Daring Lisa Marvell Ch. 01

Author's Note: This series continues the story of television reporter Lisa Marvell. Any necessary background is provided within the stories that follow; however, reading the earlier series called "A Daring Reporter" will provide more detail on some of the characters as well as earlier events. Comments and feedback are always appreciated.

*****

The weeks since Lisa Marvell had last anchored Channel 4's 6:00 and 11:00 news broadcasts had flown by for the star reporter. She had negotiated a leave of absence partly to give herself some time to come up with fresh ideas for a new series of feature reports for the local television station where she had served as co-anchor for several years. But she also desperately needed a break after working virtually nonstop for months.

It had all started the previous winter when Lisa decided to boost her station's declining ratings by appearing braless at the end of a late night Friday newscast. The stunt worked, viewership increased, and each week Lisa (with the support of her producer Bill Reinhart) devised ways to appear at the end of the week during the 11:00 broadcast in progressively revealing outfits. This gave rise to a series of stories on women who "dare to bare," with Lisa reporting on ladies engaged in activities that called on them to wear little or no clothing. And, as part of each feature, the reporter joined in the activity. Over the weeks, Lisa appeared in a see-through gown, modeled in the buff for an art class, visited a nudist colony, posed for racy photographs (along with her colleague and weather reporter, Natalie Johnson), and performed a striptease at a local club. Lisa retained tight control over the series, including just how much of her body would be revealed in each report. Then, as the demands on her time became overwhelming, Lisa struck an agreement with Bill allowing her to take a well-earned leave, but not before performing an on-air strip during her farewell broadcast that left her wearing nothing by a c-string and pasties. And then she disappeared.

Bill received an occasional text saying she was well, but she never told him where she was or what she was doing. Finally, one afternoon, the station manager Ken Barber surprised Bill by revealing that Lisa had just signed a new contract that involved some significant changes. Lisa would be returning to the station primarily to co-anchor the 11:00 Friday Night newscasts and to report on stories with a more mature theme (or, in the language of the contract, "adult-oriented news items"), including segments focusing on Lisa herself. "And not to worry," Ken had explained to Bill, "this won't mean extra work for you. It's still all under your control, but we've asked Natalie Johnson to serve as associate producer for Lisa's segments on the Friday Night Specials. So she'll be in charge of all of the details."

In addition, Bill learned that Lisa had agreed that an announcement could be made on that night's 11:00 news saying that she would returning to Channel 4 for the series of special late night reports. Those segments would allow her to explore daring ideas and challenges, many of them provided by the audience, who were encouraged to email their suggestions to lisamarvelldares@gmail.com. It seemed like Lisa was no longer content to simply report on a story; during her time off, she had decided that she wanted to be the story. And, with Natalie designated as her producer, it was implied that the young, dark-haired anchorwoman was going to be in control of Lisa's performances.

The next Monday, when Bill arrived at the studio, he was startled to see a very relaxed Lisa sitting in his office, thumbing through a fashion magazine with one leg draped casually over the arm of the only comfortable chair in the room. With a stunning tan that showed off her long blonde hair and natural good looks, she was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. Whatever she had been doing during her time away, it was clear she had been staying in great shape. Her jeans clung to her long legs, and Bill was reasonably sure that she wasn't wearing a bra under her top. At 5' 8", she was still under 130 lbs, and her svelte 34-25-34 figure had never looked better.

"Lisa," Bill began, trying to recover from the surprise of seeing her again, "it's wonderful to have you back." She let the magazine slip back into her bag and stood up and hugged him briefly. Bill took a step back and made a point of scanning her from head to toe. "The time off must have agreed with you. You look great."

"Thanks, Bill. I can't remember when I've felt this good. And I owe it all to you for allowing me to take a break. I promise you won't regret it."

"I haven't regretted going along with any of your ideas so far, and I can't imagine why that would change." He continued, "We announced your return last week, and the suggestions are already pouring in for you."

"Are they?" Lisa said, with a gleam in her eye. "I guess there are still a few people out there who remember me." She paused, then added with just a little edge in her voice, "Even though you've got Natalie anchoring the broadcasts now."

