Chart Toppers (Star Maker Book 3) (29 page)

“Yes.
 
It did.
 
You guys have reached the super pro
level.
 
You aren’t selling out
arenas for nothing.”

Sully
shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
 
“I guess.
 
I wanna keep
having fun with it and give those fans a good time.”

She
grinned.
 
“And I know you will.”

Jimmy
and Kit were chatting in the dressing room when she noticed Sully go dashing by
to catch Sean.
 
They were due to go
on in ten minutes.
 
She wondered
what was suddenly so urgent.
 
She
heard him request his own limo.
 
He
wanted it ready and waiting the minute he stepped off the stage at the end of
the show.
 
She wondered what he was
up to.

Kit
stood on the side of the stage as they performed their last song of the night,
‘Pretty Poison.’
 
She watched
intently, taking it all in.
 
She
wasn’t sure when she’d be back out on the road with them for any extended
amount of time.
 
She was flying home
the next morning with Giselle.
 
She
had no plans to jump back on the tour anytime soon, and that bothered Sully to
no end.

She
heard Sully yell into his microphone, “Thank you, goodnight!”
 
It echoed loudly through the arena as
the crowd cheered.
 
Moments later,
he came rushing off the stage at the conclusion of the final encore, sweaty and
smiling from ear to ear.
 
He seized
her arm, dragging her along with him.
 

She
chuckled.
 
“Where are you taking
me?”

He
grabbed her hand and interlocked his fingers in hers.
 
“We’re getting out of here.
 
Don’t think for a minute that I forgot
you’re flying out in the morning. I won’t be seeing you for a while.”

Kit
giggled.
 
“Oh.
 
So, you have plans for me?”

He
raised his eyebrows and smiled as he led her to the limo that was waiting for
them.
 
“You have no idea.”

Sully
sat on the edge of the bed the next morning, half asleep, looking completely
disheveled.
 
He sadly watched Kit as
she finished her packing.
 
She
poured a cup of coffee, walked back over and handed it to him, giving him a
kiss on the cheek.
 
She
grinned.
 
“Wake up, baby.”

He
sighed.
 
“You don’t have to do
this.
 
Stay.”

She looked
up at him as she zippered her large suitcase closed.
 
“I do, babe.
 
I have obligations.”
 

It was
time she dropped the bomb.
 
She had
exactly fifteen minutes to spring the news on him.
 
She hoped her explanation was succinct
enough to pacify him, but she couldn’t deny the doubts she held.

He
sighed again, his eyes downcast.
 
He
looked like a pouty little boy.
 
“I
know.
 
You have your duties as CCO
at Diamond, and you have to help out Mom with our foundation.
 
I get it.”

She sat
down next to him.
 
“Actually, honey,
there’s something else.”

He stared
at her.
 
“What?”

Her
eyes met his.
 
“I’ve agreed to
produce the debut album for Jade Riff.
 
They saw what I did with Triple Tango, and they were impressed.
 
So was Diamond, so they gave me an
offer.
 
I couldn’t refuse it,
babe.
 
It was the opportunity of a
lifetime.
 
Grunge is going to be the
voice of the nineties, and I can’t pass up the opportunity to get on the map in
a different genre.”
 
She searched
his eyes for approval, and it wasn’t coming.

He continued
to stare into her eyes, despite his increasing disappointment.
 
“You’re leaving me and the guys out here
on the road?
 
A band that you manage
that is making you millions upon millions of dollars, to go produce an album
for a band that nobody knows about?
 
Are you fucking high, Kit?”

She shifted
her eyes up at the ceiling and let out a long breath.
 
She knew he wouldn’t be pleased, but she
hadn’t anticipated him taking it so personally.
 
She glanced over at him and took his
hand in hers.
 
“Babe, listen, I need
to do this for me.
 
I want to
explore having a career as a successful producer, and I have to expand out of
rock.
 
I don’t want to be
pigeonholed.”

He
shook his head, annoyed as he removed his hand from hers.
 
He stood up and started pacing, then met
her eyes, this time reflecting an anger that wasn’t there earlier that
morning.
 
His voice was curt when he
responded.
 
“So, our triple platinum
album is not good enough for you now, huh?”

She
stared at him and willed herself to stay calm and not feed into his
reaction.
 
She closed her eyes for a
moment to get composed and clear her mind.
 
When she opened her eyes, she spoke evenly.
 
