A Place to Belong Ch. 02

Almost without thinking, Ty reached for Marti's hand that was stroking his arm and placed it directly on his stiffened cock. His breath caught in his throat as her hand began exploring him. Leaning back on the bed, Ty gave Marti much fuller access. And Marti didn't miss the options now offered. One hand tentatively cupped his balls while the other continued to stroke up and down his cock.

When Marti lowered her mouth and began licking on him, Ty's eyes rolled back in his head. Her lips encircled the head of his cock and her tongue felt like it was everywhere all at once. Her other hand continued to roll his balls back and forth, gently squeezing them.

Although Ty really, really didn't want to stop her, he realized that Marti needed his attentions as much as he needed hers. Reaching down to pull her up, Ty kissed Marti deeply as he pulled her onto the bed with him. Laying her down beside him, Ty let his hands trace over this body he had been thinking about nonstop for the past two days.

Using as gentle of a touch as he could manage, Ty rolled Marti's nipples in between his fingers. Feeling them pebble only made him want to suck them. But he wanted to focus on touching Marti first. He moved his hands down over her belly, enjoying watching the emotions on her face as she realized just how sensitive her skin was there.

Although he was trying to take his time, it was only a matter of moments before Ty found his fingers stroking Marti's mound. His fingers slipped lower, feeling the heat radiating from within her. Sliding one finger through her already moistened folds, he felt the tightness as he found his way inside Marti. The look on her face told Ty that she was lost in the feelings he was causing.

For the most part, Ty had never had any complaints from his lovers about his abilities. And Ty sensed that Marti wasn't overly experienced. But he didn't want to just assume that he knew what would make this woman happy. "Marti? Do you like that?" Ty whispered.

When Marti tried to open her eyes, Ty noticed that it was fairly difficult for her to manage to focus them. He smiled to himself. He liked knowing that he was the reason she was feeling so good.

Even once her eyes were open, though, Marti only managed to murmur a contented, "Mmmm...." before closing them again.

Ty took his finger from inside of her and gently rubbed her own juices over her own lips. This did cause her eyes to fly open as she looked at him questioningly. Ty just smiled as he reached down and began licking the moistness off -- first her upper lip, then her lower. He enjoyed seeing the way that her lips began to swell with her growing passion. She looked even more desirable to him by the second.

Finally, Ty didn't think he could hold out much longer. He really wanted to be inside of Marti. Pulling her legs around his waist, he knelt in front of Marti, sliding his cock deep inside of her. Marti's face was incredibly animated. Ty could tell every emotion and feeling she was experiencing by watching her. And at that particular moment, all she was feeling was his thrusts.

As he sped up, Ty noticed that Marti wasn't just moist -- the woman was downright wet. Realizing that his cock was just the right size to hit Marti's most sensitive places, Ty smiled to himself. Apparently he had found a perfect fit.

Even as Ty mused over his own sensations, Marti began thrashing around under him. Deciding to keep her in one place, he lowered his weight onto her. Without warning, suddenly Marti orgasmed, squeezing Ty's cock tightly as she did so. Ty's thrusts became more urgent as he felt her muscles contract around him.

Almost too quickly, Ty realized that he was really ready to cum. There was a moment's hesitation on his part, wanting to prolong the experience, but right then, Marti cried out as her own next orgasm built. It was too tempting. Ty began pounding her with heavy thrusts as he felt his own body shake with the power of the sensations he was feeling. And unlike his usual release, this time it seemed to go on and on. And each thrust was met by Marti's own growls of appreciation as her body again crested in pleasure.

Ty found that he was having trouble with his own eyes as his orgasm came to an end. He couldn't seem to keep them open or be able to focus them. Finally, he gave up trying and slumped down onto Marti's warm body. Her arms wrapped around him as she spread kisses anywhere she could reach on him.

"Thank you," Marti whispered in Ty's ear.

Ty smiled to himself. When he figured out how to make his muscles obey his mind, he would tell her she was most welcomed. But for right now, nothing seemed to want to work....

