Just as Nick walked in, Marti stood up from the table, "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"No, everything is not okay. Big problem at the warehouse." He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled. "Mamá, we need to get back to Memphis."
"So soon?"
"Yes, soon, we should get packed up and on the road. Marti, are you coming home?"
Marti squinched up her face, puzzled, "Home? I am home. Why y'all gotta get home so fast?"
"Remember the huge mix up on the tanker truck I told you about? Well, it has come down to all of the bottles of salad dressing are being recalled.
Salad dressing, oil, vinegar, we didn't catch it in time." He ran his hand through his hair, huffing in desperation.
Tommy looked up from his plate, "Salad dressing? Y'all make salad dressing?"
Nick turned to him, "Yes, we have quite a few accounts with food manufacturers here in the States and one of Vargas' employees that run the tankers wasn't paying attention and the idiot loaded a truck full of vinegar instead of oil. We thought we caught it in time, but…unfortunately, he wasn't truthful and there are thousands of bottles on their way to the stores and it's our responsibility to stop them and issue a recall."
He turned to Marti, "Honey, I have to take care of this, smooth it over, take care of the driver and the customer accounts. Are you coming with us? I don't have time for your silly games."
"Uhmmm…." glancing at Mamá, then Annie and back at Nick. "Well, I - I," shaking her head, "I don't think so. I'll just hang here with Annie and Tommy until you get this squared away. I really don't want to intrude."
She faked a smile. There was no way she was going back to the hell that Ellie put her through. No way.
He ran his fingers through his hair, and desperately let out a long exhale "Vamonos, Mamá, let's get going. We need to be there by morning. I hope this weather holds out. Roads should be clear, but if we get another snowstorm…"
Tommy pulled his phone out of his pocket, sliding his thumb across the screen, searching for the weather app. "Don't y'all think it would be better to leave in the morning, you'll be driving all night and we don't even know if the mountains are passable. Maybe you should check the weather first? Y'all sure don't need to be getting stuck up in those mountains."
Mamá piped in "Hijo, he's right. There is nothing you can do right now and we can get a fresh start tomorrow morning."
Nick paced the kitchen, running his hand through his hair and then he stopped. "Fuck! Oh…sorry, Mamá. Let me think…" looking up, mumbling to himself he turned to his mother, "You are right, I can't do anything and it would be stupid for me to think I can cross those snowy mountains in the dark. We will leave in the morning, very early. Mamá, you okay with that?"
She smiled, grateful that he decided to stay till it was safer. Nodding in agreement, "Si, hijo, I will be ready to go in the morning."
Tommy stood up, "Well, that's settled. Now y'all know you are more than welcome to stay as long as you want. Nick, can you take care of the salad dressing from here?"
"Salad dressing, yes. Idiot who screwed it up in the first place, no. I really need to get home for that. I just pray to God there are no lawsuits."
Marti slowly looked up. "Uhm…Nick? I'm sorry. Sorry that you had to come down here to see me." She lowered her face. "I'm sorry." She touched his arm, "I'm going upstairs. Good night, y'all."
"Good night, Marti. Holler if you need anything." Annie looked at her longingly, something was going on with Marti and she didn't know what. She would have to talk to her in the morning. Marti wasn't being the Marti she grew up with, not the girl she knew.
Marti sadly trudged up the stairs; he would be up soon enough, if he came up at all. She hoped he would. A million thoughts were running through her head. Should I go back to Memphis? Should I stay here? If I stay, will he be with Ellie? Has he ever been with Ellie? Do I really even care? I barely know him and he hasn't been Mr. Knight in Shining Armor lately. Shit!
She changed into a big T-shirt and crawled up under the covers. The room was chilly and she didn't want to put her sweats on, in case he did come up to her room. Pulling her Kindle out of the nightstand drawer, she started to read. A steamy romance that she just couldn't get into. The book was good; her head was just not into it. Not while her thoughts were spinning out of control.
After about an hour, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat. Finally. She heard the banter of goodnights and Nick came in her room. She lay her Kindle to the side and looked up at him. "Hey."
