by J. M. Nevins
He grinned, seeing her apprehension. “It’ll all work out, Kitten. At the end of the day, it’s just a single.”
She squinted. “Hold up. I didn’t sign one piece of paper on this single. There was no contract, nothing. I’m not an artist of Diamond.”
He grinned and nodded. “Oh yeah you were. For one single. Verbal agreement between us. You accepted that agreement and your delivery of the single fulfilled that. Don’t think it’s legit? Then sue me. I’ll win and my attorneys will have you tied up in legal nightmares for months and months. Remember, you used to be my chief counsel years ago. You know how we roll. You’ve got their number. Accept it, Kit.” He smiled wide.
She chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. He did have a point. “This is crazy.”
He pointed at her. “No. This is your new life, Kit-Kat!” He looked around, fidgeting for a moment. “Ugh, how I would love to smoke a cigar right now to celebrate. Oh well. Call everyone else in. I gotta clue in your brother and Alexa about the best positioning for you.” He winked as Kit continued to shake her head in astonishment.
She had been outmaneuvered by the best in the business. She felt like she had as a seven-year-old girl competing in chess matches—her father’s idea, not hers. She was undefeated in her class, for the state of Illinois, until she went up against a ten-year-old boy from San Francisco in a national tournament who seemingly pulled the rug out from under her before she could notice.
It wasn’t often that others could do that with her. She could usually see strategies coming a mile away, but not with Lew. He was the ultimate strategy master of the music industry. He had rendered her speechless and fully compliant.
They met for another hour to start laying the foundation for the single, the album and the positioning for the board meeting. There was still work to do, but Sherri suggested they all call it a night so Lew could get some rest.
Before the meeting had concluded, Jonathan had a signed million-dollar recording contract one album deal with an insanely tight deadline in his hand and Kit had managed to gain a nice advance plus full control of her master recordings without a 360 deal.
As Alexa and Spencer were gathering their things to leave, Kit said her goodbyes to Sherri and Jonathan. She then approached Lew and grinned.
He looked at her. “Can I take one more minute of your time before you head out?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
Lew looked at Alexa and Spencer. “We’ll be a second.” Lew led Kit back to the study where they had their earlier conversation.
She walked in and looked around. “Sit or stand?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever you’d like, kid. This won’t take long.”
He stood before her and took his hands in hers. He looked deeply into her eyes. “Stand your ground, Kitten. Regardless of whether it’s the CEO thing, your new career as recording artist Kit-Kat, or your marriage with Sully, stand strong. For you. This is your time to shine. Don’t let anything or anyone get in the way of that. Not even me.”
He nodded and continued. “No matter what happens in our recording sessions tomorrow morning, or the board meeting tomorrow afternoon, know that you’ll always have my full support. The doubts may come along the way. When they do, kick ‘em to the curb. You’ve got my blessing whatever you decide to do.”
He grinned but it was fleeting. His face became serious and his eyes stared deeply into hers. “Sully is a fucking fool and he will be hearing from me. He needs to get his shit together like yesterday and get back to being the best version of himself—a king. You know I don’t believe in divorce, Kitten, I believe marriages are worth saving and working on, but if he’s not willing to step up and be good to you…” He shook his head and looked away.
He let out a long sigh and then met her eyes once again. “As you’re heading into this new chapter, you need someone that takes care of you, supports you in all you do. Someone who is consistently good to you. Someone that gets how powerful you are and doesn’t exploit it, but honors it. You deserve the best.”
He stared deeply into her eyes. “I know you’re not going to like me much for saying this, but I’ve seen Sully be that for you before. I hope you two can find your way back to each other. Like I said, I’ll be having a word with him. I may even fly out to see him personally after you and I are done in the studio. It’s important.”
He squeezed her hands. “I love you, kid. I’ve got your back. Keep kicking ass.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm embrace.
Kit’s eyes welled up with tears. Lew’s words went straight to her heart again. She didn’t know why or how those words held so much potency at that moment, but they did.