“C’mon, please don’t be like this, babe.
 
What if Triple Tango was a fluke for
me?
 
I need to find out for
sure.
 
I thought you wanted me to
let my creative side take over.
 
That’s what I’m trying to do.”

He shifted
his gaze down and stopped in his tracks.
 
He sighed and shook his head.
 
He did want to support her, but he also wanted her out there on the road
all to himself.
 
He was conflicted,
but he loved her and knew her creative expression was on the line.
 
He had to let her go.
 
She was always good at letting him do
whatever he wanted as an artist.
 
Now,
it was time for him to return the favor.
 
He knew it wasn’t fair for him to keep her all to himself.
 

He
looked up and forced a grin.
 
“When
do you start?”

She chuckled.
 
“Next week.”

He
folded his arms in front of his chest.
 
“Where?”

“Seattle.”

He
nodded and then grinned.
 
“Congratulations, babe.
 
You’ll do great.”
 
He leaned
forward and kissed her.

She smiled
and gazed into his eyes.
 
“You sure
you’re ok with this?”

He
nodded, trying more to convince himself rather than her.
 
“Just don’t forget about me out here on
the road, ok?”

She
giggled.
 
“That would be impossible,
my love.”
 
She kissed him.
 
“Thank you for letting me do this.
 
It means a lot to me.”

He
smiled.
 
“Anything for you.”

They
both burst out laughing at his reference to the song he had written for her
that was still sitting on the
Billboard
Hot 100
in the top ten after eight weeks.
 

There
was a knock at the door, and Giselle’s voice called out seconds later. “Kit,
limo’s here.
 
We gotta go.”

Sully
put his hand out to help Kit up from where she was sitting.
 
“Looks like the bell boy stood you
up.
 
I’ll take your bag down for
you, babe.”

Kit
stayed in Sully’s arms outside next to the limo as long as possible until
Giselle yelled from the interior that they had to go, or they’d miss their
flight.
 

She
kissed him, gazed into his eyes and grinned.
 
“Be good.”
 

He
chuckled.
 
“Of course.
 
You be good too.”

She
smiled and winked.
 
“I love you,
baby.”

He
smiled back at her.
 
“I love you
too.
 
Call me when you get home.”

“I
will.”
 
She climbed into the
limousine.
 

The
driver was about to close the door, when Sully leaned in.
 
He looked at Kit and grinned.
 
“If I don’t get a chance to talk to you
before you leave, good luck in Seattle.
 
Crush it!”

She
smiled.
 
“Thanks, baby.”

As the
limo pulled away, Giselle looked over at her.
 
“I’m surprised he took it so well.”

She chuckled.
 
“Me too.
 
He wasn’t happy at first, but then he
warmed up to it.
 
There isn’t much
he can do about it out here on the road.”

Giselle
nodded.
 
“Oh, by the way, I was able
to secure that condo you wanted in Seattle.
 
They’ve agreed to be flexible with the
lease terms.”

She let
out a sigh of relief.
 
“Thank
you.
 
Looks like Seattle won’t be so
bad, after all.”

CHAPTER 16

The
fantastic view from the spacious, luxurious condo that Kit cohabited with
Giselle showcased the beauty of Puget Sound better than she could have
imagined.
 
She grabbed a glass of
wine and her cigarettes to relax on the balcony and soak it all in.

As she
admired the tranquility and gentle movement of the water out in the distance,
she reflected back to where she was a year ago and couldn’t have predicted she’d
be sitting there.
 

Life
was moving at a rapid pace.
 
Her new
career as a producer was taking a steep, positive trajectory.
 
The sessions with Jade Riff had been
surprisingly smooth and efficient. There was a different level of respect collaborating
with them.
 
They didn’t have a
previous history with Kit, and it worked to her advantage.
 

They
had only favorable impressions of her as a music industry leader with a
penchant for creating chart toppers and being producer of an album that was now
sitting at five times platinum.
 
She
was a professional to them—not a manager, not a friend, not a wife, but a
producer and a top executive that could make their career.
 

The
guys in Jade Riff absorbed her direction like sponges and had no problem taking
action at her prompts.
 
Lack of
resistance in the studio was a breath of fresh air, and she found herself
loving it way too much.
 
She wasn’t
sure if it was spurred by their newness to the big leagues of recording for a
major label or if this was a band of professionals more committed to their
career than pettiness and power dynamics.

