Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All names of characters are fictional and were made up. Please do not copy and plagiarize my work.
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New York City, New York
Shadows moved across the red brick wall pattern in the back of the room. Several outlines of people made it into a big blob with round shapes at the time in the form of heads. The sound of hands clapping followed with cheers that were louder than any small talk made by strangers in the crowd. All attention was focused on the lone man standing on the stage. A smile ran across his lips as he nodded to the crowd. Behind him was a neon sign glowing in green and blue colors in the shape of a martini glass and waving hand. The decorations were put up at the last minute to make up for the lack of lights above the stage. All that mattered to the select guests in the audience was that DJ Trent Mack was in the house for tonight only.
Born and raised in Harlem, Trent had made a name for himself thanks to family connections in New York's elite circles. He wasn't searching for fame or money. All of it was easy for him to overlook from being born in a family that already had status. His dark skin was visible under the neon lights that made his white pinstripe suit glow. Underneath the jacket was a blue shirt and white tie. Someone commented earlier in the night that he was dressed for eighties night despite picking hits from only twenty years ago. In front of him on the stage was a workstation with vinyls, a keyboard, and a microphone. He was paid a few thousand dollars for this gig at a private club in the middle of the big city. All the guests were by invitation only. It came down to knowing a special someone who rubbed shoulders in elite social circles.
The crowd was made up of less than twenty people. Everyone who managed to get in from the guarded front entrance was connected in some form or another to the film or music industry. Elite social circles in New York were comprised of people with deep pockets in real estate, fashion, or another industry connected to entertainment. Trent had been hired out to many parties throughout the years for the rich and famous. Every last one of them was behind closed doors at a place where paparazzi photographers couldn't find them. Some people liked to joke that the locations for these events were hidden in plain sight. Tonight's event was upstairs in an apartment building in the Lower Manhattan area. A smaller room was ideal for a party with few guests. Drinks were served on the far side of the room away from the stage near a wall of four blue velvet couches that were lined together.
Outside the room, there was a different booming sound that didn't belong to any bass enhanced speakers. Jennifer Lopez stomped her heels across the white tiles. She held her head high with blonde locks at the end of her brunette hair waving past her ears. Below her face was a gold necklace that matched a bracelet on her left wrist. She wore a buttoned-up, collared white shirt under a black jacket. It matched with a pair of stonewashed blue jeans that hugged every curve of her marvelous legs. Her legendary booty was hidden by the ends of the jacket extending below her waist. It was unzipped, showing off her shirt. The first three buttons were undone to give a subtle hint of cleavage. Her casual outfit would've been complete with a pair of sunglasses during the day. They were not needed at this time of night.
As she shoved her phone into her right pants pocket, Jennifer felt confident about tonight. Last year was a roller coaster ride for her. It started with the highs of releasing a new album, documentary, and musical film to go along with it. By summertime, Jennifer expected to be on tour. She found herself in a divorce as she split from her recent husband, Ben Affleck. Just like all those other times when she married, Jennifer expected it to last forever only to be disappointed. She fell back on a film project to keep her mind off the pain. At the end of the year, she was feeling fearless to go out into the world. After the split from Ben, Jennifer moved back to her home of New York. She spent a few months calling people and putting the word out in social circles that she wanted to be here instead of living in L.A. Now that she was fifty-five years old, Jennifer thought it was best to go back home instead of hanging onto past glory in California.
Men came and went in her life, always leaving her in the end. With this recent divorce, Jennifer had plenty of time to sit in solitude and think about her life. Many mistakes had been made over the course of her life. She believed that her biggest weakness was falling in love too fast. Some of her close friends had criticized her approach to relationships in the way she liked to tie them into her career. But that was a deliberate choice that gave Jennifer much pride. As the months went by, she thought it was best to approach dating again with the purpose of a rebound. For once in her life, Jennifer was afraid of how this would end. Her greatest fear was approaching the age of sixty without a companion to live with. Friends had tried to set her up with dates around Christmas and New Years Eve, but they didn't go far beyond talking.
