Beautiful women hooking arms with handsome men are seen everywhere on the ship. Most persons, Martha had never seen in all her years. She abstained from wine and alcohol like.they contained some disease that was contagious. She watched her brothers mix pretty with the ladies and other guys while she sat down alone, her phone in hand. Her mind was somewhere or rather someone and she could only hope that he was around and he was going to be present.
She got a call from Lily and she walked down the deck to answer the call.
Lily was also at the party held for The Blood and she had not gotten the opportunity to call Martha or Marcus. She just wanted the party with fake smiles and those who thought it good to be predators to prey, to end. The competition was clear in the eyes of the executives and she detested the fact that she once thought the way they did, once calculated and appropriated things just the way they do. She needed to feel something different from the choking atmosphere around. Her father was walking up and down like a lost puppy, seeking whom to partner with for the expansion of his ever growing businesses or who he could slander and tattle tell. She needed some good energy and she wanted to feel something real and the only person she knew that possessed such energy was…Martha Jordan. Her sweet friend! It has not been up to twenty four hours since they were separated from each other but it seemed like an eternity already. She went to a room in the building where she expected no one to be in to make the call but she got the shock of her life because she was met with two husband's and two wives, having lewd sex on the floor, without any shame or care in the world. The worse was that when she had walked in on them, one of the women asked her if she cared to join. Her legs moved faster than her brain in making sure she was out of there in no time. She decided to go to the restroom to make the call.
At the first ring, Martha did not pick. She called again and when the call was about to disconnect, Martha picked.
"Oh Lily, what happened to you? I have not been able to get wind of you since yesterday? Are you okay? Is all alright? Did anything unpleasant happen?" Martha asked, bombarding her with questions and leaving no room for Lily to answer. Lily laughed, "calm down young lady. You should be a rapper. Well, when I got home yesterday, I was super tired. I had to go directly to bed. When I woke up, my dad…ummm, took me out to get some things ready for the new year" Lily said as she lied glibly through her teeth.
"Awwwn, that must be so good. What did he get you? Before you answer that, you sound really really tired like someone who has been sleep deprived. You said you slept on your getting home right?" asked Martha.
"You could tell all these just through this phone conversation?'
"Yes! Are you alright?"
"Yes I am. I just think the jet lag feeling has not worn off"
"Relax and rest. You would be better in no time!" said Martha.
"Alright, it feels so nice speaking with you" said Lily as she giggled.
"Same! It feels so nice to speak with you after my agitationals and thoughts. Do not forget to call Marcus, he also wants to speak with you and he has been very very worried" said Martha with mirth in her voice and Lily could sense that the last statement was a tease. She almost took that seriously!
"But on a serious note, he does want to speak with you and he told me to let him know when I'm successful in reaching you. Save a poor boy the stress of anxiety"
"Alright, but it's only because you called him 'poor' that I am doing this," said Lily.
"Anyways I am rooting for the both of you"
"What do you mean by that?" asked Lily, she knew Martha was trying to hint on something.
"Stop acting so innocent, Miss Mark! I saw the both of you kissing each other like your very lives depend on it and like you have been starved of each other for eternity" Martha said.
"You are just trying to make this more dramatic than it was. It was not as vivid as your explanation says. You know what, we would chat later. My dad is looking for me and we will continue this conversation later" said Lily.
"Running away I see?" Martha teased.
"Call it whatever you want but I'm going right now. We would speak later and take care of your pretty self" Lily said.
"You also, beautiful soul!" Martha said and with that the call was disconnected.
Lily decided to call Marcus right there. He picked on the first ring and almost deafened her ear buds.
"Where have you been Lily Mark?"
She pulled the phone away from her ear as she squinted her eyes and chuckled. That was not expected!.
"Home!" Lily replied as soon as she got her hearing back.
"I gave you like a gazillion calls and yet, you answered none and all this while, YOU WERE HOME?" asked Marcus, with emphasis on the last three words as he asked in staccato.
