Daring Lisa Marvell Ch. 06

For the director's cut, Manny had inserted occasional shots of a dark, shadowy figure seated on a stool next to a camera. At first, Lisa was seen moving around the set, but unlike the original video, no stage hands were present to interact with her. Instead, she seemed to be performing a striptease for the camera, or perhaps for the mystery figure barely visible in the dark. One by one her pieces of clothing came off until she was left in just her bra and panties. When the red light on the camera came on, its faint glow made it possible to discern the long dark hair of the person seated next to it. Most of the face was still in shadows, but the corner of a smile and the bright red lipstick on the lips made it obvious that the other person in the studio was a woman. And to many viewers, she was immediately recognizable as Natalie Johnson.

Now the camera angle shifted, moving behind the shadowy figure and shooting over her shoulders as Lisa stood facing both Natalie and the camera, her hips gently swaying to the slow, bluesy music that played in the background. Lisa's hand reached up and behind her as she unhooked her bra and let one of the straps slide off her shoulders.

Turning away from the camera, she let the garment slide off and casually placed it on the anchor desk in front of her. She looked back over her shoulders and smiled at the solitary viewer, who responded with the words, "Thirty seconds, Miss Marvell." The voice was clearly Natalie's.

A devilish grin spread across Lisa's face as she continued looking at the camera. She placed both hands on her hips, slipping her fingers inside the elastic band at the top of her black lace bikini briefs. Teasingly, she turned toward the lens, which made no attempt to zoom in on just her face. Instead, a clear view of the blonde reporter from her head to her knees was provided, her B-cup breasts with perfectly centered nipples proudly displayed for both the camera and the solitary figure.

Now her fingers ran across the front of her panties, exerting a slight downward push that allowed just a glimpse of a few tufts of hair to appear above her mound. She then turned sideways, the camera zooming closer as Lisa slowly rolled the flimsy black lace down her hips. By the time her panties had been pushed to just below her butt, Lisa had turned completely away from the camera. The black lace now provided a line of fabric at the bottom of her ass, accentuating her firm cheeks and tantalizing ass crack.

Bending forward slightly, she pushed her panties down to her knees, then let them slip to the floor. In the shadows between her cheeks and thighs, the camera caught just the briefest glimpse of her pussy lips before she straightened up and took several steps away from the viewer as she walked up to the anchor desk.

Viewers both at home and in the awards dinner were straining to observe every detail of the performance. But after offering clearer views of the blonde reporter than had been seen in any previous dares, it now seemed that the director's cut was going to stop short of the ultimate payoff. The camera shifted to a position directly above and behind the seated figure just at the moment that Lisa turned around, and as a result Natalie's head blocked any view of the blonde reporter's pussy.

Seated on the desk and viewed from that angle, Lisa could be seen from the waist up. Her breasts were clearly displayed while her hands could be seen moving across her stomach as they disappeared between her legs. Lisa's head tilted slightly backward, her eyes half closed and her breathing growing faster. But at that moment, the camera seemed to respond to the hope of every viewer. The shadowy figure stood up and took a few steps forward and to the right. Fully clothed, she stood at a slight distance from the blonde reporter, watching her as Lisa shifted her position on the news desk. And as Natalie moved, the camera now had a clear, unobstructed view of the entire length of the blonde reporter's body, her legs dangling over the side as she sat up and faced directly into the camera.

For Bill, who had been given the complete story behind the director's cut, it now became obvious why this video was intended for Natalie's private viewing. Lisa was seducing her friend on camera, allowing her to get tantalizing close to her as she indulged her exhibitionist instincts. The producer couldn't believe that the blonde reporter had permitted this to be used for tonight's dare. It took things, he realized, several levels beyond anything she had previously been willing to do on camera.

