Platinum

by J. M. Nevins

  He smiled, gazed into her eyes and shook his head. “I have a better idea.” He gently removed her arms from his neck and got down on one knee in front of her. She heard clicks of a shutter and thought it strange. He pulled the small square box out of his pocket and opened it as he looked up at her. Realizing what he was about to do, she gasped and started wiggling excitedly as tears welled up in her eyes. He grinned. “Kit, you know you’re the love of my life. So, I just have to ask you this question. Kathryn Rose McKenna, will you marry me?”

  She bobbed her head enthusiastically as she smiled. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. “Yes, Sully Foxx, I would be honored to be your wife.” She was so caught up in the moment, she didn’t see the flashes of light, hear the whir of the shutter on Maxine’s camera or see Sean on the walkie-talkies in the distance giving cues.

  He took the ring out of the box as she held out her now shaking left hand. He slipped the ring on her finger and was immediately relieved it was a perfect fit. She pulled him toward her and kissed him, then hugged him tightly. She pulled back and smiled at him. “I love you so much.”

  He grinned and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you too, babe.

  She gazed down at her hand and did a double take. She pulled the four-carat diamond ring closer to her face and examined it. She looked up at Sully with wide eyes as a smile started spreading across her face. “Is this Nana’s ring?”

  He smiled and nodded. “Yes. She gave it to me for you.”

  Before Kit could respond, she heard her grandmother’s voice call out to her. “I knew you two were a perfect match from the moment I first met him. I insisted he take the ring to propose to you, but if it isn’t your style, dear, you can always get something else.” Kit watched in awe as her grandmother appeared from the shadows with Spencer in tow. She held her arms out and smiled. “Congratulations, Kitty. I know you two will be very happy.”

  As Kit hugged her tightly, she noticed more groups of people materializing out of nowhere. When she pulled back from her grandmother’s embrace, Alexa approached her and handed her a glass of champagne. Before she could say thank you, she heard Lew’s distinctive voice shout out, “to Kit and Sully.”

  The crowd of their friends and family, chanted back in toast as they raised their glasses. Kit’s eyes danced with excitement and a wide smile spread across her face. Sully smiled, loving the look of childlike wonder on her face. Seconds later, fireworks went off in the skies above her head. She laughed and reached for him, kissing him.

  He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “Is this ok? I wanted to make a grand gesture and show the world of our friends and family how much I love you.”

  She giggled. “You did a fantastic job! Sully Foxx, you’ve outdone yourself.”

  He smiled. “It was my pleasure. I’m happy you love it.” He kissed her deeply as more fireworks went off overhead. He pulled back and grinned. “Do you realize what day this is?”

  She frowned. “No. You got me on that one. Dare to clue me in?”

  He nodded. “We were standing here on our first date three years and eight months ago to the day. Luckily, the tour schedule worked in our favor. I’ve had this ring for a while now.”

  She was intrigued. “For how long? How long have you been scheming?”

  He laughed. “The scheming started with Nana at Spence’s graduation. She invited me to lunch and one thing led to another. There was no question in my heart it was the right thing to do. My only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner. You’ve been really patient with me, Kit and I’m grateful for that. I almost lost you forever and it really got my head straight. I realized my priorities. And you always came out at the top of the list. That’s where I want you to stay.”

  She nodded and her eyes welled up with tears. “Damn, this has been quite a year, hasn’t it? I’m making that decision too, Sull. I let work take over in a way that wasn’t healthy for our relationship or me. You’re top of the list now too. With you, I can do anything.”

  He giggled. “Hey, that was my line. You just stole it.” She laughed. He grabbed her hand. “C’mon, let’s go greet our guests. It’s our engagement party after all, y’know.”

  She chuckled as they made their way over to the band who eagerly awaited a celebration with them personally. She glanced at him. “What would have happened if I would have said no?”

  He grimaced. “Then it probably would have been the worst night of my life. Good thing you said yes.” He smiled.

