Sharkbait Down Under Ch. 51-60

"There's been a lot going on, but I appreciate it."

"I'm happy to have my client back again, Vicki. Now, about this marriage thing."

"Yes?"

"You've taken steps to protect yourself?"

"My sex life isn't any of your business, Stan."

He laughed. "I mean financially, with a pre-nuptial agreement."

"There's no need for that, Stan."

He paused for a moment. "Vicki, I've been doing this a long time, and I've talked to a lot of people getting married who didn't think they needed one. Trust me, you do. If you're deliriously happy and grow old together, the cost is nothing. Nobody expects their marriage to only last a few Khardashians, but it happens."

"Khardashian?"

"Before your time. Kim Khardashian was a reality television star who had a big wedding leading to a marriage lasting 72 days. These things happen, especially with young, rich women. You're young and rich, Vicki. You've know Nicholas for about a month?"

"I love him," I said defensively.

"How many days have you spent with him, given your work schedule? Seven?"

"Or so."

"Please, Vicki. Get a prenup done before you get married. Any family law lawyer can do it for you."

"I'll think about it." I wasn't going to do it, though. Stan didn't understand the mating pull and was looking at me through a human lens.

"Good. What did you find out about the yacht?"

"The owner is not interested in shortening the lease period. When I told him we were considering not picking up the buy option, he got nervous. He dropped the option price to one-point-five million cash before January 31, four hundred thousand less than we previously agreed. I think he's having cash flow problems. I told him I'd present it to you and get back to him."

I was a little surprised at the development. I loved living on the yacht, and we hadn't decided where we wanted to live yet. Maybe bringing the boat down and living off it for a while made sense? It would take about three weeks and cost fifty thousand dollars to get the yacht to Adelaide.

Nicholas had been listening in. "It's an option we can consider, and we have a month to decide," he said. "It would beat living above my parent's garage."

"I think we could afford an apartment."

"You're eighteen, and I don't have a job. Who would rent to us?"

I nudged him and went back to the call. This year had a lot of income and expenses for Sharkbait Productions, and he made some suggestions for how we could move things around to limit our tax bill. Stan wanted to minimize my tax liability this year, expecting that the company would move to Australia next year. To make that work, we'd have to wait until after the New Year to give Discovery Channel the next set of edited television shows. That would give me time to screen and approve the second half of the season.

I spent the rest of the flight talking to my publicist and Mercedes about how we could leverage the coverage for more. Mercedes wanted to do another tour, but I flat refused. "I need to settle into marriage and a new country before I do any more traveling," I said.

"If I can arrange something in Australia?"

"Perhaps," I said. The pilot put on the seatbelt sign. "We're landing soon, so I have to go. I'll talk to you after the honeymoon."

"Enjoy every moment, and I hope you enjoy your wedding present," she said with a bit of tease.

"What did you do?"

"You'll see. The Bodyglove family appreciates everything you and the girls did for us, and we wish you a Happy New Year."

"You too, Mercedes. It's been a wild ride." She hung up, and I shook my head. Mercedes was yet another person who wasn't letting me in on her secrets.

We took a shuttle from the regional airport to Los Angeles International, boarding an hour later. It was a fifteen-hour flight, landing the next morning, followed by a two-hour flight to Adelaide, and a forty-minute puddle jump across the bay to Port Lincoln. It felt like a step down with each leg; we started on a plush private jet and ended on a noisy twin-engine regional transport. In total, we were in airplanes or airports for a day and a half, plus we crossed the International Date Line. I was sore and tired when we arrived at the hotel in town.

I kissed Nicholas good night; he was going home while the girls were with me at the hotel until the wedding tomorrow afternoon.

I was glad it was a small wedding; Amy would be at my side, and his cousin Patrick would be at Nicholas's side. Amy, Dorothy, Olivia, Adrienne, and Susan joined us at the spa in the morning. We were pampered and prepped, and then it was time to get dressed. "Here's your outfits," Mom said as she handed over the bags.

I looked inside. "Really?"

She just smiled and left Amy and me in the room. "I'm wearing a white bikini and a lacy white dress for my wedding?"

Amy looked in her bag. "You can't have my ocean-blue bikini."

What kind of wedding was this going to be?

