Reality

I cupped my breasts to make the point. “Let’s face it; I got hired for the documentary because of my looks. My ability to talk intelligently about sharks was just a bonus, as was my diving. The producers know sex gets viewers to tune in, and viewers drive advertising profits. I want to be the one making the profits, not just the spokesmodel who gets paid to show her cleavage.”

Amy looked up in shock. “Isn’t that feeding the problem? Using sexual appeal to get viewers?”

“We’d be foolish not to use what we have,” Noelani said. “Face it, we could put you two in canvas sacks, and you’d still be hotter ’n Texas asphalt. Your careers could end at any time; Amy could start a family, and Vicki could find her mate and take over a Pack. You should get everything you can while you can.”

“I want to be part of it,” Malani said. “I don’t care if I’m cleaning the gear at night. I’ll help wherever you need me.”

Amy looked saddened. “I’m not sure how much I’m going to be able to contribute,” she said. “I can’t drive the boat, I can’t be a safety diver, and I’m not a shark expert. I’d be taking up room.”

“I’d never leave you out,” I said. “I don’t care if you just stand there in a bikini looking hot, you’re on my team. You’re my best friend, and we’re in this together.” I pulled her into a hug. “Your vision is getting better every month. I have faith you’ll contribute.”

She looked at me when she pulled back. “You’ve spent your whole life working to get adults to take your seriously, Vicki. You’re finally getting respect for your work, and now you want to sex it up? Won’t this throw all that progress away?”

“I’m never going to outgrow the pinup model persona. Even if I get the education, people will still call me ‘Sharkbabe’ and make fun of me behind my back. Getting my doctorate is a decade away, Amy! I can get ratings AND respect the way I plan to do it.” I looked at the twins. “What kind of show is the most popular among teens through early twenties women, the demographic that advertisers want the most?”

“Reality shows,” Noelani said with a roll of her eyes. “All those vapid blondes and slutty brunettes, jumping in and out of bed with random men.”

I nodded. “Exactly. Reality shows have been popular for decades, mostly directed by men who exploit women desperate for fame.”

“So, you want to turn yourself into a reality show?”

“Exactly right. Think back to what I’ve told you about the two weeks I spent on the research vessel. We got amazing videos of sharks, we had respected scientists, and cutting edge gear. So what ends up getting all the publicity? A dustup between a Neanderthal male and me that ends with him choked the hell out. Even in science, the reality show wins.” I stood up to walk around the table, the excitement too much to sit still. “Look at the four of us. Two are eighteen, and two are seventeen, and we all look like models. And what are we doing in the next six months?”

“Working our asses off on tour,” Amy said.

“Exactly. You and I will be touring Europe, Africa, South America, and Australia for two months starting in November. Not only do we have modeling shoots and fan events, but we will be diving in some of the best shark waters in the entire WORLD? Why wouldn’t we bring along a small crew to capture that on film?” It just made sense to use what we already had planned to capture footage.

“Will Mercedes allow us to piggyback on her events? After all, she’s paying the way,” Amy asked.

“Amy, Mercedes might pay for some of it! They still do television shows on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and it’s great publicity for the brand. Millions of people will see the shows and events from behind the scenes. Along the way, we dive with local professional divers and expert academics, tying the educational component into each show. If we do it right, we can do a half-hour show on each location we visit, then sell the entire series to a network for big money. We can call it ‘Swimming with Sharkbait’ or something.”

“Shark Tails,” Amy said.

“Dangerous Waters,” Makani said.

“Sharkbabes,” Noelani added.

“Whatever the name, it’s a fantastic idea,” Makani said. “Instead of apologizing for our looks, we capitalize on them. We work our asses off to make for good television. The hot bodies will be incidental to the work we do.”

I loved that part. “We will control the production and editing so we won’t end up with trashy romance and sex. We let everyone see what we are; young, beautiful, talented, smart, and virtuous. Well, except Amy. From all those noises at night, I’m pretty sure Kai’s pirate ship has plundered her shores for booty.”

“Har de frickin’ har,” she answered. “I’m married, so it’s all right.”

“And I’ll be dating famous people around the world to stay visible on social media,” I said dejectedly.

“What about us,” Noelani asked. “How can we help?”

I hated to be the hardass. “Sorry, girls, but you have school this fall. You can’t miss months at a time to be with us.”

Makani leaned forward, her eyes bright with excitement. “Why can’t we take online courses like you two? We could do them while we travel. This is a paid gig, right? We’ll work around our job. Mom and Dad will understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

“And our boyfriends will be stuck in SEAL training with Kai. At least let us try to get permission to go along,” Noelani begged. “I’d gladly give up my senior year at a human high school for a chance to be rich and famous.”

I looked at Amy for help, and she spoke first. “You can’t sign a contract without your parents until you are eighteen,” she said. “If you find your mates when you come of age, you will have other obligations.”

“It might be a good idea to go online regardless,” I said after thinking about it. “School is just starting; if you use the online option, you don’t have to change in the middle of the year if you are mated, or we have to move to another city.”

“I’ll broach it with Mom as a contingency, but I’ll need the two of you there to talk to my parents and the Alphas about going along on your adventure,” Noelani said.

“Planning isn’t quite to the point of handing out contracts yet. If everyone agrees, I’ll have to work it out with Mercedes to get you under contract with Bodyglove first. That will ensure you get modeling pay at our photoshoots and appearances and free clothing. Anyone we bring on-board for the episodes would need a short-term contract to get their consent to be in the show, and to wear Bodyglove clothing.” I took a drink of my Diet Coke as I thought. “We can make a show that shows little girls that you can be beautiful and smart, and one the boys will watch without their parents being uncomfortable. No trashy drama, just plenty of beautiful scenery in and out of the water.”

“How do we prevent sexual harassment like last time? I won’t put up with it,” Amy said. “Imagine what would happen if Kai saw footage of a guy grabbing my boobs as Brian did to you? He’d kill him!”

I have a plan for that. “We’re going to have an all-female crew,” I said. “Girl Power is the other half of the idea. Do you think I’m the only blonde who gets underestimated and underutilized because of her appearance? I bet I can find divers, underwater photographers, editors, directors, audio techs, and scientists who would jump at the chance to be part of this project.”

Amy had the next question. “Once the Bodyglove tour is over, what then? Do we wait for more appearance next year, or go off on our own?”

“I have some ideas, but we’ll talk about them more tomorrow,” I said.

We tossed around a few other ideas for another ten minutes before I went into my room and gave Mercedes a call.

An hour later, I hung up the phone. Mercedes was thrilled with my ideas and promised to talk to the CEO about them in the morning. She begged me not to tell anyone else until she did. At a minimum, she said Bodyglove would swing a similar deal to share production costs in exchange for prominent product placement. She sent me a copy of the contract she had with the Discovery Channel production team and copies of the invoices they had received so I could see what I was getting into. Since they were paying 20%, it was a simple matter to figure out the total cost of the production.

Ours would be much smaller in terms of crew, but we were talking three to six months of shooting instead of two weeks. I’d have to put a million dollars into the project to make it work, but I had the money.

I could make it work.