Bill had wondered how much of a sore spot this would be with the reporter. He suspected that Lisa, in spite of the fact that she had asked to give up the news desk, hadn't anticipated that her colleague and former weather girl, Natalie Johnson, would take over the position. Bill knew that experienced on-air talent could grow resentful when a younger coworker was given a break or offered a promotion that had taken them longer to attain. But in the view of station management, Natalie was the logical choice to step in. Her participation in some of Lisa's reports, including her willingness to pose for sexy lingerie photos in one of the "dare-to-bare" reports, had made her a hit with viewers. And no one wanted to lose the audience that had been tuning in to see Lisa, so who better to hold their attention than Natalie.

"Natalie's doing a great job," Bill responded. "She's been continuing in the spirit of the Friday night special reports, and no one's been more supportive of your return to the news team than she has. In fact, she's insisting on reviewing all of the ideas coming in from viewers and wants to sit in on all our meetings with the writers when we kick around the suggestions."

The reporter stretched back out in the chair and looked at Bill. What he didn't know was that Natalie had initiated a romantic relationship with Lisa that had continued even after Natalie took over the anchor slot. And having agreed that they wanted to pursue an open relationship, they had also decided that the chance to work together again could be used to push their boundaries and allow Lisa to explore her burgeoning sexual and exhibitionist desires.

"That doesn't surprise me at all. I'm sure she's very eager to have me try some of these dares," Lisa replied, just the trace of a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. "And you know, I am, too," she said. "One thing I've realized about myself is that I find it exciting to try new things, even if I occasionally need a bit of a push. I'm open to just about anything, especially if it makes for compelling television. And if this turns out the way I think it might, we could end up with something that's really new and different and maybe shakes things up a bit."

"Like you haven't shaken things up already?" Bill said with a huge grin. "You know, we hired a new weather forecaster and a young reporter, and on occasion Natalie has encouraged them to compete to see who can wear the sexiest outfit on Friday night."

"I'd heard about that and seen some of the clips. Very daring, Bill," Lisa added with just a touch of irony in her voice. "In fact, I'm counting on the fact that I'll be able to recruit some of my colleagues for these Friday Night Special reports," she replied, raising her eyebrows as if to say "just wait until you see what I have in mind."

"That would be fantastic for our ratings, so you'll get no objections from me," Bill assured her. "But you do understand that the dares themselves will be given to you by the news anchor?"

"Which, of course, I realize is Natalie." Lisa glanced around as if deciding just what else to say and then looked back at Bill with just the hint of a laugh. "Let's just say that was something that was discussed at length and I thought it was essential to what we're going to do. I realize I'll be too busy filming the segments for Friday, so I'll have to trust the editing of my reports to others, I guess," she continued as if confessing some deep, dark secret to Bill.

Bill paused and leaned over his desk. "I have to say I was surprised to see that in the agreement you signed with the station. But I'm glad to know that you're okay with doing whatever is asked of you for these dares."

"Don't worry, Bill, I am. And I'm sure Natalie will have fun giving me orders," she said with an edge to her voice. "I'm a big girl and I know what I'm opening myself up to. Like I said, I think I'm going to enjoy it."

"You know, I'm sure you are," Bill grinned, shaking his head in admiration at the spirit and nerve of the stunning reporter.

"Oh, and one more thing be before I go," Lisa added. "You probably know that my new associate producer has already cooked up the first segment for this Friday and wants to coordinate it with some of the things the marketing people have been planning to announce my return. We're meeting with them in a couple of hours so I can learn more and I'm hoping you'll be there."

"Definitely," Bill said, "In fact, I was just reviewing a special budget request from Natalie related to those promotional pieces, and I'll be getting together with her and a freelancer just before we meet with marketing. So I'll see you later."

"That sounds good," Lisa said. "But right now," she continued as she rose from the chair, "I think I'm going to track down Natalie to see what suggestions are coming in for my 'daring' performances. It feels strange not having to get ready for the broadcasts each day, so I might as well get to work on Friday's report," she said, leaning over his desk to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

The bemused news producer gently shook his head back and forth with a broad smile on this face. "It really is great to have you back."

