Storiesonline.net ------- Sometimes Love... by Joe J Copyright© 2008 by Joe J ------- Description: Rocky loved Carrie and she loved him. That should have been the end of it, but like the song says "Sometimes Love Just Aint Enough". Codes: MF FF Mult poly rom ------- ------- Chapter 1 " ... I could never change you, I don't want to blame you, Baby you don't have to take the fall. Yes, I may have hurt you, But I did not desert you, Maybe I just wanted to have it all..." "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Don Henley Rocky picked up his cell phone and turned it on as he held a cold can of soda against his cheek. Once his old but reliable phone powered up, it chimed that he had a voice mail. Rocky already knew who it was from. In fact, he could picture his wife Carrie impatiently drumming her perfectly lacquered fingernails against the polished walnut surface of her antique desk when his cell phone sent her immediately to voice mail. He hit the retrieve message button and listened to the recording. "Damn it, Rocky, I hate it when you keep your cell phone off," she'd said peevishly into the phone. Then her voice softened, "I've got a big presentation at three, and I need to talk to you beforehand. Call me please, I love you." Rocky knew that Carrie loved him to death, yet his refusal to leave his cell phone on all the time irritated the hell out of her. Of course, in her heart, she knew that he'd call her back before the meeting. He had never let her down in the six years they'd been married, and she would know he wouldn't this time either. It was easy for Rocky to know she loved him, because before he came into her life, her longest relationship had barely lasted six months. She swore to him that he was the best thing that ever happened to her, and that she planned on being married to him for the rest of her life. Carrie was the Director of Market Research for Brown and Manfried Advertising. She was one of only four department heads in a company of over two hundred employees, and the youngest to boot. She claimed that her career success was more Rocky magic. Oh sure, she had done the work and earned the promotions, but it would have never happened without her husband's encouragement and advice. When she met Rocky, she had been marking time out in a cubical, waiting for quitting time so she could go out and party. Rocky settled her down, gave her focus and her career had skyrocketed. While Carrie was pensively reviewing her presentation on her laptop one more time waiting for his call and Rocky had been trying to clear his head as he groggily arose from the ground. He was on the ground as a result of a wicked right cross delivered by a pissed off, six foot, three inch, two hundred and fifty pound framing carpenter he had just fired. Rocky caught the man drinking on the job, and immediately canned him. The big carpenter had taken exception to being fired, and laid Rocky out. One of the newer, younger, framers looked incredulously at the other carpenters on the job, because the men made no move to help their boss. One of the older men gave him a slow smile. "There's a lesson in this for you, sonny, just watch and learn; sometimes it ain't the prettiest horse that wins the race," the old carpenter advised. The younger man didn't see how much of a lesson could be taught there that day, not when the boss was twenty years older, four inches shorter, and at least fifty pounds lighter than the man he had fired. Get an education he did, though, as Rocky picked himself off the ground and commenced to spend the next five minutes kicking the bigger man's ass all over the job site. Rocky made sure the man he fired was off the job site before pulling out his cell phone and turning it on. Once he listened to Carrie's message, he hit two on his speed dial and called her cell. He smiled at the pleasure in Carrie's voice, when she found it was him calling. "I'm sooo glad you called, Baby. I'm really nervous about this presentation," she said. "I know you are, Honey, but you're well prepared and as ready as you'll ever be. Lay it all out like you rehearsed and answer their questions honestly. It'll be over before you know it," he replied, "and you'll be great. I know it." They talked for a couple of minutes longer, with Rocky making sure she felt much better by the time they hung up. He knew he was the rock upon which her life was anchored. As a matter of fact, her whole family depended more and more on him. When there was a problem in her large and raucous extended family, they all turned to him for the solution. She told him once that he was The Man, no doubt about it, and that him being her man made it all the better. Rocky had no doubts whatsoever that Carrie would pull off the presentation. He could almost see her as she stood and turned towards the full-length mirror, tucked out of anyone's sight except hers, between her bookcases and studied her reflection. When she was promoted, Rocky snuck one of his crews into her new office on a weekend and remodeled it as a surprise for her. The mirror was a touch he knew she'd appreciate, because Carrie was more than a little vain about her appearance. She had a right to be, he thought, because she was an attractive woman. She had medium length auburn hair, expressive brown eyes and a generous mouth. When she smiled, her face lit up and that made her even prettier. Yes, her face was pretty, but her body was incredible. Carrie stood five-seven and weighed one hundred twenty-eight pounds. She was trim and toned with medium B cup breasts, shapely legs, a washboard stomach and a butt to die for. Carrie had attended college on an athletic scholarship. She played varsity soccer and volleyball and was a starter in both sports until a knee injury in her senior year ended her competitive career. She worked out like a fiend to keep her body in the same delectable condition it had been back then. The possessiveness that Carrie felt towards him was a part of her nature that detracted from all her positive qualities. Carrie was self-centered and materialistic, and Rocky was her prized possession. Yes, she loved Rocky, but she loved herself even more. Another reason Rocky was perfect for her was that he indulged her to the point that she now felt entitled to have whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. Carrie was spoiled rotten and everyone knew it. Rocky was partly to blame because he spoiled her himself. It pleased him that she needed him. The more he indulged her, the more she needed him. It became a vicious circle and neither of them could foresee the consequences. While Carrie was preparing for her presentation, Rocky was headed back to his office to clean up and change his shirt. His face was swollen and hurt like hell. He knew he looked even worse than he felt. As soon as he walked through the front door of the restored two-story house that served as his office, Maria, his office manager, jumped up in alarm. "Good God, Rocky, what happened to you?" "I fired Tim Wilson for drinking on the job. He didn't take the news well." In spite of her concern, Maria had to laugh at Rocky's understatement. Rocky could make her laugh no matter how bad she felt. It had been that way from the first time she met him when she applied for her job. She had been in desperate straits then, a young single mother with a two-month-old baby daughter. She had been leery of his kindness; afraid he was just one more man out to take advantage of her. Of course her fears turned out to be groundless. Instead, Rocky became her knight in shining armor. By the end of her first day as an employee of Simmons' Construction, Maria and child were ensconced in the apartment above the offices, as Rocky and two female drywall finishers stocked the refrigerator. Within six months, she was enrolled in the local community college, working on her business degree. Now, four years later, she practically ran the company. While Maria was poking through the first aid chest looking for a cold pack, a tiny dark haired dervish in a yellow dress came tearing into the room and wrapped herself around Rocky's leg. Rocky swooped down, picked the little girl up and swung her around as she squealed with glee. Maria found the ice pack and crushed it to activate the fluids inside. She peeled her daughter, Amanda, off Rocky and sat him in a chair to minister to him. Amanda was big-eyed as she took in Rocky's battered face. She held his hand and told him he'd be all right, because her mommy could make any boo-boo better. Maria hid a smile when she noticed Rocky's eyes light up at Amanda's solemn declaration. Her boss was a big softy, no matter how macho he appeared outwardly, and Amanda had his number. Maria Lopes had a pretty face and waist length, raven black hair. She was petite, with breasts almost disproportionately large for her frame. Her body was not as good as Carrie's, but then not many women's were. Yet she knew she was attractive and she did nothing to hide the fact, especially around Rocky. For his part, Rocky looked but did not touch. Rocky was as faithful to Carrie as an old dog. Still, his affection for Maria was real, and he felt a genuine warmness in his heart towards her. Rocky hung out at the office for the remainder of the afternoon, catching up on some paperwork and working on job schedules. At five he turned off his computer, kissed Amanda goodbye and headed home. As he aimed his pickup towards his house, Rocky grinned at Amanda's antics that afternoon. He loved children and had enjoyed the hell out of raising his two from his first marriage. Now they were both out on their own, and the prospects of grandchildren seemed far in the future. He'd love to start another family with Carrie, but she had been adamant from the beginning of their relationship that she wasn't interested in becoming a mother any time soon. Oh well, he sighed; he loved Carrie too much to make an issue of it. Amanda was a wonderful surrogate daughter. He smiled again, just thinking about her and her mother. Life was good to Rocky. He loved his job and the people he worked with, especially since Tim Wilson was no longer in his employ. Both Maria and Amanda added a little spice. Yep, life was good to Mr. Rocky Simmons. ------- Carrie was in a very good mood when she walked into Clancy's Pub at six that evening. Her presentation had been a big success so she had something to celebrate. It would have been even better if Rocky could have made it but she understood when he begged out because he'd had a rough day. A number of her coworkers were already there, and had pulled two tables together. Clancy's was an upscale pub with a nice menu and a congenial atmosphere. Carrie slipped into a chair and ordered a glass of Chablis as she joined in the conversation at the table. Most of the