Present Day.
Age 35
Chloe could see the vultures through her sunglasses, she took a deep breath.
This was supposed to be a secure gate, she thought as she neared the end of the jet bridge. Luckily, her security was with her so she knew none of the parasites would get close to her.
Good. She wasn't in the fucking mood for questions.
"Oh Chloe!" one of the female reporters shouted, and the next thing Chloe knew she was being swarmed. "Tell us, how are you feeling now that your divorce is finalized?" another voice called out.
"Chloe, is there any truth to the rumors of your infidelity?" another vulture asked. Refusing to dignify any of their bullshit with a response she raised the Tom Ford sunglasses further up her nose and pushed past the sea of microphones and cameras until she reached her limousine.
Moments like this had her regretting the band's decision to reveal themselves without their trademark makeup, but in the day and age of social media, it was only a matter of time before their private lives ceased to be private.
Might as well show the world who they are on their own terms.
Amy's Pie Hole
Fresh off the heels of her recent divorce, everyone's favorite Angel of Fire, Chloe Beale (formerly Walp, not that she deserved the name, my god he was some serious man-candy) the lead guitarist of the hard rock band currently taking the world by storm, Generation II, was spotted stepping off the tarmac at LAX.
If the rumor-mill is true, and I think we can trust its judgment, the rock icon has some serious plight ahead of her. According to sources, she and fellow band-mate and front-woman Lynn Varley have been butting heads on more than one occasion about their upcoming fourth studio album. Word on the street (or in the sheets) is that everyone's favorite ginger is considering hiring a respected pop music producer (my money is on Jackson Buganhoff) to produce their next record, and it is not sitting well with the Rhythm Guitarist (aka the Angel of the Underworld. Srsly guys whose brilliant idea was it to perform dressed as "dark angels?")
Bass Guitarist Aubrey Posen has declined to comment (bitch!) as has drummer Lily Onakuramara (no surprise there!)
One can only speculate as to where she's headed next but my money's on the sprawling mansion she managed to keep in the divorce. Wonder what she does now that she lives there all alone. Or *who* she does.
~Fat Amy Hobart, knocking twig bitches down a peg for you, the common people!
Comments:
Cooper_Horace68: Never liked Generation II. Wokeness is killing pop culture.
soul_harvesterskyrim: fuck her and fuck that thing she does with her guitars every show. GOD FORBID she give her guitar to a boy, or a white guy, or someone who doesn't identify as a toaster. Keep politics out of entertainment!
Anon: Cooper_Horace68, soul_harvesterskyrim: JFC you jerks don't have to listen to them. Seriously spare yourselves the mental anguish. Fuck right off with your righteous indignation if GII wants to inspire young girls and poc/queer youth then that's their prerogative.
It was near the final moments of the sunset when the limousine pulled up to Chloe's home. The rockstar found herself bobbing and weaving, and now after the thirty-five-minute drive all she wanted to do was crawl into her comfy bed and try to get some sleep.
Chloe leaned forward to tip her driver a couple of hundred dollar bills and insisted she could carry her suitcase in by herself. Once inside the musician left her spruce green Samsonite by the front door, too tired to give a shit about unpacking it. It could wait until tomorrow.
Her assistant nearly bumped into her as she rounded the corner.
"Oh hey, Chloe. Dinner is on the counter. Hope you don't mind Chicken Alfredo?"
"Ashley, what are you still doing here?" she wrangled the other woman into a hug. "Go home sweetheart," Chloe smiled.
"I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat."
Chloe smiled then shook her head, "You are just the sweetest. You didn't need to do that, you know I'm perfectly capable of cooking."
"I know, but after the rough day you've had I imagine you'd want to take it easy."
"Thank you," Chloe said.
As Ashley prepared to walk out the door towards her car she turned to her boss, "Oh hey, I put some important paperwork that needs to be signed on your desk. Oh, and I set the meeting for that band you wanted to check out about a potential demo. I wrote it in your planner."
Chloe grinned. "Don't know what I'd do without you."
"Probably wither away," she chuckled. Ashley turned on her heel and walked out the door towards her vehicle.
Shuffling through the living room and seeing Connor's toys still sprinkled around the room reminded her just how alone she was in that house. Chloe still couldn't bring herself to put them away, just yet.
Holding back the tears turned out to be a losing battle and she kicked herself for thinking she even could while she made her way into her bedroom, deciding to skip out on dinner.
Whipping out her phone, Chloe chewed on her bottom lip, figuring it wouldn't hurt to get a little clarification.
Chloe: Lynn, so you never gave me a clear answer, is it alright if I bring Beca Mitchell out to the house.
Not bothering to wait, she tossed the phone onto her bed, watching it bounce up then flip over before going into her bathroom to brush her teeth.
Once she returned she saw the notification she had an unread text message.
