Star Maker (7 page)

He
walked over to her and smiled, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek as if
she were a long lost friend he had known for ages. “Hey, Kit! Thanks for
coming.”

She
looked around, surveying the modest apartment overcrowded with loud, rowdy
guests that were spilling out onto the patio beyond the sliding glass doors in
the living room. She felt slightly uncomfortable and overwhelmed. “Sure.
Looks like a good turnout.”

He
looked around and nodded proudly. “Yep. Can I get you anything?”

Kit’s
nerves eased in Sully’s presence and a devilish smile crept up on her face.
“What do you got?”

Sully
giggled and gave her a suggestive grin. “Anything your little heart desires,
hot shot.”

She
pretended to think about it for a moment. “How about a scotch on the rocks and
a cigarette?”

Sully
smiled and teased. “Ooh, racy. I’ll be right back.” He returned moments later
with Kit’s drink and a cigarette. She grinned after taking a long drag. He
chuckled. “Scotch girl, huh?”

She
smiled. “That’s me.” She pointed to his drink. “Scotch guy, huh?”

He
laughed. “Nice. Yes, me too. It’s in my blood. Irish.”

“Really?
Me too.”

He gave
her a flirty look. “Y’know Kit, you’re not like most of the girls at our shows
or even this party for that matter.”

She
giggled and took a sip of her drink, immediately feeling sassy. “Is that your
way of asking me why I’m not one of your groupies yet, throwing my panties or
myself at you?”

He
laughed and grimaced. “Touché. You got me on that one. Stone cold busted. I
guess I’m only used to that kind of attention from the ladies on the Strip. I
guess I underestimated you.”

Kit
couldn’t help smiling. Flirting with Sully was proving to be highly
entertaining. “Understandably. You’ve got a great band. You guys are all
sufficiently hot. I’m sure you get away with a lot.” She winked at him and
grinned.

He
raised his eyebrows and gave her a devilish grin. “Ooh, you’re fun. I don’t
think I’ve ever been so turned on by verbal sparring before. Highly amusing.”

She
couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “Yes, I’m a regular one woman circus, Sully
Foxx. Speaking of circuses, you’ve got a three ring one going on in here.”
She motioned to the loud partygoers in various stages of disarray, dancing
around scantily clad, drinking, and laughing.

He
shrugged. “A Hollywood rocker party at its best.” He cocked his head to the
side and gave her a curious look. “Wait a minute… is this your first one?”

Kit
pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe, maybe not.” She wasn’t
about to admit that this was her first since she’d move there.

He
pointed at her. “Ok, missy. I think this is your first Hollywood party.” He
teased. “Where are you from? Iowa?”

She
rolled her eyes. “No. Please. I’m no farm girl. I’ve been to some really
crazy parties, just not this crazy. I’m from Chicago and I went to school in Philly.”

Sully’s
eyes bugged out excitedly and he smiled like a Cheshire cat. “You’re from
Chicago? Me too! Whereabouts?”

“Lake
Forest.”

He
nodded and took a sip of his drink, surveying her, and energetically taking a
step back. “Oh, uh-huh. I get it, rich girl. Very fancy. I probably
shouldn’t even be talking to you. I’m surprised you haven’t looked down your
nose at me yet. What are you doing slumming it with rockers in L.A.? Shouldn’t
you be cozying up to some investment banker in Manhattan or attending some high
society function in Beverly Hills with your Harvard educated boyfriend?”

She
shook her head and grinned. She understood the stereotype he tried to place
her in very well. It was a stereotype that never fit even when she lived
there. She had always felt like an outsider. It was easy for her shrug off
his comment without offense. “I don’t have a boyfriend and I’m not slumming.
Just because I lived in Lake Forest doesn’t mean that’s what I’m about. I’ve
got the heart of a city girl, babe, not some spoiled, rich brat.”

He was
more intrigued now. “City girl, huh? We’ll see about that.” He grinned and
pointed at her. “Wait a minute. Do you know Joe? Joe Arden. He’s from Lake
Forest. He’s my buddy.”

