Daring Lisa Marvell Ch. 05

Lisa Marvell, star reporter for Channel 4 and the most popular television broadcaster in the tri-state area awoke feeling upbeat and excited about the day ahead. It was a Monday morning, and over the last month or so Lisa had found that she particularly looked forward to the start of the week because that was then she would learn about the dare Natalie Johnson, anchorwoman of the late night news, had chosen for her to perform on their Friday Night Special report.

Before heading over to the station, Lisa decided to begin her day with a trip to the gym. She had committed herself to a rigorous workout regime, trying to make sure that she kept her body trim and fit. The attractive 32-year old blonde knew that her popularity and the unprecedented ratings the station were enjoying were a direct result of the special segments that aired every Friday night during the 11:00 news. Those reports, produced by Natalie, had one very important thing about them that made for great TV viewing - they inevitably led to Lisa appearing naked on air.

For months, the blonde reporter had been willing to risk her career as a serious broadcaster by deciding to bare her body in front of the camera. Because of the guidelines laid down by the network's Standards and Practices division, any display of frontal nudity had to be avoided through the use of editing and camera angles. However, the censors did allow the occasional glimpse of Lisa from behind as well as shots that hinted at her total nudity. And in recent weeks as the dares progressed from skinning dipping to body painting, Natalie had made sure that the reports were more and more revealing, with glimpses from a distance of a completely naked Lisa along with the occasional close-up of the blonde reporter's stunning ass.

Furthermore, it was clear that the anchorwoman planned to continue to push the boundaries of what could be shown on late-night television, especially now that news producer Bill Reinhart had signaled his complete confidence in Natalie's control of these segments. Lisa was already contractually committed to perform any dare that Natalie selected, and Bill had indicated the he no longer needed to approve the Friday Night reports before they aired. Lisa had discovered that as Natalie placed her in more public situations and came up with new ways each week to expose her for longer periods of time to the camera, her feelings - a mixture of nervousness, embarrassment, and excitement - grew stronger and stronger. And now, Natalie was completely in charge of what she would be asked to do and what would be shown on the 11:00 news that Friday.

All of these thoughts passed through Lisa's head as she entered the exercise facility with her gym bag. She was wearing her one of her usual outfits - gray yoga points with a thong underneath, black sports bra, and a plain white tank top cut low enough under the arms to reveal the sides of her bra. Seeing two older gentlemen who had just completed their workout and were staring at her as they stood at the water cooler, she waved hello. "Why not," she thought with a smile creeping across her face, "give them a little treat this morning? Maybe a Monday Morning Special report for senior citizens."

Quickly ducking into the locker room and checking to see that no one was around, she whipped off the tank top and removed her sports bra, tossing it in her bag. Then, she slipped the top back on and turned to check out the effect in the mirror. Viewed from the front, nothing appeared unusual. But as soon as she turned sideways and raised her arms, the sides of her breasts could be clearly seen.

"Oops," she said to herself with a giggle. "I'll just have to make sure nothing slips out while I'm exercising," she thought as she tried jogging in place as she examined herself in the mirror. Convinced that the tank top was at least going to keep her nipples covered, she proceeded back into the gym and headed over to an exercise bench. She noticed that one of the older men had started to walk towards the showers but then abruptly changed direction and returned to the water cooler, his eyes fixed directly on her. "Guess he decided to stay for the show," she murmured to herself as she placed her bag on the floor and started her initial stretching exercises.

The next fifty minutes were exactly the type of high-intensity workout Lisa craved, both as a way of keeping in shape and also as a means of clearing her head. After a few minutes, she realized that sweat was already saturating the tank top, causing the material to cling to her breasts and allowing the outline of her nipples to be clearly seen.

This proved to be a particular problem when she moved over to do some cable rows. Seated on a bench and facing a set of weights, she grabbed the handles attached to the metal cables. As she pulled on them to raise the weights, she moved her hands and arms close to the sides of her body. This caused her to arch her back, thrusting her chest forward with the nipples straining against the wet fabric. Then, leaning forward as the cables retracted and the weights lowered to the ground, she extended her arms, which offered an unobstructed peek at the sides of her breasts.

