Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

After The Expendables premiere wrapped up, Martin had a quick chat with Jet Li.

The action star wasn't yet as aged as he'd become in the future, and his moves in the film were still impressively fluid.

"I'm not what I used to be," Jet admitted. "Getting old. Can't pull off half the stunts I used to. Had to rely on a stunt double for a lot. Looking back, I was reckless filming in Hong Kong—pushed my body too hard, racked up injuries. Now that I'm older, my body's getting its revenge. I'm jealous of you young folks."

"Oh, and Martin, you might not know this, but Stallone initially wanted you for a role in the movie. Later, he thought casting you as a supporting character would be disrespectful, but making you a co-lead with him? He was worried you'd steal the spotlight entirely. So, he scrapped the idea, haha!"

Martin hadn't realized Stallone had considered him for a part. But these days, there was no way he'd play second fiddle in an action flick. Co-lead? Well, Stallone's concern was valid—Martin would have outshined him and everyone.

…

Back home, Jennifer Lawrence showed off the results of her recent flexibility training.

"How's that?" she asked, beaming with pride.

"Not bad at all," Martin said, wiping her pussy juice on his mouth. "But don't get cocky. You've still got work to do. Like that move I showed you earlier—you couldn't quite pull it off."

…

The next day, in a Los Angeles coffee shop.

"Hey, Kate."

"Hey, Martin."

Martin settled into the seat across from Cate Blanchett.

"Been a while, Martin. What'll you have?" she asked.

"Uh, a Blue Mountain, please."

"Waiter, one Blue Mountain."

After ordering Martin's coffee, Cate started chatting.

"I still can't believe Nicole had a kid with you. Every time I think about it, it feels surreal, you know, with the age gap and all…"

Martin chuckled. "Age has never been an issue for me, Kate. Or have you forgotten about us?"

Cate's fair cheeks flushed, and she hid behind her coffee cup. "I—I decided to step back from all that. What we had was just a moment of fun, right?"

If not for that hesitant "right?" at the end, Martin might've bought her excuse.

Okay, no, he still wouldn't have. After all, she was one of his "conquests," marked by the seeds of affection he'd planted.

"You got another guy?" Martin asked bluntly.

"No, I don't!" Cate blurted, almost too quickly.

The waiter arrived with the coffee and left.

Martin took a sip. "Good to know," he said, flashing a grin.

His eyes scanned the room. Their booth was tucked away, quiet, its circular design shielding them from prying eyes outside.

So, he stood, slid onto the bench next to Cate, and, with a bold move, pulled her into his arms. His hands began to wander.

"Ah, no, not—not here!" she whispered.

"That's not up to you, woman," Martin teased.

As his movements grew bolder, Cate bit her lip, stifling any sound she might let slip.

After a while, Martin slid back to his side of the booth.

Cate, blushing furiously, adjusted her clothes and muttered, "You jerk!"

Martin grinned at her, unfazed. "Later, we can keep discussing whether I'm a jerk or not. For now, let's get to business. You asked me to meet—must be something important, right?"

Cate took a sip of her now-cold coffee, shooting him a mock glare. "You still remember business, huh?"

Then she continued, "You know about my new film, right?"

Martin nodded. "Robin Hood? Didn't do so hot, did it?"

Calling it "not so hot" was Martin being polite. The nearly $200 million mega-production had almost bankrupted Universal Pictures. Released around the same time as Iron Man 2, it was obliterated at the box office. Ancient "outlaw" versus high-tech armored warrior? No contest.

Ridley Scott's reunion with Russell Crowe after Gladiator failed to recapture that earlier magic. With a $200 million budget, Robin Hood barely scraped $300 million globally—a crushing loss.

"It's worse than 'not so hot,'" Cate said candidly. "Robin Hood tanked hard. Russell's practically broken by it. I'm struggling to land big-budget roles now too."

Martin didn't hesitate. "Hey, Kate, you know you're my woman. You'll never want for opportunities with me. Even if you stopped acting, I'd make sure you're set for life."

Cate reached out, squeezing his hand, her voice soft with gratitude. "Thank you, darling."

But she shook her head. "I'm fine, actually. I might not be getting blockbusters, but in the indie film world, I've still got plenty of offers. Robin Hood was never banking on me as the draw, so its failure isn't really on me."

"Then what's this about?" Martin asked.

"I'm asking you to help Russell," Cate said, then quickly added, "Don't get the wrong idea—there's nothing between us. We're just friends."

Martin nodded. With his "emotional hold" over her, betrayal wasn't in the cards.

Cate went on, "Robin Hood's flop hit Russell hard. He's lost all motivation to stay in shape—gained at least thirty pounds in six months. As a friend, he's helped me out before, so…"

"Got it," Martin said, waving a hand dismissively. "Russell's a friend of Nicole's too. We've had dinner together before. I'll give him a call."

To Martin, it was a small favor. But for Russell Crowe, it could be a career-defining turning point.

Of course, Martin wasn't going to blindly play the hero. Any role for Russell would need to fit, and—

"The catch is he's gotta drop the weight and get back to his buff action-star self," Martin said. "Or he can play a heavier character, but those rarely lead. You get me."

"I get it. Thank you so much, Martin," Cate said, her smile radiant.

Martin's expression turned serious. "No need for thanks between us. And call me 'darling.'"

"Oh, my bad. Darling," the Elven Queen purred, her voice dripping with playful charm.

Martin grinned smugly and stood. "Come on, let's head to my place. Nicole's there—perfect chance to meet my son."

They left the café.

As the waiter cleared the table, she sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

But her attention quickly shifted to the $10,000 tip Martin had left. "Wow, no wonder he's a big shot—tipping like a king!"

Caught up in her excitement, she forgot all about the "odd smell."