Star Maker (27 page)

“Get
out!” She yelled it so loudly that Alexa came running out of her bedroom. She
looked at Kit. “Everything ok, sweetie?”

She
stared and tried to hold back the tears that were rapidly filling her eyes.
“No. I want him out.”

Alexa’s
eyes widened as she noticed Sully kneeling in front of Kit in a crumpled bed
sheet. She rushed over to Kit’s side, put her arm around her, and stroked her
back. “You go back to bed. I’ll be in there in a minute. Max and I will
handle this, ok?”

She
nodded and walked away, refusing to acknowledge Sully. She walked into her
bedroom and slammed the door. She made her way into the master bathroom and was
relieved when she saw a bottle of Jack Daniels that Sully had left there the
night before when he was getting ready for the party. It looked like an old
friend to her, sitting on the marble vanity, patiently waiting to comfort her.
She seized it and started chugging. She took a moment to take a breath,
letting the alcohol kick in. The only thought she would allow into her mind
was to drink more. She seized the bottle to go for another round.

Sully
rushed toward Kit’s bedroom and was seconds away from seizing the doorknob and
flinging the door open when Alexa grabbed his arm with all her strength and
forcefully pulled him back. “No, don’t Sully! Stop.”

He
stared down at the doorknob and leaned his forehead against the door. He
started sobbing and yelling. “Kit, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’ve got to
listen to me. Kit, let me explain. Please…”

Alexa
tugged at his arm gently this time, guiding him away from the door. “C’mon.
Leave her alone. Let’s find your clothes. We need to get you out of here and
go talk.”

He looked at her, his eyes still watery with tears and completely
bloodshot. He practically whimpered when he spoke. “Ok.”

Maxine
walked into Kit’s bedroom fifteen minutes later, holding a large thermos of
black coffee in her hand. “Kit? Are you in here? Where did you go?”

“I’m in
here, Max,” she slurred.

She
walked into the master bathroom and shook her head. Kit was sitting on the
floor next to the bathtub with a bottle of Jack Daniels tightly clutched in her
hand. “Ok, Missy. Let’s get you up and outta here.”

She
helped Kit and walked her back into the bedroom. She sat her down on the sofa
in the sitting area and poured her a cup of coffee. She graciously took it
into her hands while Maxine sat across from her on a chair. “All the guests
are gone. It took me a while, but I’ve managed to make them all vacate. I’ve
never seen so many cabs and limousines flood the area at once.”

Kit
barely nodded. “Is he gone?”

“Who,
babe?” Maxine rubbed her knee.

She
glared. “The asshole.”

Maxine
sighed. “C’mon, Kit. We don’t know what happened. Don’t call him that.”

She
stared. “Nice loyalty, Max. You’re taking his side?”

Maxine
shook her head. “No. I don’t know what happened. Sometimes things aren’t
like they seem. I don’t want to make a premature judgment. I think there’s
more to the story here, Kit.”

She
glared. “Oh yeah? Fuck you, Max.”

Maxine
sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Real nice.
Thanks for that, Kit. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen Sully with a girl
in a precarious position since you two have gotten together. Why is this time
different? What’s up, Kit?”

She
shook her head as the tears started to flow. “No.”

Maxine nodded and leaned forward. “Tell me. What’s really going on
with you?”

Alexa
stayed planted on the luxurious, suede, sectional sofa in the living room of
Sully’s condo until he emerged fully dressed after a hot shower. He was more
composed and coherent than before. He looked at her. “Want a drink? I’m
going to get myself one.”

“Just
water for me, Sull.”

He
returned moments later and handed her a glass of water. He took a seat on the
opposite side of the sectional. He placed his empty glass down in front of him
on the glass coffee table and poured whisky into it. He set the bottle down
and looked up at her. “I’m surprised you’re still here. I figured you would
have dumped me off and left.”

She
frowned. Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Right, Sully. We’ve only been
friends for three years and I’d abandon you and leave you for dead. Right,
ok.” She leaned forward and looked at him. “C’mon. I do care about you.
You’re my friend and a really good one at that.”

He
shook his head. “Let’s get real here. You’re more loyal to her. You two go
way back. Whatever I say doesn’t matter.”

“Oh yes
it does, my friend. Why do you think I’m here? What’s going on Sully? I know
there’s more to the story. You obviously wanted to explain something to her.
What happened? Or were you screaming that at her just to get her attention?”