This alternating view of her nipples and sideboobs continued for several minutes as she worked through a series of the back-strengthening maneuvers. It was standard practice at the gym to avoid looking at the other people as they exercised, but Lisa was sure she caught more than one person staring at her. Finally she moved onto the treadmill for some cardio training, followed by a five minute cool-down as she slowed the pace from a vigorous run to a simple walking gait.

Glancing down at the front of her tank top, she realized that the material was now almost completely transparent, clinging to every curve of her breasts and abdomen. Grabbing her bag, she walked over to get a drink of water before heading to the showers, making sure to pass directly in front of the bench where one of the older men was still seated.

Pausing directly in front of him, she turned and struck up a casual conversation. "You know," she said, "it doesn't count if you're watching someone else work out. You're supposed to be exercising too."

"Trust me," the man replied with a twinkle in his eye, "my imagination was getting the best work-out it's had in a long time. You know, you're even prettier in person than you are on TV."

Lisa feigned a look of shock. "Why you bad boy," she said with a big smile. "But thank you for the compliment. And I do hope," she said as she started toward the women's locker room, "that you'll keep watching."

"Every Friday, Miss Marvell," the gentleman responded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

*****

By the time Lisa arrived at the studio several hours later, she had changed into light tan slacks and a bright pink top. She was greeted with warm smiles and congratulations as several people stopped her in the hall to tell her that the ratings from last week had just been announced. Channel 4 had once again garnered a record audience share for their news broadcasts. In response to the Friday Night Special report, the station had received hundreds of messages expressing viewers' approval of the body painting dare performed by Lisa and orchestrated by Natalie. So when the two women met up in the hallway, they exchanged a big hug and excitedly shared some of the audience comments that had been forwarded to them by their producer, Bill Reinhart.

"Looks like you were a big hit," Natalie said with a smile, "again."

"I couldn't do it without you," her friend replied. Each week Lisa came to appreciate more and more how important Natalie's role was, both to her and the audience. By asking for their dares, the anchorwoman made sure that the viewers felt involved in whatever activity Lisa was going to do. And by adding her own twist to the dares, Natalie continued to push the limits of what her colleague was willing to do on air. Natalie's direction not only had helped her explore her own fantasies and desires but had also made for incredibly compelling reports. And the ratings certainly reinforced both points - more viewers were watching Channel 4 and, adding to Lisa's excitement, more people were watching her as she displayed her body on television.

Taking hold of the dark-haired anchorwoman's hand, the blonde reporter continued, "We make a great team, don't we?" alluding to the secret romantic relationship that had sprung up between the two women.

"We do," her friend replied, and then added teasingly, "although it sounds like you're perfectly capable of calling attention to yourself even without my help."

"Whatever do you mean?" Lisa responded, feigning wide-eyed innocence.

"Oh, for instance, the outfits you're wearing when you work out at the gym," she answered with a devilish grin.

"Now how in the world did you find out about that so quickly? You must have spies everywhere!" the reporter asked, genuinely surprised that Natalie seemed to know exactly what she had been up to.

"Let's just say a little weather bird told me," her friend replied slyly.

"Of course," Lisa replied, realizing that the new meteorologist Nicole Lewis belonged to the same gym as her and had most likely been there this morning. "You two have been getting very friendly lately."

"And why not?" Natalie said with a broad smile. "Seems only fair. I didn't say anything about you and your videographer friend, even when you had the nerve to show me that x-rated version of your video that he made for you."

"It wasn't x-rated," Lisa said, blushing all over. "It just had slightly more revealing footage than the version we aired," she explained, recalling the "welcome back" video that had been shown the previous month as one of the Friday Night specials. "And," she continued, "as I recall from your response when we watched the director's cut together, you loved it."

