Chapter 1.
Justin.
I was on to my fifth drink and my head had started feeling dizzy. I couldn’t see straight, just blurry lines that seemed to mix with my vision. Every time I picked up the glass I missed it at least one time before.
I usually didn’t drink this much, I was a moderate drink despite the numerous things that people claiming to have known me had written. But tonight was different, tonight I wanted to splurge and let myself loose. For once in my life I wanted to feel free because I could.
It all began earlier that week, or at least I think it did. It could have begun earlier but I don’t know and I really don’t think I wanted to. I had lived in this rose coloured world, where everything seemed perfect. I had the career I had always wanted and the woman I had always desired.
But then, about a week ago, when I knew I was going to be able to have at least three days break from the tour I called her. Told her I was coming home for a few days so we could spend some time together. I thought she would be excited, but she wasn’t and it kind of threw me.
But I brushed it off, told myself that she was tired and exhausted from working so much and decided to come home anyways. I wish I hadn’t. I wish I had taken her advice and stayed on that damn tour bus, carried on to the next city. At least then I wouldn’t even have found out about any of this. I would still be living in my rose coloured world.
I could hear Trace mutter some incoherencies in my ear as I took a sip of my drink, and rolled my eyes at him before he rudely shoved me in the ribs and caused me to look his way.
“What is it?” I grumbled and Trace laughed a bit at the sound of my voice before nodding in the direction of the door. I never liked it when he did that, the whole nodding at the door thing because usually I’d turn around and face something I was dreading.
“That,” Trace replied and let out a low whistle. I rolled my eyes, and turned back to my drink. “Come on man.”
“What?” I asked him and glared at him, I didn’t much care for Jennifer Hudson. Yeah she had a great voice, but the girl needed to think about her body image, after all she was trying to be famous.
“Come on you can’t tell me that…” Trace began and I cut him off.
“Yeah I can,” I interrupted and took a sip of my drink before glancing in her direction. “She’s got a great voice, but that body…”
“Oh shut up,” Trace snapped and grabbed my hand, “Let’s go over.”
“What?” I asked, and shook my head trying to rip away from his grasp. “No way. What for?”
“Just to be friendly,” Trace grinned and began pulling me off my stool as his grip on my arm tightened. “Besides I need a piece of ass tonight.” I rolled my eyes at his vulgarity and reluctantly tagged along as he led us to where Jennifer and other woman were seated. “Care if we join you?”
Jennifer looked up and shrugged but her friend smiled, and nudged her before answering, “Sure thing.”
“Great!” Trace replied, and I groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long ass night; I needed another God damned drink.
Waking up with a bitch of a hangover is like hell froze over. Even opening my eyes was painful. And the ringing of the phone did not help any. I groaned and reached over groggily, taking two turns to pick up the phone.
“’Lo?” I asked, groggily, I was still under the covers and had my eyes still half closed.
“Where the hell are you?” Johnny’s voice boomed in my ears, so loudly that I nearly jumped out of bed. “It’s eleven am. You were supposed to be down here at seven for an interview.”
I groaned, and managed to roll over onto my back, throwing the covers away from my body, I hadn’t realized I had over slept.
“Sorry,” I grumbled and struggled to sit up, rubbing my eyes with my free hand as I did so.
“Sorry? Do you know how bad this is going to make us look?” Johnny asked, there was an icy and angry tone in his voice. “Get your ass down here. We have damage to control.”
I didn’t even have time to put one letter together before the line went dead. I stared at the phone for a moment, trying to put things together before there was a loud banging on my door.
“Kid?” It was Tiny, my bodyguard, and he did not sound at all like his usual friendly self, I knew I was in big ass shit. “Johnny just called me, you need to get out of bed, like now!” He didn’t need to tell me twice, I was out of bed faster than you could blink.
So my vision of damage control and Johnny’s vision of damage control were two totally different things, here I was thinking I got my ass busted for being late when in reality I was getting busted for the previous night’s activities. Thanks a lot Trace.
I walked down the hall behind Johnny, keeping my head low of embarrassment as we walked past many JIVE employees and visitors. They all knew, they knew about everything I had a feeling that this was going to be something that would rock my socks off.
Johnny made a quick left hand turn, causing me to stumble a bit as I followed behind him and through one of the many doors that lined the corridor.
“Good morning,” Johnny stated as we entered the brightly lit room, and I squinted under my sunglasses, still recovering from my hangover.
“Good morning.” Two vaguely familiar voices responded, and I glanced up briefly, only to be met with a pair of brown eyes. Jennifer’s brown eyes to be exact. I inwardly groaned, and made a beeline for the other end of the table, plonking myself down in one of the plush red chairs, pulling my cap further down my face and not saying a word.
“I’m glad we could get together on such a short notice,” Johnny smiled and he too sat down in one of the chairs, folding him arms before him on the table, “But unfortunately we have an image to clean up. Don’t we?”
He glared at me, and I realised then he still hadn’t forgotten about my previous escapades. I felt myself turning bright red and sinking further into the chair, before Jennifer interrupted.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “But why am I here?”