The
production of Jade Riff’s album, ‘Jigsaw’, was tracking along faster than she
anticipated.
 
She didn’t want to
clue Diamond in on it just yet.
 
Jade Riff was scheduled for a November
release.
 
By her calculations, they
would be wrapping production by June and mix for a month or two.
 
She knew that Diamond would be ecstatic
to have a late summer or early fall release.
 

She was
careful not to put too much pressure on them.
 
She knew that the grunge movement was gaining
in popularity and the last thing she wanted to do was push them out before they
were ready.
 
There would be no
career suicide on her watch if she could help it.
 

Giselle
walked out onto the balcony, holding the cordless phone out to Kit.
 
“Hubby is on the line.”

She
grinned and took the phone from Giselle, mouthing “Thank you” to her silently
as she left the balcony.
 

The
plane touched down effortlessly, and the band cheered.
 
They were back in Los Angeles for two
shows and were happy to be home even though they only had a day off before they
had to perform again at the Forum for two sold out nights.
 

It has
been almost three months since Sully had seen Kit.
 
As he got into the limousine waiting to
take him home, it seemed like the moments dragged along.
 
He wondered how much time he’d get with
her.
 
The L.A. press circuit was
relentless with the band and Kit was finishing up mixing Jade Riff’s album in
their home studio with a staunch deadline from Diamond corporate hanging over
her head.
 

Sully
had dozed off and awoke as the limousine pulled up the driveway.
 
The house came into view, and he recognized
a few cars in their circular driveway.
 
It looked like Fred and Spencer were there.
 

He got
out of the limo and headed to the door while the driver unpacked his bags and
one guitar.
 
He stepped into the
house that was so quiet it was startling.
 
Kit’s office was dark when he checked, and as he glanced at the clock,
he realized it was getting close to one in the morning.
 
There were only two places she could be
at this hour—asleep in bed or out in the studio working.
 
Knowing his wife, he opted for the
studio.

He
strolled in, and everyone stopped talking as they turned around to look at
him.
 
He grinned sheepishly, feeling
awkward like he had inadvertently interrupted a confidential conversation.
 
“Hey, guys.”

Spencer
grinned.
 
“Hey man, welcome
home.
 
For a few days at least.”

He
nodded.
 
Kit got up and walked over
to him, hugging him tightly and giving him a kiss.
 
“How was your flight?”

“A
little hop over from Nevada, it was quick.
 
I’m pretty beat.”

She
nodded.
 
“Ok.
 
Why don’t you head into the house and go
to sleep?”

He took
her hand and pleaded with his exhausted steel blue eyes.
 
“Come with me.”

She
shook her head.
 
“I can’t,
babe.
 
I’ve got to keep pushing
through with Fred.
 
It’s crunch
time.”

Sully gazed
at her sadly and sighed.
 
“Will I be
able to see you tomorrow?”

She
nodded. “Yes.
 
That’s why I have to
push through tonight, ok?
 
We’ll
have time tomorrow.
 
I
promise.”
 
She gave him a kiss on
the cheek.
 
“Sleep well.”

He
nodded and waved as he left the studio feeling like he had just been
dismissed.
 
He didn’t have enough
energy to care.
 
He went upstairs
and plopped onto the bed, falling asleep instantly in his clothes.

When Sully
awoke the next morning, he rolled over reaching out for Kit and found an empty
bed instead.
 
He sat up and
frowned.
 
He glanced down and
realized he was still in his clothes from the night before.
 
He shook his head in annoyance.
 
He got up and stared at the
clock—almost noon.
 
He groaned
and jumped into the shower.
 

Twenty
minutes later, he threw on a robe and padded down the stairs on a hunt for his
wife.
 
He heard a voice coming from
the office, but as he approached, he quickly realized it belonged to
Giselle.
 
He poked his head into the
office.
 

She
spotted him and smiled.
 
“Hey,
Sull.
 
Sleep well?”

He
strolled into the office, his hands fixed in the pockets of his robe.
 
“Yeah.
 
Still a little tired.”

She
stood up.
 
“Want me to make you some
coffee?”

He
frowned and motioned to her to sit back down.
 
“No, no, I can do that.
 
You’ve got work to do.
 
Is Kit out in the studio?”

“Yeah,
she’s out there with Fred and the band.”

He
raised his eyebrows, surprised.
 