Ch. 57

I had to admit that the dress looked amazing. It was opaque enough to blur the details underneath but still allowed the white bikini to draw the eye to my figure. The cut of the dress helped, gathering in at my toned stomach and flaring over my hips. The skirt went from solid to strips partway down my thighs, cut higher on my left hip than my right. The hanging strips were in random lengths, going just below the knee. It was unorthodox but perfect for a beach wedding. White sandals and a veil with a shark-pattern band completed the outfit.

Amy's outfit was similar, but in light blue with the darker blue underneath. "You look fantastic; Kai isn't going to be able to keep his hands off you," I told her as she came out of the bathroom.

"Kai can't keep his hands off me if I'm wearing his old T-shirts," she said with a grin. "Thanks for not getting some ugly bridesmaid dress."

"You didn't know?" She shook her head. "Huh. I thought you were in on the secret."

"Susan's wedding was fun and easy to organize, so I figured that was what Dorothy and Olivia were planning for you. I just figured it would be at a resort, but maybe there's a beach close to home?"

I checked my hair and makeup, then took her hand. "Only one way to find out."

Mom was waiting for me in the hallway. "Let's go; we're burning daylight," she said. I rolled my eyes since it wasn't even eleven in the morning yet. We joined the other ladies in the limo, and I was unsuccessful in getting any more details on the drive. "It's all under control, Vicki. Just relax and enjoy your day."

We drove past a beach and into the parking lot of a marina. "We're going on the water?"

"Just follow Dorothy," Mom said. A few guys came out and grabbed big bags out of the trunk, following us as we boarded a large harbor cruise boat. It had a big, enclosed area with tables chairs, plus a roof deck running most of its eighty-foot length.

"Welcome aboard, ladies. We're ready to get underway," the Captain said.

I looked around for Nicholas. He wasn't here. Neither was his best man Patrick, Dad, Leo, Ivan, Ian, Hammer, Kai, or Lewis Wolfe. I saw my brothers and Luke up top, along with Masters Cyprian, Alessandro, and Emily. The rest of the wedding guests, including many of my new Pack members, were divided between the rails and the observation deck. "Where are the guys? Still out on Buck's Night?" If Nicholas showed up drunk after a bachelor party, it wouldn't be pretty.

"Don't worry about them. They will meet us later," Adrienne said.

I saw a woman with a camera as I walked towards the stairs going up and smiled when I recognized Fiona. "Where's Linda? Did she pawn off the camera duty on you?"

"She's already at the wedding venue, setting up. You can't get married without her getting it filmed from ten different angles, can you?" I rolled my eyes, but she was right. "You're lucky, you're getting a professional wedding video made, and you're going to make money on it."

I was sure it would be a whole episode. "Why a boat?"

"Paparazzi, for one," Mom said as she took my hand to lead me upstairs. "Relax, baby. You love the ocean, so your wedding was going to involve the ocean."

"You're right, Mom. Thank you." We'd gotten underway and were heading out into the Neptune Gulf, and it was beautiful. I loved Port Lincoln and the Southern Ocean!

The boat was faster than I expected, doing maybe fifteen knots as we headed east. The weather was perfect for a beach wedding; it was in the high eighties, or 'thirty' as the Aussies used Celsius, with light winds and scattered puffy clouds. I talked with the guests, unable to get any more details out of anyone. The Moms were playing this close to the vest.

I was a little surprised when we got past the point and turned south, heading towards a series of small islands at the Gulf entrance. It started to make more sense; a private beach on a remote island would be perfect for security and filming.

Waitresses brought us drinks and snacks as we continued south. I took many photographs of the islands with my phone and talked to some of the locals about living in this area. We kept going for another half hour, and then the islands were behind us. I found Mom and pulled her aside. "Are we going to Kangaroo Island?" I'd read about the big island off the east entrance to Neptune Gulf.

"No, but you're getting warmer. It won't be long now."

Five minutes later, I figured it out. I borrowed some binoculars and saw us headed for a smaller island, but another vessel was offshore. "Adventure Bay Charters" was on the side of the boat, but the giveaway was the shark on the side. "Holy shit," I said to myself. I pulled Amy over and gave her the binoculars. "I think I know where our men are," I told her.

"Oh, hell, yes," she said as she saw the shark cage behind the boat.