partiers were from the creative side of the company, so the conversation was lively. As they talked, Carrie noticed that one of the women was new. She was a tiny elfin-faced cutie, but seemed awfully shy. Carrie introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Carrie Simmons. You must be new. Welcome to the monkey house." The new woman gave Carrie a shy smile and extended her small hand. "Amy Bridger. I just started Monday as a copywriter." When she took Amy's hand in hers, she felt that tingle she used to get when a woman captured her interest. Carrie was decidedly bisexual; she had as many female lovers in her past as males. Amy Bridger was exactly the type of woman to whom Carrie had always been drawn. She loved the small quiet ones; they were always such a challenge to seduce. Carrie and Amy talked on and off for a couple of hours, and found they had loads in common. They liked the same music; had the same taste in clothes and had even attended the same university. They left Clancy's as fast friends, with plans for lunch the next day. Carrie was excited about finding a new friend that shared many of her interests. Carrie loved her sisters, but more and more all they talked about was their kids, so it was nice to have a woman with whom to talk to about other things. Carrie arrived home from that first fateful meeting with Amy at nine, just as Rocky was getting himself a glass of tea from the kitchen. Carrie's first indication of Rocky's day was the visage of his swollen and bruised face under the bright kitchen lights. Carrie's hand flew up to her mouth and she looked suddenly faint. Unlike Maria, Carrie had never been very good at handling medical emergencies. Rocky saw her stricken look and rushed to the sink to get her a glass of water as she slumped down onto a barstool. "I'm fine, Honey. Really I am. It looks worse than it is," he said quickly. Carrie took the proffered glass and drained half of it in a gulp. "Jesus, Rocky, what a thing to spring on me. Why didn't you tell me about this on the phone earlier; I would have come straight home to take care of you. What the hell happened to you anyway?" Rocky saw she was working her way up to being pissed off at him, so he hastily replied. "I didn't tell you on the phone, because I didn't want to spoil the great day you were having. As far as having to take care of me, it wasn't necessary because I hardly feel it," he lied. She looked at him critically, but he showed no trace of discomfort or pain. Still, she was irritated that he hadn't told her about it, even though she knew he was right in what he had done. She quizzed him on what happened and stared at him in disbelief when he finished the story. "Isn't Wilson that big guy who was in jail for a while? He is half your age and twice your size. What the hell were you thinking?" Rocky shrugged, he was beginning to be irritated by her attitude. "I was thinking he was drinking on the job, so I fired him. I also thought that since he sucker punched me, he needed his ass kicked, so I did. Now I'm thinking about taking you to the bedroom and putting my face between your legs until it feels better," he said gruffly. Carrie's eyes grew bigger and bigger as he talked. When he went all cave man on her, it made her knees weak. Rocky was the manliest guy she'd ever met. She gave him a smoky look and slowly hitched up her skirt above her thigh high stockings. "As your nurse, I think the sooner you start your treatment, the sooner you'll be well," she said huskily. ------- Carrie and Amy's friendship blossomed as they hung out together. Carrie felt as close to Amy as she did her own sisters, and Carrie was Amy's hero. Carrie introduced Rocky to Amy a week or so later, when he joined them for a drink after work. Rocky liked the shy young woman well enough, and he was very pleased that Carrie had found a friend with whom she had so much in common. Amy, it seemed, loved to shop for clothes as much as Carrie did. It didn't hurt Rocky's feeling a bit to be relieved of the duty to accompany his wife on her forays to the mall. Carrie and Amy shopped together at least two evenings a week. They would leave work and meet at Bennigan's at the mall for supper, then canvas the mall for bargains for a couple of hours. Amy also started spending at least one day of the weekend, hanging out at the Simmons's pool with Carrie. They would drink wine and gab as they worked on their tans. Rocky would work in the yard for part of the day, then join them at the pool. Having two good-looking women lounging around in skimpy bikinis didn't hurt Rocky's feelings a bit. Later, he would man the grill while the women made salads and side dishes. Rocky once asked Carrie why Amy never invited a guy to spend the day with them. Carrie replied that Amy had just ended a long-term relationship and wasn't up to dating again quite yet. Carrie never tried to seduce Amy, although she felt attracted to the younger woman. They would have remained just friends if Amy hadn't become infatuated with Carrie. Their relationship changed in Carrie's Toyota Sequoia, while parked on level seven at the Galleria Mall parking garage. Carrie was in a very good mood for some reason that day. She had been vivacious and funny all evening. In addition, she was wearing a soft tan wool skirt and a silk blouse that looked fabulous on her. They were still laughing when they made it back to Carrie's big SUV. Carrie was about to turn the key, when Amy put her small hand on Carrie's forearm. When Carrie turned her head to see what Amy wanted, their eyes locked together. The next thing Carrie knew, they were kissing passionately. Carrie was correct in her assessment that Amy was a neophyte in Sapphic love, and the older woman delighted in showing her what she had been missing. Carrie's every touch elicited soft whimpering moans from her sweet young friend. By the time Carrie's skillful strong fingers delved into Amy's sodden panties, the car reeked with the aroma of Amy's arousal. While Carrie drove Amy back to her place, the younger woman sat perched on her seat looking dreamily at her friend. She was well and truly smitten. Amy still lived with her parents until she could save enough money to move out on her own. When the women arrived in front of Amy's home, they exchanged a steamy kiss before Carrie departed. Carrie enjoyed the encounter as much as Amy had. She was amazed at how aroused Amy made her, and she was eagerly looking forward to more. As she drove home, she felt no guilt or remorse about what had happened. Amy was her friend; sex was just a physical manifestation of that friendship and nothing more. It was not a threat to her marriage and it did not lessen her love for her husband. The thought of a physical relationship with Amy was a naughty little secret that would add some spice to her life. She would keep this side of the relationship a secret, of course, and that would make it all the more exciting. In the meantime, Rocky would reap some of the benefits of the lust Amy sparked. That something wasn't right began to dawn on Rocky on a Sunday about a month later, when he, Carrie and Amy were at the large reservoir that was twenty minutes from their house. They were riding Carrie's jet boats. Carrie had purchased the pair of red personal watercraft the year before. She loved speeding around on the powerful little crotch rockets. Rocky often wondered what sensations the vibration created in her little pussy when she rode one. He only knew she was always horny afterward. On the day in question, Rocky took one boat while Carrie towed Amy on the other, as she taught her young friend the relatively easy task of driving the things. After a few laps around the lake, Rocky surrendered his boat to Amy and the women sped off around a bend in the shoreline. They stayed gone for over an hour, and for at least half of that hour, Rocky didn't hear the jet boats. Then he heard them cranking up somewhere about a half of a mile away. A few minutes later, the women came roaring around the shoreline and out into the center of the lake. After a few fast loops well offshore, the two women idled the boats up to the shore, where Rocky sat in a lawn chair reading. Rocky walked down and helped them tie off the boats. "You guys were gone a long time. Where did you go?" he asked. Amy quickly turned away as Carrie smoothly answered. "We rode along the shore until Amy got the feel of the boat. She caught on quickly, so after we eat, we are going to have a race." Rocky nodded. He didn't give away that he had just caught Carrie lying to him for the first time that he knew of since they met. Rocky surreptitiously studied the women while they ate the picnic lunch that Carrie had packed for them. Carrie was her normal bubbly self, but Amy was quiet and wouldn't or couldn't meet Rocky's eyes. Rocky knew that Carrie had been in relationships with women before they met. With a sinking feeling, he surmised that something had happened between the women, and Amy was feeling guilty about it. Rocky kept his thoughts to himself and acted normally, even though he felt as if someone had just stabbed him in the heart. He wasn't about to say or do anything until he had his facts straight, then he would do what was necessary. The dangerous thing about dealing with Rocky was people's tendency to underestimate him because of his easygoing nature. Rocky found the thought of his wife being with another woman arousing, but only in the context of their marriage. What man hasn't fantasized about such things? Still, cheating is cheating, regardless of the sex of the other person. The issue was openness and trust. He was realizing he couldn't trust his wife to be truthful to him. What really amazed Rocky was the notion of Carrie putting their marriage in such jeopardy. Carrie had always taken such pride in being his wife and never failed to flaunt their togetherness in front of friends and family. He was beginning to have an inkling that Carrie's penchant for putting her wants first included even their marriage. Carrie came to bed that night, wearing a satin teddy that showed off her body to perfection. It was an outfit she wore when she planned on seducing him. She could have been wearing flannel pajamas as far as Rocky was concerned. He wasn't about to make love to her until he knew if she was sleeping with someone else. Rocky wasn't about to settle for sloppy seconds, even sloppily licked seconds. He made noises as if he had an upset stomach. Carrie was disappointed, but accepted his excuse. When Carrie was sleeping soundly, Rocky went out to his truck and retrieved his voice activated digital voice recorder. In normal times, Rocky used the recorder to tape conversations with clients, to prevent confusion as to what each party had agreed. The recorder was made by Sony