A Tangled Web Ch. 01

"Oh, wow. Very nice to meet you. Dan is a lucky guy." Bruce scrambled to invent a plausible cover story on the fly after not expecting the answer he received. Internally he was in full panic mode, trying not to screw up this opportunity and angry with himself for not formulating a plan before approaching her.

"Why, thank you." Cindy smiled. "Do you work with him?"

"A few years ago, our companies worked on a project together." "I'm Bruce. Nice to meet you...Cindy, right?" Cindy blushed a little as she shook Bruce's hand. With his chiseled jaw, big muscles, and alpha-male confidence, he radiated masculinity in a primal way.

Just then, Jason appeared to take Cindy back for her massage.

"Nice to meet you, Bruce. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Oh, you can count on it," Bruce thought but didn't dare say. He needed time to come up with a plan. This day was turning out not to be a complete disaster after all. He even thought about skipping the bar before remembering how big a contract he had lost today.

"A few drinks won't hurt anything," Bruce told himself. "I'll still be able to start formulating a plan tonight."

******

As Bruce downed another shot of Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, he knew he was suddenly well-positioned to fuck up Dan's life. It wouldn't be long before Bruce found Cindy's weaknesses and seduced her. Bruce was a ladies' man and knew how to charm women and shower them with attention. He would listen closely as they talk about their lives and invariably tell them they deserve more attention and support than their husbands are providing. Then he finds excuses to start, at first innocently, touching them. It's the same approach every time, even if not always in the same order.

Bruce had studied massage therapy in his free time at college and considered it one of the best investments he'd ever made. He figured his reputation for giving excellent massages had helped him catch and keep more tail than almost any non-athlete in college. Now it had become his primary means of getting wives to meet him outside the gym. A few years ago, Bruce had begun renting a studio apartment for his massage services / sexual escapades and took the unusual step of having hidden cameras expertly installed to record everything that went down in the apartment. He loved having leverage over the married women he bedded, even though they were unaware of the recordings. Until Cindy came along, he had told himself he'd never actually distribute the videos. Instead, they had been for his private viewing whenever he needed an ego boost.

Plotting revenge, Bruce now turned his full attention to seducing Cindy.

"Everyone thinks Dan is so good at providing attention. Well, watch this, buddy!" Bruce thought aloud.

******

Bruce knew he needed to be extra careful when approaching Cindy the next time, as failure was not an option. He thought his most complex challenge would be getting Cindy to agree to massages outside the gym, so he would need to resume his job as an Atlas masseur. In truth, Bruce had never been an Atlas employee, but he had pretended to be one on several occasions. The day shift manager, Roxie, was a client of Bruce's special massages—meaning they were essentially fuck buddies—and he had convinced her to let him schedule on-site massages during the hour the actual massage therapists took lunch. Bruce had only done this a couple of times, but both times it proved the perfect setup for transitioning the massages offsite. Roxie would also be key to making sure Jason was unavailable for Cindy's next appointment and convincing Cindy to try Bruce.

Bruce regretted having revealed to Cindy that he knew Dan. It created the additional risk that Cindy would mention him to her husband. It also made it harder to explain his job at Atlas when she knew he had some other role, presumably in design or construction. But Bruce was confident that both downsides could be overcome—it would just take a bit more effort. He was willing to play the long game.

The following day, Roxie informed Bruce that Cindy's next massage was scheduled for Thursday at 11 AM. That gave Bruce two days to prepare. Of course, he didn't need the time to practice his massage or seduction skills, but he was thankful for the time it gave him to research Cindy's interests and prepare for their conversations.

Fortunately for Bruce, Cindy did not lock down her Facebook and Insta accounts. Using his alt profile, he learned a lot about her background, interests, and hobbies. Judging by her posts, it seemed like she was very much in love with her husband. But Bruce knew from experience that public posts could mask the real truth. Looking over the past several years, he learned several things he planned to use. Cindy had lost her mom to ovarian cancer; she loves the Aussie dog breed; her favorite films are sports documentaries; she is a regular volunteer at an animal rescue shelter; she's an exhibitionist; and she gets aroused when someone blows air into her ear. The last two tidbits were thanks to a sex survey on Facebook that Cindy and a few of her friends had challenged each other to complete.