Lynn: Chloe. I told you I'd let you pick the producer for the album.
Chloe: Yes Lynn, I know! Trust me you've made that clear. I have to know that you're okay with it?
…
…
…
Lynn: We'll talk more about it in Sioux Falls.
Deciding it wasn't worth fighting anymore, Chloe climbed into bed. Once settled she typed out an email to Beca's reps. With her mind on autopilot she pulled up the Netflix app and spent the next hour and a half getting caught up on her favorite shows before turning over to go to sleep.
Five Days Later…
Beca smiled at the soft purr of her turbo engine as her Lunar Blue Mercedes pulled up to the driveway of the eye-popping home on Westgate Avenue.
Most rockstars she knew of lived in mansions three times this size; while her net worth was nothing to scoff at, this place made her home seem like a shit-hole.
Cutting off her engine, Beca tilted her head trying to get a better look out the window before she remembered that she could get out of her car and actually do it.
She was supposed to get out. She was here on business.
Everything about this seemed strange, she thought while she took a hit from her vape pen.
Something in her gut told Beca she was in for a whirlwind if she took this job. She heard the rumors and was well aware of Chloe's promiscuous reputation.
A cheery brunette met her at the front door. "You must be Beca," she said. "Hi. I'm Ashley Jones," she extended her hand for Beca to shake. Which she did.
Beca admired the woman's look. Ashley was a little taller than her and rocked a pair of blue jeans and a green blazer that covered her black camisole.
Professionally casual yet inviting. Beca immediately took to Ashley for she was the type of person that she could see herself hanging out with.
"Hi, there." Beca put forth her best smile. "Do you work for Chloe?"
"Uh-huh. I'm her assistant," she welcomed her into the massive home.
A home which Beca would've loved to have seen more of but before she could register anything in the main area she found herself being guided down a hallway on the left.
Beca took the time to gaze at the countless photos which littered both walls. On the side, to the left, were photos of a beaming and bubbly redhead in a wedding dress laughing. In another was a sharply dressed man whom Beca inferred was Chloe's now ex-husband. However the highlight was a little blonde boy whose photos took up the majority of that side of the wall. Beca watched the boy grow up from the series of still photos.
To the right were several photos of either Chloe by herself or Chloe and her family posing with several famous people, many of whom Beca recognized, and some she did not.
In some of the photos, Chloe was posed while in her signature makeup and costume.
"I know it's a lot to take in, but don't let it intimidate you. Chloe is very down to earth." Ashley turned around to assure Beca.
"Yeah, totally," Beca said, not even paying attention. Before the brunette knew it she was led into a massive office, and her regret of not being able to see the main room immediately went away.
This office was huge.
Nearly the size of the living room she caught a brief glimpse of, Beca was mesmerized to say the least.
The room seemed to be one-half congratulatory with its rows of shelves and display cases littered with Generation II officially licensed products from PEZ dispensers, to Hot Wheels cars, to credit cards, to comic books and women's panties with the titles of their songs on them. The other half served as a love letter to the bands Beca assumed heavily influenced Chloe.
"Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll let Chloe know you're here," Ashley smiled.
Beca nodded and the other woman left.
Plastered on the wall were two KISS posters: Alive IV and one from their Rock The Nation Tour. Taking a closer look, Beca noticed a small picture frame hanging below them. She realized it contained tickets from every KISS concert Chloe attended.
Accompanying them were three records: Creatures of The Night, Lick It Up, Revenge
Next Beca noticed the Joan Jett records: Good Music along with Up Your Alley. Another ticket residing below in a smaller frame.
Metallica, Heart, Joe Bonamassa, and The Eagles received similar treatment. She soon lost count of all the memorabilia. They hadn't met yet, but Beca could already tell this chick fucking rocked.
Something else which really caught Beca's eye were the RIAA certified records hanging up on the wall behind what she deduced was Chloe's desk.
Flash in The Pan-certified gold.
Triple Crown-certified gold
Salacious and Capricious- 3x Platinum.
Beca stood on her tiptoes to get a closer look at the platinum record. Careful not to get too close, she leaned in to read the fine print.
"You know that was one of the happiest days of my life," a voice said from behind Beca causing her to jump.
She whipped around to see a grinning redhead looking at her.
Beca panicked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"Beca, it's alright. You don't need to apologize. I'm proud of my band and our music and I don't mind people knowing it."
Chloe was gorgeous. She was wearing a wool pea coat with a hot pink camisole underneath, which brought out her most defining feature, her auburn hair. It reminded Beca of the way a sunset catches a snowy mountain peak and reflects the light in just the right way.
"Why don't we sit down?" Chloe suggested. Beca expected to be led to the desk, but was surprised when Chloe brought her over to a very comfortable couch which she somehow missed when she was looking around the massive office.
"Make yourself comfortable," Chloe said warmly.
Beca did just that. She settled into the squishy couch.
