Star Maker

by J. M. Nevins

  Seconds later, out of nowhere, twenty girls rushed his car, screaming, crying, and trying to get into the car. Some were pulling at his hair in an attempt to get a cherished lock. Others shoved a magazine at him desperate to get a pen or a breast in his face for an autograph before he wisely rolled up the darkly tinted windows of his car for good.

  He forced a smile and signed a few autographs, while the cars behind him on Sunset Boulevard angrily honked and signaled him to move. His car remained stationary and swarmed with girls during the green light. The fans managed to dissipate enough by the time the next green light was upon him and he could easily maneuver around them without hitting anyone. With the windows completely closed now and the air conditioning cranked, he sped off.

  He pulled in front of the liquor store and got out carefully, suddenly more aware of his surroundings, remaining on guard. He dark sunglasses suddenly felt like a flimsy shield that didn’t offer much protection. Being ambushed by fans again while trying to buy a bottle of fancy tequila wasn’t something he wanted to experience that afternoon. He was lucky and escaped relatively unscathed save the unsavory advances from a much older woman in the champagne section that looked roughly his mother’s age.

  He hopped into his car, turned around, and headed back up Sunset. He had never been happier to see those gates close behind his car once he reached home. He suddenly realized why Joe made the impromptu move to a secured condo once his fame hit. The protection of the gates certainly provided a level of solace he never anticipated he would need. He pulled into the garage, grabbed the tequila wrapped in its brown paper bag, and got out of the car.

  He walked into the kitchen and noticed Kit standing there, drinking a scotch on the rocks that she had just poured. She smiled. “Looks like you found some tequila. Why do you have that look on your face?”

  He couldn’t deny his disheveled appearance and the somewhat frazzled look in his eyes. He stared at her, expressionless. “You are never going to believe what happened to me.” Sully launched into his story and Kit held onto the kitchen counter as she braced herself. She was doubled-over, laughing so hard she was crying. Sully was getting more frustrated realizing she wasn’t providing the sympathy he was looking for.

  She managed to compose herself and walked over to him. She took his hand and grinned. She tried not to laugh, but burst into a fit of giggles. He stared at her and shook his head, annoyed she wasn’t immediately buying in. She stroked his arm. “Oh, baby. Aww.”

  He fed into the sympathy vote and looked at her with wide eyes. “They were trying to pull my hair out!”

  She giggled again. He shot her a disapproving look. She let out a breath, still smiling. “Ok, ok. I’m sorry I can’t stop laughing. But babe, you should be flattered. This is the stuff of stardom. You need to start getting used to it. It’s not going away anytime soon. Well, at least we hope it isn’t.”

  He shrugged his shoulders as a slight grin began to creep up on his face. “I guess.” He playfully gritted his teeth and pointed to her. “You did this. This is all your fault.”

  Kit grabbed her glass and giggled, taking a sip, and holding it up to salute him. “Mmm hmm. That’s right. I saw this coming years ago. Welcome to fame, sweetie.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Kit walked out in a short, backless, black dress with a plunging neckline. She tied her long, red hair back into a sleek, low hanging ponytail. Her legs seemed to go on for days and the very high heels she wore contributed to the illusion. She looked like she had walked off the cover of Vogue Magazine.

  Sully stared, taking in every inch of her with his eyes and smiling from ear to ear. She did a slow turn for him and gave him a suggestive grin. “What do you think?”

  He smiled. “Wow! You look stunning. And oh the things I’m going to do to you tonight when we get back to our suite.”

  She laughed and sauntered toward him. She threw her arms around his neck. “And I look forward to that, babe.”

  He took her hand in his. “Are you ready to do this?”

  She smiled and looked at him. “Are you?”

  He nodded. “I think so. I’ve been waiting my entire life for this.”

  Kit put on a good front as she walked the Grammy Awards red carpet a few paces behind Sully. She watched him with genuine admiration. He had worked hard for this. They had worked hard for this. She pulled back from him and watched some more while the paparazzi devoured Sully, their flash bulbs instantly turning night into day.

