Chapter 2


I don't own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.


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Chloe Beale's rise to the top of the entertainment industry was nothing short of a story lifted out of a feel-good movie script. She herself couldn't have scripted it better.

She had always been fascinated by Hollywood. Growing up, she was dazzled by the glitz and glamour that was associated with the industry. She loved the movies and television shows as well as music – basically everything about the entertainment world.

In high school, Chloe Beale discovered the allure of power and how imaging and packaging played a huge role in either surviving or getting killed (metaphorically of course). She practically controlled the school by controlling the narrative.

She was Student Council president and head cheerleader -which guaranteed access to every part and every member of the school's "social food chain". The jocks and athletes worshipped the ground she walked on. The nerds and the "others" respected her. She was close to the school administrators and faculty and the school paper had been a steady ally and supporter of hers.

She never had a single proposal rejected and she found it weirdly amusing how she practically got everything she wanted.

Good looks didn't hurt of course.

College was her stage.

Her playground.

It was there that she harnessed a huge chunk of her potential. She majored in Business Management and minored in Media Studies.

Oh, and she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

A couple of months into her first job as a Junior marketing executive at NBC, Chloe Beale was disillusioned. There were two women in low-level management (and it included her) and zip in the middle and upper-levels. The misogyny was real and rampant and it didn't take her long to leave.

But she had a plan.

Chloe Beale always had a plan.

In college, she had pitched a screenplay to a number of small studios but got rejected after the play was deemed too controversial for mainstream release. It was taboo for them – a gay woman in the military that included gory scenes of rape, torture and of course explicit gay sex. The executives shook their heads mostly at the fact that the protagonist was a gay woman whose romantic interest was also a strong gay woman.

But that did not stop her. Using all the tricks she knew, Chloe Beale got the ball rolling.

At 22, she stubbornly walked into Columbia Pictures and pitched her screenplay and smugly told one of the executive producers that they had 48 hours to get back to her with a buy-reject decision or she would be moving on to the next studio and not take their calls at all after her deadline.

She was bluffing of course.

She went to twenty studios already (known and unknown) and had been rejected. She kept her fingers crossed that Columbia won't cross-check with the other studios. It was basically the redhead tossing a Hail Mary.

She got the offer not more than 12 hours later.

Columbia bought the screenplay for $1.25 million along with the agreed 1.25% of the net sales.

The film grossed a whooping $800 million worldwide a year and a half later.

At 24, Chloe Beale -along with her college bestfriend Aubrey Posen – created Titus Media Incorporated which went on to become one of the most successful companies in the entertainment world. They started small; producing small-budget films that raked in more than what they targeted while at the sane time partnering with bigger studios for the bigger projects.

To say that Chloe Beale had made it would be an understatement.

But to say that she was contented would be nothing but a joke.

/

/


/

Marcus Shepherd beamed at his daughter as he watched her got out of the pool. He lay comfortably on one of the sun deck chairs by the Olympic-sized swimming pool in the backyard of their Beverly Hills home – a gift from their daughter on his 35th wedding anniversary with his spouse.

Chloe had been a gift.

The most precious gift they have ever received. Being an only child, Chloe was given all she wanted and more. They were loaded – a sought-after plastic surgeon and a fifteen hundred-dollar-an-hour lawyer – so it cane naturally and effortlessly for them to hand Chloe what she asked for

To many, it was bad parenting as they set Chloe up for a life where she'd get everything when they ought to be teaching her that you don't always get what you want.

Marcus would readily admit that he was the one who spoiled their daughter rotten. His spouse would glare at him in disagreement, always contending that they can give all of Chloe's needs and even go a little extra but not always what she wanted. He agreed on principle of course but just one look from those baby blues and he was a goner.

Bedsides, if Chloe wanted something and she could get it, why not right? Their daughter grew up going after what she wanted. That was pretty great in his book.

"Dada!" The redhead giddily sat beside Marcus and the surgeon didn't waste any time in gathering his daughter in his arms.

"Darling!" The brunette man with eyes that looked so much like the redhead's greeted joyfully, his lips instantly peppered his daughter's cheeks with kisses. "I missed you so much! You haven't visited in a week!"

"I'm sorry Da. Work had been so demanding."

Marcus looked at his daughter disapprovingly. "Have you been taking care of yourself sweetie? You look pale."

"I'm fine Dada."

