Star Maker (14 page)

He
swallowed hard. “No comment. The money doesn’t matter, Kit. No matter how
much cocaine I buy, I’ll never exhaust my trust fund. Impossible. Not in this
lifetime.”

She
shook her head, suddenly feeling a rush of compassion. The last thing she wanted
to do was push him further into the depths of his addiction. “I could care
less about the money. There’s only one you, Joe.”

He
stared into her eyes and then forced himself to look away. “Damn.”

She
watched him, trying to get a read. “What?”

He shook
his head and couldn’t face her. “You.” He then met her eyes. “You still with
that suit?”

She
rolled her eyes. “I love Seth. He’s a good guy. You would like him. Maybe
we could all go to dinner.”

He
frowned. “Who is we?”

“Y’know,
Seth and me, your new girlfriend, and you. What’s her name?”

He
shook his head. “I told you. She dumped me because of that psycho’s threat.
I’m flying solo, babe.”

She
reached for his hand and he pulled it away, folding his arms. “I’m sorry to
hear that, Joe. I know you hate being alone. You’ll find a new girl. Just
promise me you won’t party yourself into a grave.”

He eyed
her cautiously, instantly losing trust in that moment. “I think it’s time for
you to go. I’ll see you soon. I’ll be in the studio with you and GT. Still
getting things set up. I’ll keep you posted.”

She
stood up. “I’ll pay you back for this Joe, with interest. You’ve got my
word.”

He
looked up at her. “I’m pulling favors through Tommy at Columbia. It’s not
gonna cost much. Don’t worry about it.” His eyes then narrowed. “And stop
worrying about me. I don’t have a problem. I’m fine! You thinking I have a
problem will become a problem if you don’t fucking settle down, maniac.”

She
swallowed hard. This was a version of Joe she had never seen and hoped to
never see again. He clearly needed help and she wasn’t sure how to get it for
him. She nodded slowly. “I think you’re right. I should go. See ya.”

She
hastily left the condo and stepped onto the elevator. She closed her eyes and
felt the tears welling up as the elevator doors closed. In the confines of the
empty elevator, she buried her head in her hands and started sobbing. All she
wanted was the old Joe back and she had no idea how to find him.

CHAPTER 12

“Sloppy,
Sully, sloppy and flat. C’mon! I want it clean and tight.” Kit spoke through
the mic from the control room and stared at him through the glass. She ran her
fingers through her red locks in frustration. Joe watched her carefully from
the sofa in the control room and chuckled. Sully stared back at her from the
live room for a moment and then looked away, nodding his head, and waiting for
the playback.

They
were in the studio recording Gypsy Tango’s demo with the help of Joe’s
connections. It wasn’t going as smoothly as she had anticipated and every
error was costly. They were dangerously close to the end of their budget and
the last thing she wanted to do was ask Joe for another bankroll.

She
leaned over to Jimmy who was standing next to her. “Is he stoned?”

Jimmy
nodded. “I think so. The girlfriend is a pot head and a pill popper.”

Joe chuckled again and sat back, lazily plucking an acoustic guitar
that had been abandoned. “Yes, Kit, he’s stoned. Get over it. So am I. Who
do you think he was hot boxing it with in the parking lot before this session,
huh?”

She
rolled her eyes. “Great. You and his peach of a girlfriend are rubbing off on
him. Fucking fantastic. And when we’re in the studio. Even more brilliant.”
She donned a smug smile and then glared. “This is the last thing I need. I
have a huge mock trial tomorrow that I need to prepare for. We’re not gonna
get out of here on time, not with him pulling this shit.”

Joe
shook his head, set the guitar aside, and brushed past her. “Boo-hoo. Get the
over yourself, control freak. You’re the one choosing to go to law school,
which is a total joke.” He stood at the threshold of the door and stared at
her. “This is just a demo. You’re ruining my buzz. I’m outta here.” He
walked out and let the door close quietly behind him.

Bryan
sighed. “Should we call it a night? You can go home and prep for your trial,
Kit. He can sleep it off and we’ll pick up tomorrow. I’ll personally make
sure he’s not stoned or drunk.”

She
nodded. “Thanks, Bryan. I’d appreciate that.” She looked at Jimmy. “Is
there any way we can get him away from her for a bit? She’s a well-known party
girl. The publicity is good, it makes him look like a bad boy, and that’s
favorable for us right now from a press standpoint, but Sully partying all the
time is not helping. He can’t handle it. I can do my part by keeping Joe
away.”

Jimmy
nodded. “Bryan’s got him tomorrow. I’ll keep a close watch on him when we
leave.”

