A Seal Upon Your Heart (57 page)

His long time home was familiar and yet not. It was the same house but different. He and Martier had taken the house off the market. He had actually listened when she said that if they were going to hunt for the perfect home then it would be this one. She explained that the cottage could be used for her mentoring program. She also exclaimed that she wasn’t leaving that beautiful garden to some other woman to take advantage of after all the man-hours she had put into it!

He had laughed and kissed her and told her that they could make the house into whatever they needed it to be; together as a couple. Starting with a clean slate she decorated the once modern traditional home in a stylish contemporary way. There were wonderful splashes of colors and African artwork. He loved the way that her eclectic style brought the house to life. They removed the carpet and put down hardwood floors and then created a second home office where she would handle her charity work.

Now that the house was completely redecorated there was a huge drawback; he lived in it alone. She wouldn’t move out of the cottage until after their marriage and so there were nights when they had spent the entire day painting, hanging pictures and then standing back to admire their handy work and then she would turn to leave for the night.

“You can stay here, honey. You can have the bedroom and I’ll sleep in the guest room-“

“No. When I move in my home with you it will be as your wife.” He had smiled at those beautiful words. He then kissed her in a rare passionate moment and then quickly pulled back.

“I love you more than you can imagine.” He recalled the way she had closed her eyes as if to savor those words.

Tim sighed and logged onto his computer. He was happy even if he was horny.

~***~

“Martier, can we watch Dirty Dancing tonight?” Sharon’s hands were pressed together in a begging gesture as she jumped up and down with hope.

“Dirty Dancing?” Martier’s brow arched upward. “Oh…I don’t think Sister Louise is going to allow that on the list of approved movies-”

“Oooo please Martier, it’s not dirty,” another girl chimed in. “It’s just about dancing.”

Martier placed her hand on her hips and hid her smile. She liked indulging the girls but couldn’t appear to always give in to their wants. She already knew that the movie Dirty Dancing would be acceptable and thought that they would enjoy it a great deal.

The four girls grew quiet as they watched her. They ranged in age from sixteen to eighteen including Lindewe who was present to assist Martier in her new mentor program; Building Blocks for Success.

“If the movie is pg-13-”

Someone jumped the gun and hooted in joy and Martier raised her hand to quiet her cheers. “AND if you young ladies will conduct yourselves appropriately while watching it then I will add it to the list.”

Three young girls jumped and hooted as if she had just given them each a million dollars. Martier and Lindewe exchanged secret looks. In a way she had given them something equal to that and no one would know that better than she and Lindewe.

Lindewe stood next to her and spoke low under her breath while watching the three young women bubble with anticipation. “You best not put that movie on the list for Sister Louise to review.”

“I know, right.”

“She will take one look at that title and her imagination is going to go crazy.” The young women chuckled. Lindewe had come a long way in the eight months since leaving the convent. She was dating a young man that worked at the deli that frequently delivered to the firm. Martier had been introduced to him and she liked the tall, handsome African American man and she could tell that he thought himself lucky to be with such a beautiful girl as Lindewe.

Helping Martier to mentor the girls was also helping Lindewe as well. As she thought of the values that she wanted to help instill in her sisters from the convent—as well as other girls that would join the program when it grew, she realized that she didn’t want them to go down the road that she was heading.

She was now Tim’s full time assistant and since there didn’t exist the opportunity to fall madly in love with her boss she was forced to focus on her self. By the time she moved into her own apartment she had a life that she loved and it didn’t come at the cost of being a mistress to an attorney or partner. Although her home wasn’t like Martier’s cottage and she didn’t have the things that Martier had, she loved her life nonetheless...as well as her handsome, humble boyfriend.

Martier now focused on her mentoring program and was proud that she had found part-time jobs for all of ‘her girls’ and
not
at the firm. That was the last place she wanted to see them! Charity work wasn’t as easy as she thought but she did have a board of directors which included Dhakiya and Sister Louise…the two of them never saw eye to eye but it was always sweet when they finally agreed upon something.

They all played in the pool, challenging each other to cannonball contests and breath holding tournaments until Martier began to grow hungry and she sent the girls back to the cottage to change for dinner. She wrapped a towel around her wet body and entered the house through the kitchen. She smiled at her new, contemporary kitchen. They hadn’t replaced the appliances but had changed the cabinet fronts and removed the old-world Travertine marble. Dark wooden cabinets with sleek stainless steel appliances created an upscale modern look with the new, white subway tile. Her dark, hard wood floor rounded out the modern look that she was going for, softened by abstract paintings of fruit.

She couldn’t wait to move into this beautiful house; just two more weeks; two more weeks before she would be Mr. Tim Singleton’s wife; Mrs. Tim Singleton. The thought always caused her to shiver. She had scribbled the signature in her notebook of poems, beaming at what would soon become her new name; Mrs. Martier Nufaika Singleton.

Barefoot, she padded through the house, leaving dark foot impressions from her wet feet on the new hardwood floors. “Tim?” She called before tapping on his office door and opening it.