"Sweetie –"

"What are you two bitches gossiping about?" The third voice cut Marcus' words. With wide, twinkling eyes, Chloe beamed at the man.

"Daddy!"

"Hello honey." Derek Beale lovingly kissed the top of his daughter's head before planting a quick peck on his husband's lips. "Here, fresh from Florida." Derek handed his beloved a bottle of coconut juice before he plopped down next to Chloe.

"What were you in Florida for Dad?" The redhead asked as she took a sip of the refreshing drink.

"Boring client meeting." The lawyer answered in a dismissive tone. "Honey you look pale!"

Marcus narrowed his eyes at their daughter as he nodded in agreement. "That was exactly what I just told Chloe."

"I'm just tired Dads. I'll be here all weekend and I'll do nothing but eat and sleep. I'll be good as new."

"You better." Marcus said with aa huff before focusing his attention towards his husband.

Chloe could only sigh in relief. It had been a toxic couple of weeks for her work-wise. On top of that, the whole thing with Beca had hit her harder than she was willing to admit. She wasn't ready to tell her parents about it yet but she knew they would notice that something was bothering her and it was inevitable that they would squeeze it out of her.

/

/

Derek Beale watched as Chloe paced restlessly around the yard. It was past midnight and Marcus was already snoring but just like Chloe, sleep eluded him. Call it a parent's intuition - Derek felt that something was really bothering their daughter.

He and Chloe had a special bond. He may not technically be Chloe's biological father – that's Marc – but he connected with Chloe deeper. He watched Chloe take another drag of her cigarette and he was convinced that it was time to talk to his fellow redhead.

/

"I saw Luke Wilson in Florida." Derek blurted out as he reached Chloe. He handed her a beer along with a conniving wink before he took a sip of his own. Marc would blow his top if he saw them drinking and smoking.

"Ugh." Chloe scoffed at the sound of that name.

"Palm Beach to be exact." Derek added. "He was a party to a pre-nup."

Chloe raised a questioning brow.

"My client's two and a half decades his senior. She wanted to protect her hard-earned money."

"As she should. That guy's a trash."

"He still managed to land himself a pretty decent deal. Monthly allowance on top of a hundred grand for every year of marriage. Of course, I pushed for an infidelity clause that would nullify everything should he stray."

Chloe's mood got even worse. "I really hate that man." Chloe said with aa huff. "He recognized you?"

"No. Marla called ne by my first name all the time. And to be honest,, he looked out of it."

"He was aa bonehead then and I knew he would always be."

"You did Beca a great service by taking her away from that man."

A moment of silence enveloped the two redheads as Chloe's mind drifted back to the time she met Beca Mitchell.

/

/


FLASHBACK

Over six years ago

/

Chloe very rarely made any pretenses when it cane to her wants and her interests. So when she first saw this hot brunette at the bar, she didn't hesitate to approach her.

The tiny brunette was awkward, and small and looked overwhelmed. But boy did she catch Chloe's eye.

Chloe poured on the charm, and made it abundantly clear that her interest wasn't just in passing.

She got her name – Beca – and it surprised Chloe how great the name sounded off of her lips.

"So what's a pretty girl like you doing in bar all alone and being all grumpy?"

"I'm not alone." Beca shrugged, trying to look nonchalant but Chloe immediately saw through her. She raised a challenging brow that caused Beca to sigh and avert her gaze. "Okay you got me. My boyfriend and I had a fight and he left me at a restaurant."

Chloe laughed. A boyfriend huh? This would surely be interesting.

"Let ne buy you your next round of drinks." Chloe offered and smiled when she received no qualms from Beca.

"What else do I need to know about you?" Chloeasked, studying Beca's eyes with a half-smile and damn, this woman was making her feel a lot of things. She had her share of instant attractions towards all genders (she identified as pansexual) but something about Beca was electric and different. Not in her over 26 years of existence had she felt like this – like she needed to know Beca and just be with her. She normally just flirted her way to the object of her affection's pants and went about her life the same way before she met them. Sure, she was kind of getting known within the industry as someone who "helps" new talents get some needed "breaks". Chloe owned a growing and flourishing studio and her connections were pretty darn good. It sounded pretty bad to anyone – Chloe would sleep with whoever she wanted and sneak in a couple of recommendations, sometimes even giving them bit roles in the films her own studio produced. The redhead couldn't care less what anybody thought about her nor the way she handled her business or "relationships". She never forced herself on anybody and frankly, she never promised her "flavor of the month" anything other than her trying to get them projects. If they were talented enough, the smallest break can do wonders for their careers. If they don't make it, well, that was on them.