"Did you two figure it out yet," Olivia teased as she walked up to us with two bags of gear.

"I'm getting married with the sharks?"

"Yep. Here's your wedding dive dress."

I opened it up, seeing a bright-white Bodyglove wetsuit with painted lace decorations and matching swim shoes and white fins. "Wow," I said. Mom took my dress from me as I pulled my wetsuit out and pulled it on over my swimsuit. It hugged my curves perfectly. I put the shoes on, leaving the mask, snorkel, and fins in the bag for now. Amy's wetsuit was also a custom Bodyglove design in light blue, with black highlights making it look like a formal dress. "These are off the hook!"

"Wait until you see the guys," Mom teased. We'd pulled up alongside the smaller diving boat, and the crew helped the wedding party onto its deck.

"Where's Nicholas," I asked as I finished hugging Leo and the other men I'd not seen today.

"Waiting for the bridal party in the water," he said. The bigger boat started playing a wedding march, and Amy took Patrick's arm and walked along the rail until reaching the back. They donned the rest of their scuba gear, then went over the side and through the top hatch on the shark cage.

The music changed to Pachebel's Canon, and Brent took my arm. "Are you ready, Vicki?"

"Let's do this," I said. Leo and Ivan walked ahead of us, taking places on the stern's corners, then I walked with Dad to the back as everyone cheered and took pictures. It only took a minute for me to get geared up and into the cage.

The shark tourism cage was much larger than most I'd seen, easily handling the wedding party. Ian was in the center, holding a waterproof pad with the wedding ceremony printed on it. On the right side facing me, Nicholas and Patrick waited in custom-made and hilarious Bodyglove wetsuits painted to look like tuxedos. Amy was waiting on the left side.

Naturally, Linda had set us both up with small cameras attached to our masks, and Ian had one too. I could also see fixed cameras in all four corners of the cage.

I slid down into place, standing on the cage next to Nicholas and facing his father. "Dad's technically the captain of a ship, so I asked him to marry us," Nicholas sent over the link.

"It's perfect," I said.

We were using full-face masks that allowed us to communicate and also fed speakers topside. "Dearly beloved, we gather here today to celebrate the union," breath, "of Nicholas Corcoran and Vicki Lawrence in holy matrimony." Breath.

If you took away the Scuba gear's noise, being underwater, and the Great White Sharks swimming by the cage, it was a pretty standard ceremony. There were only a couple of times Nicholas had to squeeze my hand to get my attention back on my wedding as I watched the big Aussie sharks coming close.

"Does anyone have cause for why these two should not be joined together? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

I'd kill them anyone who did. "Speak now, and the sharks get a free meal," I replied. Ian laughed, and then we exchanged our vows.

"Do you have the rings?"

Patrick took a web pouch out of a wetsuit pocket and handed it to Ian, who opened the top. Nicholas reached in and removed my band, right as a fifteen-foot Great White bumped the cage behind us and startled him. "NOOOO," I said as I watched the ring flutter towards the bottom of the cage. There was only sixty or so feet of shark-infested water below.

I reacted first, snatching the ring at the knee level. When I did, I bumped heads with Nicholas, who also was grabbing for it. "I got it," I said as I stood back up, rubbing my head. I let him take it from me, and he placed it on my finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love," he said.

"You're bleeding," Nicholas told me as I took the other ring from Ian. "Dad says to hurry."

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you," I told him.

We stayed facing each other and holding hands. "By the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of Australia, I pronounce you husband and wife." Breath. "You may kiss the bride."

We pulled our masks off, and he pulled me into his chest as our lips met underwater. I didn't want the kiss to end, but the blood brought several sharks to the cage, and they were getting aggressive. We put our masks back on and cleared them as the crowd applauded the announcement of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Corcoran.

The boat operators pulled the cage back, hauling me out first since I was bleeding. One of the deckhands had a first aid kit out, cleaning the small gash at my hairline from where I hit the edge of Nicholas' mask. Scalp wound bled a lot, unfortunately. We ended up closing it with Superglue; luckily, my hair would cover it. The others were out of the water and out of their wetsuits when I finished. "Let me help you out of that wetsuit, my wife," Nicholas said as he wrapped me in his arms. We kissed as he pulled the zipper down in back, ignoring the hoots and hollers of guests on both vessels. Once I was dry, I put my dress back on, and we went back to the big boat for the reception.

