A/N: Hey guys! Here's the newest chapter. This is a Beca centric chapter. The rest of the characters will be back, but as I was writing I realized there was some important things covered.
Thanks for the reviews and the kind words. Please review more. They are always appreciated, and help in the process.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect or really anything.
CHAPTER 9
***Beca's Meetings***
Beca enters her office, a bit surprised to see Sam waiting for her, coffee in hand, and a big, way-too-early, smile planted firmly on her face.
"Good morning Boss!"
"Hey Sam. Don't call me boss." The smaller brunette responds with a huff.
Sam's smile grows, in a way that Beca has only seen Chloe manage. She responds happily, "Sure thing boss."
Beca scowls, gritting her teeth. She wonders, not for the first time, why she attracts such teasing, or such bubbly people. She blames Chloe, letting her in seems to have opened the gates. With an exasperated sigh Beca decides to ignore Sam's teasing. Taking the coffee from Sam she asks, "To what do I owe this pleasure please?"
The cute blonde gives her a very cheerful smile, and not for the first time Beca marvels how straight and white her teeth are. "What Boss? Can't I just want to see my favorite producer?"
"You must say that to all the producers," answers Beca with a roll of her eyes, as she sets her messenger bag on her desk.
The blonde practically giggles, and then says in an overly solemn voice, "Oh no, only broody, diminutive, producers, with lots of ear-piercings."
She seriously has to be related to Chloe.
Looking at the coffee, Beca asks, "My usual?"
Sam smiles and says with a wink, "Would I get you anything else?"
Beca drinks deeply to cover the blush on her cheeks. Seriously Chloe has to have family in California that she's keeping secret. Sam has to be Chloe's cousin or something.
Indicating the coffee, Beca asks the blonde, "How many of these have you had?"
The blonde does giggle at this. "Oh I never drink coffee. I'm more an herbal tea drinker. Rooibos, Ginger Mint Chamomile, Lemon Ginger Chamomile. Those are my drinks." She flashes a smile. "I could bring you some."
Beca sighs shaking her head, "Yeah, no, don't think I'm ready for that."
Sam gives a flirtatious wink, "If you're ever interested in trying something new, you know experimenting, just let me know."
Beca blushes an even deeper shade of red, she drinks again to cover. A memory of an admission made in a crowded tent flashes in her mind; which just seems to make her skin even warmer. This seems to delight Sam much to Beca's dismay.
Beca decides it's time to change the subject. "I suppose JM wants to see me?"
"Yep. He needs to see you first thing this morning. He seems a little put off."
Already feeling anxious about the day, Beca really doesn't want to talk to her boss just yet, but that doesn't seem to be up to her. With a sigh of resignation she asks, "Okay, any idea which office he's taken today?"
Sam smirks but shrugs, "He was in the break room when he gave me the message, but I know he moved on. Too be honest, yours is the only office he doesn't take; since you kicked him out when you first started out here."
Beca flops into her seat, grimacing at the memory this invokes. Said incident had totally been an accident of course. It had been just her third week being out in LA, Chloe hadn't even joined her yet, and she had been juggling three things at once when she entered her office. She had only noticed that someone was sitting at her desk, not the who. Without thinking or looking she had immediately ordered the person out of her seat and out of her office. Of course it had been a bit of an expletive laced tirade with very colorful language explaining she didn't have time for stupid games, and that there were about a thousand things that needed to be done. She really hadn't been paying attention as she was texting a potential client who had sent in a promising demo, and was on the phone with Chloe, coordinating to pick her up from the airport. It wasn't till her boss was heading out the door that she realized who she had just gone off on. By then though he was complimenting her for her diligence and fire.
Too be fair though, Beca hadn't even known that Jay-Michael Ray was in LA. She had thought he was still in Atlanta.
Fortunately or unfortunately her tirade had been witnessed by a number of people in the office. Beca had suddenly been the center of office gossip, and a hardass reputation was born. That part she actually likes. It definitely hadn't been a bad thing, but Beca at times felt like a fraud.
It did mean that Jay-Michael Ray never takes her office, which she sees as a huge plus.
Sitting at her desk, Beca turns on her computer. "I'll see him in a minute, just let me get settled in," says Beca as she pulls her messenger bag over to her.
