by J. M. Nevins
She made her way out to the backyard where several people were drinking and mingling by the pool. She spotted Alexa and headed over. Alexa grinned and motioned Kit into her small group. “Kit, over here.”
She smiled. “Hi.”
“Kit, these are my friends from the promotions and publicity department. Everyone, this is Kit McKenna, your hostess for the evening.”
Malcolm Rossi grinned. “Great to see you again, Kit.”
Kit smiled. “You too, Malcolm. Glad you could be here.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it.”
Before Kit could become fully engaged in the conversation, she was pulled away by Jenny Myers, the new publicist for Gypsy Tango, who knew everyone who was anyone in the Hollywood music biz. “Kit, I really think you should meet this guy. He’s high up in the A&R food chain at Templeton Records, and from what I hear he knows the Templeton family personally. Y’know, it’s that keep your friends close your enemies closer thing?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Sure. I’ll play the game. Introduce me.”
Jenny tapped a good-looking man on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled. “Hey, Jen, good to see you.”
“You too, Bart. I’d like to introduce you to Kit McKenna. She has a management company that handles quite a few bands in Hollywood right now and she single-handedly closed the biggest deal of last year for Gypsy Tango.”
He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you personally, Kit. Heard a lot about you.”
Jenny looked around the party and then back to Bart. “I thought you came with Blake. Weren’t you two supposed to come together tonight?”
Bart nodded. “We were, but he’s sick with the flu. He wasn’t able to make it.”
“Bummer. I need to mingle. I’ll see you two later.”
Kit chuckled. “Okay, Jenny.” She felt like she had been set up and felt awkward. Jenny had no idea that she and Sully were involved with each other aside from a professional relationship. They hadn’t yet gone public with their relationship. “Jenny is a funny gal,” she nervously struggled to make small talk.
“That she is. So, Kit, tell me which bands your company currently manages. Anyone I would be interested in?”
She raised her eyebrows. She loved when opportunity presented itself. “Oh, there’s one or two that might fit the bill for Templeton. Let me find the man for you.” She spotted Dante in the crowd and waved him over. She introduced him and looked at Bart. “Dante is your man. He’s my managing partner and really the one that handles operations for my management company, KMK. He can connect you with the bands personally.”
Bart grinned. “Cool. Tell me all about them, Dante. If they’re bands I’ve already seen or heard, then maybe we can work a deal on the spot.”
He nodded. “Absolutely, Bart.”
She grinned and knew that was her cue to duck out of the conversation. She politely excused herself and headed to the bar for a drink. She was taking a sip of her scotch when Sully came up behind her and hugged her. He kissed her on the neck and whispered in her ear. “You look beautiful tonight.”
She turned around and looked at him. “Thank you. How much have you had to drink?” She could tell he was very drunk and definitely high.
He chuckled. “A lot. Don’t tell anyone. Shh.” He put his finger up to his lips suggestively and grinned.
Kit giggled. She couldn’t help it. Sully was definitely one of those people that could be categorized as a happy and often entertaining drunk. “What are you on?”
He winked. “I’ll never tell.”
She stared at him. “What is up with you?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Got a lot on my mind, y’know. New album coming out, a tour starting next month, and this.” He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket and showed it quickly to Kit before stowing it safely away again. “I’ve got lots on my mind, babe. Trust me.”
She pulled him aside and into her office inside the house where no one could see or hear them. She steadied him and stared into his glassy eyes. His pupils were dilated. He was clearly high on something. “Sully, what was that in your pocket?”
He grinned and took it out again, showing it to her briefly, and teasing her with it. “What? This?” He put it back into his pocket and giggled.
“Yes, that.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s nothing.”
She stared at him and could feel frustration creeping up. “You’re telling me it’s an empty box.”
He shook his head playfully. “No, I never said that.”
“Sully, what’s in the box?”
He was suddenly distracted, staring out the window at the party in full swing. He noticed Mark Revelle from Scorcher entering the party. “Mark is here. I gotta go say hi. Plus, I need another drink.”
She shook her head. “You’re not going to tell me what’s in that box?”
He spun around and looked at her. He spoke firmly. “Listen, I told you it’s nothing. You’re killing my buzz. Drop it.” He stormed out of the room and headed back into the party.
Kit walked back into the party annoyed as Maxine approached. “This is a great turnout! This party is a huge hit. No pun intended. What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Sully. He’s not himself. Too much mixing. Brings up bad memories.”
Maxine took the hint and knew Kit was referring to Joe when she looked over and noticed Sully off in a corner with Mark and a few others. She sighed. “Too much blow is what’s going on. I can tell you that for sure. Sully’s over there doing the bump and I don’t mean the dance move. Takes one to know one. You remember me last year.”
She nodded. “And Joe the year before that. I never thought I’d see it from him, though. He was bummed when Joe was in the depths of his addiction. It put a huge strain on their friendship and… Forget it. I’m not even gonna go there. Obviously he’s not making that connection.”
Maxine looked at her. “He’s under a lot of pressure right now. When I talked to him a few days ago he was telling me how stressed out he was. Fear of failure is breaking him down big time.”
