by J. M. Nevins
She swallowed hard as she looked up at Alexa. “My insomnia has nothing to do with my workload, Lex. It’s personal.”
Alexa sensed the gravity of the situation. She sighed and pulled out a chair, taking a seat. “Talk to me.”
She frowned. “No. Don’t worry about me. You’ll be late for work and I have to head out for school. We can talk later.”
Alexa nodded. “Ok. Let’s plan on that. Can you give me a hint what this is about?”
She let out a long sigh. She couldn’t face Alexa. “Sully.”
Alexa stood up and grinned. She had a good idea where this was headed. She squeezed Kit’s shoulder. “It’ll be ok, Kit-Kat. Don’t you worry. We’ll figure it out. I’ll see you tonight.”
As Alexa headed out of the apartment, the phone rang. Kit was piling her books and notes into her backpack and was tempted to ignore it, but her intuition guided her otherwise. She seized the phone and answered hastily.
The male voice on the line barked, “I’m looking for Kit McKenna.”
She rolled her eyes hoping it wasn’t another new band on the Strip that was trying to get KMK to manage them. Since she started her management company, the bands were getting more aggressive and contacting her personally, at home, rather than calling the small office and dealing with the managers she had hired. “Yep. You got her. Who’s this?”
“Robby Dodd, Circus Magazine. Is this is a good time?”
She froze as her eyes widened. She stopped what she was doing and sat down. School could wait. “Yeah. How can I help you, Robby?”
“We’re doing a feature on the life of Joe Arden. It’s a tribute piece. We spoke with his widow and parents briefly and the band extensively. All of them were very adamant about including you in this piece. Mrs. Arden, his parents, and the band, noted that you made Joe the star he was. We’d like to dedicate a sidebar of the article to you. I understand from Mrs. Arden that you manage other bands, several of which have been signed and are enjoying tremendous success. I also found out you’re listed as the president and founder of KMK Management. Is this all true?”
She held her hand to her mouth, unable to speak while tears welled up in her eyes. Joe always vowed to her if he went to the top, he’d drag her along with him. Even in his memory, he was doing just that. She took a deep breath. “Yes, it’s true to an extent although Joe was a star from the day he was born. I’d be happy to discuss this further. What information do you need from me?”
He chuckled. “Let’s start from the beginning. Tell me your story, Ms. McKenna.”
CHAPTER 17
Kit straightened her black blazer in the mirror. She stared at her reflection, absorbing the reality in front of her. The Circus Magazine interview was still fresh in her mind from last week. She loved the free publicity. It was exactly the boost her fledgling management company needed once the magazine hit the stands. The article was a major feature with Joe’s image on the cover, certain to further honor his memory and cement his fans’ love and dedication for years to come.
She forced the distraction out of her mind immediately and willed herself to focus. Today was bound to be more significant than last week’s interview. If she played her cards right, she and Sully would be well on their way. She felt prepared. She had negotiated record deals before, but this time it was personal. She had promised Sully she would make him a star, like she did for Joe. It all hinged on her, once again.
She prayed she wouldn’t let him down, like she did with Joe. She planned to take Sully to the top in a way he could sustain it, not plummet into a downward spiral that could potentially end his career and his life. She vowed she would not let the same mistake happen twice. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. It was time. She had to go.
She rushed down to her car, glanced at her Rolex wristwatch, and grinned at the irony. The Rolex had been a gift from her father when she graduated college. He had hoped she would be using it to get to her classes on time at an elite, Ivy League law school. If he only knew how she was using it now, he would be livid. She had just enough time to make it to the Diamond Records building down the road on Sunset Boulevard. As she drove, she grinned, reviewing the turn of events.
Over the last week, a crazy bidding war had erupted between three major labels for Gypsy Tango. She had personally received calls from Paul Templeton, Lewis Diamond, and Randy Fisher, the CEOs and founders of Templeton Records, Diamond Records, and Fisher Entertainment. She was sitting pretty. She and the band had decided to meet with Diamond last.