and was state of the art; it even included a computer interface cable that allowed recordings to be downloaded onto a computer. The recorder had a dynamic clip-on microphone with a ten-foot lead. He hid the recorder under the seat of Carrie's Toyota SUV and threaded the microphone under the floor mat and the front edge of her dashboard. He tested the microphone by sitting in the driver's seat and talking in a low tone. The sensitive microphone worked even better than he had hoped. He carefully concealed the wires for the microphone and closed up the car. Sleep was hard to come by that night for Rocky, as he tossed and turned, grappling with what he suspected. Carrie lying to him so blatantly had rocked him to his core, because one thing that he would be willing to bet on was that she was truthful to a fault. Yet, something had happened that day and she lied about it to him, smoothly and cavalierly. Rocky's knowledge that Carrie was bisexual, combined with Amy's guilty look, pretty much convinced him why. Rocky was going to get to the bottom of what (if anything) was going on before he took any action. He would not go off half-cocked, but if something were going on he would bring it into the open and deal with it. ------- Chapter 2 Carrie was in an excellent mood on the Monday after jet boating on the lake. Racing around on the powerful little watercraft had been a blast, and making love to Amy in the grassy little cove they found had been sublime. Amy had been incredibly responsive to her touch and so submissively eager to please. The thought of more lovemaking with Amy was an exciting prospect. Carrie knew that her excitement was part of the cyclic nature of her sexuality. She had always had spells where she was more into one sex or the other. The almost seven years that she had been totally heterosexual was the longest she'd ever been strictly with one preference. Rocky did not share his wife's buoyant mood that Monday, although no one around him was aware of his inner turmoil. He went about his business in his usual fashion, concentrating fully on his four ongoing projects. In his truck between jobsites, though, he could think about nothing else besides Carrie... ------- Rocky met Carrie three years after his first wife succumbed to breast cancer. He was almost forty-four; Carrie had just turned twenty-seven. They met at the seventh birthday party of Carrie's nephew Joshua Pillars. Joshua was the son of Carrie's older sister Sarah and her husband Steve. Steve Pillars owned an insurance agency and Rocky was Steve's preferred vendor for doing claim repairs for fire, storm and water damaged houses. Rocky hadn't been invited to the party; he had only stopped by to drop off a bid to Steve. Steve dragged him out to the party anyway, and to the delight of the kids and the amazement of the adults, Rocky entertained the dozen or so seven and eight year olds with juggling and magic tricks for almost half an hour. Steve introduced Rocky to his wife. Sarah sized Rocky up and immediately steered him toward her younger sister, Carrie. Rocky and Carrie shook hands and then brought to life every cliché ever written about love at first sight. Rocky was lost as she looked into his eyes and saw straight to his soul, and Carrie tingled to her toes just touching his hand. Rocky and Carrie were inseparable from that day forward, each totally lost in the other. Six months after they met, they were married. Carrie's family was amazed at her transformation, as she had always been the family's wild child. Rocky and Carrie still endured endless teasing about their public displays of affection, but everyone they knew said that they were the perfect couple. Until the day before, Rocky had thought the same thing. ------- Rocky struggled to act normally that Monday evening. He took Carrie out to dinner and managed to stay engaged in her conversation. When they returned home, he sat through a couple of television shows with her. Thankfully, Carrie didn't try to seduce him that night, she kissed him goodnight and went to bed early. Rocky checked to make sure Carrie was asleep, then went to check his recorder. He made his way to the garage and retrieved it, leaving the microphone in place. He took the tiny device into his office, attached a pair of ear buds to it, and with his heart thundering, hit play. The first fifteen minutes of the tape was of Carrie talking on her cell phone to her sister Caroline, the radio playing and commuting sounds. The discussion with Caroline appeared to be about Caroline's fifteen-year-old identical twin daughters. In spite of all his inner turmoil, Rocky had to smile at his sister-in-law's plight. Shelby and Sarah were beautiful, mature and very bright. They were also boy crazy and full of the devil. Caroline and her husband Sid were going crazy trying to keep up with their two determined hellions. Rocky wasn't surprised when Carrie told Caroline that she would ask him to talk to the twins. Rocky was the girls' favorite male relative, and one of the few people they respected enough to listen to. The next segment of the tape was of Carrie and Amy talking as Carrie drove them to lunch. Their recording confirmed his suspicions and also confused the hell out of him. After the sound of doors closing, and the engine firing up, Amy opened the conversation. "Yesterday was the best sexual experience of my life, Carrie." "I enjoyed it too. For a little thing, you make a lot of noise," Carrie said in a teasing tone. "I've never been that vocal before, I'm not sure what you did to me, but it sure rocked my world. The only thing I didn't like was your husband being there." "He's my husband; he had a right to be there. Amy, we are on our way to being girlfriends, but make no mistake about it, I love my husband and I cherish my marriage. He is always going to be first in my life." It was quiet on the recording for almost a minute with no sound but the radio in the background, before Amy spoke again. "I'm falling in love with you, if I haven't already. What am I supposed to do?" Carrie was very firm and no nonsense in her response. "Listen Amy, you are not a lesbian and neither am I. You are going to find the man of your dreams one day, just like I found Rocky. We can love each other and we can be lovers, but we can never be in love with each other. You need to feel the same way or we need to nip this in the bud right now." I guess Amy saw her point, because she finally agreed that Carrie was right. The conversation took another turn as Carrie's voice assumed that sexy, smoky quality that it took when she was aroused. "So, did you do it?" Amy must have nodded her answer. Carrie squealed, "Well then show me already!" I heard some rustling in the seat, but still no words from Amy. "No, not like that, take them off so I can see everything." More rustling noises followed, then Amy finally spoke. "God, I can't believe I'm flashing you like this in broad daylight." "But it looks so pretty and you know you love showing me. As soon as we get to the park, I'm going to show you how much I like it all bald and smooth like that." Rocky shut off the recorder and leaned back with a big sigh. He didn't have the stomach to listen to them doing whatever. As it was, in one conversation, his wife had confirmed her love for him and the fact that she was cheating. How in the hell was he supposed to wrap his arms around that? Rocky sat up and thought about the situation for another hour or so, until he finally came to a conclusion. He wasn't the type of guy who let problems linger around like festering wounds. After dinner the next evening, he and Carrie would have a little talk. Rocky slept much better that night, now that he had a plan. Rocky had to wait until almost nine-thirty the next evening to have his talk with Carrie. He had to wait, because Carrie was supposedly out shopping with Amy. Knowing that his wife was coming into the conversation fresh from being with her lover did not put Rocky in a conciliatory mood. He was sitting in the family room nursing his anger and a glass of Jack Daniels when Carrie breezed through the door. Carrie arrived home in a very good mood, until she saw Rocky sitting in a wingback chair with a drink in his hand and a bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on the table beside him. To her knowledge, Rocky Simmons hadn't had a drink in over twenty years. He didn't drink, because alcohol made him a different person, a person he said he didn't like. The sight of the bottle and the tight expression on his face were all the clues she needed to know that something was seriously wrong. "What's the matter, Baby, why are you drinking?" "I know about you and Amy." He watched her as he made that statement. He had gone for maximum shock value, so he could gauge her reaction. He had to admit that she was a cool customer as her eyebrows went up in curiosity. "What is it about Amy and me that you know?" she asked. "I know you two are lovers," he replied. Carrie put on a shocked and hurt expression. "Where would you get such a crazy idea? Amy and I are just friends." Rocky did not let on to the existence of the recording now residing on the hard drive of his laptop. He wanted the option of using the recorder again if necessary. "I know what I know, Carrie, and I am not happy about what I know." Carrie moved over to the couch and sat down next to him. "You don't know anything, Rocky. You are just imagining things. Now I wish I hadn't told you about having been with women in the past. If it bothers you that I spend so much time with Amy and not enough with you, I'll change that, okay?" Rocky took what Carrie said to mean that she would stop seeing Amy while not having to admit being guilty of anything. He had made his point and he loved her enough that he was willing to let her slide this once. He vowed to himself that he'd be a better husband to her, so she wouldn't feel the need to look for someone else again. Looking back on the conversation a month later, Rocky would cringe at how stupidly naive he had been in making that decision. "That's all I want, Carrie," he said. She beamed him the smile that melted his heart, stood up and grabbed his hand. "You are all I'll ever need, Rocky, and I'm yours forever. Now take me to bed and let me prove it to you." Carrie picked up her bag from Macy's and led Rocky by the hand to the bedroom. "Get undressed and into bed, Hubby. I want to show you what I bought today." Rocky nodded and started to strip as she walked into the large master bathroom with the Macy's bag. Carrie came strutting into the bedroom wearing only a bra and thong, both in a cranberry color that looked fantastic on her. Rocky loved the outfit. Carrie had the best ass he had ever seen, and the T-back panties showed it to perfection. The bra was one of