"Hey. You're still awake?" he asked as he kicked off his shoes and sat on the side of the bed.
"Yeah, couldn't sleep." She reached out and rubbed his arm, hesitating for a moment, waiting for his reaction. There was none. "I'm sorry about the tanker."
"It's not your fault. I'll get it handled." He paused, looking down, picking at a pine needle on his jeans. "So…Ellie was a little harsh with you?" Reaching over, he caressed her hand, tangling his fingers in hers.
"Yeah, but she always is. No biggie." She played with his fingers, not knowing what to expect. At this very moment, she had no idea where they were headed but she did know something was going on between her heart and her head like two wild animals fighting for their life. Even now, feeling him next to her, she was at war inside herself.
He leaned over her, sliding up on the bed, reaching his hands up to her face, caressing her cheekbone with his thumb. He looked into her dreamy eyes and leaned over to kiss her, tickling her bottom lip with his tongue. Her body shivered as his soft lips met hers, she breathed him in, his kiss made her spine tingle, his manly scent filled her senses and her tongue could taste a hint of whiskey.
Her breathing increased and her breasts heaved up and down, she felt her panties moisten; she wanted him with all her being. Her hands traced along his body, feeling his taut muscles, caressing his shoulders and she sighed. "Honey, are you sure you wanna do this? I mean…with all the stress and holidays, you don't have to."
Sliding his fingers up her gown, cupping her heavy breast, "Ahh, Preciosa, I always want to hold you, touch you and feel your beautiful body. You are my Princesa, I will love you and hold you till the day I die."
Marti was speechless. After the bullshit fight and her stomping around like a two year old, all she could think was. "Wow."
He trailed kisses across her neck, while his hand caressed her tummy and up to her breast. She reached for his shirt, unbuttoning it and sliding it off his shoulders. Her mouth and lips gently nipped at his neck while he slid his pants down. The fire that built up inside when they were together was insatiable.
Her shirt came off and they were both naked, crawling under the covers. His hand went to her thighs and caressed the moist folds of her sex. "Princesa…" he breathed, "you make me so fucking crazy." A finger slid inside and then back out to caress her clit, slicking it up for his thumb. She moaned, he was an amazing lover; there was no doubt about that. She trembled as his kisses moved down her belly, landing on her soft fur, his fingers gently sliding in and out, his thumb tantalizing her nub. She could feel his hardness on her thigh. She wanted to grab it and suck it, but his hands wouldn't let her.
"Nick," she whispered, feeling her heart beat in her loins as he kissed her slit, licking and sucking on her clit. He placed his hands on her thighs and spread her legs, moaning as her pussy drenched his face in wetness. His hand moved up to play with her nipple, his other hand holding her lips apart, his tongue circling her clit, before darting it inside.
She felt like his hands were everywhere, on her breasts, her clit, her vulva, he rose up to her face, his mouth covered in her wetness. "Marti," he breathed, "I can't stand this, I need you. I’ve got to have you." He grabbed both her hands in one of his and lifted them over her head.
Sliding his hips between her thighs and with a loud moan, he thrust his thick cock into her. "Fuck!" She cried out, her pussy was drenched in her own wetness, she paused for a sweet moment to accom
modate his size, and he plunged into her again. She lifted her legs, her pussy wide open and he thrust again, pounding into her, the sweat building up on his face and chest. She hadn't had Nick like this since the trip to Las Vegas and his animal grunts and moans made her body burn with desire.
The other hand slid under her leg as he brought it up over his shoulder. He was wild, pounding his cock in and then withdrawing it, only to thrust again. She loved it when he fucked her like this.
Pure. Animal. Lust.
His sweat dripped down onto her chest, his cock thrust deep inside her, her head rolled from one side to the other. "Nick…fuck…" she panted, her words coming in spurts, he grabbed her hip and thrust again… and again… and again.
The room spun as her mind went black, she grabbed his ass and pulled him close into her, her hips bucking against him as she cried out, "Nick!...Fuck! Fuck meeeee!" Burying her fingernails in his ass cheeks, she pulled him in deeper and deeper, her whole body thrashing, holding tight to his through the waves of their animalistic pleasure. There was nothing in the world right now that mattered except the pure ecstasy that was screaming through their bodies.