"Will do boss," answers Sam, with mischievous smile.
"Don't call me boss," retorts Beca to the departing assistant.
Sam looks back and with a wink and what Beca can only describe as a sassy smirk replies, "Sure thing Boss."
Shaking her head, Beca asks, "Why'd I hire you again?"
From the hallway she hears, "Because I was the best boss."
"Seriously, is 'tease Beca' written on my forehead?" Grumbles Beca under her breath.
Opening her messenger bag, Beca sees four post-it notes have been strategically placed. The first is a hand drawn Rainbow Dash, with the words Your Amazing, neatly scrawled underneath. The next is a fun little pun, What Would Life Be Like Without Music, It Would B-Flat, also in Chloe's hand writing. The B-Flat symbol bringing a smirk to Beca's lips. The third note is a simple message, I BELIEVE IN YOU, and the last is a winking smiley emoji. Beca can't help but smile. She unlocks and opens the center drawer of her desk and pulls out a black imitation leather notebook. She opens it to reveal page after page of post-it notes, each with a quick message, or little drawing. She flips to an open page and places the four new notes in it neatly, smiles then closes the cover and puts it back in her desk drawer, and quickly locks it again.
This notebook is one of her guilty secrets. It wouldn't do her badass reputation any favors if anyone were to find out she keeps every single post-it note that Chloe has left her. She can only shudder at the thought of Fat Amy finding that notebook. Beca would never hear the end of it.
Once she has checked her email and taken another long pull on her coffee, Beca decides it's time to track down the boss.
Heading out, she decides to start the search at the break room. There's always the chance he's returned, but also it's a good central location. She rounds the corner quickly and almost bowls over an intern carrying a breakfast burrito. "Is that for JM?"
"Uhh yeah…"
"Great, which office is he in?"
"McCormick's office," he answers, pointing to the third office on the right.
Sticking out her hand, Beca says, "I'll take that, I'm sure you have a ton on your plate."
"Thanks, Ms Mitchell."
Taking the burrito, she smiles watching the intern scurry away. It was hard to believe that was her life not that long ago. Walking to the indicated room, she sighs with relief upon seeing her boss sitting calmly behind the desk, busy typing at his laptop.
Beca pauses, Sam had indicated Jay-Michael Ray wasn't happy when she passed on his message. She figures it's about Amy's show. She had sent him an email giving just the barest of detail, deciding she would want to leave the bulk of the explanation for face-to-face. Now she's worried that he'll see it as a distraction. As proof somehow that she isn't taking this opportunity seriously.
This couldn't be further from the truth. It's been a huge opportunity for her to work with Jay-Michael Ray, with someone so well known in the industry, with someone so good at her chosen profession.
He looks up as she knocks on the doorframe. He sits up straighter, and signals while lowering the lid of his laptop.
Taking a hesitant step inside, Beca says, "Hey JM, how's it going?" She walks over to the desk and places the breakfast burrito down, giving her boss a half smile. "I'm glad I found you," Beca adds, looking to the floor before she steps back.
Her boss simply stares at Beca. "Reality TV? Really?" His hand slams down on the desk, which causes the short brunette to jump.
"Uhh…" The Dj scratches the back of her neck, and kicks her foot, taking a moment to find the right words. "Uhh…" Words just are never going to be a strong point, and she finds herself again at a loss for the right ones. This happens too often at inappropriate times; such as now. "Hmm…" Words fail her.
"Spit it out Reggie."
"You read my email?"
He stands up so he's towering over her. "Course I read it. What kind of question is that? I am the boss. I have to stay on top of everything."
Beca bites her lower lip, takes a deep breath and then spills, "Well, I have been approached to be a part of a potential television show. A music competition show, at least the potential…" She shuffles again.
Beca looks up into her boss's eyes, only to see his scowl has deepened.
"I haven't committed to anything, in fact I specifically said that I needed to run it by you…"
"Then the answers no."
"But…" Well that sounds brilliant.
"Nothing to talk about Reggie. We're trying to play in the big leagues. We ain't got time to be entertaining your friend's delusions of grandeur."
"I wouldn't call them delusions…"
"We have an important meeting today, about your future and the future of this label, that's the reality."
