drama.”
“So we should test them in some way,” Mal said, her voice huskier than usual.
Victor hid a smile. Even a simple storyboard image of her boyfriend affected her. He watched Shiloh and noted the tiny quirk of her mouth. She’d noticed too, and was pleased by the Mistress’s reaction. More, he guessed Shiloh had deliberately started with Andy’s image to ensure Mal was interested. Just as she deliberately challenged me to win the title of the Master.
“Absolutely,” Shiloh continued. “It can be something small or more meaningful. An order to remove an item of clothing or to serve one of the judges in some small way. We should show both sides: rude, desperate bottoms who cling and make nuisances of themselves, as well as the polite, trained ones who know exactly what to do when approaching a Dominant for the first time, trying to garner interest on the scene.”
Shiloh pulled another board forward. In this one, a contestant sat in a comfortable chair with another woman. The contestant wore a simple white shift and corset, while the other lady was dressed in a vintage—but not riding—gown. They were faceless behind elaborate masks.
“We need a host for the show whose main job is to interview the contestants and talk the audience through the judges’ expectations. This scene should highlight the importance of the questionnaire about what the sub wants to do, is willing to try, and the absolutely-do-not-want-to-do list. Since our underlying concern is education, we should also touch on the contestant’s medical history and make it very clear that the scene should always be safe, sane and consensual. To keep it interesting, we should highlight the emotions, making it arousing or even comedic, depending on the final contestants. The host should be unafraid to touch on the emotional or sensitive topics but still have a great sense of humor.”
“I think Georgia would be perfect for this,” Mal said. “That would certainly take some of the sting out of losing her star role on Internet Secrets . Her Southern charm will appeal to the audience.”
“Agreed.” Victor had to admit he was impressed with the way Shiloh had managed to weave basic, solid good sense of the scene with interesting, dramatic show content. “One question, though. Why the Victorian wear?”
“I thought the corsets and strict morality of the era made a nice contrast to the openly sexual tone of the show.” Shiloh gave a little shrug, her cheeks touched with an endearing blush. For the first time, her gaze slipped away, giving him the cue that she was personally affected by such clothing. “Plus we had all the costumes on hand thanks to the Victorian Country House Party spoof VCONN did three years ago.”
“Creativity and frugality,” he drawled out, letting his voice heat. “I like it. Plus, corsets are damned hot. Don’t you agree, Mal?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Mal purred out a laugh that had been known to send male submissives into a helpless squirming heap at her feet. “It might be fun to give it a modern twist, though, so it’s not obvious that we’re recycling old costumes. How about we mix in some steampunk elements? Something a bit futuristic with wings, goggles and weird machines. I bet Andy could concoct a fantastic steampunk contraption that will blow the subs’ minds.”
Smiling, Victor stood and reached out to take Shiloh’s hand. “You’ve sold us, Ms. Holmes. Mal and I will co-produce the show, but I’d like for you to be the show runner.”
Her eyes gleamed, shimmering with unshed tears. “Thank you so much, Mr. Connagher. It’s an honor to work with you.”
He didn’t release her hand and she made no move to pull away. “Mal, get to work on the contracts for our in-house people. For sure, lock Georgia into the host position if she’s interested. We need to be taping by the end of the week. Preferably tomorrow if we can swing the set. Make sure every single person down to the lowest gaffer