Martina, 1st violin (seduction - she him)

After the rehearsal, John retired to a quiet room reserved for the conductor. Working with all the unknown young people, and trying to make them understand what he expected of them had been exhausting. He wanted to get some rest before getting into his car to drive to the hotelroom that had been reserved for him.

There was a knock at the entrance. A little displeased he looked at the door. He would have liked to send the visitor away, whoever it was. However, perhaps it was an important visit. Besides, he hadn't specifically asked to be left undisturbed, so he couldn't blame anyone.

"Yes. Come in!"

The door opened and Martina, the concertmaster, entered. She carefully and quietly closed the door behind her. Then she turned towards him. It was obvious that she was struggling with some inner trouble.

During rehearsals, the musicians wore casual clothes and the first violinist was no exception. She was wearing a sweatshirt and ankle-length jeans, with her feet in skeakers.

"Miss Myers, is there a problem?"

He was determined to end the disruption as quickly and directly as possible, so he didn't waste time with empty phrases.

"Um, Mr. Wagner, may I make a suggestion? Your predecessor had used a rather casual tone when addressing the orchestra. That helped us all to get to know each other quickly. In no time at all, we became almost like family. We were on first-name terms accordingly. Could you imagine that, too?"

He remained silent while he weighed up the pros and cons. On the one hand, he felt that the members of the orchestra lacked discipline. If he wanted to tackle this, it would make sense to maintain a certain distance. On the other hand, a more intimate approach could help to quicker find a common understanding of the music.

In the current situation, he didn't have too much time at his disposal. So he decided to allow a little more closeness than usual.

"All right. I'll let all of you know in rehearsal tomorrow."

She approached him and held out her hand.

"Thank you. In that case, I'm honored to be the first to address you by your first name, John. I'm Martina."

He shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Martina. See you tomorrow, then."

When she made no move to leave the room, he looked at her questioningly. There was obviously something else on her mind.

"Is there anything else?"

She gnawed on her lower lip and stammered around. Then she blurted out her real concern.

"I worked hard to become concertmaster and yet someone else was chosen over me who was much less talented than me. I couldn't accept that, could I? That's why I made a certain ... arrangement with your predecessor that secured my position. I would be prepared to offer you the same. If you understand what I mean."

No, he didn't understand, yet. However, he got a hint from her when she pulled her sweatshirt over her head.