Bruce left his home a couple of hours earlier than usual on Thursday. He hadn't slept well in anticipation of his appointment with Cindy. He was also looking to slip out before Maggie woke up and gave him a hard time about coming home drunk and pushing her around the previous evening. He fired up his red Shelby GT500 and pulled out of the garage, the tremendous roar of the engine slightly preceding him. Maggie may not have been awake before, but she certainly would be now.

At 10 AM, Bruce made excuses to leave the office for a few hours. He arrived at the gym 20 minutes later and, after flirting with Jacie, reconfirmed the plan with Roxie. Bruce would pay Jason triple his hourly rate to be unavailable for the massage. Bruce then disappeared into the massage area to await Cindy's arrival, and Roxie went to the front desk.

For once, Cindy was happy she wasn't late. She also wasn't early, having arrived at precisely 11 AM. She saw Jacie at the front desk and went up to her.

"Hello again, I'm Cindy Caddel, and I have a sports massage with Jason at 11 AM."

Roxie quickly stepped alongside Jacie to speak with Cindy.

"I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Caddel, but Jason had a family emergency and won't be available to give your massage today. So please let me make it up to you by comping your massage and offering you our premier sports massage specialist, Bruce. He had a cancellation; otherwise, he's in such demand that he's almost impossible to book." Jacie had to work hard to keep from laughing, despite knowing the plan in advance.

"Well, all right. I guess that will do." Cindy welcomed the free massage but was disappointed Jason wasn't there. While he had only given her three massages, she knew from years of experience that he was very talented. He was also getting bolder, massaging her inner thighs and being more careless with her draping. Both of these things Cindy found arousing, but not something she could expressly ask for.

During countless evenings over the years, Dan had found himself the beneficiary when a massage had aroused her. Cindy never admitted to inappropriate touching during her massages, but Dan had noticed a correlation between her massage appointments and evening friskiness. He knew she liked to show off her body and was happy if her nakedness and relaxation contributed to her arousal. And while he preferred Cindy use female massage therapists, he knew she rarely did. In her experience, men were generally better about giving her muscles the kind of deep stretch she was used to from her competition days.

Jacie called Bruce on the prearranged phone, and soon after, he walked to the front desk. Roxie informed Bruce that she needed him to take over one of Jason's appointments. She then began to introduce Cindy before both interjected that they'd previously met. Bruce invited a very puzzled Cindy to walk with him to the massage room. On the way, she said,

"I didn't realize you worked here. This is a surprise."

"Only part-time. I like to keep up my skills, and I have a few long-term clients who would probably kidnap me if I ever stopped completely." Bruce laughed.

"It's a surprise for me as well, but a pleasant one. I always enjoy helping a beautiful woman relax and prepare to take on the rest of her busy, and often stressful, day." Bruce delivered his lines while looking straight at Cindy to gauge her reaction and adjust his level of flirtation accordingly. Cindy flashed a smile with perhaps a bit of embarrassment. "So far, so good," he assessed. They reached the massage room, and both entered before closing the door.

"So, anything you'd like to share about your massage preferences before we get started?"

"Well, I was a competitive gymnast for many years and prefer deep-tissue massages and stretching. I promise I won't be shy about letting you know if something is or isn't working for me during the massage."

"Fair enough. I love a woman who knows what she wants and accepts nothing less." Bruce replied.

"Okay, I'm going to step out for a couple of minutes. Please undress to your level of comfort and lay face down on the table, pulling the sheet over you when you're done." Bruce then quietly exited the room.

Precisely two minutes later, Bruce knocked on the door. "Cindy, are you ready for me?"

"Oh, yes. I'm ready." Cindy was looking forward to this massage both because of Bruce's purported skills and his physical features. His body was ripped, and he exuded masculine confidence that Cindy found very sexy. Her husband, Dan, had a runner's physique that she also enjoyed, but there was something almost primal in her body's reaction to Bruce's muscular body. She knew there was nothing wrong with looking, as long as she didn't touch.