"Ahhhh, Dios!" He grunted as his muscles tensed and his body shuddered, he grabbed her ass tight with both hands as he pummeled into her burying his whole length inside. He quickly withdrew only to plunge it into her again. His cock throbbed with each spurt of cum inside her pussy. His strong body trembled. Moaning, she arched, reaching for his body, grinding her pussy onto him. He thrust again, his cock bursting once more with hot, sticky cum, as he buried it deep inside her.
As their moans gently subsided, he fell on top of her, panting, his heart pounding on her chest. This is the Nick she knew, the Nick she married. They lay there together for a moment, breathing, feeling the heat of each other's bodies, spent, motionless, speechless.
He rolled off of her, sliding his cock out of her and lay beside her. "Marti, what am I going to do with you? What am I going to do?"
She turned to him, snaking her hand across his chest, her leg across his. "I don't know Nick," she whispered. "I really don't know." A tear fell down her cheek. He was an amazing lover, a fucking sex machine. But would that be enough? He was leaving in the morning and that would give her time to think and to shut off the fucking noise in her head. She couldn't think straight when he was there. She needed some time for herself.
In the morning, he was gone. She finally had time to exhale.
*****
Chapter 10
Marti wiggled her toes in the warm pulsating water. "I think I'm damaged. Or ruined. Wouldn't surprise me after all the shit I've been through. Do you know my mom hasn't even wanted to have lunch with me? She says she's busy. Now what kind of mom is that? Probably that asshole she married."
"Yeah, your mom surprised me with that one. But I wouldn't say you were damaged…you're a spoiled little brat, but damaged goods? Probably not."
Marti and Annie were getting pedicures for the upcoming Christmas Party. Mountain View had one every year and it was a place where the small town could get together, have a Christmas dinner and dance. The booze was free and the girls could get all dolled up in their party dresses.
"Yep, damaged. I mean look at me. I am thirty years old, married to a man I don't even live with. He's in a different state, his mom is amazing and he's probably the best thing that ever happened to me. And I'm in this podunk town getting ready for a lame ass Christmas party. I could be in Paris or something getting it on in the Eiffel tower. I tell ya…I'm fucked up."
Annie laughed. "You're not fucked up, you're human. Take it easy on yourself. You can't be everything to everybody. Have you talked to him?"
"Yeah, I talk to him every day. He's coming in this afternoon for the party. But Annie, I would have to sell my soul to be with him. I mean….he's cool and all but when he's around Ellie, he's a different person. I think he's trying to hide something."
"Okay, you're damaged. He told you there was nothing there, so you need to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that there is nothing there. DUH!"
Marti sighed, "I know. I just don't know what to do. I mean we had so much fun and when he was here for Thanksgiving, it was so cool, but when he's in Memphis, he's just so….different."
"Well, he is a working man, gotta keep your credit cards paid, ya know? Speaking of credit cards, you got your dress all squared away for tonight?"
"Yeah, one thing the old man does is keep those credit cards paid up. I mean he's filthy rich, like a fuckin gazillionaire. Annie, what to do?" She sighed.
“I don’t know, hell, paint Christmas decorations on your toes. That’ll make ya feel better,” Annie replied, nodding to the gals that were doing their toes. “I really don’t know Marti, you got me stumped on this one.”
"Sure," she said, smiling at the manicurist, it felt good to hang out with Annie, no tension about Tommy or what they were doing. Just two friends enjoying the little things in life. Like toes. They had been together for a while now. Marti had started looking for a place to stay, but Annie and Tommy insisted she stay at the ranch.
When the girls' toes were finished and dried, they got into Annie's Mercedes and drove through town. "Hey, what's goin' on at Robinsons? Are they remodeling it? I wonder if Mr. Robinson is around, pull in there."
Annie turned the car into the parking lot. Marti lowered her window. "Excuse me? Sir?"
A tall construction worker walked over to the car. "Can I help you ladies?"
"Yeah, what's going on with the store? Where is Mr. Robinson?" Marti asked.
