Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (4 page)

 
“Yes, Martine.  With the chemistry you and I have, it is inevitable.  I am going to be your first lover.”

 
“I’ve never been in love before, Lucas.”

 
“I know that, Martine.  I know that.  I’m going to be very gentle with you, darling.  Not let this happen too fast.  We’re going to do it right, darling. Getting there is half the fun, Martine.”

  She reached up and touched his face, stroked his cheek.  He was so very handsome.

  He took another step away from her.  “I’m going now.  I’ll be back at eight.  I’m going to cook you dinner, Martine.  Nothing fancy.  But the budget doesn’t run to restaurants every night, not yet. So you’d better get used to my cooking.  I suspect you don’t cook, do you?”

 
“Not much, but I make great scrambled eggs,” she offered, laughing.

 
“And I’m sure at some point, I’ll love your scrambled eggs,” he smiled.

 
“But tonight, it’s grilled chicken, baked potato and green beans.  Sound ok?”

 
“Sounds great.”

 
“I’ll be here at eight to collect you.  And have you home by half past nine, so that you get some sleep,” Lucas sighed.  “One more kiss, and then I’m gone, gone to slave in the kitchen for you.”  He kissed her gently, turned and left.

  Martine was still leaning against the wall ten minutes later when the telephone rang.  It was Penny.

  “Dishy, very dishy,” she told Martine.

 
“I told you he was handsome,” Martine replied.

 
“Seems very nice.  And you’re seeing him again Saturday?”

 
“No.  Well, maybe Saturday as well, but he’s gone home to cook me dinner.  He’s picking me up at eight, and says I’ll be back here by half past nine, so I can get my sleep.”

 
“Cooking you dinner?”

 
“Yes.  He says I’d better get used to his cooking.  We can’t afford restaurants every night, he says.  So the menu tonight is grilled chicken, baked potato and green beans.”

 
“Simple, but nice.  Cooking you dinner.  Did you tell him you don’t cook, just heat things up?”

 
“He figured that out for himself, Penny.”

 
“Belinda was eying him.  I’d keep that girl as far away from him as you can, until your relationship is a little further along, pet.  If you want it to go further along, that is…”

 
“We’re going to fall in love, Penny.  Lucas says we’re going to fall in love.  But he’s going to make us take it very slowly, very slowly.”

  Penny laughed gently over the phone. 
“He is either half in love with you already or he’s really a world class seducer, Martine.  Either way, getting there will be half the fun.”

 
“That’s what he said, ’getting there is half the fun’.”

 
“World class seducer,” decided Penny.  “Well, you have to lose your virginity sometime, my friend.  “And what a beautiful specimen of a man you’ve chosen to lose it with…take care, Martine.  I’ll be there to pick up the pieces when it’s over.”

  They rang off.  Martine slipped into her bathroom and ran a brush through her curls, reapplied some coral lip gloss.

  She didn’t care for Penny’s opinion, that Lucas was a world class seducer.  She would rather think that he was already half in love with her. Martine now believed in love at first sight.  Love at first kiss, certainly.

  Belinda came back with Dave, the boyfriend with the van.  She had another twenty two paintings. About ten of them were very good,

ten were average and two were outstanding.  After Belinda left, Martine moved them into her storage room. 

  Lucas arrived at five to eight.  One of her major expenses upon opening the Gallery was a decent security system.  And an adequate insurance policy.  Her grandfather had advised her strongly to get both, and she could see the

sense in his advice. Martine locked up, and they walked the half block to his flat, holding hands, smiling at each other

   His flat was nicer than Martine had expected.  Masculine.  Black leather furniture.  A moderately sized flat screen television.  Nice oriental carpet on the floor.  Glass dining table under a brass chandelier. 

  The kitchen was functional.  The whole flat was spotless.  He showed her where the bathroom was.  It was black and white tile, with black towels.  Very masculine.

  Dinner was ready to go on the table when they arrived.  Lucas took her coat and hung it up, seated her at the table, and served her dinner.

  “Lucas, this is actually better food than Alfredo’s,” she smiled at him.

 
“That’s because I cooked it just for you, Tina,” he smiled back.

  He had poured them each a glass of white wine, and they took the glasses, still half full, to the sofa after dinner.  Lucas had some soft easy listening music playing in the background.

  “Would you like to watch television?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. 
“I would just like to sit here,” she told him, “relax and talk to you, since you say we have to take it slowly.  If you like, you could kiss me,” she added hopefully.

  Lucas laughed. 
“Darling, once I start kissing you, we won’t be talking.”  But he did kiss her once, very lightly.

 
“You said Belinda was bringing in a pile of paintings.  What do you have in mind?”

 
“I’d like to do my first Show.  She’s brought me twenty two paintings.  Ten are average, ten very good and two are brilliant.  I want to do a proper show, advertise it, send out invitations, see if I can attract some reviewers, have a wine and cheese Opening.  Run it for ten days, try to create some urgency to buy.   I think I can just about afford it, if I keep the budget to eight hundred pounds.”

  Lucas frowned. 
“How big is your mailing list?”

 
“Only about two hundred names.”

 
“Hmm…you can expect about a four percent positive response from any mail out for a function, that’s only eight people.  Half of whom will buy and half won’t.

 
“Oh, that poor?”

 
“Statistically, yes.”  Lucas leaned back and closed his eyes, thinking.

  Presently, Lucas spoke again. 
“We need to invite about two thousand people.  That way, we’ll have between eighty and a hundred show up.  And Belinda’s paintings will sell out.  And some of your other stock as well. 

 
“If we invite the right people that is…”  He leaned back again and closed his eyes.  Thought. Smiled.