She pulled back, nodded and smiled through her tears, squeezing his hand. “I will. And I love you too, Lew. My big record label daddy.”
He burst out laughing and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. “Ok. Off you go, sweetheart. Get some good rest tonight. See you in the studio in the morning. I’ll send a car for you and let A-Dub know. We may need to meet up tomorrow night depending on how things go in the board meeting, so plan on it.”
She grinned and nodded. “You got it. See you tomorrow, Lew.” She winked at him.
He led her out to the foyer and said his goodbyes to Spencer and Alexa. As they were headed out the door, she took one glance back at Lew who was beaming with pride as he waved to her.
She noticed a strange feeling in her stomach that she couldn’t comprehend. She dismissed it and blew him a kiss as she walked down the front steps and out to the curb where a limousine awaited them.
Spencer opened up the door for her. “A-Dub just landed. He’s on his way over to Studio A. Bryan Donald is inside the car. We’ve gotta get your B-side finished tonight. Lew set up a really aggressive production timeline and we need to get the master to them tomorrow.” His eyes met hers. “From here on out it’s gonna be pretty fast and furious. You ok with it?”
She nodded. “Yep. I’ll tackle the first hurdle today. What about the rest of the musicians?”
Spencer chuckled. “Kit, you’re the talent, not the producer or the manager. Let A-Dub and me do our jobs. It’s taken care of. You’re going to go lay down your vocal tracks and be done with it. Ok?”
She grinned. This was a whole new ball of wax for her and strangely she felt massive relief and freedom in it. “Ok.”
CHAPTER 15
Lew returned to his study and took a seat behind the desk. He threw on his reading glasses and scanned through his rolodex. He found what he was looking for and picked up the receiver.
Jonathan walked into the room and pointed to him, shaking his head. “Hey, what are you doing? You’re done for the night. C’mon, your doctor said you shouldn’t be working. I get that you want to get the ball rolling on this deal with Kit, but…”
Lew gave him a determined look. “I just need a few minutes. Go.” He waved his hand, dismissing him.
Jonathan remained, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Who are you calling? You sure as hell better not be calling the west coast right now and rounding up an A&R meeting for Kit or calling Pete to discuss strategy at this hour.”
He shook his head. “It’s none of those. This is personal.”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow and decided to joke with his father. “Mistress?”
Lew burst out laughing. “Ah Jon, you always know how to lighten things up.” He chuckled. “Ok, now get out of here so I can make this call.”
Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Alright. You can tell me who you called later. Just don’t cut me out of your will.”
Lew laughed again. As Jonathan left the room and closed the door to his office, Lew started dialing a number.
The helicopter landed with ease at the West 30th Street helipad. Moments after touching down, Sully made his way over to the limousine that awaited him. Despite being exhausted from the show and everything brewing in his personal life, he still took the time to strike up a friendly conversation with
his chauffeur and helped him load his luggage into the trunk.
Moments later, he was in the back of the limousine staring out the windows as it made its way through the city toward his hotel. He leaned back and shut his eyes, figuring he had time to take a quick nap before they reached his destination. His cell phone rang, thwarting his entire plan.
Angered by it, he didn’t want to answer, but thought maybe Kit had reconsidered and was calling him. He seized it and stared at the number. He didn’t recognize it and ignored it. Seconds later, it rang again, same number. Sully shook his head and set the phone aside. Then once again, the same number popped up.
He let out an annoyed growl and flipped it open. “Yeah?”
“Sully. How was the show tonight?”
The voice sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn’t seem to place it. “It was good. Who is this?”
He chuckled. “It’s Lew. Is this a bad time?”
Sully leaned forward, perched on his knees, suddenly alert, wondering why Lew Diamond was calling him so late on his cell phone. “No, no. I’m in a limo on the way to the Plaza.”
“You’re in New York?”
Sully nodded. “Yep. For two nights. We play Meadowlands, but I didn’t want to stay in New Jersey. I have some things to tend to here in the city.”