"Well ma'am, some company from out of state bought it and we got the bid to have it remodeled. Redoing the whole store. It'll be closed till after Christmas. They moved everything over to Krogers on Main. You're going to have to shop there for now."
"Oh my gosh, he sold this place? Poor guy. I bet that was hard." She paused, looking over him at the store. Smiling at him she waved, "Thanks a bunch and Merry Christmas!"
He tipped his hard hat, "My pleasure, ma'am and Merry Christmas to y'all too!" He walked back towards the store.
She looked at Annie, who was maneuvering out of the lot. "That man has an amazing ass."
'Marti! Why you lookin' at his ass?"
"'Cause I can." She laughed. "How sad, though. I wonder who bought this store… I hope it's not one of those stupid corporations. I loved this store. Damn it!"
"Well, girl, things change, times change; I just hope Mr. Robinson is okay. He's such a nice man. I felt so bad for him when his wife died, they were a perfect couple. I sure hope they gave him a lot of money for this little store."
"Yeah, they were a perfect couple…like you and Tommy." She sighed.
Annie chuckled. "We are nowhere near perfect. We have our days, you just have to learn to pick your battles. Now let's go get ready for this party. I've got do my hair and everything. It'll take me forever. Too bad Millie isn't working today or we'd be at the salon, getting some amazing up do’s."
"Y'all think you're not perfect, but you're so lovey dovey. The ranch has some thin walls; I hear what's going on in there all night." A sly grin slid across her face. "Y'all really go for it, don't ya?"
"Marti! You are my best friend and I love you, but I am not telling you the details of what goes on in my bed with my fiancé." Shaking her head. "You're crazy. Damaged, even." She told Marti a lot of things, but her sex life with Tommy was not one of them.
When they got back to the house, Annie put on some Christmas music and Marti went to call Nick. He was supposed to be there and they would all go to the Christmas party, but he hadn't arrived yet. No answer. He was probably already on the plane, no service yet or driving through the mountains. She jumped in the shower and quickly washed up.
Tommy came home from work early and got ready as well. Annie and Marti were running around, getting ready singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. Marti grabbed a hair brush and used it as a microphone. They stood in the hall singing, "Hark The He
rald Angels Sing, Glory To The New Born King!" and busted up laughing when they were both off key.
"Y'all better get ready, we're leaving shortly. Marti have you heard from Nick?" She laughed at how silly they were together. Having Marti there was like a breath of fresh air for Annie, a pick-me-up.
Annie looked amazing as always, in a red sequined dress and a beautiful long white faux fur cape to keep her warm. Marti was in an ivory satin gown with a green velvet cape. She felt like Belle, and both ladies looked incredible.
"Nope, let me try again. I hope everything is okay with him." She sat on the sofa and dialed his number again. Straight to voicemail. "Guys, I don't know what's going on, I don't know whether to be mad or scared. He doesn't pick up or call me back."
Straightening his bow tie, he tried to assure her. "Well, he's a big boy and pretty damn smart, so I'm sure he's alright. When is the last time you talked to him?"
Tommy looked amazing in his black tux with red accents. Annie had ordered it so they would match. He was a country boy, not used to the dress up of cocktail parties and fine dining. Well, semi fine dining, the party was at the Elks Lodge and the local steakhouse was catering.
"I talked to him this morning, he said he had some work to do and would be here on time. I took it to mean he was flying in. How's the weather from here to there?"
"Should be good, let me double check." He pulled out his phone and scrolled, "Says it's clear, bit chilly, 38 and getting down in the 20's tonight. Are y'all going to be warm enough?"
"We'll be fine, honey." Annie pulled the cape around her bare legs, "these capes are like blankies." She smiled, walking over to him. "Ya wanna crawl up in here with me?" she cooed to her fiancé.
Marti cringed. "Stop! Get a room. I'm getting worried over here."
Tommy was holding Annie and looked up at Marti, "Relax, he'll be okay. Why don't you text him the address and he can meet us there? If he's flying over the mountains, he may not have service and he will get it when he lands."
Southern Belles 4 Blissmas Page 6