  After Kit had made her rounds, she found Alexa and hugged her tightly. She pulled back and looked at her. “You knew all about this, didn’t you? You aren’t in L.A. to see the show tomorrow night, you and Wes are here for this.”

  Alexa nodded and smiled. “Busted. Sully and I had a long conversation about a month ago. He knew he wanted to propose, but he wanted to do something really special. So, he called me and we brainstormed it out.

  “This was his idea. I knew you’d love it. The dinner in Newport was just a cover to get us down to Orange County. He wanted me to keep you distracted so you wouldn’t figure it out. He has a pretty decent size production staff on this tonight. Sean is running the show with an assist from Jay and Danny. He said it was just like you guys did on tour, so he assured me it would be foolproof. Did you have any idea this was going on?”

  She laughed. “Hell, no! Not a clue, but it seems everyone else knew. I’m impressed you were all able to keep the secret.” She reached for Alexa’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thanks for helping him with this. This is like a dream proposal come true for me.”

  Alexa nodded. “I know, babe. I know.” She smiled through her tears, remembering the childhood dreams she and Kit had always shared with each other. And one of Kit’s biggest non-music related dreams was to go to Disneyland. When Sully gave her that on their first date years ago, she had been over the moon. Alexa knew tonight was the ultimate for her. She felt choked up seeing Kit happier than she had ever seen her and knowing she was headed down the road of life with a great partner.

  She giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. “Don’t do that, Lex! You’re gonna make me cry now.” She smiled. “Be my matron of honor?”

  Alexa giggled too and couldn’t resist joking. “I’d be honored to.” They both burst out laughing.

  Lew approached and Alexa said a quick hello before leaving to give Lew and Kit a moment to speak. He smiled. “Congratulations, kiddo! Can’t say this was a surprise. I saw this coming ages ago. You’re a fantastic pairing. I’m glad everything worked out.”

  She grinned. “Thank you, Lew. And Sully told me you offered to pick up the tab on all of this tonight. That’s quite a generous offer. We can’t ask you to do that.”

  He chuckled. “You didn’t ask me to do it. I offered. Consider it an engagement gift. So, does this mean you’re moving back to L.A. after the tour?”

  She smiled. “Sure looks that way, doesn’t it?” She winked. “Of course! Is Sherry here with you tonight?”

  He nodded and held his arm out to her. “Yes. Let’s go say hello. I know she wants to tell you congratulations, personally. And we need to plan that dinner now that you’re going to be back in L.A. permanently!”

  She giggled and nodded. She noticed Sully across the way and waved him over to be part of the conversation. He quickly sidled up to her and put his arm around her. As she engaged in conversation with Lew and Sherry, she felt such a tremendous level of contentment and pure joy. She gently leaned her head on Sully’s shoulder, relieved they no longer had to play games anymore. The secret was out and on display for everyone to see, he loved her and she loved him.

  They returned to the limousine with Alexa and Wes when the party came to an end after a few hours. She assumed they were going home until she glanced out window and realized they were heading back toward Newport Beach.

  Thirty minutes later, the limousine pulled up at the resort. Sully glanced over at her and grinned. “Why don’t you and Lex go on in? We’ll get the bags.�
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  Kit frowned. “Where are we?”

  He looked unfazed. “Balboa Bay Club. We’re staying here tonight.” He smiled wide. “I got us an oceanfront suite, baby.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

  She giggled. “Ooh, I like the sounds of that.” She poked him in the chest. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  Sully led Kit into the exquisitely appointed suite with a gorgeous view of the bay. She looked around and grinned. “Wow! You really have outdone yourself tonight. This is an excellent finish to a perfect night.”

  He pulled her toward him and gazed into her eyes. “Oh, we’re not even closed to finished yet. Please don’t tell me you’re tired.”

  She shook her head and giggled. “No way am I tired. We have some pretty serious unfinished business. I turned off my beeper in the limousine. No one knows where we are but Lex and Wes. This time, we won’t be interrupted by anyone. So, what are you gonna do about that, fiancé of mine?”