Jennifer knew when a man was worthy of her time. Love at first sight was something she believed in. Some men had a look to them that captivated her. She dismissed her friends' attempts to set her up with dates. Jennifer believed that once she found the right man, it would come naturally. Maybe she would meet someone tonight who was worth this long trip across Long Island. She was already thinking about the drive back to her Hamptons mansion. Upon reaching the door into the party, Jennifer gripped the knob and welcomed herself in as a new song began to play. She glanced across the room, smiling at the people dancing. She recognized several people who were unaware of her presence so far. A tall black man greeted her with a smile. She returned the favor, stepping past him. As she located the bar, Jennifer strutted her way to the small drink stand. A young, blonde haired woman in a black dress was the bartender of the night.
"Want a drink?"
Shaking her head, Jennifer smiled before replying.
"Not yet, I just got here. What kind of drinks are you making?"
"Everything you could ask for with a dosage of fine alcohol."
The bartender giggled at her words. Jennifer stood there for a moment looking at the row of bottles sitting on a counter behind the girl. All the usual poisons from whiskey to vodka and gin. Since she had just arrived at the party, Jennifer wasn't in the mood for a drink. No martini or cocktail for her. As she stood at the bar, another woman came to greet her.
"Jennifer! You made it!"
The voice came from Rita, one of her longtime assistants who worked with her agent. Jennifer smiled and greeted her friend with a hug. The other woman was full-figured with long, curly black hair and brown eyes. She wore a black dress with silver glitter that flashed under the lights.
"Hey Rita! I told you I was coming tonight. I needed to get out of the house and have a little fun."
"You came at the right time. Trent's already gone through three or four songs. He's getting the room all worked up. Maybe he'll play one of your songs now that you're here."
She blushed, laughing at her friend.
"I would love that, but not sure I want to take the spotlight tonight."
Rita looked at her funny, rolling her eyes.
"Don't say that, Jennifer. You are by far the most famous person in this room. If anyone should be on stage, it should definitely be you."
While they stood there, Jennifer noticed the couches off to the side near the wall. There was a slim man sitting alone wearing a pair of black pants and a gray T-shirt. His hair was brown, extending slightly past the tip of his ears. Jennifer locked eyes with him as she noticed that star-struck expression on his face. She knew that look all too well from fans who were shocked to be within the same room as her. Raising her left hand, she smiled wide as she waved at the man. He swallowed his breath and returned the smile, waving his hand.
"Come on, Jen! Trent ain't gonna see you from way back here!"
Rita yelled as she took Jennifer's left hand and pulled her towards the crowd.
"We don't have to be in a rush."
Jennifer sighed in frustration after her reply. She didn't even have a moment to study the man's face, but she found him alluring. Whoever he was, Jennifer hoped he would still be in the back of the room by the time she returned. Rita dragged her through the small crowd of people until they reached the front of the stage, then she let go of Jennifer's hand. Trent was dancing in front of his table with both hands hovering over the controls while an instrumental song played. It was difficult to make out what the song was with R&B style beats and piano. Rita clapped her hands together and whistled to get the man's attention.
"Yo Trent! Look! Look who's here!"
She pointed a finger towards Jennifer and finally caught the man's eye. Trent's eyes widened for a moment before he gasped and smiled. He reached for the microphone attached to the workstation and pulled it from the handle with his right hand.
"We've got a special guest in the house tonight! Jenny from the block has come to see us!"
No matter how many times she was called by that nickname, it had Jennifer blushing now. She laughed, smiling wide as Trent stepped by and offered her a hand to pull her up on the stage. Some people clapped, others cheered. The reaction wasn't as loud due to the small size of the crowd. Jennifer ignored his hand and instead walked around the side of the stage where she could help herself climbing the small steps. Old friends from years gone by hugged. Trent leaned in, whispering into Jennifer's right ear,
'It's been a long time, Jenny. I was hoping you'd show up, I've got something for you'
, she pulled away from him to reply.
"What do you have?"
He stepped back to the workstation and grabbed a stack of vinyl records off to the left side. He shuffled through them until he stopped on a black record with a red sticker in the middle. It was her single release of 'Get Right'.
"I've got the instrumental on the B-side if you want to sing it."
Without any question, Jennifer nodded to answer his question. This was happening so fast, only minutes since stepping in the room, but she felt energetic about this.
