A Place to Belong Ch. 02

Ty had expected Marti to be surprised, but it was obvious that she had known it was him. Narrowing his baby blues, Ty said, "How did you know?"

Marti's grin couldn't get any wider as she shrugged her shoulders. Ty found himself looking into her eyes as she started to speak, but for the life of him, he couldn't understand a word she was saying. He was too mesmerized by all the things he could see in her eyes -- it was like an open book for him to read and what was written there was more important than even breathing at that moment.

Not even bothering to figure out what Marti was saying, Ty crossed the short distance between them and cupped her face in his hands. Then, while she was still in mid sentence, he kissed her. He saw the surprise jump in her eyes for a brief moment, then she closed them as a look of sheer contentment covered her face.

Ty wasn't sure how long he kissed Marti, but he was aware that they were not standing still the whole time. When he felt something bump against his backside, he realized that Marti had been maneuvering him toward her bed. He certainly didn't mind!

Leaning back slightly in order to sit on the edge, Ty found himself much closer to Marti's height. Suddenly all the stress of the past two days seemed to break -- from waking up in this woman's arms, to running away out of panic, to not being able to find her when he had returned, to realizing that he was practically stalking her, to this very moment, when she was looking at him with those beautiful eyes... it had been a rough few days!

Marti watched as Ty's features went from being a mask of forced control to finally relaxing into the face she had seen during their night together when she had watched him sleep. But she also saw the exhaustion he was only beginning to feel. And she felt it herself.

Ty opened his mouth to speak, but Marti put her finger over his lips. "It is enough that you are here.... Can you stay?" she asked, without removing her finger.

When Ty nodded his head yes, Marti stepped away from him, "Don't move."

Ty watched as Marti walked back through the house. Because it was a very open floor plan, he could see everything she was doing. Glancing around, he took in his first real perusal of the place Marti called home.

The room was basically a one room flat because there were no full walls separating the spaces. Half walls, stopping about waist height, segregated off sections. Marti had her bed in the corner near the only other door in the room, which Ty assumed to be the bathroom. Across the room, where Marti was locking the door, Ty could see the kitchen along with the dining table and sitting room.

It was a very simple, yet elegant design. Her color scheme was monochromatic with splashes of color. Ty narrowed his eyes. For some reason, that color scheme seemed to describe his Marti too. She was almost plain on the outside, but when he looked at her, he could see the bursts of passion and beauty that she worked hard to cover and hide. For some reason, Marti seemed more comfortable, in her life as well as in her home, keeping her exuberance in check.

By this time, Marti had finished bolting her door, turning off the extra lights and grabbing the restaurant bag out of the kitchen. Kicking off her shoes in front of the bed, she plopped down rather unceremoniously beside Ty on the bed.

Looking over at Ty, with a hesitant look on her face, Marti said, "Ty, I'm really, really glad you are here. But I'm exhausted.... Want supper?"

Ty threw back his head and laughed at this woman. So much for glamor! He took one of the canned drinks out of Marti's hands and popped the top on it. Shaking his head at her in amusement, he took a sip. Marti opened the open bag of food and placed several containers on the bed. Apparently they were having Chinese take out for dinner.

Sitting on the bed with Marti, sharing not only her supper, but even sharing her fork, Ty couldn't remember ever having been so comfortable with a woman so quickly. Marti made him feel so content that even the intense sexual tension between them seemed natural and right.

Marti was talking about the hosiery mill where she worked. He had known she worked at a hosiery mill because of the convention in the motel. But as she talked, Ty realized that she wasn't just in a management position at the mill -- she was the management. Hell, she was the boss -- no, make that the owner/boss. Great. He had the hots for a CEO. Not exactly who he saw himself with in his fantasies...

See, Ty wasn't the type to climb the corporate ladder. He had spent most of his life thinking that having a "career" sounded too much like having a disease. It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough. After high school, he had done his time in college, getting his degree. But even though his diploma mentioned something about having a Bachelor's degree in engineering, Ty had always felt like his real education in college had been more about finding himself. And he had liked who he had found himself to be.

