by J. M. Nevins
Kit’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe her ears. “Wow! Thanks, Lew.”
“You’re welcome. We’re really grateful you’re helping us out in such a pinch on short notice. It means a lot and I’m certain you’ll do great.”
She grinned. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Ok, kid.”
She got up from the chair and headed for the door to leave his office. She turned to him and grinned. “See ya later, Lew.”
He nodded. “Yep. Catch ya on the B side, Kit.”
Mindy wasn’t at her desk when Kit had planned to corner her and find out what kind of car awaited her in the lot outside. She shrugged her shoulders and headed to her office. She kept on thinking about the company car. The suspense was going to kill her all day long. In a daze solely weighing the possibilities of whether or not the car was German, Italian, Japanese, American, or British, she missed the fact that Giselle was trying to grab her attention as she walked by. She walked into her office and froze.
Giselle came up behind her. “Ah…yeah. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I tried. Looks like your man really wanted to show you how proud of you he really is.”
Kit stared in amazement at the interior of her office that was so crammed with large arrangements of roses that it looked like a florist had exploded. Not to mention two large bouquets of balloons half of which said, ‘congrats’ in big letters. She shook her head and started laughing. She looked at Giselle. “Oh wow. He’s gone way over the top. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so crazy in my life.”
Giselle handed her a sealed envelope with her name on it. She recognized Sully’s handwriting. “The delivery people handed me this.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Delivery people? There was more than one?”
Giselle gave her a playfully disgusted look. Her voice was heavy with sarcasm when she spoke. “What do you think?”
She giggled and tugged on the string of one of the balloons as she looked up at it. “He’s definitely outdone himself this time.”
Giselle chuckled. “I’ll say. Good luck getting to your desk.” She winked.
Kit maneuvered her way to the desk and sat down. She opened the card. A wide smile spread across her face as she read its contents. She had guessed that Sully would be supportive of her going forward with this opportunity. He had seemed fairly neutral about it when she initially told him. Now, she understood that was only part of his scheming and that he was not only happy for her, but tremendously proud. She sighed with contentment and picked up the phone to call him and thank him.
Giselle poked her head into Kit’s office a few hours later. “Goodnight, Kit. I’m outta here. See you tomorrow.”
“Hey, G, before you go, can you see if Mindy’s still around? She was supposed to drop off some keys for me.” Kit had been in suspense all afternoon and was still waiting.
Giselle eye’s widened as she put her hand over her mouth. “I am so sorry, Kit. They’re on my desk. They’ve been sitting there since four and I totally forgot to give them to you.”
She was relieved. “No problem, G.”
Giselle handed her the sealed manila envelope that had her name scribbled on it. “Here you go.”
“Thanks. Have a good night, G.”
“You too.”
Kit gathered up her things, including the precious manila envelope and headed toward the elevators. She was excited to see what awaited her in the parking lot. She had called Fred and coaxed him to come pick up her BMW that afternoon. He was headed to the house anyway to work with Sully in the studio.
She strolled out of the lobby and out the doors to the northwest corner of the parking lot, where the executive parking spaces were located. Her mouth dropped open when she approached the spaces and noticed a brand new, black Mercedes-Benz 560SEC. It had paper license plates that read the dealership name, ‘Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills.’
She shook her head in disbelief. She scrambled to take the keys out of manila envelope. She inserted the key into the lock on the driver’s side door and it opened without a hitch, inviting her in to experience a taste of luxury at its very best. She plopped her belongings onto the passenger seat and as she did, she noticed a car phone. She chuckled. This was getting better by the minute. She then remembered Lew’s earlier comment about the sound system.
As she started the car and revved the engine, she smiled. She retrieved the cassette tape of Gypsy Tango’s latest album from her purse and popped it in. It sounded amazing. She put the car in reverse, backed up a few feet, stopped, and shook her head again. She was still in disbelief and thought it was silly, but had to double-check that this car was meant for her. She put the car in park and got out.
