Star Maker (28 page)

Everyone
followed suit and saluted the band. She looked around and smiled. This party
was turning out to be one of the best that they’d had in a while. It was more
mellow than normal and she welcomed it.

Maxine
walked over to her. “Those pictures are going to be hilarious once I develop
them.”

“Were
you shooting the whole time?”

Maxine
nodded. “Yeah. Pretty funny.”

“That
was really thoughtful of them. It’s nice to know all my hard work is being
appreciated.” She fingered her new ring and held out her hand to admire it.

Sully
overheard her last sentence as he came up behind her and started massaging her
shoulders. “Of course it is. Always.” He leaned forward to kiss her on the
cheek. Maxine knew better than to stick around. She left as Kit turned around
to face him. “Whose idea was that?”

He
grinned. “All of ours, actually. We’ve wanted to do something for a while. We
were finally able to. You gave up so much for us. Do you like it?”

Kit
admired the ring. Five small diamonds, side by side, set in platinum. It was
beautiful. “I love it. You guys chose well and it’s a perfect fit.”

He
chuckled. “This was the ring in the box the other day. I’m sorry I teased
you. I think I gave you the wrong impression. That wasn’t very fair.”

Kit
held her finger to his lips. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all good now and I
love this ring.”

“There’s
an inscription in it.”

She
grinned. “Really?” She took off the ring and looked inside. She smiled. It
read: ‘GT + KMK 4Ever, May ‘87.’ She giggled, delighted. “You guys have really
outdone yourself with this one. Thank you.”

He
smiled. “You’re welcome.”

She swallowed
hard, keeping her grin affixed and feeling awkward about the words that were
about to come forth. “Sull, I need to talk to you guys about something later
tonight.”

He
sensed the nervousness in her voice and tilted his head to the side. “Ok. Can
you give me a preview? What’s up?”

She
nodded and stared into his eyes. “Once I pass the bar exam in October, I’m
going to need to step down as your attorney. Don’t worry, I have a fantastic
replacement for you guys. I went to school with him. His name is Bill Sykes.”

Sully
frowned. “Huh? I don’t get it.”

She
chuckled and stroked his cheek. “Once I’m a licensed attorney in the state of
California, it serves as a conflict of interest. I can’t be both your manager
and your attorney. And after I put this ring on tonight, the choice is pretty
clear.”

He
chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. “Yeah, it is. So this guy Bill is
good?”

She
nodded. “Yes, he’s one of the best. You’ll be in good hands.”

At the
end of the night all the guests had left. Alexa departed with Wes and Maxine
headed off to her bedroom. Kit stood out by the pool, admiring the city
lights. Sully came up behind her and put his arms around her. He had a glass
of champagne in each of his hands and encouraged her to take one of them. She
grabbed it, took a sip, and leaned back against his chest.

She
relished the quiet moment between them, knowing that moments like these would
be few and far between in the months to come. Gypsy Tango’s self-titled album
had debuted at number nineteen on the
Billboard
200
, a few slots in front of Poison, and was continuing to climb the charts
with great momentum. They were rapidly making a name for themselves in North
America and rattling the cages of the competition. They were going on the road
in two weeks and she knew it would not only be crazy, but demanding on a whole
new level. She hoped they were both ready for it.

CHAPTER 22

Struggling
to keep her eyes open behind her dark sunglasses, Kit stood waiting at the
front desk of the hotel. She tried to carry on a somewhat coherent
conversation with the hotel manager who was graciously cheerful with her
despite her short, quick answers. She heard laughter in the lobby behind her
and didn’t bother to look.

Sully
came up behind her and kissed her on the cheek while the manager pushed a
document forward for her to sign. They had just rolled into Detroit after a
very long ride in the tour bus that Kit renamed ‘the big top.’

The
tour bus was a constant party in motion and a three-ring circus at all hours of
the day and night. She found it impossible to get any kind of decent sleep or
relaxation. She scanned the document quickly, scribbled her signature, looked
at Sully, and sighed. “I’m getting a limo.”

He
looked at her. “Huh, babe? What do you mean?”

She
shook her head. “No more tour bus for me. I can’t sleep. It’s too loud and
crazy. I didn’t get one hour of sleep last night. And let’s face it, it’s
gross. I’d rather follow in a limo.”

He
stroked her back. “Oh baby, I’m sorry. When we get up to the room, I’ll give
you a massage so you can relax, ok?”

She
nodded. The manager handed her a stack of messages. She forced a smile,
thanked him, and shoved them into her bag. She quickly searched the area with
her eyes and shook her head in annoyance realizing their tour manager was
nowhere in site and neither was Jimmy. Her gut told her they were probably up
to something she didn’t want to know about. She took initiative and grabbed
the keys to all the rooms. She headed over to the group in the middle of the
lobby still laughing and carrying on. She raised her voice slightly to get
their attention. “Gentlemen, here are your keys. Please do not lose them this
time and no more room damages. We’re over budget already and we’re only six
weeks into the tour.”