The darkness outside was deep when Marti finally opened her eyes. Apparently, she and Ty had both fallen asleep rather abruptly after their powerful union. Ty was lying beside her, half covering her own body with his. That was how he had slept the first night they were together -- it must be comfortable to him.

That fleeting thought caused Marti to cringe. Just how many women had Ty slept with in that position? Shaking her head at her own foolish jealousy, she craned her head to see the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning. She and Ty had fallen asleep about 8:30 the night before!

Marti had no idea if Ty had meant to spend the night or not. She certainly hoped he had, because it was a little late now to fix that. Laying her head back down on the pillow, Marti turned to face Ty. It was only then that she realized he was awake as well, intently watching her.

Smiling, Marti whispered, "We fell asleep..."

Ty reached over and kissed her lips. It wasn't the kiss of passion that they had shared the night before -- it was a kiss of tenderness and care. Marti's eyes closed of their own volition, as she savored the emotions the kiss inspired. Marti realized that she was falling in love with this man.

When she opened her eyes, Ty was still watching her. Not really comfortable with his stare, or with the realization of how deep her own emotions were running, Marti quietly asked, "Are you hungry?"

Ty actually laughed outloud at her question. "Only for you, you silly girl!"

Marti's brow wrinkled in mock consternation. "But I'm hungry...."

Ty shook his head as his smile widened. "Then let us feed you -- after all, I did eat most of your supper last night. Do you have anything to cook?"

Marti frowned, "I'm not sure what is in there. I haven't had a chance to go to the store since the convention."

Throwing back the covers, Ty climbed out of bed. Marti watched as he unabashedly walked across the room naked. God, he was beautiful.

"Hmmmm...." Ty said. "I see the stuff to make pancakes and there is some bacon in the freezer. How does that sound?"

Marti's mouth was already watering from watching Ty bending over looking into the fridge. Adding the thought of him cooking breakfast for her had her practically famished. "It sounds wonderful!"

Ty chuckled as he began setting out the ingredients. Marti grabbed a button up shirt and her panties. She was willing to leave the shirt unbuttoned, but she was just too self conscious to not need any cover. She made her way over one of the stools she had sitting at the bar in her kitchen. After perching up on the seat, she watched as Ty found his way around her pots and pans.

As he cooked, Ty asked her questions. Questions about her family, about her friends, about her life. Marti told him about her father and new step mother. She told him about the few close friends that she had -- all of whom were married with children. She even told him a little about her job. But she stopped short of mentioning her extreme lack of experience where male/female relationships were concerned. She figured it was evident anyway.

For his part, Ty not only listened well, but also responded well. Marti began to piece together, from his responses, that Ty was a very independent man -- not that she had ever doubted that. He also seemed to be very comfortable with himself, casually moving around her kitchen at 4:30 in the morning, completely naked, cooking breakfast.

If someone had told Marti a week ago that she would have the most handsome man in the world fixing breakfast for her, while wearing nothing more than a smile, she would have laughed in their face. Yet here it was happening. And unless she was dreaming, this was really happening.

Ty served up the pancakes and bacon and joined Marti at the bar. However, before he sat down on her barstool, which was covered with vinyl, he did take a moment to slip back on his briefs. Chuckling at her questioning look, Ty said, "I have no desire to lose the top layer of the skin on my backside to your barstool!"

Marti laughed out loud. Ty then sat down beside her and their conversation continued as they ate. It was Marti's turn to ask some questions. She began with the obvious one, "Have you always been a bartender?"

Ty raised one eyebrow as he looked at her, as though trying to decide just how much of an answer he was willing to give her. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he said, "Nah. But I've done it for a long time."

Marti's brow wrinkled. That was a frustrating answer. So she tried again. "And what else have you done?"

The fire that flashed in Ty's eyes alarmed Marti. "What's wrong with bartending?" Ty asked, defensively.

Marti looked at him in confusion. "Wrong with it? Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Ty looked skeptical. "Well," he began, "You did just make it sound like that couldn't possibly be all I've ever done..."

Marti rolled her eyes. "That was NOT what I meant. But you said you hadn't always tended bar -- which makes it sound like there is something else that you have done at some other time. That was why I asked."

