by J. M. Nevins
Sean, Jay and Danny stood at the base of the stairs next to Sully, smiling and applauding her. Sean winked. “Nice job, Miss Kitty-Kat, nice job.”
She giggled and playfully curtsied, bowing her head. She elected to take on the stage name of “Miss Kitty-Kat,” for her performances with the band. She had used it in the past and it stuck. She felt it would play better than using her real name. Keeping her two personalities separate, as the band’s manager and their substitute guitarist were key.
Sully threw his arm around her and smiled from ear to ear. He was beaming with pride. He glanced over at her. “Don’t tell Jimmy this, but playing all those songs with you on that big stage in front of a packed arena of fans was a dream come true. Wish we could do that every night.”
She giggled. “We will be doing that almost every night for the next six weeks, babe. Be careful what you wish for. And you’re on a big adrenaline high right now, just like me.” She patted him on the chest. “You may be singing a different tune two weeks from now when you’re sick of me.”
He nuzzled her neck. “That is never gonna happen.” Before he could continue, they were barraged by a group of reporters eager to corner Kit and discuss her performance that night.
She wanted to shy away and head to the dressing room to hang out with Sully and the rest of the band as they always did, but tonight was a different story. She was still expected to perform, even off stage. She swallowed hard and felt apprehensive. Sully kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear. “This is the other spotlight after the show. You’re on.” He walked away and waved to her.
She forced a smile and took a deep breath as the reporters swarmed around her. As she started answering questions, she noticed Maxine aiming her camera to capture every moment.
An hour had passed and Kit was feeling fatigued and desperate to leave. She felt like she had been pulled in ten different directions since she stepped off the stage earlier that night. She briefly exchanged a look with Sully across the room. She willed herself to focus and turned her attention back to a deejay from a local radio station. The next time she looked over, Sully was gone. She felt trapped and did her best to engage in conversation.
Moments later, she felt an arm wrap around her. The deejay’s eyes lit up. “Hey, Sully! Great show tonight!”
He grinned and nodded. “Thanks, man. We really appreciate the interview you did with us earlier today. Enjoy all the festivities here tonight. If you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with my lead guitarist here.” He winked and the deejay nodded as Sully led Kit away.
She looked up at him lovingly and grinned. “My hero. You rescue me every time.”
He laughed. “Keep buttering me up like that and you’ll have whatever you want.” He led her along the backstage area.
She grinned. “Where are you taking me?”
He rubbed her back. “To the hotel. Looks like you need the break.”
She chuckled and leaned into him. “You must have read my mind. I’m exhausted. I don’t know how you do this almost every night, babe. Serious respect.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “You’ll get there. We need to get you rested. We’re on a flight to Tokyo in the morning. Budakon awaits.”
As she took her seat next to him in the limousine, her vibrant emerald green eyes met his. “Holy crap, I’m playing Budakon in two nights!”
He laughed and gazed into her eyes. “Yes, you are, babe. Right by my side. It’ll be a first for both of us.” He leaned in and kissed her.
Budakon held the promise Kit and the band expected. It was their best show to date and she was still on a big emotional high two weeks after the fact.
She easily acclimated to the life of a high-performance rock star. She started to worry that maybe she had adapted too easily. Signing autographs and interacting with fans became part of her nightly duties, as well as drinking contests with Remo. In Japan it was Sake. Now that they were touching down in Mexico for two dates, she figured they’d be moving on to tequila.
Practical jokes with Bryan and Tony were part of her daily ritual too. She had integrated easily into the band, finding that her inner child had thoroughly embraced the temporary change. At times, she felt like her teenage self—bolder, more free-spirited and much more sassy than she normally was.
Tour antics ran abundantly with Kit feeling comfortable again. The band had found playful ways to haze her. She was happy that the games were finally starting to taper off. She still had a few left in her, though, and she had been silently plotting. She sat next to Sully in a limousine with Sean and the rest of the band as they headed back to their hotel after a successful radio interview.
