Chapter 5

Rocky drove back to his little apartment thinking about Carrie's parting words. Amazingly, he didn't doubt her sincerity at that moment, but the problem seemed beyond any solution he could think of. Not only did she have an insatiable sexual hunger ... that hunger included the desire for women. Could she control her urges? Could she tell the truth? It saddened Rocky when he realized that he still didn't know if he could ever trust her again.

Rocky fell into bed at midnight. It had been a long day and the workout with Carrie had put a capper on it. He woke up at six the next morning, vaguely aware that while his sleep had been good, it was nowhere near as excellent as it had been the night before. That thought led to him to wondering about how it would feel to wake up in the morning snuggled up to Maria. He smiled at the thought; without anyone telling him he just knew that Maria was a snuggle bunny. His first wife had liked to sleep close; Carrie, on the other hand, didn't want to be touched while she slept, unless it was her idea to snuggle.

Rocky hopped out of bed and headed for the shower, hoping the pelting water would clear all the confusing thoughts out of his head. He felt guilty for thinking about Maria and that made him angrier with Carrie. He realized that it was irrational, but damn it, he wouldn't be thinking about another woman if Carrie had not been cheating. Or was Carrie's fling with Amy just a convenient excuse for him to lust after Maria? Rocky sighed as he stepped from the shower and started toweling off. He was determined not to become involved with Maria on any level besides friendship, but this was one instance where doing the right thing sucked.

Rocky knocked on Maria's kitchen door at eight-thirty. He had to wait about thirty seconds before she answered it.

"You don't have to knock, Rocky, just come on in," she greeted him with that sweet smile and a light hug. "I'll be ready in ten minutes, coffee's on and Amanda is in the living room dying of impatience."

Rocky nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Her standing there in that black embroidered robe made him forget everything he had resolved that morning. The absolute worst thing about it was not that she looked sexy as hell; no, it was the fact that she looked so sweetly wholesome and natural. Unlike Carrie, Maria did not contrive to always be seen at her best. Once again, he found himself making comparisons between the two women, and Carrie came out wanting.

True to her word, Maria was ready in fewer than fifteen minutes, so they made it to the zoo just as it opened at nine-thirty. Amanda took a cursory look at everything, but she was focused like a laser beam on finding the giraffes. Rocky couldn't stop smiling at her infectious excitement as she dragged him along. Maria was smiling too, as she clung to his other arm. It made her happy that both Amanda and Rocky were happy.

Rocky guessed that the giraffes had seen excited little kids before, because they stood placidly as Amanda squealed in delight. Rocky swung Amanda up on his shoulders so she could hold out the little carrot slices they bought for the giraffes to eat. Every time one of the huge animals bent down and daintily took a carrot out of her hand, Amanda squealed anew and quivered with excitement.

While Amanda was perched on Rocky's shoulders feeding the giraffes, Maria was taking picture after picture with her digital camera. She snapped some marvelous photos, including one that showed a giraffe taking a piece of carrot as Amanda petted its head. The wondrous look in her daughter's eyes made her start crying. Rocky noticed the tears and knew why they were there. He held up his arm and Maria wedged herself under it with a sigh.

Less than a week later, Rocky was deep in thought as he drove down the Interstate. He marveled that he'd missed the hell out of Carrie for the two days he'd been out of town, and felt a little guilty that he'd missed Maria just as much. He shook his head ruefully as he contemplated how much more complex the situation had become. He was pretty much over his anger at Carrie. He believed she was finally being truthful with him and herself, but that didn't solve the problem of it happening again.

Then of course, there were these new feelings he had developed for Maria. What in the world was he supposed to do about that? He sighed and pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he picked up his cell phone and called Carrie.

"Hello Baby, are you back in town?" Carrie asked.

"Yeah, my flight was delayed an hour and traffic from Orlando was hell, but I'm just pulling into town," he replied.

"I'm happy you are home, Baby, I missed you. Can you drop by the house and see me? I have something to discuss with you."

Rocky looked at his watch; it was a few minutes past nine. It was Friday night; neither of them had to work the next day, so what the heck.

"Sure Carrie, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Put on some coffee and we'll talk."

Her voice dropped a couple of octaves to a sultry note that made Rocky shiver.

"I was hoping we could do more than talk, Baby," she said huskily.

Rocky flipped the phone closed, goosed his truck to ten miles an hour over the speed limit and rocketed towards his house. Rocky pulled up behind Carrie's SUV that was in the driveway instead of its usual spot in the garage. He wondered briefly about that, but his thoughts quickly returned to what might be waiting for him on the other side of the door. He bounded up the step and this time flung open the door without knocking.

The house alarm chimed when the door opened and Carrie called out from the kitchen.

"In here Rocky."

Rocky strolled into the kitchen and stopped short of the door in surprise when he saw both Carrie and Maria sitting at the table in the breakfast nook, sipping wine. Carrie smiled as Maria gave him a shy little smile and wave.

"Welcome home Rocky, grab some coffee and have a seat."

Rocky nodded and filled a mug before walking over to the table. Once at the table, he kissed Carrie on the cheek and then did the same to Maria before sitting down.

"What's going on, Carrie?" he asked.

Carrie reached out and took his hand while Maria twirled the stem of her wine glass as she looked down at the table.

"Rocky, I've been selfish and I acted like a willful child. I finally woke up to that fact when you went to Atlanta. I thought about everything you said to me, and knew you were right. Not only was I self-centered and only concerned about what I wanted, I became a deceitful liar. I knew I had to do whatever I could to earn back your trust. Then I thought about Maria. I was scared, because I knew she was in love with you, and I was afraid you would choose her over me. I can't say I could blame you if you did. Maybe I was still being selfish, I don't know, but I couldn't let you go.

