Out of The Shadows Ch. 02

Joe walked into the school's health club carrying his bag and bottle of post-workout drink mix and looked around.

He was glad the facility was almost empty and smiled when he saw the free weight section was completely empty.

"Gotta love 5 am workouts," he said to himself and tossed his bag into an empty locker.

He stepped on the scale and nodded at the 212-pound reading. He wanted to maintain his weight between 210 and 215 pounds, so he was happy.

"Cut back on the protein, I think," he said to himself. He didn't want to bulk up any more than he was already.

After stretching, he walked out of the locker room and groaned when he saw a group of wives had entered and were walking casually on the treadmills which had an open view of the weights area.

"Damn, it's Tuesday," he grumbled.

They were a group of trophy wives of professors and administrators who pretended that going to the gym once a week was healthy. In reality, they were there to ogle the young men from the college.

"Hi, Joe," a couple of the older ladies called out as he walked by. He waved without looking back and didn't see all of the ladies stare at his muscular back and butt.

He felt their eyes on him as he went through his workout. Five Finger Death Punch blasted through his air pods, so he at least could tune out the world around him, he just couldn't control the lustful glares.

A year and a half had gone by since he started college. He was far from the gawky geek he was in high school, and every day he looked more like his heartthrob brother.

"How the hell does Jim live with it?" he asked himself as he walked by the oversexed ladies who had moved from treadmills to bicycles, but still within eyeshot of him.

"See you around, Joe," one of the mature beauties with fake boobs, fake tan, and fake fingernails said.

He waved without looking again and headed for the shower.

Joe had begun to catch the attention of many women around campus and the neighborhood. It took some time, but he began to realize he was a good-looking guy, although he was never comfortable in that skin.

His brother was one of the sexiest men in Hollywood and had to deal with women falling all over themselves in his presence, but Joe never thought it would be like that for him. He was supposed to be just a regular guy. He had no idea how much his life was about to be tossed upside-down.

*****

Melanie and Keri sat in their favorite coffee shop on campus and watched as a beautiful woman and overweight man walked into the café.

"Mel," Keri chirped, "look! That's Kelly Winters."

Mel looked up and saw the hostess of the most popular dating show on television walk past their table.

"I wonder what she's doing here?" she shrugged.

Keri answered, "I wonder if they are doing a talent search for the next season of the show here."

Mel's eyes lit up, and she said, "Really? You should sign Taylor up to audition. That stuff is all fake anyway."

"I'm not putting my man on a dating show to have all those model women degrade themselves to win a date with him. Screw that!"

They laughed, and Keri saw them walk through the café and head into the common area of the building.

"Maybe, we should go check it out?" Keri said. "We could get a picture and an autograph."

"Nah," Mel boredly answered. "Go ahead if you want, but I'm good."

"Your loss," Keri shrugged and headed off.

Keri had come a long way since her days of fainting every time she met a celebrity. She'd gotten used to Ken, Jim, and Devon's antics and teasing.

Keri walked off and found that the hostess and her partner had a table set up in the common area. There was a line already formed and Keri asked the girl in front of her what was going on.

"Auditions for a new show. They are looking for couples to compete in some kind of scavenger hunt or something."

"Whoa! I'm totally trying to get us in."

When she got to the table, the man explained what the show was and asked, "Do you have a picture of your boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Keri said and pulled up a picture she'd just had taken of her and Taylor and Mel and Joe.

"Nice, okay," the man said and handed her a card with a website and code number on it. "Go online and fill out the questionnaire and submit the required information and photos. What about the other two? Do they want a shot?"

"The other two? Oh! Mel and Joe? I don't know, but I'll ask them."

"Here, take a card for them too. Step over, now. Kelly's signing autographs and taking pictures."

*****

Mel laughed when Keri handed her the card later that day.

"I'm not trying out for a TV show. The whole thing sounds dumb."

"Come on, Mel. At least ask Joe. Maybe he'll want to be on TV?"

"Are you kidding?" Mel laughed. "Joe hates getting attention from anyone. Could you imagine if he became famous? He'd probably lock himself in his bedroom."

They giggled and Keri dropped it. Mel didn't know that Keri was going to submit their application anyway. She knew that deep down, Mel would love to be on that show. She was very wrong.

*****

Two months later, Keri sighed when she received an email rejecting her and Taylor from the show. At the same moment she read that email on her phone, Mel screamed, "You bitch!"

"Uh oh," Keri groaned.

"Keri, what the hell did you do?" Mel shouted as she hurried down the stairs.

"What do you mean?" she asked feigning innocence.

"Why am I getting a congratulations email telling me Joe and I have been chosen for that stupid TV show? I didn't sign up for it."

"I'm sorry. I thought it would be fun if one of us got picked. You should be excited. You're going to be on TV."

"I don't want to be on TV," Mel shouted.

Moments later, Joe knocked on their door.

"What's going on in here?" he asked when Keri opened the door. "It sounds like world war 3."

