Collaboration

Collaboration 4

*NOTE* I do not claim to know the celebrities mentioned below or their sexual preferences. This fictional story was written solely for entertainment purposes only and does NOT imply the sexual preferences of said celebrities or anything about their personal lives. Enjoy!

Nelly grabbed his hotel key and his two-way as they made their way out to the long corridor and walked towards the elevator. On the way down, they saw a couple of people but no one recognized them. Both men were busy writing to other people on their phones to notice anyway and they were grateful that no one noticed them even when they made their way through the lobby and out to their awaiting black limo. They hopped in as Nelly told the driver where they would be headed. They felt the car shift gears and began to slowly roll out of the parking lot. It was dark outside as Nelly put his phone away and stared out the tinted window. Murphy Lee closed his two-way and looked as his close friend.

"You sure something`s not bothering you man?" he asked.

"Naw nigga. Everything's fine. I just need to unwind I guess."

"Well that's what this party is for. And maybe you could get yo ass some pussy tonight."

"We'll see," Nelly let out a slight laugh.

The rest of the ride was spent discussing Nelly's new album and the tracks he already laced down while being in Los Angeles. He was very tense but tried not to show it. Thoughts of his night and dream with T.I. gradually seeped back into his mind as he began to feel his balls tingle. He had to shift his body and start thinking about something else so his best friend wouldn't see him sporting a rock hard dick. He needed some release bad as he heard the driver announce that they were there.

"Come on man let's go!" Murphy Lee said, like an excited child.

"Thanks man," Nelly said as he tipped the driver. "I`ll call you when we're done here."

He saw the driver nod as the black limo pulled away and then he and Murphy Lee were surrounded by blinding lights. The paparazzi were everywhere snapping photographs and shouting out questions. Nelly and Murphy Lee smiled for a couple of shots as they made their way down the bright red carpet. They then stopped to talk to a couple of reporters, which Nelly dreaded. What if someone found out about the kiss? What if someone saw him and T.I.? What would he say to the fans?

"Hey Nelly you`re looking as sharp as ever," one of the reporters said. "You look great as well Murphy. You mind a couple of questions Nelly?"

"Not a problem."

"Ay I'll meet you inside aight?" Murphy Lee whispered in his ear.

"Aight I'll catch ya."

"So Nelly," the reporter from ET went on, "I hear there's a new album in the works. What can you tell your fans about it?"

"Well it's still in the early stages of production. That's the whole reason I'm in L.A. actually. I`ve been up till all hours of the morning recording tracks."

"Alright sounds good. So what can we expect from this album?"

"Well I'm taking it in a whole new direction that I'm sure the fans will grasp. But like I said, it's still in the early stages of development so it won't be out for a while."

"Well sounds good. One more question. I hear that there's a tour in the works. What can you tell us about that?"

"Well nothing's set in stone but we're planning a little something for the fans. You know we gotta give back to the people who makes us who we are."

"Okay enjoy yourself tonight!"

"I will," he smiled his sexy smile and continued down the red carpet and into the exclusive Spyder Club.

He felt a great relief as he entered the club. He may have seemed calm on the outside with the reporter but on the inside, he was shaking like a leaf. He was able to put his fears and feelings to rest as he began to mingle with his celebrity friends. This was a party after all and he was going to have fun whether he liked it or not. He walked to the growing crowd, looking for Murphy Lee, but found himself in front of the bar. Deciding that a drink or two would make him loosen up and enjoy the party more, he approached the bar.

"Yea durrty let me get a Coke & Rum on the rocks," he said to the bartender, who looked too young to be serving alcohol.