“Good. That’s convenient.”
Sully frowned. “What’s convenient?”
“You’re in New York and we need to have a discussion. Tomorrow isn’t good for me, but tonight is. Tell your driver to come to my place. Here’s my address.” He rattled it off.
Sully was shocked. “Huh? Why?”
Lew’s voice became stern. “Sully, this is something I’d prefer to discuss with you in person. I highly suggest that you take the time to meet with me now.”
Sully shifted in his seat. “Yeah, yeah, ok. What’s the address again?” He hastily pressed the button to lower the partition between the back and the front where the driver was, covered the phone and blurted out the address to the driver telling him he wanted to go there instead.
He then got back on the phone. “Driver says the eta is about ten minutes.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you then.” Lew hung up.
Sully sat back and let out a breath. His whole body felt a jolt of anxiety. He was on high alert. He felt like he did in school when he was getting called into the principal’s office for mouthing off in class or getting into a fight in the hallway.
He shook his head as his mind raced. He immediately dug deep into the pocket of his jeans to find a vial of cocaine. He did two bumps to help himself focus.
Ten minutes later, as Jonathan was reviewing Kit’s paperwork in his father’s study, he heard the doorbell ring. He frowned, confused for a moment as he looked over at his father who was sitting in his chair, reviewing a copy of Kit’s contract.
Jonathan looked at him. “Are you expecting someone at this hour?”
He didn’t flinch, he kept reading the contract. “Yep.”
Jonathan shook his head. “Shit, really? Dad, it’s close to midnight! You should be in bed. Mom’s gonna kill you.”
Before Jonathan could continue, the housekeeper, Miranda, came in and looked at both of them. “Mr. Diamond, Mr. Foxx is here to see you.”
Jonathan looked at his father. “No you didn’t.”
He met Jonathan’s eyes. “I did. And get out of my office. This meeting is about a personal matter. Go get him, bring him in and then leave us alone, so Miranda can go to her room and go to sleep.”
Jonathan rolled his eyes and walked out, noticing Sully standing in the foyer, looking intimidated. Jonathan sighed and approached him. “Hey Sully, this way.” He nodded silently and followed Jonathan into the study.
Lew stood up and offered a friendly grin. “Sully, glad you could make it here on such short notice.” He extended his hand. As Sully nodded and shook his hand, Jonathan left the room.
“Please, have a seat.” Lew walked over to the leather sofas and motioned to them. As they both took their seats, Lew looked at him and grinned, attempting to make him feel more comfortable. “Tell me more about the show tonight.”
Sully sat back and nodded. “It was decent. It wasn’t one of our best, in my opinion, but the band is tired. All the guys are tired, myself included. I’m not using that as an excuse, it just is. Lew, we’ve been on the road almost two years. I don’t know why you called me here, and I don’t want to sound like some ungrateful bastard, I love performing, but a tour this long is bullshit. And we’ve made Diamond a whole ton of money. This cannot happen again.”
Lew raised an eyebrow, surprised by Sully’s unfettered launch into his opinions. He wasn’t annoyed by it at all, he actually found Sully’s blunt honesty refreshing. He was feeling more compassionate and had gained some understanding as to why Kit and Sully were struggling in their marriage.
He nodded and met Sully’s eyes to assure him. “I’m sorry it ended up that way. It’s the longest run any Diamond artist has had. I can’t imagine it’s been easy on you or the band and your personal lives. What can I do for you?”
Sully stared at him, stunned. “I haven’t really thought about it, Lew. I just want off the road. I want my life back.” He sighed. “I want my wife back. God knows I’ve fucked up my marriage.” He shook his head and looked away.
Lew sighed. “Sully look at me.” He met Lew’s eyes. “You gotta get off the fucking cocaine! It’s out of control. And I don’t know what else happened on the road, it’s none of my damned business, but if you continue down this path, you’re gonna lose it all. All of it. You need to grow up and get your shit together!” He nodded. “I mean it.”
