Star Maker (4 page)

Finally
the engine turned over. He put the car into gear and got onto the road. He
sighed. His gas gauge had a needle that always seemed to be weighted on empty
and today was no different. He managed to make it over the hill from the
Valley back to Hollywood to his drummer’s girlfriend’s house, where she was
kind enough to let him crash on the sofa. He walked through the door and
noticed his drummer, Remo, sprawled out on the sofa playing Atari Space
Invaders with Bryan, his keyboardist, sitting on the floor. They were laughing
and yelling colorful expletives at each other. He called out to get their
attention. “Hey!”

Bryan
looked over and frowned. “What are you doing back so soon?”

He
stared at him blankly. “I got fired.”

Bryan
made a gun with his fingers, put it to his temple, pulled his imaginary
trigger, and collapsed on the floor pretending to die. He then looked up,
concerned. “How are we going to eat now? Dude, you have to learn how to keep
a job.”

Sully
was not amused. He glared. His nasty tone cut through the air like a newly
sharpened knife. “You have to learn how to get one.”

Remo
laughed and threw his controller on the coffee table. “Now, now, girls, settle
down. Really guys, you two are starting to sound bitchy and I’m not running a
sorority house here. I’ll get Shelley to help us out. She’s got a good paying
job and she doesn’t mind that we’re here.”

Sully
looked around and frowned. “Where’s Jimmy?”

Remo
leaned back in his seat. “At the studio.”

Sully
looked surprised. “Already? Why?”

“Dunno.
I’m no mind reader. I’m just a drummer, man.” He displayed a full-toothed
grin.

Sully
shook his head. There were times when the guys in his band drove him nuts.
Now was one of those times. “I’m gonna go rehearse for the show tonight. You
guys should too. We could use the extra time. C’mon, chop chop.” He started
heading out of the room.

Bryan
pointed at him. “See, that’s why you can’t work for anyone. You’re always the
bossy one. You always have been since we were kids.”

Sully
donned a smug half grin and flipped him off with his middle finger. “Bryan, do
you wanna be a rock star or not? We’re in Hollywood now, where people are
getting record deals everyday. You’re not gonna get there by playing Atari all
afternoon. We came here for a reason, y’know. Remember, you are replaceable.
There’s nothin’ but talent in this town. It all boils down to how bad you want
it.”

Bryan
rolled his eyes and grabbed his keys. “Jeez, alright, alright. I don’t need
your lecture series. You get so touchy. We’ll take my van. Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 3

“Who?”
Kit cradled the receiver on her shoulder as she struggled to grab a piece of
paper and a pen.

“Jeff
Martin. Meet him at Madame Wong’s in Chinatown at three for soundcheck and
play the shit out of everything, Kit. Make me look good, ok? I’m going out on
a limb for you here. He was freaked that you were a chick guitarist until I
totally talked you up and let him hear one of your old demos. This is a friend
of mine and his cover band is super popular.”

Kit
grimaced. “You let him listen to one of my old demos? Oh jeez, Max. That
isn’t making me feel much better, but I won’t let you down.” She grinned.
“Thank you! Drinks on me when you get back into town, ok?”

“You
got it. Break a leg.” She hung up.

Kit
squealed excitedly, enough to garner Alexa’s attention. “What’s up?”

She
smiled. “I have a gig tonight. That was Maxine.”

Alexa raised
her eyebrows. “Where?”

She
bubbled up with unbridled enthusiasm so much she was tempted to jump up and
down. “Madame Wong’s! I’m so excited, I can’t even begin tell you. Do you
have any idea of the legends that have graced the stage there?”

Alexa
looked uninterested, but wanted to support her best friend. “Who?”

Her
eyes lit up. “The Ramones for one. This is amazing!” She threw her arms out
and spun around in the center of their living room, giggling. Will you come
out tonight?”

Alexa
chuckled. “Yeah, maybe. Are you going to invite your guy?”

She
giggled. “Yes. I’ll call him after soundcheck.”

A month
had passed since Kit landed in Hollywood. With Joe out on the road, she and
Alexa went out almost every night, trying as many new clubs as they could,
getting fully absorbed into the local culture.

Kit was
on the hunt for a few odd jobs to make ends meet. So far she had come up empty
handed. The gig tonight was proving right up her alley and it was a paying
job. She relished the opportunity.

On one
of her nights out on the town, she ran into David Tarrington, an A&R
manager for Mercury Records. She met him at a new wave club that she and Alexa
had spotted one night. They had been dating for two weeks solid and she was
completely interested in what he did, hanging on his every word when he brought
up work. He was nine years her senior and successful. She hoped he would stop
by to see her performance that night.

