Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (8 page)

  Martine had been doing sums in her head.  Twelve hundred a month net to the gallery translated into three thousand a month extra sales.  Thirty paintings at a hundred pounds each.  Sixty at fifty pounds. It was daunting.  But that was what she needed to do.  Lucas had said so.

  He laughed at her.  “Darling, you can ask at least two hundred for Belinda’s larger paintings, three or four hundred for the largest, and her prices will go up rapidly. 

 
“Or, I can pick up another client on retainer…and cover it.”

 
“Oh, Lucas, I couldn’t let you do that.”

 
“Oh, Martine, you couldn’t stop me doing that.  I told you, I’m your silent partner now, your business manager.  And as your business manager I have to tell you two things.”

 
“Yes?”

 
“The first is that the Gallery needs your undivided attention, Martine.  Except for the attention you need to pay to your business manager, to keep him happy, of course,” he smiled and leaned across to her and kissed her.

“
That kind of attention to your business manager, darling.”

 
“Yes, Lucas.  I’ll work hard to keep my business manager very, very happy.”  She kissed him back.  They beamed at each other.

 
“So that means you have to give up the bakery as soon as possible, Tina.”

 
“Yes, Lucas.”

 
“And the second is that you need to be open at ten in the morning until six at night.  Except Friday nights, when you should be open until eight or nine, like the other shops on your street.  I’ll bet that sale last night was one of very few made after six, am I correct?”

 
“Yes, darling, you are.  But often students drop in between six and eight, so I thought it was good, they bring me their work to view…”

 
“And drink your free coffee, Martine, and eat your free biscuits.”

 
“True.  I’d probably spend half the money on coffee and biscuits without the students…”

 
“They’ll still bring you their work, darling.  Especially if Belinda has a good show.  And we’ll make sure she does.”

 
“How many clients do you have, darling?” asked Martine.  “I know you have two on retainer.  Do you have any others?”

 
“Beside you, you mean, paying me with kisses?”

  Martine nodded.

  Lucas laughed.  “You’re the only one paying me with kisses, darling.  I do have about five or six other, smaller firms who call on me when they need me.

 
“I troubleshoot.  Look at problems, find the real cause, which is often not what the owners think it is, and then outline a solution for them.  That’s what I do.  Troubleshoot.  The two firms who pay me a retainer can call me whenever they like, and get up to twenty hours of my time per month.  The others are smaller operations.  They pay me by the hours.”

 
“Oh.”

 
“So I am doing alright, but not enough yet for my next step.” He smiled at Martine, and kissed her again.

 
“And what is the next step, darling?  I’m sure you’ll get there sooner rather than later.”

 
“I’m sure I will, too, Martine. I’m very motivated.”  But he didn’t tell her what the next step was going to be.

 
“Let’s get our coats on, and head over to St. John’s Wood.  See what the Art Guild has in store for you…”

  The afternoon was a delight.  Lucas showed he had a keen eye for commercially viable art himself.  He was amazed at Martine
’s ability to chat to the artists, make them feel important. 

 
“Just like she makes me feel as if I’m the most important thing in her life,” he thought.  “I hope I am.”

  Martine had stopped at the Gallery and picked up her camera.  She
’d taken a few pictures at the Show, all of them with Lucas in the frame, although he didn’t realize that.

  There was no one exhibiting that Martine wanted to display.  Lucas was surprised. He thought one or two of the artists were saleable.

  “Not in a Gallery setting, darling, beside real talent.  Not if you want me to raise my prices so that I can bring in the extra twelve hundred a month…”

  Lucas smiled. 
“Quite right, Martine.  I stand corrected.  You only have so much wall space.  Hanging pretty pictures isn’t the way to maximize that space.  Not when you can access real talent.”

 
“I’ve got hope, though, Lucas.  Hope that one day, I’ll find some that are as good as my Mom was…”  There were tears in Martine’s eyes as she thought about her Mother.  Lucas gently wiped them away.  He held her hand tightly as they walked to the Underground.

  It was four o
’clock when they got back to Lucas’s flat.  They’d stopped at the supermarket and bought lamb chops for dinner.  Enough for three, she thought. 

 
“Darling, would you like to call your friend Penny and see if she’d like to join us for dinner?” Lucas asked.

 
“Oh, could I?  Penny and I often have dinner either Saturday or Sunday…”

  She rang Penny and extended the invitation.  Penny was surprised.  The young men she went out with were not that thoughtful.  She was happy to have the chance to observe Lucas in his own surroundings.

  Dinner was simple, but delicious.  Little lamb chops, mint sauce.  New potatoes, peas.  And fresh raspberries and ice cream. A decent bottle of Spanish wine.

They sat in the living room after, enjoying a coffee and a snifter of the excellent cognac Lucas had opened the night before.

  “Lovely flat, Lucas,” Penny told him.  “Quite a step up from most of the young men I know.”

 
“Thanks, Penny. My mother left me an insurance policy that was enough for the Building Society to grant me the rest of the funds…I’ve been here two and a half years now.  I’ve spent a lot of effort on it, retiled the bathroom, refinished this floor, painted, and about six months ago, I got the new cooker, washing machine and fridge in the kitchen.”

 
“Same story as Martine,” smiled Penny.  “She took her inheritance, when her grandfather finally relented, and bought the Gallery space.  Her granddad was impressed with her sense.  Thought that paying rent would have been a waste.  So he gave her another five thousand pounds to put in a security system and spruce the place up.”

