Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (19 page)

 
“But we used up all the film on you…”

 
“In my camera, yes.  But there are several shots left on the film in your camera.  I brought it over from the Gallery…”  He pulled her tee shirt over her head.  She wasn’t wearing a bra. 

 
His mouth was doing delightful things to her ear, her neck, her shoulder…his hands were busy undoing her jeans, peel them down her body, then her panties…down, down.  He picked her up and held her in his arms.  “Isn’t it good I didn’t make the bed?  The sheets look deliciously rumpled, don’t they?”

  Martine felt shy. 
“Don’t be shy, darling.  You are magnificent.” Lucas posed her the way he wanted her.  “Think of my lips, darling, kissing you everywhere…think of my hands on your wonderful bum, pulling me closer and closer.  Think of me, think of holding me in your hand, making me harder and longer, just for you…”

  Martine moaned softly from the back of her throat, and arched her back slightly.  Lucas snapped.  He knew he had his picture
…but just in case, he took several more. And then he pulled the sheet over her, and lay beside her on top of it, and kissed her for a very long time indeed. 

  By the time they made the bed, it was one, so they had a sandwich for lunch and then, carrying Lucas
’s tools, went back to the Gallery.

  Five hours later, the wall was gone.  They swept up the dusty floor and made sure all the debris was in the opened up space.  Lucas hung a sheet over the new opening.  He had created a six foot arch, that opened the two spaces together, but also gave the separation so that Martine could hang a few more pictures in the new space as she had four feet more wall each side of the arch.   She
’d also lost only six feet

of hanging space in the show room, instead of fourteen.

  “I’ve got a skip coming in the morning, to take this lot away. And a plumber, to remove the bathtub and put a new toilet and sink in.  I’ve also arranged for a mate of mine who is a real DIY enthusiast to come tomorrow after work to help me.  I’ll get the wood ordered and delivered tomorrow… the electrician will be here Wednesday, and we should be ready to paint by Wednesday evening or Thursday at the latest…then we can have a little break next Sunday, we should go to Church.”

 
“Oh.  Are you Church of England?”

 
“Yes, are you?”

 
“Yes.”

 
“Good, no conflict there.  Do you ever go to Church?”

 
“I used to go to Sunday School…”

 
“Me too.  But we need to go and meet the vicar, to arrange for the banns to be read.”

 
“The banns?”

 
“For our marriage, Martine.  The banns for our marriage.  I told you we are going to do this right.  Well, I thought we could be married in January, after your granddad is back from Spain.  So he can walk you down the aisle.  Then I realized we will have Belinda’s One Woman Show to contend with until the 26
th
, so I think January 30
th
would be good.”

 
“January 30
th
?”

 
“Can you wait that long, Martine?”

 
“Can you, Lucas?”

 
“We’ll have to, won’t we darling.  You’ll have to wear that flannel nightie every single night when I’m home until then.”

  Lucas smiled. 
“That meeting last night, the one Sir Charles dragged me into while you were dancing?  He wanted me to meet the Minister.  Unofficially, they are going to offer me a contract tomorrow morning.  To clean up the mess I uncovered in one of their divisions.  It will commence January 1
st
.  We can afford to get married, Martine.”

 
“Why can’t we just get a license and get married at the town hall, Lucas?  Before my granddad goes to Spain?”

 
“Because we’re getting married for life, Martine.  For life.  This is the only wedding you and I will ever have.  I want you to walk down the aisle toward me, in a white gown, on your granddad’s arm. I want us to have a meal with our friends and whatever family we do have.  I want my Uncle Angus to come down from Scotland and see you and I exchange our vows.  My mother never had that.  I want to give it to you.”

  Martine was silent. She felt the depths of Lucas
’s emotions. Tears welled in her eyes…

 
“We’re getting married on January 30
th
, my love, how wonderful!” was all she said to him.  She threw her arms around him and kissed him resoundingly.

  They turned the lights out in the Gallery, locked up and went home.  They were in bed, exhausted, by nine.  Martine wore her flannel

nightie.  Lucas wore his pajamas, the tops and the bottoms.

  The alarm went at seven.  Martine got up and made tea.  Lucas got ready for work.  He was meeting the Ministry, officially, at ten. 

  She made him an omelet for his breakfast.   “You need a P.A., darling, even part time.”

 
“Yes, I do.  I can afford maybe ten hours a week.”

 
“Gloria is looking for something part time during the day.”

 
“Gloria?”

 
“Gloria.”

 
“Gloria who has a crush on me?”

 
“Gloria who’s moved on to a relationship with Tom.  She’s over you, darling.  Sorry to share that with you.  I know it will hurt for a while,

but be brave
…”  Martine’s eyes were dancing with glee.

  Lucas grinned from ear to ear. 
“Martine, seeing your smiling face across the breakfast table on a Monday morning is heaven. Having you tease me across the breakfast table on a Monday morning is wonderful…”

 
“I feel the same about you, Lucas,” she smiled. “What time do I have to be at the Gallery? For the skip and the workmen?”

 
“Nine.  Oh, can I have your Granddad’s phone number?  I’d like to call and invite them to have dinner with us before they go.”

 
“I’ll write it down for you, Lucas.  That’s so thoughtful of you.”

  Martine opened the Gallery doors as the clock

struck nine.  Within ten minutes, the men with the skip arrived and made short work of clearing the rubble.  The plumber and his assistant were there five minutes later. The bath tub, sink and toilet landed in the skip before many minutes were past, and the skip disappeared down the road.  The plumber and his young assistant had the new sink and toilet installed by noon.  They cleaned up their mess and left.  There was still an hour till opening. 