She
smiled wide. “Yes! Joe is one of my best friends. We came out here together.
He’s a big ass deal now—not surprising. I think I remember him
mentioning you. He spoke very highly of you and I’ll let you in on a little
secret. He doesn’t do that often.”

Sully
grinned. “That’s nice to hear. Didn’t he head back out?”

She
nodded. “Yeah. North America awaits his transcendental guitar blessing.”

Sully
laughed loudly and nodded. “That was good one. You have a way with words,
little Miss. Ok, so back to you. Regardless of your past in those other
cities, this is technically your first Hollywood party, right?” He pointed at
her again. “Be honest.” He stared into her eyes eagerly awaiting her
response.

She
started laughing. She couldn’t help it. His powers of charm were mesmerizing.
“Yes. Technically it is my first Hollywood party. Joe has been too busy to
throw a proper one, so I really haven’t had any other invitations yet. And
I’ve been too busy. There I said it. You outed me.”

He
offered his arm to escort her and smiled. “Well then, Kit the city girl, let
me lead you into the wonderful world of Hollywood debauchery and scandal. Your
life will never be the same again.”

She
shook her head and smiled as she linked her arm in his. “Somehow I think
you’re probably right. But I want to make one thing crystal clear to you… no
matter how much I drink tonight, Sull, I am not going to be one of your
groupies, like ever.”

He
grinned and patted her hand. “Deal, babe.”

Kit
awoke around nine the next morning with a pounding headache and a mouth as dry
as any desert. She glanced over startled, when she noticed the array of passed
out bodies, some clothed, some not. Too many shots and drinks had made her
memories of the previous evening fuzzy at best. She glanced down to find that
she was fully clothed and breathed an instant sigh of relief. Finding her car
keys now presented more of a challenge than she was currently equipped to
handle.

She sat
up slowly and groaned. She tried to jog her memory from the night before. Her
last memory was doing shots of Jack Daniels with the entire band then
everything went black. Her fingertips throbbed. She started to rub them and
winced. She groaned again. She figured out that she had played way too much
guitar the night before, but couldn’t remember one lick of it. She felt like
she had played an all night set and she tried desperately to jostle a clue from
her mind only to come up short.

She
noticed a glimmer on the floor below her, right next to the sofa. She had
found her keys. She happily seized them and held them close to her heart for
one full moment, completely grateful she wouldn’t have to launch a search party
under naked bodies for them.

She got
up and headed toward the door, tip-toeing in hopes of not waking anyone. She
was almost to the front door when Sully appeared, walking out of the hallway
next to the door, wrapped in a sheet, completely disheveled, and looking
drowsy. She suddenly had a blurry recollection that the whole band had gone
streaking up and down the hallways of the apartment building at some point in
the wee hours of the morning.

He
grinned as he blinked sleepily. “Kit, what are you doing?”

She
glanced over her shoulder and looked at him, her eyes wide as saucers, feeling
like a teenager caught sneaking out by her father. She whispered hastily. “I’m
leaving.”

Sully
frowned, definitely hungover and still slightly disoriented. His voice was
gravelly when he spoke. “But why?”

She
faced him and smirked. “Because I have to go. I have to be at work in two
hours. I have the lunch shift at the café today. What are you doing up?”

He
shrugged his shoulders and started to head for the kitchen. “Dunno, but I’m
gonna go pound a beer and go back to sleep.” He stopped in his tracks and
turned around, looking at her and holding fast to his sheet. He appeared
confused, not completely registering what she had said. “You’re not going to
stay and hang out with us? Once everyone wakes up we’re gonna move the party
poolside and catch some rays.”

She
leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “No, babe. I gotta go. I’ll
catch you at rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.”

“Ok.
Suit yourself, missy. You’re missing out on an awesome pool party.”

She
chuckled. “No doubt. I’ll catch the next one.”

“See
you tomorrow, Kit.”

