You get what you pay for

[intriguess]

Maxine hated the idea of paying a man to touch her, which is why her gyno was a female. She had male doctors as a child and the last one had been a little too touchy feely. So when she needed surgery she was thrilled to find a qualified female surgeon.

The problem was post op, when she was referred to a massage therapist to work on her back. It was a guy, and after staring at the card for two weeks she finally called. The receptionist was nice and offered to squeeze her in at the end of the day. The appointment was made before she could say no, and Max looked at the card, noticing that satisfaction was guaranteed.

Max left work a little early to get to her appointment on time, the receptionist led her to the room and before she knew it she was alone. She stepped behind the divider and removed her work clothes. It had been a long time since a man had seen her naked, well over a year, and the surgery had changed her body and her life. Recovery had been painful and her Doc had said that massage therapy would help her in ways she never thought of.

Maxine had laughed at the time, but now seeing the faint scars along her abdomen began to wonder. She wrapped herself up in the soft sheet as she heard the door open. Her goes nothing, she thought, praying he was old and disgusting even as she hoped he was respectable. She had clipped her auburn hair up off her neck and taken off her glasses, so her vision was blurry at best as she stepped out holding the sheet up over her breasts as if it were a shield.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

Marcus...

Marcus gave a bit of a sigh as he stood at the backdoor of the office, finishing his cigarette, when the receptionist ran up to him to inform him his next appointment has arrived, he gave her an almost sad smile and nodded. He flicked his cigarette out into the street, sprayed himself down with fabreeze and popped a peice of gum in his mouth before moving over to the door.

He stopped outside for a moment and nocked. Giving a few moments before he stepped inside. The most noticible thing about Marcus is his beautiful pale green eyes. Always a show stopper. The only reall way to describe Marcus is that he's pretty. He has long black hair tied back in a pony tail, dressed in black slacks and a black button down shirt, the color seemed to make him even paler than he was naturally. Marcus' hands were small, and just like the rest of him, were slightly more feminine than masculine, definitly not what you'd expect from your typical Massage Therapist.

He held out a hand her and smiled, "Hello. I'm Marcus. How are you today?"

((Not sure exactly what you were looking for, hope this will suffice.))

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

She had definetly not expected this, he was what she would consider a pretty boy with the pale skin and long dark hair he almost seemed gothic and kind of like a chic. Which was a relief as somehow in her mind she decided he must be gay, she smiled and thought if she had seen him anywhere else she'd probably look twice but do nothing as while he was attractive he wasn't exactly her type. She shook her head slightly at the thought, it wasn't like she'd done so well with men that were her type.

His hand was firm but soft, with long almost delicate fingers, and she murmured a greeting and visible relaxed, "So shall we get started?"

 

[ACursedDreamer]

Marcus spent a moment looking her over, more so with a professional eye than a personal one. "Sure, Why don't you hop up on the table and first tell me about what's been going on." He rummaged through a drawer and offered her a sheet to cover herself with while they spoke.

"I guess what I'm looking for is, what are the areas that will need the most attention. Most of my patients come in for spinal, specifically lower back discomfort." He knew he could just look it up on her chart but for most cases he preffered to have his client tell him what the problems were.

He gave her one of his best, most comforting smiles. Trying to set her more at ease. He looked around the room and pulled out a few candles, and opened a cabnet full of CD's mostly all soft soothing music. "Waterfalls, Amazon Basin, or Celtic Nights?" He held the three CD cases up showing her the coverwork.

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

She liked celtic music and selected that CD, "Well I usually carry my stress in my lower back and shoulders, but I was actually recommended to you to well," she never thought about having to tell him why she was here, "I had surgery and my recovery is going okay but my muscles seem to knot up more often. The pain is different than I experienced before, so my Doctor said I should try massage to help my body adjust to the changes." There was a little more but he was so clinical that it took her a bit longer to spit out the rest, "I've also had some pretty bad abdominal cramping, but I figured one problem area at a time," she had closed her eyes and let her mind go blank.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

He popped in the Celtic Cd and then lit himself a few candles and turned the lights down. The candles were more for him sometimes, the scent of lilacs slowly spread through the room and set his mind at ease, letting him focus, and refocus his attention as neccessary. "All right. Lets start with one thing at a time. First, the lower back and shoulders. I want you to lie down on your stomach and relax. Close your eyes, if you fall asleep I will wake you once I've done what I can do. Not to worry, it happens to me at least once a day."

He watched her move, studying her. As if he were an artist studying his model. During this time he rubbed his hands together to warm them and worked out his wrists. He stepped up beside her and pulled a bottle of almond oil out and spread about 1/2 a teaspoon into his hands and rubbed them together. Then he rubbed his hands in one smooth guiding stroke along her lower back, moving along her spine up to the ribcage and then down the sides of her body. He then returned to his starting position on her back and used a friction stroke with his thumbs. Making small overlapping circles over the sacrum, gradually moving up the sides of the spine to the ribcage.