those shaper models that pushed her breasts together and gave her tons of cleavage. When she slowly crawled up onto the bed and stretched out on top of him, Rocky's dick sproinged to attention and quivered in anticipation. When Rocky wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over, Carrie looked up at him with smoldering eyes. Passion transformed Carrie's features in some indescribable way. When she was as aroused as she was that night, Rocky thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Rocky put on the performance of his life that night, as he sought to reclaim his wife. He demonstrated that he was as good with his tongue as any lesbian, as he drove her toward her first climax of the night. Rocky noticed how wet she was immediately, so it was no surprise to him that she came much quicker than she normally did. As Carrie started the little gasping sounds that indicated she was in the throes of her orgasm, he slid up her body, lifted her muscular legs over his shoulders and plunged into her wetness. Over the years, Rocky had discovered that Carrie could cum from being taken like this. It wasn't the same intense orgasms she experienced from him going down on her, but she enjoyed them nonetheless. The small climaxes she enjoyed from intercourse allowed her super-sensitive clit to calm down enough for him to go down on her a second time. Being able to experience more than one orgasm a session had been something new; it was only one more reason on the ever-growing list of things she loved about her husband. Rocky judged the time was right, disengaged his dick from her clasping wetness, and refastened his lips on her clit. This time he inserted a finger into her and gently massaged her G-spot. She went off like a rocket after a few minutes of his attention. Rocky kept switching back and forth until Carrie was too limp to move. She had five massive orgasms and too many small ones to count. Totally sated, she curled up in Rocky's arms and was asleep in seconds, blissfully unaware that her husband had not cum in her. Rocky hadn't orgasmed, because every time he was close, his mind pictured his wife like this with Amy. His erection never flagged, but he lost the urge to ejaculate. He wondered what in the world that meant. Carrie appeared true to her word as the shopping trips and nights out with Amy stopped. If Carrie wanted to stop after work for a drink, she made sure to invite Rocky to join her. Rocky almost always obliged her, and on the evenings he couldn't, she came straight home instead. At home, Carrie was even more loving than usual; she never failed to show Rocky how much he meant to her. For two months things were great. Then Rocky noticed something strange about their cell phone bill. Paying the bills was Rocky's responsibility. He banked online and paid what few bills they had through the bank's online bill payer service. Normally, he just opened the bill, found out what he owed and fired off the online payment. Rocky checked out the cell phone bill because it was unusually high, yet they hadn't used that many minutes on the plan they shared. According to the bill, the extra charges were for over two hundred text messages sent or received by Carrie. Their plan did not provide detailed billing, so Rocky didn't know to whom the messages were from or to. He decided to visit the cell phone provider's website to see if he could find out. Rocky felt a twinge of sadness that he was so suspicious, and he was slightly angry that Carrie had made him that way. After signing up on the site, Rocky was able to look at an itemized bill that showed all the text messages, except a couple, were from or to a number he didn't recognize. Curiosity caused him to check the details for regular calls, and he discovered there were hours of calls to the same number. The calls didn't affect the bill, because the other number was also with their carrier and the minutes didn't count against their plan. He ran a reverse search on the phone number but came up empty. Rocky didn't say anything to Carrie about the bill; instead, once she was asleep, he tracked down her cell phone. It took him ten minutes, but he finally found her phone; it was in her Toyota, hooked up to the charger. The number belonged to the first name in her address book; it was Amy's. Rocky gritted his teeth and started going through her phone to see what else he could find. Of course Carrie's cell phone was one of the newest types available, and had about every bell and whistle imaginable. Rocky still had the free no frills phone that came with their plan, so it took him a couple of minutes to figure out all the features packed into the tiny instrument. He checked her recent calls and found that she had talked to Amy just that afternoon on the way home from work. When he navigated to her in and out box in her message folder, his worst fears were confirmed. There were about a half dozen messages in each folder, and all of them were racy and intimate. One of the messages from Amy also mentioned them taking the afternoon off earlier that week and meeting at Amy's new apartment. While he was snooping around on her phone, he checked her picture folder. He was horrified to find nude photos of both Amy and Carrie in the folder. Rocky closed her phone and thought for a minute, then went back to her text messages. He opened one of the messages with the idea of sending it to his phone, when he noticed that there was an e-mail option available. Rocky entered his e-mail address and sent all the messages and photographs to his computer. Once the last picture was sent, he turned off the phone and put it back on the charger. He sat in her SUV for another couple of minutes thinking, then with a sigh, he walked outside to his pickup and retrieved his recorder and reinstalled it in Carrie's vehicle. He wanted her voice on tape to back up the text messages and photos in case things became messy. Rocky's heart was a lead weight in his chest as he trudged back into the house. What he found that night might be the coup de grace to his marriage. Carrie made it easy for him to catch her, literally with her pants down, and it only took three days. Of course the three days were hell for him, as he had to act as if nothing was wrong. Carrie picked up on his feelings the second day, but Rocky was able to convince her that he wasn't feeling well and might be coming down with the flu or something. Tuesday night, Rocky pulled the recorder out of Carrie's truck right after she was asleep. The very first thing on the tape was Carrie and Amy talking on the phone as Carrie drove to work. Two minutes into the conversation, they were planning on how to get together Thursday during the day. The plan was for Amy to take a personal day and for Carrie to take the afternoon off and visit her at Amy's apartment. The conversation ended with Carrie saying, "I love you too, Sweetheart. See you at lunch." Wednesday afternoon at five o'clock, Rocky was sitting in the parking lot of Brown and Manfried, waiting for Amy to come out of the building. He was driving Maria's white Honda Accord instead of his big pickup truck. Amy exited the building at five after five, headed for home with Rocky following discreetly behind. When Amy pulled up to a townhouse complex, Rocky noted which unit she entered, then drove back to his office to pick up his truck. At noon Thursday, Rocky was sitting in a white, nondescript rental van in front of the next building down from Amy's Townhouse. At five after twelve, Carrie called him on his cell phone from her office. She told him she had meetings all afternoon and wouldn't be available, but she should be home in time for supper. Twenty minutes later, she pulled up in front of Amy's apartment and went inside. Seeing his wife hurrying to her lover right after lying to him on the phone stirred a little anger in Rocky. Rocky gave them fifteen minutes before he casually walked around to the back of the building, carrying a surveyor's sight level and tripod over his shoulder and a tool bag in his hand. Rocky set the tripod up at the corner of the building and aimed the sight level at the back of Amy's apartment. The sight level magnified everything by a power of twenty, so he could see her windows clearly. There was only one regular window, a sliding glass door and a small obscured glass bathroom window. The miniblinds were down in the regular window, and it appeared that vertical blinds covered all but a sliver of the sliding glass door. Rocky took a hundred foot tape measure out of the tool bag and walked to the corner of the building. He hooked the tail of the tape to the corner of the building and walked down the wall until he was almost to what he figured was Amy's bedroom window. Rocky gently leaned the measuring rod for the sight level against the building and knelt down as if he were marking something on the wall. From his kneeling position, he could see into the room through a small gap between the miniblind and the window frame. He almost gasped out loud at the sight of his naked wife and Amy in a torrid sixty-nine. Ordinarily such a sight would have aroused him on a most basic level, yet on this occasion, it profoundly saddened him. He realized the woman he loved, was in love with another, and living a lie with him. Seeing her betrayal with his own eyes made him feel sick at his stomach. Rocky took a steadying breath, then pulled his digital camera out of his pocket and took a dozen pictures. When he had what he needed, he moved back to the corner of the building, gathered up his equipment and walked back to the van he'd rented for the day. Rocky returned the rental van, picked up his truck and headed home. At home he uploaded the pictures from his camera onto his laptop, then copied the photos, text messages and voice recordings onto a compact disk. He wrote Carrie a note and left it, his cell phone, and the CD on the breakfast bar. Next, he packed up a couple of bags, grabbed his toiletries and laptop, and headed out to his truck. His heart was broken, and he had some serious thinking to do. ------- Chapter 3 Carrie Simmons arrived home at five-thirty on the dot. She was humming a little tune as she came in through the garage door. She had enjoyed a marvelous afternoon with Amy, her submissive little lover. Today, she had even introduced Amy to the pleasure of a strap on. Amy, as always, had enjoyed every minute of it but, ironically as things turned out, it was their last time together, because Amy had found a young man that she was falling for fast. Carrie had been happy for her and secretly pleased that Amy wasn't going to become some lovelorn stalker later on. Carrie stopped short when she noticed Rocky's cell phone lying on the breakfast bar. She knew he had it with him earlier when she called him, so he must have come home and forgotten it. She next noticed that the phone was sitting atop a piece of paper with a CD jewel case beside it. Carrie saw the piece of paper was a note to her, so she picked it up and started reading. Carrie, I love you more than life itself, however, it is obvious you don't feel the same way about me - so I'm out of here. I will contact you later about arrangements I have made, in the meantime, I have some thinking to do, so don't bother me. The CD is a keepsake for you; I hope you and Amy have a nice life. Rocky The blood drained out of Carrie's face when she comprehended the magnitude of the short little note. She had to sit down on one of the barstools before she fell to the floor. She read the note a second time, her eyes brimming with tears. