Star Maker (24 page)

Kit
rolled her eyes. “Sully loves attention, especially from women. That’s why he
hasn’t had a girlfriend since they’ve become super popular.”

She
frowned. “You’ve been managing them and I’ve been promoting and booking them
since they’ve become super popular. I know he doesn’t have a crush on me. He
spends his free time with you and it’s a well-known fact he’s always had a
crush on you. Remember? Joe told you that a while ago. Something to think
about, girl.”

Kit
wasn’t convinced. She folded her arms in front of her chest. “He certainly
has a long line of groupies that he still seems completely entertained with.”

She
rolled her eyes. “Maybe because he knows that he has no one to be loyal to,
Kit. And also, groupies are groupies. Do you really think any of those girls
that throw themselves at him like he’s some rock god mean anything to him? He
doesn’t take them seriously. You know that. I think you should talk to him.”

Kit
shook her head violently in protest. “No, not yet. I think I need to head to
Santa Barbara for the weekend where no one can get in touch with me. I need
two days away. Two days with no ringing phones, no demands, just beautiful
scenery, sun, margaritas by the pool, and sadly, a few law books.”

She
sighed. “Ok. I’ll be your secretary while you’re gone because I can tell you
that phone probably won’t stop ringing.”

Kit nodded. “Thank you. Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

Alexa
lay on the sofa watching MTV and was enjoying a fairly mellow Saturday
afternoon with Wes while fielding calls for Kit. She was staring at the latest
Heart video for ‘Never’ when the phone rang again. She answered it and
recognized Sully’s familiar voice. “Ah, Mr. Foxx. How can I help you on this
lovely Saturday?”

“Is Kit
around?”

“Nope.”

“What’s
she up to? Where’s she at?”

“She’s
in an undisclosed location somewhere in California. I’m not at liberty to tell
you. I’m just her secretary for the weekend.”

Sully
was shocked. “What? Are you joking?”

Alexa
laughed. “No. She was on the verge of serious burnout and needed a break.
She took off for the weekend.”

“With
who?”

“With
her law books, Sully. She went by herself.”

“Is she
ok?”

“Oh
yeah, she’ll be fine.”

“Well,
since she’s out of town…”

“Yes,
Sull?”

“Can we
meet up? I need your advice about something. Lunch, my treat?”

She
chuckled. “Take me to dinner and you’ve got a deal. Wes is headed out to
poker night with his buddies, Jimmy has a date, Max is working, and Kit’s out
of town, so I’m solo.”

“You
got it. Don’t go crazy and break the bank. I may drive an inherited Ferrari
and signed an awesome record deal, but I’m no Wes Matthews. My advance doesn’t
hit until next week. I’m still working with EP money. No Spago tonight,
sweetie. Sorry.”

Alexa
laughed. “Didn’t even cross my mind. Why don’t we keep it casual and eat at
the café?”

“Sounds
good. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

Sully
guided Alexa in and led her to a table next to the window. As they sat down,
they watched the activity starting to brew on the Sunset Strip. Eight-thirty
on a Saturday night was still pretty early, but people were starting to trickle
in little by little.

Before
Alexa and Sully could delve into their conversation, a group of four girls
approached the table excitedly and started talking up Sully. They
congratulated him on the Diamond deal. One of them asked him to sign her
cleavage with a black Sharpee pen. He obliged and entertained them briefly,
gracefully shoeing them away after a suitable amount of time.

Alexa
stared at him. “Wow, you’re good. Impressive there, Sull.”

He
chuckled and shook his head. “So weird. It’s taking some getting used to.”

“Oh and
it’s only going to get more intense from here.”

“No
shit. Maxine interviewed me today. She called me.”

Alexa
laughed. “For
Rock City News
?”

“Yep.
She’s going to shoot some photos of us next week. And the guy from
Circus Mag
that talked to Kit called me
too for the feature on Joe. I was a last minute addition before they went on
press.”

“See, your star is on the rise already.
Circus Magazine
has national circulation. That’s great for your
image, babe, happy to hear it. So, Sull, let’s cut to the chase, what do you
want to pick my brain about?”

Kit
pulled her car into the carport and frowned as she parked behind the red
Ferrari that now belonged to Sully. When Joe owned the car, he got vanity
license plates that said ‘Arpejio.’ Since the true term ‘arpeggio’ wouldn’t
fit on a California license plate, he abbreviated it to suit his needs. Now, everyone
locally knew the plate and since Joe’s passing, it was increasingly easy to
track where Sully was in the city—all they had to do was look for the red
Ferrari with that plate. And that celebrated car was sitting in Alexa’s space
in front of her. She wondered what he was doing there.