She seized the copy of Billboard Magazine that poked out of her large, black leather tote. She flipped it open to her favorite part, the charts, to scan for Gypsy Tango’s position. She donned a satisfied smile, not surprised by what she saw. They were holding at the top.
As always, she scanned the competitors that were headed up the chart with sights on number one, hoping to dethrone whomever held the top spot. She took inventory quickly, unfazed. She noticed a particular song and a wicked grin spread across her face. Opportunity presented itself in black and white. She looked up at the band that was fully engaged in conversation with Sean. She started spinning a web in her mind as the limousine turned into the driveway of the hotel and headed for the entrance.
She nudged Sully. “Hey, babe, look. “’Love In An Elevator,’ by Aerosmith, is headed down the charts this week. Interesting title, don’t you think?” She stared deeply into his eyes, batted her eyelashes and giggled as she slowly said her words for emphasis. “Love in an elevator.”
Remo groaned as the limousine came to a stop. “Oh no.”
Sean shook his head as Kit threw the magazine down and opened the door to the limousine before the driver could get the chance. She pulled Sully along with her, abandoning her tote and the magazine that started it all in the limousine. Sean yelled out after her. “Kit, don’t do it! This is a small hotel. It’s the only elevator!”
She laughed maniacally and continued to pull Sully along, who couldn’t wipe the large smile off his face. She ran up to the elevator and hastily punched the button. She glanced over at him as they waited for it to arrive.
He snickered. “Are you serious about this?”
She could see the band running through the lobby, headed in their direction. She ignored them and heard the ding of the elevator. The doors opened and she looked at Sully. “Hell yeah, I’m serious!” He laughed loudly as she grabbed his leather jacket and pulled him into elevator with her. She immediately hit the button to close the doors and punched ten, the floor where their rooms were located.
He leaned back on the center wall and watched her, still grinning. When the elevator started to climb, he shook his head. “Ah, you were just bluffing.”
She looked at him and laughed. “Who said I was bluffing?” She reached down and pulled the emergency stop button. She giggled as the urgent sound of ringing alarm bells commenced.
He laughed loudly. “Oh my God, we’re really doing this?”
She pulled him toward her. “Fuck yeah, we are. No pun intended, or maybe it is intended. C’mon we don’t have a lot of time here, mister. Show me what you got!”
He giggled and gently pinned her up against the wall. “Oh, I’ll show you what I got.” He leaned in and started kissing her deeply as she reached down and started unfastening his jeans.
Sean shook his head and exchanged a look of annoyance with the rest of the band. He glanced at his wristwatch. “Bloody hell! It’s been ten minutes. The hotel staff said the fire department will be here soon if they stay in there much longer.”
Remo rolled his eyes. “Man, I gotta get back up to my room. I have a girl in there waiting for me!”
Bryan snickered. “That skanky, bleached blond that you met backstage last night? Seriously? You hit that?” He pretended to convulse at the thought.
Tony growled at the summa
tion of childlike antics and mentally decided to opt out. “I’m going for a smoke outside.”
Sean looked at Remo. “If you want to head up to your room on the tenth floor, by all means, go for it, but you have to climb ten flights of stairs. Sure you’re up to that? Your little dish from last night can wait.”
The hotel manager approached Sean and asked to have a word. He looked at Jay and Danny. “And so it begins. I’m gonna kill Kit for this.”
Twenty minutes later, when the elevator doors finally opened on the tenth floor just a stone’s throw from Kit and Sully’s suite, the management team, the band, the hotel manager and a group of local firemen and paramedics were awaiting them. Not one of them looked pleased.
Kit exchanged a look with Sully and he quickly smoothed the back of her hair that had become ratted from the friction against the wall of the elevator. She stepped off the elevator confidently and was surprised to notice Sean’s disapproving glare as he held onto her black, leather tote, the issue of Billboard Magazine that had instigated this whole stunt innocently peeking out.
