by J. M. Nevins
“Yes, Kit, I do. Oh, and you’re confirmed for dinner tonight at nine.”
She nodded and grinned. “Thanks, Selia. That’s all for now. I’ll be heading back home in a bit, so if you need anything, call me there.”
“Certainly.” She nodded at Sully. “Pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Foxx.”
He smiled. “You too, Selia.” His mind wandered again as he flipped through the most recent issue of Platinum Magazine and Kit pecked away at her computer keyboard, obviously tied up with work.
In his mind, he revisited Selia’s comment about Kit’s dinner commitment that evening. The thought didn’t sit well with him. He felt jealously rising and realized he had no right to. He was the one that said they needed to take time apart. He deeply regretted his words.
Kit glanced at her clock and jumped up. “Ok, let’s go see if the mix is ready for us to take a listen. I’m done here. Mastering is set to start tomorrow on site. All taken care of.” She smiled proudly.
He nodded. “Great. Let’s go.”
Satisfied with the mix, they made their way out of the Diamond Entertainment building, relatively unscathed. Selia had informed Kit of the service entrance in the back that was commonly used to transport artists in and out discreetly. Kit was relieved getting into the car without being photographed. Sully remained silent and she wondered what was going on in his head.
She looked at him. “You ok? Were you not happy with the mix?”
He chuckled. “The mix sounded great. It was perfect. I’m just a little tired, I think. Jet lag kicking in.” That was a lie and he knew it as he forced a grin.
Kit could tell he was lying as well, but decided to blow it off. She knew how to get him back to his happy place. She grinned. “How about we hit the guitars when we get back? I think we need a good music break. What do you think?” Her emerald eyes twinkled with promise.
A wide smile spread across his face. She got him with that. He nodded enthusiastically. “I think that’s a fantastic idea! Are we writing or jamming?”
She sat back and relaxed in her seat. “I think a little of both could be good. We can play it by ear. No pun intended.”
He giggled, suddenly looking forward to what lay ahead for them. “I can hardly wait.”
The obnoxiously large bouquet of red roses on the formal dining room table was the first thing that caught Sully’s attention as they headed into the kitchen in laughter. They had returned home and were grabbing two beers before starting their jam session.
Adele smiled at Kit. “Miss McKenna, you got another one today. These came for you while you were out.”
Kit frowned and plucked the card. She was afraid to look at it. She had a feeling who they were from. She found herself wishing they were from either Simon or Sully but knew that was impossible on both counts. Simon was in London for the next week and Sully was standing right next to her. By the look on his face, she knew he didn’t send them. She swallowed hard knowing instantly who did before even opening the card.
When she attended the party with Maxine earlier in the week, she had run into Blake Templeton, her nemesis. But somehow, after way too many drinks, she found herself in a precarious position.
She had engaged in a make out session with him and promised to go on a date. She flaked out on the date, but he wouldn’t let her forget it. He had been sending flowers and calling her constantly. She wished he would go away. The guy didn’t know what rejection was. She stared at the card that confirmed they were from Blake and shoved it into the pocket of her jeans on her way to the kitchen with full intent to throw it into the garbage.
Sully remained unable to mask his hurt feelings. Before he could give any thought to his next move, the words rolled off his tongue. “Flowers from the guy you’re going to dinner with tonight?”
She spun around and stared at him with wide eyes. Her face then melted into a smile and a giggle escaped. “No. Sully, my dinner engagement tonight is with Lew and Sherry Diamond. I didn’t think about it when we were at the office, but do you want to join us? That might be kind of fun. You haven’t met Lew’s wife, Sherry, before. She’s great. You’ll need a nice jacket, though.” She reached out and squeezed his arm. “C’mon, it will be a good time. We both know how much Lew loves you.”
Sully chuckled, relieved his earlier bout of jealously was completely unfounded. “Your dinner date tonight is with Lew and his wife?”
She nodded. “Yeah. His jet should be landing in about an hour or so. They’ll get settled in and then pick me up… or us if you want to join in on the fun.”