She
frowned as she got out of the car and grabbed her bag to head into the
apartment. She walked in and immediately heard Sully’s voice as he emerged from
the kitchen. She looked up at him with wide eyes as he grinned. “Lex is out
with Wes tonight. She’s spending the night at his place, but I’m here.”

She
dropped her bag and stared at him in disbelief. “Sull, babe, what are you
doing? It’s almost midnight. Why are you here? Have you been waiting a long
time?”

He smiled
as he stood before her. He pulled a very large bouquet of red roses out from
behind his back and presented them to her. “These are for you. Welcome home.”

Kit
felt a bit uncomfortable, yet flattered all the same. Her heart thumped in her
chest as she blushed and smiled. She rushed to him, hugged him tightly and
gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, baby! These are beautiful. Let me
put these in some water. Come with me.”

Sully
took her hand and followed her as she led him into the kitchen. “How was your
trip?”

“It was
great, relaxing.” She turned to face him. “Sull, what are you doing here and
why do you have flowers for me? I appreciate them, really I do, but you’ve
already thanked me for closing the record deal like a thousand times now.”

He
pulled her toward him and looked deeply into her eyes. “Remember how you and I
were talking about Disneyland after rehearsal one night and how badly you
always wanted to go as a kid, but your dad would never take you because he said
it wasn’t upper class enough? And how I always wanted to go but my family
never had the money?”

She
giggled. His intensity was getting to her and rather than let herself go with
it, she resisted through nervous laughter. “Yeah.”

“Let’s
go to Disneyland tomorrow, just you and me.”

She
giggled again, this time wondering what was really going on. They had talked
about Disneyland a time ago and it was a dream that they always wanted to
fulfill. She never imagined that they would fulfill it together. She didn’t
know whether he wanted to go as buddies or something else by the way he was
acting. “Um, Sull, why this all the sudden?”

He took
her hand in his and smiled. “Ok, let me make this perfectly clear. I’m asking
you out on a date, Kit McKenna. You and me at Disneyland for the day and the
evening—a place I’m certain no one will know who we are. I’ve wanted to
talk to you about this since Max’s party and then the deal came through and we
got caught up in that…

“Anyway,
I’m feeling something pretty heavy for you that’s a lot bigger than friendship
at this point. I didn’t really realize it until Max’s party. I like you, Kit.
I think I always have and was too scared to do something about it. I want to
know if there’s any possibility here. Are we even remotely on the same page?”

She
smiled. She wasn’t expecting this and it was a pleasant surprise to come home
to. She was momentarily speechless. The words wouldn’t quite come. Then the
floodgates opened and they seemed to flow out naturally and easily. “Thank you
for sharing all of that with me, Sull. That took a lot of guts. I would love
to go on a date with you to Disneyland tomorrow. I gotta admit, I felt really
jealous when I saw you with that girl at Max’s party. I didn’t know how to
deal with it. I guess what I’m trying to say is yes… I’m on the same page. I
like you too… as a whole lot more than a friend. I wasn’t able to stop
thinking about you the whole time I was gone. For the first time since I met
you, you actually messed up my studying!” She giggled. “So… what time are you
picking me up tomorrow morning?”

His
steel blue eyes lit up and his smile widened. “Nine a.m.”

She giggled. “Sounds perfect.”

Sully
took Kit’s hand and smiled at her as they walked through the turnstiles of
Disneyland the next morning. The moment they set foot on Main Street USA, they
both stopped and looked around in awe, like two delighted children.

She
giggled. “I’m actually here.” She looked at him. “Thank you for this, babe.
You’ve given me something I have wanted my entire life. This feels so
amazing.” She smiled as her eyes welled up with tears, completely moved by the
experience.

He
looked at her and smiled as he squeezed her hand tighter. “C’mon let’s go
check it all out.”

They
spent the day going on rides, eating junk food, laughing, and taking pictures
with Kit’s camera. They were having the time of their lives and had easily
regressed back to happy children living the dream.

Later
in the day, as the sun was starting to set, Kit managed to corner a fellow
tourist and ask him to take a picture. She and Sully stood in front of
Sleeping Beauty’s castle, posing in each other’s arms and laughing. The
patient tourist took several different shots for them, far away and close up.
They thanked him profusely afterward.