  He smiled. “Ooh, I like hearing that title, fiancée of mine. I certainly do have some plans in mind.” He put his finger to her lips. “No more talking. Let me show you.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Sitting in the lobby with the band at Billboard Magazine’s Los Angeles offices made Kit fidgety. Parked next to Sully, she was unable to stop keeping an imaginary beat with her feet. When Billboard first asked her to do the cover with the guys, she was excited. Now, she felt petrified and so far out of her comfort zone she didn’t know what to do with herself as she waited.

  Sully glanced over at her and took her hand in his. He kissed it and chuckled. “Baby, relax. You’ll do fine.” He gazed into her eyes and smiled. He could see the fear in her eyes.

  She gulped and her voice squeaked with anxiety as she spoke. “You guys do this all the time, it’s no big deal for you. I get interviewed once in a blue moon…”

  He stared deeply into her wide green eyes. “Until now. It’s probably going to be like this from here on out. Get used to it.”

  Before she could respond, the lead reporter, Theo Greene, greeted them and led them into an elevator that took them up to a rooftop terrace fully stocked with finger foods and beverages of all kinds. He informed them the interview would be conducted there. Kit couldn’t help noticing the beautiful view of the city. It was a crystal clear day and a spectacular site, with the Hollywood sign in full view perched on the hills in the distance.

  She remained mesmerized, recalling Lew’s words about moving back as she gazed out at the buildings and the hills under a sun drenched morning. Being engaged to Sully aside, the view in front of her confirmed her love affair with the thriving metropolis below. New York had been fun and served its purpose, but L.A. was her home.

  Theo called them over and they assembled easily among comfortable outdoor sofas and chairs, enjoying the sunshine and a few cocktails. The interview began so seamlessly that Kit felt relaxed and realized Sully was right. There really was nothing to worry about. Her anxiety had been completely unfounded. When questions were aimed at her, answers flowed out easily and humorously. She felt at ease. Theo loved her immediately and before Kit knew it, she had become the centerpiece of the article.

  Jimmy served to reinforce the spin. “She’s definitely the sixth member of Gypsy Tango. She keeps us in line and is a powerful creative force to be reckoned with in the studio.”

  Sully continued as he gazed at her lovingly. “Yeah, she’s like this crazy cross between Brian Epstein and George Martin, but with the looks of cover girl. I mean, look at what they did for The Beatles? She’s doing that for us. We wouldn’t be where we are right now without her constant attention to every detail of our career inside and outside the studio.”

  Kit was not only shocked by the words that rolled so easily off Jimmy’s and Sully’s tongues, but tremendously flattered. She had worked hard to be regarded and respected for her contributions to the band’s success and songwriting. After the years they had been together, she knew they appreciated her, but she would have never predicted they would share those observations so openly and in such a complimentary way.

  The band’s raving reviews of Kit continued to pique Theo’s curiosity. He dove in and turned the interview solely to her. From that point forward she was answering the questions, laughing and enjoying the process. Sully watched her proudly. He easily recalled all the times when she was first making her way in the music business. From being embroiled in a constant battle with chauvinistic jerks that tried to block her progress, or being subjected to jokers that only saw her as a nice piece of ass.

  This article and the band’s success served as a monument of triumph over victory to all those that had tried to keep her down. Sully had waited a long time to experience this moment with her. He was happy to see it playing out today. She was finally getting her moment in the sun. He thought she worked twice as hard as he did and got a quarter of the recognition. He was pleased to see the tide turning in her favor.

  When the interview was complete, Kit sat in a chair while the makeup artist touched up her wicked, dark red lips. The hair stylist worked feverishly to make her long, layered, red mane much larger and fierce. She felt herself relax when she caught a glimpse of Maxine who was heading toward her, smiling. She had been a last minute edition to the shoot when the original photographer booked had to bail out at the last minute.

  “Wow, look at you! I can hardly wait to shoot you looking like this. It’s going to make for quite the cover shot, Miss Thing.”

