Page 16 of Hot SEAL, Under Pressure

While she racked her brain on how to do that, the noise from the group of SEALs increased, drawing her attention.

Between the heckling and cheering, she got the idea that these guys were in competition against each other.

This was exactly the spirit she wanted for the show. Hot competition. Hot heads. Jubilant winners. Angry losers.

Male pride at its best and most dramatic.

She glanced at the teams she’d recruited for today. The women were milling around, sipping on water bottles and chatting with each other. But the eyes of every male cast member were glued to the course and the SEALs running it.

It was as if they were all chomping at the bit to get on it themselves. To prove to themselves and everyone else that they still had what it took.

Maybe that was her answer. It would up the competition factor to pit the seven former SEALs against one who was still on active duty.

There’d have to be some sort of rivalry between them, right? The old guard against the new. The past versus the present. It just might be enough of a conflict to appease Joanne as well as the viewers.

And with that thought, she started to watch the competition playing out before her more closely.

Whoever won among these six men might also win himself a contract and a spot on the next hit show.

The bubble of excitement was back. And this time she wasn’t going to let anybody or anything deflate it.

ChapterSeven

“Emergency meeting,” Lucy said as she walked past Shelly’s desk.

Shelly whipped up her gaze as Lucy walked by. “What? Why? With who?”

Lucy paused and shook her head. “Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is Joanne’s car just pulled up.”

Joanne? Here. Now? It was too soon.

She thought she’d have until the end of the week to get the sizzle reel done. She was to present it at their regularly scheduled weekly meeting on Friday.

It was only Tuesday. What was Joanne doing here now? And what was this meeting about?

In a panic, she looked desperately to Lucy for answers. “You don’t know why she’s here?” Shelly asked.

Lucy was from the main office in Burbank. She was only in San Diego for a few weeks working on a project. She must have some insight about what was going on up there that would send Joanne down here days ahead of schedule.

The woman shrugged. “I guess we’ll know soon enough.”

“Yeah. I guess.” Her heart pounding, she looked helplessly at her computer screen.

The cut was still raw. Rough. Incomplete. Nothing she’d want to show anyone yet. Particularly not the executive producer.

She’d show Joanne if the woman insisted, but she really didn’t want to. Dammit.

The internal office message that slid across her computer screen confirmed Lucy’s information.

Meeting room in five minutes.

Five minutes. There was nothing she could accomplish in that short of a time. Reconciling herself to that fact she grabbed her laptop and slunk to the meeting room.

She figured she might as well get a good seat at the table for the shitshow that her presentation was about to become if indeedUnder Pressurewas why Joanne was here.

Joanne blew into the room after everyone was already seated. There was an energy about her today, over and above the usual workaholic verve. Shelly tried to judge if the kinetic force radiating from the woman was good or bad.

But as Lucy had said, they’d know soon enough.

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