She
shook her head and grinned to herself as she walked out to her car. A big part
of her wished she could go back for the pool party Sully was throwing later
that day. She got her first taste of the party life in the Hollywood music
scene and she liked it—a little too much. She wondered how she would
stay focused on work and finishing law school.

She
talked to herself in the car as she headed home. “Think working for a big
record company, think of turning average artists into stars, think success,
Kit.” Her chant was proving triumphant at keeping her on track for the moment.
Now all she had to do was get rid of her nagging hangover.

CHAPTER 6

Kit
pulled into the small parking lot in front of The Fortress, a rehearsal studio
at the corner of Selma and Highland in the heart of Hollywood. As she got out
of her car she heard a band rehearsing. She walked toward the studio in front
of her and realized it was Gypsy Tango.

Over
the last few weeks she had been meeting with them sporadically and providing
tips here and there. It became evident to her quickly that she and Sully were
on the same page, musically speaking. They were both perfectionists. Jimmy
and the rest of the guys liked to slide and were sloppy at times. Sully
enjoyed that Kit sided with him. He felt like he had a partner in crime and
Kit enjoyed the experience. It was fun for both of them.

She
waited until the song was over and pulled the door open, confidently strolling
in. She assessed who was in the room and was surprised to find their manager,
Slade, absent. As usual, there were a handful of groupies camped out on the
sofa in the back, ogling the band and playing with each other’s hair. She
stared at them and wondered what kinds of thoughts ran through their minds or if
they were completely blank.

She
thought the groupies were all very sweet, no doubt. They all wanted to be
friends with her, sensing her influence with the band, but upon attempting
conversations with any one of them, she found there wasn’t enough in common to
pursue a true friendship. Most of them were transient anyway—there one
week and gone the next. Nevertheless, she knew it was good PR for her to
befriend them. She smiled and waved to them. They all waved back and
attempted to connect further by waving her over excitedly. She held up her
finger to signal that she needed a minute.

One of
the groupies was off to the side, leaning on an amplifier, standing in front of
Sully and playing with his hair. Jimmy noticed Kit first. He stopped playing
his guitar and pointed to her. He leaned forward and spoke into the
microphone. “Hey, girl. We need to talk to you.”

Jimmy’s
voice got Sully’s attention. He looked over and noticed Kit. He instantly
freed himself from the clingy groupie pawing at him and ran toward her, hugging
her tightly and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Kit-Kat!”

She
started laughing and shook her head. “Hi, babe.”

He
looked into her eyes and smiled. “He’s right, you know. We do need to talk to
you. Let us get through this set and we’ll all have a sit down, ok?”

She
nodded. “Yep. Knock ‘em dead, babe.”

He
winked at her and flashed a charming smile. “And you know I will.”

Kit
stood with her back against the wall of the small studio, dead center in front
of the band. It was the best place in the house to assess the sound accurately
and watch them all. The groupies observed half-heartedly, preferring to gossip
on the sofa on the side, while some tried desperately to see and hear what Kit
did.

Although
she loved the song they were playing, her gut told her it could be improved and
she knew how. She waved her arms signaling them to stop playing. Sully saw
her first and stopped singing. The rest of the band followed suit.

He
looked at her and spoke into the microphone. “What’s up, Red?”

She
shifted her eyes to every member of the band and back again. “I figured out
what needs to be fixed in the song. Remember our conversation two days ago?”
Sully nodded in agreement with her.

Jimmy
looked at her and spoke into the microphone, irritated. “What is it now?”

She
gave him a look of warning. “Do you want my help or not? You guys have been
struggling with this song. Sully has some great ideas and you haven’t
integrated one of them. My ideas are mostly in line with his.” She gave Sully
a look of caution so he wouldn’t gloat and repeated herself for emphasis.
“Mostly, Sull.”

Jimmy
shrugged his shoulders. “Ok. So what is it?”

She
walked over to him. “Gimme your guitar.” Jimmy reluctantly handed it to her.
She seized it and turned to face the band. “Ok, from the top. We’re only
going the first sixteen bars.”

