Chapter 20

The morning sun was well up when my eyes finally opened up and stayed open. I felt the even, soft breathing of at least one of my ladies on my left side and the urgent need to get up and relieve myself. I slowly extricated myself from the arms of two of my lovers and padded nude into the bathroom. Melody and Jane seemed to snuggle up against each other and fall back into slumber, so I tossed on a pair of shorts and headed out to the kitchen. Beth was sitting at the table in one of my tee shirts and staring out the French doors into the backyard.

I walked up behind her, kissed her on the top of her head, and asked, “So, how are you feeling this morning? Are you okay?”

Beth snuggled back into my arms and sighed, “So is this what it feels like? To really be loved, to have someone give a shit about you...” and she broke into tears in my arms.

I slid down to hold her in my arms as I held her close while she shook. I caressed her arms and face as I let her cry herself out.

“Tell me about it.” I said as she wound down.

“It’s so hard, sometimes ... I’m a nice person, really I am...” I nodded and hugged her close when she looked up for confirmation.

“I mean, I’ve tried to be good, but I just end up being a ‘turd magnet’. If there is an abusive, mean, nasty man within fifty miles of me, not only will they find me, but I’ll end up dating them. Shit! I used to hate myself, but really that didn’t accomplish much now, did it?” Beth looked so hurt, I had to kiss her.

“Look,” I said, “I can’t help you with the past. If you want to be a part of our lives, of my life, then please feel welcome. We aren’t your typical couple,” and I snorted when I thought about it, and Beth gave a weak little smile. “But you know I’d never hurt you, and I do care for you. The whole time we were getting ready for the Omnium, I kept thinking, how could anyone be mean to a woman like you? It just didn’t make any sense to me.”

“Oh God Nate! I need to be loved. I need to be taken care of. I need this more than you know, I think ... are you ready for this much need?”

Pulling her close to my chest and holding her gently, I said, “I know that I love Melody and that I love Jane. I also know that I would love to get to know you better, and I really have enough love to share with you too. I can truly say that I would love to love you too, okay, so if you’re sure about this, then I think the other two would be more than willing to let you in.”

“Beth?” said Jane from the doorway, with Melody at her side. “We are more than willing to have you be a part of our lives. I mean, we are all going to be teammates this year, so we should be able to share and share alike, don’t you agree Melody?” Both of them came into the kitchen and took Beth into their arms for a warm embrace.

I interrupted this tender moment with a question. “What do you mean you’re all going to be teammates?”

“Well,” said Jane, “Beth will be joining my team this season for the next racing season, and Melody will be transferring up to the UW for the fall, and will ride for both their club team and my club team as an elite rider this season.” Melody nodded and smiled, as did Beth, while wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

“Oh, that reminds me,” said Melody with a smile that suddenly left me worried. “We, the three of us at least, have a proposition for you, Nate?”

“Ohhhh?” I said with a hint of concern in my voice.

“Yeah, but let’s have some coffee and a little breakfast first, then we can have this conversation.” Jane said as she hugged Melody briefly, then headed for the espresso maker.

“How do you like your eggs again, Nate?” said Melody as she started to rummage around in the ‘fridge.

Beth seemed to pull herself together and got up and headed for the bread drawer, “Yeah, Nate, you want wheat or rye toast?”

Feeling like I had now been neatly boxed in, I waved and smiled and looked like I had always had three beautiful women making me breakfast in my own house. I felt my days as the lonely bachelor fading to black. Funny, I didn’t seem to miss them at all!

After a wonderful breakfast of eggs and toast, washed down with a just right latte, I thought I was fortified for whatever plans the three of them were about to hatch.

“Okay, so what’s this proposition and how much will it cost me?”