Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (21 page)

  The door opened.  They didn
’t hear it.

 
“OK, you two, knock it off.”  Belinda had come in, Dan trailing behind her carrying three wrapped canvases.  “I’ve brought the pictures

you got me to do.  Had to deliver them tonight, we
’re flying off to Jamaica in the morning.”

  Lucas broke away from Martine and opened his wallet. 
“Let me pay you, Belinda.”

  Belinda waved his money away. 
“No, Lucas.  This is your Christmas present from me. 

Martine has been so good to me, giving me a break. And my father said most people wouldn
’t have been as generous as she was, getting me mentioned like that in the
Times
article and giving me a One Woman Show while I’m still a student.”

 
“There are three canvases,” said Martine, “not two.”

 
“Ah, yes.  The third was my idea.  I got Dan to help me. He’s got the closest physique to Lucas, tall and lean and blond.

 
“He stood in for Lucas, I stood in for you, and we put the camera on self timer.  It was great fun…so …open it, so I can see if you like it.  Dan, cover your eyes.  Lucas would not like you to see Martine without any clothes on.”

  Dan laughed and turned his back.  They tore the wrapping off the picture Belinda indicated.  She had drawn them intertwined on the bed, sleeping, as if they belonged together.

  Lucas drew in his breath.  “Belinda, this is wonderful!  We can’t thank you enough.”

 
“I wish you would put these three in the show, Lucas and Martine.  I do think they are the best works I’ve ever done.”

 
“If the other two are as good as this one, I would agree, Belinda.  You’ve gone to another level.”

  Lucas kissed her on the cheek. 
“Thank you, Belinda.  I hope you’ll come to our wedding.”

 
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” she smiled.

  Lucas turned Dan around. 
“I think you should see this, Dan, since you were my stand in.  I am reconsidering, just on this one, Belinda.  I think we should put it in your show.  Don’t you think, Martine?”

 
“Oh…I have to think about that, Lucas.” Her cheeks were scarlet.

  Lucas laughed. 
“I’ll talk her round, Belinda, don’t worry.”

  Dan spoke. 
“It is amazing, just amazing.  Martine, you have to show it.  It is amazing.”

  Martine changed the subject and produced small gifts for both of them.

  They chatted for a few minutes, and then Dan looked at his watch.  “Sorry to hurry you, Belinda, but if you want a ride home, we have to leave now.  I have a date in half an hour.  Lucy’s cooking me dinner…” he winked at Martine.

  Martine laughed. 
“So your picture hanging was appreciated, was it Dan?”

 
“Oh, yes…I’ve been hanging the other nudes for her as well, and she’s quite grateful.  Quite grateful.  Shows her gratitude in the nicest possible way…” 

  Later, after dinner, Lucas hung the three charcoal sketches onto the newly painted pewter bedroom wall.

  He stepped back to admire the art.  “Darling, Belinda has much more talent than I gave her credit for.  I look quite good, and you, you’re magnificent.”

  Martine put her arm around his waist. 
“Lucas, you are sex personified. If we’re ever broke, we could get at least five thousand for these three sketches, as a set…do you really want us on view in the Gallery?”

 
“Well, she’s got our legs hiding our most private bits, darling.  And my hand is on your breast, so no one can see your nipples. It’s all suggestion. Not graphic at all.  And you look so luscious…yes, I think I do want us on view in the Gallery.  We look so much in love.  It will keep every man who sees it away from you.  Lusting, but away from you…because it’s obvious you belong to me.”

 
“I wouldn’t like my granddad to see it,” said Martine.

 
“How about we display it at the Gala?  People will be milling, socializing, as much as they will be staring at the pictures, I would imagine.  We’ll take it down after the first night.  Your granddad will still be in Spain…”

 
“Alright, just for the one night…”

 
“Only thirty eight days now before we marry, Martine.  Thirty eight days before that painting becomes reality…”  He took her into his arms and kissed her deeply.  She responded as if she was on fire. 

  Lucas drew away reluctantly.
“If we keep kissing like that, my darling, I don’t know if my resolve will last thirty eight days.”

 
“But I want to show you my gratitude, for hanging the pictures…like Lucy does to Dan.” Martine smiled mischievously at Lucas.

 
“You little minx!”  Lucas drew her to him and kissed her again.  “That’s enough gratitude for tonight, darling.  Now, go get your flannel nightie on.”

  Christmas came.  Martine gave Lucas the photograph she had taken of him that first Sunday, in St. John
’s Wood.  He gave her a silver chain, with two hearts intertwined hanging from it.  She thought it was the most beautiful piece of jewellery she would ever have.

  They roast a small turkey, and had a very festive meal with a great bottle of champagne.

  And Lucas made Martine wear her flannel nightie. All she got was two goodnight kisses.  Lucas was finding it harder and harder to maintain his resolve.

  Turkey sandwiches Boxing Day, and Tom, Gloria and John came over and shared them, and two bottles of wine.  Much laughter and dreaming about the future. 

  And Lucas made Martine wear her flannel nightie. Two goodnight kisses.

  The next day, Martine made her turkey soup.  Lucas had realized how important it was to Martine, how it made her feel close to her mother, to maintain those traditions.

  “That was absolutely delicious, Martine!” Lucas beamed at her. “You’re such a talented woman…”

 
“But anxious to develop other talents, too, Lucas,” Martine purred as she cleared the table.

  Lucas knew what she meant, and he laughed. 
“Only a month now, darling, and we’ll work on developing your new talents daily.”