The shark boat stayed close for the next hour, allowing any who wanted to get in the water. Most of my guests weren't SCUBA qualified, but the dive operation had a semi-submersible made of acrylic they could get into and stay dry. I was probably the only bride in history who threw a chumsickle instead of her bouquet, and I was okay with that. The sharks cooperated, giving the guests an adventure you don't get at OTHER weddings.

The party continued with a seafood buffet as we headed back to port. The caterers did a great job preparing a buffet, and we ate and visited with our guests for a while before going up top. There, a dance floor and DJ kept the party going.

It was after six when we got back into port, and I didn't know how the day could get better.

We thanked everyone for coming and made our exit to the waiting limousine. Master Alessandro, Master Emily, and Master Cyprian were waiting inside for us. I spotted our 'getaway bags' on the floor that our Moms had packed for us. "What's going on," I asked.

"There are a few things to talk about before your honeymoon begins," Master Cyprian said. "We can talk on the helicopter ride."

HELICOPTER? Oh, HELL, yeah. We pulled up to a helipad where a big JetRanger was spinning up. The five of us loaded up and put on our headsets, which allowed us to talk to each other without involving the pilot. We lifted off, flying over the boat where people were still partying and headed east.

"Vicki, I don't know if you understand how important your trust and friendship has been to the Vampire Council," Master Cyprian started. "I had hoped that our friendship might result in changes over the next four to six decades for cooperation, even alliances to form. You did far more than that. You brought the Vampire, Werewolf, and Mermaid worlds together in mere months."

"I didn't do anything special," I said.

"You are special, Vicki," Emily said. "You command respect and loyalty from your friends, but you dare to challenge the status quo. I've talked to Adrienne about this; any other teenager would have bowed to the Council and done their will. Any other werewolf would never help me, or Master Cyprian."

"You are the reason the Australian Council is even possible," Alessandro picked up. "There was no communication between the species for centuries until you showed up and made it happen."

Cyprian patted my knee. "Because you trusted me, so did Adrienne. Because Adrienne trusted me, I'm still here, and the rebel Covens are gone. The Vampire Council owes you a great deal, including reparations for what you and the other girls went through. The three of us talked about what we might get the two of you for a wedding present. We want to see you settled in Australia, with a strong Pack and strong Alliances. It turned out that Master Alessandro had the perfect present already, but only if you want it. If you aren't interested, we'll give you enough to find a place elsewhere."

My mind was reeling. "You are giving me a house?"

"Think bigger, Vicki," Emily teased. "Look."

We were flying east along the Indian Ocean with land on both sides. Master Alessandro pointed out the left side. "That is the mainland, and the marinas and ferry terminal you can see are at Cape Jervis. It's at the southeast corner of the Neptune Gulf, along the Backstairs Passage. Adelaide is about a hundred-minute drive from there. The ferry takes people to Kangaroo Island, which has been on our right for a while now." He showed me a map on his phone, so I could get myself oriented.

We were flying close to the mainland coast, which was open, remote, and rugged. Waves crashed into rocks below tall cliffs that rose fifty to a hundred feet from the surf. It was wild and beautiful. "The land starts at the top of that hill," Alessandro said as he pointed to one of the ridges heading back to the north. The land was mostly grass, with some trees in more protected areas. "The whole property is almost seven hundred acres, with over two kilometers of private coastline."

"WHAT?"

We flew a bit farther, then the helicopter banked and flew over the coast. "The other property line is below us. It is parkland to the east, with Blowhole Beach there being the main attraction. That beach is two hundred meters long, and in a deep valley that isn't easy to access."

We kept flying inland to the back property line, then turned west again before heading back towards the coast. "This is a huge property," Nicholas said. "It's got to be worth a fortune."

Ch. 58

"It is one of the largest undeveloped private holdings in South Australia," Alessandro said as the helicopter approached the pad from downwind. "I've owned both properties as investments for a decade now. The parcel where we are landing now is the Naiko Retreat, an executive retreat-slash-wellness center that never caught on. It went bankrupt during the Covid crisis, and I picked it from the bank with a cash offer. The adjoining property came up for sale when the sheep rancher decided to retire, and I bought that property along Campbell Creek as well."