Martin, the master manipulator

Katie peered through the peephole of her hotel door and saw Martin on the other side. He had already changed out of his yoga clothes and was wearing a charcoal suit with a crimson red pocket square. His salt-and-pepper hair was neatly styled, and the top buttons of his white shirt were undone. Such a silver fox, Katie mused. Evidently, he hadn't distracted himself in the same way that Katie had. She was actually surprised that he and Carmella weren't extending their yoga practice into their hotel room, and she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing there.

"Hi, Martin!" she called through the hotel door. "Is everything okay?"

He had been looking down the hallway and then at his watch, but when Katie called his attention snapped towards her door and his signature caring smile appeared on his face. His golden glasses glinted under the hallway light, slightly obscuring the warmth she knew his eyes possessed. "Absolutely, everything is peachy," he said. His gaze was now focused on the peephole through which Katie watched him. She imagined the familiar sensation of herself melting under his warm brown eyes. "I just wanted to follow up on our chat about Andy. Can I come in?"

Katie glanced down at her naked form and thought about the unkempt nature of her hair and her hotel room as a whole, not to mention the dried-up remnants of her passion on her hand and the thin film of sweat that coated her body. She really wanted to shower before meeting with anyone. "Can this wait until later?" she asked, "This really isn't the best time."

"I don't mean to be contrarian," he said, "But with the privacy of your hotel room, we don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping, and since no one is expecting us anytime soon, I think now is the perfect time for a chat. Don't you agree?"

Katie cursed silently. He was right, as usual. She didn't want anyone to know that she wasn't actually her boss's... girlfriend? She was sure there was a more appropriate title than 'arm candy'... Either way, she also didn't want Andrew to learn about their plot to keep him at the convention. After a momentary deliberation, Katie sighed and replied, "Yeah, you're right. Just give me a moment to-"

"I'll wait right here," he interrupted with yet another smile plastered across his face.

Katie scurried away to the bathroom. She quickly washed her hands and adjusted her ponytail. Grabbing the white terry cloth robe from the door, she wrapped it around herself and then hurried back into her room to kick her dirty clothes into a pile on the far side of her bed. She saved her corset and skirt from their inevitable fate of sliding off the bed and laid them out with more respect.

Martin was looking at his phone when she opened the door, but his gaze quickly met her own and his familiar smile popped onto his face. "You're still not dressed?" he asked as he walked past Katie into her room. "What have you been doing?" His phone began playing a soft melody, and he tucked it into his jacket pocket.

Katie blushed furiously and let the door close behind him. She couldn’t tell him that she had been furiously masturbating, but there wasn't really any other good reason. “Women take longer to get ready than men do,” she said weakly, staying in the corner of the entrance, not terribly happy with her dishonesty. It wasn’t exactly a lie, even if it did greatly conceal the truth.

Martin seemed to catch on right away, however, because he turned to face her. His omnipresent smile was gone, in its stead sat an arrogant, knowing smirk. Katie couldn’t help but feel that his expression gave him an air of superiority over her. "I’d believe that," he said, "if your hair was styled or you had fresh makeup." Her stomach dropped and Katie looked down at her bare feet in shame.

"I don’t know why you feel the need to lie to me, Katie," he continued. Katie felt her cheeks burn even more. She felt like she was back in grade school, being scolded by her teacher... A teacher that she liked and appreciated and thought was pretty handsome. "I’m only trying to help you and Andy. I think it’s important that you're completely open and honest with me, don’t you agree?"

Katie felt so ashamed, unable to bring herself to look him in his big brown eyes. Even the soothing music coming from his pocket wasn’t enough to quell her shame. She always loved listening to this track, even if she could never quite place where she had heard it before. She nodded softly, but her eyes remained glued to the floor.

“Then why don’t you tell me what you’ve really been doing?”

Katie didn’t want to say it. She didn’t want to tell him. Did she really have to be open and honest about everything? Weren’t some things best left private? It was an act she had never admitted to anyone before, even though she knew almost everybody did it every now and then. She knew she should tell him. She knew he probably had a reason to ask, hell, he was probably expecting the answer anyway, but it just felt so hard to craft the words.

“I—”

“Were you pleasuring yourself?” he asked. His interruption seemed to serve as a way to normalize the topic at hand.

Katie nodded quietly, thankful that she didn’t have to say the words herself. She looked back up again through Martin's gold glasses, and her worries began to disappear into his soft brown eyes.

“How did it feel?”

Katie felt better. The shame was gone, replaced by the soft gooey feeling she had whenever she looked into his eyes. She felt calm and relaxed. Her mind floated softly atop the music that played from Martin’s pocket, and her body seemed to melt into his gaze. A small smile erupted on her face. Why had she been so worried about admitting that to him? She knew it was important to be open and honest with Martin, just like it was important to be open and honest with Andrew.

