Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (25 page)

 
“Yes, Bertie, I did.  I couldn’t sit here a day

longer with my walls full of sold paintings.  I

have to make a living…”

 
“Good girl,” smiled Bertie.  “Let’s have a look around, Uncle Charles.”

  Sir Charles gave Martine a kiss on the cheek. 
“So this young man is going to take that pretty Penny to your wedding next Friday, eh?”  He winked at Martine and whispered in her ear, “What did I tell you?”

  Martine smiled.

  “You know, Bertie, your cousin George has just bought that townhouse in Mayfair.  You should get him over here.  I think he has a lot of walls to fill.”

 
“Good idea, Uncle Charles.”  Bertie smiled at Martine.  “My cousin George has too much money for his own good.  He might as well deposit some of it in your till.”

  She poured them each a cup of tea.  She liked Sir Charles very much.  The jury was still out on Bertie. She liked him, but she hoped he was not trifling with Penny.

  As if he could read her mind, Bertie smiled at her, and said, “I took Penny to dinner on Monday and Tuesday, Martine.  Then she left for another concert set up by the record company.  They’ve assigned a manager to her, and a stylist. Damned if she needs a stylist.  The girl has fabulous taste.  And a publicist.  She’s gone off with an absolute entourage!”

 
“I know, Bertie, she told me.  I think she’s finding it a little overwhelming.  She said it’s as if everyone wants a piece of her.

 
“One thing
I
have insisted on, and don’t you dare tell her it was me, is that she has a bodyguard, to keep the crowds a safe distance.  She’s already generating quite a buzz, and there are a lot of weird people out there.  I don’t want her having to deal with any of them.”

 
“Thank you, Bertie.  She’s my closest friend.  I appreciate your concern for her.”

 
“Don’t worry about her, Martine.  She’s going to be a star, my little Penny.  A very big star.  But I’ll be there, in the background, to look after her.”

  Sir Charles looked at Bertie and smiled. 
“I think you have quite an interest…’your little Penny’…hmm, that sounds as if you have designs on the young lady, Bertie.”

  Bertie looked just a little uncomfortable. 
“Did I say that?”

  Martine smiled,
“Yes, Bertie, you did.”

 
“Oh.  Well, that’s how I think of her, as my little Penny.  She’s very slender, and almost a foot shorter than me.  And thirteen years younger.”

  Sir Charles winked at Martine again. 
“Look after her well, Bertie, or you’ll have Martine and Lucas after you.  And I really wouldn’t like to be on the wrong side of this little red head.”

  Bertie was obviously very uncomfortable with the conversation.  Much to his uncle
’s amusement.  Bertie was rarely uncomfortable with anything.

  They looked at the pictures again, and the older man bought one.  This time, Martine

refused to give Sir Charles a discount.  He

laughed at her and paid full price.

  As they left, Sir Charles handed Martine an envelope.  In spidery writing it said ‘
To Martine and Lucas’
on the envelope.  “For your wedding, Martine,” he said with a smile.

 
“Thank you, Sir Charles.  I’ll open it with Lucas tonight, shall I?”

  She supposed it was a greeting card, wishing them well for their wedding. 

  Another couple came in before five, and then two or three more people in the next hour, so Martine decided to stay open another hour.  She hadn’t heard from Lucas. She thought maybe he was on the late train.

  She made another two sales by seven, and there were still people in the Gallery.  So she stayed open until eight, and sold another painting.

  She finally turned the sign to closed at ten past eight, and sat down to see how much she’d made.  Four paintings.  Eighteen hundred.  That was seven hundred and twenty for the Gallery.  It had been the right decision, to close

Belinda
’s show a few days early.

  She went home to the flat, and popped the meat pie into the oven to warm, and made some gravy and a salad.  Set the table.  Put some soft music on the stereo.  Frank Sinatra was singing
“
Nice and Easy
” when Lucas walked through the door.

  She kissed him hello.  As usual, when he returned from Scotland, he was very tired.  He took his coat off and sank onto the sofa.

  “Are you hungry, darling?”

 
“A little.  I smell something nice.”

 
“My first attempt at meat pie.”

 
“I love meat pie.”

 
“Good.”

 
“Come here, baby, I want to hold you for a minute or two.”

  She kicked off her slippers and curled up beside him.  He smiled down at her and kissed her lips gently.

  “This time a week from now, we’ll have been married for five hours, Martine.  This time a week from now, you’ll know what it means to be my wife….”

 
“I can hardly wait, my love.  I can hardly wait.”

  They cuddled for a while, and then she got up and seated him at the table.  They ate dinner.  Had a glass of wine.

  “Let’s go to bed, Martine.  I’m bushed.  I worked until midnight last night, and I was at the office by seven this morning, so that I could catch the flight home tonight.”

 
“Oh, you flew?”

 
“Yes, darling.  I flew.”  “Oh, I almost forgot.  Sir Charles and Bertie came into the Gallery today.  He bought another painting.”

 
“Good.”

 
“And he gave me this, I imagine it’s a best wishes card for our wedding. Why don’t you open it, darling?”

  Lucas opened the envelope.  It was a beautiful card, gold lettering on the heavy cream velum, offering the best wishes for their future from Sir Charles and Lady Harrington.  Inside

the card was tucked a slip of blue paper.  A cheque for five thousand pounds, with a little note paper clipped to it.
‘Take your bride on a nice honeymoon later, Lucas, after you’ve cleaned up Scotland’.

 
Martine cried.

