Star Maker (15 page)

He
chuckled. “Uh, no. I was working on a new song. Kit, honey, what is wrong?”

“Can
you please come over? I know it’s late and kinda far coming from Malibu, but
please. Make up some dumb excuse to your rich girlfriend, steal a good bottle
of alcohol, and come over. Lex isn’t here. You can park in her spot.”

He
giggled. “Dahlia’s out of town. I’ll be right over. Hang tight, babe.”

Sully
arrived forty minutes later, a bottle of good scotch in hand. He grinned when
he walked in but that faded when he noticed her fragile state. He gave her a
look of pity. He had never seen her look so sad or vulnerable. He rushed over
and sat in front of her on the coffee table. “Oh, baby, look at you. Have you
been crying all night?” He stroked her cheek. “What happened? Did you get a
B on an exam?”

She
loved how he always knew the best way to cut the tension and lighten up
anyone’s mood. She instantly laughed and then grinned at him. “Thank you for
that. I needed that laugh. I knew getting you over here was the right thing
to do.”

He
stood up and took off his leather jacket. He grabbed the bottle of scotch he
had brought and refreshed her drink. He grinned. “I’ll be right back. I need
to get myself a glass.” He returned moments later and poured himself a drink.
He sat on the sofa and faced her. “What happened? It can’t be that bad,
baby.” He grinned. “Gypsy Tango didn’t break up. We’re still together.” He
giggled and winked.

She
laughed again and shoved him. “I know that. You’ve been doing really well in
your sessions, Sull. Your vocals sound amazing. That’s what I was talking
about. That’s the rock star, Sully Foxx coming out, not the stoner.”

He
nodded. “I know. You’re right. I got carried away. It’s been easier with
Dahlia out of town shooting her new movie. Not as much party pressure. Ok,
enough about me. Kit, what’s going on? What could possibly have you this
upset?”

She
shook her head and looked down, ashamed. “Seth dumped me.”

He
stared at her, not believing what she said for a moment. He had thought they
would end up getting married. This was almost as much a shock to him as it had
been to her.

He
immediately felt bad, knowing that Kit was heartbroken. He opened his arms to
her. “Come here, baby.” She collapsed into his embrace and started sobbing.
He kissed her on the top of her head and held her tighter. “I am so sorry, Kitty-Kat.
He’s a fool, a big, stupid fool. Do you want me to kick his ass for you?”

She
giggled, but didn’t move from where she was. She spoke, sounding muffled
against his chest. “He told me I’m too ambitious.”

Sully
shook his head and chuckled. “He can’t handle the fact that one day you’ll be
more successful than him. Yes, you are ambitious, but it’s very attractive… to
the right guy. He wasn’t your right guy, babe.”

She
looked up at him, her eyes still watery, her nose red like Rudolph. She
sniffed. “Really? You think so?”

He
chuckled and stroked her cheek. “Yes, I know so. Practically every guy on the
Sunset Strip has a thing for you. You’re a catch. The ultimate catch.”

She
grinned. “You think I’m the ultimate catch?”

He
gazed into her eyes and felt himself headed toward a very dangerous place. A
place he knew he couldn’t afford to go again. He sighed and pulled back,
reaching for his drink and taking a sip. “Yep. And all the guys in the band
can vouch for me. So can Joe. If we called up any one of them right now they
would agree, one-hundred percent guaranteed.”

She
slumped back into the sofa and held the drink in her hands, staring straight
ahead. “I thought I was going to marry him one day, Sull. I really did.”

He
chuckled and sat back next to her on the sofa. “I did too.”

She
glanced over at him. “You did?”

He
nodded. “Yep.” He took a sip of his drink.

She
sighed. “I always saw myself with some big industry exec and we’d have this
big music empire together. Oh well, I guess it’s not him.”

Sully
looked at her. “Kit, you’ve got plenty of time to find your man. He’s out
there. He’ll probably find you when you’re not looking.”

