Star Maker (13 page)

Her
green eyes narrowed and anger churned in her stomach. “I’m so sick of this
shit from you guys. Not one of you have worked a deal before. You have no idea
what’s coming. I’ve only signed two bands and Joe, so get off of your lie that
you guys are the only band that haven’t been signed and leave my boyfriend out
of this. Do you really think I want him to give me a deal because I’m his
girlfriend? If that’s the case, I may as well forget about making a name for
myself legitimately. Let me just throw my integrity out the window. Is that
what you want?” Before he could interject, she continued.

“I will
tell you this much, Sully—you are not ready. Your following is only here
in Hollywood. Maybe you have some fans from back home. Big deal. That’s not
enough. You need to tour. You need some kind of national presence with fans
or DJs or else when that first single drops, you’ll have a big belly flop on
your hands, the record company will be pissed, and they’ll have A&R all
over your ass. Do you want that? Do you want to choke nationally? Or do you
wanna take this global like I thought you wanted?

“You’re
the leader of this band. I won’t fight you anymore. I can take you to the top
or help you go down in flames. It’s your choice. You know what, Sully? If
you’re really that frustrated with me, why don’t you cut to the chase and fire
me. Really, do us both a favor.”

Her
eyes welled up with tears as she felt a mixture of frustration, anger, and
sadness. She had been at odds with Sully for weeks now and it was taking its
toll on her. She felt like she was losing her best friend all over again. She
gathered up her things and headed into her bedroom, closing the door behind
her.

He
stared at her and as she walked away his anger started to melt. Seeing the
look in her eyes had set something off inside him. He started to get choked up
coming to the realization that she was constantly sticking her neck out for
them and he had been pushing her far beyond her comfort zone lately. He sighed
and shook his head. He didn’t know the answer. He was desperate to make it to
the top. He wanted it now, but realized she had a point. People in New York
City or Philadelphia or Indianapolis had no idea who they were.

He
walked down the hallway to her bedroom door and was about to knock on it, when
he heard a knock at the front door. He turned around and went to answer it,
finding Seth standing there. “Hey, Sully. Is Kit ready?”

Sully
silently shrugged his shoulders and let Seth in. He made his way back to her
bedroom, while Sully took a seat on the sofa and grabbed his guitar. Kit and
Seth made their way out minutes later, neither of them acknowledging him as
they passed through the living room to leave the apartment. Suddenly, he felt
alone. More alone than he had felt since he arrived in Los Angeles. He needed
a distraction. He had to go out. There was plenty of trouble he could get
into in Hollywood.

Kit
returned home after staying at Seth’s for a few days. Sully had the place to
himself. Alexa had been staying with her new boyfriend, Wes, at his place.
When Kit and Alexa returned hours apart from each other, they were stunned to
see that not a trace of Sully remained.

Alexa
looked at her. “What happened?”

She
sighed. “We had an argument. He wants a record deal like yesterday. I told
him he should wait. They’ll fall flat on their face nationally if I put them
out now. The record companies know this. They’re still too green. Seth told
me. I got it out of him. They need another six months and a tour under their
belt, as I expected. I tried to tell Sully this, but he wouldn’t budge. He
was stubborn and hardheaded about it. I told him to fire me.”

Alexa
frowned. “What? Kit, why would you do such a thing? I love you, babe, but
sometimes you say stupid things. Maybe you should call a band meeting and talk
about it. I can’t remember the schedule. Do they have any shows coming up?”

“Not
for another week.” Kit’s stomach churned and her face was riddled with
anxiety.

Alexa
looked at her. “Hey, don’t look so worried. I’ll call Jimmy and poke around.
How’s that? I’ll see if I can dig up anything.”

Kit
nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be at the table studying, like usual.” She started
unpacking items from her backpack and pulled out her work. She dug in and was
knee deep in her assignment when Alexa walked out, looking confused. She
looked up and frowned. “What’s that look for?”

