Twenty-Nine

“Have you thought about what you’ll wear on your trip?” Tracey sat cross-legged on the bed as Faith folded a basket of towels. They had taken almost a two-hour nap, and when they woke, Selby decided the night called for ribeyes and Merlot, so he headed to the market.

Faith decided she needed to do some laundry before the trip, and Tracey wasn’t leaving until she had her steak. So, Faith loaned the other woman some gym shorts and an old Green Lantern T-shirt, much to Selby’s dismay who hoped the girls would stay naked for the remainder of the day. He was even willing to grill the perfect steak for them in return. They, of course, laughed as they shook their heads, but promised, perhaps, after they tasted the steaks, they might accommodate the pouting man.

Faith had laughed at the time, but later was shocked at her quick agreement to the promise. All their sexual exploits, not that there had been many, had either been with single men or couples, never just a woman. Selby had always wanted to make sure Faith had someone to focus on. She had never been confident as to how she would feel with just two women and him since she wasn’t into women. Yet, even though she still wasn’t interested in having sex with another woman, with Tracey it just seemed…different. She wasn’t sure how to explain it to herself, nevertheless anyone else.

“I’m not sure I like this two-on-one,” Selby said as he scooped the keys to the Accord off the counter.

“I’ll remind you of that,” Tracey said with a grin.

With an over-dramatic sigh, he said something about never winning and left.

Tracey volunteered to do the dishes while Faith sorted the laundry, a task that seemed so mundane after their morning. Eventually, however, the two women wound up back in the bedroom.

Faith shook her head. “Not really, other than my Mario Brothers pajamas.”

Tracey raised her eyebrows. “You’re kidding, right? That’s not sexy at all.”

Faith laughed as she put a navy-blue towel on top of a growing stack. “I’m not going for sexy. I’m going for work.”

“So? Who says you can’t have both? The two of you have opened up your sex lives to others. Is this a no-play week?” Tracey pulled a red towel from the basket, shaking it out before folding it. “A solid week surrounded by construction workers and a free room? Sounds like party central to me. And don’t tell me you don’t mix work with pleasure. I know better, remember? Or would your boss get upset?”

Faith walked over to the closet and slid the pocket door open. How would Edwin feel about her fucking someone else? Since she had started her game with Edwin, she hadn’t even thought about playing with anyone else. He consumed her attention and time. They had also never talked about it, so she wasn’t really sure how he would feel about her with a man outside of Selby and him. For that matter, how would she feel? The game she played with Edwin was one thing. To go to Tampa with Morgan for business with some fringe benefits was something else entirely. Morgan was a cocky bastard who had ruined three marriages because of his habits. Faith thought it too much to get involved in. Of course, as Tracey pointed out, there were other possibilities.

“I do need to dress to impress, however. Right?” She shot a grin over her shoulder at the redhead on the bed.

Tracey returned the grin as she pushed herself off the bed and practically hopped to where Faith stood. “Now, that’s my girl.”

“Funny, I thought she was my girl.” Selby stood in the doorframe, one arm stretched across, leaning on the wood.

Tracey shrugged and then patted Faith’s ass. “Not today.”

Faith smiled with a tilt of her head. “Sorry, love. Looks like I’ve been stolen.” Both ladies dove back into the closet, clothes on the brain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Selby watched as they disappeared into the walk-in closet, both giggling about whatever women giggle about as they plot and plan in closets. He had never seen Faith have so much fun, not with another woman, anyway. Faith didn’t mix with other females well. She preferred simple things, non-frilly things. She was a tomboy at heart while most of the women she grew up with preferred prissy things and mindless chatter. Or, they were the abrasive, feminist type who hated men and saw them merely as sperm donors, and if they could get the sperm without touching the cock they would. Faith always got along with men better. In high school, her best friends had always been boys. Not much had changed in almost fifteen years.

Selby pushed himself off the doorframe and left the women to the dress up. He decided then would be a good time to get lost in a book. It was obvious the women were bonding. He just wasn't sure where that bond would lead. They were both loners for the most part and, outside of family, Tracey was the first to enter their home. Selby and Faith thrived on each other, reading, traveling, and the beach. Unless there was a required family gathering, they were quite comfortable with just the two of them, alone, exploring their minds and bodies. The outside world, friends and lovers, even family, had hurt both of them. They never contacted the few they had met on their weekend adventures again. Faith had her coworkers, but up until Edwin, they had remained at work. Selby had had Tracey.

Now they both had her.