  Kit grinned. “It’s not really me, though, Max. C’mon, I never wear this much makeup. Make sure you get the band in there, ok?” She winked.

  Maxine laughed. “Of course, or they’d fire me for not following the work to spec! How did the interview go earlier today?”

  She nodded. “Good, I think. We’ll really find out when the issue arrives on my desk. I’m not sure what’s in and what’s out until we read it. They might come up with some other spin that we didn’t see coming. Who knows? Can’t tell too much with artistic license these days. I’m just happy that they kept our personal lives out of it.” She giggled and fingered her enormous engagement ring in Maxine’s direction.

  Maxine nodded. “Yeah that’s a good thing, considering the engagement is fresh news. By they way, are you guys doing a formal announcement? Want me to shoot some engagement pics?”

  She smiled. “I’d really love to do engagement pics, but we fly to Hawaii for a show tomorrow.”

  Maxine giggled. “Yeah, duh! We don’t have a show in Hawaii tomorrow and we’re going to gain an hour or two when we arrive. I’ll call tonight and get something set up. I have some friends that can help. We’ll take ‘em tomorrow. You’ll have engagement pics before we get on the jet to go to Tokyo.”

  Kit squealed with delight and reached out to hug Maxine, annoying the hair stylist, who gave her the evil eye. She released Maxine and reached out to squeeze her hand. “I think you just made my day. We’ll tell Sull tonight over dinner.”

  Maxine nodded and shared a buccaneer grin with her. “Guess you two better get on setting a date!” She giggled. “I’m going to finish setting up. I’ll see you in ten.”

  Kit stood up, stared at her reflection and did a double take. She thought it barely resembled her and reminded her of the modeling days in her teens. They would put so much makeup on for shoots the photos would end up looking nothing like how she looked in daily life.

  Wardrobe had put her in a tight, cropped, black leather silver-studded bustier that looked more like a glorified bra than anything else. They paired it with a red, micro-mini, leather skirt and a two very heavy belts of several etched silver medallions strewn together, hanging just below the waist and resting nicely on her hips.

  Black fishnet stockings graced her long legs and pointy black leather heels completed the look. The stylist had purposely put her in shorter, two-inch heels in order to balance out with the height of the members of the band. On her wrists were dozens of silver-studded black leather bracelets. E
ven tricked out as a rock star, Kit beamed with such beauty and elegance that she was downright stunning.

  She walked out of her dressing room to join the band in the front room where the photo shoot would take place. Remo was the first one to catch a glimpse of her and whistled. Moments later the rest of the band joined in making comments about how hot she looked, cat calling and whistling at her.

  Sully had been engrossed in a conversation with one of the staff from Billboard, when he heard the band. He looked over and stared in disbelief. A wide smile spread across his face. He stared at her in awe, like she was an untouchable Greek goddess that he was seeing for the first time in his life. He was speechless. As she approached him, he struggled to compose himself.

  She grinned and bit her lower lip. “Well? What do you think?”

  He grinned and shook his head, sighing. He his eyes slowly scanned her body from head to toe. “I have no words, babe. None.”

  “Ok, but it’s good for the cover, right? Or did they take it too far?”

  He giggled. “Oh, no… they didn’t take it too far. I’d say they got it just right. And good is a serious understatement. Let’s just say that there are going to be a lot of guys that are going to become GT fans just to get a glimpse of you, hot stuff.”

  She chuckled and shook her head, thinking his statement was ludicrous. “Right. You’re funny, babe.”

  She held up her left hand and jiggled her ring finger, making her diamond engagement ring sparkle. “You ok with me wearing this in the shot?”

  He laughed and jokingly covered his eyes. “I think you almost blinded me with that thing.” He chuckled and took both of her hands into his as he gazed into her eyes. “I’d be honored if you would. Your call, though.”

  She grinned. “I’m keeping it on. It’s time the world found out.” She squeezed Sully’s hands before letting go and they made their way over to the mark where the band awaited them.