The bartender obliged as Nelly thanked him as he disappeared back into the crowd. The music was pulsing in his ears as he went to find Murphy Lee. The Spyder Club was packed with celebrities as Nelly started to feel all of his anxiety slowly slipping away. He finished his drink in record time and went to a yet another bartender to get another one. He still didn't know where his best friend was but he was finally beginning to enjoy himself. He was asked to dance by one of his fans and he obliged. They danced two songs until the music stopped. Everything stopped. The lights were out and there was only the sound of people's concern as the stage became the center of attention. The stage was lit all around with bright lights and on either side of it, two large black panthers stood in their cages, watching intently at the crowd. Their golden eyes glistening along with the lights as a figure slowly emerged in the center of the stage.

"Welcome all my friends," Diddy said to his guests. "I'm glad you all could be here to celebrate my successful clothing line."

"Now, there's good food, good drink, and a good time to be had! And remember this is a Diddy party so remember to keep it fresh and sexy!"

"Now to get this party started right how `bout a live performance huh? Well, since I didn't book anyone, how `bout I just find one now?"

"How `bout you serenade us Alicia," he motioned towards Alicia Keys.

"Maybe later Puff," she said as she smiled.

"Oh ok! I'm gonna hold you to that!" he said as he continued to scan the crowd. "What about you Jay? You gonna come out of retirement for me?"

"Nah man. I'm just here to relax," Jay-Z replied.

"Oh come on man, it's all in good fun. Oh how `bout my boy Nelly. I hear you got a new album in the works. How `bout you give us a sneak preview."

"I dunno man," Nelly modestly said.

"Come on you can't say no to ya boy."

"Well since you put it that way then how can I refuse?"

Nelly put his drink down on the bar and made his way through the crowd and onto the stage. He took Diddy's extended hand and grabbed the mogul into a hug. Puffy jumped off the stage with an excited look on his face as Nelly reached for a mic. Most of his inhibitions were gone due to the alcohol but he didn't care because he was in a room with friends and colleagues. He did not know how, but the beat to one of his recorded tracks came blasting through the radio and he looked at Diddy, who winked at him. He just decided to go with the flow after that as he began to perform. As he was performing he noticed that the song was received well by the audience so he was thinking in the back of his mind to make this his first single, but that was still a ways off.

Towards the end of the performance, Nelly's heart skipped a beat as he saw T.I. enter through the back of the room. He stared at the younger rapper until T. I. figured out what was going on. He met Nelly's gaze with one of his own as Nelly finished his impromptu performance. He stood on stage and held the gaze for a while until he heard the crowd's applause. He looked at Diddy, who smiled at him and once again looked toward the back of the room, but didn't see who he was looking for. He hopped off the stage to be greeted by fans as he made his way to the bar to get another drink. He sat at the bar for a minute to regain his breath when he saw Diddy coming towards him.

"Ay man that was off the damn hook," he yelled as he grabbed Nelly into a hug. "Thanks for doing it."

"Not a problem man."

Diddy sat next to him at the bar as he ordered a drink for himself. The two men talked for a while on what was going on in their lives, upcoming projects, and things of that nature until a female fan pulled Puffy out onto the dance floor. Nelly still sat there and just stared at the panthers. He was glad he came to this party and also glad that he performed. His heart was still beating fast and he felt the adrenaline rush through his blood as he sat at the bar. He was asked to dance several times but denied it. He wanted to go looking for T.I. to try and explain his actions but then he didn't. What would he say to him? He liked it and he did all he could do not to do it again. He still didn't know where Murphy Lee was as he took out his two-way and began typing a message to him.

"That was some performance shawty," T.I. said as Nelly turned around to face him.

"Thanks," he said, a little shocked and nervous.

"So is this party crazy or what?"

"Yea. You know how Diddy do it."

"You here by yourself?"

"Naw! I came with my boy. Why?"

"Just making conversation shawty."

"Oh. Listen can we go somewhere and talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"What happened the other day."

"Oh! Aight let's go."

Nelly got up and both men inconspicuously disappeared from the party. The exited the back way and came out onto an alley. Neither man knew where they were going until T.I. suggested that they go back to his hotel room so no one would see them together. They stayed in the shadows as T.I. figured out where they were. He stared off into the distance for a while and finally spoke.

