My name is Martin. Characters and events in this story are fictional.
Chapter One
I'd spent twelve of my thirty-two years in Miami, Florida. I'd taken a job at an exotic car dealership after completing an Associate's degree in Sales and Marketing. I began as a floor associate, greeting and engaging the high-end walk-in clientele. Then I moved into the service department. Now I was in my third year as a pure salesman of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, and a Bentley or Maserati every so often.
With this day of work done, I was headed to a massage studio I'd been using once a week since my baptism-by-fire as a salesman. It was a small shop, just the owner, Monica, and her niece, Cindy. A sign above the door read,
Master Hands Massage Studio.
This was their ninth year in business. Monica was a pro, and her wealthy clientele and the longevity of her business was a testament to her skill, talent, and enjoyment of her work.
I pushed the door in after a three-block walk. Cindy was at the front desk, several feet from the front door. But the space wasn't so large as to seem impersonal. Cindy greeted me with a smile and a hello that had a comfortable ring of familiarity. To the left and right of the door were sizable windows that let in the natural light and the sun. In front of the windows were four chairs each, but Monica only ever had one customer at a time in any one of those chairs. Business closed at six p.m., with final daily appointments booked by five. Most of the time, I was her closing customer on Thursdays.
Monica's single massage room was left of the door, on the wall perpendicular to the front of the building. The room contained a lay-out table and the common adjustable, angled chair. On the wall straight opposite of the entry door was another door was the restroom, which I'd used a few times.
Upon hearing her niece greet me by name, the massage room door opened and the customary muted light spilled out as Monica exited. "Hi, Martin," she said to me. "How're you, Monica?" I responded affably. I was polite and courteous and professional as my job required, but I employed as much relaxed dialogue as I could, along with demeanor, there. This place was informal and inviting, and I wasn't overly formal by nature, which made me settle on this place for my weekly massage appointmenrts, as opposed to a highly commercialized, grab-the-greenbacks establishment.
"I'm all set, if you're ready," Monica said to me.
"Yeah, definitely," I answered, waving to Cindy as I strode toward the treatment room. Cindy was getting through college while working here, studying to be a specialized physical therapist. Apparently both of these women wanted to help people be pain-free or minimize physical discomfort in day-to-day living. Good for them. I was betting Cindy would be popular with patients if she was anything like her aunt.
Monica closed the door and directed me toward the lay-out table. She usually did twenty minutes here and forty in the more upright inclined chair. Before lying down I stepped behind a privacy screen and stepped out with a towel cinched at the waist. I laid out on my belly, resting my chin on my forearms.
Monica started by firmly but gently rubbing my feet, kneading into the soles with her fingers and thumbs and working the palms of her hands along the tops.She carefully worked the ankle area and along the meaty part of my lower legs. She rubbed and prodded my thighs front and back. She skipped across my buttocks and worked diligently at my lower back. My back, shoulders and neck were my entire reason for weekly massage appointments. My job wasn't stressful for me personally, it's just that I experienced tightness and tension there regularly.
I switched into the chair to let Monica work my middle and upper back with the same techniques she had used on my legs. She moved into my shoulders and got very gentle and focused while she tended my neck. As she moved around me, I noticed she looked uncomfortable and her movements weren't as fluid as usual.
I didn't know her current relationship status, but I had become fond of Monica over time, and affectionate without intruding. I even felt a moderate level of physical as well as sexual attraction toward her. I knew she was forty-five years old, from prior conversations, and that Cindy was twenty-seven and working on her second college degree after a Bachelor's in Business Administration. She'd gotten that to help Monica run this place, and was obviously successful, and would likely continue as long as her theraputic career wasn't a crazy demand on her time.
Not liking to see someone I cared about beyond the average suffer or struggle with discomfort, I carefully asked if she was okay; maybe in need of her own services?
"No," she answered, "I've actually been...constipated for a couple of days," she admitted.
"So the last time you relieved yourself in the proper way was three days ago? How often do you get that way for two days or more?" I asked.
"Dr. Martin, in the house," she said with a quiet chuckle. "To be honest, I usually go every other day and probably get out of pattern a couple times a month, with two or three days where I can't go. At those times I usually use a fiber supplement. I'm accustomed to plenty of fluids, so that isn't an issue," she finished.
"And your body has trouble relaxing to help things along," I guessed.
"Yes. I noticed that reading can help. I used to laugh at that, but not anymore," she said. "My body is sending signals right now. I've noticed over time that your presence or even just your voice makes me more relaxed than average."
"So thinking of me or playing my voice in your head while you're tending to business has helped you do number two? I'm flattered," I said sincerely. "Relax. I get it, and I'm not gonna go tell the world what you confided," I assured her.
"I have used that method," she said in answer to my question. "And thank you. I didn't figure you for the gossipy type. More introverted unless certain circumstances are present," Moncia stated.
"You figure correctly. Congratulations," I said. "Please, go try to make yourself more comfortable. We're about done anyhow. I'll wait if you like and settle the bill."
"Thank you," she said, turning and walking across the room to the bath area door, saying she'd try not to be long.
More than five minutes went by. Monica remained in the bathroom. I did my best to give her her privacy.
But soon I heard her call through the door, "Martin, are you there? Can you come to the door?"
"Yes, I'm here, and I will if that's what you want," I said.
"Please do," she confirmed. I strode over to the door and asked a very obvious professional question through it. "Did I seem overly tight in the back and shoulders this time?"