He
shook his head and sighed. He put his drink on the table and buried his head
in his hands. “She walked by at the worst possible time. I know it looked
bad, but it’s not what she thought.”

Alexa
sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. “Ok. So, tell me what really
happened, Sull.”

He
knocked back his drink and seized the bottle, pouring more into his glass.
“Plain and simple, I fucked up. That’s what happened.”

Alexa
nodded. “Yeah we know that, hon, but exactly how did you fuck up? Gimme some
details.”

He
shook his head and sighed. “I’ve been partying too much lately, Lex. I’ve
become pretty fond of cocaine as my party drug of choice. It’s a nice boost
with the whisky. With alcohol I could still keep my wits about me. The blow
really messes with my head and makes me more wild and uninhibited than normal.
That’s what happened last night. I did way too much blow with Mark. He and I
ended up in that guest room with a few girls. I don’t even know that girl’s
name.”

Alexa
nodded, making the connection. “The one who was tugging on your sheet this
morning asking you to do her?”

He
grimaced and nodded. “I messed around with one of them in the corner of the
room last night. We had our clothes off. I kissed her, that’s all. She had
her hands all over me. I barely touched her. Anyway, I remember seeing Mark
with those girls on the bed and then everything went black. I woke up on the
floor naked.

“I
noticed there was some blow on a mirror on the bedside table in front of me. I
did a line and my nose started bleeding. I eventually got it to stop and
grabbed the sheet off the bed and stood up. I was going to head into Kit’s
room and that’s when she saw me. That skanky, blond whore of Mark’s pulled me
toward her and started kissing me. I was so high and disoriented I couldn’t
comprehend what I was doing until it was too late. What I would do to take
those hours of my life back and do them over.”

Alexa
stared into his eyes. She knew in her gut he was telling the truth, but she
had no idea how this situation would get fixed between him and Kit.

CHAPTER 21

“I’m
scared, Max.” Kit looked up at Maxine. “I’ve never loved anyone like I love
Sully. He told me he saw us getting married one day when we were back in Chicago
over the holidays, so I let my guard down and let myself really fall for him.
But after last night, I’m freaked out again. Bad memories came back. I saw
what happened with my parents’ marriage. They were always at each other’s
throats. My mom was drunk all the time. Their divorce was ugly. So many
affairs and fights over money. A constant jockeying for who had power over
who. It would kill me if it ended up that way with Sull. It could y’know.”

Maxine
took Kit’s hands in hers. “Who’s to say it will? Kit, you and Sully are not
your parents, not even close! I get that you’re scared, but you can’t let your
fear mess up your future. This is your life we’re talking about with a man
that loves you more than you can even fathom. On the way to buy your ring he
told me he’s never felt anything like this. He’s been in love before, but
never like this.” Maxine’s eyes got big and she covered her mouth. She had
said too much.

Kit
stared at her. “What did you say? What ring, Max? An engagement ring?”

Maxine
sighed. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Crap! It’s not an engagement
ring, Kit. Sully does love you, but he’s not ready for that yet and he made
that very clear when we were there at the jewelers.”

She
frowned. “Then why were you with him at the jewelers?”

Her
eyes widened. “Shit, he and Jimmy are gonna kill me! When you guys officially
release the album and before you go out on the road, the band is gonna give you
a ring as a thank you to show you that they’re committed to you being their
manager and taking them to the top just as much as you’re committed to them and
making sure they’re mega-superstars.

“They
brought me along because I had mentioned to Sully that you and I have the same
sized fingers. They had me go with them to be fitted for the ring. They had
always wanted to do something special for you from the moment they got signed.
They pooled all their money and saved up for the last year to make this
happen.”

Maxine
chuckled before she continued. “Actually, I guess you could say it’s like a
wedding ring. You’re married to Gypsy Tango and they’re married to you.” She
started laughing at her own analogy and then stopped seeing that Kit wasn’t
entirely amused. “Listen, the thought of proposing to you overwhelms Sull
right now. Don’t take him to that place. He does want to be with you. I know
you’re having your doubts because of last night, but he really is in love with
you, very much.

She
swallowed hard. “And I love him very much.”

“So, be
with him.”

She
glared and her tone sharpened. “He fucked up.”