She carefully strolled over toward the front of the car and looked down at the curb for the parking space that read ‘K. McKenna.’ She squealed like a little girl, jumped up and down, and then immediately composed herself, making sure no one saw her as she slid back into the car. She put it into drive and headed home to show Sully her new toy, courtesy of Diamond Records.
CHAPTER 26
“It sounds… off.” Kit spoke into the microphone in front of her and scrunched up her nose as she looked at Sully across the live room in the studio. He was fiddling with the microphone in front of him. She hoped to grab his attention without having to blatantly call him out. She tried again. “The harmonies aren’t blending properly. Do you hear that or is it just me?” He seemed to be off in his own little world.
Jimmy looked at her. “Sounds fine to me.” Tony shrugged his shoulders. Remo and Bryan didn’t seem to care.
Ria looked at her. “Let’s try it again. I’ll pay closer attention this time.”
Kit looked at Fred through the glass as he sat in the control room. “Back it up to four bars before the chorus, Fred.”
The music filled their headphones and they all sang the chorus. Sully held his hands up, prompting Fred to stop the playback. “No, no, no. Sounds like shit.”
Kit rolled her eyes and stared at him. “Like I said earlier, something is off.”
Sully looked around the room. “Someone’s flat on the last harmony just before we go into the bridge from the chorus.” She nodded in agreement and grinned knowing he was right. She hoped it wasn’t her. Sully spoke again. “Ok, round robin, a cappella. Sing your part people.”
He started and pointed to Kit to sing her part of the harmony. He nodded and pointed to Ria who nailed her harmony flawlessly. Kit looked at her and winked, impressed with her talent. Sully pointed to the next backup singer, Debra who sang. After Debra was Bryan’s turn, Tony’s turn, and finally, Jimmy. Sully held up his hand and mimicked the sound of a buzzer. “Sorry, Jimmy. You’re the flat one here.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Aww, shit.”
Sully teased. “C’mon, man. Get on top of that note. Give it a shot.”
Jimmy tried the harmony again and hit it perfectly. Sully nodded and smiled. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about, daddy-o. You got it.” He looked at Fred and pointed. “Freddy, my man, take us back to the playback and restart that track.” He smiled.
Kit sat in one of the chairs in front of the boards in the control room next to Fred later that night as Remo was tracking his drums. She stayed focused on him as did Sully who was standing next to her. They had come far in the last six months. They had gone back into the studio in the late summer and were now almost finished with the new album.
She was happy that Jimmy had let her write and contribute alongside he and Sully who had been the primary songwriters since the start of the band back in Chicago in 1981. She was co-producing the album with Sully. Jimmy had given his stamp of approval, albeit reluctantly. She had suggested that they pull in some female backup vocalists for a more robust sound on the some of the songs. She was happy that Ria DiMarco was available to do backing vocals for them.
The phone rang and Fred reached to answer it. They had a separate phone line they nicknamed the bat phone, dedicated to the studi
o and installed when they started working on the album to make things easier. Fred handed it to Kit silently.
She looked at him. “Who is it?”
Fred didn’t bother to look over. He kept his attention focused on the boards. “It’s Diamond time, counselor.”
She grabbed the phone. “Hey, G. Two minutes, ok?” She hung up the phone and stood up. She gave Sully a kiss on the cheek. “Be back in a bit, babe.” He nodded, keeping his attention focused on Remo.
She walked across the backyard and into the studio an hour later after successfully extinguishing a few fires with Giselle at Diamond corporate. Sully was sitting next to Fred talking to he and Remo, who was now in the control booth, while Tony set up to lie down his bass tracks. She walked up behind Sully’s chair and he reached behind to grab her, looking up and smiling. She leaned down and kissed him. He grinned. “How’s my girl doing?”
“I’m good. Legal crisis averted over at Diamond. All is well.”
Remo looked at Sully and Kit. “I’m gonna head out. Kit, when’s that meeting again?”