  One of the photographers yelled. “Hey, Sully, is that your lady? Let’s get a picture.”

  He smiled and nodded. He looked at Kit proudly and held his hand out to her. She took his hand and he put his arm around her. Another one of the photographers shouted out. “What’s your name, honey?”

  Kit smiled silently and before she could say her name Sully smiled and shouted back. “Her name’s Kit McKenna and get used to it. She’s not going anywhere.” He looked over, dipped her, and planted a long passionate kiss on her lips.

  The photographers and the crowd hooted and cheered. As Kit came back up for air, she started laughing and gently nudged Sully as they rushed off the red carpet toward the entrance to Radio City Music Hall where the awards ceremony was set to begin in fifteen minutes.

  When they got into the lobby area, Sully looked at her. “How you holding up?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and forced a smile. “I’m ok, babe”

  He looked concerned. “No, you’re not. I know that look. Can I get you something? Maybe some more ginger ale? I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. We’re gonna be in NYC for a few days. I can call my sister and see if she can squeeze you in. Maybe she can give you something to make you feel a little better.” Sully’s oldest sister, Colleen, was a physician that specialized in family medicine in Manhattan.

  Kit nodded. “That’s a good idea, Sull. I’m sure it’s just a flu bug. I probably caught something on the plane last week. Let’s go find the rest of the guys and our seats. I’ll be fine.”

  He looked into her eyes. “You sure?”

  “I’m positive. We are not missing this.”

  He took her hand in his and smiled. “Ok. Let’s go.”

  As they took their seats, she tried to keep her attention on the awards ceremony. Her mind kept wandering back to how she was feeling. She swallowed hard thinking she might be pregnant. This wasn’t exactly the best timing.

  An hour and a half into the awards ceremony, the moment of truth came. Sully quickly exchanged a look with Kit and the guys. He held her hand and took a deep breath as the presenter started. “And the Grammy for best new artist of the year goes to…” They exchanged a quick look before they heard the name. “… Gypsy Tango.”

  The series of seconds that progressed after the announcement were all a blur for Kit. Moments later, she watched the guys standing on the stage, carefully accepting their awards, and shaking hands with the presenters.

  Jimmy took the microphone and started rattling off acknowledgments. “And I want to say a special, huge thank you to our badass, ball-busting manager, Kit McKenna. Without her, we wouldn’t be here. We love you, Kit-Kat.”

  She chuckled and fondled the ring on her right ring finger they had given her months ago. Tears of joy filled her eyes as Sully took the microphone and started his thank you speech after Jimmy. At the end of it, he thanked his family, especially his parents, and then he looked out into the audience, directly at her. “And I especially want to thank my girlfriend, Kit. I love you, babe. You rock my world. Couldn’t have gotten here without you.” Her eyes widened as she grinned. She was shocked and flattered by his very public nod to their personal relationship. He then grinned and held the award up into the air with his hand as he looked into the heavens. “This one’s for you, Joe.” He flashed a smile to the audience. “Thank you.”

  The media swarm after the awards show was crazier than Kit had anticipated. She was getting hit from every direction not only about her professional connection to th
e band, but her personal connection to Sully.

  After an hour of going it solo, she went in search of Sully, who was double-fisted, drinking two beers at the same time, in full celebration mode with Bryan. Although she wanted nothing more than to party with them, she was feeling particularly exhausted and the thought of alcohol alone made her want to vomit.

  She gently rubbed his shoulder. He turned around and smiled once he realized it was her. “There you are! I was wondering if the press had gobbled you up.”

  She laughed. “They almost did. Babe, as much as I would love to stay and party with you guys, I’ve gotta go back to the room. I’m not feeling well at all.”

  He set his beers down, took her hand, and started leading her away toward the exit. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.”

  She looked at him and stopped in her tracks. “No, babe. Really, I got this. This is your night. Stay and enjoy yourself. Celebrate for goodness sake. You’ve worked your ass off for years for this.”