Maxine
nodded. “Yes, he fucked up big. Talk through it and get your facts straight.
Work through it with him. It’s repairable… but only if you want it to be.
It’s called forgiveness, Kit. We all make mistakes. We’re human. He’s no
different.”

Kit
sighed. “I want to make this work. I gotta figure out how to forgive him.”

Maxine
got up. “Ok. Then let me go call him. We’ll get him back over here.”

She
shook her head. “I need some time to process this. I graduate next week. I
still have two more finals to get through. I was planning on having Dante
handle all the business stuff for GT this week anyway. Tell Sully I need time.
I’m going to stay in a hotel where I won’t be bothered. Get some peace and
quiet, study. I’ll come back home after my last exam.”

“Ok.
When is that?”

“Wednesday.”

“Hello,”
Kit yelled out as she walked into the mansion. Her voice echoed in the large
foyer. No one answered. She actually had the place to herself. She had just
finished shopping for a dress to wear for graduation. She couldn’t believe the
ceremony was coming up in a few days. Three years of law school had certainly
flown by. She grinned thoughtfully recalling that Sully had been by her side
the entire time supporting her through it. She missed him and figured it was
about time to give him a call. She wanted to get things worked out between
them.

She was
about to head up to her bedroom when she heard something in the large front
room. It sounded like someone had tapped on a key or two of the new baby grand
piano that she had purchased shortly after she moved in. She shrugged her
shoulders and thought she was hearing things. She was about to proceed up the
stairs when she heard it again. She put her bag down and walked into the room.
There, sitting at the piano was Sully. She stared at him, speechless.

He
grinned at her awkwardly and spoke softly. “Hey.”

She
felt her heart pound rapidly as she stared at him. Invisible butterflies
started flying around in her stomach and she felt weak in the knees. She
swallowed hard. She hadn’t seen him or talked to him since the party. She
wondered how he got into the house. She hadn’t given him a key yet and she
didn’t see his car anywhere. She smiled nervously and bit her lower lip.
“Hi.”

His
brilliant, steel blue eyes were intense as he stared at her, making her feel
increasingly uncomfortable and even more vulnerable. He tinkled the keys
again. “Can I play something for you that I wrote?”

She
nodded and went into business mode to protect herself. She folded her arms
across her chest and shifted her weight into her right hip. “Sure, but it’s
not going to make the album.”

He
chuckled and looked down at the keyboard. “I know. Maybe it will make the
next one if you think it’s good enough. It’s something I whipped up the other
day. Jimmy seemed to like it. I’d like you to hear it.”

She
walked over and leaned against the back of one of the sofas in close proximity
to where Sully was sitting at the baby grand. “I’m all ears. Go for it.”

She
watched him sing his heart out with such passion and as she listened to the
lyrics, she felt warm tears trickle down her cheeks. She smiled. The song was
beautiful. She knew he wrote it for her and she could feel her heart softening
toward him even more.

As he
sang and played the song, he noticed her reaction and could feel his love for
her deepen. When he saw the tears slowly trickling down her face, he wanted to
reach out, take her into his arms, and never let her go. At that moment, he
vowed to do everything in his power to never hurt her again. He secretly
prayed that she would forgive him and that they could move forward.

He
finished the song and noticed that she was standing next to the piano now. All
he had to do was stand up and to the side and he’d be right in front of her.
He pulled her to him and held her while they both cried. “I’m sorry, Kit. I
really fucked up. I am so sorry. It will never happen again. Please forgive
me. Please say we can fix this. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

She
continued to sob, yet felt safe in his arms. She managed to compose herself
enough to squeak out a few words. She gazed into his eyes. “I forgive you,
Sull. We’ve gotta work this out. I can’t imagine my life without you either.
I need you.”

He
nodded. “We’ll get it all figured out, babe. Want to talk now?”

She
smiled through her tears. “Yes.” She took his hand and led him to the sofa.
“What’s the name of that song?”

He
grinned. “Anything For You.”

She
nodded. “I love it.”

“I
wrote it Sunday night.”

She
tilted her head to the side. “For me?”

He
nodded. “For you and only you.”

She
grinned. “That’s a chart topper. That’s number one with a bullet.”

He stroked her cheek. “Uh-huh. Just like you.”

Kit
stood in line in her cap and gown searching the crowd. “I don’t see him
anywhere. The whole band is here on time except for him! I’m gonna kill him.
This was the worst possible day for him be operating on rock star time.”