  Martine took her deposit to the bank. She bought a salad and soup to take back for lunch.  Have to start watching her waist line if she was going to be bride in six weeks.  And maybe

she’d better have a serious talk with Lucas about his baby plans.  She would love to have a family with him, but not quite yet. 

  The telephone rang. 
“Martine’s Art Gallery of Notting Hill”.

 
“Hello, sweetie, Granddad here.”

 
“Hello, Granddad, so nice to hear from you.”

 
“Your young man rang me first thing this morning.  He sounds very nice.”

 
“He is, Granddad, he is.”

 
“He’s asked us to dinner tomorrow evening.  He asked me where we would like to go.  Beryl likes The Painted Dove, so that’s what I told him.”  The Painted Dove was an upscale restaurant close to her granddad’s house.  “So we’re meeting you there at half past seven, since you don’t close the Gallery until seven.”

 
“Lovely, Granddad.  It will be lovely to see you before you leave for Spain.”

 
“Yes, we go on Friday.  I was feeling bad

about leaving you alone over Christmas, but Lucas seems to have lots of plans for you over the holiday.”

  “Don’t you worry about me, Granddad, I’ll be happy with Lucas over the holiday.”

 
“He’s your first boyfriend, isn’t he, darling?”

 
“He’s not a boy, Granddad.  He’s twenty five.  He went to university and now he has his own business.  He’s signing a contract with the Government this morning.  And he has contracts with two other conglomerates, and several smaller clients.  Very smart man.  He’s been helping me with the Gallery.  He’s even knocked down the wall for me to open the

storage area into the showroom.  Saved me

hundreds in labor.”

 
“I can hardly wait to meet this young man. I bet he’s good looking as well?”

 
“Oh, yes. I think so. Penny says he’s dishy.”

 
“Ah, Penny’s met him.  And she likes him?”

 
“Yes, we were out on Saturday evening with Penny and her current boyfriend. She’s signed a record contract, you know.  Last week…”

 
“Tell her how happy I am for her, pet, won’t you?”

 
“I will, Granddad.  See you tomorrow night.”

  Martine dusted and tidied up.  On her way back from the bank, she
’d walked past a stall selling Christmas decorations, and spent fifty pounds.  Most were for the Gallery.  A few would be for the flat.  Their flat.

  She
’d bought a box of white fairy lights, and arranged them around the window. She stepped outside to have a look.  Oh, yes.  Festive

already.

  Tom came in with Gloria.

  They spent the next hour helping Martine to decorate the Gallery.  Much laughter. 

  Martine took the opportunity to quiz Gloria.  “Eh, Gloria, I don’t suppose you type, do you?”

 
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.  I’ve been taking a business course at the local college mornings for the past few months.  So I can type, and do a lot of things I need to get a better job.  I don’t want to be a waitress forever.  I aim to be a P.A. one day.”

  Tom smiled proudly at her. 
“She’s very clever, Martine.  Speaks French quite well.  I’m

so glad you introduced us.
”

  Gloria smiled at him,
“He just wants me to earn lots of money, Martine.  So I can be his Patroness, and he can concentrate on his painting and not have to deliver pizza every night…”

  The three of them laughed at that.

  “Leave me you telephone number, Gloria.  I heard of someone who might need a P.A, about ten hours a week to start.”

 
“Is he nice?  I hope my first office job isn’t with a grumpy old man who chases me round the desk…”

  They hadn
’t heard the door open.  Lucas had been standing at the door listening and smiling at the charming sight the three of them made, as much tinsel in Martine and Gloria’s hair as on the small tree Tom had rushed out and bought.

 
“I promise not to chase you round the desk, Gloria.  Martine would kill me!”

 
“Hello, darling,” Martine’s dazzling smile lit up the room. “I didn’t hear you come in…”

 
“You all look so charming, I didn’t want to interrupt.”  He came over and kissed her sweetly.  “I talked to your Granddad.”

 
“Yes, he called me.  He’s looking forward to tomorrow evening.”

 
“So, Gloria?  Could you work for Martine for a few hours tomorrow?  Say, two until six?  I need her.”

 
“Oh, I’d love to, Lucas.”

 
“Good.  She needs someone part time.  I need someone part time.  Maybe we could share you between the two of us?”

  Martine beamed. 
“What a brilliant idea, Lucas!”

 
“Don’t quit your waitress job yet, Gloria.  Let’s try it for about ten hours a week with me, and ten with Martine till the middle of January and then if you like it, and we do, we’ll make it a permanent full time job…How good is your typing, really?”

 
“I’m up to seventy words a minute, Lucas.  I’m quite dexterous.  And I’ve taken two computer courses at the college as well.  That might be useful to you.”

 
“Very useful.  Very useful.”

  They made a cup of tea, and when it was finished, Tom and Gloria left.

  Lucas opened his briefcase and pulled out the Sunday papers.  Three of them.  All open to different pages.  All with pictures of Martine.  One, dancing with Sir Charles.  One, dancing with Bertie.  One, dancing with Lucas.  The look

of love between them was unmistakable.  Each one in the caption mentioned her as the owner of the Gallery.

  “Put these in your scrapbook, darling.  In years to come, we’ll look at these and smile.”

  Martine tucked them away.

  He pulled out two envelopes.  The kind photos come in from the developer.  “I took these into the Express Photo Shop by my office.  Let’s pick out the ones we’re going to give to Belinda.”