Chloe enjoyed the set up. Even in relationships, she reveled in the power and the rush it gave her.

The redhead was a hot woman, alright? She was confident about her body and her looks. She never had any difficulty when it came to finding the person to warm her bed or keep her company. Of course, she wasn't naïve to think that her status had nothing to do with it.

She basically got whoever she wanted and they got something out of her in return. Wasn't that just perfect? She felt good about it and it was nothing but a win-win situation for everybody. They all got a short expiration date but who doesn't right? This was Hollywood, baby! But mind you, her bestfriend and business partner had recently sat her down and asked her to put an end to all her "madness" and cited the possibility of their company's image being tainted and cheapened.

She decided to humor Aubrey and promised to try to stop.

"Who are you?" Beca asked, a curious smile playing on her lips.

Chloe shrugged with that same half-smile she'd had since she walked up to her. "I'm Chloe. And tonight, I can be whoever and whatever you want me to be."

Chloe was now studying the brunette like a wolf, eyes poring over her face, pausing at her nose, her lips, lingering longer than was deemed appropriate. She hadn't made any attempts at subtlety before, and she surely wasn't bothering now. She was intrigued and wanted this brunette to be with her.

"Tell me more about you, Beca," Chloe said.

By that time, Beca was buzzed and loose enough to answer Chloe's questions. Chloe herself was tipsy and she was supposed to meet up with a couple of friends in a nearby club but this was far more interesting. Besides, it wasn't the first time the redhead bailed on them at the last minute and they knew this won't be the last

As the night went on, Chloe learned that Beca was a 19-year old (with a fake ID that stated she was 23) college dropout who joined her boyfriend Luke when he asked her to come with him to Los Angeles to pursue their respective careers a year ago. This Luke guy was three years older than Beca and landed a job as a part-time radio deejay and model. He hooked her up with a friend of a friend who helped Beca land a gig as a DJ at a small club while waiting tables during the day.

"So what was the fight all about?" Chloe pried.

"This guy named Denver came up to me a few weeks ago and asked me to send demos of my mixes along with a bunch of songs I created."

"You make your own music?"

Beca nodded. "I really want to be a music producer. That's the dream."

"And the boyfriend didn't like it?"

"Oh he liked it aright." Beca scoffed. "The label liked my work and wanted to sign me."

"I'm waiting for the problem…"

Beca sighed. "They wanted me to be an artist, not a producer. And they particularly wanted ne to be a pop artist. They started talking about packaging me into this sexy, mysterious and rebellious thing and talked about my boobs and how we can use them to freaking entice the audience."

"And the boyfriend didn't agree with that direction." Chloe stated. It was a no-brainer. She wouldn't want the world to be jacking off to images of this gem of a woman if she was dating her.

Beca laughed bitterly. "Quite the opposite. He wanted me to do exactly what the assholes wanted. Said it was the break that we need."

"We?"

"He thought once I got things going for me, he'll get some exposure too."

"What?"

"You heard me." Beca laughed bitterly. "And that was not even the worst part of all these stupid stuff!"

Beca was way past the point of being drunk. Nope, she was freaking hammered.

"So they called me in, yeah? Then I asked for a few days to mull it over because duh! What if Luke was right? This could be the only chance I'll ever get. I thought maybe, if it didn't work out, they can think about giving me that music producer spot instead. I mean dude! Look at me! I don't do pop nor sexy!"

"I don't know about the sexy part." Chloe grinned. "You're damn sexy."

But Beca didn't seem to be listening to the redhead, continuing her drunken rant instead. "So like…three days….." Beca breathed out, looking like she needed to puke.

"Are you –"

"Three days after that meeting, I found out I was five weeks pregnant. So I told Luke and he was kinda happy at first but the next day he was acting weird. I went back to the label and told them I was pregnant and I tried to convince them to hire ne as a producer instead. But the assholes said no and told ne that it was the pop thing or nothing and that I should get rid of the baby before they could sign. me."

"Oh boy." Chloe could only shake her head at the information. It wasn't a shock to her but she felt bad for Beca.

