Tiger and bunny: Lucky to be a lady tonight

Chapter 11

Agnes sat in her office, scowling as she listened to a man on the phone. "No—no, you listen. I need those cameras in the air! Do you not understand how fast pace this show is? If we lose those cameras, we lose half our footage. As it is we need more! I expect you to fix this, and fix it now!"

Hanging up, she leaned back in her chair and sighed, pinching between her eyes.

The door to her office slammed open, making her jump. A very unhappy Barnaby standing in the door way. It was rare for him to burst in like that, but he was upset, and whatever made him upset had to be fixed right away.

"What's this I hear about one of your cameramen taking panty shots of Kotetsu?!"

She slowly looked up at Barnaby, a delicate, thin eyebrow rising. "Such shots are bound to happen to any hero wearing a skirt while working. Don't complain; it helps the ratings when it happens."

"I don't care if it helps ratings. It's not helping Tiger's image! Stop intentionally taking those shots immediately or I'll get your cameramen fired."

"She's not in here complaining. Besides, it's not hurting her. It's just fan service. It's done with all the heroes, especially Blue Rose and yourself. My job is to give the fans what they want."

"I don't have my ass shown all over the network, and Tiger didn't either until her gender changed. She should be treated no different during the show, so lay off please! Besides, do you even know how disapproving Rose's father is? He hates the kind of publicity his teenage daughter gets!"

"You all signed contracts, and Blue Rose is a legal adult, her father no longer has a say, not that he said anything before she turned eighteen." Agnes shrugged, spinning in her seat and shuffling through a stack of tabloids before pulling one out and tossing it on her desk for Barnaby to see and be reminded of the swimsuit modeling he had done.

"Okay, but this is different! Tiger is older, though with a good body, but people would rather see Blue Rose shown in such a suggestive way. Tiger isn't single anymore, so she doesn't need to be promoted like she's the last woman on Earth." He tossed the tabloid down on the ground. "As Tiger's partner, I cannot allow you to let her be shown like this!"

"Our ratings suggest otherwise. Viewers are enjoying her part on the show much more than when she was a man. Sales on Wild Tigress merchandise and tabloid interviews have shot up ninety percent since Wild Tiger. Finally, what she brings into this show and our partnered companies rivals your own. She's finally a proper partner for you and investment for us. We are going to milk it for all we can until she changes back—hopefully she doesn't. Her antics are the same, but it comes off as a positive trait when she's a woman. It's 'cute'."

She got up and walked around to Barnaby, hands on her hips, "But what we do is none of your concern, even as her partner. You are benefitting from her popularity, so stop complaining. Now, what's all this about Tigress not being single?"

Barnaby's eyes widened and he groaned. "Damn it, I let that slip. Yes, she's in a relationship with... someone."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "Who? The possibilities of this can go either way for her reputation, and if this gets out, I need to be prepared for it."

He looked at her with the most serious expression. "You can't tell anyone until I say, alright? Give your word."

She leaned back, tapping a long, manicured fingernail against the sleek surface of her desk as she eyed him, weighing the options. If the partner was a nobody, she had to be ready for damage control—perhaps making him—or her into a celebrity in their own right so that it wouldn't' harm ratings when and if word got out, but if it was someone...important...how could she sit back and not say anything if it would cause such an uproar that ratings would spike? Someone like one of the other heroes, perhaps...and, most deliciously....Barnaby himself.