In the Meantime

mercy turned her head and exhaled at Melissa's question. She slipped her arms underneath the table and clenched her fists tightly. This was exactly why she came here but the way that Melissa circuitously brought it up was something Mercy didn't appreciate. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do.

"We're dating, ma'am." Mercy said in a soft tone. She lifted her head up and looked Melissa in the eyes. "Dating is the only word to describe it. I'd never legally represent him and I really don't... consider him a friend." Mercy looked down. "He's someone I'm dating." Mercy turned her head. "It's complicated." She then looked back at Melissa. "B-But!" She interjected. "it's not like I have been lobbying that much for him! It's true, i mentioned that he should be in more higher profile matches but that makes sense. I'd do that to someone of his stature in Friction as well!"

Mercy lowered her head again. She was getting a little worked up. "It's true... I don't want to see him f-" Mercy stopped herself. "it would be difficult for me to have to see him engaging with other women in hentai matches but, aside from that, he has no experience! He's not a hentai wrestler! He was the twenty four-seven champion! That's more rough and tumble. It's more to what he's suited for if not for straight wrestling. Unless.. Unless you were pushing him into that title match against... " Mercy dug her fingers into her leg. "Against that woman just for some angle, I don't know why you would set it up. There's no way he could compete against Angela!"

"And despite the fact that he is not your client you wish to speak as if he is..." Melissa tilted her head to one side slightly, she was still smiling somewhat cordially despite the word she was speaking sounding like they were meant to be a reprimand... It actually just sounded more like curiosity. At this time the waitress came over with a tray with their drinks. There was silence the drinks were laid out in front of each of them, Melissa watching Mercy idly

"Thank you." Melissa said softly once the waitress was done and that was her cue to exit, leaving the two to their drinks.

Melissa took the cup and saucer for Mocha Latte into either hands and brought it close to her lips, although she did not sip just yet.

"If you'll allow me to speak as if Mr Gastin were my client for a moment... And considering I am General Manager of Tension, I'd suggest he is more my client then he is yours." She then took a long tender sip, savouring the taste for a moment with closed eyes.

"I would say Mr Gastin has been rather fortuitous of late with his career opportunities, all things considered... He has be placed in a higher profile matche, which you ironically also suggested would be good for his career... A match at the big Tension v Friction pay per view against an opponent that you slandered.... Despite the fact that he failed to pick up a win against her, he finds himself sitting on another opportunity being the number one contender for the Hentai title.

Now you say that hentai matches isn't Mr Gastin's forte... But the area in which you believe he should excel in, he ended up getting humiliated by two little children who face sat him until they were good and satisfied... Isn't that correct?"

Mercy tucked her chin down into her neck when Melissa scolded her. She wanted to argue but she didn't have a choice. Right now she had to endure it. She nodded as well when her drink came and let the steam waft a bit.

Mercy furrowed her brow as Melissa talked. She kept her body language submissive otherwise but she couldn't help but be irritated. Melissa might have been her boss and a great General Manager, but she didn't like when people tried to out equivocate her. She was a paralegal and she'd be one of the best lawyers around soon enough. Arguing was in her DNA.

Clyde isn't exactly the largest man around. If we were talking someone like Rebecca Tomko, then I would consider it more of a humiliation. Two on one in a street fight puts any normally sized person at a disadvantage regardless of the size of the opponent unless it is a disparaging amount of difference." She began, staring down at the table. She took a deep breath. She felt knots in her stomach but she pushed her glasses up her nose and pressed on.

"But, I guess you're right. I suppose it could count as a humiliation in his book. So then he was put in a match to give him a title where he was, again, humiliated. The high profile nature of the match made it especially humiliating. And so, now, you would like to put him in an even higher profile match against an even more skilled opponent."

Mercy took a sip of her own latte and set down the cup. "Forgive me, ma'am, but if Mr. Gastin's client was your client, I'd shudder to think what you would do to him if you were not out for his best interest. I can't see how putting someone in constant impossible positions that will ultimately result in humiliation is good for one's career."

"Ohh.. Deary.." Melissa said almost with amused fondness of Mercy with what she had said "When did I ever say that I was in this for Mr. Gastin's best interests?" And with that insidious tone hanging in the air, Melissa brought her drink to her lips and took another sip.

"ahh... They really do make good Mocha Lattes here... Now, as I was saying. He has been very fortuitous, becoming the 24/7 champion and getting a shot at the hentai number one contender... But the manner in which he lost the title and loss the opportunity at Tension versus Friction only leads me to believe that Mr. Gastin is in fact not championship material at all. I'm sure if you had your way I would be spending every hour in each day ensuring Mr. Gastin was always being built on, but alas I have already wasted enough time on a lost cause just by putting faith in him to win on behalf of Tension at the Pay per view.