 
“I’m going to be so sick of that flannel nightie by then, I may burn it,” she grumbled, realizing she had hit the usual brick wall. But he did give her three good night kisses.

  New Year
’s Eve.  Lucas and Martine walked to the corner for Alfredo’s special Italian New Year’s Eve celebration.  A wonderful meal, several courses, wine flowing freely.  Tom sat with them, and pinched Gloria’s bottom when she walked by. Dan brought Lucy, to everyone’s surprise. They’d all expected Dan on his own, and Lucy to go to one of her many exclusive invitations.  But no, she came with Dan, and held his hand, and looked quite as smitten as he was. 

  Tremendous laughter.  Proscecco at midnight.  Martine was enchanted by the evening, and very tipsy and amorous by the time Lucas took her home. 

  But he still made her go and put her flannel nightie on. 

  Martine came out of the bathroom wearing her emerald silk and lace nightie.

  Lucas groaned.  “No, Martine.  No. No. No.  Please, darling, don’t make it any harder for me than it is.”

  She came up to him and pressed against him, her arms around his neck. 
“It is hard, isn’t it Lucas?  Hard and long and just waiting for me…”

  He groaned again and his lips crushed hers.  His hands were all over her for the first time in weeks, caressing her breasts, stroking her back, holding her bottom very tightly.

  Her tongue darted between his parted lips, and the kiss deepened.  She expected him to scoop her up into his arms and carry her to bed…

  Instead he pushed her away. 
“No, darling.  Not tonight.  Please, Martine, wait…we’ll be married in twenty nine days.  Married for the rest of our lives, darling…”

  She turned sadly and went back into the bathroom.  Cried. But changed into her flannel nightie and came back out, very subdued.  Lucas was in bed.  She climbed in and lay as far away from him as she could, her back to him, almost falling off the edge.

  Two strong hands reached for her, and pulled her toward him, rolled her over onto her back, beside him.  Lucas propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her.

 
“Martine, I want you so badly, I’m counting the minutes until we’re married, my love, at four o’clock on Friday, January 30
th
.  Our reception dinner isn’t until half past six.  Do you think we’re going to stand around talking to people for

that two and a half hours?  No, darling, as soon as the photographer has taken our picture, you and I are coming back here, alone
…”  He bent his head and kissed her gently.  “And we’re

coming back here after the reception.  We
’re

not leaving for our weekend away in Brighton until Saturday morning.  I want to spend our wedding night here, in this bed, with you
…”

  Martine smiled up at him.
“I promise to behave, Lucas.  I won’t tempt you again.”

 
“You’re such a little minx.  But you don’t want a baby straight away, do you?”

 
“No, Lucas.  We already talked about that.  That’s why I went to the doctor and got on the pill.”

  Lucas kissed her gently again. 
“And didn’t the doctor tell you that the pill is not necessarily foolproof during the first month?”

 
“Yes, Lucas, he told me that.”

 
“So, darling…” 

  Martine nodded. 
“I’ll behave, Lucas.”  They kissed again, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

  Then it was back to work for both of them, preparing for the Gala, and for Lucas, a bit of a juggling act.  He wanted the event to be a huge success for Martine, but he was also up to his eyeballs with his new client
’s dilemma, and maintaining his existing workload. He had to go up to Glasgow twice, once just overnight, but the next week, just before the Gala, for three days.

  He found Gloria most efficient, and for that two week period, she found herself working twenty hours a week for him, and ten for Martine.  Gloria knew that she would have a full time job with the two of them by the end of January.

  Martine made the arrangements for flowers at the Church.  They were having a very small reception at Alfredo’s, in the small private dining room at the back of the restaurant, for sentimental reasons.  Gloria took charge there, and came up with much more than they paid for …

  Lucas took Martine to the jeweller to pick out their matching wedding bands. 

  Plain gold, substantial rings that told the world they were a married couple, Martine thought.

  She didn
’t long for a diamond.  The money that would have bought a small diamond went into the Gala, to make it special. And Lucas thought she was worthy of a big diamond, not a cheap little one.  Martine was content to wait. Her gold band, and his, were the important rings in Martine‘s opinion.

  The sixteenth of January dawned crisp and cold.  Sunny.  No rain on Martine
’s parade, she thought…

  Gloria had been a godsend, with her restaurant experience.  She
’d snagged the backup bartender from Alfredo’s to pour the wine. They had handed her their budget for the wine. She’d raised her eyebrows and told them she needed another two hundred pounds.  Martine had given it to her without question. 

  Lucas thought that they would get from sixty to eighty people showing up.  Gloria figured more; she thought the students from the college might show up in droves. 

  So she had a word with Alfredo, and they got the wine wholesale plus 10%.  Twice as much

as Lucas had figured.  Champagne to start, then red and white.  Some not bad Italian and some cheap Chianti, to serve the students.  The bartender was well aware of the drill.  Champagne and good vintage to the potential buyers, the Chianti to the freeloading students.

  Tom and Dan offered to help.

  Tom and his younger sisters would pass around the trays of Hors d
’oeuvres’ until they ran out.  Again, Gloria had prevailed on Alfredo, and Martine had smiled sweetly at her old boss at the bakery when she took him his special invitation.  The food had come in slightly under budget, which was good, since the wine was well over budget.

  Dan would man the order/donation desk, freeing up Lucas to share the hosting duties with Martine.  Gloria was the food and beverage supervisor.

  They didn’t open the Gallery on the 16
th
.  There was a sign, neatly concocted by Gloria on the computer

MARTINE
’S ART GALLERY OF