They had already met with the other two who offered what they wanted, but weren’t willing to work with the band as a whole. They wanted to sign Sully, using the band as backup only. The terms weren’t as favorable or flexible as Kit would have liked. If Diamond could offer her what she and the band truly wanted, the deal would be sealed. Diamond Records was Kit’s and Sully’s ideal.
Kit strolled into the lobby wearing a more conservative ensemble that consisted of a smart black suit, complete with a pencil skirt and a modest, yet still sexy, green silk camisole underneath. Her hair was smoothed down moderately to match. She noticed the band sitting on the leather sofas and chairs waiting patiently, looking surprisingly well behaved.
Sully whistled. “Shit, look at you! You look so lawyer-like in your suit. And a briefcase too? That really ups the ante. Hot! You can sue me anytime, baby.”
She grinned, trying not to laugh. “C’mon, don’t mock me. I could quite possibly negotiate the biggest deal of your career today, Mister.”
Sully grinned and winked at her. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that, babe.”
She looked at him and straightened the collar of his leather jacket. “This could be the most monumental day of your life, baby.”
He grinned and gazed into her eyes. “This could be the most monumental day of our lives, baby. Any girl that negotiates a seven figure record deal is going on the map!”
She giggled and linked her arm in his as they headed toward the reception desk with the rest of the band trailing after them, including Jimmy, who was now on his best behavior after a talking to from Kit the week before.
Two hours later, Kit closed one of the biggest record deals in Hollywood to date. One million dollars, plus her standard cut of seventeen percent. The band was ecstatic once they reached the parking lot. They couldn’t stop hugging her, kissing her, and thanking her.
Jimmy was busting with joy. “Kit, let’s go celebrate! We’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
She laughed. “Jim, you’re sweet, but you don’t have any money yet.”
He smiled. “I will soon!”
She chuckled. “That you will. How about you guys take me out then. Dinner tonight will be on Diamond. They’ll meet us wherever we end up. Where do you want to go?”
Sully had a devilish look in his eye. “How about the Rainbow? We can rub this in everyone’s faces!”
She laughed. “Great idea!
Kit got into her car and headed toward West Hollywood to their old, familiar hangout, The Rainbow Bar and Grill, on Sunset Boulevard. As she got out of her car, the valet, Bobby, smiled. “Congrats on the GT deal with Diamond, Kit.”
She smiled. “You heard already?”
He smiled back at her and pointed. Ahead of her idling was one of the corporate limousines for Diamond Records. The personalized license plate was a dead giveaway. It read: ‘GEM RCD1.’ She knew that limousine catered to one person and one person only—her music industry idol, Lewis Diamond. She had worked the deal with him and his acquisition team that day and was excited to see that he kept his word to meet up with them.
She walked into the restaurant and felt a little awkward walking around in a suit, but quickly forgot about it after her first shot of tequila. She left the band for a moment, called Alexa, and asked her to meet up with them.
Alexa showed up at The Rainbow thirty minutes later. She found Kit squashed into a booth with Gypsy Tango and two record executives, one of which was
Lewis Diamond. She waved to Alexa and made her way out of the booth, greeting her with a hug. “Hey, you made it!”
Alexa chuckled. “Looks like you have quite a party going on here. Who’s that in the booth with the guys? Is that Lew Diamond?”
“Yep and Pete Lundy, VP of A&R from Diamond Records.”
“Holy crap! Even though I work at Diamond, I’ve never met them. I’ve seen Lew around. He’s an icon. Okay, so tell me. How much?”
Kit beamed. “Three-album contract, one-mil.”
Alexa’s mouth dropped open. “Oh shit, you hit the jackpot! That’s the deal of a lifetime! Damn, Kit, that’s awesome!” She hugged her. “What kind of cut did you get?”
“Seventeen percent and a key person clause. I’ll still be working with the guys directly. Diamond won’t assign them a new manager. I’m tied with them indefinitely. Sully was actually the one that made sure that was in there so Diamond couldn’t bump me off down the road. I think it’s about time you and I went for a little shopping spree on Rodeo, Lex. I can afford it now.”