  Lucas looked at Martine with approval. 
“And a building society granted you a mortgage?”

  She nodded. 
“My grandfather came with me, and told them how hard I had worked, and he offered to sign along with me.  The loans officer must have been feeling soft that day, I got the mortgage.”

 
“Where is your office, Lucas?” asked Martine.

 
“About a ten minute walk from here.  Near the Tube Station.  It’s small, but does the job.  There’s a small reception room, and my office

behind it.  One day soon, as I get busier, I
’ll hire a P.A.”  He smiled at Martine.  “Don’t worry, darling.  She’ll either be married or older…no one you’ll ever have to worry about.”

  Penny was fast revising her opinion of Lucas from
world class seducer
to
world class seducer half in love with Martine.

 
“Martine is staying here while I’m away, Penny,” Lucas told her.  “So if you want to pop round next week and visit her, please feel free.  I’m going to Glasgow Monday, back Friday.  In time to cook her dinner on Friday night,” he laughed.

 
“Oh,” said Penny.  She looked speculatively at Martine.  She wondered if her friend had kept her clothes on…

 
Martine knew what Penny was thinking.  She blushed.

 
Penny frowned for a moment.  Obviously Martine had not kept her clothes on.  But…Lucas seemed to adore her, already.  Oh, dear, Penny would have to stay close by, her shoulder ready for Martine to sob on, when Lucas tired of her and moved on.

 
Lucas, too, perceived Penny’s thoughts. “Don’t worry, Penny. I haven’t seduced your young friend. My intentions are very honourable.  We’re taking it easy, sort of. She‘s still an innocent.”

 
Martine turned scarlet, remembering last night.  If Lucas thought that was taking it easy, she had no idea what else was in store for her…

 
The next four days dragged.  Lucas had stopped by the Gallery on his way to the train station and given her the key to his flat. Kissed her resoundingly several times, crushing her lips to his.

 
Belinda had appeared some five minutes later.  “You look like you’ve just been kissed, Martine…”

 
“I have, Belinda.  I have.”

 
“Somebody nice?”

 
“Yes…” Martine remembered the way Belinda had eyed Lucas.  “Somebody nice.”  She changed the subject.  “I had a talk with Lucas yesterday about your Gala.  If you can only give me about six or seven more paintings, I would like to pull that abstract out of the front window and save it for your show.  And we thought that if some of your Jamaica photos are good, we could blow them up and hang them as well, to fill up the wall space.  I’d really like your work to be the only thing hanging in the Gallery for that ten days.”

 
“Great idea.  Lucas must be very impressed with my work to be so involved with the planning of the Show.” Belinda preened.  She

would much rather think about that than who had kissed Martine…but who
had
kissed Martine? And given her that glow?

 
She dismissed the thought.  “I can bring my nudes, as well, if you like.  They would fill that small alcove…”

 
“But would you want to sell them, Belinda?”

 
“Oh, certainly. I’ve long dumped all of them.  I have to find my next model.  I’m really taken with Lucas…he must be gorgeous under that suit and tie…”

 
Martine smiled to herself.  “I would agree with you, Belinda.  Very sexy, under that suit and tie.  Very sexy…”

 
“Yes, I’ll have to paint him.  Sprawled across my bed.  Or his.  I wonder what his bedroom is like.  Very masculine, I would think.”

 
“Very masculine,” agreed Martine.  “His living room is very masculine, black leather furniture, oriental rug on a dark oak floor…”

 
“Oh, you’ve been to his flat?”

 
“Oh, yes…” Martine smiled.  “He’s becoming the business manager of the Gallery, Belinda.  Going to make me successful enough to give up the bakery.”  She added lightly.

 
The telephone rang, and Belinda left.  It was Penny.  “Hello, did Lucas leave for Scotland?”

 
“Yes, he dropped off the key to his flat less than half an hour ago.  He said he left me a casserole in the oven, on very low…and I could invite you over to share it if I liked.  He also said it wouldn’t hurt me to close at seven for the winter…”

 
“He makes sense, Martine.  I’ll be at the

Gallery at seven.  After those lamb chops

yesterday, I’m anxious to sample his casserole.”

 
After a delicious dinner the two girls sat and had a cup of tea. Penny told Martine about her trip to Birmingham.

 
“There was a chap at the club on Thursday night, Martine.  He came again Friday and Saturday.  Didn’t dance.  Stayed through one of our sets each night, listening to us.  Came up to me after the set on Saturday and asked me who my manger is.”

 
“You don’t have one, do you?”

 
“No.  I suppose I should have. The band does, but not me personally.  Anyway, he gave me his card and asked me to call him Wednesday.  He’s with a record company here in London.”

 
“Just you or the band?”

 
“I’m not sure.  He only spoke to me.”

 
Privately, Martine was not surprised.  She thought Penny was much better than her band mates.  Penny had a clear, true voice, and gave great expression to ballads and love songs.  She didn’t think the rock band was really Penny’s venue.  But it paid the bills.  Martine understood all about compromises to pay the bill.  Look at her and the bakery!

 
“So, are you going to call him?”

 
“I’ve got nothing to lose, calling him, have I?”

 
“Nothing at all, Penny.  But don’t try to include the band if he just wants you…”

 
“Probably wise advice, Martine.”

 
“I’m sure that’s what Lucas would say to you as well,” Martine offered.

 
“And speaking of Lucas,” Penny looked at her friend inquiringly.  “Just what exactly is the status of your relationship?  It’s moving along very quickly, isn’t it?”