He smiled and felt relieved. “I’d love to. That sounds fun.” He felt more courageous now as he followed her into the kitchen. “So, are those roses from Henri? Even though I just met the guy earlier today, seems like something he’d do.”
She grinned. “Actually, you’re right on the money. This is something Henri would do, but they would never be red. They would be pink. I wish they were from him. They’re not. They were from an imbecile who doesn’t know how to take a hint.” She pulled the small card out, ripped it into pieces and threw it into the trash. She turned to face him. “Beer still good or do you want to go with scotch?”
He shook his head. “Beer is great now. Scotch later when we go to dinner with Lew. Speaking of which, I don’t have a jacket with me. What am I going to do? Should I go out and shop for one? Maybe I can meet you at the restaurant later once I find one?”
She smiled. “No way. Let me make a call. You’ll have your jacket or would you prefer a suit?”
He chuckled and slipped back into his comfort level with her easily. “Whatever you think is best, baby.”
She giggled. “A suit it is.” She picked up the kitchen phone and dialed. She got Alexa on the line. “We’ve got a fashion emergency. Need your help.”
Alexa laughed. “I’m your gal. What’s up?”
Kit grinned at Sully as she continued. “Sully is joining Lew, Sherry and me for dinner at ‘21’ tonight. He doesn’t have the appropriate attire with him.”
“Consider it done. What time is Lew picking you up?”
“Eight-thirty.”
“Ok. I’ll have my assistant drop off his new attire at your place. Can you put Sull on the phone? I need his deets.”
Kit giggled. “Thanks for doing this, Lex. We really appreciate it. Here he is.” She handed the phone to him. She handed him a beer, patted him on the shoulder and left the kitchen with her beer in hand. She took a seat on the sofa in the parlor and grabbed her guitar. She was plucking away when Sully resurfaced.
He grinned. “Lex said she’ll have something here within the next two hours. So, what now?”
Kit’s eyes lit up. “What else? Guitar time!” He laughed and headed to his case to retrieve his guitar and join her.
Sully and Kit were so engrossed in their playing and laughing, they had lost track of time. Adele entered the room. “Miss McKenna, Annabelle Stevens is here on behalf of Alexa Matthews.”
Kit shot Sully a smile, put her guitar down and hopped up. “Great, bring her in.”
Annabelle grinned as she walked in carrying a garment bag and another smaller bag. “Hey, Kit. Alexa said that Sully should try this suit and the shoes on too before I leave. She’s got the tailor on call so if any changes need to be made we can do that before you have to go to dinner.”
Kit turned around to tell Sully but he was already up and headed in their direction. He smiled at Annabelle. “Thanks for bringing this over. Is this everything?” Annabelle nodded and handed him the new items. He looked at both of them. “I’ll be back.”
Five minutes later, Sully returned wearing a grey double-breasted suit with a black shirt. He held his arms out. “Well? How do I look?”
Kit remained speechless for a moment. She found herself completely drawn to him. The attraction that had never left only intensified in that moment. She smiled wide. “Lex did good. You look fantastic. Everything fit ok?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m
good.”
Kit turned to Annabelle. “I guess your work here is done. Please tell Alexa thank you again and I’ll give her a call tomorrow. By the way, do you know if she’ll be attending the Diamond Records party tomorrow night? I know she was invited.”
Annabelle nodded. “Yes, she’ll be there. It’s on her schedule. She’ll be in attendance with Mr. Matthews. I’ll see myself out.”
As Annabelle left the room, Kit looked at Sully. “Do you feel completely out of your element in that?”
He shrugged his shoulders and put his hands in his pockets, smiling. “Actually, no. I’m feeling kinda snazzy.”
Kit burst out laughing, ran over to him and hugged him. “You still make me laugh like no other.” She pulled back and giggled. “You look pretty amazing.”
He smiled and gazed into her eyes, desperately wanting to kiss her, but he refrained. “Thank you.”