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't leave her like this, they loved each other too much, and their marriage was too good to let a simple little fling end it. She could not make her mind accept the fact that Rocky had left her ... left without even giving her a chance to say a word. As she sat there in stunned disbelief, she picked up the jewel case. What did his cryptic comment about the CD have to do with anything? She guessed the only way to find out was to see what was on it. Carrie picked up the CD and hurried into the study. She fired up their home computer and inserted the CD in the drive when the machine was booted up. The only file on the CD was a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Carrie." She double clicked the icon, then watched in horrid fascination as the slides scrolled by. The first few slides were short sexy little notes; she was reading the third one when it dawned on her that they were copies of the playful text messages she and Amy had been sharing. The slides after the text messages weren't as difficult to figure out, as the nude photos she and Amy had exchanged jumped out at her. Rocky must have gotten the photos and messages off her cell phone. She cursed her stupidity for not deleting this stuff. The slides switched back to text, the next one was another note from Rocky. "I forgave you once, my soon-to-be ex-wife, but not this time. It is obvious that I'm not equipped to compete with Amy, so I'm not going to keep trying." The slide slowly faded into another picture, this one a dim but recognizable shot of her and Amy together in bed. Carrie gasped and sat back stunned, as three more photos marched across the screen. The pictures of her and Amy together sure put an end to her plan of claiming it was all an innocent flirtation. When the slide show ended, Carrie popped out the CD and sat in front of the computer, trying to think. She took a deep ragged breath and hurled the CD across the room. This was not going to happen, no way was she going to lose her husband, her marriage or her perfect life over something so inconsequential. Rocky was overreacting and letting his macho pride blow everything out of proportion, but she could fix this, all she needed was a chance to talk to him. Yeah, that was the ticket; she'd give him some time to cool off, then talk to him. Carrie went back to the kitchen and retrieved her cell phone. She dialed Amy's number and sat down on a barstool. When Amy answered and they exchanged hellos, Carrie told her exactly what was happening. Amy was understandably upset and started crying immediately. Carrie shushed her and told her what had to happen for the foreseeable future. Carrie went to bed that night upset and sad. She was upset at Rocky for acting so irrationally, and she was sad that he wasn't there for her. One thing Carrie didn't feel was guilt. Why should she feel guilty when she gave her husband her love and all the sex he could ever want? She had been the perfect wife for him and she would be as long as he lived, what more could he possibly want? Amy was a special friend and had never been a threat to their marriage. She had made that perfectly clear to Amy, and as soon as she tracked Rocky down, she would make sure he knew it also. The part of Rocky's note that concerned her most was the mention of a divorce. Well, he could forget about anything like that happening, because no way in hell would she give him a divorce. ------- Rocky had a place to go when he left home. That place was a one-bedroom apartment above the detached three-car garage of the house he had converted to his offices. The garage now housed his woodworking shop and equipment storage room. The apartment had been occupied by a few of his workmen over the years, but was currently empty. It was four-thirty in the afternoon by the time he dragged his final bag up the stairs to the apartment. While the air conditioner was laboring to cool off the apartment, Rocky decided he'd go buy some groceries and stock the fridge. When he opened the door to leave, Maria and Amanda were coming up the stairs. "What's going on Boss?" Maria asked, her concern evident. "I left Carrie; looks like we'll be neighbors for a while," he replied. Amanda squirmed by her mother, clambered up the last few steps, and held up her hands so Rocky could pick her up. Rocky knelt down, gathered the girl into his arms and stood back up. Amanda giggled and kissed his cheek. When Maria reached the landing at the top of the stairs, she hugged Rocky also. Maria stepped back from the hug and laid her hand on his cheek. "Where are you going right now?" she asked, worried that he might be headed for a bar. "I need to stock up on some groceries." Maria decided that Rocky didn't need to be alone. "Great, that's where Amanda and I were headed," she fibbed. "You can ride with us." Rocky was spared from having to answer questions during the short ride to the supermarket, because Amanda jabbered the entire trip. Amanda was excited that Rocky was now their neighbor, and had all sorts of plans for him. They would go to the zoo, she said, and see the giraffes because they were her favorites. And she wanted to go to see the Nutcracker and have a tea party and about a million other things. Maria tried to apologize and quiet Amanda down, but Rocky chuckled and said the little chatterbox was the best possible medicine for him. He turned in his seat and solemnly promised her that he would take her to the zoo on Sunday. A beatifically smiling Amanda positioned herself between Rocky and Maria and held each of their hands as they walked into the supermarket. Once back at the house, Maria invited Rocky to join them for dinner, but he declined. He had some thinking to do, and he needed to be alone to do it. Rocky hadn't made any plans past leaving the house. He didn't really know what he wanted to do; he just knew he couldn't stand to be around Carrie right now. He didn't love Carrie a whit less than he had before catching her with Amy, but the images of the two women thrashing around on the bed were locked in his mind. Could he ever find a way to trust her again? He didn't know. He figured he had just sped up the process by leaving first, given the way Carrie and Amy were so obviously into each other. He was driving himself crazy, trying to figure out what could have caused Carrie's love for him to die so suddenly. ------- Carrie had a hard time sleeping that night; she hated not having Rocky to snuggle up against. At five in the morning, she finally gave up trying to sleep; she pulled herself out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. She set up the coffee maker, fixed herself a bowl of Special K and sat down at the breakfast bar, feeling monumentally lonely and sorry for herself. She wasn't hungry at all, and toyed with her cereal while she thought about Rocky. Carrie Simmons was a determined and focused woman when she wanted something, and the thing she most wanted in her life was in danger of slipping away from her. She wasn't about to let that happen. She would fix this, no matter what it took. She poured the remnants of the cereal into the sink, threw the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher and poured herself a cup of coffee. Carrying the coffee up to her bedroom, she finally decided on what she needed to do. Carrie showered, carefully applied her make up and then put on one of Rocky's favorite outfits. At ten minutes till seven she pulled up in front of his office thinking she'd wait for him until he came to work. She didn't know about the apartment over the garage, so she was surprised to see his truck already parked in the driveway. Figuring he couldn't sleep either and had come to work early, she walked up the sidewalk and tried to open the front door. The door was locked, and when she peeked into the side window, she saw the office was dark. Curious, she walked over to Rocky's truck and felt the hood. The engine was cold. Carrie was standing there with her hand on the hood of his truck when Rocky came down the stairs from the apartment. He was not happy to see her. "What are you doing here, Carrie? I asked you to leave me alone until I contacted you." "I brought you your cell phone because I figured you'd need it for work. Is that why you left me, so you could move in with your little Cuban girlfriend?" Rocky's eyebrows arched up in surprise, both at what she said and the vehemence in her voice. "You know better than that, Carrie, I'm staying in the apartment over the garage. I left so you could be with your little blonde girlfriend." Carrie took her hand off his truck and put it on his arm. "So you're not sleeping with her?" "Of course not, Carrie, Maria is like a daughter to me. You are the one in love with someone else, not me," he reminded her irritatedly. It was Carrie's turn to look surprised. "I'm not in love with anyone but you, Rocky, Amy is just a friend. Yesterday would have probably been our last time anyway, because she met a guy she likes a lot. Come home, Baby, I need you and I can't live without you." Rocky stared at her in disbelief. "How can you say you love me and be cheating on me at the same time?" Carrie suppressed a smile as Rocky's voice became louder. The discussion was finally moving in the direction she wanted it to go, and Rocky was no longer acting so coldly detached. That cold, silent, expressionless Rocky scared her and everyone else to death. She stepped a little closer to him and squeezed his arm gently. "Lower your voice, Baby, this is a private conversation. First off, yes I love you, and only you; second I wasn't cheating on you. I wasn't having an affair and giving someone what was yours. Amy is a friend that I slept with a couple of times, that's all there is to it. When you told me it bothered you that I was seeing too much of her, I stopped that immediately and paid even more attention to you. Did you feel the least bit deprived before you discovered us?" Rocky was still agog at her line of reasoning, yet could