Kit
leaned over the bridge and watched the ducks peacefully swimming in the water
below. She felt completely content in a way she had forgotten. She looked
over at Sully who was right next to her leaning over the bridge too. She
grinned. “Makes sense why they call this ‘The Happiest Place on Earth.’ It
really is and it’s even better because I’m here with you.” He gazed into her
eyes and grinned. She giggled. When he looked at her like that, she felt like
a teenager weak in the knees. She gazed into his eyes, trying to figure him
out. “What are you thinking?”

He kept
his gaze trained on her. “I’m thinking that I really want to kiss you right
now.”

She
giggled again, smiled, and raised her eyebrows. “Really? I’ll let you in on a
little secret, I won’t stop you if you want to give it a try.”

He
grinned and leaned in to give her a gentle, sensual kiss on the lips. He then
pulled her into his arms and went for it, kissing her deeply and passionately.
For several moments they were lost in their own little world, completely
oblivious to the fact that they were standing in the middle of one of the
world’s most treasured theme parks in a heated make out session.

When
they finally came up for air, he gazed into her eyes again. “How was that?”

She
giggled. “Um, I dunno what to say. I’m feeling a little weak in the knees and
kinda like an addict that needs another hit.”

He
laughed. “I guess I better keep feeding your addiction.”

She
smiled. “You’re a very smart man, Sully Foxx.”

They
enjoyed the rest of their evening at Disneyland and stayed until the park
closed at midnight. Sully bought them both sets of mouse ears with their names
stitched in yellow. He bought Kit a big, red, mouse-eared balloon as they
left.

As they
strolled out to the parking lot toward Sully’s red Ferrari, they knew it wasn’t
the mementos and photos that they would remember the most from that day, but
what they were embarking on with each other. They were creating their own
happiest place on earth and they knew they were in for a wild ride.

CHAPTER 18

Kit
rolled over and opened her eyes slowly. She grinned and started giggling.
Sully was lying next to her staring. “Good morning, beautiful girl.”

She
leaned forward and gave him a long, lingering kiss. He pulled her toward him
and kissed her more intensely and within minutes their naked bodies were
completely entwined in each other, passion taking them over, unable to stop.
Their bodies seemed to fit together like two perfectly carved puzzle pieces.

After a
satisfying, morning lovemaking session, Kit laid there, her head resting on
Sully’s chest. “I think we’re pretty damn clever that we’ve been able to pull
this off so long. We’ve been together for a solid nine months now. No one has
suspected we’re together. You did a great job with Scarlett, babe.” She sat
up and looked at him.

He
grinned and stroked her hand. “Thanks. She was a good sport. Nothing like
having a rock star lesbian that no one knows is gay posing as my girl to
deflect attention away from us.” He chuckled. “We’re breaking up, though.”

Kit
frowned. “Huh? I thought we agreed you and Scarlett were going to keep that
charade going for a while.”

He
gently pulled her back down onto the bed with him. “It has been a while, babe.
Scarlett got the green light from her publicist to back off. She’s going to
have a supposed fling with another guy and then go public with her girlfriend
after the New Year, which is right around the corner. Speaking of which, what
are we doing for Christmas?”

She
shook her head. “Don’t change the subject. Is her publicist going to work
with Lex on this? Lex is the only one that knows about us. Although I think
Jimmy is suspect.”

Sully
looked at her. “Yes, Lex is on it. The plans are already in motion.
Actually, instead of pitching me as this bad boy slut, why don’t we go public
about us? I’m ready to let the cat out of the bag if you are.”

She sat
on the edge of the bed and grabbed the robe that lay at the foot of the bed.
She threw it on and started heading for the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. “I
don’t know if that’s such a wise idea, yet.”

Sully
frowned. “Huh?” He rolled his eyes, threw on his jeans and followed her out.
He came up behind her, put his arms around her waist and kissed her on the
neck, then rested his chin on her shoulder. “Why not, Kit? It’s not like this
is a fluke thing. We’ve been secretly dating for nine months now. I haven’t
been seeing anyone else. You know that. I’m completely in love with you.”

She
turned around to face him. She threw her arms around his neck and offered a
gentle smile. “And I’m completely in love with you too, babe. It’s the work
thing. What will people say? I’m your manager. We’re in the studio recording
your first album. You need good press right now and that means groupies and
fans. You can’t let on to the fact that you’re off the market. We need to make
you look like a spicy, bad boy, not a loyal, committed, die-hard romantic.”

