Star Maker (30 page)

She
hung up the phone and looked at him. “You look good.”

He
grinned. “Thanks. I feel good. You made me feel
really
good.”

She
giggled. “That was a fun romp in the middle of the morning, wasn’t it?”

He
nodded. “I definitely want to do more of that while we have this time off.”

“Oh
yeah, you can plan on that.”

He
looked around the office. “Things look different. Like it’s bigger or
something.”

She
nodded. “I knocked out the wall and took the space from the bedroom next to it
for expansion. Really, we don’t need eight rooms when it’s just you and me.”

He
raised his eyebrows. “Maxine moved?”

“Yep.
She moved in with her boyfriend, Brad. They got a condo up off the Strip on
Larrabee.”

“Cool.”

Kit got
up and went over to Sully, taking his hand to pull him out of the chair.
“C’mon. There are some changes to the place that I’ve made over the last six
months. I want you to see ‘em.”

She
showed him the new weight room that was now next to her office and an expanded
entertainment room. There were no changes to the second floor—there were
still five large bedrooms and one enormous master bedroom. Kit saved the
biggest change for last knowing Sully would love it.

She led
him out to the backyard. He followed her lead. When they approached the
guesthouse, he realized that his earlier suspicion had been correct. It was
slightly larger and had a double-door entrance.

He
looked at Kit. “Did this get taller and wider?”

“Yep.
We got a permit to go up and we expanded out into the side yard.”

He
frowned. “Why? Is someone going to be moving in here?”

She
chuckled. “Not exactly, but someone may spend so much time out here that
they’ll practically live here.” He stared at her in anticipation, not
following the cue. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a key. She handed
it to him. “Here, why don’t you do the honors?”

He took
the key from her and put it into the lock hearing a click. The knob turned
easily. He stepped in and gasped looking at what lay before him. Kit squeezed
by him and off to the side to type in an alarm code. She had an alarm system
installed for this building alone. It was on a separate grid from the main
house, on purpose.

He
looked at Kit. “Is this what I think it is?”

She
smiled. “We’ve got our very own studio, babe. Welcome to 14,400 cubic feet of
acoustically sound recording. The live room has walnut floors and the highest
ceiling is twenty five feet.” The control room has twelve-foot ceilings,
forty-eight track boards, and all kinds of other goodies that you can’t even
imagine. There’s a lounge with a bar and TV too.

Sully
stared in complete awe, a smile forming on his face. He headed into the
control room, looked around, and took in every inch of it with his eyes. He
reached out to touch the boards briefly as he looked up through the glass and
into the live room. “Is that a grand piano?”

Kit
nodded. “It’s a brand new, mic’d semi-grand piano.” She smiled as she watched
him survey not only the glorious Steinway piano, but the other instruments from
afar. He turned around and smiled looking like a little boy on Christmas
morning that realized Santa Claus had made due. “Can I try it?”

“Sure.
Let’s get everything turned on.” Kit started flipping switches and directing
Sully to do the same. She was thankful she remembered everything Fred had
taught her. He had walked her through it several times.

Once they
were at full power, Sully rushed into the live room, took a seat at the black
semi-grand piano, grabbed the set of headphones laying on top of the piano, put
them on, and started playing. When he hit his first chord, a huge smile
appeared on his face and Kit giggled in the control room as the mics picked it
up, pumping sound through the speakers and registering it on the EQ.

Sully
sang the song he wrote for her. She watched him for a moment and then started
playing with the boards a bit, changing a level or two and watching the EQ
lights as his voice and the piano came through loud and clear on the speakers.
She wasn’t nearly as proficient as Fred, but it still sounded amazing. She
squealed with delight and returned her attention to Sully who was halfway through
the song at the bridge.

When he
finished the song, she found the button to turn on the mic in the control room
that projected effortlessly into his headphones. “Great work, Mr. Foxx.
That’s a wrap.”

He
looked at her and laughed. He took the headphones off and got up to return to
the control room. He took her into his arms and kissed her. He pulled back
and gazed into her eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

She
smiled. “I think you’ve told me that a time or two before, but I never get
sick of hearing it.”

He
looked around again and then took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the
boards. He playfully pushed a few faders and then looked up at Kit, grinning
from ear to ear. “How did you do this?”

“With a
whole lot of help.”