Sully
walked into the control room. He walked right up to Kit and stood in front of
her, staring deeply into her eyes. “I’m not good enough for you anymore, am I?
That’s why we don’t have a deal yet.” He stormed off and Bryan ran after him.

Kit
looked at Jimmy. “Go after him. Talk him down from his ledge. He’s not gonna
listen to me right now. That’s for sure.” She folded her arms in front of her
chest and sighed. Her mind reeled. This was all becoming too much. She and
Joe hadn’t been getting along—his drug habits were rapidly spinning out
of control and it looked like he was pulling Sully into his cyclone, unraveling
all the work she had done over the holidays.

She
turned on her heel and headed out. As she walked out to her car moments later,
she noticed Sully speeding out of the parking lot in his girlfriend’s blue,
Mercedes-Benz convertible trailing seconds after Joe’s Ferrari turned the
corner. She shook her head. Bryan drove out moments later, after Sully.

Jimmy
leaned against her car, waiting. “Bryan’s going after him. He’s headed
somewhere with Joe. I know, I know, he shouldn’t be driving. Neither of them
should. He doesn’t care, Kit. We need to talk. Let’s go have a drink. It’s
on me.”

Kit sat
next to Jimmy at the bar, nursing her scotch. “What did you want to talk
about?”

He sat
pensively. “I’m trying to figure out what tipped him. He’s been off since
Christmastime. It’s March now. He’s gotten progressively worse, even more so
since he moved out of your place, met his new girl, and Joe came back into
town. You and Sull were always so tight, like best friends. He keeps saying
that he’s not good enough for you. Where is that coming from? Did you tell
him that? Do you really feel that way? Do you think we’re not good enough for
a deal?” His eyes pleaded and he secretly hoped she wouldn’t agree.

She
shook her head and turned to face him. “Jimmy, I actually think out of all the
bands I’ve managed since I got to L.A., including Scorcher, you guys have the
biggest possibility for being a huge rock band with staying power. I’m not talking
selling out a few shows. I’m talking the dream. Selling out Wembley several
times over. Making millions, flying around on private jets, living in
mansions, cars galore, the whole nine. I see it, plain as day, and I know
that’s Sully’s vision too. I’m not sure where he’s getting this whole not good
enough thing. I suppose it’s paranoid delusion from all his marijuana use. I
never told him he wasn’t good enough, I said you guys weren’t ready.” She
slumped, her mind completely blank, unable to find the solution she sought.

Jimmy
nodded and exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. He couldn’t help feeling
relieved by what she had said. Now, he wondered what was going on with his
frontman. “That’s a pretty big difference. I’d rather be ready and have a
long career than be a short fused firecracker washed up at thirty.”

She
nodded and raised her glass to him before taking another sip. “Exactly my
point.”

Jimmy
sighed. It was time the truth came out. He kept it carefully guarded before
thinking the problem was gone, but now it was back. “Kit, I’ve never told you
this before, but I’ve seen Sully go into this before with pot. He did it when
we were kids. Everything was fine. He hadn’t touched the shit in years until
he started hanging out with this Dahlia chick. I wish there was a way to get
him away from her, but I can’t think of one.”

Kit
stared at him. “I can. It’s called touring. You get me all your contacts
from Chicago. You said Bryan moved to NYC for a while and then came back to Chi-Town,
right?”

“Yeah.”

“When
he was in New York, did he play in bands?”

“Yep.”

“I want
his contacts. I want Remo’s contacts from Texas and Tony’s from Minneapolis.
I can grab Joe’s from Boston. Alexa will find a way to get shows on the books.
We’re going on tour this summer, come hell or high water. I will not let him
destroy himself or you guys. Do you think if I dangle that carrot in front of
him, he’ll start to shape up?”

Jimmy
shrugged his shoulders. “I think when he sees out of state shows on the
schedule that will kick him in the pants. Kit, how are we going to do this?
We’re out of money. Are you going to ask Joe for more?”

She wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet, but she wanted to
reassure him. He was her biggest ally right now. “I’ll find a way, Jimmy.
You guys are going out on the road starting in late May and I’m coming with
you.”

Kit got
home much later than expected and found a message from Seth on her answering
machine. She called him back immediately. He asked if he could come by. It
was eleven and she wasn’t the least bit sleepy, plus she figured it would be
nice to get a little affection, love, and support from her boyfriend.