  He stared at her. “So have you and it doesn’t feel right to celebrate without you. This is our night.” He realized she wasn’t going to agree no matter what he said. He smiled. “Make me a deal.”

  She grinned. “Depends on what it is. Try me.”

  “Let me go back with you tonight and you can party with me when we win our next Grammy. Because baby, you know there’s another one comin’ sometime in the future.” He grinned from ear to ear.

  She laughed. “Sull, are you sure you wanna leave?”

  He gazed into her eyes and stroked her cheek gently. “I’m positive. Do we have a deal, Miss McKenna?”

  She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yes.”

  “Ok, good. Let’s say some goodbyes and get you outta here and into bed.”

  After they returned back to their room, Sully got into bed with Kit and pulled her toward him, into the safety of his arms. “Is this better?”

  She relaxed into him. “Much.”

  “Good.”

  She knew now was her window of opportunity. “Sull?”

  “Yeah.”

  She gulped. “I think I might be pregnant.”

  He slowly moved back from her and stared. “What did you say?”

  She sighed and looked up at him. “I’m worried I might be pregnant. What are we going to do if I am?”

  He decided to lighten up the moment. He could tell she was wrestling with it. “Well, it depends. Who’s the father?”

  She chuckled and shoved him. “You are, silly.” Her grin faded and her anxiety returned. “Seriously, Sull. What will we do if I am?”

  He realized it was time to get serious. He took her face into his hands gently. “We’ll handle it. It’s easy, Kit. We’ll get married.”

  She grinned and gazed into his eyes. “Really? You mean that? You’re not freaked out? I thought you wanted to wait until you had reached some of your big goals.”

  Sully shrugged his shoulders. “A baby is a pretty big deal Kit, and I don’t want to miss out on having a baby with you if we’ve got the opportunity staring us in the face. I love you. I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Whether I put a ring on your finger tomorrow because you’re knocked up or three years from now after I’ve reached some goals, is a moot point. I will say this much, though. If you are pregnant, I want the baby to have my last name.”

  Kit was still feeling a little off and wasn’t thinking clearly. “Foxx?”

  He chuckled. “No, silly. My real last name, O’Sullivan.”

  She giggled. “Oh… brain fart on that one. How could I forget your real last name? Absolutely, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  He smiled and linked his fingers in hers. “See, easy.” Kit fell asleep in Sully’s arms, content and a little bit excited about the possibility of her being pregnant.

  She slowly stirred in bed the next morning, hearing Sully talking in hushed tones. She opened her eyes and saw him standing in his bathrobe talking on the phone. He had pulled it out as far to the balcony as he could. He concluded the call and walked back in. He noticed she had woken up. “How ya feeling, babe?”

  Kit looked at him and put her finger over her lips. She bolted out of the bed and into the bathroom where she proceeded to get sick. She returned a few moments later and fell back into bed. Sully sat on the side of the bed and stroked her forehead gently. “I take it you’re feeling pretty shitty about now.”

  She nodded. “You could say that.”

  He shook his head. “Baby, you’re burning up. I was on the phone with Colleen. She can squeeze you in whenever you want.”

  “Ok. I’ll get ready and we can go.”

  Kit was laying in bed, snuggled up against Sully watching a movie on Pay Per View. They had finished their dinner from room service and were relaxing, a luxury they rarely shared together these days.

  Sully leaned over and grabbed the phone when it rang. Kit listened to him on the phone and tried to figure out who he was talking to. Moments later he handed the phone to her. “It’s Colleen. She wants to talk to you about the results from the tests she ran earlier today.”

  Kit grimaced. “Hey, Colleen. What’s up?”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Same. I had chicken broth for dinner.”

  “I know you were kind of excited about the possibility of your being pregnant…”

  Kit got hopeful. “Yeah...”

  “Sorry, Kit. You’ve got a stomach flu virus.” She was silent. “Are you still there?”