He
chuckled. “Are you telling me you want me to bang a couple groupies to make
the band look good?”

She
playfully punched him in the shoulder. “No, that’s not what I’m saying and you
know it. Career wise, right now, it looks better if you’re unattached. Your
star is on the rise and I don’t want to interfere with that.”

He shook
his head. “You’re not.”

She
gazed into his eyes. “I don’t want you to regret one thing. Going public with
our relationship could be a hindrance to your career right now. You told me in
the beginning you wanted me to make you a superstar.” She took his face into
her hands. “Baby, that’s what I’m trying to do, but you’ve got to let me.
Believe me, I would love to shout from the mountain tops that I’m head over
heels in love with you…”

He
grinned and interrupted her. “You are?”

She
giggled and gave him a playful shove again. “Yes, now don’t interrupt me!
Focus!”

He
chuckled and kissed her. “Ok, ok. I got it. I trust you on this one. We’re
a good team.”

She smiled. “That we are.”

Alexa
was eating her breakfast cereal at the table while perusing the morning paper
when Kit hastily padded out to the kitchen. She stared at Alexa until she
looked up and laughed. “What’s wrong with you? What’s that look for?”

Kit
stared with wide eyes. “I’m going to Chicago… for the holidays.”

Alexa
raised her eyebrows. “You are? I thought you and Sull were staying in town and
having a quiet Christmas alone. Going to see ol’ James and Deanna, huh?
That’s surprising.”

She
shook her head slowly and grinned. “Nope. Change of plans. I’m going to
Chicago with Sully. He wants to introduce me to his family at Christmas.”

Alexa
threw her paper down and was stunned. “What? Shut up!”

She
took a seat at the table and shook her head, chuckling. “I know, right? I’m
still in shock. I’ve talked to his mom plenty of times when he used to live
with us. It’s kinda weird to think that I’m actually going to meet her in
person. He’s been in L.A. for four years. Apparently, he’s never taken a girl
back with him before. He’s never wanted to.”

Alexa’s
violet eyes twinkled with excitement. “Kit, that’s huge!”

She
worried. “I hope they like me. They’re South-Siders, Lex. I’m already the
enemy because of where we grew up.”

Alexa
chuckled. “Of course they’ll like you. You know his mom already does. She
wouldn’t have made conversation with you when she called here for Sully in the
past if she didn’t.”

She
sighed. “This whole thing is a little intimidating. He’s got a big family.
He’s got two brothers and three sisters. I guess I have the Irish Catholic
thing working for me, right? I still know the appropriate times to sit, stand,
and kneel.”

Alexa
burst out laughing and then gave her a friendly grin of encouragement. “You
absolutely do, love. You have nothing to worry about. I’m sure you’ll do
fine. Do you know how they feel about Sully’s work?”

She
nodded. “They’ve always been very supportive and they were super excited when
we landed the Diamond deal. In fact, his mom called me to say thank you and
sent me flowers. His parents came out to a show once, but it was when we were
doing all the showcases for the record companies. I was busy talking to label
execs, so I didn’t get to meet them in person. He told me they’re really happy
about everything.”

Alexa
smiled. “See. You’re making their son a star and more importantly you’re
making him happy. They’ll love you. How couldn’t they?”

“Lex.”

“Yeah?”

She
sighed. “He knows James and Deanna live in Lake Forest. He wants to meet
them. He figured since we’re going to be with his family in Evergreen Park
that we can make a trip over there since we didn’t have the time when we were
back in Lake Forest for Joe’s funeral. I don’t know what to do. I haven’t
talked to my dad since I moved out here. He wasn’t at Joe’s funeral. All he
did was send flowers and condolences to the family. Such an asshole. He knew
Joe well too. Some things never change. It’s always about work first, never
about family or friends. The Valois family has always been close to our
family. Anyway, whatever. I have to let that one go.”

Alexa
put her hand on top of Kit’s. “Call him. The worse that can happen… he says
no.”

She
shook her head. “He’s going to hate Sully.”

“You
don’t know that. He liked Joe.”

Kit
stared at Alexa. “C’mon, Lex. Joe was from money. You know my dad.”

She
sighed and forced a grin. “Ok, so maybe you have a point.”