"But…"
"Are we quite finished?" Her boss asks bluntly. Beca can hear the dismissal in his tone as he sits back down.
She stands there shocked. Not in a million years did she picture this meeting going this badly. He's silently watching, studying intently at how she shuffles uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Beca notices this and forces herself to stand her ground, even managing to stop her shuffling. I need to show assertiveness, right?
"You can go," he says, doing a flicking gesture with his hand. The dismissal now explicit.
Beca doesn't leave though, she's angry now. At the same time Beca's never really followed authority very well, something Aubrey came to know firsthand. So instead of leaving, she moves forward, going right up to the desk, and slaps the surface with all her might, as she shouts, "No!"
She can't help but compare the sound of her slap, to the noise JM had managed a few moments earlier. She's not impressed.
And damn that hurt!
"I need you to listen to me."
Her boss simply nods. "My friends are not delusional…"
Well, we are talking Amy…
Not helping yourself Mitchell!
"This is an amazing opportunity. We're good, Hell we're great! I have a world championship to prove it, and that was no cakewalk; I can tell you."
The diminutive DJ leans over the desk, well as much as she can manage, and continues. "My friends and I are meeting with the NBC Executives in a week's time, and we're going to blow their doors off, and we're going to get that show."
When did I start wanting this show?
"This is going to be an amazing opportunity, because we're going to make it one! I will be getting exposure, just as my DJ'ing career is starting to take off, and I will be sure there are mentions of Residual Heat, every other sentence when they are discussing my background or career."
She saw him nod at this, she takes a breath and drops her volume a couple notches. "This is an amazing opportunity, and if you can't see it, then I quit!"
Wait what!?
Jay-Michael Ray eyebrows arch to the ceiling at this declaration, but Beca's in the zone, and barrels on before he can interrupt. "Yeah, Marcus strikes me as someone who's going to see the potential of this. I get the chance to do this, or I walk."
Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking… Too late...
Jay-Michael Ray sits and stares at her, but whereas before it was under a scowl, now it's shocked disbelief.
A silence settles over the room while Beca and her boss just stare at each other, struck at how things played out. Suddenly Jay-Michael Ray bursts out into laughter.
Beca's completely confused at what's happening.
"There's the little spitfire that steps up in my brainstorming meetings, despite being an intern for less than a month, who has the temerity to kick her boss out of her office, who has come to LA and been instrumental in pulling together this office, and has got a meeting today with one of the top club owners in the world."
Beca's in shock. "Um, what?"
"Look Rebecca, you think I give people a hard time just for fun?"
"Uhh, yeah, kinda…"
"It is kinda fun; but no. This is a dog-eat-dog world. The music business is bad enough, but you're in the Satan's pit. People in LA are just evil, they will steal your soul without a second thought.
"You have a lot of potential, and if it was just about you producing music, I know you would thrive, but there's also politics, the business, and ego sides to it. You have to be ready for that."
"So…"
"So when you come in here all apprehensive and looking at the floor, of course I'm going to say no. I'm going to push you till the woman I know you can be, comes out."
"Uhh…" I really need to work on my ability to speak.
Jay-Michael seems to know what's going on in Beca's head. "We'll work on your confidence first."
"So, what about the show?"
"Well I damn sure don't want you quitting."
"So?"
"So, yeah, you're right it's an opportunity, one that can be huge, if we play it right. Grab a seat, we have things to discuss, and plan." He gestures to the seat in front of the desk.
Taking said seat, Beca' trying to process everything her boss just said. Sam comes in and brings him coffee: cream and two sugars. Beca looks up to see Sam wink with a knowing smile. "You knew," Beca accuses.
Sam shrugs, "Girls got to have her fun. Besides I kinda knew how it would turn out."
Beca looks at her questioningly. "Really?"
"Yeah, I know a winner when I see one."
A thought strikes Beca, she's wanted to bring it up all week, but never felt the time was right. Now feels like the right time. Turning to her boss, "You think I'm a winner too?" He nods. "You think I have talent?" Another nod, though Beca can see he's a bit perplexed, wondering where this line of questions is going. "My friend Emily is going to be in town this summer…"
"Tall, kinda awkward, extremely talented kid?"