"We can walk to my hotel from here. It`s like five minutes away but we'll have to stay in the back alleys."

"Sounds like a plan."

T.I. began to walk towards his hotel as Nelly began to follow him. Both man said nothing as they continued to hide in the shadows until they came up to the rear entrance to T.I.'s hotel. The slipped into the hotel unnoticed and quickly walked towards the elevator. Both men still said nothing as they rode the elevator to the very top floor. They found themselves in front of a grand door that T.I. opened with a swipe of his card and walked into his suite. Nelly followed and shut the door behind him. T.I.'s room was as huge as his with stellar views of the ocean.

"This is some room," Nelly tried to break the awkward silence between them.

"Yea it is. Go ahead and make yourself at home shawty," T.I. said as he went into another room.

Nelly walked over to one of the many windows of the suite and looked outside at the ocean. It glistened under the moonlight as he began to get butterflies in his stomach. He was nervous and a bit scared. He didn't quite know how to explain himself to the younger rapper. As much as he tried he couldn't read him. T.I. kept all of his feelings and emotions guarded carefully and Nelly was having a hard time breaking through those barriers. On the outside it seemed like nothing happened between them as Nelly became increasingly nervous. He continued to stare out at the ocean, grasping for words or things to say to explain himself but nothing came up. He figured that he would just go along with the conversation as best he could and see where things went from there. He wasn't even aware as T.I. made his way back into the room.

"You aight?"

"Yea I'm good."

"You want a beer or something?"

"Nah I'm fine."

"So why'd we come up here?" T.I. eyed Nelly.

"Listen the whole studio thing was my fault man. I don't know what happened."

"Oh. So you never did answer me. Why did you do it?"

"Uh," Nelly said as he turned to face T.I., "I don't know."

"Well did you like it?"

"Yea. You?"

"It was different."

"Oh."

"Well the real reason I called you up here was to tell you that I have been thinking about that and you a lot. I`m confused as hell as to what to do but I know one thing, I can't sacrifice my career for this."

"Oh."

"I've worked long and hard for my career and I don't want anything to happen to it. So I think it's best if we just don't go there.," T.I. said with a serious expression on his face.

"Yea this is the best thing for both of us because I don`t want to lose my career either."

"Yea, our careers are important to both of us so we have to put everything else aside and just deal with that."

Both men continued to talk a little while longer about their careers and their lyrics until Nelly finally decided to leave. It was getting late and he had some things to take care of tomorrow so he got up and T.I. got up as well, to walk him to the door. He saw T.I. that extended his hand so he shook it. They stared at each other for a while until Nelly finally left. T.I. shut the door behind him and stared off into space.

"Damn!" he said under his breath.

Nelly silently made his way out of the hotel and back to Diddy's party, which was still going strong. On the walk back, he called and told his driver that he was ready to leave. He knew he was doing the right thing by agreeing with T.I. because if what happened between them got out, it would be career sabotage. He was slightly depressed as he made his way inside the Spyder Club and went to get another drink. He sat at the bar and reached for his cell when Murphy Lee came up besides him and sat.

"Where you been man?" he asked, out of breath.

"Oh I was around durrty," Nelly lied.

"Well I saw the performance. It was off the hook!"

"Well you know how I do. Listen I'ma head out, I got some stuff to do tomorrow ya know."

"Already? Well I wanna stay so I'll just rent a hotel across the street or something."

"Aight man I'm out."

The two men got up and hugged as Nelly went outside to check if his limo was there and it was. He hopped in and quickly shut the door as he told the driver to take him back to his hotel. During the ride to the hotel, his two-way rang a couple of times but he didn't feel like talking to anyone so he just turned it off. He leaned back and rested his head on the seat. He was exhausted. He knew that it had to be this way but he didn't want it to be. And he knew T.I. felt the same way. They were connected and he almost couldn't take it when the reality of their chat hit him. He quickly crossed the vast lobby of his hotel and cursed under his breath because the elevator didn't go up as fast as he wanted it too. He slammed the door to his hotel suite shut and threw everything from his pockets onto the bed. He took his shoes and socks off and then his shirt. He needed a shower in the worst possible way. He needed to wash all the stress and anxiety of the day off of himself.