Alexa giggled. “I can hardly wait. Let’s party! There’s so much to celebrate!”
Kit balanced the phone on her shoulder as she struggled to quickly jot down notes. Alexa walked through the door and shook her head. Kit had been in the exact same position when she left for work at nine that morning. She hung up the phone and looked at Alexa, shaking her head.
“Have you gotten up from that table at all today? Have you eaten? Obviously you ditched school.”
Kit rolled her eyes. “No, no and yes. The phone has been ringing all day and it’s been crazy. Ever since the news hit last night that the guys got signed, the phone has blown up. Max interviewed me this morning for Rock City News. Circus Magazine called me again. I had calls coming in from MTV and other pubs in New York. I’m getting all kinds of crazy offers and I’ve been on the phone constantly with Pete Lundy who is personally handling A&R for them. That is a super huge deal, by the way.”
Alexa took a seat and stared in awe. “No shit. That’s major.”
“It has me feeling completely insecure. I’m used to dealing with regular A&R reps or managers, maybe an A&R director on occasion, but never the executives until now. Usually at Pete’s level he doesn’t do much with new artists, he works with the superstars and veterans. Diamond thinks our guys are the shit.”
Alexa giggled. “Because they are and so are you. They got signed before Guns ‘N’ Roses. That’s sayin’ somethin.’”
Kit put her finger up in protest. “True, but G ‘N’ R is in talks with Geffen right now. I’m sure they’ll have a deal before the end of summer. They’re Gypsy Tango’s toughest competition out there right now next to Poison who already got signed to Enigma.”
The phone rang again. Kit and Alexa exchanged a look. Alexa got up. “I’m gonna go change. I’ll catch up with you when you finish this call ‘cuz we know it’s not for me!”
Kit laughed and answered the phone. She spent a good forty minutes on a conference call with Pete and other assorted characters from Diamond Records. She hung up and buried her head in her hands. “Lex,” she yelled.
Alexa strolled out and looked at her. “What’s up?”
“Do you have plans tonight?”
“Nope.”
Her green eyes pleaded. “I need some girl time, like pronto.”
Alexa smiled. “You got it, gorgeous. Anything you want to do, we’ll do.”
Kit sat across from Alexa sipping a glass of sparkling water thirty minutes later at a back corner table in Café L.A. She prayed no one would recognize her. She was dressed casually, wearing a black baseball cap, her red locks carefully disguised and tied back into a ponytail. “This is getting ridiculous, Lex.”
“It will blow over. That was a huge deal and it hit the wire last night. It’s still fresh in everyone’s minds. We’ve been here a good twenty minutes and no one has recognized you. It’s fine.”
She sighed. “Lex, I’m not sure how I’m going to handle this with school and my management company. Never thought I’d be saying that, but it’s true. So many things are shifting in my life right now, Lex. So many things. It’s too much.” Her eyes welled up with tears and she rubbed her eyes.
Alexa was concerned. This was not normal behavior for her best friend. Kit was normally indestructible. “Wait, whoa, whoa. No tears, love. What’s going on? Are you really that overwhelmed?”
Kit shook her head. “No. I’m a bit disappointed that I’m going to hand off the management company day to day operations to Dante, for sure, but not sad. He’s good and very qualified. I know I can’t handle the workload anymore. I have too much to do with Gypsy Tango now. We’re due to start tracking in four weeks and I’m not sure how long that will take.
“Once I start class again in the fall session, I’ll be juggling GT while starting my third year. They’ll probably be headed out on their first world tour and I won’t be able to go. I’m supposed to meet up with the guys tomorrow to talk about getting a tour manager, but… I dunno. That’s so far ahead, but Diamond is pushing to schedule these things out. I’m thinking of taking off for the weekend. Getting out of dodge would be good to clear my head.”
Alexa stared at her. “Is it the overwhelm of the deal that’s getting to you? I understand that it’s pretty major, but c’mon, Kit, you had to expect one of your bands would pop this big at some point. You always knew GT was marked for success from the moment you saw Sully on stage at The Whisky.”