Remo
laughed. “Don’t worry, Kit. We won’t do any more damage, I swear.” He held
his hands up and grinned.

She
raised an eyebrow. “Remo, this includes not gluing the furniture to the
floors, the ceiling, or rearranging it in any way, including hanging it off the
balcony like a modern art sculpture.”

The band and their entourage howled with laughter. Kit couldn’t hold
back. She shook her head and chuckled at the sheer insanity of her job that
sometimes reduced itself to a glorified babysitting job. She was silently
grateful for her strong sense of humor. “Gentlemen, one more thing before you
go running off. We have a soundcheck at three this afternoon in the arena. Do
not be late. Aerosmith has to check at five and they’ll be pissed if we’re
running late. Let’s keep it professional and not make enemies. Got it?”

Kit
rubbed lotion on her hands as she walked out of the bathroom in her hotel room.
Sully was putting on his jacket while simultaneously reading some of Kit’s
phone messages she received while checking in that morning.

He
intently stared at one of the messages. “Is Templeton serious about that?”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “What? The A&R position? Yep. They’ve been
pursuing me pretty hard, especially in the last week. I get one of those
messages daily from Blake Templeton. I want legal, not A&R. I’m
practically living A&R already with you guys.”

He
walked over to her and put his arms around her waist pulling her to him while
he looked into her eyes and smiled. “And I want you to be happy.”

She
giggled and kissed him. “I am happy right where I am right now. I don’t even
want to entertain any offers until I pass the bar exam in October.”

He
playfully grabbed her butt and gave her a quick kiss. “C’mon, let’s go. We
don’t want to be late for soundcheck.”

She
playfully groped him back. “You’re such a tease, grabbing me, and kissing me
like that as we’re about to walk out the door.”

He
laughed and held the door open for her. “That’s right, babe. I’m a huge tease.
Thought you’d figured that out by now.” He winked at her and gave her an air
kiss.

She
playfully shoved him and then grinned. “Maybe that’s the real reason I love
you. Ooh the truth is out!” She pretended to feign a gasp and covered her
mouth. They both burst into laughter. He threw his arm around her as they
walked down the hallway to head out to soundcheck.

Kit sat
on the drum riser shaking her head while she watched Sully standing in the
middle of the arena stage swinging the microphone back and forth in an attempt
to entertain himself. Sean Finley, their new tour manager, walked up to her.
“They’re saying five more minutes. If he’s not here, we’ve gotta check without
him or lose the check altogether.”

She
groaned and rolled her eyes. “Damn that Jimmy.”

Sully
overheard the conversation and walked over to them. “Listen, we’re checking in
five minutes with or without him. If he’s not here we can check without him.”

Sean
frowned. “The levels on the lead guitar might be off if we do it without him.”

Sully
shook his head. “No, they won’t. Kit will stand in for him.”

Sean
raised his eyebrows and looked at Kit. “You will? You play?”

She
blankly stared at him and nodded slowly, annoyed that yet another male in the
industry underestimated her talents and skill set. “I’ve been playing since I
was ten. Used to be a session player in Philly and L.A. I’ll do whatever I
need to do, but I’m concerned about the levels. If I’m playing, I won’t hear
‘em from the boards.”

Sully
held his hand up. “Sean will handle the levels and I’m sure he’ll do a bang up
job, right Sean?”

“Yep.”

Sully
grinned. “See he’s got it, babe. Four minutes.”

She got
up reluctantly. “Ok. Where’s his guitar?”

Sean
led her over to Jimmy’s guitar tech and he briefed her on which ones they were
checking for which songs. She threw on the guitar, plugged in, and walked onto
the stage. Sully exchanged a knowing smile with her as the soundcheck began.

Halfway
through the set, Jimmy arrived. Kit noticed him standing on the side of the stage
looking disheveled and very angry. At the end of the song, he made a beeline
for Kit and got in her face. “What the fuck are
you
doing?”

She
glared. “I’m doing
your
fucking
soundcheck, Jimmy!”

“You
should have waited for me.”

Her
green eyes narrowed. “You should have been here on time.”

Sully
walked over and pushed Jimmy back a few feet so he wasn’t in Kit’s face
anymore. He looked at him. “We waited for over an hour. We’ve already messed
up Aerosmith’s soundcheck. Luckily, they were cool about because they’re
professionals. If you were professional we wouldn’t be having this
conversation right now and Kit wouldn’t have to be filling in for your sorry
ass.”

Jimmy
looked so livid, Kit thought he’d punch Sully in the face until Sean stepped in
and broke them up. “Shake it off, guys. Let’s finish this last song.”

Kit
took off Jimmy’s guitar and handed it to him. He yanked it away from her
aggressively. Sully walked over to him again and pushed him. “Don’t you dare
treat her like that! She was doing us a favor. No, I take that back. She was
doing
you
a favor.”