  She held back tears. “Mmm hmm.”

  “I know you were hoping for other news, but that’s the real deal. The best thing for you to do is stay hydrated and ride it out…” She let Colleen’s voice drone on, feeling a mix of emotions flooding through her. Half of her was disappointed, half of her was relieved. “Kit? Did you catch all that?”

  “Yeah.” She lied.

  Sully watched her intently. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up hoping that the news was good. She waved him off, turned her back to him, and sat on the edge of bed. “Anything else I should know?”

  Colleen sighed. “No. Listen, Kit, I can hear it in your voice. You’re disappointed. Don’t worry, honey. Your time will come. He loves you so much. And think rationally about it, the timing kinda sucks especially after a big Grammy win. Hang in there, girl. There’s plenty of time for you to give me a niece or a nephew in the future.”

  She grinned, grateful for Colleen’s compassionate words. “Thanks, Colleen.”

  “You’re welcome. Tell Pat bye for me. I have to run to my next patient. Get lots of rest and plenty of fluids.”

  “Got it.” Kit handed the phone to Sully. “You can hang it up. She had another patient she had to get to.”

  Sully looked at her in anticipation. “Well? How far along are you?”

  She sighed, trying to hold back tears. “I’m not pregnant, Sull.” She got up and went into the bathroom. She locked the door, sat down on the side of the bathtub, and started sobbing. Moments later she heard a soft knock.

  “Kit-Kat, you ok? What can I get you, baby?”

  “I just need a minute, Sull.” She wiped her tears, composed herself, and took a deep breath before heading back into the room. Sully was sitting on the edge of the bed.

  He looked up at her, concerned. “Are you ok? If you’re not pregnant, then what is it? Is it something bad? Are you sick?”

  She nodded and headed for the bed again. “I have a stomach bug. It’s a flu virus.”

  He climbed back into bed with her. “Sorry to hear that, baby. Anything I can get you?”

  “Nope.”

  He could tell she was disappointed. He gently lifted her chin, gazed into her eyes, and then gave her a soft kiss. “Sweetheart, there is going to be a time and a place when we’re gonna have a baby together. It’s just not today.”

  She sighed and forced a grin for him. “I know. I guess I got a little excited at the possibility, y’know?”

  He leaned back and pulled her ag
ainst him, wrapping his arms around her as he played with her hair. “I know. I got excited about it too, I’ll admit it.” He kissed her on the cheek and she snuggled back into the comfort of his strong chest.

  She was starting to doze off, but managed to get a few words out. “It probably would have been really hard out on the road. It really is for the best.” She was out cold, dead asleep, moments later.

  CHAPTER 25

  The contract sat on Kit’s desk in front of her. She willed herself to focus and failed miserably. If it wasn’t the phone ringing and distracting her, it was the constant stream of people coming by her desk either adding something to her pile of work or getting something from her. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

  The phone rang, commanding her attention once again. When she picked up and said hello she heard the familiar lilt of Alexa’s voice and relaxed. Kit had been working more hours than normal for Diamond’s legal department and had been doing double duty managing Gypsy Tango remotely as much as she could in tandem with Sean who was physically on the road with them.

  Her management company was also vying for her attention once again. They were no longer taking random bands, only semi high profile bands from the Strip or bands from record companies who they had forged relationships with. KMK Management had earned an excellent reputation. It was the company everyone wanted managing their artists and every band dreamed of being managed by.

  Kit struggled to handle all the press for Gypsy Tango. Diamond Records had fired Jenny at the end of the previous year for an altercation with another band she was working with. They had hired one or two freelancers to handle publicity for the band that fizzled quickly. Alexa was so busy with her own publicity charges for Diamond now as one of their directors, she had no time to freelance for the band. As a result, the burden fell on Kit. She was getting to the end of her rope and missing Sully terribly while he was out on the road.

  Alexa’s voice cut through her reeling thoughts. “You’re coming over for dinner tonight, right?”