Marti wasn't used to having such intimate and intense discussions. In fact, she couldn't remember ever having had this type of discussion. Here she was, talking to someone about something other than socks and finding herself not only interested in what he had to say, but caring enough to actually bother working at the conversation. No wonder people didn't bother getting to know one another. This was hard!

Ty seemed to have decided to believe her explanation though and he was explaining about his work as a photographer. But he still seemed very reticent to being completely open.

Then Marti realized that Ty was doing something she herself did -- he was testing her to see if she was really interested. He had just sat and listened to her babble on about her hosiery mill for the past 30 minutes. But now that he was telling her about his own life, he wanted to see if she would listen to him as well.

Although she didn't know aperture from filter lens, Marti was truly interested because Ty was obviously very passionate about this. Focusing her mind to really listen, Marti asked him a few questions, picking out parts of his own explanations that she didn't understand. In the course of the meal, Marti realized that Ty wasn't just someone with a digital camera who shot random pictures. The man was truly a photographer. He loved it as much as she loved her knitting machines. And that sort of passion was something that Marti could understand!

Ty seemed to relax more with Marti as he talked about some of the more interesting shoots he had done. He had covered everything from weddings to photo layouts for magazines. And he was fairly well published as well. Obviously this was one of the places Ty excelled.

And after eating through a stack of pancakes and a pile of bacon, Marti had to admit that cooking was another one of those areas!

It was almost 7:00 before the two of them got off the barstools. Marti suggested that Ty take a shower while she did the dishes. She nodded toward the bathroom and turned to walk to the sink.

But Ty's arms whipped around her from both sides, taking the plates out of her hands and sitting them beside him onto the counter. Then turning Marti around in his arms, he said, "It would be much more fun if you were in the shower with me!"

Marti's eyes flew wide open and a blush stole up her cheeks. "Take a shower with you?" she asked.

Ty chuckled. "Yeah, sweetheart. A shower... You, me, soap, shampoo...."

Marti giggled and rolled her eyes. "Lead on, oh great wise one!" she teased.

In the shower, Ty stuck to making sure that both of them got clean, with only a few kisses and lingering touches. Although it was obvious that both of them were quiet willing to fall back into bed with each other and spend the day there, it was Friday and Marti had to go to work.

Ty dried Marti off as she stood still for him on the bathmat. She had never been dried off by a man -- well, maybe her dad when she was a baby, but that didn't count. Ty's touch was so soft and caressing that Marti had trouble continuing to stand upright. As it was, she rested her hand on Ty's shoulder as he bent in front of her, making sure that she was steady enough to not topple over onto him.

When he finished, Ty pulled Marti to him for a quick kiss before sending her off into her room to get dressed. By the time Ty finished drying off, Marti was already slipping into a black shapeless dress. Ty wrinkled his nose at her choice, but Marti just laughed. "It is perfectly fine for work," she said.

Ty rolled his eyes and said, "Well, we will have to see about that, but not right now. Right now, you probably need to get going, don't you? It's almost 8:00."

Marti looked over at the clock on the dresser and sighed. Her time with Ty was almost over. But he had just said something about making sure she dressed better in the future -- surely that meant that there would be more opportunities to be together.

Turning back to face Ty, Marti's eyes were round with emotions running rampant through them. Her joy at seeing him, her insecurities about pleasing him, her pleasure at having spent real time getting to know him, and her questions about the future all were vying for priority.

Ty grinned as he walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "My sweet Marti Hampton, I will be back," he said as he bent to place a light kiss on her nose.

Marti tried to smile back at Ty, but for some reason tears welled up into her eyes. Ty shook his head, "No crying -- we'll be together again soon. Now, go to work." And with a quick turn of his hand, he gave her a light smack on the bottom.

Marti did manage to laugh at that as she grabbed her briefcase and paperwork that she hadn't even touched the night before. Smiling to herself, she decided she had had far better things to do the night before!