“Well,” Johnny began and glanced again in my direction. I groaned inwardly and hid further down my chair, “Marcus and I have been contacting each other back and forth to come up with a solution to help with Justin. And we think you can help.”
That’s when I think the whole room went dead silent, and I heard Jennifer suck in a breath, but it could have been me. How could she help me?
“What? How?” she asked, clearly as shocked as I was. I thought this was supposed to be a damage control meeting. Not a ‘let’s save Justin’ meeting.
“A two year deal,” Johnny stated, and glanced at me as I knew what he was talking about. I looked at him bewildered for a moment and then looked at Jennifer; she looked as confused as me. How would this help me? “A two year marriage deal.”
“WHAT?”
Jennifer.
This past year had been crazy traveling back and forth between Chicago and L.A. Kia my assistant/best friend convinced me to head down to the bar after my press interviews in the Beverly Hotel.
I had been having anxiety about my new album and about whether I would be successful after the hype of Dreamgirls and winning the Oscar. It was as if everyone was looking at me asking; “will she sell as many as Beyonce?” “Does she have the look for the music industry?” It was just like Effie. Being Dubbed the Princess of Soul. It was a lot of pressure on me. Plus filming movies and traveling the world it had been a stressful time, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything the world; it’s what I wanted to do. So maybe I needed to be let loose and have some fun, but not too much.
I was never the partying type, but this place was okay. The music was nice and low, and cute couples sat in the booths making me think of my past relationships
“Girl let loose relax,” Kia said as she led us to a booth in the back corner, noticing my tenseness.
“Well you know I'm not into the party scene...it's just the record label has been on my back about losing more weight...” I began and Kia turned to give me the eye.
“Jenn forget them OK? You have the voice; you’re a voluptuous sexy woman. You don't need to shake your booty just to sell records.” I laughed at her reference, Kia always knew how to cheer me up even back home in Chicago.
Kia and I had lived next door to each other along with my other best friend Crystal, who lived across the street. We were the three little divas, or so my mother called us.
The waiter came over and took our drink orders
“Kia you’re right but part of me just... I don't know may have some insecurities,” I sighed but Kia was looking towards the bar not paying attention to anything I was saying. “KIA!?”
“Girl look isn't that Justin Timberlake?” Kia asked, suddenly grabbing my arm, I sighed and looked over to where she was pointing.
“Yea I think so,” I answered and heard Kia sigh, I rolled my eyes at her.
“His friend is cute,” she pointed out and I just nodded.
“Hmm...” I answered, too busy drinking my coke and not really bothered, until she grabbed my arm again.
“Look they're coming over here. How does my hair look?” she asked. I turned to look and sure enough they were walking over.
It was a cloudy Monday morning. I had just flown in from New York the day before and was still recovering from the jet lag, going out the night before hadn’t helped at all.
Marcus had told me we were having meeting that I assumed it was about my up and coming album. We drove to the front of Jive Record label and got out of the car.
“Why are we here?” I asked as I followed Marcus to the building doors.
“A meeting,” was all Marcus said. I trusted him so I didn't question it further. We entered the building and headed up to the fifth floor and into a board room. Ten minutes later Johnny Wright walked in, with Justin Timberlake right behind him.
“Good Morning,” Johnny said with a smile.
“Good Morning,” Marcus and I said at the same time, as I wondered what was going on. Justin walked around to the other side of the large round table across from Marcus and me. He looked like he had a rough night and I understood why, the way he’d been packing on the drinks the night before.
He had on large aviator sun glasses; he hadn't shaved in three weeks, a plaid shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and dark blue jeans. He just sat their looking at me. I’d met Justin once at a Grammy party, and he’d seemed nice. You know the causal "hey, nice to meet you" but today he seemed cold and bitter.
“I'm glad we could get together on such short notice, but we have and image to clean up don't we?? Johnny asked as he turned to Justin who turned beet red, confusing me so much that I had to speak up before any of this got any further.
“I don't mean to interrupt but why am I here?” I asked looking at both Johnny and Marcus.
“Marcus and I have been contacting each other back and forth to come up with a solution to help with Justin. And we think you can help,” Johnny began and suddenly things slowly began falling into place.
You see after Justin brought sexy back he was over whelmed with the success of his album and the tour, he also fell in love with the hottest actress Jessica Biel. She seemed somewhat of a butt head to me (everything looks good but her head). Anyway he took a break to spend more time with her, and well while in Vegas Jessica ended up hooking up with her ex. Justin found out through a text message. Well that was the story I heard from Kia. Justin therefore turned to alcohol for comfort.
“How?” I asked curiously hoping my thoughts would be wrong for once.
“A 2 year deal,” Johnny said and the whole room went quiet, waiting for him to continue. “A 2 year marriage deal."
“WHAT!!!”
Story Notes:
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Author's Chapter Notes:
here's a new story i colaborated with another author on this... so please enjoy and let us know what you think....
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