"Yeah, the Flashlight girl herself. She's been writing songs. She has enough for at least an EP, if not a full LP…"
Jay-Michael sits back and smiles. His eyes tell her he knows exactly what she's asking. "And you want…"
Beca jumps in, "I want to be lead producer for Emily; I want to manage the entire project."
[*+X*+X+*X+*]
Beca's sitting at her desk, typing away, her actions automatic as the words effortlessly appear on the screen in front of her. Her fingers lightly tapping the keys, in time with the music in the background. She's writing out thoughts and notes about this particular song. She'sgoing to use it as the basis for recommendations to present to Emily, an artist with a very similar sound.
She had spent nearly two hours with her boss, discussing not only their meeting with Marcus, but the possibility of her being lead producer. He hadn't fully committed, but he hadn't said no either.
Pausing she slumps back in her seat and scans her most recent notes. She and her boss are meant to be heading out to the meeting with Marcus within the next half an hour, and she really wants to have more done, since she will be meeting up with Chloe and Emily after the meeting.
Scowling, she doesn't like what she's captured; it's unsatisfactory.
She scratches the back of her head thoughtfully, as she glances to the speakers in the ceiling and then back to her monitor screen.
She bites her lower lip, she's missing something. It's right there, just out of reach, so tantalizing close.
The DJ's train of thought derails as she hears a familiar song from her iPhone. Beca groans, eyes flickering over the screen. She recognizes that it's not fair to blame Jesse for her frustration as she answers the phone. She bites down on any snark or sarcasm, and tries to remain pleasant. "Hey Jesse, what's up?"
"Becaw! Just want to wish you luck with your meeting."
Beca feels bad about not wanting to take the call. "Thanks Jesse. I appreciate. Really. Sorry to cut this short, but I've got to get something done before we leave for the meeting."
"Sure, no problem, call me later."
"Will do Jess."
She's tapping the red phone symbol on the screen when she hears him say, "I love you…"
Beca scrunches her face, eyes squeezed shut and fist held above her phone. I'm going to hear about that.
Quickly she pulls up her instant messaging and types out a quick text.
TinyDJ [11:31AM]: Sorry,quick on the hang up.
MovieNerd[11:31AM]: No prob Knockem dead
TinyDJ [11:32AM]: Sorry again got to go. Call you later
Beca tosses the phone back onto her desk and grabs the remote for the stereo system. She hits play and listens as Emily singing 'Flashlight' plays over the speaker.
There's something there that I'm missing...
[*+X*+X+*X+*]
As their car pulls up to the front of the US Bank Tower, Beca realizes she has no idea where they are meeting. "We're meeting here?"
Jay-Michael looks over to Beca, he is talking on his phone and nods.
"I thought we were meeting at a restaurant?"
Her boss ends his phone call and then replies "Yeah, Marcus and I agreed that this is a more casual encounter, so we chose a restaurant, but that doesn't mean we can't eat in style."
Beca follows him out of the car, giving the driver a quick wave, and mouthing a 'thank you'. She has to move quickly to keep up with Jay-Michael's long strides.
"Aren't we meeting with his talent evaluators?"
Jay-Michael shakes his head no. "He decided that was unnecessary. He's made up his mind." He continues talking as they pass through the revolving doors and into the main lobby. "We're going to 71Above, at the top of this building." He directs her to a bank of elevators, catching one that just opened "You'll love it. There are great views of the city in all directions." He continues as the elevator begins to rise.
"So, we've been in touch, Marcus and I. This is again, a more a get-to-know-you opportunity. We'll make sure we're on the same page. Then the legal beagles will hash out the partics of the contract."
The elevator door opens and Beca's impressed. The place has an elegant yet modern feel.
"It's a nice place, and while there'll be background noise, it won't drown out our conversation," he assures her.
Beca hangs back as Jay-Michael talks to the host. The young woman checks her tablet, smiles and asks them to follow her. Jay-Michael turns and gestures for Beca to lead the way. He asks, "Are you ready?"
Beca pauses, then replies, "I am; but at the same time I'm also really nervous."
"Don't be," her boss actually looks caring, like a friend.
Beca smiles, almost shyly, though on the inside she's kicking herself. She already looks super young, she doesn't need to come off as super girly. "Uh, I'm going to use the ladies room." She says with a nod of her head.