Lisa casually waved goodbye over her shoulders as she exited Bill's office, then walked down the hallway toward the anchorwoman's office. She knocked quickly on the door, eager to see if she could figure out exactly what Natalie was planning.

Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door and saw Natalie sitting at her desk. The dark-haired reporter stood up and took a few steps toward her. "What a pleasant surprise," she exclaimed, with a slight blush overspreading her cheeks. "I didn't expect to see you until the meeting this afternoon."

With the door still open and people moving up and down the corridor, Lisa decided to simply give Natalie a big hug, then took a few steps back. "I thought I'd come in a little early so I could see Bill," she said.

"I hope that went well," the anchorwoman replied, trying to get a sense of how Bill had reacted to Lisa's return and the changes in the Friday night broadcast.

"He completely understands how this can continue to boost the ratings," she answered her colleague. "His only concern was to make sure I was comfortable with it," she said, pausing for emphasis, "which I totally am."

Natalie smiled, pleased and excited that Lisa was accepting without question the fact that the dares would be determined by Natalie and that the blonde reporter's role was simply to do whatever was asked of her. "It's going to be fun, isn't it?" she responded in a low whisper, like a schoolgirl sharing a secret. "I've already been going over the plans for this week's segment with Bryan and the rest of the writers and we've got some great ideas about how we can tie it into the teasers that marketing wants to do to announce your return to the station." She paused and decided to stop there. "He's working up a full treatment now and we'll go over it this afternoon."

"Hmmm. So the dare actually involves the promotional pieces," Lisa said in a low voice, thinking through the implications of what Natalie was saying. "That means that whatever we do might not just show up on the late night broadcast. That could be a little different."

"And exciting," Natalie added knowingly as she lightly touched her colleague's hand.

Lisa felt a shiver run down her spine; she could tell that Natalie was working on some idea that would push her limits, and the thought thrilled her to the core. Lowering her eyes, she said, "I guess I'll just have to wait for the meeting to learn more. But, if you're approving the plans, then I'm sure I'll enjoy the assignment."

Just the hint of a smile spread across Natalie's face as she replied, "Trust me, you will."

*****

It was a little past two when Lisa returned to the building and headed into the main conference room of the Channel 4 station. To her surprise, Bryan, the lead writer for the newscasts, was at the head of the table assembling some sheets of paper apparently prepared to play a major role in the discussions. Lisa said hello to him, and then went immediately over to Tim Willis, the station's lead sportscaster and colleague of Lisa's, and gave him a warm hug.

One by one, the other members of the news department arrived, giving Lisa a chance to say hello to each of them. By the time Natalie and Bill entered, the entire team - the new weather person Nicole Lewis, weekend anchor Kim Washington, and feature reporters Jim Simpson, Ashley Miller, and Sue Thomson - had assembled.

Natalie was accompanied by a man that Lisa didn't recognize. Standing a little over six feet tall with a muscular build, his dark stubble beard and casual dress style definitely marked him as an outsider who wasn't from the corporate offices or the usual pool of marketing freelancers. The attractive stranger gave a warm greeting to Bryan and then sat down next to Bill.

"Thanks to everyone for coming in," the news producer began as Bryan distributed copies of the pages. "As you know, we've asked the team to get together to plan for Lisa's return to the station." He paused while the assembled group spontaneously gave a round of applause. "I know," Bill said acknowledging the recognition being shown to Lisa, "that we couldn't be more delighted to have her back." He chuckled momentarily, and then continued. "In fact, to promote her return, we've been planning a promotional campaign built around the tag line of 'Lisa's back.' We're here to discuss shooting a couple of videos that will fit in with the work that marketing has been doing," and he held up a sketch of a print piece that was attached to the copies Bryan had handed out.