 
They went into the bedroom.  Lucas walked to the wardrobe and hung up his suit.  He unzipped Martine’s black dress and slipped it off her shoulders.  Hung it up.

 
“If you wanted a break from the hated flannel nightgown, Martine, I wouldn’t mind if you wore the green silk instead. I’m too tired to be any danger to your virtue tonight.”

 
Martine smiled.  She took the emerald green silk and lace gown and went into the bathroom. Sprayed herself with some cologne, brushed her teeth and hair, and came back out.

 
Lucas smiled at her, “You are so very beautiful, Martine.”  He kissed her tenderly, and then went to put his pajama bottoms on.

 
She was in bed when he came out.  He climbed in beside her, and turned the light out.  He pulled her close.  She rolled onto her side, facing him.  He kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth, dancing with her tongue in the most intoxicating manner.  His arms were around her, he stroked her back sensuously, and then held her bottom close to him.

 
“I love your bottom, Martine.  I love your luscious breasts, with their delightfully sensitive pink nipples that harden so invitingly when I touch them with my lips, like this….and I love

your bottom, which feels so wonderful when I fondle you like this…and I love to pull you tightly against me, like this…so you can feel me, hard and long for you, darling.  And then, I love it when you part your lips, like that, and I kiss you, like this….”

 
One hand was fondling Martine’s bottom, pressing it close to him, the other was teasing her breast through the lace bodice of the nightgown, while his mouth was caressing her lips in the most sensual way she could imagine.  She felt herself melting into him.  His lips left hers and settled on her throat, and then up to her ear, exploring the curve of her neck.

 
“I thought you were exhausted, Lucas,” she murmured as she pressed closer to his heat, and lifted her leg over his, so that all that was between them was his pajamas.  Her nightgown had ridden up to her waist.

 
“I was exhausted, Martine, until I saw you in that wonderful emerald gown, with your nipples all crinkled under the lace.  I just want to hold you and touch you for a little while, before we go to sleep.  I haven’t held you and touched you like this for such a long time.”

 
Martine smiled.  She moved her hand down his body, toward his loins.  She kissed him deeply as she took him in her hand, and stroked him.

 
He took her hand away.  “Darling, if I let you do that, we’ll be a week ahead of ourselves.  We’ve waited this long…”

 
Martine smiled to herself.  He was right, of course.  But this was such fun…she pushed him

onto his back and rolled on top of him, straddling him.  He pushed the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and pulled the lace bodice down to expose her full breasts.  One hand played with a breast, while his lips and tongue drove her crazy as he teased the other nipple.

 
His other hand was on her bottom, guiding her as she slid along his manhood.  He groaned, and held her bottom tighter, and sucked greedily on her breast.  She felt him thrusting against her, separated only by the cotton pajamas.  She moved her hips to match his thrusts. 

 
Lucas groaned again and with a swift movement, she was on her back, and he was above her, his eyes were blazing with desire.  He smiled down at her…”A week from now,

Martine, I won
’t be rolling off you, but now, tonight…” and he rolled off her and lay on his side, facing her.

 
“I’m going to kiss your lips and pull your nightgown down, Martine, and then we are going to cool down and go to sleep.”

 
Martine took his hand and guided it down.  She parted her thighs for him. He shook his head.  “No, darling.  We’re almost married…”

 
Lucas kissed her lips, her hair.  He reached down and pulled the skirt of her nightgown to past her knees.  He pulled the bodice back up over her breasts. 

 
“Next week, darling, next Friday…”

 
Eventually they went to sleep.

 
Saturday, Lucas made her breakfast and came to the Gallery with her.  He did not want to

leave her side, did not want to give up a moment of her company.  Business was light, but neither minded.  They were just happy to be together.  They went over the ledger, and looked at the stock.

 
Tom and Gloria came in with some paintings, which went straight into the back room.  They were such romantic paintings.  Martine was sure Tom had a great future ahead of him.

 
Two customers came in before twelve, and both bought pictures from the window.

 
Martine found two more watercolours in her store room, and hung them in the window. 

 
Lucas stood on the pavement, to make sure she hung them straight, he said, but they both knew it was to admire her bum, just as he had the first night they met.

 
Bertie’s sister, Liz, came by with two friends.  One of the young women bought both of Belinda’s nudes.  Liz and the other girl teased her.  But she paid two thousand pounds for them without blinking.

 
After they left, Martine remarked to Lucas.  “Bertie, must be very rich, Lucas.  Two thousand pounds was nothing to those girls…”

 
Lucas knew what Martine was thinking.  “Poor Penny.”  He put his arm around Martine and hugged her, but said nothing. He had a very good idea what Bertie had planned for Penny.

 
Saturday night, Martine wore her flannel nightie.  They kissed chastely before they went to sleep.

 
Sunday was a peaceful day.  They had Martine’s granddad and Beryl for dinner.  Beryl

liked the flat, and Granddad liked the fact that

his granddaughter would be comfortable. As they were leaving, Beryl gave Martine a gift, wrapped in white paper and tied with a pink ribbon.

 
“This is for you, Martine, to wear on your wedding night.  If your mother were alive she would have taken you to buy it…but she isn’t, so I hope you’ll accept it from me…”

 
Martine kissed her on the cheek, “Oh, Beryl, thank you so much...”

 
“Don’t let Lucas see it now, until after the wedding, dear.”

 
“I won’t, Beryl.  I won’t.”

 
Martine tucked it in her drawer.  She would open it in the morning, after Lucas had left for the airport.