Kit
grabbed her guitar and sat on the sofa. She was starting to pluck away and get
lost in the music when Joe walked through the door. She didn’t bother to look
up until she heard the door shut. She frowned and raised her head. As she recognized
him, her face burst into a wide smile and she screamed out loudly. “Joe!
You’re home!”

She ran
over to him and hugged him tightly. He laughed and held her tighter. “I think
you should greet me like this all the time!” He pulled back and grinned. “How
have you been, Kitty-Kat?”

Her
eyes twinkled as she gazed up at him. “Wonderful. Totally amazing. And I can
hardly wait to hear all about the ‘Monsters of Rock’ shows. I thought you
weren’t home until Friday?”

He
shook his head. “No. Got in late last night. The rest of the guys are
chillin’ at home in England. I’ve got a few weeks off before we start the next
leg of the tour.”

She
giggled and grabbed his hand. “Then you have to come out tonight. I’m sure
you’re beat, but please do this for me.”

He
chuckled. “Kit, I have been partying for the last four weeks non-stop. The
last thing I want to do is go out tonight.”

She
stared at him and squeezed his hand. “But I’m playing.”

That
statement grabbed his full attention. His eyes widened. “You’re playing?
Where?”

She
giggled again. “Madame Wong’s. I’m subbing as a lead guitarist. Now will you
come out with me and Lex?”

He
laughed. “On that condition, of course!”

She
grinned. “Good. I have to run to soundcheck. Can we catch up when I get
back?”

He
nodded and grinned. “How about I drive you in my new ride and we can catch up
on the way? I just picked it up.”

She
chuckled and shook her head. “A new car? I didn’t know you needed one. Ok,
let me grab my Strat and we’re off like a prom dress.”

Five
minutes later, Kit was chatting away as Joe led her out to the alley behind her
apartment building. He walked her over to his brand new, cherry red Ferrari
308. He grinned, opened the passenger door and took her guitar from her. She
stopped talking and stared at it for a solid moment before looking up at him in
awe. “You bought a Ferrari?”

He
chuckled and popped the trunk at the front of the car, carefully depositing her
guitar. He slammed it shut and smiled as he swung the keys around his finger.
“Gotta look the part, honey. I’m the lead guitarist of Steel Pony. And
besides, I needed a new car anyway. You know I was planning on buying
something new when I got out here. I sold my Camaro to Aaron for a dollar. He
needed a car and I didn’t need the cash.”

She chuckled. “Damn, Joe. I would tease you, but I just can’t. The
car suits you, rock star.” He laughed, threw on his dark sunglasses, and got
into the car.

Kit
stood in front of Alexa and Joe in the club later that night. She swallowed
hard. “Are you sure I look ok?” She was nervous and fidgety.

Alexa
grinned. “Baby, you look gorgeous.”

She
wore a black, leather mini-skirt with black stockings and an oversized,
see-through, black, mesh blouse with a lacey, red tank top that peeked through
underneath. The red stilettos on her feet completed the look. Her red tresses
were teased and she had done her eye makeup much heavier than normal, adding
dark red lipstick to sharpen her edgy look. She smiled at Alexa and noticed
the band taking the stage out of the corner of her eye. Jeff waved her over.

She
left the comfort of her friends and headed toward the stage. She stepped into
the wings of the stage and smiled. She mumbled to herself. “Showtime. Here
goes nothin’.” She threw on her favorite electric guitar, a coral pink Fender
Stratocaster, and stepped onto the stage. Her eyes quickly surveyed the
audience. She felt her heart sink. There was no sign of her new guy, David,
anywhere.

She
heard the drummer counting off the first song, ‘The Wind Cries Mary,’ by Jimi
Hendrix. She got lost in the music instantly. David’s presence was now the
furthest thing from her mind. She fully relished playing with this band. They
were a very tight cover band, reminding her of one of her first bands in high
school, a classic rock cover band. She was sixteen at the time and everyone
else in the band was at least ten years older than her with the exception of
Joe.

The set
planned was short; only four songs to warm up the crowd and get them ready for
the line up of local bands due to hit the stage later that evening. It was
early by club standards, only nine o’clock. The club was already packed. She
had learned that this cover band was well known in Los Angeles and didn’t play
out all that often in the clubs. They were usually getting hired for private
parties and frequently had their dance card filled.

They
would show up occasionally at Madame Wong’s, never disappointing. Their lead
guitarist had pneumonia and wasn’t able to perform. Kit felt bad for the guy,
but in this case, his loss was her gain. She was enjoying herself and
realizing how much fun it was to be up on stage with her guitar again. There
was nothing quite like hearing her Fender Stratocaster squeal at full volume in
a club—a sound that brought her unadulterated joy.