"That's beside the point," her friend teased her. "If you don't behave, I just may have to find a way to sneak that on the air so our viewers can judge for themselves."

The blonde reporter responded with a grin and simply took her friend's hand. "You know I trust your instincts to do what's best."

The anchorwoman's eyes lit up, practically purring in response. "Best for us or best for the station?"

"Both," Lisa answered.

"Hmmm, well that gives me a few things to think about. But right now," she said glancing at a clock on the wall, "I need to get to the conference room to go over this week's feature stories with the team. Are you joining us?"

Lisa nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Maybe I'll get some idea of what naughty dare you're going to make me do."

"I just may keep you in suspense a little longer," her friend said as they turned and headed down the hallway. "And besides, I want to come up with something new and different for you and our viewers."

The meeting, which pulled together all of the on-air reporters and the writers with the news producer Bill Reinhart, occurred every Monday afternoon and gave the team the opportunity to map out the various feature segments that were being considered for broadcast that week. These were stories not directly tied to any fast-breaking news event and therefore could be scheduled at any time over the next five days. A number of ideas were discussed and assignments made before Bill finally turned to Natalie to ask whether she had selected a dare for Lisa to perform.

"Not yet, chief," the anchorwoman replied. "We literally have hundreds on file now, but I wanted to check first to see what the reaction was to last Friday's segment."

"So far, the only complaint I've heard is that the station manager is worried that Lisa spent too much time in the sun last week strolling around town in broad daylight. You know," he added turning to the blonde reporter, "we can't risk you getting a sunburn."

"I'll be sure to select something that keeps her indoors this week," Natalie responded as she jotted down a note to herself. "And the censors are okay with everything?"

"Haven't heard a peep from them," Bill continued. "The ratings are fantastic, and all of the viewer feedback is positive. So unless that changes, I don't anticipate any objections from Standards and Practices."

"Can you explain that a bit?" Ashley Miller, the newest member of the on-air team, asked.

"Well," Bill began, "there are no hard-and-fast guidelines for what can be shown or discussed during the late night time slot. It only becomes a problem if someone complains. That's always given us a little more flexibility with the standards and practices people. With Lisa's original 'dare to bare' series, we could make a good case if were ever challenged that the nudity was essential to the story. Of course her recent antics," he said looking at the blonde reporter with a bemused smile, "are a little riskier because the segments are just about her." He paused for a moment and then continued. "Still, thanks to the editing, we seem to find a way to get through it all. And the bottom line is, we're getting almost no complaints."

Natalie's eyes lit up. "And great ratings. Let's face it," she said, "that's why we've been able to be more daring in this reports."

"You could say that," Bill interrupted. "But it's really a balancing act we're pulling off here. We're gradually testing the limits, and so far the audience approves. But I recommend that you take it slow. This is a great time, we're all working well together" - and with that he paused to look directly at Natalie and Lisa - "and I don't want anything to jeopardize that."

"I have no idea what you mean by that," Natalie responded in mock surprise.

"You know exactly what I mean. I've told you that I won't be approving the Friday Night special reports any longer; as associate producer, you have the final say on those segments. So please don't get us into trouble."

"Would I do that?" Natalie said, smiling broadly and nodding.

"If she can find a way," Lisa thought to herself, "she absolutely will."

*****

As they left the conference room a few minutes later, Lisa started to head out of the building when she heard the rapid footsteps of someone in heels and turned to see Ashley hurrying to catch up with her. "Lisa," the younger woman asked, "do you have just a minute? I don't want to hold you up but I really would value your advice."

Lisa had met Ashley for the first time a month or so ago when the reporter returned from leave and resumed her role on the 11:00 news. But she hadn't really spent much time with the new girl, and beyond being impressed with her reports from the field and her on-air presence, she knew only what she had heard about her from Sue Thomson.