“How
long are you going to be in Lake Forest for the holidays, Lex?”

“I
leave the twenty-third and come back the twenty-ninth. Why?”

Kit
grinned. “I may need moral support while I’m there. I may need to call for
backup in case I need to escape to a safe place.”

They
erupted into a fit of giggles and continued their conversation for a while.
Kit knew she couldn’t continue to avoid what she needed to do. She walked into
her bedroom, closed the door, and dialed a number from memory. Seconds later
she heard the receptionist answer. “McKenna, Donahue, and Grant. How may I
direct your call?”

Kit’s
breath caught in her throat for a moment. She centered herself and sipped in a
shallow breath before continuing. “James McKenna, please.”

“I’m
sorry. Mr. McKenna is unavailable. If you’ll leave your name and tell me what
this is regarding, I’ll make sure he receives your message.”

She
sighed, suddenly remembering how things worked at the firm. Her father never took
calls from the main switchboard, only his direct line that went through his
assistant and Kit had lost that number. She was grateful she wouldn’t have to
go through with the awkwardness of a call with her father. She suddenly felt
more confident. Leaving a message would be a piece of cake. She doubted he
would call her back.

She
grinned. “This is Kathryn McKenna… his daughter.” Relieved, she was poised for
the conclusion of the call, happy she had escaped unscathed, but that didn’t
happen.

The
receptionist paused. “Hold one moment, please.”

Before Kit could stop her, she was putting the call through. She
swallowed hard and grimaced when she heard her father’s voice answer
immediately and call out her name.

Kit
brushed her hair and touched up her lipstick. She took a deep breath and let
it out slowly. She was nervous. It was Christmas day and she was due over at
her father’s house later for Christmas dinner, along with Sully. They had
planned to stop by the Valois estate on the way to visit with Joe’s parents,
Veronique, and baby Brandon who was now eleven months old. She didn’t want to
leave the confines of Sully’s parents’ house. She felt comfortable and welcome
there, perfectly safe, and completely loved. Something she had rarely felt in
her own home growing up.

The
O’Sullivan family had fallen in love with her from the moment she walked
through the door two days prior. They had been completely warm and welcoming,
treating her as if she were some kind of royalty and making a fuss over her.
She wasn’t used to all the attention at first and then quickly grew to love it.

She was
enjoying her time with his parents and all five of Sully’s siblings. Overall,
she was having a grand time with his family. They were a huge breath of fresh
air for her. They were a wonderful, normal, working class family that really
loved each other. The kind of family she watched on TV as a kid and envied
growing up, wanting to transport herself into the TV set to be a part of their
roost. The O’Sullivans were certainly a pleasant departure from what she was
used to with her family—a constant game of politics, backstabbing,
jockeying for position, and power plays.

She
heard a knock at the door followed by Sully’s voice. “Can I come in? Are you
ready?”

“Yep.
Come on in.”

Sully
opened the door and walked in. Kit’s eyes widened. “Where in the hell did you
get that?”

He
grinned. “My brother let me borrow it.”

Kit
stared at him. He was wearing a black suit with a stylish, thin tie and looked
like a very handsome walking contradiction with his big, layered, long, brown
mane now streaked with blond highlights and running a little past his
shoulders. She could have never imagined Sully wearing such a thing with
rocker presence but it worked, surprisingly. “Why are you wearing this?”

He took
her hands in his and grinned. “You said your dad is on the conservative side
and that your family always dresses up for any occasion. I wanted to make a
good first impression.”

She
smiled and gave him a slow kiss on the lips. “You’re amazing. Thank you. I
can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate you doing this, baby.”

After a
lovely Christmas afternoon visit at the Valois family estate, they decided to
head out and conquer the inevitable—the Christmas dinner Kit was dreading
with her own family. Five minutes later, they turned into the driveway and
waited at the tall, iron gates that led to her father’s estate. Sully looked
at her. “You lived here?”

She
nodded her head. “Briefly. I didn’t grow up here. My dad bought this place
after he and my mom divorced when I was ten. I spent as much time at my
grandmother’s as possible. She lives down the street from the Valois family.
My dad bought this for his new wife, Deanna the ice queen, and the new family
they were planning on at the time.

“I’ve
got a stepbrother and stepsister who are two total nightmares in addition to my
brothers, one older, one younger. I haven’t been here for Christmas in five
years. The last time I saw all of them was in June when my little brother,
Spencer, graduated from high school.”