"So I told them where to shove it and went back home. Luke wasn't having any of it and told me to get an abortion berceuse it was what was best for us. A baby would ruin our lives at this point."

"What the hell?" Chloe blurted out with a frown. "And you've been drinking?!"

Beca then started to cry and Chloe could only hug the brunette to comfort her. "Hey, cone on now…..it's okay….."

In between sobs, Beca managed to let out the words 'it's gone'.

"You got rid of it?"

"N-No…..it….." Beca choked out, "it's gone. I lost it."

"Oh sweetie….."

"I would never….."

"Hey –"

"I would never kill my own kid! It j-just….. I guess it felt that people around us don't want them anyway! Now it's gone…."

"Beca, listen –"

"And Luke took me out tonight for dinner. But then he started pestering me to go back to the label and take the offer. I told him to fuck off and he left. Then I took a cab and here I am!" Beca's voice was louder and slightly slurred.

The redhead's blood boiled at what she just learned. Without muttering another word, she arranged for an Uber, intent on taking Beca home with her.

/

/

Chloe Beale prided herself with having the best decision-making skill. She would mull things over and look at all angles and possibilities. When it came to her work, she made it a point to have all the bases covered. No surprises – that was how she dealt with her business.

Personally, she can be reckless and spontaneous. She reckoned she was just really great at compartmentalizing her life. Work-wise, she was measured, steady and shrewd. But boy was she loose outside work. Aubrey warned her that she needed to learn how to balance both worlds if she wanted to sustain their success.

Many businesses failed because of the personal conduct of its head.

Chloe knew Aubrey was right. Over the last four years she heard murmurs about "The Beale Casting Couch" and how she conducted her personal affairs. She despised that notion because it was never about sex in exchange for roles. It was mutual gratification and fun. But she can admit that it was going to be a problem once the company's reputation eventually take a hit.

We have to maintain the integrity of this company, Chloe. We don't need the bad press of someone claiming they were forced to have sex in exchange for some breaks. You need to put a stop to it now.

So Chloe had decided to stop dispensing favors or hooking up with anybody within the industry. Or you know, with just about anyone who wanted to get into the business.

Especially those people, Chloe.

She heard Aubrey's voice in her head as she watched Beca sleep. It was ten in the morning and she had been up since eight. She glanced at the phone in her hand and frowned at the realization that nobody contacted the brunette.

Not one call or text message.

What a freaking doucebag of a boyfriend Beca had.

With a huff, Chloe walked out of her home but not before leaving a note by the brunette's side.

/

She came back about forty minutes later with a bag of food (brunch) and two cups of coffee. Chloe was glad to see Beca dressed in a pair of tank top and sweatpants (the same set of clothes she pulled out of her closet for Beca to wear) and showered. Now, completely make-up free and in as casual as anyone could get, Chloe was sure she hadn't seen anybody as beautiful. She looked uncomfortable and uneasy - embarrassment evident in her face.

"You don't t have to be embarrassed." Chloe offered with a soft smile. "You look good."

"I'm so sorry about last night. I don't really – "

"Hey, it's fine. Come, I bought us brunch. And coffee of course. I don't know what you want so I just took a guess and ordered an espresso."

Beca gulped as she looked at Chloe timidly. "Thank you. You didn't have to, though. I mean, I have imposed on you so much already –"

"Nonsense." Chloe waved her off and led her to the dining table. They ate in silence for a few moments before Chloe decided she'd had enough. Aubrey's reminder had been playing in her head for the past couple of hours and for a while she had listened to her bestfriend. She had stopped "helping" people out. But something about Beca just drew her in. She just had to. She felt that urge to just grab the tiny brunette and kiss her senseless and just hold her - but she was trying so hard to control herself. She hadn't felt this way, ever. Sure she had her share of lust at first sight's but not like this.

Never like this.

She wanted her so bad. So bad that she was ready to jump at anybody who would dare get in the way.

"Listen, I know we met under a less ideal circumstance, but I want you to know that I can help you."

"What?"

"I own a studio. Not a label but I know all the big ones. I can get you what you want."

"What I want?"

"You want to be a music producer right?"

"Well yeah. But Chloe….you practically met me last night….. I'm not –"

"It's overwhelming and it sounds crazy, I get that. But that's how life works sometimes. And in this business, crazy does not even begin to describe what you will be dealing with on a daily basis. So I say, you're off to a good start"

"I don't know what to say. You haven't even heard my work yet –"

"I don't need to. A label was going to sign you. That's good enough for me. But….." Chloe hesitated, battling with herself if she really should push through with what she had in mind. It baffled her a little since she was seldom tentative when it came to matters like these. She felt nervous, debating what to say in order to not freak Beca out.