He stood in his library, staring at a bookshelf, not really focusing on any one book. He turned his head in the direction of the master bedroom as if he could see through the walls to where the girls pulled outfits off hangers. Tracey brought down both of their defenses, and it scared him. Fulfilling fantasies and exploring their desires was one thing. This was more. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely more than sex.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The day started to cool as the sky shifted to the gray of dusk, storm clouds in the west causing a cool breeze to blow in from the river. Selby stood at the grill thinking more of the two girls bantering in the kitchen over salad as they sipped a cheap Merlot. He flipped the steaks and then closed the lid. Cupping his own goblet, the stem dangling between his index and middle fingers, he crossed the deck to the railing over-looking the dunes. The ocean reflected the approaching night with a ripply streak of white where the rising moon grazed the Atlantic.

The sliding glass door opened and closed behind him, and he heard the soft pad of bare feet on wood. He didn’t turn. It could only be one of two people, and he would welcome the company of either. A hand started at his waist and slid upward to his neck, a small hand.

Cocking his head to the left, he smiled as Tracey, her hand back at his waist, joined him at the rail. She held a full glass of wine in her other hand. “Faith sent me to check on the steaks as the rest of the meal is almost ready.”

Selby reached a hand across her face and brushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes. “About five more minutes.” He glanced back at her pale green eyes, searching her face, for what, he didn’t know. “You doing all right?”

Tracey took his hand and squeezed. “Yes. I’ve had a great time with both of you. You finally had your fantasy of the three of us fulfilled, unless all those teasing suggestions weren’t really sincere.” She smiled up at him, eyebrow raised.

“Oh no, it was definitely what I’ve wanted.”

“How about you? You doing okay?”

He took a sip of his wine to delay his answer. The truth, however, was that he was doing great. Better than great, really. He licked the dry red from his lips as he nodded. “I am. Everything’s seemed so, well, so easy, comfortable.”

“You wanted it to be hard?” Her face held a wry grin.

He laughed. “Nice.” Then, he shook his head. “I didn’t want anything, really. Or rather, I never expected anything.” He turned to her and ran a finger over her cheek. “But I’m glad I got it.”

“So am I.” They both stared at each other, their eyes speaking what their lips were not ready to say. “Now, I think your five minutes are up.”

Selby downed his last swallow of wine before handing her the glass. “I’ll get the meat, if you’ll get the wine.”

She took the glass in one hand and rubbed his cock through his pants with the other. “I’ve already had your meat, but I’ll go ahead and get the wine.” She squeezed his stiffening member once before turning and walking away. “Oh, and after dinner, I’m taking Faith to my place for a bit,” she said over her shoulder. “The woman needs something sexy for her trip.”

He watched her walk back into the house, her small, rounded ass swaying slightly as she did. She probably knew he was watching. What man wouldn’t be? Selby shook his head, a smile creasing his face, and went to check the steaks. Life was good.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The rain was like ice pelting them as Faith and Tracey ran from the small Toyota to the steps of Tracey’s apartment. The overhang was just enough to keep the rain off Faith’s head, but her backside was taking a shower, a freezing shower.

Once they managed to drip their way inside, the air-conditioned air sent shivers through Faith’s soaked body. She wanted to fling the water off her as she huddled within herself, arms wrapped around her, but she didn’t want to drench Tracey’s spotless apartment.

“I’ll grab some towels,” Tracey said as she darted through the apartment to a doorway on her left.

Faith continued to rub her arms as she stood trying not to drip on anything. As she stood on the tile foyer floor, she took in the apartment, surprised at how big the inside actually was. She smiled at the gold metal butterflies Tracey had fluttering up one wall and loved the peacefulness of them. Everything seemed in its place and a perfect fit for where she had placed it.

The smaller woman walked back in and tossed Faith a thick towel. “Here, before you catch a cold and I have to listen to Selby whine. You should probably strip out of those clothes, as well. I can toss them in the dryer if you want or give you another pair of shorts to wear.”

Faith laughed as she started to rub the towel against her hair. “You just want to see me naked again.”

“Of course I do.” Tracey grinned.

Faith had to laugh as she shook the water from her ears. “I love the way you have it. It all seems so…you.” She slipped out of her shorts but left her thong on. She then pulled her shirt over her head, leaving herself in the tan bra she wore. “Now for those extra clothes?”

Tracey grinned. “In time. First, you have to try on the outfits to see what fits.”

“I feel like you tricked me,” Faith said, still wearing a smile. Since she was dry, she made her way slowly around the apartment taking in all the knickknacks and photographs that Tracey had scattered throughout. When she came to the one of Tracey with Ryan and Chelsea, she picked it up and took a closer look. “I didn’t know you had a brother and sister.”

Tracey glanced at the picture Faith held, her lips forming a weak smile. “I don’t.” She held her towel in one hand as she took the picture from Faith with the other. “This is actually a couple I lived with for about four years, Ryan and Chelsea Criswall. I’m surprised Selby hasn’t told you about them.”