But who Ty was, wasn't someone who fit into the corporate world. He was fortunate enough to have found a niche for himself doing free lance photography. That had allowed him to be freed from having to have a 9 to 5 job. He wasn't ever going to be rich, but he was happy. And when Janice needed him to tend bar at the motel, he was usually available.

That availability had always provided Ty with just about all the social contact he could want. The motel was always packed with conventions, trade shows, corporate parties and the like. Janice had been smart enough to realize early on in her management of the motel that Ty could be a real asset to the motel. Not only was he an excellent bartender, but his rugged good looks and easy going yet reserved attitude made him an instant attraction for both male and female visitors to the motel. Janice had capitalized on her brother's particular charms by hiring him out for all the private bartending needs of the motel clients. Almost every week night, Ty had a different business party to tend to.

Ty had to admit that he enjoyed watching the people he worked with at these functions. He had even gotten good at identifying the types of people who attended the parties. Some of the men and women were ruthless, others were easily manipulated. Still others were stealthy -- almost stalking their prey around the room as the evening would progress. It all just reinforced Ty's own derision for the corporate world.

And Ty's opinion was only heightened by the fact that Ty found himself getting hit on at practically every event. Even though he had had plenty of opportunities to sample the clientèle, Ty had steadfastly held to his aversion for such encounters. Although he had no delusions about what some of the offers he had received would entail, he wasn't willing to sacrifice his standards in order to be some social conquest.

It wasn't that Ty was a saint. He had dated plenty of women in his past, mostly in college. He had even fancied himself to love one or two of them. But time had shown him that he was too much of a loner to ever really connect deeply with a woman. He had lots of people who thought of him as their friend, especially when they needed to borrow his pick up or needed him to come move some heavy piece of furniture. He even had a few who he knew he could count on if he himself ever needed something. But overall, he knew that, deep down, he had never found a woman who could tap into the depths of his soul.

And now he was sitting on a bed, in an apartment in Montgomery, listening to a woman he barely knew tell him about her job -- her corporate job. Marti was talking to him as though she had known him forever, opening up her thoughts and feelings to him. As Ty listened, he watched her face. When she was discussing the technical stuff, she was animated and enthusiastic. But when it came to dealing with the employees, her features changed and he could sense the tension inside of her. And somehow, in sharing her own story, this woman was doing what no other had ever done -- she was finding a way to touch his soul. He wondered how far this feeling would go.

Marti had begun telling Ty about the meeting she had had that morning with the employees from the convention. He had only caught bits and pieces of what had actually happened that first day he met her. Now he was getting a much fuller picture. And getting angrier by the minute.

"Let me get this straight... this employee of yours actually said that?" Ty asked as Marti relayed what she had overheard.

Nodding her head and rolling her eyes, Marti said, "Yep. And from what the other employees shared today, it wasn't the first time. As it turns out, apparently there was even a betting pool at some point about how long it would take me to fail -- either by having a nervous breakdown or by suddenly becoming the victim of some con man who was out to get the company -- believing that he could fall for me, while all he wanted was the money."

Ty felt himself cringe as his body stiffened. Great. Now she would think that was all he was after.

Marti didn't seem to catch the sudden change in Ty's attitude. She was too caught up telling him the details about the meeting. In the end, she had basically put about five of the worst offenders onto a probation of sorts. The employees had all apologized and she was sincerely hoping it was all over.

Stopping in mid sentence, Marti finally realized that Ty wasn't completely focused on her story. "Ty? Is everything alright?", she asked.

Ty was looking at Marti intently. "I'm not sure. I'm not even sure why I'm here...." Ty's voice trailed off.

Marti smiled. "Well, I hope you showed up here because you wanted to see me. If you were visiting someone else, you better let me know now!" Marti teased.

Ty smiled slightly. "No, I came to see you. How did you know it was me out there?" Ty asked, nodding toward the parking lot.

"I'm not sure," Marti said. "But the second I saw you, I just knew it was you. I didn't even know you rode." Marti had turned her own head, looking in the direction of the parking lot, as though she could see through the wall. Turning back toward Ty, he saw that her expression had changed.

