Star Maker (32 page)

“Nope.”

He
could tell she was disappointed. He gently lifted her chin, gazed into her
eyes, and then gave her a soft kiss. “Sweetheart, there is going to be a time
and a place when we’re gonna have a baby together. It’s just not today.”

She
sighed and forced a grin for him. “I know. I guess I got a little excited at
the possibility, y’know?”

He
leaned back and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her as he
played with her hair. “I know. I got excited about it too, I’ll admit it.”
He kissed her on the cheek and she snuggled back into the comfort of his strong
chest.

She was
starting to doze off, but managed to get a few words out. “It probably would
have been really hard out on the road. It really is for the best.” She was
out cold, dead asleep, moments later.

CHAPTER 25

The
contract sat on Kit’s desk in front of her. She willed herself to focus and
failed miserably. If it wasn’t the phone ringing and distracting her, it was
the constant stream of people coming by her desk either adding something to her
pile of work or getting something from her. She closed her eyes and shook her
head.

The
phone rang, commanding her attention once again. When she picked up and said
hello she heard the familiar lilt of Alexa’s voice and relaxed. Kit had been
working more hours than normal for Diamond’s legal department and had been
doing double duty managing Gypsy Tango remotely as much as she could in tandem
with Sean who was physically on the road with them.

Her
management company was also vying for her attention once again. They were no
longer taking random bands, only semi high profile bands from the Strip or
bands from record companies who they had forged relationships with. KMK
Management had earned an excellent reputation. It was the company everyone
wanted managing their artists and every band dreamed of being managed by.

Kit
struggled to handle all the press for Gypsy Tango. Diamond Records had fired
Jenny at the end of the previous year for an altercation with another band she
was working with. They had hired one or two freelancers to handle publicity
for the band that fizzled quickly. Alexa was so busy with her own publicity
charges for Diamond now as one of their directors, she had no time to freelance
for the band. As a result, the burden fell on Kit. She was getting to the end
of her rope and missing Sully terribly while he was out on the road.

Alexa’s
voice cut through her reeling thoughts. “You’re coming over for dinner
tonight, right?”

She had
forgotten, but the lovely reminder made her happy. She played it off like the
event had been inked in her calendar for the last month. “Of course. Please
make sure to have a big glass of scotch on the rocks waiting for me, mama.”

Alexa
laughed. “But of course, my dear.”

She
chuckled. “Thank you, Mrs. Matthews. Now, I need to bust through this
workload. My desk is contract city.”

“Try
not to think about it. Keep getting it done. Have you talked to Max? I’ve
been trying to call her today to confirm her availability for a shoot next
week.”

“Yeah,
I talked to her this morning. Get a load of this…”

“What?”

“I got
a call from
Rolling Stone Magazine
.
They want Sully for the cover of the May issue. I reviewed the copy for the
article this morning. They faxed it over to me. I’m flying out to New York in
two days for the photo shoot. They hired Maxine to shoot Sully. Isn’t that
hilarious? They had no idea she had done shoots with him before.”

“No wonder I can’t get a hold of her. She’s probably scrambling to
get everything together. That’s so exciting!”

Maxine
started the shoot and Kit stood several feet behind watching her every move.
Sully had been in wardrobe, hair, and makeup for the last hour and was now
finally getting started. She grinned watching him as he effortlessly posed in
front of the camera. He was a natural. As she stood there watching him, she
couldn’t help realizing how handsome and sexy he really was. She gained a whole
new appreciation for his appearance and assessed that he seemed to be getting
better looking with age. She relished the thought that later she’d be going to
bed with that man and waking up with him in morning. She grinned and felt a
little aroused thinking about the possibilities.

Kit
snapped out of her Sully sex fantasy when she heard Maxine yell, “That’s a wrap
everyone. I’ve got what I need.” She immediately jumped into conversation
with the
Rolling Stone
staff as Sully
headed toward Kit.

He
grinned at her as he sauntered over. He was within a few feet of her when he
was stopped by one of the staff girls shyly asking for an autograph. He
shifted his focus to her, kindly smiled, and chatted briefly, signing an
autograph.

