sides of his face. His hair was
drenched. “Are you trying to turn me into a jock or something?”

She
stared at him, visibly annoyed. “No. I’m trying to turn you into a good
showman who has the stamina to do a three-hour gig on a big arena stage six
nights a week, globally. You wanna be that, don’t you?”

He
stood up, finally breathing normally. “Yes.”

“You
wanna be the best, right?”

He
nodded. “Yes.”

“Then
let’s hit it.” She giggled and ran off.

He glared as he ran past her, yelling over his shoulder. “I hate
when you use my own words against me.” She chuckled and quickened her pace to
catch up with him.

Alexa
leaned against the bar, next to Kit, watching Sully work the room. She smiled.
“What have you done to him? I know we revamped his look together, I’m loving
the blond highlights on him, but there’s something else.”