only shake his head negatively. Carrie was watching him closely as she talked to him, trying to gauge how things were going. His acknowledgement of her point encouraged her. She smiled the smile she reserved only for him. "That's right, because you weren't deprived. I love only you, Rocky, and I will love only you as long as I live." "I heard you tell Amy you loved her; what about that?" Carrie looked at him for a few seconds; it annoyed the hell out of her that he had been snooping into her business. That discussion was for another time, however. "I say the same things to my sisters, Baby, and say it the same way. Yes, I love Amy as a friend, but I'm not in love with her." Rocky started to reference all the racy text messages and the exchange of nude pictures to remind Carrie that Amy wasn't like a sister to her and this wasn't just a little fling. He'd already figured out that they'd never stopped seeing each other and had probably made love dozens of times over the past two months. He thought better of it, realizing how manipulative Carrie could be. She knew how to put a spin on everything she said. Her lying deception continued. He knew he would need some ammunition for later. So, he said nothing. Carrie leaned against him in that way she always did; she drew strength from his closeness. Despite everything, he relished the feel of her; his hand automatically went around her waist and rested on the swell of her perfect ass. "Please come home tonight, Baby. We still need to talk, but I have to get to work." "I'll drop by, but I probably won't stay." Carrie was confident that if she got him back to the house, she could get him to stay. "If that's what you want, fine, just come by and talk to me, that's all I ask." Carrie kissed him on the cheek, handed him his cell phone, and walked back to her car. Rocky stood and watched her walk away. She opened the door of her car and gave him a little wave. As she drove off, Rocky sighed, shook his head and headed to his office. For all his worldly experience, Carrie's behavior was still as baffling to him as ancient Sanskrit. Rocky was sitting in front of his computer, calling up the day's schedule, when Maria knocked on his doorframe, and swayed into his office. She had a mug of coffee in one hand and a toasted bagel in the other. When he saw her, he smiled. Somehow her presence calmed him. She was wearing a black silk robe with peacocks embroidered on the front. When she moved, her pendulous breasts made the peacocks look as if they were alive. Had he been in any other frame of mind he would have appreciated her sexy beauty more, but not today. Often he'd admired the form of his pretty office manager, but he would never touch. He cared for her too much, and his heart belonged to Carrie. "I figured you could use some breakfast," she said. Rocky watched her as she walked over to his desk. "You might as well slap me now and get it over with," he said. She arched one eyebrow quizzically. He answered her unspoken question. "This morning Carrie asked me if I'd moved in with you and if you were my girlfriend. I can't believe she said that. I told her I thought of you as a daughter, but seeing you in that outfit is making me have some unfatherly thoughts. You are a beautiful woman Maria and a great friend." She gave him a grin and sat down the coffee and bagel. She bent over and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Then I am finally getting through to you. I don't want you to be my dad, I already have one of those." Rocky didn't quite know what to make of her comment, but neither did he have the energy to figure it out. He was too busy trying to decipher the things coming out of Carrie's mouth. Maria straightened up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Now what's this all about, Rocky? I saw Carrie here this morning, why did you leave her?" He sat back in his chair and sighed. He needed to tell someone what was eating at him, but wasn't sure Maria was the right person to burden with his problems. Then again, Maria was loyal and smart. Anything he said to her would go no further and, who knows, she might just have some insight he was lacking. "I caught Carrie having an affair," he stated simply. Maria nodded; she knew it had to have been something like that, given how blindly in love Rocky was. "Was it with another woman?" she asked. Rocky flinched when she blurted that out. Jesus, did everyone know but him? "What made you say that?" he asked. Maria could tell by his reaction that she had been correct. She shrugged and squeezed his shoulder. "Rocky, I'm bisexual too. Carrie and I have danced around the issue for years. If it weren't for you, she could have had me in bed in a minute. Besides, I couldn't imagine her finding a man that could do more for her, not after some of the things she told me about you. That woman loves you totally." Rocky's mouth fell open in shock. His morning had been one surprise after another. He had no idea that Maria was bi-sexual and was attracted to Carrie. At least she was a good friend and didn't act on those desires. He gathered his thoughts and sighed loudly. "Jesus, I must be the most unobservant asshole in the world. A part of me wishes it had been a man. I could at least get some satisfaction kicking his ass. What confuses the hell out of me is that Carrie doesn't see anything wrong with what she did. She says she loves me and only me, as if that makes everything okay. She is actually hurt that I left her over something she considers trivial." "Listen Rocky, I know this all seems personal to you, but to Carrie it has nothing to do with you. She just wants to have her cake and eat it too. I'm not saying that makes it right. It's just the way Carrie thinks," Maria said. Maria was nonplussed when Rocky started laughing, until her unintentional double entendre registered in her brain. She blushed a rosy red. "Sorry Boss, bad choice of words." "Yeah, you should have said wants her pie and eat it too," he deadpanned. Maria couldn't stifle the giggle that bubbled past her lips. It was good that he still had his sense of humor. "I need to wake Amanda up and feed her, then dress for work, but I'm here for you if you need me, Rocky." Rocky stood up and hugged her. He was amazed how good she felt in his arms. He kissed her forehead and held her for a few moments longer. Maria sighed and nestled herself against his chest. He was still pondering her frank admission of being bisexual and her attraction to Carrie also. He was agog that he was so dense. Rocky looked up as Maria came into his office to collect Amanda for her half-day preschool. Amanda and he were sitting at his conference table, both of them busily drawing. She stood in the doorway for a few seconds, watching them. Rocky gave her a boyish, embarrassed grin at being caught coloring with a four year old. His only defense was that he was crazy about Amanda and Maria knew it. ------- Chapter 4 That night Rocky felt strange ringing the doorbell of the house he had built and paid for, but these were strange times. Carrie opened the door after about thirty seconds and gave him an inquisitive look. "Why did you ring the doorbell, Rocky; you live here." Rocky just shrugged and walked through the door. Not hugging and kissing Carrie as soon as he walked in was another first for him. Realizing what he had lost was breaking his heart. "I don't know really, just with everything going on, I thought it appropriate," he replied. It was her turn to nod. "Well, it's not necessary, Rocky," she said, her exasperation obvious. "This is where you belong. I want you home; I can't stand being apart from you like this. I want my husband back, I want us back." "You weren't thinking about your husband or your marriage while your face was planted between your lover's legs." Carrie recoiled as if he had slapped her, then her eyes flashed angrily. "That was unnecessary, cruel and crude," she hissed. He shrugged again, seemingly unconcerned about her feelings, while loathing himself for what he'd said. "Yes it was, but it was also true. How do you think I felt when I saw the two of you together, the love of my life rolling around on the bed in the throes of passion with someone else? You killed something between us yesterday. How am I supposed to act?" Carrie glared at him as she fought down her anger. She took a calming breath and put her hand on his arm. "This isn't like us Baby, arguing as if we were on Jerry Springer. Come in and sit down, let me get you a cup of coffee and we can discuss this like adults." Carrie spun around and walked into the kitchen. Rocky followed and sat down at the breakfast bar as she fetched him a cup of coffee. Carrie was the talker in their relationship, it came naturally to her, and she had honed her skills through her employment in advertising. Rocky often said that she would have made as good a lawyer as her sister Doris. Carrie added some half and half to his coffee, then set it in front of him. She stood on the other side of the bar and took a sip from a glass of white wine. She set the glass down and looked at him, her expression open and serious. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Baby, that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Nothing that happened between Amy and me was any sort of reflection on you. You need to believe that and let it go. I know I'm repeating myself here, but I want you to think again about whether I've neglected you or denied you anything since our talk about me spending too much time with Amy." Rocky thought for a minute, trying to find a hole in her logic. He suppressed a smile when he hit on an idea. "So let me see if I have the concept here. What you are saying is that if I have an affair with my friend Maria, it's okay as long as I don't change the way I treat you." Carrie's eyes narrowed at his declaration. "No, Rocky, you being with Maria is not even close to being the same. You are already too close to her anyway. She's in love with you; if you slept with her, she'd find a way to make you fall in love with her too. Besides, there is nothing Maria could do for you that I can't and won't do at the drop of a hat, including sharing with you if that's what you want." Rocky listened to Carrie and carefully considered what she said. She was correct, in that he knew in his heart it wouldn't take much for him to fall in love with Maria. However, the other part about sharing tweaked the germ of an idea. "Okay, I understand now," he said. "I can't do what you are doing because I might fall in love, but for you that is not a problem. I don't need anyone else because you will fuck me anytime I want, but you can have someone else because I don't have a pussy for you to eat." Carrie stared at him as if he'd defecated on the floor. When she spoke, he could