Alexa
searched the crowd as well. “I dunno, Kit. Sully’s probably on his way.
Maybe he’s stuck in traffic on Sunset. Shit, you guys are starting to walk in.
I have to take my seat. Knock ‘em dead, girl.” She winked.

Kit donned
a wide grin and strolled behind her classmates in line to take her seat for the
graduation ceremony. She nervously reviewed her note cards until they
announced her. “And now to deliver the valedictory speech to our graduates of
the class of 1987 is our valedictorian, Kathryn McKenna.”

The
students cheered as she took the stage. She opened with a joke to loosen up
the crowd and then ventured into a mellifluous, inspirational speech about
achieving victory when the odds were against you, guaranteed to pump up anyone
in the crowd. When she concluded, the crowd cheered and gave her a standing
ovation. She smiled and chuckled.

She
searched the crowd again and noticed Maxine, Alexa, and Gypsy Tango, minus
Sully. She was disappointed he missed her speech. She hoped that he would at
least arrive in time to see the dean hand her the diploma.

She
left the stage to take her seat again while the salutatorian, her ex-boyfriend
Steve, addressed the class. She descended the stairs feeling fairly relieved
her speech had been well received, when she noticed him. Sully stood at the
bottom of the stairs waiting for her with a huge bouquet of red roses and a big
smile on his face.

Her
emerald eyes lit up with joy as a smile spread across her face. She walked up
to him. “When did you get here?”

He
gazed into her eyes. “In time to hear your incredible speech. I was
inspired.”

She
giggled. “Thank you.”

He
handed her the bouquet. “These are for you, babe. Congratulations! I’m so
proud of you. I love you.” He held her so close and kissed her so
passionately, she had to hold the cap atop her head with one hand to keep it
from falling off, while keeping her other arm wrapped around him.

She
heard students mumbling remarks at them moments later and realized that she had
gotten completely lost in an impromptu make out session with Sully. They both
giggled, realizing this at the same time. Students were headed up to the stage
to get their diplomas from the dean.

She
looked at him and grinned. “I’ll be back in a bit. Gotta go get that diploma
and make it official. I love you, honey.” He nodded and winked at her as she
walked away.

Sully
had planned a small party back at Kit’s house in the Hills to celebrate her
graduation. Halfway through the party, she called everyone to attention as she
stood on the large terrace in the backyard. She held up a flute of champagne.
“I want to thank all of you for coming here to celebrate today. You’ve all
been amazingly supportive over the last three years while I busted my ass in
school. And I especially want to thank the wonderful Sully Foxx for planning
this fantastic party for me.” She winked at him. “Cheers, everyone.”

Glasses
raised in celebration, honoring her. Sully held up his glass and looked at
her. “We’re really proud of you, Kit, and we thank you for busting your ass to
push us ahead while busting through three years of law school. Because of
that, we’ve come to the conclusion that, well… we can’t really live without
you.” Kit eyed the band suspiciously as all the guys lined up behind Sully.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Maxine had her camera poised and
ready.

Sully
reached into his pocket and opened up a small box that contained a ring. In
unison, they all got down on one knee and looked up at her smiling. Perfectly
rehearsed, they asked their question in unison, “Kit, will you be our manager
for life?”

She
smiled and laughed. The whole scene was endearing, yet hilarious. She was
touched they had gone to such great lengths to pull this off. “Yes, guys.
Gypsy Tango, I’d be honored to be your manager for life.” They rushed toward
her falling into a large group hug with her sandwiched in the middle. They
each gave her a kiss. She looked at them and chuckled. “Hey, where’s the
ring?”

Jimmy
laughed. “I guess we got so carried away hugging and kissing you that we
forgot to give it to you.”

Sully
took it out of the box. She looked at him and grinned. “Where’s it going,
gentlemen?”

Bryan
pointed. “Right hand, ring finger.”

She
held her right hand out. Jimmy did the honors and put the ring on her finger.
He smiled. “We’re family now. It’s official.” He leaned forward and kissed
her on the cheek again.

Kit
giggled. “I love it. Thanks, guys. Really, I’m touched. It’s been great
working with you for the last three years. I’m looking forward to decades more
filled with sold out arenas, platinum records, a few nice awards, and singles
that are number one with a bullet.” She held her glass up. “To Gypsy Tango.”