“Friday.” She waved as she watched him walk out. They were due to have a meeting to discuss their upcoming tour for the new album. She was meeting with Pete at Diamond the following day to find out their thoughts before talking with Sean and the booking agents. She knew the next few days leading up to Friday were going to be crazy. Planning a world tour was never a simple feat and now that they were more popular than ever and headlining, she knew much more would be involved.
Kit sat down next to Sully on the sofa in their large entertainment room, the site of the meeting that he, Jimmy, and Fred had called with her. She had an uneasy gut feeling that something was up and had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn’t be pleased with their news. Sully had been very distant in the past two weeks. He remained vague about how the mixing of the album was proceeding, and avoided her or made excuses when she asked to take the tape in for Lew and Pete at Diamond to hear. She had been too busy with her chief counsel duties closing a big record deal with a new pop artist to fight him on it. Her attention to their progress in the studio had waned considerably.
Sully got up and headed toward the bar. “Want a drink, babe?”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Sure.”
He returned moments later and smirked as he handed her a double scotch on the rocks. When she figured out her drink was a double out of the gate, she was doubly concerned. They all stared, waiting for her to take a sip. It was putting her on edge. She chuckled to diffuse the tension in the room. “Sull, did you put something in my drink?”
He shook his head. “No. Why?”
Her eyes darted around the room. “Then why are all of you staring at me waiting for me to take a sip?”
Jimmy spoke up. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean for it to look that way. We have some heavy stuff on our minds, I guess.”
She took a sip. “The band’s not breaking up, right?”
He chuckled. “No.”
She grinned, feeling a sudden rush of relief. “Then there can’t be anything heavier than that.”
Sully stared at her as he spoke. “Ok, then. I’ll get right to it. We need to push back the release by two months.”
Kit almost spit out her drink and she struggled not to choke. Her eyes widened and she looked at Sully as if he’d lost his mind. She sighed and shook her head. “Please tell me you’re joking, because actually I think that may be about as bad as you guys breaking up.”
Sully frowned and Fred interjected. “Kit, we need more time. We’re running into some problems with the mix. You haven’t been in any of the sessions. You don’t know…”
She could feel her temper bubbling up and struggled to keep herself from an angry outburst. As of late, she had developed a very short fuse. Sleep deprivation and high levels of stress had driven her to the end of her rope. She raised her voice. “Then fix the problems! How long could that possibly take?”
Sully looked at her. “About two months. Unless we work twenty-four seven.”
Frustrated, she seized the pack of Jimmy’s cigarettes on the table in front of him and lit one up. Her green eyes narrowed as she looked at Sully. “So, work twenty-four seven. I’m not seeing the problem here. You are professionals making more money per day than most people in this country make in a year. Get over it and work!”
Sully’s frustration was rising. “We don’t want to burn out before we go out on the road, Kit. We don’t want to push twenty-four seven ‘cuz if we do, we might miss something and then release a half-baked, shitty album.”
She shook her head and waved her hands in the air. “No, no, no. There’s gotta be a way to work this out. We cannot push back two months. That’s ridiculous. There’s another solution. We just have to find it.” She pounded the last of her scotch and headed to the bar for another. She made the drink haphazardly and turned around to face them. “Sull, is this you being a perfectionist again?”
Jimmy laughed and Sully silenced him with a scowl. He looked at Kit, his steel blue eyes glaring dangerously like he had been provoked. His voice carried a venomous tone as he spoke. “Excuse me? What the hell do you mean by that?”
Fred exchanged an uncomfortable look with Jimmy and stood up. “I gotta go use the little boys’ room, guys. I’ll be back.” Jimmy nodded and followed suit. “Yeah, I uh, my beeper just went off.” He lied.
Sully shot him a look. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Jimmy nodded. “I have it on vibrate. I felt it go off. It’s probably Diana. I need to go check in.” He scurried out of the room only a few feet behind Fred.