For just a few seconds, the video provided a full-length view of Lisa as she slowly spread her legs apart and moved her hand to the top of her slit. With her neatly trimmed landing strip, the outer labia of her pussy were on clear display and as she spread her legs further, the hint of her moist pink folds within became visible. Then, her fingers descended down the front of her slit and blocked the view. Her fingers curved and appeared to press inward between her thighs. But the camera now moved upward again as the breathing of the blonde reporter could be heard and Natalie disappeared from the shot.

After several seconds of panning up, the camera settled into an extended shot of Lisa's face and neck. Droplets of sweat could be seen on her forehead, her eyes now completely closed as she rocked slightly with an unmistakable motion. For the next fifteen seconds only Lisa's face appeared on camera. A shudder seemed to run through her body and she grimaced slightly. Lisa then let out a long low sigh of relief, slowly opening her eyes and looking off dreamily into the distance.

The scene then faded to black, and the camera switched back to the studio where Natalie was seen standing next to Danielle on the fully lit Saturday night news set, both women still dressed in only their lingerie. Danielle, who had not seen the footage before, seemed speechless, so it was left to Natalie to say something.

"We've been proud to present the series of dares as part of our Friday Night Specials, and I think you'll all agree with me that tonight's report is an outstanding addition to that collection. Once again Lisa Marvell has successfully performed the dare given to her by our viewers. " She turned to look at her colleague, who finally seemed to be regaining her poise. "And I'm sure that Danielle agrees with me."

Looking around the banquet room and the faces of many of the people at the other tables, Lisa was certain that most of them would agree with Natalie as well. One by one, she had seen most of them look over at her during the last minute or so of that report with expressions that combined complete bewilderment with admiration and perhaps even envy. There were definitely a handful of disapproving looks as well, and she felt like saying to them, "So why did you watch it, then?"

The room had grown strangely silent after the most recent acceptance speech from an award winner. The master of ceremonies, who apparently wasn't signed up for Channel 4's website and therefore had no idea what was going on, seemed somewhat taken aback by the distracted crowd. Shaking his head, he returned to the podium and announced, "And now it's time for our final award."

Tim, whom Lisa had insisted see the video before the banquet, leaned over and patted his colleague on the arm. "Seems kind of anticlimactic, doesn't it?" he said with a huge smile.

"Tim, that's terrible," Lisa replied almost bursting out loud with laughter. "After all this is a big deal for me."

"And do you think you can top what you just did on air?" he said. "You know, now that Natalie has shown that video, you don't have to do anything else."

"Maybe not, but I'm going to try if I'm given a chance. Not all of our audience could watch the website. Don't you think they deserve to see me do a dare tonight?"

Back in the studio, they had switched to the live feed from the awards dinner just as the emcee had regained the podium. So, Channel 4 viewers, both on the web and watching on TV, heard, "Those are our nominees for newscaster of the year." He held up an envelope that he dramatically tore open. "And the winner is...," he said, beaming as he read the contents of the envelope, "Lisa Marvell!"

There was loud applause from the audience, which now included many of the hotel staff standing along the sides of the ballroom, as Lisa stood and walked to the front of the room. Taking the microphone and deliberately standing to one side of the podium directly in front of Clayton and George, she began to speak.

"Thank you. I want to say right away that I am very grateful for the support of my colleagues. From the work we've done together, I've learned a lot about our business and about myself during the last year, and I want to thank everyone at Channel 4 who made that possible. I – and the news team – are not going to be stopped. Right now as I speak, my colleague Natalie Johnson is streaming the type of newscast that we want to do and, more importantly, that our viewers want to see."

"From your applause and from what I saw looking around the room a few minutes ago, I'm guessing that some of you caught a glimpse of me on that tonight." Many in the crowd chuckled and there was scattered applause.

"In fact," she continued, "some people may feel that I have gotten this award only because I've been willing to bare – shall we say – my assets in my work, but that is really only half of the story. What we've been trying to do with the Friday Night Specials is acknowledge that the there are many things that affect the lives of our audience. First, let's be clear that the people who watch the news at 11 are all hardworking adults and not children. It's late night, not prime time."