Sully nodded and cast his eyes down. “Oh yeah, I know you do. And I know it’s not a threat, you’re looking out for your label. I get it. I’m a liability.”
Lew chuckled. “Looking out for my label? You think that’s what this is about? You think I called you and asked you to come to my home at nearly midnight for a private meeting because I’m looking out for my label? Ah shit, kid, you’re not getting it.”
He shook his head and stared at him more intently. “You know how many artists have fucked up their lives because they couldn’t handle the fame, the fast pace? It was drugs or drinking or all kinds of other strange shit. Sully, this is fucking personal! You got me?”
Sully met his eyes and noticed the fire in them. He nodded his head slowly and immediately clued in. “This is about Kit.”
Lew stared at him. “That’s partly true.” He shook his head and then looked deeply into his eyes. “You have got to fix this. She needs you. If you’re going to continue playing your game like you are now, then y’know what, she’s better off without you. Let me ask you this. Since you married her, have you given her your best? Your absolute one hundred percent best self?”
Sully sighed and shifted his glance away, shaking his head. He knew he had to be truthful with Lew. He sighed and met his eyes. “In the beginning I feel like I did. But if you’re talking about the last year or two I’ve been on the road, no, I haven’t.”
Lew surveyed him and could see the shame and guilt encompassing Sully, nearly strangling him. He decided to take a different approach.
He stared at him and steepled his hands. “Let’s talk about you for a minute, just you. Sully Foxx, I know you. I know what you’re made of. You cannot let this shit keep you down. You have to find a way to rise above this. You’re a fucking superstar. Who cares about GT? I know you go way back with those jokers, but I always knew you’d break up. I knew you’d go solo. I swear it’s written in the stars for you.”
He could tell that talking about Sully’s career wasn’t landing with the impact he had hoped. While this surprised him, he realized even more that he had to drive his point home and go straight to Sully’s heart.
He nodded. “Ok, so you say you want your wife back. Well, that’s gonna take a whole new version of you. It’s gonna take your absolute best. A level of best you’ve never reach
ed before. Because y’know what, she’s not gonna take you back in the state you’re in now or even doing what you did in the beginning when you first fell in love.”
He shook his head. “Nope. You need to become someone ten times better than that. You have got to win her, fair and square.”
He pointed at him. “And I swear to you, if you continue to fuck this up, you will have hell to pay. This close knit relationship we have, you and I, you know I’ve always liked you from the start. You’re one of the most talented artists I’ve ever met and one of the nicest guys in this biz. But this camaraderie we’ve got going on, yeah, that will go away. You will not want me as an enemy. Not in this business.”
He shook his head and sighed. “No one ever said marriage was easy, Sully, believe me I know. I’ve been married for forty years. But I can tell ya, it’s definitely a lot easier when you’re not being an asshole.”
He met Sully’s eyes. “I had an indiscretion with another woman a few years into our marriage. Wasn’t worth it. The other woman is never worth it, Sully. Then there were countless times when I put my company ahead of Sherri. I hurt her more times than I’d like to admit and it’s definitely not something I’m proud of. We almost divorced. I was being an asshole. I had to learn how to step up and be a good husband, keep my promises to her and be worthy of her. I did it. I give her my best every single day and I never looked back. She’s my world. She’s my queen and I would not have gotten to where I am today without her. Sound familiar?” He looked at Sully and raised his eyebrows.
He leaned forward and met his eyes. “Listen kid, I know you can too. It’s in your DNA, Sully. Figure it out. Get your shit together. Go to rehab. Get the fucking help you need. Do it now. I get that you’re finishing out a tour. Manage that shit. Once that tour’s over, get it done. You got me?”
Sully was misty eyed as he looked up at Lew and bobbed his head. He sniffled. “I got it.”
Lew stared at him and shook his head. “Get that shit outta your nose and clean up your life. You can do it. And I’m here if you need anything.” He stood up and opened his arms to Sully.