Alexa
pulled out a chair and took a seat across from Kit. “Jimmy said the band is
fine in so many words. They rehearsed today—all of them were there.
Apparently a few days ago, Sully hooked up with some up and coming actress that
happens to know Joe. He said she’s a gorgeous, party girl, has a new place in
Malibu, has a new movie coming out, and thinks Sully is a fun play toy that
makes her look good. Gives her more of an edge. He moved in with her and
she’s promised to help him get more publicity so he’ll be in better position to
get a record deal. He showed up at rehearsal today in her convertible Mercedes-Benz
560SL. Jimmy wants you to call him. He’s just as perplexed as I am. Oh and
he said Joe is back in town so you may wanna call him too.”

Kit
sighed. “Ok. I’ll make some calls right now, Lex. Thank you.”

She
nodded. “Do you want to go get some drinks in a bit?”

“Maybe.”
She went to her bedroom and dialed Jimmy’s number. He answered and she
instantly felt better hearing his voice. “Jim.”

“Kit-Kat.
What the hell is going on with Sully?”

“Did he
fire me?”

Jimmy
laughed. “Fire you? No. You know he can’t do that without my consent. He
said he wanted to set things up better for us to help you out. He was on point
in rehearsal today, but he’s a little distracted by this new actress
girlfriend, Dahlia.”

“Was
she there?”

“No,
but Joe was. He’s back and he’s not good. Let’s go for drinks, Kit-Kat.
Let’s figure this out.”

She nodded. “Ok. Lex and I will meet you at the Rainbow in thirty.”
She hung up the phone and headed over to Alexa’s room. “We’re going to the
Rainbow in a few. Get your ass ready.”

Kit
double-checked the address on La Cienega and pulled her car up to the valet
area of a high-rise building. She always felt self-conscious about the car she
was driving. She reminded herself it was only temporary and the minute she was
out of law school or one of her bands popped big, she would purchase something
more suitable to her tastes. She forced a grin to the valet who looked weary
as she got out and took the claim ticket. Her junky, faded, burnt orange
Datsun hatchback was on its last legs.

She
walked through the lobby and noticed a front desk with staff that blocked the
entrance to the elevators. She walked up and smiled. “I’m here to see Joe
Arden in Penthouse 4D.”

The
woman behind the desk grinned. “Let me ring Mr. Arden. One moment.”

Kit
stared at her and thought the whole scene was over the top. She didn’t
understand why Joe had moved out of his gorgeous Laurel Canyon home off of
Lookout Mountain Drive in favor of a high-rise condo a stone’s throw from the
Sunset Strip. She had a feeling the story he would have was a good one.

The
woman hung up the phone and nodded, offering Kit a friendly smile as she hit
the button that unlocked the glass security doors that led to the elevator bay.
“Go on up. Mr. Arden is expecting you.”

Kit
stepped out of the elevator and onto the penthouse floor. She knocked on the
door moments later. Joe flung the door open looking disheveled in a bathrobe.
He smiled and held his arms open. “Kit-Kat. Welcome.”

She
chuckled and hugged him tightly. “It’s great to see you, Joe. What’s up with
the bathrobe?” She pulled back and grinned. “Are you a lord of leisure right
now?”

He
rolled his eyes and nodded as he shut the door. “Something like that. I just
woke up.” He fished in his pocket and retrieved his cigarettes. He pulled one
out and lit up. He blew out the smoke and led her through the expansive living
room with floor to ceiling windows showcasing panoramic views of the city and a
set of sliders that led out to a large balcony.

She
frowned. “You just woke up? It’s four in the afternoon.”

He
raised his eyebrows. “And your point is? I don’t have any appointments on the
books. I went to sleep at eight this morning. Gimme a break. Let’s sit
outside. It’s a nice day. Want some scotch, sweetie?”

She
nodded as she looked around the condo, taking it all in. He stood at the wet
bar in the corner of the room, making drinks for both of them. She headed out
to the balcony and yelled back to him. “Nice place. Great view.”