She
chuckled. “Ok. How very cliché of you, Patrick.”

He
stared at her and pointed. “Hey, watch the name.”

She
giggled and took a sip of her drink. “Couldn’t help it.”

He
rolled his eyes. “Well, try to.”

Her
thoughts carried her back to Seth’s departure. She sighed. “He’s marrying
her, Sull.”

He took
a moment to try to figure out what she was talking about and realized she was
backtracking on the earlier events of the evening. He stared at her.
“Marrying who, babe?”

She
sighed. “Seth. He’s marrying some girl named Joannie who he started dating
when he was dating me. She’s having his baby. He said he wanted a family and
didn’t think I did.”

Sully
was ultimately curious. He had always wondered if she was the kid type. Now,
he had the perfect opportunity to ask. He was eager to find out. “Is that
true? Do you want kids?”

She
looked at him. “Maybe, but not right now. I’m twenty-two. Jeez. I just want
to finish law school and make you guys famous. Once I do that then maybe I’ll
think about it.”

He
grinned, pleased with her answer. “Making us famous is one of your big goals?”

She
stared at him. “Duh. Don’t test me tonight, Mr. Foxx.”

He
shrugged his shoulders. “It’s like I said, Kit-Kat, he’s a fool. He’s given
up the ideal for the mundane. He’s stupid. Jeez, talk about having the best
and walking way from it.”

She
stared at him. She was ready for a dose of truth. “Let’s get real. I’m a
pain in the ass and you know it. You’re only saying that to make me feel
better.”

He
chuckled, looked down at his drink, and shook his head. “Oh, honey, if you
only knew.”

She
frowned. “Knew what?”

He
stared at her. “Kit, c’mon. Don’t do this. Don’t.”

She leaned
in and gazed into his eyes. She sensed he was holding back and wanted answers.
“What were you going to tell me? It’s something big. I can see it in your
eyes. Your eyes speak volumes, Sull.”

He
swallowed hard. She was mere inches away from him. He closed his eyes for a
moment in an attempt to clear his head and he felt her lips on his. Now, the
tables were turned. As he kissed her back, knowing it was one of the most
amazing experiences he had to date, he stopped her. He gently pulled back and
looked at her. She was confused, her eyes searching his for an answer. He
shook his head. “Kit, this isn’t a good idea.”

She
stared at him and sighed. She felt foolish and slightly embarrassed. “I’m
feeling pretty awkward right now, so please say something more than this isn’t
a good idea.”

He
sighed and wondered why they had such bad timing. He couldn’t face her. “First
of all, I have girlfriend and I promised her I’d be loyal. I want to keep my
word because she’s been good to me.” He kept his head hanging low, having a
hard time verbalizing what was on his mind and then it effortlessly spilled
out. “Secondly, Kit, I’m not on your level. I don’t deserve someone like
you.” He mustered up the courage and met her eyes. “C’mon. I’m a good
person, I’ve got talent, but I’m not good enough for someone in your league.
You’re gonna be a powerful attorney someday and probably a major record exec.
You’re well educated. You come from a background that I can’t even begin to
understand.”

She
stared at him and folded her arms across her chest. Now, she realized where
all his insecurities of not being good enough were coming from. She had to set
the record straight. “Ok, I get that you have a girlfriend and I respect that.
I’m glad you like her and you’re loyal to her. That’s cool of you. But this
shit about you not being good enough for me? That’s gotta stop because it’s
crap. Drop that shit right now because frankly, Sully Foxx, you are one of the
best men I have ever met and even though you probably only have a penny to your
name right now, you have one of the richest, loving, and most generous spirits
I have ever met. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.”

He
burst out laughing. “Oh my God, Kit, you never cease to amaze me. Come here.”
He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He stared into her
eyes. “Did you really mean that or were you just blowing smoke up my ass?”

She
stared at him, her gaze determined and unwavering. “I meant every word.”