He smiled.
“Thank you. This is awesome. I love it.”

She
stroked his back. “You’re welcome. It’s for you and the rest of the band, but
I’m not the only one you need to thank. Fred has spent almost every day here
for the last six months overseeing the construction and the installation.”

Sully’s
eyes widened. “Wow! That’s a lot of work. Is he going to come by today?”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt it, now that the work’s finished and you’re
home. His work is done. By the way, I let him take care of your Ferrari as a
bonus to what I was paying him.”

Sully
chuckled. “Really?”

“Yep.
He took it out to lunch everyday. Drove it around Hollywood, took it on the
freeway. Nothing crazy, just enough to keep the engine running well. He did
the same with my BMW while I was out on the road with you. He used to tell me
it was lunch with the Italian and dinner with the German.”

“Get
him over here if you can. Let’s take him to dinner. Do you know what he
drinks? I’d like to get him a gift or something as a thank you.”

Kit
wracked her mind to recall any hint that Fred had mentioned in the past. “From
what I can remember, he loves fancy tequila.”

Sully
laughed loudly. “Fancy tequila? What the hell is that? What kind?”

She
shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. “I dunno, but he did mention that he
likes expensive tequila.”

He
nodded. “Ok. I’ll go find him some fancy tequila. I think I’m gonna take my
Italian Stallion out for a spin. It’s been a long while. Wanna join me,
babe?”

She
shook her head. “Would love to, but I’ve got a conference call in five
minutes. I’ll call Fred while you’re out.”

He
stood up and kissed her. “Great. Can we order the food in tonight when we
have Fred over? The last thing I want to do is go to another restaurant. A
private dinner at home is more my speed.”

She
nodded. “You got it. I’ll get take out from Spago.”

Sully
raised his eyebrows. “Spago does take out?”

Kit
shook her head. “No, but Lex knows Wolfgang because she’s gone there so much
over the last three years and he catered her engagement party months ago,
remember? I’ll have her put in a call. What do you want?”

He
shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever. Pick something for me. You’re a good
decision maker. You know what I like.” He winked and patted his jeans pocket
feeling for his keys out of habit. He looked momentarily perplexed and then
searched Kit’s eyes. “Where are my keys, babe?”

She
chuckled and took his hand. “C’mon, let’s go back in the house and get ‘em.”
She walked into her office, reached into the top drawer of her desk, and
grabbed them. She threw them to Sully. “You’ve been gone way to long.” She
playfully teased him. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to find your way
back home?”

He
laughed. “I sure hope so, but don’t be surprised if you get a call from me
lost on Sunset Boulevard.”

She
giggled as she took a seat behind her desk, fumbling around for her notepad and
pen to be ready for the conference call that was due at any minute.

Sully
walked into the garages, past Kit’s silver BMW, and smiled when he saw his car
parked in the second stall, sparkling like it had been freshly waxed. He hit
the button for the second door to open. As a beam of sunlight entered the
garage, it hit the side of the car and gleamed more brilliantly. The car was
spotless and shinier than Sully had remembered and wondered what Fred had done
to it. He took his hand and ran it gently along the side of the car, admiring
it. He felt grateful Fred had taken such great care with it.

He got
in the car, revved the engine, cranked up ZZ Top on the stereo, and rolled down
the windows. As he headed down Sunset Plaza Drive toward the Sunset Strip, he
grinned feeling the breeze blow through his hair. He decided to drive over to
Gil Turner’s, the best liquor store in the area, in hopes of finding a fine
bottle of tequila that Fred would enjoy.

Sully
cranked up the stereo and enjoyed violating the speed limit as he raced along
Sunset Boulevard wondering if he had been temporarily possessed by Joe’s
spirit, remembering his fondness for speeding and reckless driving. He took in
the sites and was entertained with the Strip during the day, enchanted that it
carried an entirely different vibe. He enjoyed the memories that came to mind
as he shifted gears and sped along.

When he
got to the red light at the corner of Clark Street and Sunset, he smiled
looking up at the Whisky-a-Go-Go—the venue where it all started for him
and the band three years prior. He was slipping into a self-induced nostalgic
daze when the sounds of girls screaming jarred him back to reality. A high
pitched voice screamed “Oh my God, it’s Sully Foxx from Gypsy Tango!”

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.”