Page 3 of Good Enough

Fuck a duck! Hope I’m not drooling. So intense!

The disembodied voice interrupted her thoughts. “Exactly what are your expectations of this consultant if we agree to take on this task? And it’s a big ‘if.’”

This is starting to feel like an interrogation.

Her naughty brain poked at her with an evil laugh.

Let G.I. Joe interrogate me. Slap the cuffs on. I’ll tell him anything he wants to know.

But then the naughty brain was given a bitch-slap by her nice brain.

It’s such a funsucker sometimes.

“Why did you agree to see me if you wouldn’t consider taking the job? I didn’t make my intentions a secret when I called for the appointment.”

“You are here, Ms. Serrano, because Kent Leech called in a favor from one of my men.” The disembodied voice, which had been cold with her before, was now at frostbite level. “He used that favor to ask me to listen to your request, and that’s all I guaranteed I would do. So, I ask you again, Ms. Hollywood-Princess-Think-I’m-Stanley-Kubrick-Director, what do you expect of us if we agree to take on this task?”

Her eyebrow arched at the fact that she’d managed to provoke him.

Hollywood Princess? What a fucktool!

Calmly, she replied, “First, I want training for the actors. Obviously, it would be impossible to put the actors through actual SEAL training. I’m into realism, but I’m also practical and know that type of training is overkill. But as much as possible, I require my actors to film on location and do their own stunts. This is far more expensive, but again, it means more realism. I prefer to spend my budget on hiring someone to train the actors to do the actual work rather than stressing out about CG-ing a bunch of ones and zeros into submission. Not only is computer work a pain in the ass, but it also slows down the editing process.

“Second, I want a consultant on-site overseeing the execution of training, adjusting, or retraining as needed.

“Third, I want that consultant to shape my actors into a synchronized team, or at least as close as possible.”

She flipped her screen to a series of location shots depicting sets that were rendered and scouted for the film. “As part of this plan, the entire film is being shot on Roatán, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras. Inside Coxen Hole, its largest city, we’ve secured living space for the various crews and rented several warehouses for storage and the building of interior sets. However, the actors will be living in a house we’ve rented about ten miles outside the city limits. I want the actors to actually live together in that house, eat together, and bond just like a SEAL team would, without external interference from crew or locals, and all outside contact is restricted as well until filming is complete, just like it would be on a mission.”

Again, there was silence, and it was even longer than before. Kai focused on the starfish; expression unflinching as she waited for God to respond. However, it was Waters' low voice that broke the silence. “What you’re asking for is a rather tall order, Ms. Serrano, and to be honest, impractical. SEAL teams train for over a year, and even some of the very best end up ringing the bell. Besides that, the type of bonding and cohesiveness you’re looking to create in a simulated environment takes a very long time to develop in reality.”

Kai focused on the quiet soldier now, unable to avoid it since he’d finally chosen to speak.

Ohmygod. He needs to talk more often. Every time he speaks, his voice reminds me of hot fudge sliding down vanilla ice cream.

She tried telling her libido to shut up, but she didn’t think it would listen.

Keep your tongue in your mouth and your butt in the chair. Otherwise, next thing you know, you’ll be crawling over this table and licking him like he’s the spoon with the last dregs of a sundae on it.

Rather than argue with his attempt to convince her that what she wanted was unreasonable, Kai clicked open six dossiers evenly spread across the screen that showed pictures of the five men and the actress who would play the leading roles, along with a brief synopsis of each character’s configuration within the film. She then yanked six different colored folders out of her backpack and tossed them across the table to Waters.

Another long stretch of silence ensued as Waters picked up the folders and leafed through each of them for a minute or two apiece. After finishing the brief overview, he placed the folders in a neat, completely symmetrical pile on the table, then turned to look at the telescreen. One elbow rested on the table, his hand propping up the side of his face as he assessed, again with no expression on his face. She briefly wondered what it would be like to be under that scrutiny in private.

Baby Jesus on a skateboard, this guy is way too intense.

Kai refocused on her computer screen, afraid that if she watched him think in silence any longer, she’d cave and beg him to speak to her. Hell, he could read the serial numbers from computer equipment for all she cared. And to add to that nonsense, she was feeling herself salivate as she stared at his muscles underneath the shirt sleeve on the arm propping up his head.

What the hell is wrong with me? Men do not affect me like this.

Minutes later, Waters swung his body back around and opened the flexi-binder she’d given him, scanning several of the pages. Finally, he closed the folder and raised his blank face to Kai. “There are issues here without even reading the script, starting with its calling for an incorrect number of elements. Platoons are sixteen in number, or two squads of eight, or four elements of four.”

“One of those men plays the villain, but his character is a former teammate, so he also needs the training.”

“There are no female SEALs.”

“Well, that is technically incorrect. One has qualified, and three more are currently training. So while there might not be one on a team at this time, it would not be inaccurate to portray a woman as a SEAL. However, that’s a moot point because the female isn’t a SEAL. She’s a CIA operative. Is there going to be an actual question in here somewhere?”

He continued on, expressionless, as if he hadn’t heard her responses to his concerns. “You also have some duties mislabeled and divided out.”

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