She grinned. “I guess I better get ready. You ok chillin’ for a bit?”
He nodded. “Oh yeah. Take your time.” He watched her leave the room and plopped into the comfortable sofa. His heart was thumping in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to spend the evening alone with her, but he was happy to be invited to dinner with Lew. He hoped they would get more time alone after dinner. He realized that making this trip was a good idea after all. He could feel their connection coming back and he loved it.
Kit rifled through her closet hastily, ignoring the conservative navy blue dress originally intended for the evening that her assistant had cleaned earlier in the week. It hung from top of the door, ignored. The dress was beautiful, but it no longer suited her needs.
Things had changed. Sully’s impromptu visit and their spending the day together had the wheels turning in her head. All the animosity between them had seemed to evaporate only to be replaced by an intense attraction the likes she hadn’t felt before. She didn’t understand it, nor did she want to. She threw caution to the wind and was more concerned with finding a sexy dress and even sexier lingerie to go under it, just in case.
With her red tresses piled atop her head in a messy, yet alluring, updo, she opted for a flirty, pale pink dress that looked perfectly innocent on the outside, but underneath lurked a combination of pink satin and black lace she knew would drive Sully to his knees if she intended to exercise that option. She touched up her lipstick, slipped into her stilettos and grabbed her clutch, satisfied she had perfected the ideal combination of sugar and spice.
When she returned to the parlor, she found Sully playing the baby grand piano. She grinned and patiently waited for him to look up. He shifted his gaze from the keys to her and whistled. “Wow! Is that a new dress? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.”
She giggled and did a slow spin for him. “Yes, courtesy of Henri. He told me I should wear more pink. This was the result of a shopping spree shortly after I got into town.”
Sully got up and approached her, grinning from ear to ear while his steel-blue eyes reflected a deep, abiding love and admiration. He gazed into her eyes. “You look absolutely beautiful, Kit.”
She smiled. “Thank you.” She leaned forward and smoothed out the lapels of his suit jacket. “You look pretty amazing yourself.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. As he pulled back, he caught a whiff of her perfume and got caught in her gaze. He couldn’t break free. He was about to lean in to kiss her on the lips when Adele’s voice ruined the moment.
“Miss McKenna, your car is here for dinner.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes, sharing a giggle with Sully. “Talk about bad timing.” She glanced over. “Thank you, Adele. We’ll head out.”
Hours later, Kit sat at the piano again alternating turns with Sully, entertaining Lew and Sherry Diamond. She had invited them up for an after dinner drink and they were all getting along fabulously. She finished her song and got up, suggesting they retire to the sofas for conversation.
She headed over to the stereo to put some music on and grinned noticing Sully in action. He was animated, telling a colorful story from life on the road that proved entertaining to both Lew and Sherry. She watched him and was pleased he joined them for dinner. She couldn’t deny that he fit in perfectly, like he was meant to be there as her partner.
Moments later, Lew stood up and grinned. “Kitten, thank you for entertaining us. This has been a wonderful evening.” He shifted his attention to Sully. “I’m glad you could join us, Sully. We’ll have to do this again soon… and in L.A.” He pointed at Kit.
She smiled. “Ok, ok. I get the hint. Let me walk you both to the elevator. She did her hostess duty of sending off her guests and returned to Sully who was fully relaxed on the sofa, a glass of scotch in his hand.
He looked over at her and grinned. “Lew and Sherry are good people. What a night. Thanks for letting me tag along on your dinner date.”
She giggled and took a seat next to him. “You’re welcome. I knew you’d have fun. I’m glad we did this.” She grabbed her drink and sat back next to him. The wheels started turning in her head and she wondered if her impromptu relocation to New York was a good idea. She enjoyed having more time on her hands with no interruptions, but quickly rationalized her out of control life in Los Angeles was of her own making.
Sully noticed she was off in her own little world. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “What’cha thinking about?”
She glanced over and realized she couldn’t share her inner struggle with him, not now. She grinned. “Today was a good day. Just thinking about it, that’s all. Do you want another drink?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I’ll get it. Do you want one too?”