His attention was on his computer. He really did work too hard. He looked up and a smile appeared on his face as he leaned back in his chair and gave her his full attention. She felt a red hot heat move across her body at the appreciative look that crossed his face. In his defense he did try to hide the wolf-like gleam. She knew that he was trying to be the perfect gentleman while they waited for their wedding. She also knew that as soon as the ceremony was over she was going to be completely and totally ravished. A pleasant throb settled between her thighs as her imagination went wild with that.

She too fought hard to hide her desire for him. She had already made too many demands on this man and she wouldn’t dare to hinder his unspoken commitment to remain celibate. They hadn’t discussed it but they didn’t need to, it was obvious that he retreated as soon as things threatened to become overly intimate. In the last four months since returning to the States, Martier had done nothing more than kiss and hug him.

But she wanted more. There were days when they would just be grilling steaks and he would get a particular expression on his face as he told her a story; and then she would suddenly want to drop to her knees, unzip his jeans and withdrew his magnificent cock. She knew the proper words for a man’s anatomy; his penis, his testicles, his scrotum…but in her mind at those moments it was his cock;
her
cock and she wanted it in her mouth.

“Martier?”

She shivered and then blinked her eyes and smiled innocently as if she hadn’t just been fantasizing about sucking him.

“Oh, I came in to find out if you’re ready to start grilling.”

Tim glanced at his watch amazed that he had become so absorbed in his work that it was now after 4pm.

“Yeah, I’m hungry.” He quickly logged off his computer.

“I’m going to put the baked beans in the oven,” she said as she left the room. He peeked at her, relishing the sight of her long sleek legs beneath the towel.

Tim put away his notes and entered the kitchen just in time to see Martier slip a foil wrapped casserole dish into the oven. He suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to touch her. Tim came up behind her and slipped his arms around her body and then snuggled his face against her damp curls.

“Mmm…” she murmured.

Martier’s heart seemed to slam against her ribcage at the sudden ferocity of her desire for him. She leaned back into his strong arms. She loved it when he held her like this, protectively; his big body a defense against all things that could do her harm. She just needed to allow him to be the man that he desired to be; a man that would take care of the people he loved.

She turned and slipped her arms around his body, her hands gripping him in a desperate clutch. Her lips sought his and then she was kissing him urgently. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and felt him suck responsively. She nipped and slashed at his mouth insistently with her tongue until she heard him groan and then rough hands quickly clutched her bottom beneath her towel. She quickly unfastened the damp material, allowing it to drop to the floor and then she lifted a leg and wrapped it around his body. She felt him harden instantly and she pushed against him seeking contact with the throbbing hardness that was growing between them.

Tim drew in a sharp, almost pained breath. “Oh, baby…damn.” He quickly took a step back his arms holding her at bay. He then took in her dark eyes and her swollen lips and the way that her chest heaved with desire. Her nipples were thick and the swollen peaks pushed against the thin black material. He thought he was going to black out. Was it possible to desire something so much that it could kill you?
Please please please don’t do this…I want you so badly baby, but not like this. Can’t you see that I’m trying so very hard to be the man that you deserve?

He couldn’t even speak the words but his eyes said it all. Martier’s heartbeat slowed and then she nodded at the silent communication. Her fists still gripped the sides of his shirt but after a moment her head cleared and her tight grip relaxed.

With a sigh she moved to hug him. He flinched but she gave him a serious look and then took him in her arms, her head resting against his chest. Soon his arms went around her and he held her.

“I love you Tim. In this second I love you more than I’ve ever loved you before. I trust you completely and I know that you will always take care of me; of everything and everyone we love.”

His arms tightened around her as if demonstrating that her words were true…or maybe it was just because he was overwhelmed by his own sense of love for her in turn.

~EPILOGUE~

Martier didn’t want to take off the pretty white wedding dress. She felt like a princess in it. Instead of changing into a comfortable, post wedding dress she had partied in her long gown and heels. She had nearly twisted her ankle doing the electric slide and had gotten butter cream icing on the bodice when Tim had tried to rub wedding cake into her mouth.

But now all of the pictures had been taken, both the garter and bouquet had been tossed and now it was time to prepare to leave for her honeymoon. She was excited that they were finally going to make a trip to Waikiki. Neither brought up the reason they had missed the trip the first time.

“Hold still, sis.” Dhakiya said as she unbuttoned each small pearl button that ran down her back.

“Dhakiya, let someone else do it. You should be sitting down.” There had been so much standing and sitting with the wedding mass that she knew her friend must be exhausted.

Dhakiya patted her swollen belly. “Little Rodney, Jr. isn’t playing soccer with my bladder so I’m quite alright. Now turn around.”

“Sugar, you have two outfits here.” Claudette stated. “Which one are you wearing on the flight?”

“The grey dress I think.”

“That’s pretty.” Elaina said. At least she didn’t look sad right now. Martier knew that it was hard for her being at her and Tim’s wedding and seeing Jakob after their separation. She told her that she didn’t have to be in the wedding party if she was uncomfortable but Elaina had assured her that she and Jakob were at least talking so it wasn’t a problem.