At this point, many of the audience noticed that Lisa put down her award and appeared to be fidgeting with the sides of her dress. Unknown to them, this was the dare she had planned to do if the award had been given before it was necessary to air the video on the webcast. A few suspected that she might be experiencing some sort of wardrobe malfunction and was trying to remedy it. But it quickly became clear what was going on – Lisa had decided to do the dare anyway and was systematically unfastening the metal hoops on each side of her dress.

"And what's so shocking about what I've been doing?" she asked. "For our audience, adult topics and – yes – sex are an important part of their lives, just as important as crime and politics and weather and even sports!" she said looking out at Tim who acknowledged her comments with a grin and a nod of his head. "The more coverage we give to these topics – or in my case, the more uncoverage – the higher our ratings have gone. People want to watch and think about these topics, and there's nothing wrong with that."

By this point, Lisa had all of the hoops unfastened, the front and back panels were swaying slightly with every movement of her body. Although the cut of the material kept her breasts covered, the front panel had shifted to the left, exposing the full length of her right leg and hip as the cloth slid between her thighs. Now, to everyone in the audience – both at the banquet and watching at home – it was obvious that Lisa was performing a striptease live on air.

"I've never been one to keep my talents hidden," the blonde reporter continued. "And I want to make it clear tonight that I stand ready to continue to present those reports – to dare to deliver to our viewers the full story of the things that matter to them. And if that involves pushing the limits and occasionally getting into trouble, I'm willing to do that because that's what our viewers want to see."

As if confirming that desire, several dozen workers from the hotel who had been watching from the back of the ballroom cheered loudly, whistling their appreciation for Lisa's commitment to them. In response, the blonde reporter reached up and undid the snap on her left shoulder that held the two pieces of fabric in place. The front panel fell forward, exposing her left breast as a collective gasp escaped from the audience. She reached up for the snap on her right shoulder as she prepared to conclude her remarks.

"I realize that one of the reasons that I've been given the award is probably the same reason that other people would want to strip me of this award. But in the interest of fairness to any loyal viewers who couldn't get onto our website tonight," she said looking directly into the Channel 4 camera in front of the podium, "there's only one thing I'm going to be stripped of tonight – this dress!"

And with that, she undid the second snap and let the dress fall to the floor. She picked up her award, holding it aloft in one hand as she defiantly stood with her legs slightly spread. Her breasts and clean-shaven pussy seem to glisten in the bright lights directed at the podium, where the details of her most intimate area stood completely revealed. Positioned directly in front of and slightly above Clayton and George, Lisa knew that the television viewers were now getting an unedited, full frontal view of her slit and the lips enfolding it. And if that got her fired, she thought, then Ken Barber could go fuck himself. She was having too much fun to care.

The applause started in the back of the room, chiefly from the hotel staff. But it quickly spread across the room as Tim and others from Channel 4 immediately sprang to their feet, joined almost immediately by the rest of the crowd. The standing ovation lasted over a minute as Lisa looked down and saw Clayton giving her a big thumbs-up, the light on the camera glowing to indicate that they were still broadcasting live. And even George seemed to be paying attention, a huge grin spreading across his usually expressionless face.

With that, Lisa turned to the side of the room where the station's wardrobe assistant Kelli was patiently waiting for her with a coat. Lisa waved appreciatively to the crowd, making sure that the camera could catch one last glimpse of her ass as she turned around to pick up her award and then headed out of the ballroom exit with Kelli and into a waiting limo. Everything had gone precisely according to plan, and she thought to herself as an intense feeling of satisfaction swept over her," I've gotten exactly what I wanted."

*****

And as if that weren't enough, within the next few days things seemed to get even crazier. On Monday morning, she was summoned to Bill Reinhart's office and told that station manager Ken Barber had ordered Bill to fire her. "Ken wrote up the termination agreement himself and insisted that I deliver it to you. And my advice is that you sign it immediately."

Lisa was surprised and hurt by Bill's words. He had been her biggest supporter, always the first to acknowledge that she was the reason for the station's tremendous ratings in recent months. "I need to fight this," she blurted out to him. "Can't you see that?"