He nods back and says he'll see her at the table and proceeds to follow the hostess.
Beca fights every instinct to run to the ladies room, and manages to keep a dignified pace. She isn't sure exactly why she's so nervous. Like Chloe said, they want her, she's passed the first tests.
Because this is taking things to a whole new level. This is being called up to the major leagues.
In the ladies room she goes to the sink and rests her hands on the counter, and let's out a deep sigh.
This is it Mitchell. You got this.
As if knowing that Beca's in need, the brown haired DJ gets a text.
SweetGinger [12:43PM]: U're AWESOME! :) xoxo
SweetGinger [12:44PM]: Remember me when U're FAMOUS! ;) xoxo ;p
SweetGinger [12:44PM]: Remember, they already luv U! :) xoxo
Beca can't help but chuckle. This is just what she needed.
TinyDJ [12:44PM]: Thanks, I needed that.
SweetGinger [12:45PM]: Any time Becs. What else R Hot Redheads 4? ;-P
TinyDJ [12:45PM]: True! C U later?
SweetGinger [12:45PM]: Course! Text me when U're done! :) xoxo
Beca feels a hundred times better as she puts her iPhone away, and heads to their table. Arriving at their table, Beca is surprised by the layout. It's actually a coffee table, framed by nice brown leather couches. Her look tells Jay-Michael she has a question. "Like I said, casual. This allows us to sit comfortably, take in the view, eat nice and relaxed.
Beca sits where her boss indicates. There's a glass of water waiting which she takes a sip from to help keep her nerves calm. She's relieved that Marcus hasn't shown yet. She wanted to be seated, looking cool and collected when he arrives, with nothing in her demeanor to suggest she shouldn't be at this table.
"I got an iced tea for myself, but wasn't sure what you would want." Jay-Michael says as he signals a waitress to come over.
"Thanks…" She swallows at her suddenly parched throat, gives a small cough. "Thank you. I would like an iced tea to, unsweetened with a couple of lemons." The waitress flashes a big smile, and says she'll be right back.
Jay-Michael Ray eyes Beca as he sips at his iced tea and cocks his head at her. "You nervous?" Idly swirling the iced tea around in his glass, as he waits for her answer.
Beca smiles a kind of yes/no smile in response. Her boss waves it away. "Don't be. We got this. You've already done the hard part."
Beca's about to say that's easy for him to say, but then she notices the tall night club owner making his way over.
"Hello," he says, "hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Marcus, my main man! It's been too long!" Jay-Michael gets up clasps Marcus's hand, and then pulls him in tight, giving him a pat on the back. Beca can't help but wonder how well these two know each other.
"Jay-Michael Ray! Great to see you." Responds Marcus as he pulls back from the quick hug. "You're looking great. Atlanta has been kind to you. But I hear you are making a new foray into my beloved city of Angels. That's amazing."
Beca stands waiting patiently as the two men boisterously greet each other, keeping her professional mask in place. She's not exactly sure how she's supposed to greet Marcus, so when the time comes she figures she'll stick with the firm handshake.
Turning to face Beca, Marcus sticks out his hand. "Beca, it's so great to see you again. I'm looking forward to hearing you again tomorrow night." Shaking Beca's hand he continues, "Thank you for meeting me here."
"No problem."
"Did Ms. Beale like the roses?"
Beca suddenly remembers the perfect bouquet of red roses delivered to Chloe's school on Monday. Thirty-Six perfect roses, that she hates, but she keeps a mask on not revealing. "Uh yeah…"
"I hope it wasn't too forward to send her roses, and to her job, but I didn't have a home address. I was able to find a reference to her online being hired by her school, and a picture of her at an Easter recital."
"No… You're good… Uh, Chloe seemed really touched." Beca can only wish this part of the conversation would end.
Not knowing this, of course, Marcus continues. "I still feel bad about that asshole, though I don't think we'll be seeing him for a while."
Beca looks at him confused, "Why?"
"His car burst into fire."
"Wait what?"
"Yeah, weirdest thing. So he was in no shape to drive, so I had him and his friends loaded into a cab. Figured it also wouldn't hurt for him to have to come back for his car. But overnight the car literally bursts into flame. I've seen the video surveillance, in fact from three different angles. As far as we can see, no one approaches the car, it's sitting there, and then flames are seen coming from the engine. The car goes up like a Roman candle."