He
finally reached Kit and smiled. “Hey. So, how did I do?”

She
laughed, evilly. “Ooh, you did good, honey. You’re going to be the subject of
a lot of girls’ wet dream fantasies once that hits the stands. My mind even
went to places it’s never gone before with you and I’m your girlfriend. I can
get a piece of your ass whenever I want.”

He
laughed loudly and kissed her. “God, I love you.” He grinned suggestively and
looked deeply into her eyes. “Maybe I can make that fantasy of yours come true
in our hotel room tonight.”

Kit
giggled, feeling like a schoolgirl as she blushed. “Maybe.”

He bit
his lower lip and looked at her as he ran his finger gently down her lips.
“Maybe we can…”

Maxine
walked up and unknowingly interrupted a conversation between Kit and Sully that
was like a bullet train with a one-way ticket to erotic city. She was
completely oblivious to the fact. “Hey, guys! Sully, you were amazing today.
You were born for this. The camera loves you! This is going to be a great
cover.” She proudly smiled and bobbed her head.

He
exchanged a knowing look with Kit that conveyed an understanding they would
continue their conversation later. He then smiled at Maxine. He was genuinely
happy for her. “Thanks, Max. Y’know, it’s really the photographer that makes
the model look good. If I end up looking good on that cover, it’s because of
you. And I know your work. You’re one of the best. You always make me look
good.”

She
smiled again. “Thanks. That means a lot. I’m going to be here for a while
longer with the staff. Can I meet up later with you two? Kit, I need to talk
to you about more photo shoot stuff for the band.”

Kit
nodded. “Yep. Call us later.”

Sully looked at her and took her hand in his. “C’mon, let’s get
outta here and go play.” He winked at her and she giggled again, eagerly
following his lead.

* * *

Kit
began to stir, noticing Sully’s dad, Jack, on his Lazyboy recliner, thoroughly
pleased with the double play that his beloved Chicago White Sox had clinched on
the television in front of them.

She had
dozed on the sofa while attempting to watch baseball with him and found that
now upon waking, a small bit of drool had dribbled from her mouth. Nice, she
thought, looking really attractive and classy in front of the people that will
one day be my in-laws. She sat up slowly.

Sully’s
mom, Moira, approached her with a friendly smile. Kit grinned at her. She had
the loveliest, kind, steel blue eyes. They reminded her of Sully’s eyes. “Can
I get you something, dear? Some herbal tea? How are you feeling after your
nap?”

Kit
stretched. “I’m feeling a little better. More alert. I would love some
herbal tea.”

“Chamomile
ok?”

Kit
stood up to follow her. “Yes, Moira. That sounds lovely.”

“Oh
dear, sit. I’ll bring it to you.”

Kit
shook her head. “No, no. I want to come with you and hang out in the
kitchen.” She grinned and Moira picked up on her cue.

She
leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. “Baseball getting a little boring,
huh?”

Kit
giggled. “You read my mind.”

She was
sitting at the table enjoying her tea, staring out at the big ash tree in the
backyard and contemplating the fact that she felt perfectly comfortable in the
confines of her future in-law’s home. It was a nice departure from the life
she and Sully led back in Los Angeles filled with palm trees and paparazzi.
She didn’t even notice the phone had rung.

Moira
looked at Kit and handed her the phone. “Someone named Don Lawson from Diamond
Records for you.”

Kit
nodded and grabbed the phone. She wondered why her boss at Diamond was calling
her. She was supposed to be off for three weeks. She and Sully had purposely
taken a trip to visit his family and get away from things. They were due to
head into the city the following day to wrap up two more shows. “Hey, Don,
what’s up?”

“Sorry
to bother you, Kit. I know you’re taking some time off. I’ve had a serious
family emergency and I need to step down. I talked with Lew and he wants you
to step in for me as chief counsel. Your schedule won’t change. We’ll still
honor the flexibility of it. We really need your help and no one else on the
team is a good fit. My situation took a turn for the worst this morning,
unfortunately. I’m leaving effective this afternoon. We’re going to freeze
all reviews and deals until after you get back from your hiatus.”