"Ty," Marti began, then hesitated before continuing, "Ty, I want you to know that the other night was incredible for me. I have been thinking about it almost constantly since you left. I kept vacillating between wanting to come find you and not wanting to ever bother you again by reminding you of something you might not want to remember...."

After stopping to clear her throat, Marti seemed to square her shoulders before she continued, "But you should know that I want to be with you again. I'm not asking you for anything here -- no commitment, nothing like that -- just the chance to be with you one more time."

Ty's eyes narrowed. "One more time? That's what you want?" he asked. "What if I wanted something different?"

Marti cocked her head to the side as though she didn't understand, "What do you mean?"

Ty leaned back against the headboard of Marti's bed before answering. "Well, what if I wanted you to be my mistress?" Ty wasn't sure what the hell he was talking about, but for some reason, he wanted to press this woman about this. He wasn't interested in just one more night with her.

Confusion etched Marti's face for a moment, before she her brow suddenly relaxed and she said, "Oh! I understand... you are asking me to let you visit whenever you would like?"

Ty wasn't sure that was at all what he meant, but he wasn't about to let her know that. "Yeah. Are you up for that?"

Marti's quick response caused Ty a moment of concern. She answered, "Oh, that would be fine too!" she said just a bit too brightly.

Raising his eyebrow at her, Ty tried to figure out what Marti was thinking. He decided to let her fill in the blank herself.

And Marti seemed ready to do just that. "If that is what you want, that is good. You can visit here anytime you like. Just let me know, I'll be glad to get supper and meet you here."

Ty was sure that his skepticism was showing on his face. With a bit of sarcasm dripping in his voice, he said, "Oh? You are embarrassed to be seen with me?"

Again Marti's face wrinkled in confusion. "Why would you say that? Of course I would want to be seen with you. I just assumed that you would not want to be seen out with me...." Marti's voice trailed off.

"Why?" Ty asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Well, I'm not exactly the type of woman you are probably used to being seen with, Ty....", Marti began.

"And what kind of woman do you think I'm normally seen with?" Ty asked, feeling rather defensive.

Marti lowered her eyes. Ty watched her face as she worked to keep him from seeing all the emotions running across her face. When she raised her eyes to his, he could tell that she was precariously close to tears.

"Ty, please don't make me say it...." Marti's voice trailed off.

"Say what?" Ty wasn't sure at all what Marti was trying to say, but he had enough sense to realize that he needed to figure out what was wrong here.

Rolling her eyes to the side, Marti refused to meet Ty's eyes. "Ty, I know what I look like. I know that a man like you could have your choice of women out there. And although I'm not completely sure why you are here, I am fairly sure it has to do with the really great sex the other night. I promise I will do my best to keep you happy on that front, but you don't have to pretend. I know I'm not that attractive. I have my good qualities, but they aren't exactly the kind of thing that would turn a man's head. But as long as you want me, I'll do my best to take care of you -- whatever it is that I can do for you..."

Ty was completely surprised by that answer -- he knew that Marti had been quite shy that first night about him seeing her naked body. And he knew that the few times he had seen her clothed, it was in outfits that were meant to make her blend into the background. He hadn't realized just how insecure she was about this, though.

"Marti -" Ty began, but Marti cut him off.

"Please ...." Marti said, obviously close to pleading with Ty, "Please, can we just not talk about this right now? I'm so tired -- today was so hard, and.... and...." Twin tears began tracking their way down her cheeks. "I just can't handle much more...."

Ty shook his head, clearing it of that train of thought, willing to give Marti the space she seemed to need. Then he opened his arms to Marti, motioning for her to lay down beside him. Within moments, the two of them were snuggled together on the bed. They were both still fully clothed and were actually laying on top of the covers, so Ty realized they were going to have to move soon, but for the time being, he need to just hold Marti.

Although she didn't say anything else, Ty knew that Marti was still close to bursting into tears. He gave her a few moments to just relax, then he bent his head down and began kissing her hair. "It's ok, Marti... we don't have to make any decisions tonight. We can just be together for right now... it's ok...." Ty said soothingly.