Bruce began the massage with Cindy's back and arms, adjusting pressure as she instructed. She hadn't been joking when she said she liked deep-tissue massages. Bruce was giving it all he had and knew the pressure he was applying was more than most masseurs could provide. Bruce still stuck with his signature massage style, though, alternating periods of deep massage with light ones. From Cindy's perspective, she was in heaven. Bruce was stronger and better than any massage therapist she'd ever had. His physical dominance and adroit manipulation of her body left her gushing in ways she hoped he wouldn't soon discover.

When massaging Cindy's legs, he had a choice to make about how high to massage her inner thighs. He didn't want to make Cindy uncomfortable, or he'd be unlikely to see her again. Jason had told him Cindy was receptive to more intimate touching after a few massages, but Bruce still worried that she might object if he went there during their first appointment. So, in a departure from just about anything Bruce had ever done, he let Cindy tell him what she was comfortable with.

"Cindy, I tend to want to massage as much of the body as possible to eliminate all pockets of stress, but I would never forgive myself if I did anything to make you uncomfortable. As this is our first massage, I've yet to learn your comfort levels. So when I massage your upper legs, please promise that you'll let me know immediately if I go higher than your comfort level, okay?"

Not only was this question a first for Bruce, but Cindy had never been asked such a direct question either. She found it reassuring that Bruce cared about respecting her boundaries.

"Yes, of course," Cindy replied. "But don't worry, I'm not too much of a prude."

Bruce smiled to himself. Things were going even better than expected. He'd have to restrain himself from accelerating his plan too much though. It could still fall apart if he moved too quickly.

Bruce was confident that Cindy's statement gave him latitude to explore how high she'd let him massage her legs. It wasn't long before he had reached the uppermost parts. The bottom of the sheet now rested mid-way up her ass with her legs still parted. He knew she must realize her sex was on full display. He finished massaging the tops of her legs, which resulted in his knuckles brushing ever so gently against her hairless, pink pussy lips.

"Are you doing okay, Cindy? Are you still enjoying the massage?"

"Oh, yes, it's fantastic."

Bruce let the back of his hands slide across the edges of her pussy a couple more times before holding up the sheet and asking her to turn over. He had never seen a pussy as beautiful as Cindy's, and, given his experience, that was saying a lot. There was also no doubt from her juices that she was highly aroused. He speculated that she would have let him massage her clit if he had tried, but it was too risky for their first encounter.

Now on her back, Cindy's arousal was reconfirmed by the tented marks her nipples made in the sheet. Once again, Bruce started his massage at the top, beginning with her neck and shoulders. As he worked his way lower, he adjusted the sheet so that only her nipples and below were covered. He was mesmerized by the soft, perky mounds that lay before him. And again, he asked Cindy to inform him of her comfort level.

"Cindy, I'm more than happy to skip over your boobs or to massage them. I have clients that prefer both, so it's completely up to you."

"Thanks, Bruce. I'll never turn down a good boob massage." Cindy laughed.

Bruce was falling in love with this woman. She was so beautiful and yet so free with her body, exuding pure, unadulterated sexuality. He had been rock hard since he first laid his hands on her, but now he was starting to feel precum oozing out the tip of his cock.

Bruce didn't need to ask twice. He quickly exposed the rest of Cindy's breasts and began a thorough massage of her mounds, taking care to slide across her erect nipples as often as he thought he could. Finally, Cindy let out a quiet moan.

For the first time he could remember, Bruce was seriously concerned that he might cum in his pants without any physical stimulation. He quickly moved to massage her arms, then two of the cutest feet he'd ever seen, and finally, worked back up her legs. He noted that she seemed all too eager to spread her legs to give him easier access. He tested and stopped at the same limits he set when she was on her back, allowing his fingers to graze her pussy lips but carefully avoiding anything more intimate. He finished in just over an hour.

"Well, how was that, Cindy? Do you feel better?"

"Oh yes. Much, much better. You gave me one of the best massages I've ever received."

"I'm so glad to hear that. Anything I should do differently next time?"

"Next time? I hear it's almost impossible to schedule an appointment with you."