“It felt fantastic,” she replied dreamily. “I really needed it. Desperately.”

Martin chuckled softly, his laughter adding a layer to the musical clouds on which Katie was floating. “I’m sure you did. With all the sexual energy that's been surging between the two of you, I’m sure it felt very necessary.”

"I- N-n," Katie stammered. She wanted to object, to tell Martin that there wasn't any sexual energy between her and Andrew, but-

Open and honest.

It was important to be open and honest with Martin.

It was important to be open and honest with herself.

“Yeah, you’re right," she admitted. It was a hard truth to swallow, but there was really no point in denying it anymore.

“It would be pretty frustrating to have all that pent-up sexual energy and not have it taken care of, don’t you agree?” Martin's syrup voice drizzled all over her languid psyche.

Katie nodded sleepily. She didn’t know why she was so hesitant to talk about this with Martin; he really seemed to understand it all.

“At least you did it to yourself. So it’s not too bad that you had to take care of it on your own. I can only imagine how frustrated he is though, since it's not his fault.”

Katie furrowed her brow. “Wait, what? What do you mean?” She felt a tug on her mind, like the tether that kept her attached to her swaying body was snagged by something Martin said. She usually loved being caressed by his golden words, but she felt that she couldn't agree with something he said and that didn't feel good.

Martin's smile faded, but Katie didn't notice. Her sight was still consumed by his captivating eyes. "You were just telling me how frustrating it would be if your pent-up sexual energy couldn't get released. I just figured Andy would feel the same."

That made sense to Katie. She could agree with that. Andrew probably was feeling pretty frustrated. Especially if he didn't take the time to... take care of it like she had. Her eyes flickered between Martin's, back and forth from one eye to the other, as her mental turbulence continued. Andrew must be frustrated, but that wasn't what bothered her about Martin's previous statement.

"N-no," she stammered, "It's my fault?"

Martin smiled in an understanding way and sighed quietly while he chose his words. Katie waited with bated breath, **** to continue her journey into his pensive eyes. “Well, you were the one to suggest that yoga class, after all. Surely you knew what you’d be getting yourself into.”

Katie's mind raced. Her unease and insecurity tore her eyes from Martin's gaze and she looked at his phone, still playing its odd and relaxing tonal music. When had placed it on the table between them? Hadn't it been in his pocket? She shifted on her chair. It felt hard and uncomfortable beneath her. They had been standing by the door, hadn't they?

She looked from the phone to her hands. She was wringing her hands anxiously and she could feel her heartbeat in her throat. Wasn't she floating through a warm cloud moments ago? "No. I didn't kno-"

“Please don’t lie about this, Katie," Martin said. He gently lifted her chin so they could look eye-to-eye again. His brown irises elicited a relaxing sigh from the woman. "Relax."

She did.

"I can see the games you’re trying to play. You’re such a detail-oriented person, don’t you agree?"

Katie nodded slowly. She paid attention to details. Maybe not every last minutia, but she certainly was the kind of person to catch glaring errors that others easily missed.

"That’s what makes you such a good employee," he continued.

Katie felt her body slump and sink as she collapsed into his chestnut eyes. She felt words slip from her brain straight through her lips, “Good employ—”

“That’s right," Martin said. Katie was happy to be floating through the clouds of agreement once again. Martin was so astute. "Since you’re so detail-oriented, you had to know that you were signing us up for a tantric yoga class, don’t you agree?”

“W-well, no… I didn’t…” Had she? Didn't she just sign them up because of the time slot? That was the time that worked best for everyone, right?

“Time... slot," she mumbled. Her mind felt like it was on a roller coaster ride between calming bliss and... something. Reality?

“You're still lying to me, Katie. There are plenty of other time slots that all four of us could have attended."

No, there weren't. Her eyes darted to his mouth. He wasn't smiling. It felt strange. She remembered that Carmella and Martin couldn't-"

Relax," he said. His eyes shone like pleasant beacons and Katie's eyes responded like a pair of foolish moths. "You’ve been trying to manipulate Andy, don’t you agree?”

Katie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she nodded. It sounded so awful when he said it like that, but she signed everyone up for the yoga class so she could... manipulate Andrew. It was the truth.

“And a detail-oriented employee like yourself, a good employee like yourself, would never sign her boss up for something without knowing what it entails. Don’t you agree?”

Katie nodded again. The sinking feeling began to dissipate, even if it was only a little. He was right and it made so much sense, and it felt so good to agree with Martin that it almost offset her unease. Her mind still flew through a stormy cloud, but she could feel him navigating her through. There were calm, fluffy clouds ahead and she was eager for him to lead her there. She knew he had a destination in mind. She trusted him to spell it out for her. She was detail-oriented. She wouldn't sign her boss up for something without knowing about it. And she had been manipulating Andrew... Which meant...