Mr. Gastin will face Ms. Minetti for the Hentai title not because he deserves the shot, but because we need a title contender and he gets it by proxy to the previous number one contender, Cheerleader Lilly. And quite frankly he should still be thinking himself fortunate for the match, perhaps he can start repaying his debts to Tension by holding on for at least 5 minutes against her"

Mercy slumped in her seat. Melissa may have been a shrewd woman but when it came to arguing, it seemed like the only thing she knew was how to throw her weight around. It was really annoying. Then again, people who were in charge often thought they were the smartest ones in the room.

Please excuse my frankness, ma'am, but that is a fair bit of false equivalence you are using. Clyde is not championship material because of the way he lost. Well, he lost to two small girls, as you put it. However, those same girls were also able to beat our then hardcore champion. So, are they weak or are they strong? They can't be conveniently both."

Mercy adjusted her glasses. "Furthermore, your argument regarding the hentai title has similar qualities. It would be like saying that a boxing champ gets to wrestle a wrestling champ and when he loses, he is a poor representation of his sport because, well, they were both athletes."

Mercy took a sip of her own cup and shook her head a bit. "I understand you just want to humiliate him for... whatever reason.." She said. "And I am not trying to advocate that he should just be put up against your World Title holder. That is not it. I just don't want to see my boyfriend fucked by someone I hate almost as much as I hate that Lilly bitch on live television."

Mercy brought her arm under the table and clenched her fist tightly. "The whole thing seems." She didn't know how to describe it. "Offensive in every way and not the sort of thing that would even garner ratings. It has more of a feel of something Lukretia might do. Feeding someone she doesn't like to the wolves."

"I can understand that, I really can. What girl would want to see her boyfriend on TV with someone else in such an *intimate* manner." Melissa reached over for a side plate of complementary wafer thin biscuits that had been left in the middle of the table, taking one she carefully took a bite rather than eating it whole.. chewing and swallowing before continuing to talk.

"What I can't understand however is why you are ask all of these questions of me, but avoiding the one important question... Why is it that Mr. Gastin is not as vocal with me on these concerns as you are. Why is he not voicing complaints about having to be intimate with the gorgeous and sensual Ms. Minetti?" She let that one hang in the air for a moment.

"For that matter, I don't recall him calling a meeting with me to express his disgust to me when I placed him in the hentai match with Ms. Lilly either. Interesting..."

Mercy groaned audibly at Melissa's words. She was getting irritated by the woman and turned her head, blushing as Melissa spoke. "Does he even know that he's facing Angela? Because I assure you if he DOES know then he'd better be knocking down your office door asking what the heck you're doing putting him in that match. Because if he doesn't, then he'll have worse things to worry about than what you're trying to do to him." She said and coolly pushed her glasses up her nose.

Mercy huffed at Melissa's next question. "That time all he wanted to do was beat Lilly up and leave. He was perfectly happy with taking a loss just to punish that little bitch a little. He had no intention of putting his hands anywhere on her body other than her neck. But... that... that little slut...' She said the last few words in a quiet tone. " managed to embarrass both of us on live television! It's completely unforgivable." Mercy looked at Melissa. "I'm sure complicity was the least of your involvement, ma'am. It was probably a thoroughly enjoyable outcome to you, wasn't it?"

"An interesting little experiment that would make, gauging Mr. Gastin's response to such a match set up..." Melissa said as she idly drew her index finger around the rim of her mocha latte cup as she was the soothing steamy liquid inside and then gently rubbed her thumb of the tip of that finger and middle one.

"I'm sure you are not naive to the fact that most men in Tension base their decision making on the direction that one solitary muscle on their body happens to be pointing?" She looked up at Mercy "But, perhaps Mr. Gastin is different..."

Mercy looked dryly at Melissa. The woman was as untoward as any she'd met. Any man with a penis would be unable to resist the set up Melissa had in mind. Mercy grumbled.

"No... Clyde's definitely not any different... I have to remind him constantly that I'm not just there to be humped like he's some overeager puppy..."

Mercy blew a lock of pink hair out of her face. "But this isn't actually Clyde's choice, is it? Because he's not THAT stupid to take a hentai match with Angela if given the choice . Why don't we cut to the chase. What do I have to do to make sure this match doesn't happen?" Mercy said, lowering her head as humbly as she could considering how she had been speaking.

"What do you have to do to make sure the match doesn't happen..?" Melissa leaned forwards a bit "What if I was to tell you that I might be persuaded to call the whole thing off if you cut your ties with Mr. Gastin?" She again allowed the tone to hang in the air, slightly more sinister then the last... But before Mercy could respond, Melissa interjected once again

"Of course you wouldn't do that... No... even though you are fully aware that he would quickly think with his low appendage, you are going to place your trust in him.. Isn't that so?" Melissa drunk the remainder of her Mocha latte and then collected up her bag to pull out her elbow length black gloves, starting to slide them on

"Believe that it is because he has no choice in the matter if that is what you wish deary, but I assure you that if I were to find a subtle way to present him with a choice between loyalty and infidelity... The latter would win out."