"It may hurt a little at first, but as time goes on, and you continue coming to these appointments the massaging will help strenghten your muscles. You'll see... It will help. I promise." His voice was soft and soothing, full of confidence, yet as gentle as a soft caress.

He brought his hands back down to her lower back and made big gliding circles moving up the side of her spine, around the ribcage, and down the side of her body. All the way down to the fleshy part of her hips, and slowly worked back to the original oil rubbed starting position. Following this he used firm generous kneading strokes, to gradually work over the entire hip area. He then placeed his hands on each hip, and using a wringing stroke all the way up her body to those trouble some shoulders.

His hands worked their magic along her hips, and up either side of her spine slowly, moving to the shoulders and then out from the spine. He then very gradually worked his hands down her sides...

 

[intriguess]

She was glad for the atmosphere and nodded as needed. His proffessionalism was reassuring, she was just another body, just like he would be if he were modeling for one of her classes. It was nice to have the focus on her body and not how to get into her panties. Of course she wasn't exactly wearing any now but that was besides the point, it felt good in a way that had nothing to do with sex and for some reason she thought about the movie At First Sight, with Val Kilmer as a masseuse. Her mind drifted going everywhere and no where as a warmth and serenity settled over her. He went a little hard to begin with but it was in order to get in deep and work out the kinks.

"I could get used to this," she murmured softly, yawning glad she was the last appointment and there was no time limit looming overhead. The drudgery of her days since the surgery paraded in her head, days filled with work and trying to ignore the pain. Days when she had to take hot showers or risk falling asleep in her bath tub. Days when only the heat and sensation of water could soothe her muscles. She wondered how long her insurance would cover the massage sessions as part of her rehabilitation. She wondered if she'd ever feel whole again.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

He glanced at his watch and nodded to himself, there wasn't really a whole lot of time left. He'd always gone over his time with his new patients everyone else was rather used to it. He continued working her back, smiling as she said that she could get used to this. "I'm glad your enjoying. Time is almost up, I'm more than willing to work on your abdomin it won't cost any extra, it'll just take up a little extra time. Seeing as my plans for this evening were cancelled, I would be more than up for it if you'd like." He worked her shoulders over, even going as far as to work her neck slightly, she was right. She did carry a lot of stress in her shoulders and back.

His hands stopped working her body and he smiled; "So, what do you want to do?"

 

[intriguess]

She had been so wrapped in her selfish needs she hadn't even considered that he had somewhere to go. She felt so incredibly stupid and was tempted to decline his offer for more even as the massage made her ever more aware of minor aches and pains that had gone unnoticed so far. She took a deep breath pulled herself together and reminded herself that she was just another body. "That would be great, having just my back done feels fantastic, but it's kind of like washing you car without vacuuming the interior. It feels so good I notice all the other aches and pains." It was true she felt good and at same time as if she'd been through a meat grinder. She figured that in days to come it would get less painful just as with every other part of her rehab.

"So just tell me when to roll over and I'll see if my body will comply." She was only half joking, she wasn't sure if she could move even if she wanted to and kept telling herself she was just another body and the scars would probably not even concern him. She recalled how her then lover had responded seeing her body, and grimaced, that plus the fact that she didn't feel like having sex pretty much killed the relationship and that had been months ago.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

"You can turn over now. I'll start working on your stomach and if you have anyother area's that need attention let me know. Calves, feet, and often even hands require special attention from time to time." He smiled comfortingly, and turned the music up a little while waiting for her to roll over. He began warming up his hands again, adding a bit more of the almond oil into his palms.

He saw her grimace and frowned to himself slightly. That meant she was either uncomfortable from pain or memories. He honestly couldn't tell which. He studied her a little longer with those beautiful pale green eyes, hoping he didn't make her uncomfortable. She needed a lot of work, and he decided that if she was uncomfortable he would suggest someone else to her that could work on her, seeing as she was in serious need of some attention.

"If you need help getting onto your back let me know, I know it can be difficult especially after a deep tissue massage."

 

[intriguess]

"Bad memories," she said slowly lifting herself up with her arms and slowly rolling over, "I only wish there was a treatment for bad memories." The joke fell flat and she rolled her neck from side to side amazed at how smoothly her neck moved. She let her arms lay relaxed at her sides as she closed her eyes again.