"You're not going to believe this, but my supposed best fried signed us up for a reality TV show without our consent."

"Keri?" Joe asked.

She shrugged and said, "Sorry, but it's true. You're going to be on TV, isn't that great?"

She was giddy with excitement. Joe was shocked. Keri was incensed.

"What were you thinking?" Mel asked as she fell onto the couch. "We're not locked in on this, are we? We can get out of it right?"

Keri shrugged her shoulders not knowing.

"Mel, show me the email. Maybe there's a way to cancel it or something?"

As Joe read the email on Melanie's phone, he started to like the idea of doing it. It was a show about young couples being given tasks to complete around Los Angeles. They were all centered around romantic dates, and the winner would be the couple who completed the most unknown tasks at the end of ten dates.

Making out under the stars was one of the hidden tasks. Another was eating a bite off their partner's plate. They were little things, and the home viewers would have the list and could keep score themselves to add a viewer participation element.

Joe finished reading and looked at Mel.

"Let's do it," he said with a wide smile.

Keri clapped as Mel stood and shouted, "What?"

"Let's do it. It sounds like fun."

"Who are you and what did you do with my boyfriend?"

He laughed.

"Think about it, baby. They're going to send us to some of the most romantic places in Los Angeles."

"I don't care. I don't want to be on TV, and I thought you would feel the same."

"I guess a year ago I'd have felt that way but come on. We can handle it. It will give us our own fifteen minutes of fame and we,"

"You mean you!" she snapped. "I don't have a complex about being Jim Steel's brother."

"Hey," he snapped back. "That's not fair. You've complained plenty of times about how Ken wants to buy you things and pay for school and this house. We have a chance to make our own way."

"We are making our own way, Joe."

"No, we're not. We're living in houses our rich brother and brother-in-law bought. We fly home first class because they buy the tickets for us to travel anywhere. Hell, you don't even work. You have a debit card for an account that you pretend Ken didn't set up for you."

"Joe," Mel cried, "please stop being mean to me."

She turned and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

Keri said, "I don't think you were being mean, Joe. She just didn't expect to get a dose of reality today."

Joe sat and looked at her, "To be honest with you, I can't believe I want to do it. What's happened to me?"

Keri laughed and sat beside him. She put her arm around his shoulders and said, "You're getting more comfortable with yourself. You've built up your self-confidence and are becoming who you are supposed to become as an adult."

He nodded and asked, "Do you think I should talk to her?"

"No," Keri said with a sigh. "You know how she gets. Give her some time."

"Okay."

He kissed her cheek and left for home. He realized he needed some advice from someone in the business but didn't want to talk to his brother about it. He decided to call Jackie, his brother's agent. If anyone could walk him through the perils of being on television, it would be one of Hollywood's biggest agents.

*****

Sitting in a high-rise office building, Jack Donovan--producer--couldn't believe his luck.

"Are you shitting me?" he shouted. "Stacy, get in here."

"Yes, Mister Donovan," his curvy assistant answered.

"Jim Steel has a brother, and he is just as good looking. This is unbelievable."

"I don't understand, Sir?"

"The new show!" he whooped. "Jim Steel's brother was selected for the dating show. We need to do whatever it takes to get that kid on this show."

"What would you like me to do, Sir?"

"Get down to Stanford and do whatever is necessary to get him on board."

She frowned knowing what he meant by 'whatever is necessary' but she knew why she was hired.

She thought, "Well, if he's Jim Steel's brother, it may not be so bad."

"I've emailed you his bio packet. Find his address and find him. This is going to drive our ratings through the roof."

"I'm on it," she answered and spun out of the room.

Jack looked at the picture on his computer screen and smiled. He knew with Joe and Melanie's looks, and their relation to one of Hollywood's biggest stars, they would be the center of every ad. The show would be a huge hit.

He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, grinning like the cheshire cat. He thought back to when he first met Jim Steel and laughed.

He thought, "I may have let Jim Steel slip from grasp years ago, but I'm certainly going to get his brother."

*****

"Keri, why did you do this to me?" Mel cried.

"Mel, if it's that big of a deal, don't do it. I'm sorry, but I thought it would be good for you."

Mel groaned, "You saw the look on his face. Joe wants to do it. Now, if I don't want to do it, I'm the bad guy. He'll blame me for holding him back or something."

"Joe's not like that. He won't blame you for anything."

"I feel like I've been painted into a corner. Damn it! Why does he want to do it? He's supposed to hate all that Hollywood bullshit. We're supposed to get our degrees, get married, start a family, just be normal. That's all messed up now."

Keri sat on Mel's bed and said, "I think you're making too big of a deal out of this. Just don't do the show, and everything will be fine. Joe will get over it. It's like you said, he doesn't want to deal with that Hollywood bullshit."

Mel sobbed into her pillow and wondered what she was going to do.

*****

Three days passed and Mel still hadn't spoken with Joe. He was worried, but he knew their love could weather any storm. He just needed to get her to see him.