At the
beginning of the year, he had been wonderfully supportive and started talking
more seriously about their future together. She wondered if he was thinking
engagement now that three months had passed since. She got excited at the
thought. She needed him more than ever since her former best friends, Sully
and Joe, had seemed to be nonexistent over the last few months. She was
grateful that Sully had shaped up his act and was doing well in his recording
sessions. The demo was halfway finished.

She
flipped through the channels on the TV, finding nothing. She turned it off and
as she did, there was a knock at the door. She jumped up happily and answered
it. When she saw Seth standing in front of her, she leapt into his arms,
smiling and gave him a kiss. “I am so happy to see you. You have no idea,
baby.”

He
forced a grin and removed her arms slowly. “Kit, we need to talk.”

She
frowned, not liking the look on his face or the tone of his voice. “Ok. Have
a seat.”

He
looked around. “Are we alone? Is Lex here?”

She
shook her head. “Lex is at Wes’s tonight. We’re alone. Just you and me.”
She giggled and gave him a suggestive grin as she ran her finger down his
chest.

He
motioned to the sofa. “Let’s sit down.”

She
felt excitement rush through her body as she had an instantaneous daydream of
him getting down on one knee and proposing to her. She sat down across from
him and grinned. “I’m sitting. What’s going on? Did you have a good day?”

He
nodded and fidgeted. “Pretty good. Listen, Kit, you know how much I love you.
We’ve had lots of great times over the last few months.”

She
grinned and nodded. “We definitely have. See, I told you Sully wasn’t a threat
to you. You’re my one and only, honey.” She reached out and stroked his
cheek.

He
stared into her eyes. “Kit, I met someone.”

She
immediately recoiled with a look of such horror it seemed like he had slapped
her across the face, but he hadn’t. It was the gravity of his words that
stung. She stared for a moment and then swallowed hard. “What? What do you
mean you met someone?”

He
sighed. “Kit, I’ve asked her to marry me.”

Her
emerald eyes widened, clouded with confusion. As much as she wanted to seem
unaffected by his news, it was impossible. Her eyes started welling up with
tears and her voice trembled. “What? You were dating us at the same time?”

He
nodded and couldn’t face her. “Yes. I didn’t intend for it to turn out like
this. You’ve been so busy with Gypsy Tango and your other bands the last few
months. She was there and it happened.” He finally looked up and met her
eyes. “I’m sorry.”

She
sobbed. “You’re sorry? Yeah, well I’m sorry I ever trusted you. You told me
you were in love with me. You were talking about a future with me at the
beginning of the year.”

He held
her hand. “I meant those things when I said them, but then I met Joannie and
she made me feel important. She made me feel like her top priority. Kit, I
can’t compete with your work. Hell, your studies can’t even compete with your
work. You have a one-track mind. You’re dead set to get to the top and take
Gypsy Tango with you. You want to make them stars. There’s no room for me
anymore.”

She
stared at him while tears streamed down her cheeks. “I was building that for
us! We were supposed to go to the top together. You could run Fisher, I could
run one of the other labels, or an entertainment law firm, or my management
company, or… something. We were supposed to have an empire!”

He took
both her hands in his. “Kit, we want different things. I’m twelve years older
than you. I’m thirty-four. I want a family. You see a baby and you freak
out. Joannie can give me a family. She’s ready. In fact, she’s already
pregnant.”

Kit
closed her eyes, while tears continued to roll down. This was a nightmare of
grand proportions. She had a whole life planned out with she and Seth as the
reigning king and queen of the music industry. Now, that dream was shattered.
She shook her head. She kept her eyes cast down and spoke quietly. “Get out.”

Seth
looked at her. “I’m sorry, Kit. I still want us to be friends.”

She
looked up at him, her eyes filled with anguish. “Get out!” she yelled at the
top of her lungs. “Get out right now!”

He got
up and scurried out. She didn’t watch him go, she waited until she heard the
click of the door closing before she broke down crying in heaving sobs. She
threw herself on the sofa.

An hour
later, she finally sat up, sniffling. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
She didn’t want to be alone, but she also didn’t want to go to the Rainbow
looking and feeling like a mess. She made her way into the kitchen and found her
favorite bottle of scotch. She poured herself a double and chugged it down.
She did the same thing again moments later and seized her address book.

She
dialed the number, not caring who would answer. She was surprised when she
heard Sully answer. She figured at midnight on a Thursday, his girlfriend’s
answering machine would be picking up. She sniffled, feeling the tears welling
up in her eyes again. “Sully?” Her voice cracked and trembled.

“Kit?”

She
sniffled. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Kit,
baby, are you ok? You sound really upset. What happened? Talk to me.”

“Are
you stoned right now?”