She was
shocked and immediately concerned. Don sounded more scattered and desperate
than ever before. He was always calm, collected, and professional. Something
had clearly gone wrong in his life and she was worried about him. “Of course,
Don. I’ll step up. Are you ok?”

He ignored her final question, paying attention only to the first two
comments she made. “Thank you, Kit. I owe you one for this.”

Kit
stood next to the desk in her plush robe, indifferently fishing through the
pile of urgent items. She had not bothered to take one look at them since she
and Sully checked into their deluxe lake-view suite. They checked in under the
alias of Fred and Wilma Flintstone at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago two days prior.

She and
Sully had been holed up in bed after two back to back Chicago shows and had
only left the bed to answer the door for room service. Sully jumped in the
shower and she hoped to squeeze in a moment to see how urgent these items were.
She noticed a Federal Express package from
Rolling
Stone Magazine
and grinned. She was about to tear into it when there was a
knock at the door.

Kit
answered the door and welcomed in a uniformed bellboy who promptly set down a
large order of room service for them. She signed for it, tipped him, and he
left. She walked back over to the desk, sat down, and seized the small package.
She pulled out the contents, gasped, and then giggled with delight. There was
Sully front and center on the cover, a tight close up of his face. Along the
top was the headline big, bold, and in all caps “SLY AS A FOX.” In the bottom
right corner in smaller letters it read, “Gypsy Tango frontman, Sully Foxx, is
in it to win it.”

He
walked into the room, his hair still wet, a towel wrapped loosely around his
waist. He approached her and looked at the pile on the desk. “Oh no. Don’t
tell me you’re working. I thought we made a deal.”

She looked
up at him and smiled. “Baby, I wanted to look at this one thing. The rest can
wait. Look! You’re larger than life!” She turned the magazine cover to face
him. Her eyes were alive with excitement.

He
glanced at it and then took it from her, staring at it even more intently in
his hands. He shook his head and looked up at her. He started laughing.
“Holy shit. It’s real!”

“I
know! Isn’t it fantastic? It hits the stands in two weeks.” She giggled, got
up, and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him quickly several times on
the cheek and then on his neck. She stopped and looked at him, grinning from
ear to ear.

He looked at her. “Hey now, don’t stop what you were doing.” He
gave her a long passionate kiss and threw the magazine on the desk.

Sully
sang his heart out on the arena stage while Kit stood on the side, in the
wings, watching. Closing night was upon them. The tour would officially be
over. Sully and Kit would be headed to Bali for two weeks. They had rented a
villa and were looking forward to a solid week of peace, quiet, and relaxation.
Jimmy and his girlfriend, Diana, were heading out to meet them for the second
week. Jimmy was planning on proposing and had made Kit and Sully his
co-conspirators. Kit didn’t mind one bit. She actually liked Diana and the
happier she could keep Jimmy the better for the band and for Sully.

She
still had not told Sully she was stepping in as Diamond Records’ chief counsel.
She wasn’t sure how he’d react. She couldn’t let Lew down. She had to help
out. Don Lawson’s wife had cancer and had taken a turn for the worse. She was
terminally ill and Don stepped down to take care of her in her final weeks.
Kit felt a bit apprehensive knowing she had some pretty big shoes to fill.

Don was
one of the best attorneys in the music industry. Lew Diamond had stolen him
away from the largest and most successful entertainment firm in Los Angeles
sixteen years prior. Many critics credited Don to helping Lew make Diamond the
industry leader it was. Kit hoped for a smooth transition and for Sully’s
enthusiastic support.

Without those things in place it all might blow up in her face and
that was the last thing she wanted. She had worked hard over the last four
years to establish the fabulous reputation she now had and she didn’t want
anything to possibly tarnish it. It was hard enough getting anywhere in the
music industry as a woman. She had to work three times as hard to prove
herself as legitimate. Now, she was poised to step into the position she had dreamed
about.