He
nodded, confused. He still had strong feelings for his girlfriend but now his
feelings for Kit that he had willed himself to push down were bubbling back up
to the surface. He felt like his head was spinning. He looked at Kit, who
awaited a response. He forced a grin. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

She
nodded sadly. That wasn’t the response she was looking for, but she decided it
was time to move forward and explore other options. Focusing on work and
school would get her through it. She forced a grin. “Pour me another drink,
would you? And tell me about this girlfriend of yours that you adore so very
much. If you love her, I’m sure I can find a way to love her too.”

He
chuckled and poured her a drink. “Sure you have time for this?”

She
shrugged. “I have a big exam in a few hours, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll
still make the test.”

Sully
stared at her. This wasn’t like her. “Did you study?”

“A
little. Honestly, Sull, I don’t care.”

He
stared at her and could see her headed back into the downward spiral, self-pity
infused thinking about Seth again. She started crying. He took her into his
arms. He stroked her back. “Maybe I should go so you can get some sleep?”

She
looked up at him with pleading eyes. “No, please don’t go. I don’t want to be
alone tonight. Please stay with me.”

He nodded.
“What time is your exam?”

“Nine.”

Sully
woke up at a quarter past eight the next morning.

He was
half sitting, half lying on the sofa with Kit asleep on his chest. He groaned.
His head throbbed. He glanced over at the bottle of scotch, noticing that it
didn’t have much left in it. When he brought it over it was half full. Now,
it was almost gone. He glanced down at Kit who was passed out cold. He then
remembered what Kit was telling him the night before about her exam. He could
not let her miss this test because she was mourning her asshole ex-boyfriend.
He shook her gently. “Kit! Kitty-Kat, c’mon baby, wake up.”

“Hmm?”

He
panicked. She still wasn’t moving. He got up and she flopped back down onto
the sofa. He ran into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He then
sprinted into her bedroom and found a clean pair of her jeans. He seized them
along with her UCLA sweatshirt and her running shoes. He laid them on top of
the sink in the bathroom and turned on the shower. He ran out to the sofa and
hoisted Kit over his shoulder. She finally roused. “Sull? Ugh. Oh crap. I
feel like shit. I think I’m gonna throw up. What are you doing? Where are
you taking me?”

He
walked into the bathroom, opened the door to the shower stall, and carefully
deposited her where the stream of the water from the showerhead hit her
directly in the face while she lay there fully clothed.

She let
out a quick scream from the shock of the cold water. “Sully!”

He
pointed at her. “You have five minutes. Only five. And you better be dressed
when I come knocking.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

He
hurried over to the table and seized all the notebooks he saw, shoving them
into her backpack, along with a thick, law book with highlight marks that lay
open. He put the packed backpack next to the front door and walked into the
kitchen, looking for a thermos. He found one and poured the coffee into it.
He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall, 8:20 a.m.

He put
the thermos next to the backpack, threw on his leather jacket and headed over
to the bathroom where he pounded on the door. “Kit, are you ready?”

“Five
minutes, Sull.”

“You
don’t have an extra five minutes, Kit. I’ll meet you downstairs. I’m driving
you to school. I’ve got your backpack.”

“Ok.”
She yelled with a full mouth of toothpaste.

Sully
waited out in the back alley, behind the carport, idling in his girlfriend’s
Mercedes-Benz. Kit walked out wearing dark sunglasses and got into the car.
She looked down and noticed her backpack on the floorboard.

As
Sully pulled out into traffic keeping his eyes trained alternatively in front
of him and on the car’s side and rear view mirrors, he simultaneously handed
her the thermos of coffee. “Careful, it’s hot.”

She
looked at him and grinned. “You made me coffee?”

He nodded.
“Where am I going, Kit?”

“Take
Sunset down to Hillgard and take a left.” She sipped the coffee carefully from
the thermos and grinned again. She felt like crap, but was grateful that Sully
had woken her up and shoved her into the shower.