Which again, was weird. She never second-guessed herself when it came to setting these kinds of things up. She had years of experience – all instances ran smoothly

She never even took into account what they would feel.

But she knew she wanted Beca, so….

"But you'll be mine. You're mine until I tell you you're not anymore."

"W-What?"

Chloe recovered quickly,, putting on her Chloe Beale the CEO persona. "I will get you the job you want and in return, you'll be mine until I say you're free."

Beca was in shock and for a second, Chloe felt bad.

"Leave the boyfriend. He's useless anyway."

"I can't believe this…" Beca looked even more shocked.

"Or not. I don't mind sharing. And frankly, I don't think your man would mind either." Chloe said with a chuckle. "Besides, let's be real here, Beca. You were checking me out last night. You were looking at my lips and my boobs and not in an innocent way, mind yon. "Chloe said without a hint of uncertainty. "I bet you were thinking about what my lips would feel like….."

Chloe moved her seat closer to Beca's, and demanded her attention.

"Beca, look at me."

Beca did and she was met with eyes filled with lustt. She felt Chloe grabbed her waist, and she saw the redhead look at her lips.

"I'm going to kiss you. You have five seconds to say no before I ravish your mouth." Chloe stated. When she received no response, Chloe went for it. Her kiss wasn't tentative. She felt that Beca wanted this. Now, she was certain. There was no build up. Chloe was kissing her rough and hard. Seconds later, Chloe felt Beca sink into the kiss, and their mouths battled for dominance.

Chloe instantly swallowed Beca's moan as she explored the brunette's mouth. They were kissing as if it was their last.

Wordlessly, Chloe mounted Beca, straddling her lap without breaking the kiss. The redhead felt her body heat up. She humped Beca's sweats-covered leg which earned a gutteral moan from the brunette.

Chloe felt so sensitive and she felt wetness pool in her core as Beca rocked beneath her, hands gripping the redhead's hips so hard .

The older woman started to move her hands against Beca's flat belly and up her perky breasts, kneading them over the fabric of her tank top. Chloe grinned when she felt Beca's s hard nipples and without hesitation, she sucked on them through the fabric.

Beca moaned loudly, and her hips bucked against the redhead's. Chloe knew that Beca's body was heated up too. She would even go as far as to say that Beca's as drenched as she was. They were both achingly close but Chloe knew she had to set aside short-term pleasure in favor of making a bold gesture that would guarantee that Beca gets hooked.

She grinded her hips one more time and kissed Beca hungrily before she whispered seductively in her ear. "I changed my mind, Beca. I want all of you. I'm not sharing you with anybody." She bit Beca's earlobe before she hastily moved to get off the brunette's lap. The same brunette who now looked at her with hood-covered eyes.

"What the fuck?"

Chloe merely smiled. "We will finish this tomorrow. I want you to drop that sorry excuse for a man. Come back here tomorrow morning with all your stuff then we'll talk about your job as well as the details for our thing." Chloe said with a smirk.

End of flashback

/

/


"I really like Beca, sweetie." Derek blurted out.

Chloe smiled sadly. She knew her parents adored Beca. She remembered how pissed her Dad had been when he learned of the breakup. Her Dada even stopped talking to her for a full week after what happened. "I know you do, Dad. And I miss her and I love her so much." Chloe choked out. "But I have hurt her deeply and I know she won't make it easy for me."

"As we should expect." Derek shrugged. "But I trust that you would be doing everything you can to get her back?"

"Whatever it takes Daddy." Chloe said with conviction.

"That's my girl."

/

/


All mistakes are mine. I'll try to post another chapter this week.

Just a few points about this story.

- This has a 'didferent' Chloe. She's not exactly a role model for morality. But she's trying?

- Luke will not play a role in this story other than passing mentions of his name.

- Marcus is Chloe's biological father. He and Derek had Chloe via surrogacy. Marcus is Bi and Derek is gay and they have been togerher since their college days. They retained their surnames after getting married but decided to have Chloe take Derek's last name because they agreed it sounded better than Chloe Shepherd.

-Chloe's seven years older than Beca.