"No shit…" Says Jay-Michael.
One word pops into Beca's head.
Lily
Beca grabs her iced tea and takes another swig. "Wow… Uhh… Yeah, I mean… That's wild…"
Marcus senses that the smaller woman may know something, but decides not to press it. The guy was an asshole. He decides to go back to the topic of Chloe. "So will Ms Beale be joining us tomorrow night?"
Beca fights the urge to be snarky. She didn't want this guy taking any interest in her roommate. Still he has the keys to the kingdom, so she answers, "Umm, yeah." She decides to try to deflect.
"Actually a whole crew of my friends are. The group I was with in college. The ones you saw in the videos. They are here and planning on coming by."
"Great!"
"I wanted to confirm that they've got access to the VIP room."
Marcus waves his hand. "I'll make sure they all get a VIP card like the ones I had you get last week. Call Arianna, my head hostess, she'll make sure of everything."
"Thanks Marcus."
"No problem." He turns his attention to Beca's boss, and asks, "You happy?"
"I'm always happy," Jay-Michael Ray says in response. "Sometimes I just forget."
Marcus chuckles "So has Dre' forgiven you producing that tight Christmas album for Snoop, before you did one for him?"
"It took a couple cases of Louis Roederer's Cristal 2002, and a bit of genuflecting, but yeah, we're good. I have Reggie here to thank for part of that."
Marcus gives an inquisitive look, and Beca blushes a bit as her boss regails him with the tale of how this tiny intern stepped up when no one else did, and pitched a really great idea.
"That's how this little musical genius first came to my attention." Beca remains silent as her boss talks her up, taking a sip from her glass.
"Look Marcus, Beca here has the potential to be your number one headliner DJ, the best and the brightest your clubs are ever gonna see."
Beca has to admit, she's impressed with her boss. He's actively taking part in this meeting with absolute confidence.
It takes a specific skill set to properly sell the idea of their services. To make the person on the other side of the table want to work with them; smooth talk, knowledge of the business and trade, and an innate ability to coax and flatter were all requisite skills.
Beca recognizes that this is an area she is sorely lacking, and realizes she still has a lot to learn.
Beca sees a similar skill in Marcus. She sees him arranging his features into whatever is needed at the moment. Currently he's settling in a mask of polite indifference.
Small talk flows for the next two hours. It's light conversation interspersed with offers and counteroffers, and then personal stories.
It's fascinating, for the first hour, maybe ninety minutes, but over two hours, and it's grown tedious. Now she's completely bored.
Beca grinds her teeth in an attempt to keep a neutral face. She's been sitting in this restaurant for over two hours, and they really haven't achieved anything.
She hasn't been in a lot of business meetings, but if they are anything like this one then she resolves to avoid them at all costs. This meeting has grown boring and and a waste of time.
Seriously, how many stories about partying on Miami beach can these guys tell? Yeah Kanye's rich, we know. I thought this was a meeting about me and my future.
She's tried very hard to keep her irritation under control, under a mask Beca has spent the last few years trying to develop.
At least they serve exquisite food here.
She thinks to herself as she picks at her plate. She realizes the two have stopped talking. She raises her head to see the two of them looking back at her with amused expressions.
Marcus quips, "Do you think we've put her through enough?"
"I'm actually surprised Reggie has kept her cool."
Beca's eyes roll to the side. They were playing me? The look on both their faces gives her her answer.
Marcus smiles and sits forward. "Okay, then let's actually get down to business. There's no point in denying it, I'm really interested in having you join my talent pool. I want to sign you, Beca."
He pulls out his briefcase and sets it on the low table. "I like people who are willing to put in the work, who will work hard, and who have ambition to succeed."
Pulling out a couple manila envelopes from his briefcase, he says, "I have a contract you can take back to your legal representation; just so you know they're all pretty boilerplate." He hands the manila envelopes to both Jay-Michael and Beca, accept them and immediately open.
Marcus leans in over the table. "Our terms are short and simple. My company becomes your exclusive management for your DJ'ing and live performance portion of your career."