Chloe walked over to her desk, finding the right key, the ginger unlocked the drawer and pulled out a manilla file folder.
"So Beca, I'd like to show you something," Chloe looked at the producer expectantly.
"Okay," Beca said hesitantly.
Eagerly Chloe pulled out an 8x10 photo and handed it to Beca, "Tell me what you think when you look at this?"
It was a digital photo; concept art of a shoreline sprinkled with trash, off in the distance, past the trees, was a decrepit Ferris wheel and the ghostly silhouette of a roller coaster.
Beca studied the photo for a couple of minutes. "Hmmm," she said.
"I'm getting this haunted carnival vibe," Beca said, finally. "But it's not like a slashy killer vibe, it's more like a curse. Like maybe a tragedy happened there and there's nothing the restless spirits can do about it. They're trapped in an endless loop. Forced to relive whatever it was that happened there."
Chloe was over the moon, nearly bouncing out of her seat, ecstatic that someone finally shared her vision "I knew you were the right choice!"
"Is this about your next album?" Beca asked.
"Yes." Chloe took the photo back from Beca, then proceeded to pull another one from the file. "It's called Maniac Carnival," she showed the producer a few sketches, "And I want you to produce it!"
Beca leaned back into the couch. She was definitely intrigued.
Before she could speak, a knock on the door interrupted them.
Ashley poked her head in, "Hey Chloe, I'm sorry but I need your shopping list."
"Oh," the musician scolded herself. She pulled out her phone and typed a couple of words. "Here you go," she smiled at her assistant who's phone pinged instantaneously. Meanwhile, in the corner of her eye, Chloe caught Beca's gaze drifting back to her band's records hanging on the wall.
"Thank you," Ashley smiled.
"No. Thank you," Chloe said.
The two women listened for the sound of the door closing before they resumed their conversation.
Beca bit the corner of her lip. "I mainly work with pop stars," she confessed, turning her attention back to Chloe.
"True," Chloe said, and took the sketches back from Beca, she then pulled out a sheet of paper. "Years ago, when you first started in this business you produced the demo for Popcorn Fairy, did you not?"
Beca smiled. "Man, that was a long time ago. You've really done your research, I'm impressed." the brunette chuckled.
"I don't care how long ago it was," Chloe said bluntly. "You have experience producing a rock album and I know you're perfect for this job."
Once more, Beca found herself staring at the platinum album hanging on the wall. It was probably unprofessional, but she couldn't help herself.
"You keep staring at my records," Chloe interrupted.
"Sorry," Beca said. "It's just, Salacious and Capricious is one of my favorite albums."
"It's one of my favorites too," Chloe smiled fondly, and Beca couldn't help but swoon at the other woman's confidence.
Beca recalled the hype surrounding Generation II's third album. The band worked out an exclusive deal with Best Buy, where the retail chain would be the sole distributor. People lined up nationwide to purchase the album which was billed as the one where the ladies would finally take off their signature makeup and show the world who they really were.
The CD had a unique packaging wherein you had to peel back this special paper to see each member's face. Each member had a section on the four folds of the CD, and when you removed the disk you got to see the four of them dressed in black blouses and dark blue jeans smiling and hugging each against a sleepy autumn backdrop.
"Hard Wired and Irresponsible are two of my favorites," Beca said.
"You know I was completely nude when I recorded Irresponsible in the studio?" Chloe smirked.
"Oh, to like, get in the right headspace?" Beca asked. It wasn't that unusual. Susanna Hoffs did the same thing when she recorded Eternal Flame for The Bangles.
Irresponsible was, like much of Generation II's discography, a song about sex.
"Yeah. I suppose," Chloe said. "But mainly because I just like taking off all my clothes," she brushed a strand of hair from Beca's temple.
Beca gulped, "Yeah."
Chloe brought her face dangerously close to the brunette's. "Mmmhmm," she said.
Beca didn't need further convincing as she closed the gap and connected their lips, surrendering herself to the moment while her body betrayed her.
"There's a bedroom right next to this office," Chloe rasped.
"Right, Beca said, and next thing she knew she was being pulled by her arm and led into the aforementioned bedroom.
Beca rolled off of Chloe and fell on her back. The two women took a moment to catch their breath. Chloe grabbed the covers and settled into the brunette's side, she kissed the side of Beca's lips while her fingers traced soft patterns on the smaller woman's stomach. It made the music producer smile, she felt her insides flutter.
Beca's chest heaved. "I don't usually do this," Beca said, refusing to take her eyes off of Chloe's lips.
"The key word in that sentence is 'usually,'" Chloe murmured.
"We should get back to discussing your album."
"We can talk business later. Right now it's all pleasure." Chloe lowered her head and attached her mouth to the brunette's nipple, eliciting a high pitched moan from the producer.
Fine by Beca. She was game for round two.