The hotel manager stared at her. “Ms. McKenna are you and Mr. Foxx in any kind of physical distress?” She shook her head to deny the fact and he quickly dismissed the firemen and paramedics speaking rapidly in Spanish. He turned his focus back to her and shared that same disapproving glare as Sean. “May I have a word with you?”
She tried to mask her grin, but was failing miserably. She forced herself to be serious, but upon seeing Sully standing there gazing at her with a satisfied smile, she burst out laughing, burying her head into his strong shoulder. She shook her head and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and composed herself. She faced the hotel manager again and nodded. “I’m very sorry for my outburst. Yes, let’s have a word in my suite.”
As she led the hotel manager toward the suite she shared with Sully, she glanced over her shoulder and exchanged a conspiring look with him. He winked and blew her a kiss as he snickered.
Bryan was wide-eyed and stared at him in awe. “Did you really just do her in that elevator?”
Sully grinned and looked at him as he clapped him on the shoulder. “What do you think?” He snickered and raised his eyebrows. “I’ll never tell.” He exchanged looks with the rest of the band and a very annoyed Sean. “Gentlemen.” He tried to wipe the victorious Cheshire cat smile off his face, but couldn’t do it. He felt triumphant. “See you soon for soundcheck. If you’ll please excuse me, I think my fiancée has gotten herself into a little bit of hot water and needs my assistance.” He chuckled again. “God, I love this woman!” He yelled and raised his fist in victory as he made his way to their suite.
Sean shook his head in frustration and followed Sully. He figured Kit was taking care of things, but being the tour manager, he needed to be in the know. He was also desperate to dump her tote bag.
He entered the suite as the hotel manager was leaving. He nodded and smiled at Sean, reaching out to shake his hand. “Everything has been taken care of, Mr. Finley. We appreciate your willingness to patronize our hotel. If there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please ask me personally and I will see to it.”
Sean frowned. He was not anticipating that reaction. He wondered what Kit said to smooth his feathers. He grinned and nodded. “Thank you.”
Once the hotel manager had departed, Sean looked at Kit, who now seemed like the normal version of herself. She was sitting at her desk, staring at her pager while she balanced the phone on her shoulder, talking. He deposited the tote bag at her feet. She looked up at him and silently mouthed “thank you.”
Sully walked out of the bathroom and grinned at Sean. “Can I help you Mr. Tour Manager? The queen can’t see you right now, she’s busy.”
He glared. “Sully, that was quite a stunt you two pulled. Don’t do it again!”
Sully laughed. “Oh c’mon. It was harmless. Kit got it all taken care of. The hotel manager loves her now. She charmed the pants off him.”
Kit hung up the phone and looked at Sean. “And I paid him off to keep his trap shut and destroy all the security footage shot in the elevator. He’s happy as a clam with a nice, big, fat check.” A wide smile spread across her face.
Sean shook his head. “I never expected you to pull a stunt like this.”
Sully giggled and sat down on the couch. “Actually, it’s about time she did.”
He glared again. “No comments from you, sir.”
Kit chuckled. “Oh, Sean-Bon, don’t get your panties in a bunch. We were just having a little fun. Besides, you guys got up here no problem with the freight elevator. All is well.”
He stared at her, not ready to let go of his annoyance. “And did this little stunt put a dent in our tour budget?”
She shook her head and grinned victoriously. “In fact, it did not, sir. I have paid for my transgressions. The check is being drawn from my personal account. Now, are you here to reprimand me, or do we have a meeting?”
He chuckled and finally started to relax. “I’m here to drop off your bloody bag!”
She giggled. “Oops! Oh yeah, forgot that in the limo. Since you’re here, why don’t we recap? I’d like to put together a little something for the guys for Thanksgiving to keep morale boosted. We’ll be on the road, but it would be nice, don’tcha think? Oh, wait a minute. You’re a Brit. You probably don’t share the same love of that holiday as we do.”