"That won't be a problem for you. I loved working on your body because you tested the limits of my strength with your deep tissue preferences. I rarely get to do that, and it does wonders for helping me build my massage skills and stamina. Besides, I could feel how much your body needed it and how much tension we released. I love that feeling when I know, not through her words but through my direct observations, that I've helped a client."

"I'd like to set up a time to meet on Mondays and Thursdays if that's something you're open to. This coming week would have to be Tuesday and Thursday, however. My mom's fighting ovarian cancer, and I need to take her to chemotherapy on Monday." But, of course, this was an outright lie. Bruce's mom was alive and relatively healthy, even if she was a few states away.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bruce! My mom had ovarian cancer too, so I have some idea of what you and she are going through."

"Thanks, Cindy. How's your mom doing now?"

Cindy recoiled, realizing she'd made a terrible mistake bringing up her mother's failed battle with cancer. That certainly wouldn't provide him comfort.

"Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago." Cindy avoided directly attributing her mom's death to cancer, but from the dejected look on Bruce's face...she assumed he had made that connection. Cindy felt awful leaving him sad after all he had done for her.

"Tuesday and Thursday sound great! Same time?" Cindy exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Yes, I can make this time work, even if I need to reschedule a client."

'Perfect! I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too. Now I need to get back to my other job, so I'll leave you to get dressed and head out whenever you're comfortable."

Bruce gave Roxie a thumbs-up on his way out of the gym, and she flashed him a mischievous grin. When he reached his car, he couldn't help but relish how perfectly everything had gone. "At this rate, she might even be having my babies in 10 months!" Bruce chuckled. "That isn't the plan, but everything else should be a piece of cake."

******

Over their next two appointments, Bruce provided the same massage techniques and observed the same limits on intimate touching. He and Cindy started to bond over a surprisingly long list of similar interests, even if some of his interests were, at best, newly discovered. On their fourth appointment, Bruce decided to increase intimate touching to explore Cindy's limits better. This time, after brushing against her pussy lips, he brought his fingers higher and applied slight pressure to her clit. He took care to avoid rubbing it before asking Cindy whether she was enjoying what he was doing. A muffled "Mmm Hmm" could be heard as her mouth suddenly stuck open, betraying her pleasure. Bruce took the opportunity to scoop up some of her juices before planting his thumb directly on her clit. He added pressure and circular motions, and her natural lubrication did the rest. Within seconds she clamped her legs together as a powerful orgasm rocked her.

"Good girl," he complimented her. "Let all that stress go."

Bruce continued the rest of the massage as usual. After the massage, he asked Cindy again if she was okay with everything that had happened. She assured him she was but let him know they'd now reached her comfort limit. Bruce said he understood and wanted to continue providing the service she received today but that it wouldn't be possible at the gym. He explained that her limit was a bit beyond what was allowed in this business, and it would put him, her, and Atlas at risk were they to continue. Bruce knew Cindy's response to the next words out of his mouth would determine the success or failure of his plan.

"These puritanical laws are outdated and certainly not in the best interest of your health and well-being, but I can offer a solution. Most clients and I meet at a studio apartment two blocks from here. And before you get creeped out, don't worry; it's not where I live. It's set up exclusively as a massage studio. I charge half the price I do here at Atlas and my clients have full control over the massage experiences that work best for them. I'm happy to provide you with references if you'd like. Even a few employees here prefer my offsite price and services."

"Well, I certainly don't want to give up your massages, and I've enjoyed getting to know you. We seem to have so much in common."

"I guess the choice is between the kind of massage I had last time at a higher cost or the kind I had this time at a lower cost. I think I'm willing to see your massage studio, but please don't be offended if I wind up preferring to receive my massages here."

"Of course, that's completely fair. Let me give you the address, and we'll plan to hold our Thursday appointment there. No obligation at all if it's not right for you. Your security and comfort are my highest priorities."

As he returned to work, Bruce had mixed feelings about how the transition to his apartment had gone. "It's great that she will consider it, but there seems to be an elevated risk that she'll back out," he thought. "I'll need to ramp up the professional look of the studio before Thursday if I hope to pull this off. That means better lighting, maybe a water feature, more candles, and a fake business license to hang on the wall. Oh, and I should probably hide the Sybian."