She couldn't believe the last person she'd let touch her intimately had ended up so she couldn't even think of the word for a person who can't stand a little challenge. Flake maybe, but she had avoided talking about it as his response to her injuries seemed trivial in the grand scheme. She figured that now that most of the physical stuff was taken care of the emotional loss would begin to surface. "I'm going to have to thank my Doctor for recommending you." Feeling his hands on her abdomen was giving her strange thoughts. She dreaded the idea of dating again, she always laughed when someone called her a great catch, but honestly it was a lot of work to find someone worth baiting was her typical response.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

Her scars didn't seem to bother him, he had his own afterall. He couldn't help but take his gaze to his wrists, covered in criss-crossing scars some fresher than others, but none of them fresher than about 6 months. He spoke softly, "You can't really treat bad memories. You just have to continue your life and make new ones..."

His fingers and hands worked her stomach very rythmically. He started working clockwise around her belly button, working the oil in to her flesh using large, lightly pressured circles. He continued working her stomach, and as she grew more comfortable with his massaging her stomach he began using his fingertips more firmly to make smaller circles.

He then put one hand on each of her hips and began wring up the body in a forward and backward motion, he worked up her body, over her stomach to the bottom of her rib cage, he then used his fingertips to storke up over her ribcage and breasts, over the breast bone and off at her shoulders. He then repeated the whole process again from her navel, taking his time and putting his full attention and focus into her...

 

[intriguess]

He was probably right and for it suddenly bothered her that the last man she'd been with had turned out to be such a flake, typically after a bad break up she'd hook up with some random rebound guy for fantastic sex. She almost smiled at the thought, her last rebound guy had said to feel free to use him anytime. He'd given her his phone number, asked for hers, but didn't pressure her when she said no. It seemed like an eternity ago, she doubted he was still single after a year, but maybe she'd look him up if she ever felt sexy again.

"I thought that the trauma of accident would be all I had to deal with, and dealing with how people treated me," she paused, "it wasn't pretty." She yawned softly, wishing she were in her own bed so she could drift off and finally get some real sleep. "I don't suppose you do house calls?" she asked hopefully.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

"Accidents can be very painful... they can take a long time to heal from, physically and mentally. My aim with you will be to aide you as much as I can in healing both."

He smiled down at her, "Actually I can make a house call. It's my decision if I chose too or not, and I will leave a note with the secritary that your next appointment will be a house call." He continued working the front of her body, as the cd drew to a close he smiled. "Well.. sorry to say but that's it for tonight. I hope this helped." He grabbed a towel and wiped the oil off his hands as best he could.

He then pulled a card out of his wallet and scribbled down his cell number on it. "Here, give me a call if things get bad. We'll put you down for an appointment, around the same time next week at your home? But if you find yourself in a lot of pain, don't be afraid to call. If I can't make it over, or squeeze you in, I might be able to give you some advise over the phone.. It's been a pleasure." He said with a slight bow to her.

((What kinda scarring are we talking?))

 

[intriguess]

Once a week both seemed like way too often and not often enough. She almost let the negative thought that she now had to pay for a guy to touch her creep into her mind. She took the card, squinted at the number. "Okay sounds fine." It had been a little tough to let him touch her but now the idea of someone else seemed criminal. For some reason her modesty returned and she pulled the sheet around her body. The car crash had been just the begining and she was lucky the shattered glass and fire hadn't done more serious damage to her body or lungs. She couldn't stand the smell of bacon frying anymore as it reminded her of the smell. If it hadn't hurt to laugh she would have laughed at the fact that her fat had protected her from the worst type of burns. She took a deep breath and offered a smile at the wave, her surgeon had said there was restorative options but that was a long way down the road as the pain had very nearly taken over her life.

"I might have to take a nap before driving home, but sure next week at my house." She had slipped off the table, "You probably have my address on file?" she asked stretching as she slowly headed behind the divider to get dressed.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

"Yes, I'm sure we do." He smiled a bit, watching as she moved behind the divider, extingished the candles and turned the lights back up. Pulled the Cd out of the player and returned it to his case. Followed by a quick wipe down of the table and the room was returned to it's normalcy for the morning.

"If you need to nap i have a couch in my office, falling asleep standing up or in the car sound like worse options personally. Wouldn't be the first person to fall asleep after/during a massage." He had a small laugh to himself and the sound was more of a cute sound then anything else. He began washing his hands off in the sink. Once they were sufficently cleaned he pulled his hair out of the ponytail and let it fall back down to his mid-back, a little of it falling into his eyes.

 

[intriguess]

Maggie

He was right of course, sleeping in car would undoubtedly do more harm than good. She had slipped her panties on and wished she didn't have to wear a bra as she adjusted the straps. The rest of her clothes followed and finally her glasses. She took her hair down and was combing it when she came out from behind the screen. "I don't want to keep you," she said softly a little surprised at how different he looked with his hair down. She resisted the urge to ask him about his long silky hair.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

He turned and smile at her; "It's really no bother. I have to leave some dictations for my secretary, so you could nap for at least an hour or two and It wouldn't be keeping me at all. I have some juice and snacks in my office as well incase your hungry." He didn't often make offers like this to his clients but he could tell there was something different about her. He wasn't sure what it was but something inside told him that this was the right thing to do.