She
stepped in between them. “Guys, stop. Jimmy, kick ass on this song, ok?
Shred the hell out of it. Sull, go get ready. Let’s bang this out and finish
so Aerosmith can get up here. Sully walked away toward the front of the stage
and turned around to glare at Jimmy who flipped him off with his middle finger.
Kit pointed to Remo to begin the song as she walked off the stage and into the
wings.

She
stood there watching them, her arms folded in front of her. She heard someone
come up behind her. She then heard a vaguely familiar male voice in her ear.
“Looks like the kids are playing nicely now. That’s good.”

She
laughed and turned around to see who had said that. Steven Tyler smiled at
her. She grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. At least for the
moment. To be continued. As long as they kick ass on stage tonight, I’ll be
happy.”

He
nodded. “They’ll be fine. The adrenaline rush of being on stage in front of
an arena crowd will take over again and they’ll do great.”

She
nodded. “I hope so. Sorry for messing up your check.”

He
shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all good. We’ll be fine.”

The moment they finished the soundcheck, Jimmy stormed off the stage
passing Kit and not saying a word. Sully headed toward her and shrugged his
shoulders. He grabbed his jacket and threw it on. “Whatever. Let’s go. I
need a drink.”

Kit sat
alone in the back of the limousine that was trailing behind the tour bus. She
had hoped that being in a limousine away from the mayhem of the tour bus would
be easier. It wasn’t. She was able to catch a few more winks, but she also
had access to a car phone. She found it was easier to keep up with her work
and study for the bar exam. Everyone thought she was crazy, except for Sully.
He was relentlessly supportive of her and for that she was eternally grateful.

She was
surprised at how well they were getting along on the road. She had initially
been concerned, but it was becoming crystal clear that they would have no
problems going forward. They communicated extremely well with each other and
Sully remained careful not to get seduced by drugs or pushy groupies. She
hoped it would hold up when she left the road in two days for a month long hiatus
to go back home to sit for the bar exam and have an array of job interviews she
wasn’t all that enthused about.

She
looked at the clock and calculated the time difference. She had an urgent
message from Lewis Diamond. It was noon in L.A. and she figured Lew should be
in the office. She wondered what he was calling about. He rarely called and
when he did, it was never urgent.

She
dialed in and was put through to his direct line seconds later. He answered
the phone, happy to hear from her. “Where you at, Kit?”

“At
present, driving through glorious Texas. We wrapped up a few shows opening for
Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, and Bon Jovi. They all went pretty well. Now we’re on
our way to Austin to open for Scorcher tonight. Our shows with them in Indy and
Chicago a few months ago were great.”

“You’re
the hardest working girl in this business Kit, I swear. Are you on the bus?”

She
laughed. “Hell no. I’m in a limo following the bus. I couldn’t get any work
done or any sleep on that bus. Don’t worry. It’s not on Diamond’s dime. It’s
on mine. It’s a write off for KMK Management.”

He
chuckled. “Charge it to Diamond, that’s fine. It’s a legitimate tour
expense.”

“Really?
That’s generous considering we’re already over budget. Thank you.”

“You’re
welcome. The guys are doing great out there on the road. They’re burning up
the charts.”

She
grinned. “They are. It’s pretty fantastic. They’re happy, I’m happy. All is
good. What’s up? I got an urgent message. Is everything ok with Gypsy Tango
over there at Diamond corporate?”

“Oh
yeah, Kit. Actually my message has nothing to do with them, but it does have
to do with Diamond. I have an opportunity for you.”

Her
ears perked up. “I’m listening.”

“I hear
that some of the other record companies out there are trying to poach you and
get you to go work for their A&R departments.”

“That’s
true.”

“Are
you serious about any of them?”

“At
present, no. Why?”

“I want you on my team. What do I have to do to get you to come work
for me at Diamond?”

Kit got
out of the limousine, slugged her large handbag back, and grabbed her briefcase
as Scorcher’s buses and limousines pulled up. Aaron, the lead singer, hopped
off the bus and pointed to Sully as he hopped off Gypsy Tango’s bus. Kit
watched them as they did the thing that guys always do, a handshake that turns
into a half hug, followed by pats on the back. She chuckled at the sight and
headed toward to the lobby to get things squared away.

She
heard someone walking behind her and glanced over her shoulder. She was
surprised to see another woman. This girl was clearly not a groupie by the way
she was dressed. She was a young, pretty, petite, platinum blonde with the
most gorgeous, dark brown eyes. She couldn’t have been a day over eighteen.
She had on baggy jeans with a Gypsy Tango tour T-Shirt that she had cut into a
tank top, tied at her waist, her hair tied back in a ponytail. A black,
Scorcher baseball cap sat atop her head, completing the look. She had not one
trace of makeup on her face and still looked beautiful. Kit wondered who she
was. She didn’t remember her from the last time they played out with Scorcher.
She had seen her jump off of Scorcher’s bus so she had to be with them.