“So, it follows that you knew we were going to a tantric yoga class, don’t you agree?" He didn't even finish his sentence and Katie was nodding. Everything felt like it clicked into place and the tempestuous storm dissipated. He was right. She obviously knew what the class entailed. She knew they were going to get hot and heavy and... aroused. She needed him to know how sexy she was, she couldn't take any chances, but more importantly she wanted him to touch her. It was like killing two birds with one stone. She couldn't believe she was able to manipulate him like that. It had been so easy.

"You wanted to bring Andy there,"

Yes.

"And you were okay with teasing him,"

Wanted to tease him.

"Because you knew you could take care of your own needs afterward."

Katie smiled a drunken smile remembering her solo tryst on her bed. From a million miles away she felt her nipples harden. It felt good.

"And that’s fair to you because you were the cause of your own pent-up sexual needs.”

It was her fault that she got so turned on. It was her fault that she was aroused. It was her fault that her nipples were hard and her clitoris throbbed needily.

“That hardly seems fair for Andy, don't you agree? Can you imagine how frustrated he must be?"

Katie blinked. She looked at the table and noticed Martin's phone was gone. He wasn't looking at her anymore. Was he putting his phone back in his jacket? Why wasn't it playing music anymore? Her hand pinched her nipple softly and she gasped before realizing that she was fondling herself in front of Martin. She quickly pulled her hand out from the robe. How long had she been doing that? He wasn't looking at her, but did he notice her playing with her breast? Her face blushed furiously.

"Well?" asked Martin. He turned his attention back to her, seemingly unaware that she had just been playing with herself. Katie breathed a sigh of relief before realizing that Martin appeared to be expecting a response from her.

"Sorry, what?" she shook her head slightly, "I must have been distracted by a thought." She chalked it up to her burning arousal; it made it easy to get lost in a day dream.

Martin smiled softly, almost like he expected her to not know. "Can you imagine how frustrated Andy must be?"

Right. They had been talking about Andrew. Her stomach sank with realization: he was feeling sexually frustrated and she was to blame. She felt her cheeks redden even more. "He must be really frustrated," she said quietly. Her eyes flicked away from Martin. It was hard to look at his fetching eyes while feeling so ashamed.

"I think you need to fix it," he succinctly stated.

Katie looked up at him like a scorned schoolgirl. "But how?"

Martin flashed his disarming smile. "Well, how did you fix the situation for yourself?" he asked.

"I- I masturbated," Katie stammered. It was still hard to say it out loud, but she was thankful that Martin was so understanding.

"Exactly," he said, "And that was fair for you because you had put yourself into that situation. Andy, on the other hand, had this done to him."

Katie thought she knew where he was going with this, and she wanted to stop him before he got there. "Martin, I can't have sex with him. That's going too far." She needed to maintain her boundaries.

Martin, to his credit, looked shocked that she would mention it. "Good lord, Katie, what kind of man do you think I am? Of course I'm not suggesting that." Katie breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn't want to have to put him in his place more than once. "But, that doesn't mean there aren't other ways you could... remedy his malady."

Katie racked her mind for ideas. Sex was obviously off the table. She couldn't cheat on Jake. What else could she do to relieve his frustration? "He seemed to like the show I put on for him in the lingerie store..." she said. Her mind flew back to the previous night and how good it felt to show off for him in just a bra and panties. Ooh, or even that blue teddy he liked so much. She felt her body flush in response.

"Oh, I know he did. Carmella told me all about it." Katie's blush returned. She could only imagine what Carmella had said about her. That woman could do with a filter on her mouth.

Martin continued, "But that would probably just serve to heighten his frustration more, don't you- Does that make sense?" Katie nodded. It was sexy, that was undeniable, but it lacked the release. She knew that another striptease for Andrew would only lead her back to her hotel room with her hand between her legs, so it wouldn't be the right way to help him either.

"It might help get him ready to go, but I was thinking of something with a bit more physical stimulus." Martin seemed to be trying to lead her to something. It was almost as if he wanted to project his idea into her mind so she'd accept it as her own.

What could she do that would give him some physical stimulus? She thought back lustfully to their lotus embrace. Feeling his erection press directly against her womanhood. She already knew grinding on him like that was another line she couldn't cross, but what if she didn't get any pleasure from it?

"What about a lap dance?" she asked.

Martin smiled wide. "Sure!" he exclaimed, "I'd say that's almost as good as my idea!"

Katie beamed in pride. She felt happy she could get to an idea he approved of and she was sure she could do it. After all, she had already tricked him into attending a tantric yoga class so she could rub up against him. She wouldn't be crossing any lines that hadn't already been crossed as long as she didn't get any pleasure from it. Dress sexy, go to his room, get him off with a lap dance. It seemed simple, easy, perfect. But...

But Martin apparently thought he had a better idea. Was he privy of some crucial detail that she was missing? What could be better than a lap dance?

"Martin... What's your idea?"