“Jade Riff is here today?”

Giselle
nodded.
 
“Yeah.
 
They’re here until two.
 
She has a conference call with Pete
Lundy and Spencer at three.”
 
She
looked down at the schedule in front of her and continued.
 
“Then she’s scheduled with you for the
rest of the day.”
 
She shifted her
gaze up to meet his eyes and gave him a reassuring grin.
 
Don’t worry, Sully, she blocked out time
for you.”
 
She winked at him.
 
“She got an early start today so she
could spend the day and evening with you as well as attend your L.A. shows.”

He
grinned and suddenly felt better.
 
“Thanks, G.
 
You just made my
day.”
 
He nodded.
 
“I’m going to leave her alone and let
her get her work done.
 
Anything you
need me to do?”

Giselle
raised her eyebrows.
 
“Do you mean
it?”

He shrugged
his shoulders.
 
“Sure.”

“Have
lunch with me.”

He
laughed.
 
“Oooh, G.
 
I never thought you’d try to seduce me
while Kit’s busy.” He put his hands on her desk and leaned forward, grinning
and meeting her eyes, unable to stop the joking.
 
“Personally, I’m shocked.
 
I’ll have lunch with you, but I’m not
doing a nooner with you.
 
No
way.
 
I’m a monogamous, happily
married man, y’know.”

She
laughed and shook her head.
 
“You’re
twisted.
 
I want your advice, not
your body, Sully.”

He
laughed and stood back.
 
“Oh, sorry.
 
Got confused on that one.”
 
He nodded and offered a friendly
smile.
 
“I’d be happy to help.
 
Where am I taking you to lunch?”

She
snorted.
 
“Here.
 
We’re having take-out Mexican food on
the terrace.
 
Going to lunch with
you in public is not a good idea right now.
 
I don’t feel like making more work for
myself managing the publicists who would be bombed by a press frenzy after the
paparazzi snapped even one shot of us laughing across a table from each other.
 
Not gonna happen, sweetie.”

He nodded.
 
“Good point.
 
What are we talking about?”

She
grinned.
 
“Bryan.”

He
smiled and rubbed his hands together.
 
“Ooh, this is gonna be good.
 
Let me go get dressed.”

Bruce
and Fred talked with Kit as they trailed behind the band with Spencer, headed
to the house.
 
As they got closer,
she noticed Giselle and Sully on the terrace talking.
 
Sully donned dark sunglasses and was
reclined in his seat, his feet up on the table, getting some sun.
 
She shook her head and chuckled.
 
One would never know he was in the
middle of one of the biggest world tours of his career.
 
He looked completely calm, relaxed and
at home.

She
waved to him as she walked by, still in conversation, heading into the
house.
 
He waved back and flashed a
smile.
 
She sat down with everyone
in the office and the conference call started.
 
She glanced outside from time to time to
see what Sully was doing.
 
Nothing
changed much except for his position to find better patches of sunlight like a
lazy housecat in the afternoon.
 
She
took her attention back to the call and stayed focused there.

Hours
later, Sully had melted into the couch.
 
Kit felt bad when she walked in and noticed him.
 
Her schedule had gotten messed up, and
it was now five o’clock.
 
Their day
together was blown.
 
She mustered
her best hopeful tone possible, but had felt negative repercussions for her
scheduling snafu were coming.
 
“Hey,
babe.”

He refused
to acknowledge her.
 
He kept his
attention focused on the TV as he flipped channels.
 
He did not look happy.

She
took a seat next to him.
 
“I’m
sorry.
 
I know I was supposed to be
done two hours ago.”

He
glanced at her, still displeased.
 
“Uh-huh.”

She
grabbed his hand.
 
“Oh babe, don’t
be like this.
 
C’mon.
 
I’m here now.
 
We can hang out the rest of the
night.
 
I won’t take one call or
anything work related.
 
I’m all
yours.”

He
leaned back again, shook his head and turned off the TV with the remote.
 
He threw it onto the coffee table in
front of him.
 
He folded his arms in
front of his chest.
 
“You really
mean that?”

She
snuggled up to him as close as she possibly could and kissed him on the
cheek.
 
“Of course I do.”

The
phone started ringing, and he watched her closely.
 
She stared at him, not moving, although
he could tell she was squirming in her seat and wanted to answer it.
 
Moments later, it stopped ringing, and
Giselle entered the room.