"It was not like I never wanted to pick your call but immediately I got home, I was so jet lagged that I slept off immediately. When I woke up, I had to go somewhere with my dad. Nevertheless, I am sorry for not returning your call earlier." Lily said.
"You had me worried Lily. I…I began to think something might have happened to you and…" Marcus trailed off.
"You were worried about me?" Lily asked, in a soft voice that sounded nothing like hers.
"Should I not be?" Marcus asked.
"I…I don't know. It is not in my place to choose" said Lily.
"Whatever! You take care of yourself out there and make sure you call me if you need anything" said Marcus.
"Sure I would. Make sure you also call me if you need anything and do not forget to take care of yourself" said Lily.
"Bye!"
After the call, Lily was grinning like a wild cat, from ear to ear. She remembered the night they had spent in the suite at the club house. Marcus had offered to sleep on the floor if she was going to be uncomfortable in any way. She had disagreed with that and had asked him to come join her on the bed. She felt like she was the one that was making him feel uncomfortable and she was sleeping at the very edge of the bed. She feared that she might fall off the bed, sometime in her sleep but that was still okay as long as Marcus was comfortable. The next morning, she found herself entangled in the sheets with Marcus. Her head on his chest, his hand on her waist and her legs in between his legs. He had not said anything about that night or about…about that warm kiss she could not stop thinking about. But, she did not want to spoil whatever was going on between them with her impatience and she decided to be a lot calmer. She wondered why it was that she was very patient with other areas of her life, such as stalking a person for months, knowing the high and low of the person's daily routine, only to end up killing the person and why it was that with matters of her heart, matters relating to…love, she was very impatient.
Marcus Ranks is her first love and that could be a reason. Perhaps!
When Martha got back to the deck where the party was, everyone was gathered close to the elevated part of the deck where some persons worthy to be noted were being called up on stage to receive awards. Her father was called up to receive an award as the best ex - supervisor with the greatest social skills. That was something she supposed was worth awarding, but all the same, she and her brothers cheered the loudest. She thought they were done when they called a name she never expected to hear.
"The very last award goes to the sweetest bachelor of Naylatan who is beginning to conquer Fijex and this is no other than…Mr Nathan Martin ''. There were claps and smiles everywhere as Nathan came out from somewhere in the crowd to receive the award. He was on a dashing grey tuxedo and a pair of grey trousers. He looked splendidly outstanding, just like she had always remembered him. The crowd was going wild as they chanted his name - mostly the ladies. The award was for being the youngest person in The Organization to rise to the position of being a Lord.
"Nathan is now a Lord, as in…Lord Nathan?" asked Martha to herself. He was even higher in rank than her father. Wow! That is a big one there. She had numerous questions to ask him
..Lord or not, he was once her friend and they had a conversation that was long overdue. He won't be the one to continue controlling whatever it was that was going on between them. She did not want to miss him and so she pushed through the crowd of bodies. He was about to get down from the stage and Martha was about ten paces away from him. As he got down from the stage, he was enveloped in a hug by someone…a lady and not just any lady, the hottest super model in Naylatan - Anaya Crawford! Men worshipped the very ground she walked on and would do anything to have an hour with the beautiful Anaya.
Normally Anaya is not supposed to know of such gatherings but her brother is one of the free volunteers to the organization. He had been careless with his card and she had gotten to know of a world that she was never meant to. She signed the necessary things to have her lips shut and Nathan had picked her as his date for the night. Nothing more, everything less.
Whoever was giving information to The Blood was definitely someone who had access to information and that person could be there watching him at that very moment. Rising to the rank of a Lord, he is to have a lady by his side and he had chosen Anaya out of necessity rather than love or anything meaningful. He had dumped off the last lady he was with after their contract expired. Despite her pleas and tears, he could not be moved.
"I knew you were meant for greatness my love!" Anaya said as she planted a surprising and dashing kiss on Nathan's lips.
Martha's world swayed…again!
"I think I have been stupid enough!"