hear the hurt in her voice. "I didn't know you could be this hateful, Rocky. The things you are saying make is seem as if I'm shallow and nasty. Is that truly how you feel about me?" Rocky bit back a bitter reply; this wasn't getting them anywhere, and it wasn't his nature to be petty and spiteful. "No, of course not. I'm just hurt and angry. I will tell you this, though, suddenly, I am wondering if all I have been is your camouflage for the last six years. Was I the husband you put up with and paraded around while you lived some secret life? I was perfect for you wasn't I, a convenient smokescreen for your family and your work. That, in turn, makes me wonder if you really love me as much as you claim, or if you just love the idea of having a husband." Carrie was crying by the time he finished talking, tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes and sniffed. Some of what he was saying was uncomfortably close to the truth, but she did love him, damn it. "I am in love with you Rocky, and I love being your wife, how many times do I have to tell you that? You are blowing everything else way out of proportion. You knew I was bi-sexual when you married me, hell, it even excited you. I can't help the way I'm wired, but I love you enough to at least share that with you." Suddenly, the real issue dawned on Rocky. It wasn't really about Carrie having sex with Amy. Heck, he had been turned on when she described some of her dalliances with other girls when she was in college. If Carrie would have come to him and told him she was attracted to Amy, he may have even welcomed the both of them into his bed. The way he doted on her all the time, giving her whatever she wanted, he might have even permitted Carrie to take Amy as a lover, as long as she told him all about it. It wasn't about sex at all. It was about betrayal, deception, and most of all it was about lies. If anything, he had always been convinced that Carrie was honest with him, but since she met Amy she'd become the consummate liar. He finally unleashed his anger on Carrie and it wasn't pretty. "Carrie, shut up and listen to me for once. You always have the answer don't you? It was just a fling and nothing more. That's the way you see it, isn't it? Poor Rocky's blowing it all out of proportion. I just realized something, my dear wife," he said with a little derision in his voice. "I haven't been sick at my stomach and tossing and turning in the bed the past few nights because you slept with another woman. I could get over that. Heck, I might even enjoy watching. My heart is breaking because you suddenly became a liar." "Rocky, that's a cruel thing to say," Carrie interrupted with tears in her eyes. "It's the truth, Carrie. How many times have you lied to me the past two months? It began at that damned picnic at the lake. Oh, you were so smooth when you told me that the two of you were just riding the jet skis. Carrie, I heard you shut them down. You were gone for over an hour; when you got back Amy wouldn't even look me in the face, but you did and lied to me with a smile on your face." Rocky saw a look of horror suddenly come to her face. "Are you going to deny any of this? Carrie, you're still lying!" "I am not," she protested. "You know about Amy now." "Not because of you. No, you share with me only what you have to tell, and even then it is always in a manner that shines the best possible light on you. 'Amy is a friend that I slept with a couple of times, that's all there is to it.' That's what you said. We both know that's a lie, Carrie. Just how many times did you fuck her? If you're telling the truth now, just tell me, how many times did you make love to your little lover?" Carrie was shocked. She couldn't bring herself to answer him, because she knew what he was saying was true. She'd slept with Amy dozens of times. "You lied to me by acting like you'd broken it off with Amy. I forgave you. I knew you were lying to me that night when I confronted you. It was a big mistake when I didn't press you. I should have come clean myself. Carrie, I taped your conversation with her in the car the day after the picnic at the lake. I listened when she showed you her freshly shaved pussy. I knew, but hoped you would see how it hurt me and would stop on your own. You acted like you were putting me first, but you only became a better liar. You'd still be lying, if you weren't so fucking careless about the two hundred texts messages on your cell phone. Dammit Carrie, couldn't you two go five minutes without communicating. Why should I believe you when you tell me you love me and only me? Yeah, you've been fucking me for the past two months, but you've been much more intimate with your little whore." Carrie was devastated. For the first time in her life someone had stood up to her. It hurt her deeply. For the first time she began to see how much she'd hurt Rocky. "Oh God, Rocky, what have I done?" She cried out. Tears were pouring down her face, and Rocky's love for her overcame his anger. He moved across the room and put his arms around her. "Can you ever forgive me?" Carrie sobbed. "It's not a question of whether I can forgive you or not. It's a matter of whether I can ever trust you again. How can I know that you're not lying to me right now, just to get me back? I'm going to have to think about this a long time." Carrie looked into his eyes and said with all the determination she had, "I'll win back your trust, Rocky. I promise you I will." Rocky gave her no assurances at that moment, and it hurt her deeply, but what could she expect? Rocky was weary of fighting, so he steered the conversation toward upcoming commitments they had made as a couple. Carrie was relieved when he agreed to go to her parents' anniversary party with her as if nothing had happened. Carrie was also encouraged by the fact that he didn't mention lawyers or divorce while they were talking. The big disappointment for her was when he insisted on going back to the apartment, instead of staying with her. She longed for him to stay more than she'd ever longed for anything before, but for the first time she understood why he couldn't stay. Now her heart was breaking too. Another thing troubled her about him going to the apartment. She was very well aware of the fact that a beautiful woman lived in the same building, and that woman was already in love with her husband. For the first time she really feared she might lose Rocky forever. When Rocky returned to his apartment, the phone started ringing as soon as he walked in. Curious as to who had this number, he answered it. The caller was Maria. "Hello Boss, if you aren't doing anything, come over and visit with us. Amanda missed seeing you this afternoon, plus, I just made a key lime pie and a fresh pitcher of iced tea." Rocky changed his shirt, brushed his teeth and headed over. He went up the outside stairs that ended on a landing outside the kitchen he had added to the upstairs. For the second time that evening, he stood outside a house he owned, waiting for a woman to bid him enter; the irony was not lost on him. Maria opened the door and greeted him with a friendly kiss. There was no tongue involved in the kiss, but Maria's lips were soft and sweet against his. She giggled when she stepped back and saw his confused expression. Amanda was wrapped around his legs by then, so he knelt and hugged her as she kissed him also. "I guess you know where you can find two women that are always happy to see you," Maria said teasingly. Rocky stood up and just looked at her. His expression was now one of bemused humor. "Wow," was all he said. Maria laughed happily again, and took his hand. "Come in and sit down, we were just about to have a snack before Amanda takes a bath." Rocky let her pull him into the little dining area and sat down where she indicated. He watched her as she walked over to the kitchen counter to get him a piece of pie. She looked great, wearing a dark green tartan plaid miniskirt and a scoop neck white sweater. She was bare legged and bare foot; her olive complexion and smooth skin made stockings unnecessary. The white sweater also looked incredible on her, as a canyon of cleavage nestled under the scooped neckline. The three of them sat chatting while they ate, Maria on one side of him and Amanda on the other. When Amanda finished her Oreos and milk, Maria sent Rocky to the living room to watch television. Rocky was unaware of the effect both Maria and Amanda were having on him. He still loved Carrie with all of his heart, but he didn't believe he could trust her anymore. His heart ached as he remembered her condition when he left, but his head had doubts. Was it just another act? Maria on the other hand was utterly open to him. She was kind, considerate, and above all else honest. Of that he had no doubts. Then there was little Amanda. He adored her. He loved the feeling of family he experienced in Maria's apartment. He was beginning to realize that he and Carrie had never shared something like this. He missed it from his first marriage. Rocky was fifteen minutes into a home improvement show, when a squeaky clean Amanda climbed into his lap with a copy of Dr. Seuss's 'Green Eggs And Ham'. Rocky was two pages into the book, when Maria curled up on the couch next to him as he read to a fascinated Amanda. The scene was so sweetly domestic, it almost made Rocky cry. Why in the hell couldn't Carrie want something like this? After finishing the book, Rocky helped Maria tuck Amanda in bed; the little girl was asleep before they could turn off her bedroom light. Rocky stood at the door for a few seconds, looking at the angelically sleeping child, then followed Maria back into the living room. "Mandy is such a sweet little thing, you should be very proud," he told Maria when they settled onto the couch. "I am. It amazes me watching her with you. She is usually very shy around men, yet with you she is just the opposite. I love to watch the two of you together; you can't be the tough old grouchy bear when you are near her." Rocky gave her a chagrinned smile. "I know, and worse, she knows it too. She has me wrapped around her little finger. Before you came back from cleaning up the bathroom after her bath, she laid out her plans for us when we go to the zoo on Sunday. I have to buy a bag of carrots to feed the giraffes and we are going to Dairy Queen for ice cream afterward." Maria laughed at him and slid closer so she could kiss his cheek. "Quit complaining, you know you love it." Rocky's smile broadened, yes he did indeed love it. He turned his head to tell her that, and her face was right next to his, her eyes shining like large limpid obsidian pools. He could not stop himself from leaning forward slightly and kissing her bee-stung, caramel colored lips. Once again, the kiss was soft