"It made me angry to think I might lose you to Maria. I went to confront her for trying to steal you from me. Instead of a big argument, we ended up crying on each other's shoulders, because we both loved you, but neither of us had you. We have been talking for two days now, and the more we talk, the more we find we have in common besides loving you. It was during our talk last night that I finally had the epiphany about myself.

"Rocky, I love you with all my heart and I will never do anything like what I did with Amy ever again ... if that's what you want. But my sexuality is a big part of me; I can't help how I'm wired. I can be with just you, but something is always going to be missing from my life."

Rocky jerked upright in his chair and started to say something. Carrie held up her hand defensivey.

"Wait a minute and hear me out before you say anything, Rocky," she pleaded.

Rocky nodded his head and held his tongue. When she started talking again, what she said floored him.

"I know you love me Rocky, despite everything. The question is, do you love Maria, too?"

The question rocked him back in his chair. He darted a look at Maria, but she had her head down and the mass of her thick black hair hid her face. He turned his gaze on Carrie and as was his nature, he told the truth. What Carrie didn't realize was that Rocky had his own epiphany when he heard Carrie's question. Up until that moment he couldn't admit to himself that he'd fallen in love with Maria as well.

"Yes, God help me, I love her and not as a daughter like I once told you. I love her, but I don't plan to take advantage of her or her position as my employee. You know I'd never do anything like that, Carrie."

Rocky steeled himself for her wrath but what she said was nothing he expected or could have imagined. Carrie smiled and laid her perfectly manicured hand on his arm.

"I know you wouldn't, Rocky, and Maria knows it too. So here we sit, we both love you, you love both of us, and she and I are growing closer by the minute. Maria loves kids and wants more and so do you, I don't want a baby, but I think Amanda is adorable."

Carrie had been ticking off her points by tapping her fingers on Rocky's arm as she made them. Suddenly, she squeezed his forearm and looked him in the eye.

"The point is Honey, that we are each the answer to the other's needs. Maria and I both want us all to live together and yes, love together, both of us as your wives - in fact, if not in name."

Of all the things Rocky had expected, that was definitely not one of them. He sat in stunned silence for a second, then turned his eyes back towards Maria. This time Maria was looking at him, her face open and hopeful.

"You want this, too?" Rocky asked her.

Maria nodded her head decisively.

"I've been in love with both of you for years, I hid my feelings, especially about Carrie, but they all came out when we were talking last night and today. If you'll have us, Amanda and I want to be part of your family."

Rocky was completely staggered. He took a deep breath and let it whistle out between his teeth as he tried to wrap his mind around all that was happening. The proposition seemed almost too perfect. The fly in the ointment was Carrie and her self-admitted jealousy and self-centeredness. After thinking for a minute as the women watched him with bated breath, he finally found his tongue.

"From my perspective, how could I turn something like this down?" he mused. "But I know how you are, Carrie. Do you think you can live with this for the long haul, given your personality? By the same token, you know how I am, if I commit myself to this, Maria and Amanda are in my life for as long as Maria wants them to be, which I hope is forever."

It seemed as if this was the night that Carrie had picked to keep him astounded. She actually blushed as she looked down at the table.

"Maria and I talked about that. Maria said it was your job to keep that from happening by punishing me when I was bad. She said you needed to take a firmer hand with me. I promise right now that I will accept anything you do that you feel is necessary for our family."

Rocky's eyes almost bugged out of their sockets when she said that. He finally looked at Maria for confirmation.

"It's what she wants, Rocky, and more than that, it's what she needs."

Rocky digested all that had been said and finally nodded his head. He slid his chair back and both women jumped up to sit on his knees.

"If you two understand that I don't take commitments lightly, and expect this to be for the long term, I'm in."

When they both smiled and nodded happily, he squeezed Carrie a little tighter.

"You may have bitten off more than you can chew, Missy, because I will not hesitate to tan your gorgeous ass if you need it. I promise you that, and you know me and promises."

Carrie's eyes got big and she gave a little shiver.

"Yes Baby, but I'll try to be good, I swear."

Rocky knew that Carrie was always sexually excited when he acted particularly masculine around her, and smiled to himself. Maybe that was part of the problem before, in that he indulged her out of love, when he should have occasionally shown his love differently. Now would be a good time for a little demonstration, and she'd earned a little punishment in the last few months.

"Just to be sure you understand, both of you stand up, and Maria, you sit back where you were."

They gave him inquisitive looks, but did as he asked. Once Maria was seated, he pointed at Carrie.

"Lose the jeans," he ordered sternly.

Carrie gulped and looked around, but her fingers went to the snap of her designer jeans. She skinned the tight jeans down her long legs and stood there holding them, blushing and looking at him uncertainly. She had on a pink lace thong not much bigger than a folded hanky. Her eyes grew wide when Rocky pointed to his lap, but she hesitated only a second before gracefully draping herself over his knees, her perfect ass standing proud. She flinched when he laid his hand on her butt.

Rocky looked up at Maria and gave her a wink, in case she needed reassuring that he really wasn't going to hurt Carrie. He saw the glint in Maria's eyes and knew immediately that his old friend thought this was long overdue. Rocky had the thought that in Maria's strongly male-centered Cuban culture, it probably was. He raised his hand and gave Carrie a smack on her muscular cheek with his slightly cupped hand. Although the blow had to have stung, the loud smack was out of proportion to the strength of the blow. Carrie squealed and wiggled cutely when his hand landed.