He places his own copy before him, and points to it. "If you agree to sign exclusively with my company as a DJ, we can provide both a steady venue for you to play and a multitude of venues where you would guest DJ around both the country and the world."
He looks at Beca, to gauge her reaction. "You would be prohibited from DJ'ing with any other clubs while under contract with us unless we set it up."
Beca looks doubtful at this.
"This is not to say you can't bring us ideas, but we negotiate the terms, handle the details."
Beca can see the reasoning, but wants everything spelled out. "For?"
"Well we will take a percentage of the fee we charge, the percentages will be clearly spelled out in the contract." He points to the contract in front of her. "I believe it's page twenty one and two"
Beca opens to those pages, and looks over the numbers. She's not sure if they are fair or not. She can't read her boss, so she'll ask later.
Marcus continues, "Believe me when I say I want to make lots of money for myself, but also believe me when I say I take the long view. I will maximize profit potential if this," he points between the three of them, "is a partnership."
She's impressed as Macus seems to have put all his cards on the table. It's all in his pitch, in his approach. He's basically made a request for a partnership, though he's made it sound like they would be doing him the favor.
Looking at the contract, Beca is hopeful. It seems like a good deal. She'll need to review it. She had spoken with Aubrey over the last few days, who had agreed to go over the terms of the contract with her.
Marcus asks, "Any more questions?"
Beca sighs, this was the moment she tosses in the wild card. She looks over to her boss, who nods.
Looking straight at Marcus she say, "My friends and I, well we may have the possibility of a real opportunity. It's one I've spoken with JM about."
Beca brings this up tentatively, to be honest she's still not sure if she wants Marcus to shoot down the idea, giving her an out, or to embrace the idea. Even after what she said to Jay-Michael. "I have been invited to be a part of a possible new music competition show. One being considered by NBC for their fall lineup."
Marcu leans back. "Tell me more."
"Well if it gets the green light it would be a five week run."
"Will it be live?"
JM shakes his head no. "It won't be live."
"That's good."
"That's what I was thinking"
Beca's a bit confused, "Why?"
Her boss looks at her and answers honestly. "Well, it allows us to know what we're working with. Say you and your team go and bomb…" He holds up his hand to forestall her protest. "Not saying you will, but say you do, and are eliminated in the first show, well you were part of a team and we just ignore it. Most likely no one will even notice. However, say your team does well and you go for a few weeks, it gets trickier, because people will actually notice you. Ironically the first few weeks weeks will be crucial to get through, and it would be better to be eliminated in the first week. But if you get through to the end, even if you don't win, we can highlight your performances. Market you as seen on NBC's… Uhh, by the way does this project have s name?"
Beca realizes, she never asked Amy what they were calling the show. She scrambles for a name. "The Riff-Off, but that's not finalized."
Marcus nods, and continues, "We'll get back to that. Since we'll know in advance how it goes, we'll be able to script the buzz any way we want.
"I'll want to start getting your name out there as soon as it's feasible. I was thinking we could have you tour some of my Southern California and Vegas clubs as a guest DJ…"
Beca is instantly interested in this idea. "I'd be up for that."
"Thought you might. We will keep you in the Thursday slot at Club Express; but I see that as temporary…"
Jay-Michael perks up. "Why temporary?"
"Because I'm opening a new club in December, and I'll need a new headliner for the weekend." He looks pointedly at Beca.
"Me?"
"Yeah you. We spend the next six months building you up, and Hell the show could play right into it. We make you into the hottest up-and-coming DJ in SoCal, and you headline opening night…" Marcus is interrupted mid sentence by the sound of his phone. He sighs. "Do you mind if I get that?"
Beca holds up her hands and says, "Oh no, please." She needs a minute anyway to process what's being said. She looks over at her boss and he flips her a thumbs up.
Is this really happening?
She looks over to Marcus who is mouthing sorry. Beca shrugs, it's okay, it's more than okay, she can't help the satisfied grin that's tugging at the corner of her lips.
She can't wait for the end of this meeting so she can tell Chloe.
[*+X*+X+*X+*]
A/N: What do you think? Does it still feel like a good sequel to Pitch Perfect? I don't actually know anything about the music business or the DJ scene in Los Angeles, so I don't know how utterly preposterous my meetings were, but I thought they were fun, and could just be plausible enough.