Show of Shows
The conference room was tense, the air thick with anticipation as the post-mortem meeting for Chloe Beale Live began. Aubrey Posen stood at the head of the table, her tablet clutched in one hand, the other tapping impatiently against her side. On the screen behind her, the social media reaction to the previous night’s episode was being projected in real-time.
Tweets and comments were flying by, overwhelmingly positive:
“Beca and Chloe are adorable! I ship it!”
“Chloe Beale flirting LIVE on air? Iconic.”
“I want what they have. Shipping it!
“#Bhloe? #Chleca?# Bechloe# Whatever it is I’m here for it”
“ Kiss already damn it”
“They’re my sapphic Roman Empire”
“I need more Beca Mitchell on this show. The chemistry is unreal!”
Aubrey’s eye twitched. “Chloe… what were you thinking?”
Chloe leaned back in her chair, her legs crossed, a smug smile playing at her lips. She looked effortlessly chic in high-waisted jeans and a loose, off-shoulder sweater that somehow managed to look both casual and expensive. She absentmindedly twisted a lock of red hair around her finger. “I was thinking that the audience would love it. And judging by these tweets, I was right.”
Aubrey pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly. Her shoulders were creeping up ever closer to her ears. “You went completely off script. That was not the interview we planned.”
Chloe shrugged. “It was better.”
“It was unprofessional!” Aubrey snapped. “You were flirting. On live television. With a guest!”
Chloe didn’t look the least bit sorry. “I was having fun. And so was she.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “And so was the audience.”
Stacie leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on the table, her grin wide. “I don’t see the problem. The ratings were through the roof. It was our highest-rated episode this season. People loved it. The tweets are gold. And they were hot. It was hot”
Chloe gave Stacie a high five which the brunette enthusiastically returned.
Aubrey shot her a glare. “This is a serious meeting, Stacie. Could you at least pretend to be professional?”
Stacie’s grin widened. “You love it when I’m unprofessional.”
Aubrey’s cheeks went pink. “I do not!”
Chloe smirked, enjoying the show. “Anyway, it’s not like I broke any rules.”
Aubrey turned back to Chloe, her eyes narrowing. “You basically asked her out on live TV.”
Chloe’s smile faltered for just a second before she masked it with a nonchalant shrug. “So?”
Aubrey’s jaw dropped. “You can’t just… you can’t flirt with guests like that! It’s unprofessional!”
“Worked for Ellen,” Chloe countered, her voice light and teasing.
Aubrey groaned, pacing the room. “Do you even care about the reputation of this show?”
Stacie’s eyes followed the blonde as she strode back and forth, firmly locked on Aubrey’s pencil skirt clad behind.
Chloe pointedly looked at Stacie and cleared her throat.
The brunette almost fell out of her chair as she came back to reality
Chloe continued, her eyes softening, just a little. “Of course I care. But I’m also not ashamed of who I am. Or who I like.”
Stacie’s eyes widened with interest. “So, you do like her?”
Chloe’s cheeks flushed, her gaze dropping for just a moment. “I… she was cute. And funny. And… yeah. Maybe I did like her.”
Stacie’s grin was downright wicked. “You want her number?”
Chloe’s eyes snapped up. “You have it?”
Stacie pulled out her phone, her fingers flying over the screen. “Of course. I get all the guest’s contact details. You know, for professional reasons.”
Aubrey’s eyes went wide. “No. Stacie, don’t—”
Stacie hit dial and put the phone on speaker, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Too late.”
Aubrey’s voice went up an octave. “What are you doing?! This is a serious meeting!”
The phone rang twice before a male voice picked up. “Hello?”
Stacie’s grin widened. She could have some fun with this. “Hi, is this Beca Mitchell?”
Chleo covered her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. Aubrey scowled so hard at Stacie that the furrows in her brow had furrows.
The voice hesitated, sounding confused. “No, this is her agent. Jesse. Do I sound like Beca? Who’s calling?”
Stacie’s eyes gleamed. “It’s Stacie from Chloe Beale Live. We were hoping to speak with Beca to do a post-mortem of yesterday’s show.”
There was a muffled sound, like someone was struggling, and then a familiar voice came through the speaker. “This is Beca. What’s up?”
Stacie leaned back; her smile smug. “Beca! You’re on speaker with Chloe and the team.”
There was a pause, then Beca’s voice dropped an octave. “Chloe’s there?”
Chloe’s face flushed, but she leaned closer to the phone. “Hey, Beca. Thanks again for coming on the show yesterday.”
Beca’s voice softened. “Yeah. It was… fun.”
Chloe’s smile was warm. “Yeah. It was.”
Aubrey’s eyes were wide with panic. “Chloe, what are you doing?”
Stacie shushed her. “ Quiet Bree, I’m listening to my new favorite show.”
The brunette rested her chin in her hands and watched the call in progress with glee.
Chloe ignored them, her voice softening. “So, Beca… would you be interested in… coming back sometime?”
Beca’s voice was playful. “I don’t know… would you be flirting with me again?”
Chloe’s laugh was light, musical. “Would that be a problem?”
“Not even a little,” Beca answered, her voice low and warm.
In the background a faint voice could be heard urging Beca to keep it in her pants. The listeners in the conference room could hear a sound like the mike was being covered by a hand and then a muffled voice saying: “Shut the fuck up, Jesse. If you mess this up for me, I swear I will reach down your throat and give you that manual vasectomy I’ve promised you. And the world will thank me for it.”
More rustling happened and then Beca’s voice came back, sounding almost airy.
“You were saying, Ms. Beale”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled and she let out a small giggle.. “I was saying that yeah, I’d like that.”
Stacie put her hands behind her head, looking pleased. “Well, that settles it. This is definitely my new favorite show.”
Aubrey threw her hands up in exasperation. “I hate all of you.”
But she was smiling. She knew Chloe’d had a rough couple of years romantically and underneath her tough, demanding exterior, she truly did want to see her friend happy again. And if it was with Beca Mitchell? Well there were certainly a lot more annoying brunettes one could chose to date out there. She threw a glare at Stacie as that thought crossed her mind.
Stacie caught Aubrey’s glare and blew her a kiss back.
Aubrey quickly looked away. Again.
Stacie wiggled her eyebrows. “So, Beca, just to confirm… you’re free this Friday?”
Beca’s voice was teasing. “That depends… are you asking or is Chloe?”
Chloe’s laugh was breathless. “I am. Definitely me.”
Beca’s voice was warm, playful. “Then yeah. I’m free.”
“Text you later with details?” Chloe was biting her lip as she said this.
“I’ll be waiting by my phone to hear from you. Until then, Chloe”
The call disconnected.
Stacie pumped her fist in the air. “Yes! I ship it.”
Aubrey groaned. “This is a workplace, not a dating service!”
Chloe’s voice was soft, tender. “Can’t it be both?”
And for once, even Aubrey didn’t have a comeback.