She nodded again, keeping her eyes focused on him. He was now the life of the party with a whole gaggle of groupies surrounding him, fawning over him as he laughed, flirted, and carried on. Stage or no stage, he was in performance mode. The spotlight was on him and he loved it. She frowned. “He doesn’t look so broken down at the moment.”
Maxine turned to look at him. “Like I said earlier, that’s Sully after a few bumps, clearly. And the groupies, well, they’ve always been there and they always will be. Comes with the territory, Kit. You know that. Is it bothering you?”
She shook her head. “No. The groupies don’t bother me, it’s the cocaine that does. The album hasn’t even hit the charts or gotten any serious airplay yet. Not to mention the tour that’s starting in six weeks. I hope he’ll be able to handle it. We cannot have another Joe situation on our hands. The last thing we need is Sully going off the deep end. He’s the band’s rock.”
Maxine shrugged her shoulders and looked at her. “Sweetie, you’re the band’s rock. And Sull, he may go off the rails, but he’s strong enough to float back up. He’s not like Joe. And if I could pull myself out, then Sull can and trust me, Kit, he’s much stronger mentally and emotionally than Joe and me combined. He’ll be able to handle the success. You need to let him adjust to it in his way and in his time.”
The next morning wasn’t greeted with enthusiasm, but a throbbing headache and an empty bed. Kit groaned, not surprised after a very long night of drinking. She rolled over and frowned wondering where Sully was. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was noon. There was no way he was awake before her. She got up, threw on her silk robe and glanced outside at the pool area. She shook her head, noticing all the passed out bodies, some in various states of undress. She wondered if he was one of them.
She padded down the hallway and heard a girl giggle loudly from one of the guest bedrooms, calling out to someon
e in the room. “No, don’t go yet. C’mon. I want you to do me, baby. You never got your turn after Mark last night. As far as I’m concerned, we have unfinished business.”
She glanced briefly into the room and noticed a naked, blond girl with enormous silicone breasts sitting up in bed, continuing to plead with the longhaired guy standing in front of her. He had wrapped a sheet around his lower half and was holding onto it tightly while she was desperately trying to pull it off of him. She knelt at the end of the bed and looked up at him. He bent down and started kissing her.
Kit was about to move on, but stopped in her tracks when she heard the girl’s voice coo, “Oh, Sully, you’re such a great kisser. I knew you would be. I can hardly wait to find out how you are in bed.”
She did a double take. At that moment, Sully glanced over. He was so high, it took him a long moment to fully register that Kit was standing there. Then suddenly, a flash of sobriety set in. His eyes widened and he pushed the girl away. Kit glared at him. She shook her head and walked away.
Sully frantically rushed out of the room and down the hall. “Kit! Kit, wait!”
She spun around. Her green eyes narrowed and seethed with anger and betrayal. She pointed toward the stairs. “Get the hell out, Sully! And don’t come back.”
He dropped down to his knees in front of her and looked up at her, his eyes pleading for mercy as they welled up with tears. “Please, Kit. Let me explain. Please.”
“Get out!” She yelled it so loudly that Alexa came running out of her bedroom. She looked at Kit. “Everything ok, sweetie?”
She stared and tried to hold back the tears that were rapidly filling her eyes. “No. I want him out.”
Alexa’s eyes widened as she noticed Sully kneeling in front of Kit in a crumpled bed sheet. She rushed over to Kit’s side, put her arm around her, and stroked her back. “You go back to bed. I’ll be in there in a minute. Max and I will handle this, ok?”
She nodded and walked away, refusing to acknowledge Sully. She walked into her bedroom and slammed the door. She made her way into the master bathroom and was relieved when she saw a bottle of Jack Daniels that Sully had left there the night before when he was getting ready for the party. It looked like an old friend to her, sitting on the marble vanity, patiently waiting to comfort her. She seized it and started chugging. She took a moment to take a breath, letting the alcohol kick in. The only thought she would allow into her mind was to drink more. She seized the bottle to go for another round.
Sully rushed toward Kit’s bedroom and was seconds away from seizing the doorknob and flinging the door open when Alexa grabbed his arm with all her strength and forcefully pulled him back. “No, don’t Sully! Stop.”
He stared down at the doorknob and leaned his forehead against the door. He started sobbing and yelling. “Kit, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’ve got to listen to me. Kit, let me explain. Please…”
Alexa tugged at his arm gently this time, guiding him away from the door. “C’mon. Leave her alone. Let’s find your clothes. We need to get you out of here and go talk.”
He looked at her, his eyes still watery with tears and completely bloodshot. He practically whimpered when he spoke. “Ok.”
Maxine walked into Kit’s bedroom fifteen minutes later, holding a large thermos of black coffee in her hand. “Kit? Are you in here? Where did you go?”
“I’m in here, Max,” she slurred.
She walked into the master bathroom and shook her head. Kit was sitting on the floor next to the bathtub with a bottle of Jack Daniels tightly clutched in her hand. “Ok, Missy. Let’s get you up and outta here.”