He laughed. “Rubbish. I like turkey and stuffing. Give me a minute to go grab my notes and we’ll regroup. Should I grab Betz and Gin?”
She nodded. “No. They’re swamped right now. We can brief them later.” He left the suite and she glanced over at Sully who was fully reclined on the sofa resting his eyes. “You look relaxed.”
He giggled and kept his eyes shut. “Mmm hmm. You’ve made my day, babe.”
She smiled. “Good. So, since you’re feeling so content, can I run a date by you?”
He stayed peaceful, not budging. “Yep.”
“I think we should get married October sixth. The fall weather will be really pretty and…”
He sat up and stared at her with wide eyes. “October 1990? Eleven months from now?”
She chuckled. “Uh, yeah. Do you have a problem with the date? We can change it to another Saturday in October if you’d like. I just thought it would be nice to get married in the fall. And in L.A., October gets some really great weather…”
He stood up and shook his head. “Uh uh. No way.” He folded his arms in front of his chest and stared at her defiantly.
She rolled her eyes. “Babe, why not?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Kit, I said it before. That’s eleven months from now!”
She stared at him. “And I have a lot of planning to do! Between filling in for Jimmy, managing this band and my duties at Diamond, I need the extra time. It will be here before we know it. Eleven months will fly right by.”
He groaned. “Kit, we have the money. Hire someone to plan this wedding. Next thing I know you’re going to say you want to get married in Chicago.”
She laughed. “No, you’re wrong on that one. We’re definitely getting married in L.A. But, baby, we need the lead-time to get what we want for the ceremony and the reception. If we go with October we’ll have no trouble booking anything.”
Sully rolled his eyes as Sean entered the suite to resume his meeting with Kit. He shook his head. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. October is eleven months away.”
She groaned and buried her face in her hands. She looked up at him, pleading with her eyes. “Whether we get married tomorrow or eleven months from now is not going to matter. I’m still going to be your wife.”
Sean looked increasingly uncomfortable. “Uh, Kit, maybe I should come back.”
She shook her head and pointed at him. “No, Sean, stay put. We’re almost done with this.”
Sully nodded and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll say. I need to go talk to Nicky. He left a message for me.
” He threw on his jacket and headed for the door.
Kit called out to him. “Sully? October? Please?”
He turned around to face her and sadly surrendered. She could see the defeated look in his steel blue eyes. “Whatever you want.”
The door closed behind him quietly. Sean looked at Kit. “I guess the process of setting a date isn’t going as smoothly as you had hoped?”
She shook her head. “Apparently not. Let’s get down to business. Where will we be for Thanksgiving?”
He flipped a few pages and nodded. “Denver. We don’t have a show on Thanksgiving night. We play the following night. Thanksgiving is a travel day for us. We can get in early and do a big feast if you want.”
She nodded in agreement and tried to keep her focus, but it was off. Her thoughts were with Sully. She had no idea why he wanted to get married so quickly. She made a mental note to get to the bottom of things later.
CHAPTER 21
Kit held fast to Sully’s hand as she struggled to pull her coat in closer by tugging at both lapels with one hand. She kept her head down while the rain pounded down on them as they climbed the steps. Once they reached the warm, comfortable interior of the private jet, they relaxed.
She flopped down in the chair next to Sully and gazed at him. He grinned and leaned over to give her a long, lingering kiss. Bryan took a seat across from them and huffed. “Ok kids, let’s keep it G-rated, alright? I have to sit on a flight with you two.”
Kit shifted her attention to Bryan, grinned and playfully barked. “Shut up!”
He laughed and shook his head. “Is that coming from Kit our manager or Miss Kitty-Kat our lead guitarist? I swear girl, you have a wicked alter ego that comes out on stage. She’s crazy!”
She giggled. “Yes, she is crazy.” She sat back and got cozy in her seat as the jet took off. She glanced out the window and could see nothing but clouds.