She sighed and swallowed hard. “Yep.”
Alexa frowned. “Kit… what is going on with you? C’mon something’s up. Are you and Sully having one of your little best friend tiffs again?”
She shook her head. “No. Worse.”
Alexa raised her eyebrows. “Worse?” The light bulb suddenly turned on in her head as her mouth dropped open. She covered her mouth and stared for a moment before continuing. “Oh shit, Kit. This is what you wanted to talk to me about last week when you were spacing out. You’ve done the unthinkable and have fallen for one of your artists. You’re in love with him.”
Kit slowly nodded her head and cast her eyes down. She tried to hold back her tears again as she pulled down the bill of her baseball cap and shriveled back into her chair. “I’m so screwed, Lex. It came out of nowhere. We were at Max’s party last week and I saw him with some random chick. I got super jealous and felt kinda hurt. I have no right to. It’s so weird… so messed up.”
She fingered the straw of her drink and continued. “We’ve been spending so much time together, we have such a great time, and now I have feelings for him. I’m screwed. We work together. He’s literally months away from becoming a big deal, international rock star. He’ll be able to have any woman he wants. Really, how can I compete with that when I’m at home hitting the books and he’s on the road?”
Alexa giggled. “Oh stop being so melodramatic. I think you should tell him. Maybe he feels the same way about you.”
Kit rolled her eyes. “Sully loves attention, especially from women. That’s why he hasn’t had a girlfriend since they’ve become super popular.”
She frowned. “You’ve been managing them and I’ve been promoting and booking them since they’ve become super popular. I know he doesn’t have a crush on me. He spends his free time with you and it’s a well-known fact he’s always had a crush on you. Remember? Joe told you that a while ago. Something to think about, girl.”
Kit wasn’t convinced. She folded her arms in front of her chest. “He certainly has a long line of groupies that he still seems completely entertained with.”
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe because he knows that he has no one to be loyal to, Kit. And also, groupies are groupies. Do you really think any of those girls that throw themselves at him like he’s some rock god mean anything to him? He doesn’t take them seriously. You know that. I think you should talk to him.”
Kit shook her head violently in protest. “No, not yet. I think I need to head to Santa B
arbara for the weekend where no one can get in touch with me. I need two days away. Two days with no ringing phones, no demands, just beautiful scenery, sun, margaritas by the pool, and sadly, a few law books.”
She sighed. “Ok. I’ll be your secretary while you’re gone because I can tell you that phone probably won’t stop ringing.”
Kit nodded. “Thank you. Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”
Alexa lay on the sofa watching MTV and was enjoying a fairly mellow Saturday afternoon with Wes while fielding calls for Kit. She was staring at the latest Heart video for ‘Never’ when the phone rang again. She answered it and recognized Sully’s familiar voice. “Ah, Mr. Foxx. How can I help you on this lovely Saturday?”
“Is Kit around?”
“Nope.”
“What’s she up to? Where’s she at?”
“She’s in an undisclosed location somewhere in California. I’m not at liberty to tell you. I’m just her secretary for the weekend.”
Sully was shocked. “What? Are you joking?”
Alexa laughed. “No. She was on the verge of serious burnout and needed a break. She took off for the weekend.”
“With who?”
“With her law books, Sully. She went by herself.”
“Is she ok?”
“Oh yeah, she’ll be fine.”
“Well, since she’s out of town…”
“Yes, Sull?”
“Can we meet up? I need your advice about something. Lunch, my treat?”
She chuckled. “Take me to dinner and you’ve got a deal. Wes is headed out to poker night with his buddies, Jimmy has a date, Max is working, and Kit’s out of town, so I’m solo.”
“You got it. Don’t go crazy and break the bank. I may drive an inherited Ferrari and signed an awesome record deal, but I’m no Wes Matthews. My advance doesn’t hit until next week. I’m still working with EP money. No Spago tonight, sweetie. Sorry.”
Alexa laughed. “Didn’t even cross my mind. Why don’t we keep it casual and eat at the café?”