Nelly adjusted the water to the hottest temperature it would go without burning him as he began to inhale steam. He slipped out of his boxers and stepped into his sauna-like shower. He immediately moaned as the hot water crashed onto his face and body. After about ten minutes of just standing under the showerhead, he began to feel all his muscles relaxing as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tiled wall. He tried his best to feel calm and relaxed but then he remembered why he was doing this and he punched the tiled wall with all of his fury. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his knuckle and saw that it was busted open. Blood mixed with water and quickly made its way down the drain as Nelly began to rub his hand. The cut wasn't deep but it was noticeable as he began to clean it out with the hot water.

He wrapped a towel around his waist as he went over to the medicine cabinet and found a first aide kit. He took it into his bedroom and threw it on the bed as he took the towel off and began drying himself. He slipped on a clean pair of boxers and sat on the side of the bed, pulling the first aide kit next to him. He read some of the more important instructions as he began to clean his wound and wrap it. He didn't even flinch when he applied the hydrogen peroxide to the cut and used a cotton swab to clean it out and then proceeded to tightly wrap it up. He put the rest of the unused items back into the kit and put it back where he found it and threw the rest of the stuff in the garbage. He fell on the bed as he stared up at the ceiling. Sleep came to him not long after that.

Nelly was startled awake the next morning by a knocking on his door. He got up and didn't even bother to put some pants on as he made his way to the door. It was his breakfast. He let the young man in as he went for his wallet to tip him. He also couldn't help but notice that the young man was sneaking peeks at his body. He was, after all, in some boxers alone. He tipped him and smiled and he once again caught the young blond guy staring at his body. It brought a slight smile to Nelly's face as he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and shower.

The rest of the summer passed by quickly as Nelly kept himself busy with recording tracks, doing in-store appearances, and TV interviews. Though T.I. was constantly in the back of his mind, he pushed all of that out of the way and went on. Now that he had time to cool off and think about everything, he realized that T.I. was right that night in his hotel room. He also spent his time with his crew and management putting the tour together. They were slated to hit the road at the end of October and wrap it out buy the end of January.

Nelly had not been in the same room with T.I. since their chat after Diddy's party. They briefly ran into each other at the MTV Video Music Awards, but just shook hands and kept the conversation light because of the cameras and such. The couple of times that both men met each others' gaze during the show, Nelly could tell that T.I. was thinking about him. His facial expressions gave him away and Nelly took solace in that. The tour was coming up soon and Nelly was preparing for it. He had returned to his huge mansion in his hometown of St. Louis to pack the things he would need for the road. This would be the longest he'd ever been on the road so he took time in packing for it.

The tour was about to kick off in a couple of days as Nelly sat back and was enjoying his day by his massive pool. He needed to be as relaxed as possible because the tour was going to be for a long time and although he loved doing it for the fans, it sometimes did become a bit overwhelming. He began thinking about all the events of the last couple of months as his mind ran on his almost complete album. He was going to bring out some of his new material during the tour to get his fans hyped about the new album. He almost fell asleep by the pool when he heard his two way go off. He reached over for it and answered it.

"Yea?"

"Ay boy! It's Murphy."

"What up man? What's going on?"

"They added a new act to the tour."

"What? So soon to the kick off date? Who?"

"T.I."

"Word? His rhymes are tight," Nelly tried desperately to keep breathing.

"Yea but management wanted me to ask you if it was alright with you."

"Ay that's not a problem with me."

"You two have met before right?"

"Yea here and there."

"Aight man I'll holla at you later. Peace!"

"One!"

If you have any questions or comments you can e-mail me at jc71883@hotmail.com.