She helped Kit and walked her back into the bedroom. She sat her down on the sofa in the sitting area and poured her a cup of coffee. She graciously took it into her hands while Maxine sat across from her on a chair. “All the guests are gone. It took me a while, but I’ve managed to make them all vacate. I’ve never seen so many cabs and limousines flood the area at once.”
Kit barely nodded. “Is he gone?”
“Who, babe?” Maxine rubbed her knee.
She glared. “The asshole.”
Maxine sighed. “C’mon, Kit. We don’t know what happened. Don’t call him that.”
She stared. “Nice loyalty, Max. You’re taking his side?”
Maxine shook her head. “No. I don’t know what happened. Sometimes things aren’t like they seem. I don’t want to make a premature judgment. I think there’s more to the story here, Kit.”
She glared. “Oh yeah? Fuck you, Max.”
Maxine sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Real nice. Thanks for that, Kit. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen Sully with a girl in a precarious position since you two have gotten together. Why is this time different? What’s up, Kit?”
She shook her head as the tears started to flow. “No.”
Maxine nodded and leaned forward. “Tell me. What’s really going on with you?”
Alexa stayed planted on the luxurious, suede, sectional sofa in the living room of Sully’s condo until he emerged fully dressed after a hot shower. He was more composed and coherent than before. He looked at her. “Want a drink? I’m going to get myself one.”
“Just water for me, Sull.”
He returned moments later and handed her a glass of water. He took a seat on the opposite side of the sectional. He placed his empty glass down in front of him on the glass coffee table and poured whisky into it. He set the bottle down and looked up at her. “I’m surprised you’re still here. I figured you would have dumped me off and left.”
She frowned. Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Right, Sully. We’ve only been friends for three years and I’d abandon you and leave you for dead. Right, ok.” She leaned forward and looked at him. “C’mon. I do care about you. You’re my friend and a really good one at that.”
He shook his head. “Let’s get real here. You’re more loyal to her. You two go way back. Whatever I say doesn’t matter.”
“Oh yes it does, my friend. Why do you think I’m here? What’s going on Sully? I know there’s more to the story. You obviously wanted to explain something to her. What happened? Or were you screaming that at her just to get her attention?”
He shook his head and sighed. He put his drink on the table and buried his head in his hands. “She walked by at the worst possible time. I know it looked bad, but it’s not what she thought.”
Alexa sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. “Ok. So, tell me what really happened, Sull.”
He knocked back his drink and seized the bottle, pouring more into his glass. “Plain and simple, I fucked up. That’s what happened.”
Alexa nodded. “Yeah we know that, hon, but exactly how did you fuck up? Gimme some details.”
He shook his head and sighed. “I’ve been partying too much lately, Lex. I’ve become pretty fond of cocaine as my party drug of choice. It’s a nice boost with the whisky. With alcohol I could still keep my wits about me. The blow really messes with my head and makes me more wild and uninhibited than normal. That’s what happened last night. I did way too much blow with Mark. He and I ended up in that guest room with a few girls. I don’t even know that girl’s name.”
Alexa nodded, making the connection. “The one who was tugging on your sheet this morning asking you to do her?”
He grimaced and nodded. “I messed around with one of them in the corner of the room last night. We had our clothes off. I kissed her, that’s all. She had her hands all over me. I barely touched her. Anyway, I remember seeing Mark with those girls on the bed and then everything went black. I woke up on the floor naked.
“I noticed there was some blow on a mirror on the bedside table in front of me. I did a line and my nose started bleeding. I eventually got it to stop and grabbed the sheet off the bed and stood up. I was going to head into Kit’s room and that’s when she saw me. That skanky, blond whore of Mark’s pulled me toward her and started kissing me. I was so high and disor
iented I couldn’t comprehend what I was doing until it was too late. What I would do to take those hours of my life back and do them over.”
Alexa stared into his eyes. She knew in her gut he was telling the truth, but she had no idea how this situation would get fixed between him and Kit.
CHAPTER 21
“I’m scared, Max.” Kit looked up at Maxine. “I’ve never loved anyone like I love Sully. He told me he saw us getting married one day when we were back in Chicago over the holidays, so I let my guard down and let myself really fall for him. But after last night, I’m freaked out again. Bad memories came back. I saw what happened with my parents’ marriage. They were always at each other’s throats. My mom was drunk all the time. Their divorce was ugly. So many affairs and fights over money. A constant jockeying for who had power over who. It would kill me if it ended up that way with Sull. It could y’know.”
Maxine took Kit’s hands in hers. “Who’s to say it will? Kit, you and Sully are not your parents, not even close! I get that you’re scared, but you can’t let your fear mess up your future. This is your life we’re talking about with a man that loves you more than you can even fathom. On the way to buy your ring he told me he’s never felt anything like this. He’s been in love before, but never like this.” Maxine’s eyes got big and she covered her mouth. She had said too much.
Kit stared at her. “What did you say? What ring, Max? An engagement ring?”
Maxine sighed. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Crap! It’s not an engagement ring, Kit. Sully does love you, but he’s not ready for that yet and he made that very clear when we were there at the jewelers.”
She frowned. “Then why were you with him at the jewelers?”