She smiled. “Yes, please.”
He left the room to refresh their drinks and she headed to the windows behind the baby grand piano that displayed a beautiful view of the city lights. Sully returned moments later with their drinks and came up behind her. He set his drink on the piano and wrapped his arms around her from behind, presenting her drink. He rested his chin on top of her shoulder. “This ok?”
She gently stroked his strong arm and took the drink from him. “Yes, perfect.” She kept her gaze on the view while her heart raced in her chest. Invisible butterflies started a wild, tribal dance in her stomach. She closed her eyes and took a sip of her drink, unable to wipe the grin off her face.
She started thinking about kissing him and was about to turn around to face him, when he gently kissed her neck, a weakness of hers that she knew he was exploiting. She didn’t care. She threw caution to the wind and spun around to face him. She set her drink on the piano next to his, wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him deeply.
The alarm rang out loudly, jarring both Kit and Sully from their peaceful slumber. Kit rolled over and turned it off. Sully leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder. She grinned.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
She rolled back over to face him and gave him a long, slow kiss. “Good morning.” She kissed him again and within moments, they were completely embroiled in each other. She pulled back and stared into his eyes. “Damn your guest VJ appearance. Damn it to hell!”
He burst out laughing. “I guess that means we don’t have much time.”
She grinned and sighed. “Unfortunately, no. You need get over to Alexa’s to get your clothes and then make it across town to MTV.”
He gently stroked her cheek. “Bummer.”
She giggled. “But, we may have time for a quick shower if you’re up for that?”
He gently laughed. “Why did you even ask? Let’s go.”
Kit hung back watching the band at MTV studios doing their duty as guest VJs. They were highly entertaining and completely professional. They all arrived early and were ready to work. She folded her arms across her chest and watched Sully. It was impossible for him not to stand out. His stardom shined so much brighter than his fellow bandmates it was almost unfair. The camera loved him and his presence easily commanded attention.
Her mind traveled back to their heated tryst the night before and their fun in the shower that morning. There was something magical about it that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was still apprehensive about getting back together. Although they had one of their most amazing nights of lovemaking to date, she knew their problems had not gone away. There were discussions to be had, Jimmy’s wedding to attend that they were both in and a world tour out in front of them that promised to be a beast in itself. She wondered if they could make all the hurdles. As much as she tried to dismiss her doubts, they still remained.
CHAPTER 7
“Red lipstick or neutral?” Kit asked frantically as she stared at her reflection, holding the phone to her ear.
Alexa paused. “What color is your dress?”
“Charcoal grey. And Lex, I have to look amazing tonight. I mean really amazing.”
She giggled. “Why? Is there a certain someone you want to impress? Like the someone that didn’t make it home until this morning? Where was Sully last night, hmm? I know he’s going to the Diamond party tonight. He’s getting ready right now. He’s going to head out with us in fifteen minutes. Are you going to be a little late to make a dramatic entrance?”
Kit grinned, wanting to tell Alexa all the details from the steamy night before, but held off. Finishing getting ready for the big Diamond Entertainment party took top priority. “Yes, I am going to be a little bit late. Ok, so answer my question.”
“Simple jewelry?”
Kit nodded and admired her elegant diamond stud earrings and a simple diamond and sapphire tennis bracelet on her wrist that Sully had bought her for her birthday. “Yes. Minimalist.”
“Red, then. I gotta go. See you soon.” She paused for effect. “Oh, and should I tell Sully to pack a bag for tonight?” She giggled.
Kit rolled her eyes and ignored her question. “Lex, thanks for your feedback. I have to go now. Let’s not both be late.” She hung up and grabbed her red lipstick.
Sully entered the Diamond Entertainment party alongside Alexa and Wes. He searched the large crowd and found no trace of Kit. Alexa observed him carefully. She pulled him gently toward her and whispered in his ear. “She’s not here yet. She said she was going to be a little late.”
