Sully met Spencer’s eyes, feeling a moment of intense gravity for his actions. The clarity was startlingly sobering. “I deserved everything you said.”
Seeing that Spencer remained unfazed, he became more desperate and his tone attempted to persuade and plead with his brother-in-law. “Spence, just give me another shot. I can quit the blow once I’m done with the tour. Out here on the road, it’s just… this tour is hell on earth. You know that. It’s constant. It doesn’t stop and I honestly don’t know how to handle it. I know that’s no excuse. I am sorry. I am. I need help.”
Spencer’s blue-green eyes narrowed. “Sorry isn’t going to cut it this time, Sully, ‘cuz I don’t really feel like you mean it. Not now. It’s way too late for that. You’ve done this to Kit over and over again. Was there ever a time when you weren’t fucking someone behind her back on a tour or using?
Sully shook his head and held his hand up to interject. “Hey now, wait. Ok, yes, I messed up and I kissed a groupie. I’m sorry and I’m not proud of that momentary lapse in judgment. But, you gotta hear me Spence, I never screwed around on Kit before and I told Kit that the other day too. I’m not fucking anyone else nor have I been. I think there’s a big misunderstanding going on here. When I kissed that groupie it was an isolated incidence and it was severely poor judgment. Believe me, I wish I could take it back. And yeah, maybe I have been off the chain with the drugs this tour. I’m human, Spence.”
His steel-blue eyes narrowed. “Put yourself in my shoes for a minute, ok? You sit back in your cushy corner office everyday negotiating deals. You maybe work about ten hours, maybe sixteen if things are crazy. You travel on your schedule. You get to be in either New York or L.A. consistently. And you get to wake up in your own bed a fair amount of time.
Incensed, he shook his head and stood up. “Try being in a different city every fucking day. One fucking hotel room after another. Try getting up on stage almost every night when you don’t feel like it. Try walking out to your limousine and getting mobbed by fans and getting your hair pulled out because they want a lock of it or getting mobbed by them when security can’t get their shit together. Try that, Spence, and see how you do. I get it, I signed up for this. I did.”
His eyes met Spencer’s again. “Yes, my coping mechanisms probably aren’t the best, but I’ve got a show to do. And I’m seeing this tour through. There’s more on the line than my ego here. Do you get that?”
He took one step forward and looked intently at Spencer. “This tour employs a team of eighty-seven people. If we cut it off, the majority of those people stop getting a paycheck. Some of ‘em are barely making it. Some of ‘em have families to provide for—they send money home every week.”
He shook his head and huffed. “So yeah, we may lose millions if we stop tomorrow, but what about them, Spence, huh? Gypsy Tango isn’t just a band, we’re a machine and an employer. We have a responsibility to our fans and our team. And I take that really seriously. So if you’re gonna condemn me for that—fine. Fuck it. Go ahead. The show must go on… at least for the next three months.”
Spencer stared at him, startled by his outburst. He shook his head and continued. “Listen, buddy, where’s my sister in all this? It’s always been about you. Never about her. You were always giving her such a hard time for not being on the road with you or giving her a hard time for taking her career seriously and not being at your beck and call while you can’t keep blow out of your nose or keep your dick in your pants. You even went as far as taking on a side slice on this tour and you can’t even fess up to that. She deserves better, Sully. I’m sorry I trusted you with her. It’s not right. And we’re done here. I meant what I said earlier. Get the hell out!”
He glared. “Looks like my dad was right when he kicked your ass out that first time you came to our house.”
As the last words rolled off Spencer’s tongue, Sully felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. He couldn’t wipe the stunned look from his face. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn’t speak or move, he was frozen. Before he could interject, the sound of Sean’s knock on the door jolted him back to the present moment.
Sully swallowed hard, wiped a warm, stray tear and shook his head as he started for the door. He glanced back at Spencer one last time. “I’m sorry, Spence. I really am, but I think you need to get your facts straight.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “A side slice? Are you implying that I have a girlfriend out here on the road? Now you’re the one talking crazy. You’ve got some incorrect info there. Do I deny the drug use? No, I don’t. But don’t go saying I can’t keep my dick in my pants. All I did was kiss that groupie. That’s all.”
He opened the door and headed into the hallway with Sean hearing the door click closed behind him. He took a few steps and then stopped. “I just need a minute, Sean.”
Sean tapped his watch. “We don’t have a fucking minute, Foxx.”
Sully looked at him and glared. He raised his voice. “Gimme a fucking minute, I said!” He