Faith shrugged as she continued to look around the room. “Selby hasn’t said much about what the two of you have discussed and shared. I know he didn’t mention that you had had roommates before.”

Tracey slung the towel she held over her shoulder as she placed the picture frame back where it was, a sad smile on her face as she gave the photo one last glance. “They weren’t just roommates.” She walked into the small kitchen and pulled two black mugs from the cabinet and filled each with water. Reaching into another cabinet above the breakfast counter, she pulled out two tea bags of orange spice, dropped one in each mug, and put them both into the microwave. “The three of us formed a triad. We were a family, basically.” The hum of the microwave counted down the two minutes she had punched into the timer.

Faith looked at her in confusion. “You used to be Mormon?”

Tracey snorted in a burst of laughter as she shook her head. “I am far from religious on any front. No, you’re thinking of polygamy. We were a poly-fidelity triad. Most call it polygyny, but to me names are just names. It’s the relationship that matters. We worked as a couple, except our couple had three people in it.”

“Isn’t that basically the same thing?” Faith stared at the small redhead wondering how she had shared a man completely with another woman. How would something like that even work?

Tracey shrugged. “To some, it might be, but not to me. Polygamists seem to have some terrible connotations attached to it. Poly-fidelity, to me, is more about the emotions that go with the relationship, and not trying to appease some higher power.” The microwave dinged, and she pulled the mugs out, setting them quickly on the counter. “There are as many different types of polyamory, which poly-fidelity is a part of, as there are people in the actual relationships. Some, like the three of us, stay committed within the relationship while others may have a partner who doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the family unit.”

Faith wrapped the towel around her body, trying to stay warm as well as hide her partially nude body. She then turned her mug, so the handle was on the left while she dunked the tea bag a few times, steeping it. “So, like an open relationship?”

Tracey put sugar, honey, and Bailey’s French Vanilla creamer on the counter along with two spoons. Faith used two dollops of honey and ignored the rest.

“Yes and no,” Tracey replied. “An open relationship could include just as many things as a poly one does. Take you and Selby, for instance. You two fall into the swinger’s category for right now and open relationships. You two are having fun sexually with others without the emotional attachments and responsibilities that come with a relationship. You fuck and move on, even though you’re fucking Edwin repeatedly, it’s still not a relationship in the sense of the word we’re talking about. In a poly household, everyone is committed to the others with normal household and financial responsibilities.”

Faith thought on that a moment as she blew on her tea to take a sip. She had never really cared for the term swingers as it made her think of massive orgies with hands and mouths everywhere all over everyone and anything attached to someone. Not something she pictured herself doing. Granted, Selby and she had had sexual encounters with others and technically that made them swingers. She just preferred to not use the term.

Edwin, however, was a different creature. So was Tracey for that matter. They both seemed more than fuck buddies. Selby and Tracey definitely had a relationship that went beyond sex as did Edwin and her. While they had just shared Tracey and both had a friendship with the woman, Edwin was all Faith’s. She hadn’t even shared everything the two of them had done with Selby. Faith felt guilty about that as well, but how could she tell him now? Edwin had taken her deeper into his world than she thought possible, had made her do things she never thought she would even consider. And Selby was the ever-faithful husband, waiting for her to come home to his arms and his bed, not even knowing how often his wife had been fucked anymore.

Faith held the mug in both hands as she brought it to her lips and took a tentative sip. “What happened that you three aren’t together now?”

Tracey turned so she could lean back on the counter, her cup warming her hands. She gave Faith the history of Ryan and Chelsea as she stared into her mug. Her voice was distant as if she tried to separate herself from the story she told. It didn’t take long, and at the end, Faith could tell it was still a pretty raw subject for the usually chipper redhead.

“Tracey, I’m sorry.” Faith was at a loss as to what to say. She wanted to just pull the other woman close to her and hold her but wasn’t sure if Tracey would welcome it. Instead, she just tried to change the subject. “I never knew there were so many different lifestyles out there.”

Tracey shifted where she stood as if shaking off the memories, and Faith knew Tracey forced the sudden smile. “Probably more than we know about or at least different versions of lifestyles.” She shrugged. “I do what makes me happy and don’t worry about labels. I follow my heart.”

Faith sipped her tea as the last four words Tracey had spoken repeated themselves in her mind. I follow my heart. That’s what she attempted to do, follow her heart. Yet, the heart could be a very fickle thing, and Faith’s lately had been a total rollercoaster. Selby. Edwin. Now Tracey. So many things pulled her in different directions over the last month that her mind, body, and heart all screamed different things.

What was her heart telling her now? As she stared into her mug, she realized that, for the first time since she married Selby, she didn’t know.