According to Sue, there was some resentment around the studio at first when she was hired. The rumors were that she had been a teen model but abandoned that career to attend college. Since graduating, Ashley had spent one year at a small-market station in the southwest before joining Channel 4. At 23, she was the youngest member of the news team, and the strong suspicion was that she was hired solely on the basis of her looks. While not a classic beauty, Ashley had the build of a model - tall (5 feet 10 inches), boyish figure (32A -23- 33), dirty blonde hair, striking dark eyes set perhaps a bit too far apart, and a mouth that seemed just a little too large for her face. But she had proven to be competent and hard working, and within weeks had been generally accepted as a reliable part of the team.

Lisa was somewhat startled to be approached by the young woman, assuming that she must know others at the station better than her. But she sensed a bit of herself in the woman - the work ethic, the willingness to take action - and was more than willing to try to help.

"Of course, Ashley," she responded. "I'm happy to talk."

The two women decided to grab a cup of coffee and found a table in the station's cafeteria. Ashley took a deep breath and launched into the conversation. "Maybe I'm taking a chance by talking so frankly, but I really admire everything you've done here, Lisa, and I'm hoping you can give me some guidance."

Lisa simply nodded, flattered by the young woman's level of trust in her. She signaled Ashley to continue.

"I realize I'm the new kid on the block here, and I'm also aware that I don't have the usual resume and experience that you might expect for someone joining the news team. So I've been careful about how I present myself on camera and my role in the overall dynamics of the team. But I don't feel I'm doing all that I could. I'm seeing what you're bringing to the broadcasts since your return, and I look at what Sue and Natalie and Danielle have been doing to help with your reports, and I feel I should be doing more."

The older blonde reporter smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that type of ambition. And I like that you're thinking about what's good for the station."

"Hearing Bill talk today gave me some ideas, and I'd like to step up and help out as well. That's what I want your advice on - is it too soon, and will the ideas I have work well or not?"

Lisa could readily identify with everything the Ashley had said - it reminded her exactly of the questions and decisions she had faced herself months ago when she first embarked on her one-woman crusade to improve ratings and spice up the broadcasts. "I think this is precisely the time for you to help out. So tell me, what do you have in mind?"

Over the next fifteen minutes, Ashley ran through some of the ideas she had, and with Lisa's help, decided on the first segment that the rookie reporter could propose - a report based on an article she had read about a psychology professor who studied women's choices in lingerie and what they indicate about their personalities. And to heighten the interest level, Ashley suggested that several of the female reporters, including herself, could reveal their personal choices.

"Here's what I think we should do," Lisa said, pulling out her phone. "Let me text Natalie to see if she can join us right now. As you know, she's in charge of the Friday Night Special reports. This piece seems like a natural fit for that broadcast, so you should work with her to develop it. And who knows, she may even be able to find some way to tie it into whatever dare she's selecting for me this week," she added with a smile. "I'd like that."

"That sounds great," the young reporter responded enthusiastically.

"Then, if the segment goes well, we should be able to find ways to expand your role even more. That's assuming," and here Lisa paused and looked directly at the young woman, "you're comfortable with the special nature of our Friday broadcasts."

"Absolutely," Ashley responded brightly. "I love what you're doing and I'd be thrilled to be a part of it. Hope that doesn't sound too weird," she said with a funny smile.

"Not at all," Lisa responded with a laugh. "And look, that didn't take long. Here's Natalie now," she said looking up as the anchorwoman approached the table.

Ashley stood up and, trying to act professionally, shook her hand and thanked her for joining them.

"Well, I was heading this way when I got Lisa's text saying you had a suggestion for a segment that could be a good fit on our Friday Night Special broadcast. So, give me a quick overview of it."

The young blonde briefly summarized the professor's research on lingerie choices and personality types, emphasizing that she thought it could be of interest to the audience if the news reporters themselves revealed their preferences in sexy undergarments.

Natalie nodded thoughtfully, and then looked over at Lisa. "And perhaps you were thinking you could model one or two of these outfits as your dare for this week?"

Looking like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Lisa smiled sheepishly and confessed, "Something like that."