Ty stood alone in Marti's apartment after she closed the door behind her. Just like he had seen in Marti's eyes, a million thoughts were running through his own head. But one thing was certain -- his Marti needed some special attention paid to her. As he pieced together all that he knew about her, Ty realized that Marti was brilliant in her field -- the woman knew more about the world of textiles than he ever dreamed of wanting to know. But there was so much more to her -- and from what he could tell, much of who she was had been stifled.

Moving around the room, gathering up his clothes from the night before, Ty began to formulate a plan. Not too long ago, a local newspaper had contacted him about doing some freelance photography of various events around the area. He had struggled off the offer because he hadn't needed the work and really didn't want to spend the time alone. But maybe Marti would be interested in going with him to a few of the events. Then he could show her his passion. A chuckle slipped out of Ty's mouth... he was fairly sure Marti had already seen his passion! But, if this worked out, he could show her something other than her body that he was passionate about!

With a heavy dose of chagrin, Ty remembered how abruptly he had left Marti before. Resolving to do better this time, he left a note on Marti's kitchen table, telling her that he would be back on Saturday morning to pick her up at 8 am. He also thought to leave her his phone number, since he didn't have hers, just in case she wanted to call. Then, whistling an old tune, he locked the door behind him and headed down to his motorcycle.

Marti breezed into her office with a smile on her face. The night before had been wonderful, Ty was wonderful, the world was wonderful... so why was her father in her office yet again, if everything was so wonderful?

Hugh Hampton had a deep frown on his face that he tried to cover with a quick smile as Marti pushed open the door and eyed him suspiciously. "Daddy? What are you doing here?"

The effort Marti's father had exerted to control his facial features wasn't enough to keep the frown at bay, though. A long sigh passed through his lips. "Marti, we need to talk..."

Marti sat down in the chair opposite of her father with a feeling of deep foreboding. "What's going on, Daddy? Are you ok?"

A momentary look of confusion flickered across Hugh's face. When he realized what Marti was asking, he quickly answered her, "Oh! No, sweetie... it's not about me... I'm fine."

Relief flooded Marti's own features. Hugh shook his head. "No, Marti, this is about the mill."

Marti raised her eyebrow questioningly, but waited for her father to continue. "I need to discuss the future with you -- the future of this very business. I know that I only turned the reigns over to you six months ago. And I am kicking myself for not making this decision before I did that. But I put it off and put it off and now it is rearing its ugly head again. And I hate to get you all mixed up in this... I should have taken care of it myself..."

Marti's brow knit in confusion as she tried to follow her father's meandering explanation of his thought process. As she listened, Hugh began explaining, somewhat haltingly, that their company was at a crossroads. Because of the Free Trade Agreement, competition was intense for the production of their hosiery goods, but the price of production was sky rocketing. None of that was news to Marti -- she had been in textiles for years -- she knew the score.

What Marti didn't know though was that several large investors had approached Hugh about a merger of sorts. Hampton Hosiery would be joined to a handful of other small hosiery mills, forming a more organized approach to the competition. Production would be streamlined amongst the various combined businesses. The workers would benefit and the companies would have a chance of survival in the face of growing odds.

But Marti could tell though that Hugh was hedging about something. "Daddy? What's the bottom line here? Why would this be such a monumental decision? It seems like a potentially "win-win" situation? What's the downside?"

Hugh's face turned a slight shade of green as he looked at Marti sheepishly. "The downside, dear daughter, is the caveat that this whole deal hinges on - it is that the management of each company is completely ousted...."

It took a few moments for Marti to digest what her father was saying. So many thoughts were clamoring to be heard. She had always known about the intense competition for production -- that was one reason she had dedicated her entire education to seeking superior quality hosiery. But Marti also knew that the market was tough. American textile companies were drowning in the world market. Taking this new approach would mean that the employees who depended on Hampton Hosiery for their income would be able to continue working, providing for themselves and their families. And that mattered a lot to Marti.

But what about her own situation? Marti considered her position. She might have some issues with some of her sales staff, but her company employed over 250 people -- many of whom would have difficulty finding work in a stagnant economy. Those people were the ones whom Marti had really been working for by keeping the company up to date and on top of the game. But Marti had to admit -- it took a toll on her.