He texted her for the fifth time that morning and tossed his phone onto the couch. He didn't expect a response, but he was determined to show her that she was always on his mind.

He jumped in shock when the doorbell rang. He hurried over, thinking it was Mel, but was disappointed when he saw it was a woman he didn't recognize.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hi, I'm Stacy Marx. I work with Donovan production studios. Can we talk for a minute?"

"Donovan productions? I've never heard of you?"

"That's not surprising. We do mostly reality television. We're producing the show you're interested in."

"Ah! Okay, come on in. I'm surprised you came out. We haven't accepted the invitation yet."

"That's why I'm here," she smiled. "You're the last couple to nail down, and Mister Donovan wanted me to talk with you, personally, and see what it would take to get you on the show."

She sat on his couch and the hem of her short skirt slid up her thigh when she crossed her legs. Joe tried not to look, but she held back her smirk when she saw his eyes wander down to her best feature.

"So, Joe. What can we do to get you on board and committed to our little show?"

"I'm not really sure. We didn't actually sign up for it, you know? Our friend submitted our application, not us. We didn't know about it until my girlfriend got the email saying we were picked."

"Oh, crap!" she thought.

She said, "Joe, where's Melanie? Maybe, if I talked to her and answered any questions she had we could get you both excited for this great opportunity."

He laughed, "Miss Marx, good luck with that. She isn't speaking to me right now because I want to do the show. It's actually a complete 180 for me to want to do it. I've been against being in the public eye for years."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Surely you know my brother?"

She nodded and noticed his chest bulging through his tight t-shirt. "Down, girl," she thought.

"Well, I've seen what Jim went through being famous. There've even been reporters and TV hosts that wanted to put me on their shows to get my reaction to some things Jim's done over the years. My parents on my behalf, or I, have turned down every one of them. Until this came up, the thought of being in the public eye made me nauseous."

"I understand, Joe. However," she uncrossed and crossed her legs the other way, delighting in Joe's subtle glance at her nylon-clad legs, then continued, "I'm going to be totally honest with you. I'm here to do whatever it takes to get you and Melanie onto the show. What's it going to take?"

She sat back and put her arms onto the back of the couch making her breasts push forward. Being only human, Joe failed to fight the urge to glance at them. She smiled.

"Look, Miss Marx. I can't get Melanie to talk to me right now, let alone agree to do the show. You're going to have to give us some time."

She stood and flashed her lacy blue panties as Joe as she did.

"Here's my card, Joe. We don't have much time, and obviously, we want you and Melanie on the show. You've seen what it's all about, right? Dinner at the finest restaurants. Visits to the most romantic places in the city. It's going to be amazing, and because it's not technically a game show, we're paying you to do it."

"Wait!" He demanded. "You're paying us? I thought there was a prize at the end."

"Nope. You're getting paid for your time on the show."

"How much?" he asked still surprised.

"Well," she purred and touched his chest. "That's up to your negotiating skills. Like I said, I'm here to get you onto the show. What it will take? That's on you and your girlfriend."

Joe stepped back and her hand fell to her side.

"I'll be waiting for your call, Joe. Don't make me wait too long."

She turned and walked towards his front door with a sultry strut that would have made a nun's ass look good.

"What the hell was that all about?" Joe asked himself as he stood on his front porch and watched her wave to him as she got in her rented car.

He shook his head, and out of the corner of his eye saw Mel standing on her porch glaring at him.

He yelled, "Mel," but was stopped short by her angry look and middle finger pointed at him before he could run over.

"Damn it," he groaned, then his phone rang.

"Jim," he answered, "now isn't a good time."

"We have to talk, little brother. I just got off the plane and will be at your house soon, so don't go anywhere. You've really messed up with this reality show bullshit. Abby and I are coming to help."

"Abby's with you?" Joe gasped.

"Not just her, dumb ass. Ken and Lainey are landing in ten minutes. We have to fix this mess you've gotten yourself into. You have no idea what that asshole Donovan is all about. You're just lucky you called Jackie before you did anything stupid and agreed to do it."

"Jim, Melanie won't talk to me. She's pissed that I want to do it."

"I know, dummy. She spoke to Lainey about all this. I can't believe you even thought about doing it."

"Jim, I never would have done it if Jackie told me not to. He didn't return my call, though."

"Right. He called me yesterday and told me to make sure you understood all about Donovan. Jackie was worried that you wouldn't listen to him because he was going to tell you not to do it. If that asshole, Donovan, got his hooks into you, it would have been a nightmare to fix. He's not a good person, little brother. We have a history. Never mind that now. I'll explain everything when we come over."

The call ended and Joe looked at the phone.

"They flew all the way out here and I haven't even agreed to do anything yet. What did Keri get us into?"

He looked at Mel and Keri's house and let out a deep breath. He felt like he was that insecure, gawky kid again. His brother could always make him fell like that.