"Now," the producer continued, "we're expanding our Friday Night Special newscasts to include a segment in which Lisa will resume some of her, shall we say, 'daring' activities," he added with a smile. "In a minute, I'm going to turn it over to Bryan and Natalie to explain how they plan to tie the promotional pieces into this week's dare. But first," Bill said turning to his left, "let me introduce you to Manuel Barreda," as the stranger gave a brief wave of the hand. "Manny is one of the best in the business, and we're very fortunate that he has agreed to be direct the short teasers as well as the Friday night video for Lisa's segment."

Throughout his remarks, Bill had noticed that the blonde reporter appeared deep in thought, intently studying the newcomer in the room. And as soon as he had mentioned his name, he could see the light go off in her head.

"Nice to meet you," Lisa said as soon as Bill had introduced the videographer. And then she added, barely missing a beat, "How did we lure you back from the coast?"

"I'm impressed that you know that much about me, Miss Marvell," Manuel replied with a flash in his eyes. "But when Bryan called me late last week and mentioned your name, well, I signed on for the job immediately."

"I've known Manuel for years," the writer chimed in, "back when he was a struggling artist here in town and I was a graduate student working odd jobs. That was before he did his first music video."

Lisa quickly recalled the history of Manuel's success. Establishing himself on the basis of several videos he made for local bands, he followed the money and the opportunities first to New York and then to L.A. The last she had heard he was working chiefly on commercials, commanding hefty fees for his services.

Now it was Natalie's turn to complete the explanation. "You see, marketing had been planning to do a set of routine promotional pieces announcing Lisa's return to the 11:00 news. But Bill and I feel this deserves something special. Then, as we looked through the suggestions for dares that were coming in from viewers, Bryan found something that could be tied into those pieces. Viewers want to see Lisa in an extended video, so we've decided to integrate that into the marketing campaign. We'll use the video on the Friday Night Special report and then have it up on our website for our audience to see whenever they want. Of course," she continued, "we'll put it behind some sort of sign-in where viewers verify that they're over eighteen."

"Oh, and why is that?" Lisa asked with just a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, we want it to be edgy and, shall we say, representative of the work you're doing on the Friday Night specials. That's when we thought of Manuel as someone who could take it to a level beyond what we do typically around here."

"Marketing is thrilled with the idea that viewers will sign in because that gives us their contact information for future use," Bill said. "And we are extremely fortunate that Manuel has agreed to help us."

"At something significantly less than my usual rate," Manuel added good naturedly. "But I like to stay in touch with what's going on in my home town. I still have family and friends here, and I've been intrigued by what you're doing, Lisa. You're pushing the boundaries of the medium, and that's very much what I like to do so as well. And so," he said with a modest shrug of his shoulders, "here I am."

"Do we still go ahead with shooting the promotional pieces that marketing outlined?" Lisa asked, now clearly intrigued by the possibilities.

That was Bryan's cue to speak. "The pages I've just handed out provide a quick sketch of what we'll be doing. But to answer you directly, Lisa, yes, we'll proceed with those short pieces. In fact, we'll start with that tomorrow afternoon by getting shots of you with the news team and stage crew."

Manny now chimed in. "The spot brings the entire crew together to welcome Lisa back. First we'll show small groups of you, each saying something. Then we'll get a group shot with everyone delivering the tag line."

"We've been able to block out the use of the studio tomorrow for a couple of hours after the midday news," Bryan continued. "I know it's an inconvenience for some of you to come in at that time, but it really is the best we could arrange on short notice. So, please consult with wardrobe before you leave and be back here by 1:00 tomorrow."

There was some grumbling from the assembled group, and Bryan fielded a few questions. Bill then stood up to signal that the meeting had ended. "The last thing we want to do is take any more of your time than needed. So that's it for now. A few of you will be needed tomorrow night as well, but one of the assistants can go over all of that with you as you're checking in with wardrobe." He nodded graciously at the team, and added, "Thank you all very much."

Everyone seemed pleased to have things wrapped up so quickly. As people filed out of the room, Jim and Tim lingered just a few minutes to talk with Lisa. Then, after they too had left, Manny asked Lisa to join him, Bill, Bryan, and Natalie to go over the details of the rest of the shoot.