"Listen, Lisa," he continued, "I've always said I never went wrong by trusting your instincts when it came to these reports. I'm asking you now to trust me. Sign this, let me send it back to Ken and I'll forward a copy to the station owners. Then just sit tight for a day or two."

Lisa had known Bill for several years, and she knew that he had never lied to her and had always had her back. If he was asking for her to trust him, then she would – completely and without hesitation. She took the termination agreement from his desk, signed it immediately, and went home to wait. And in less than five hours, her phone started ringing and didn't stop for the next three days.

As it turned out, Bill knew that Ken had made the decision to fire Lisa without consulting the owners. The station manager had chosen to view her actions from a personal rather than professional viewpoint. Ken felt that her decision to stream the special report on the website and her nude acceptance speech deliberately violated the terms of the suspension he had imposed on her, and he was not about to have his authority challenged by a woman. But Bill also knew that the station owners, who had been closely following the audience's response to Lisa's reports, would have a very different view of what had happened Saturday night.

In recent months, the owners had been working with the network, looking for strategies to retain viewership in the face of competing media outlets and online news sources. And Bill's first glance at the figures from Saturday night told him that Lisa had found the answer – once the streaming webcast had started, virtually all of their viewers as well as a number of people watching other channels had shifted over to the internet, giving that special report a 70% market share. That meant that more than two-thirds of the viewers watching any sort of in-home entertainment on their television – local or cable stations or streaming services – had been tuned into Lisa's naked performance, ratings that were comparable only to the Super Bowl.

By two o'clock that Monday afternoon, Ken Barber was out of a job and threatened with a lawsuit for exceeding his authority in firing Lisa. Bill was approached to take over as station manager and empowered to negotiate a new contract with Lisa, who – because of Ken's termination agreement – was now legally free to sign with any media outlet she chose. The station owners were desperate to get her back before anyone else hired her. And over the next 24 hours, she received offers from every local station as well as seven different cable and national news programs.

By Friday just before she flew to California to visit Manny, Lisa inked a new agreement with Bill and Channel 4. Going forward, she would be part of a live streaming late night newscast once a week, a full thirty minutes of programming without restrictions or censorship. The contract allowed for the possibility of expanding to additional nights with appropriate compensation for all involved. And, as the owners indicated, the network would be watching the initial ratings with an eye to syndicating it nationally.

Knowing that her colleagues had been instrumental in pulling off the Saturday night broadcast, Lisa had insisted that they all be included in what her contract called the "Late Night Special" webcasts. And so, Bill went to work on new agreements not only with Natalie, Danielle and Nicole, but also with, cameramen Clayton Reid and George Reynolds, reporters Sue Thomson and Ashley Miller, and sportscaster Tim Willis. All were given signing bonuses and designated for special travel as needed to shoot segments for the webcasts.

As Lisa explained to Manny when he greeted her at the airport in Los Angeles, the key to it all had been the realization that the success of her reports depended not on the station or Ken Barber but on her colleagues. It then became clear to her that she could ignore Channel 4 rules and put her plan into action simply by enlisting the help of the same people who had always been there for her in the past. The only real obstacle was how to do a report on a dare when she wasn't able to use the studio's equipment in the week leading up to the broadcast. She couldn't count on winning the award and being able to perform a dare live on air, so the only possibility was to report on something that had already been filmed – Manny's director's cut. "You see," she concluded with a shrug of the shoulders, "I really didn't have any choice after all. And I think Natalie was a little jealous that I came up for the idea of using your video. So to get even with me, she made sure everyone at that dinner knew about the webcast."

"But that still doesn't explain why you stripped at the awards banquet," Manny noted. "Once Natalie had aired the video, you had accomplished everything you set out to do."

"Well, I did feel it would be letting our audience down if I didn't do something for the viewers who could see only Channel 4 and not the webcast," she said with a gleam in her eyes. "And maybe I somehow sensed that going forward, things would be different."