  Martine liked the way Lucas said
“we”.  Very much liked the way he said “we”.

 
“Got it, Tina!  We’ll make it a charity event, a Charity Gala.  Give ten or fifteen percent of the sales on opening night to a specific charity.  They’ll turn over their mailing list to us.  A free way to build your mailing list, darling. 

  Martine smiled delightedly,
“And the reviewers will come because of the big name of the charity.  And the people who come will buy to support the charity.  So, I’ll be doing some good for the charity and for Belinda and for the Gallery!”

  Lucas nodded. 
“Do you have any pet charities?”

  She shook her head.

  “How about we make a list, and I’ll give a ring around and see if I can find one that would appreciate our efforts.  One that has some well heeled patrons?”

 
“Would you do that for me, Lucas?”

 
“Darling, I would move mountains for you.”  He smiled down at her.  “Wet your lips, Tina. Drive me crazy.”

  Martine did as she was told.  Lucas leaned down and kissed her, and gently pushed her back on the sofa. His arm was draped across the back of the sofa behind her, and he pulled her close to him.  She snuggled up beside him.  He dropped a kiss on her hair. 

  “So nice, Lucas, to be sitting here with you, like this.”

 
“So nice to have you sitting here with me, darling.”  With his free hand he tilted her face up toward him, and kissed her again, his tongue probing, his lips demanding.  She gave a soft moan from the back of her throat.

  His hand dropped to her breast, and he gently stroked her.  She felt her nipple grow hard

under his touch.  He could feel it through her blouse and cardigan.  He pulled his lips away from hers and smiled down at her.

 
“Is this a first, Tina?  Am I the first man to touch your breast?”

  Martine nodded, her eyes huge.

  Lucas kissed her throat, “And is this a first, Tina?  Am I the first man to kiss your throat?”

 
“Yes, Lucas, yes, you are…”  She was focused on his hand stroking her breast, making her nipple hard.  The sensation was wonderful.

 
“Tomorrow night, Tina, tomorrow night, I’m going to make Sheppard’s Pie, would you like that, Tina?”

 
“Yes, please. I like Sheppard’s Pie.”

 
“And after dinner, we’ll sit here, like this, kissing, touching.  Would you like that, Tina?”

 
“Oh…oh…yes.  I like you kissing me.” She blushed and added shyly, “and I like you touching me, Lucas.”

 
“Tomorrow night, darling.”  He kissed her again.  His hand left her breast and went to her waist.  She was about to take it and put it back when she realized what he was doing.  He had

untucked her blouse, and slipped his hand up under her clothes, and his hand was back on her breast, pulling her bra cup aside, touching her bare breast, playing with her nipple.  She pressed closer to him and kissed him fiercely.  Now her tongue danced in his mouth.  Her breathing was ragged. 

  Lucas pulled his mouth from hers.  “Are you enjoying my touch, darling?  Am I exciting you?” He smiled down at her.  He knew the

answer.

  “Oh, yes, Lucas, oh yes…”

  He had her home at half past nine, as promised.  Martine didn
’t think she would fall asleep easily but to her surprise, she fell asleep as her head hit the pillow, and she dreamed wonderful dreams, dreamed of Lucas kissing her, kissing her breasts.  Dreamed of him undressing her and touching her, touching her everywhere.

  Martine had expected Friday to drag, but it raced by.  They were very busy at the bakery, and then again at the Gallery.  Belinda came by, and they discussed the possibility of the Charity Gala.  Belinda immediately started to plan what she would wear.

  Two other students came in who had not given Martine any paintings yet, with samples.  Belinda had been busy in the morning, talking about her show, and word had spread.  Suddenly, Martine had offers of more stock than she actually needed.  But if Lucas was correct, and she thought he would be, she would need all the stock she could get.

  Lucas called her at three, to say he had a positive response from four of the five charities he
’d approached.  He told her he would be there at eight, to collect her.

  She had some customers, not an everyday occurrence. She sold three paintings.  All small sales, but cash flow. 

  A great day.

  Made better by Lucas appearing on the dot of eight, to take her home to dinner.

  Martine had made a stop between the bakery and the Gallery.  There was a lovely, expensive lingerie shop that she walked past every day on her way to and from the bakery.  She had looked in the window nearly every day, but today she had stopped in. The ’Sale’ sign in the window had draw her in. She bought a pale green lace bra, the sexiest bra she had ever owned, with a clasp in the front, and the matching panties.

  Before she had opened the Gallery at one, she had gone to her wardrobe and pulled out a pale green wrap cardigan that hugged her figure, and tied around the waist.  Penny had given it to her for Christmas the previous year.  Martine had never worn it. It would look fine with her black trousers.  Too cold for a skirt in late November, she had decided.

  At five to eight, she slipped into her room and took off the white blouse and black cardigan she wore as a sort of uniform in the Gallery.  She slipped off her trousers and panties, and stepped into the lovely green lace bikini bottom that matched her new bra.  Then, Martine unclasped

her old bra and took it off.  She put on the new one, satin and lace, and clasped it shut.  Martine looked in her mirror. 

  She was surprised at how these new bits of lace and satin, pale green against her fair skin, suited her.  The bra created quite a cleavage, and the panties, cut high, made her legs go on and on…as if she were a model, she thought.  She smiled at her reflection. 

 
She did not think Lucas would be disappointed. She put her trousers back on and her black high heel shoes.  Then she took the

pale green, oh so soft cardigan, and put it on. She wrapped it across her body, and the neckline created was a deep vee, following the lines of her new bra almost exactly.  A tiny bit of lace peeked out over her breasts, the same color as the knit.  Martine wrapped the ties twice around her waist, and achieved a floppy bow at the side.  She smiled at the effect.