The
band started to play and she added her flourishes. Jimmy stared at her, his
eyes narrowing. He couldn’t help feeling threatened by her. He knew she was a
very talented guitarist, something he had discovered over the last few weeks.
Her talent and skill set made him completely insecure and her constant alliance
with Sully’s creative ideas didn’t help matters. When they finished the sixteen
bars though, he couldn’t deny that the flourishes she added enhanced the song
and gave it more of an edge that they had been looking for, but were unable to
find on their own.

Sully
looked at her. “Ooh, that was hot and very tasty. I like those riffs. Jim?
What do you think?”

He
nodded and approached her. “Yep, they’re good. Let’s keep ‘em in. Let’s run
through it again. I want to make sure I have it.”

Kit
handed the guitar back to Jimmy. She looked at the band. “I’m not done yet,
guys. The harmonies need work.”

Jimmy
rolled his eyes. “What? Oh, c’mon.”

Sully
looked at Jimmy. “She’s right. We discussed this earlier today. Did you not
have your listening ears on again?”

Jimmy
was visibly annoyed. “Ok, let’s play with ‘em. Let’s sit down and figure them
out.”

Kit
worked on the harmonies for the song, mostly with Sully. Jimmy nodded in
agreement. Once again, he couldn’t deny that Kit had a keen ear, one they
desperately needed to get ahead.

As much
as he didn’t want to agree with her and secretly wanted to hate her, he knew in
his gut that her critiques could possibly take them to the next level. He
decided to give in a little more. He had seen what she had done with the other
bands she managed on the Strip—two of them were their biggest competition
and their fan bases were growing daily.

After
running through the harmonies a few times, he looked at Bryan. “Hey Bry, get
Kit set up with a mic. We’ll put her next to Sully for the run through. Guys,
let’s go through it, see if we got it.” He looked at Kit. “We’re looking to
you to lead the harmonies.” She grinned and nodded as she took the mic that
Bryan offered her.

They
ran through the song with Kit effortlessly leading the harmonies. She thought
it sounded good but wouldn’t be truly convinced until she heard the guys do it
on their own. She enjoyed singing with Sully and it seemed he liked singing
with her too. She hadn’t been on a stage singing anything since she left
Philadelphia. She loved harmonies and found that she and Sully had a nice
vocal blend.

After a
few attempts, Kit turned off the mic and set it down. “Ok guys, run it through
with the changes and harmonies, without me. I want to hear how it sounds.”

She
walked back to her favorite spot to hear the band and leaned against the wall.
She nodded and Remo counted off to start the song. She watched them like a
hawk, her arms folded in front of her, nodding her head gently to the beat. As
they finished the song, she gave them two thumbs up and smiled. “You got it,
guys. Sounds fantastic!”

The
band finished up their set and started to take down equipment. The groupies
hovered and Kit ducked out to smoke a cigarette. She sat on the hood of her
car and wondered what the guys wanted to talk about. Remo gave her a nod of
respect as he carried his kick drum out and loaded it into the back of Bryan’s van.

Sully
did his duty of walking the groupies out to their various cars parked on the
street. He returned moments later and sat next to Kit on the hood. He looked
at her and smiled. She giggled. “What’s that look for?”

He
chuckled. “Just you. You never cease to amaze me. You’ve got some pipes,
girl. I had no idea you could sing so well. I knew you could shred on a
guitar. Seeing you for the very first time at Madame Wong’s playing ‘Highway
Star’ before I even knew you. I remember that shocking the shit out of me.
Then you ripped it up playing along to Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’ at our party that
night after the Whisky. But the singing, I gotta say, I’m impressed, McKenna.”

She
looked at him, wide eyed, and put her hand to her mouth in shock. “Oh my God.
Is that why my fingers were so thrashed the next morning after your party?”
She burst out laughing. “Wow! I don’t even remember that. How many songs did
I play?”

