He chuckled. “I expected to get a decent, well put together song from you that I could show off to the board and say ‘See, we’re giving her a deal ‘cuz she’s a decent artist. She gets it. She can take this and run with it for all our artists.’”
Unable to keep his enthusiasm under wraps, he became more animated, his eyes twinkling again. “But then you go and blow that idea out of the water! I hear it and I know—I fucking know, kid, it’s lightening in a bottle and I had to push it out. I couldn’t wait. Not even one hot second. I’ve been doing this for almost forty years, Kit. Forty goddam years. And when I hear magic, I hear it and I act on it.”
He stared deeply into her eyes. “Artists like you don’t come around often, y’know. I know it’s scary for you, but please keep going. Use the name Kit-Kat. It’s catchy. People will remember it.”
He waved his hand. “You can train someone to replace you as CEO eventually. Jonathan can help you with that. We’ll get the board to vote you in tomorrow. You pretty much know what the CEO position entails anyway. You’ll come back from medical leave in two weeks and we’ll get that transition started. And in the meantime, you can take it easy and allow creative ideas to start brewing.” He chuckled and rubbed his hands together.
She grinned, allowing herself to get excited about the possibility knowing she could ease her way into the pool. She found herself suddenly conspiring with him, getting drawn in, catching his infectious enthusiasm.
Her green eyes lit up. “I have so many ideas, Lew! I don’t think I’ll be able to fully kick back. I want to keep going while the inspiration is here.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Suit yourself, but promise me that you will take a vacation before you come back from medical leave.”
She nodded. “Deal.”
He grinned. “Good. Now, I want to be clear with you on my intentions. Initially, I know we talked development deal with Spencer, but I’ve changed my mind. I’d like you to think album.”
She felt her stomach drop. She hadn’t expected to hear that from him. An album was a big commitment and while she knew she had enough existing material to fill half of it, she wasn’t clear if it was going in the right direction. She knew the process—an album meant a tour too. Her eyes widened, feeling like it was all too much too soon.
He chuckled, as he shook his head and wagged his finger at her. “And before you get ready to shoot me down on that idea, hear me out. We’ll work a one album deal. That way, you’ll be in a power position after that to shop. As one of my last acting motions as chairman, I’d like to see this to fruition. Just like with the single, I’ll be your executive producer. Jonathan had a contract drawn up for you that outlines the terms I just shared with you. You’ll be reviewing that now in detail with him and Spencer. And yes, you can negotiate, but please, kid, don’t bust our balls on it.”
She shook her head. “Seriously? This is a full blown record deal? Lew, have you lost your mind? Have the bubbles in your sparkling water gone to your head?”
He chuckled. “Kitten, it’s one album. The contract is generous. Promos, touring, videos, all that will be negotiable. We’ll work it out.” He met her eyes. “I think you know how to do that pretty well.”
She sighed. “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
He chuckled. “Don’t say anything, then, yet. Let’s get everyone else in here and figure out some angles. We’ve got some points to discuss so that Jonathan and I can have our guns fully loaded when we go into that board meeting tomorrow. Can you stay in New York for a few days? I’d like for us to have some studio time and get cracking on the tracks for your album. You can show me what you’re thinking for ‘Bye, Bye, Baby.’ We’ll put it on the album, your version. The way it should have been originally until RCA fucked it up. As far as your career as an artist, I’ll be guiding you along every step of the way. This time, Kitten, you’ll have full support. Kit-Kat will be a phenomenal success.” He met her eyes and nodded.
She smiled. “Thank you. I would absolutely be happy to stay in town. And I’d love to run some of my other songs by you if you’re game. I’ve got quite a few that I’ve written over the years and recently too already in the hopper.”
He winked. “I’d love that. We’ll do that tomorrow. If it’s anything like the ones you showed me in the hospital, this is gonna be one helluva album!”
Her head bobbed enthusiastically. “I don’t know that I would have ever done the single if it wasn’t for your nudge.”
He laughed. “Is that your nice way of saying that I kicked you in the patoot?” He shook his head, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. He hadn’t enjoyed himself like this in ages and he forgot how much he enjoyed Kit’s
