Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (5 page)

  “Lucas may have a little trouble focusing on his Sheppard’s Pie,” she giggled.  “His eyes may keep straying.”  Martine put on her black winter coat and buttoned it.  She quickly applied some lip gloss and a sweep of blusher.  Wrapped an emerald green scarf around her neck.  She turned the sign to ’Closed’, set the alarm and stepped out the door to lock it just as Lucas arrived.

 
“Hello, Tina,” he smiled down at her.  “Perfect timing.”  He took her hand, and after brushing his lips lightly down to hers, led her the short distance to his flat.  They didn’t talk, just smiled at each other.

  He opened the door of his flat, and they stepped inside.  The aroma of the Sheppard
’s Pie made Martine realize she hadn’t eaten since early morning.  She’d been in the lingerie shop when she was usually grabbing her mid day meal.

 
“That smells so good, Lucas,” she smiled at him. “You’re going to make some woman a fine husband one day.”

 
“I am,” agreed Lucas.  “And cooking is not my outstanding talent, Martine.”  He kissed her as he unwrapped the emerald scarf from around her neck.

 
“No, Lucas, I think kissing may be your outstanding talent,” breathed Martine, her eyes shining.  “Kissing…” She kissed him again.

 
“Kissing and more, Tina.  Kissing and … more…”

  Martine turned scarlet at the thought of more
…

  Lucas undid the buttons of her coat and slipped it off her shoulders.  His eyes gleamed appreciatively. 
“Oh, Martine, how lovely you look, how very, very lovely.”  His fingers traced the vee of her neckline, his palms brushed her breasts so lightly.

  She gasped a little.  The electricity of his touch thrilled her.  Lucas brushed his lips against hers, oh so lightly, and then turned and led her to the table.

  The Sheppard’s Pie was a delicious treat.  Martine gave full justice to the plate before her.  Lucas ate also, but Martine noted that his eyes kept straying to her, and his glances were most admiring.  She smiled to herself.  This was

what she had read about in books
…most satisfying in real life.  They cleaned their plates, and Lucas pulled her chair out, and led her to the sofa.  He turned and came back with their wine glasses, which he had topped up.

  The music tonight was Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra at his best, singing ballads and love songs.

  Tonight there was no conversation.  Lucas took her into his arms and kissed her hungrily.  She responded with as much demand.  His hands were all over her, exploring her curves, thrilling her.  He pulled back.  His breath was heavy. 

  Lucas laughed ironically. 
“Oh, darling, the effect you have on me!  Here I’ve been telling you we’re going to take it slowly, and I’m rushing along.  I can’t keep my hands off you, my lips off your lips…your delectable lips, your full, luscious, inviting lips…”

 
“I love what your touch does to me, Lucas, what your lips do to me…”

  Lucas pulled away, and handed her the wine glass, and took a gulp of his own. 
“Let’s talk for a bit.  I need to cool down, or we’ll be doing things tonight that I shouldn’t be doing to you…this is only the third time we’ve been together, little Tina, and you are such an innocent…”

 
“Perhaps I don’t want to be such an innocent, Lucas?  Perhaps it’s time I was not as innocent? I’m nearly twenty…”

  Lucas looked over at her and smiled sardonically. 
“No, Tina.  We are going to take

it slowly.  We are going to do this right.  I
’m already half in love with you, you know. I’ve known you three days, and I‘m half in love with you.” He shook his head in disbelief.

  Martine smiled up at him. 
“Me too, Lucas.  I’m half in love with you, too.”

 
“Let’s talk about the Charity Gala for a minute, shall we?”

 
“If you want to, Lucas.” She snuggled a little closer. 

 
“You’re distracting me, you little minx,” he laughed.  “Well, I think we have the local
Friends of Conservation
chapter lined up for January 16
th
.  No point in trying for December, people have too many parties to attend already for Christmas.  So January would be good. 

 
“They have about two thousand people on the mailing list.  I had a quick look at it today, and the postal codes are mostly in affluent areas, so we will be attracting some people with pound notes in their wallets, not moths…and it’s a good cause. 

 
“Belinda does a lot of landscapes, does she?”

 
“Some, and still lifes, and nudes, she likes to do nude men, and now she’s spreading into some abstract work as well.  She’s given me twenty three paintings at the moment, and I hope she can do another ten or twelve in the next six weeks, sketches anyway.  If I tell her to do mostly landscapes, she will, since it’s for the ’Friends of Conservation’.”

 
“I think Belinda is a good choice for your first Show, darling.  I’ll get a paparazzi or two there, and she’ll photograph very well.”

 
“Her family is quite rich, I think,” Martine told Lucas.  “Her father is Chairman of an investment firm.”

 
“Good.  That will be a hook for the paparazzi.  And if she wears something sexy…”

 
“Don’t worry, she will.  You should have seen her at one of the student parties…backless and practically frontless…she looked amazing.  Every

man there was panting after her.
”

 
“Well, the photographers will love her, and your Gallery will be mentioned, I’ll make sure of that.  So, darling, you will be helping the Charity and promoting the Gallery.”

 
“Thank you, Lucas.  This is a wonderful idea.”

 
“That’s what my job entails, Martine.  Coming up with wonderful ideas for my clients.”

 
“Am I one of your clients, Lucas?”

 
“You are now, darling.  But I’m taking my payment in kisses, not money.  And right now, I figure you owe me at least fifty kisses…”

 
“Well, then,” Martine smiled at him, “I’d better start paying you, hadn’t I?”

  Lucas smiled down at her.  He lowered his lips and gave her a soft, lingering kiss.  She looked up at him with wide eyes.

  “I’ve been looking forward to being with you tonight all day, Lucas.  I’ve been thinking about your lips…”

 
“Where?  Where, Tina?  Where have you been thinking about my lips?”