They
jumped from Hendrix to Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ and then to one of her
favorites, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ by the Beatles. She had played it
over and over for what seemed like a million times, but each time she found
something different, something amazing and intriguing that pulled her in.
Tonight was no different.

Sully
walked into the club. Jimmy and Remo trailed behind him. He headed over to
the bar and leaned in to order a beer, yelling over the music. He glanced over
at the guy next to him and did a double take. He stared at him in awe. “Hey,
aren’t you the new lead guitarist of Steel Pony?”

Joe
chuckled and nodded. “I am.” He extended his hand. “Joe Arden. Are you in a
band? You certainly look the part.”

Sully
grinned. “Yeah, in a band called Gypsy Tango. We play on the Strip when we
can save up enough cash to secure a slot, but otherwise we’re pretty much
confined to our practice space. We’ll get there.”

Joe
nodded and saluted him with his beer. “You certainly will. You’re living in
the land of Hollywood where rock ‘n’ roll dreams do come true.”

Sully
and Joe continued to talk and within minutes, were acting like old friends.
Sully tried to catch a glimpse of the band on stage. He grinned when he
recognized The Beatles song. He strained to see the band better.

Joe
leaned over and yelled to him. “Dude, go check out the guitarist. She’s
killer.”

He
turned to him and frowned. “
She
?”

Joe
laughed. “Yeah, she.”

Sully
was curious. He raised his eyebrows. “Is she your girl or somethin’?”

Joe
shook his head and took a swig of his beer. “Hell no. My girlfriend isn’t
here. She’s an old friend. We grew up together. She’s pretty badass. Go
check her out.”

Sully
abandoned Joe at the bar and headed toward the stage to get a better look. He
honed in on the band as he got closer and laughed as a wide smile spread across
his face. His new friend Joe had been right. The lead guitarist was a young
woman—a highly attractive one. He cocked his head to the side, instantly
intrigued. He shoved his way through the packed crowd to get closer to the
stage. Standing only a few rows back, he watched her, amazed at her technique
and skill. Not only was she fiercely stunning with her wild, long, red mane,
she played guitar like a demon. He stared in wonder, unable to wipe the smile
from his face.

Jimmy
walked up to him and frowned. “Why do you have that stupid look on your face?”

Sully
chuckled and motioned. “Check
her
out.”

Jimmy
raised his eyebrows and then a wide smile spread across his face. “Damn, she’s
good! And she’s hot!”

Sully
nodded, took a sip of his beer and kept his eyes trained on her, fully enjoying
the show. When the band headed into their last song in the set, ‘Highway Star’
by Deep Purple, both he and Jimmy stared at the female guitarist in awe.

He
chuckled and looked at Jimmy. “She could smoke you!”

Jimmy
glared at him. “Shut up.”

Sully
smiled and looked at Jimmy again. “She just looked at me and smiled!”

Jimmy
laughed. “No she didn’t. She was looking at me.”

When
the song reached the guitar solo, both of their mouths dropped open. Jimmy
looked at Sully. “Shit, she
could
smoke me. I think she just did. Damn. Who the hell is this girl? I’ve never
seen her before.”

Sully
shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I dunno, but I’m gonna find out.”

At the
end of the song, Jeff yelled out introductions of each band member. He pointed
to Kit. “And filling in on lead guitar tonight for Mike is Miss Kitty-Kat
kicking ass and taking names.” The crowd roared with approval and Kit laughed.
Jeff then yelled. “Thank you and goodnight!”

He
headed off stage and high-fived Kit. “Damn girl, you kicked ass in soundcheck
today, but you fucking blew me away tonight. There’s something about you on a
stage in front of an audience. You killed it! Impressive. You can play with
us anytime. I’m gonna tell people about you.”

Kit
chuckled and smiled. “Thank you. It was a blast and an honor.”

He
nodded and led her down the stairs over to the bar where he grabbed a beer. He
looked at her. “What can I get you?”

“Scotch
on the rocks.”

He
smiled. “Scotch girl, huh? Nice.” He handed her the drink moments later.
“I’m gonna have to take Max to dinner for hooking me up. You can come too.
Did she tell you what I do…like as my day job?”

She
shook her head. “No.”

“I’m a
sound engineer. I’m always looking for session musicians. By the way you
played tonight, I’m guessing you could handle it. Are you looking for work? I
know you just got into town last month.”

Kit
smiled and her eyes twinkled with enthusiasm. “Yes! I did session work when I
lived in Philly. I would love to have session work out here.”

He
nodded. “You’ll have it, sweetie. I’ll make sure of it. I don’t have
anything this week, but I’ll check with some of my friends and some producers I
know. You’re gonna make a name for yourself in this town, McKenna. I know it.”