He
joined her moments later and handed her the drink as they both took their
seats. He stared at her. “So, go ahead. Ask. I can see it written all over
your face, just don’t serve me a sentence or I’ll kick you out. I mean it. I
don’t think I can handle a dose of your self-righteous judgment today,
your honor
.”

She
sighed. “Joe, what the hell is going on with you? Are you even sober right
now?”

He
chuckled. “No. Why does that matter? There’s no point. If you were in my
shoes right now, you probably wouldn’t be either.”

She
frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

He
shook his head and blew out his smoke evenly. “Why do you think I moved, huh?”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. That was gonna be one of my questions.”

He
stared at her blankly. “Because when I got home from Antigua, fucking Janine
had spilled the beans and leaked my address to some fan on the Strip who sold
it to the press and all those fucking star map companies. I not only had groupies
and fans camping out on my lawn, but trying to break into my house. I was
done. I still own the house, just renting it out. I moved here.

“It’s a
security building and lots of other rock stars have condos here. I think Lemmy
lives on the other side of this floor when he’s in town. Frankly Kit, I wanna
be numb. I don’t know what to do with myself. We’re on break for six months
before we start writing. I’m not good left to my own devices in this high
rolling, fast lane party town. This ain’t nothing like Philly or Chi-Town.
This is the big leagues of partying. Top notch. Oh, by the way, have you met
Sully’s new girl?”

Her
eyes narrowed. “No. Joe, did you introduce them to each other?”

He
chuckled. “Ooh, do I sense a little jealousy?”

She shook
her head in denial. “No. I heard she’s a party girl and Sully can’t afford
distractions right now. I’m trying to keep those guys on track.”

He
nodded. “Sull’s fine. And I didn’t introduce him to her. They met at a party
before I came back, but I do know her. He’s a big boy, Kit. He’s got it. I
introduced him to Tommy Wilkes over at Columbia Records. That’s my label, as
you know. Tommy is our A&R rep…”

Her
eyes widened and she interrupted. “I know who Tommy is. You did what? Joe!
How could you? Did he start talking a deal? Oh shit, they’re not ready for
this, not by a long shot.”

He
shook his head. “Don’t worry, babe. I told Sull the same thing. That’s why I
introduced those two. He heard it straight from the horse’s mouth. I’m not
sure what Tom told him, but Sully did mention it was exactly what you had told
him. And on a personal note, be gentle with the guy, ok? He’s got a pretty
serious crush on you.”

Kit
blushed and tried to play it off like that fact didn’t matter, but it did. She
certainly couldn’t deny it. She swallowed hard and chose to ignore it. “What
did you tell Sully about getting signed?”

He cast
his eyes down sadly. “Not to jump into things. Be careful what you wish for.”
He looked up and met her eyes. “He could be bigger than me. I told him if he
didn’t want to lose his mind and have ideas of jumping off a cliff to escape
instant superstardom, to take his time building this with you. I think he
listened, but I’m not sure.”

She
shook her head. “Joe, you have been preparing for superstardom since we were
kids.”

He
glared. “Kit, you have no idea how big this is or the demands that come with
it. I kicked a hornet’s nest. I didn’t have time to build up anything or get
used to it. I was thrown into the fire. Do you think I like women breaking
into my house? One fan threatened to kill my girlfriend. That’s why she broke
up with me. She couldn’t handle it. I can’t trust anyone anymore. All these
new people in my life always seem like they want something. No one is real.”
He shook his head. “I’m losing my mind. The only thing that keeps me calm
is…”

She
leaned forward, reading his mind, knowing the only thing keeping him sated was
drugs. “Joe, you have to go to rehab.”

He
shook his head. “Hell no! I don’t have a problem. I can stop whenever I
want. It’s my way of medicating.”

She
rolled her eyes. “Ok, well that’s fucked up. Joe, you need to get help. This
is eating you alive and you’re not even fighting it. How much blow are you
going through a day?”