 
“On my breasts, Lucas…”

  Once again, Lucas traced the neckline of her top, once again, he brushed her breasts gently with the palms of his hands. 
“Do you like me touching you, darling?  Do you like me touching your breasts?”  He was looking deeply into her eyes.

 
“Oh, yes, Lucas.  I like you touching my breasts.”

  Lucas found the floppy bow she had tied so carefully.  He pulled, and it came undone.  He carefully pulled the ties from around her waist,

and opened it to reveal her lovely lace and satin bra.

  He didn
’t touch her, just looked at her.  “Darling, that is a very attractive bra.  It frames your lovely breasts beautifully.  Did you buy it for me?  To wear for me, tonight?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s wonderful, darling, that you would do that.  Are there matching panties as well?”

  Again, Martine nodded.  Blushed and nodded.

  Lucas smiled.  “Am I allowed to see those panties another night, Martine?  Not tonight.  We have to take this slowly, very slowly.”

 
“Another night, Lucas, when you decide the time is right…”

  Lucas smiled and gazed down at her.

  “Martine.  You are magnificent.  You are the most magnificent woman I have ever seen.  A feast for my eyes, darling.”

  He kissed her softly, sensuously.

  “Don’t be afraid, little Tina.  I am not going to do anything more tonight than to look at you, and kiss you, and when you are ready, I am going to undo this fabulous bra, and look at your breasts, and touch them, and kiss them.  Is that all right with you, darling?”

  She nodded.  Lucas kissed her passionately, their tongues danced together, exploring each other. He smiled down at her. 
“I’m going to take your bra off now, Tina…” and he snapped open the clasp.  The bra fell open.

 
“So beautiful, Martine, so beautiful.  Your breasts are full, and luscious, like your lips…they’re bigger than I thought, darling,

under your clothes
…magnificent…” He caressed them, and then lowered his mouth, and kissed them, first gently, then greedily, playing with her nipples with his tongue and hand.  She breathed raggedly.  His lips on her nipples were driving her crazy.  She was feeling strange new sensations, sensations she had read about in romance novels, but had never felt.  There was an ache between her legs.  She longed for him to touch her there.  Martine took his hand and pulled it down, so that he was touching her there.

  He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. 
“No, darling.  Not tonight.  It’s too soon.  He raised his hand back to her breast and caressed her,   kissed her passionately. Their tongues danced together, exploring.  Her back arched, and her body shuddered as she reached the peaks of pleasure.  He pulled his mouth from

hers and looked down at her flushed face, her swollen lips
…her half closed eyes.

 
“Another first, Martine?” He asked her softly.  “Was that your first climax, darling?”

 
“Another first, Lucas.”  Her voice was husky.  “I didn’t know I could feel like that.”

 
“You’re a very sensual woman, Martine, you surprise me.  Pleasantly surprise me.”  He dropped his head and teased her nipples with his tongue and lips.

 
“Oh, darling, oh Lucas, oh, oh, oh!” she cried out as she reached satisfaction yet again.

  Lucas kissed her softly, and said,
“One day, darling, one day I will make you truly mine. 

One day, I will enter you, and make you belong to me forever.
”

 
“I hope it’s soon, Lucas, I want to belong to you.  I think I do already.”

 
“Yes, baby, you do already.  But I won’t take your innocence from you until it’s right.”

  She kissed him softly,
“What time is it, darling?  I have to be up at three.  Tomorrow night, we can be late…I can sleep in on Sunday.”

 
“Nearly ten.  We’d better get you dressed and home.  But tomorrow night, why don’t you pack your toothbrush? Wear your pretty green lingerie for me again, darling.  And stay with me all night?”

 
“I’d like that, Lucas.  I’d like that very much.  That will be another first, Lucas.  The first time I will have slept with a man.”

  Lucas laughed. 
“And you really mean sleep, don’t you?  Not make love, sleep.” He smiled delightedly.  “It is right and fitting that you do all these things for the first time with me, darling. Right.

 
“And you can make me scrambled eggs for breakfast on Sunday morning,” he added smiling.

  Martine brought a crusty loaf home with her from the bakery the next day.  To make toast for breakfast on Sunday.

  She grabbed a sandwich at the local café for lunch and raced to the Gallery.  She wanted time to get ready for Lucas that night. She packed her bag, toothbrush, makeup, shampoo, jeans and a tee shirt for Sunday morning. Fresh underwear. 

  Martine looked through her clothes. 
“I could wear this black knit mini today in the Gallery, with black tights,” she decided.  And my black boots.  I should be warm enough.  I could plug the fire in if I’m not.  And it will be nice for dinner.”  She made up her eyes a little more

dramatically than usual, with black eyeliner and green shadow, and was ready when it was time to open the door at one o
’clock.

  At ten past one, Belinda came in with three more canvasses. She looked approvingly at Martine.

  “Now you look like a gallery owner, Martine.  Not like a student.  Black suits you.  You should always wear a black dress in the Gallery. You look more sophisticated, somehow. Must be the makeup giving you a glow.”

  Martine smiled,
“Thank you, Belinda.  I’m going out to dinner tonight, so I wore the dress.  But I think you’re right.  I do feel older, more adult dressed like this.”

  Belinda smiled at her. 
“Enough about you.  Now about me.  Have you lined up a Charity yet, for my Opening Gala?  Are we going to have it before Christmas?”

  Martine smiled.  This was typical Belinda, charming, but oh, so self-centered. 

  “We’re having the Opening Charity Gala January 16
th
, Belinda and I’ll run the show for ten days after.  I’ll be open the two Sundays in the show.  The charity Lucas chose was the local chapter of “Friends of Conservation”.  He checked out their mailing list and says they all