He opened the door out of the room and smiled. "The choice is yours.."

 

[intriguess]

She realized it had been a while since she'd eaten and nodded and finished smoothing her hair. "That would be great, as long as it's no trouble." She didn't want to take advantage of his hospitality even as she sensed he understood her pain more than he let one. "Now that you mention it something to snack on would be great." She paused, "I don't suppose I could buy you dinner?" she was afraid she had crossed the line with that statement. She just wanted to thank him for all he had done for her so far.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

He smiled a bit more when she offered to buy him dinner, "Well. I won't let you pay for dinner, but I would more than love the company. As long as you don't mind waiting. I really have to get my dictations finished up." He smiled and showed her out of the room and down to his office.

His office was mostly neat. Almost everything was in it's place, he had a few books off the shelves. He walked to his desk and sat down in the chair, the couch was almost directly across from his desk and he guestured for her to have a seat. He reached under the desk and pulled out a bottle of Apple and Orange juice, along with some mixed fresh fruit and crackers, and offered them to her. He then began looking over his charts, reveiwing the notes he'd left attached to each on. He also had her chart open on his desk and made a few notes, basically he just wrote that she had seemed a bit nervous, but once things were under way that she had relaxed and seemed to feel slightly better after the session, and that she had requested house calls.

He then began checking his voice mail, his email, and the messages that had come back from the front desk during his session with Maxine.

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

She couldn't recall his name and she looked around hoping to see something that would fill in the gaps. She sat down and took the apple juice and a cracker, she sipped a little bit ate a cracker and then set the rest of juice back on the desk. She took her shoes off, and stretched out on the couch and yawned slightly. She moved onto her side facing away from him and she was asleep in moments. Her dreams were quiet for once and she didn't toss and turn like she usually was.

She hadn't asked him to wake her and figured she'd wake up in 20 or thirty minutes but it was closer to 90 minutes by the time she rolled over and rubbed her eyes.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

By the time she rolled back over and woke up he was on his last dictation, hers. "Patient seemed slightly apprensive at first, tried to make the patient as comfortable as possible. Patient complained of lower back pain, mostly lumbar. Also complained of possibly related pain in all quadrents of the stomach. Went a little over in time. no extra charge. Patient requested house calls. Next appointment will be at the patients home. Send a card and a fruit basket to patients Doctor to thank her for the refferal. End Dicatation."

All his file folders where stacked neatly in the out bin, they'd be collected first thing in the morning and refilled. He smiled at the sleepy eyed Maxine. His certificates were posted all over the walls along with some pictures of him and a few more famous patients. A handful of porn stars, some rock musicans, a few famous comedians. And his personal favorite, a picture of him, Liv, and Stephen Tyler. Signed by both of them.

The back of his door had posted every single thank you card and picture and note he'd ever recieved, including a couple of hand drawn little pictures from patients children, thanking him for making mommy or daddy fun to be around again. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, shutting down his computer and putting the fruit back into the fridge, his orange juice long since finished...

"So shall we?" Marcus smiled and slowly stood up. He pulled his scrub top off, reveiling a tight fitting black shirt. He hung the top on the back of his door and stuck his wallet in his pocket, he then grabbed his keys and offered her a hand up.

 

[intriguess]

She hadn't really paid attention to the decor besides noticing his names on his credentials. Marcus, was his name and she took his hand and smiled sleepily, "I slept like a rock, I hope I didn't snore." She said as she stood up and took a moment to steady herself. She had worn her glasses and so they had left a red pressure mark on one side of her face. She slipped her shoes back on, "I'm starving is there anywhere good nearby?" she wasn't exactly familiar with this area and only hoped he didn't suggest something where she'd have to think about what she was eating.

 

[ACursedDreamer]

He smiled, "I'm glad you slept well. There's a wonderful little chinese place around the corner. There's also a bar that is rumored to have good food. I wouldn't know. I've never been there to be honest. It's up to you." He led her out of the office, shutting the lights out on his way through, leading her out the side door of the office and towards the parking lot.

The only viechles in the lot were hers and his. His was a Kawasaki Zephyr X1999. It was a pretty bike. Not built like a typical crotch rocket. It was the first thing he'd bought when he had the money to do it. It was possibly his most favorite possession...

 

[intriguess]

Her car was easy to spot now that the lot was empty, a maroon Intrigue 2000, they stopped making them but she liked the name and how it drove so she'd bought one despite a few friendly protests. "Chinese is fine, bars always have that smoky smell to them." She noticed his bike and was envious, now that was freedom. "Can we walk from here?" she didn't feel ready to get back into her car and figured the walking would be good for her, help wake her up and clear her head.