Sully shifted his focus back to her. The two of them stared each other down from across the room. He glared at her again, threw his hands up in the air and yelled. “Answer my question, Kit!”
She gulped her drink and shook her head. Frustrated with him and seething with anger, she yelled. “Oh c’mon, Sully. You and I both know that sometimes you drag things out too long. Our personal relationship is a perfect example of that. And professionally speaking, reworking a song twenty-six times is not needed. You need to learn how to let go.
“Sull, if you push back two months you’ll go into breach of contract. We’ll have to cancel dates that are already booked for sold out arenas and stadiums all over the world that you’re headlining for the first time ever, if I may add. And you may miss the deadline for a Grammy submission. Put yourself in check, Sull. Your perfectionist tendencies are getting way out of control.”
He walked up to her until he was standing mere inches away from her. “You used to be on my side with that. What the hell happened to you, huh? Too much of a corporate hotshot now? Oh, you play that record exec, attorney role really well. Can’t pull a few favors with Lew for her very own boyfriend? That’s fucked up. He’s the authority.”
She stared into his eyes, glaring. She wanted to slap him, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She slammed her drink down on the bar instead. “No, Sull. I’m the authority now. He looks to me to make the best legal decisions for the company. And this would be a poor one costing the label and the band millions of dollars in my professional opinion.” She walked away.
He yelled after her. “Guess I know whose ass you’re really kissing now, corporate sell out. All it took was a corner office, a parking space with your name on it, and a brand new Mercedes-Benz to make you crumble. You’re looking more and more like your dad everyday. I’m actually a little surprised it was that easy for you to give in, but then again Kit, you never cease to amaze me.”
She spun around, her green eyes ablaze. “That was uncalled for and you know it. Go ahead, do it. Push the date back on the album. I’ll tell Pete and Lew first thing tomorrow and you’ll have my written resignation as your manager. This is a conflict of interest and I’m not doing it anymore. Not like this. Consider yourself officially in breach of contract. Have your attorney, Bill, call me ‘cuz you’re definitely gonna need him when we sue your ass!”
Sully’s eyes were wide and
he remained motionless. Part of him wanted to run after her, but he didn’t. He was stunned and still seething with anger. The next thing he heard was the echo of the front door slamming. He stared in awe, doing his best to catch his breath as he felt the surge of adrenaline that had taken over during their argument start to subside.
He wondered if this was the beginning of the end. Kit had made him a star as promised. He couldn’t deny that there was a special formula with her in the mix for him and the rest of the band. He swallowed hard dwelling on the stark possibilities before him of a life without her in it. He knew she could make or break his career in one fell swoop at this point. His fate hung in the balance. He grimaced and shook his head, sighing. Never had his future seemed so uncertain as it did in that moment.
Kit got into her car and revved the engine. She pulled out of the garage and past the gates, onto Sunset Plaza Drive. As she sat at the red light at the bottom of the hill, she fought the tears that welled up in her eyes. She glanced over at her bare right hand. In a fit of rage, she had taken off the ring Gypsy Tango had given her and left it on the table in the foyer before she left. She had never taken it off before. She swallowed hard and wondered what was going to happen next. Everything she had worked for was unraveling right before her eyes.
When the light turned green, she turned right and sped onto Sunset Boulevard. She knew she had to figure out how to get things back on a favorable track, but her deepest fears dealt a powerful blow that left her paralyzed to find the solution. She headed west toward the Sunset Strip, where good memories and amazing victories once resided.
She never did make it to Diamond Records to talk with Pete about the Gypsy Tango delay as she had originally intended. When she stormed out of her home and got into her car, she couldn’t stop. She whizzed right by Diamond headquarters and landed at the Rainbow Bar and Grill. She gladly surrendered her car to the valet and headed in. The scotch she had consumed at home wasn’t nearly enough for how she was feeling. She wanted more. She sidled up to the bar. As she nursed her drink, she felt relieved when she spotted an old friend. Nothing like a little distraction to ease matters.