When he could feel the tension begin to leave Marti's body, Ty sat up and pulled her up beside him. Then he held out his hand and helped her off the bed. Since he was still sitting on the bed, he scooted to the edge of the bed and positioned Marti to be standing in between his legs.

Marti refused to raise her eyes to look into Ty's. Finally, Ty reached out finger and tilted her face up toward his. Knowing that he needed to lighten the moment, Ty made sure that his face was conveying a stern look as he said, "Marti Hampton, I know you just said that you didn't want us to be making any commitments to each other, so I won't. But I will tell you that, right now, I am getting hotter by the second... and I could be sitting here telling you that your little ass swaying back and forth in that business skirt looks just like two squirrels wrestlin' in a poke sack! And I wanna do some poking of my own!!!"

Ok, so it was a really old, worn out pick up line, but Ty was enjoying teasing Marti, watching her eyes grow wider as she listened to what he was saying. Even though he didn't know this woman that well, for some reason, she felt like home. And playing with her seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

"Now with that in mind, with us both being commitment-less and all -- we need to get you out of these clothes, so we can .... um.... do some poking...." Ty had meant to continue being playful, but as he started to undress Marti, he found that he couldn't think of anything new to say.

Deciding that he didn't really need to try to talk right now anyway, with steady and sure hands, Ty began undressing Marti. First unbuttoning her dressy shirt, then the waistband of her skirt, Ty watched as both articles of clothing slid to the floor around her feet. Standing in front of him, Ty could tell that Marti wasn't completely comfortable, as his eyes consumed her flesh. But Ty couldn't help it -- he just wanted to stare at her body. It fascinated him with all of its curves and softness.

"Ty? Are you going to make me stand here all night?" Marti asked quietly.

Ty chuckled and shook his head. Then he reached behind Marti and popped open the back of her bra -- utilizing one of those useful college skills Ty had acquired -- how to unsnap a bra without looking, using only one hand. As Marti's breasts came into view, Ty's breath caught in his throat. As he bent toward her, sucking one of her large nipples into his mouth, his hands quickly slipped inside her panties and pushed them to the floor. He hadn't meant to make love to Marti -- his plan had simply been to help her undress so she could go to bed, but seeing her body made him painfully aware of just how desirable he found Marti.

When Marti began moaning softly, Ty knew that he had to have her. Damn it, he had meant to talk to her, to get to know her. But right now the only thing he wanted to know about her was how she felt in his arms. Raising up from her breast, Ty pulled Marti's face toward his own as his lips claimed hers. He realized that he wasn't being gentle, he felt like he was on fire and right now he needed to take this woman.

Ty tried to pull back. He didn't want to frighten Marti with his aggression. But he chuckled when she wouldn't let him go. She was meeting him passion for passion. When she did pull away, it was only to begin undressing him. Ty watched her face as she tugged his t-shirt out of his jeans and pushed it up over his stomach and chest. As soon as she revealed one of his nipples, she lost interest in the shirt and lowered her lips to encircle the hardening tip. Ty reached over her head and finished pulling off the t-shirt, as the powerful sensations ripped through his chest. Then she reached for his belt. Pushing her back slightly, Ty stood up in front of Marti, so she could reach his jeans easier.

That was the moment when Ty realized that Marti wasn't nearly as interested in getting all of his clothes off as she was with revealing his body! As soon as she had his jeans lowered, she was reaching for his briefs. But his jeans were still on, so he was hobbled. Laughing, Ty sat back down on the bed suddenly, leaving a very confused looking Marti staring at hims questioningly.

"Sweetheart, I have to take off my boots," Ty explained.

He watched as a blush stole up Marti's cheeks. Apparently, she had been so focused on seeing and touching his body, she hadn't even thought through needing to get the rest of Ty's clothes off. Ty reached down and untied the black biker boots he had on, tossing them across the room. Then he pulled off his socks, jeans and briefs. Before he had even finished getting everything off, Marti was stroking his flesh, driving him crazy with her touch.