He
snickered. “Like six. You and Jimmy were having a shred off. You won. He was
pissed.”

She was
still laughing. “Classic.”

“Oh
yeah, and the fact that you can’t remember makes it even better!” He laughed
loudly.

She
shook her head, still smiling. “And so begins the Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll life
for me. So much different from Philly or Chi-Town.”

He
grinned. “Oh yeah, sister. You’re living it now. Sucked in, no escape.
Anyway, I would love it if you could help us out more with harmonies. Seems
you and I are on the same page with that kinda stuff. You’re a perfectionist
like me. I love it.”

She
shrugged her shoulders and playfully shoved him. “Thanks for all the
compliments, Sull. You know I’m always happy to help you guys in any way I
can. It was really fun today. I haven’t gotten to do that since Philly when I
was in a band of my own. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until today.”

Sully
nodded in agreement. “It’s like a drug. Once music gets in your blood, you’re
done. It’s like it chooses you and then takes over your life.”

She nodded.
“Completely.”

An
awkward silence followed and Sully felt the pressure to either fill in the gap
with conversation or kiss her and he knew the latter wasn’t the best idea. He
found his words quickly. “Have I ever told you what a sweet ride you have?”

Kit
laughed. “I think you’ve told me that like a thousand times by now.

He
tried to charm her with his most suggestive smile possible. “So, when are you
going to let me drive it?”

She
moved her face in close to his and gazed deeply into his steel blue eyes,
smiling. He raised his eyebrows, still smiling, and wondering what she was
going to do next. He was enjoying every second and wondered if she had somehow
telepathically picked up his desire to kiss her. She giggled and threw him for
a loop. “How about never?”

He let
out a groan and rolled his eyes as he pulled back. He huffed. “You are the
most difficult girl I know. I don’t think easy exists in your vocabulary.” He
shook his head.

She
laughed and patted him on the knee. “Honey, you’re just used to groupies that
give you anything and everything you want. You’re a little spoiled, that’s
all.”

He
looked at her again, this time more determined. “I don’t think I’ve ever
shared this with you, but I’ve always dreamed of driving a Porsche 911 Carrera
convertible. In fact, in my dream mine’s just like yours but in a different
color. It would be pretty amazing to drive it in person. It would be like a
dream come true.”

She
nodded and smiled. “Mmm hmm. Wouldn’t it? C’mon, Sull. Did you really think
that was going to work?”

He
shrugged his shoulders. “Was worth a try.”

Jimmy
walked out of the studio and whipped his finger around in the air to signal the
wrap of their session. “Load out complete. Let’s go.”

Kit
looked at him. “Where are we going?”

Jimmy
nodded. “The Westbury.”

Sully
smiled and looked at Kit. “And I’m riding with you.”

Kit
stared at him. “And why is that?”

He
tried to hold his laughter back, but it wasn’t working. “So you don’t get
lost.”

She
laughed. “Wow, Sull, that was really smooth. Why don’t you just say ‘cuz I
want to ride in your car with you, Kit, and get a high off the smell of the
leather seats? That probably would have been more authentic of you.”

He
stuck his tongue out at her and opened the passenger door, getting into her
car. “Now, seriously, you do know where you’re going, right?”

She
kept her attention focused on the rearview mirrow as she started the engine and
put her car into reverse. “Yep.”

He
giggled, wanting to engage in playful banter with her. “Are you sure?”

She
took a moment to stare at him, blankly. “Sully, I’ve been over to Jimmy’s
favorite groupie’s place a handful of times now.”

He
continued to tease her. “Ok, smarty pants. What street?”

She
revved the engine and put the car into first gear. “Sycamore.”

He
raised his eyebrows. “Ooh, I like to hear you rev that engine. Run those
RPMs, baby. Ok, so what’s the apartment number?”

Since
they were sitting at a red light, Kit looked over at him. “Is this a pop quiz?
Remember, I’m a law student. I can remember details easily. Don’t place any
bets if you know what’s good for you, because I will win. It’s 302, by the
way.”