and sweet and filled with promise. He broke the kiss and slumped back against the cushions of her couch, mortified that he had done such a thing. "I'm sorry, Maria, I shouldn't have done that." She continued to regard him, her eyes sparkling. "Oh yes, you should have, I've been waiting for you to do that for four years. Heck, I couldn't ever even get you under the mistletoe during our Christmas parties at the office. I purposely put it right over the door, but you never took the hint. And please don't start feeling guilty you did it either. It was just a kiss, you aren't taking advantage of me or betraying your marriage." Rocky looked at her in awe, she seemed to be able to read his mind. Maria caught his look and gave him another sweet smile. "Yes, I know how you think Rocky, and I love that you are such an honorable man, now stop over-analyzing what you did and relax." Rocky did just that, allowing Maria to coax him to take his boots off and stretch out on the couch, his head in her lap. For the first time in almost a week, he was totally relaxed. He fell asleep with her stroking his hair. Rocky woke up refreshed, but disoriented at five-thirty the next morning. He sat up in confusion until he remembered where he was. He smiled as he folded the afghan that Maria must have covered him with, then he slipped on his boots and quietly let himself out the door. Back in his apartment, he made a pot of coffee and fired up his laptop. When his laptop finished booting up, he called up the Excel spread sheet that he used to track his and Carrie's finances. The toughest part if it came to a split between them would be untangling their property, and there was too much involved to let some shyster lawyer decide the issue. Also there was the problem of convincing Carrie to take an active role in managing her own money for a change. All Carrie really cared about was her bankcard working anytime she stuck it into an ATM. He spent an additional thirty minutes listing her income and obligations on a separate spreadsheet. He knew for a fact Carrie didn't know what either figure was. One thing that Carrie wouldn't have to worry about if they split was money. She made well over six figures at Brown and Manfried, and except for her SUV, her obligations were minimal. Rocky had her contributing ten percent of her gross salary into her 401K and she still had plenty of disposable income. He planned on sitting down with her and explaining all of this to her that evening after the party for her parents. The thought of Carrie's family caused Rocky to sit back and sigh. He was very close to everyone in the Curtis clan, except for Carrie's oldest sister Doris. Actually, Rocky got along fine with Doris, the reason they weren't closer was Carrie's jealousy. Doris was attractive, divorced and made no bones about her attraction to Rocky. Carrie kept Rocky away from Doris as much as possible, after Doris told her that if she had met Rocky first, Carrie would still be a spinster. Carrie's father, Bill Curtis, was one of the finest men he had ever met, and was Rocky's best friend. The two men enjoyed each other's company and hung out together as often as they could. Carrie's mother was a no-nonsense woman, who still managed to be sweet and gentle. Rocky did not have any family still living, except for his adult children who lived elsewhere, so the Curtis's, for all practical purposes, adopted him. The thought of fouling up his relationship with the Curtis clan by divorcing Carrie was distressing. Ending his marriage would be tough on more people than just Carrie and him. Carrie must have thought of all the negative consequences herself, yet she still continued the affair. That fact reinforced Rocky's feeling that Carrie must really be in love with Amy, no matter what she told him. Besides that, Rocky just couldn't get over the way Carrie had deceived him. He wasn't sure he could ever trust her again. Rocky sighed, shut down his laptop and headed for the shower. While he was in the shower, Rocky's thoughts turned from his troubles to the much more pleasant subject of Maria. Maria was an amazing young woman, not only was she a staunch friend, she was also sexy as hell. How had he missed that for the last four years? She and Amanda made him feel better just being around them, but he would have to be careful not to inflict too much of his misery on them. Rocky was finishing drying off after his shower, when he heard an insistent rapping at the door. He wrapped the towel around his waist and hustled towards the knocking. He smiled in genuine pleasure when he opened the door to find Maria standing on the landing. "Hey, Maria, I was just thinking about you, come on in while I go dress." Maria eyed him up and down with an exaggerated leer. "No need to dress for me, it's about time I had a chance to ogle you for a change," said a grinning Maria. Rocky blushed to the roots of his hair. He didn't think he had much to ogle. Rocky was five foot eleven and weighed one hundred and eighty-five pounds. He still kept himself in fairly decent shape, but he wasn't the stud he was back when he was a paratrooper. Maria on the other hand, seemed to think he was all that and a box of chocolates. She openly admired his muscular chest with its light smattering of hair and the way it tapered down to his waist. Rocky invited her in, sat her on the couch, then with as much dignity as he could muster, he went to the bedroom and dressed. He blushed again when she teasingly asked if he needed any help. When Rocky was dressed and back in the living room, Maria told him why she was there. "I'm going grocery shopping while Amanda is at my parents'. What would you like for supper tomorrow night after the zoo?" "You don't need to feed me tomorrow, Maria. I can rustle something up over here." "Nope, Amanda and I are cooking dinner for you, no arguments, mister." Rocky conceded and requested spaghetti. Maria laughed when he did that; it was so perfectly Rocky for him to pick Amanda's favorite food. "You are such a good man, Rocky Simmons, no wonder we are both crazy about you." Before Rocky could think of anything to say, she jumped up off of the couch and headed for the door. Rocky continued to sit on the couch after she left, his mind swirling. He was slightly ashamed of himself, because for the first time in over six years, he was thinking of someone besides Carrie. He couldn't help but think that his response to Maria wasn't that different than Carrie's response to Amy. The big difference, though, was that he had no intention of acting on his growing feelings for Maria, at least not until things were resolved with Carrie. Rocky puttered around downstairs in his woodworking shop for the rest of the day, cleaning and organizing the place for the next time he used it. Working in the shop had always been a relaxing and satisfying experience for him, so it was no surprise that during these tumultuous times, he found refuge there. By the time he had to get ready to pick up Carrie, he was feeling calm and centered. He hoped the feeling would last while he was with her the rest of the evening. Carrie was ready and waiting when Rocky pulled up in front of their house. She met him at the door, not giving him a chance to ring the bell. She looked a bit shell-shocked when he saw her, and his heart went out to her. When he smiled at her she grabbed him and hugged him. "Oh God, I've missed you so much, and I'm so happy to see you," she gushed as she held on to him for dear life. Rocky held her for a little while longer and then gently pushed her away from him. Carrie was wearing a pair of designer jeans that were just snug enough to outline her amazing ass, and a Simmons Construction polo shirt with the logo she designed for him over the breast. The shirt was the cranberry hue she favored, and he would have bet a dollar that her underwear was the same color. Her highlighted brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the small amount of make up she wore was perfectly applied. Rocky thought she couldn't have looked much different when she was in college. "You look gorgeous, Carrie, but I've thought that every time I've seen you since we met." Carrie smiled sweetly at him, moved closer to him, and then kissed him soundly. Desperate to show him how she felt about him, she pushed her tongue past his unresisting lips. She moaned into his mouth when his hand dropped down onto her ass. Rocky broke the kiss reluctantly, wondering where his resolve had suddenly gone. "We better go, people are waiting on us," he finally said. Carrie was incredibly happy about what had just happened. She smiled at him adoringly and put her hand in his as they walked out to his truck. Carrie remained happy the entire party. The event went off without a hitch, and Rocky acted as always, considerate, polite and witty. For her part, Carrie was even more attentive to him than usual. After spending some time in the kitchen with her mother and sister Sarah, she came out of the house with a pitcher of daiquiris. She set the pitcher on a picnic table and sat in Rocky's lap. Then she fastened her lips on his, and gave him the best kiss she knew how to give. When she broke the kiss, the hoots and cheers of her family didn't embarrass her; in fact, the applause seemed to make her happy and proud. One thing that didn't make Carrie happy that evening was the attention her sister Doris was paying to Rocky. Every time Carrie had to go do something, she'd return to find Doris flirting with her husband. After a few drinks, Doris Curtis Landon Bishop was a consummate and aggressive flirt, and lately, Rocky had been more and more her target. When Rocky didn't act as standoffish as he usually did, Doris upped the ante. Doris was beautiful. She was tall and slender, with a pair of the finest breasts her cosmetic surgeon second ex-husband could install. At the anniversary party, she didn't miss many chances to rub those big casabas all over Rocky. Everyone except Carrie laughed good-naturedly at Doris' antics. Carrie could only grit her teeth and endure it. Carrie stayed glued to Rocky for the rest of the evening, making sure any female attention he received was from her. Despite his best intentions, all the touching and kissing Carrie was doing was turning Rocky on. Carrie was in full seduction mode and Rocky was a captive audience. When they left at ten, it was hard to tell which of them was the most aroused. Rocky was beyond protesting when they arrived at their house and Carrie pulled him inside. Kissing frantically, they started tearing off their clothes as soon as the front door closed behind them. By the time they made it to the bedroom, Carrie was down to the cranberry colored thong and Rocky was as naked as a jaybird. Carrie protested sleepily when Rocky climbed off the bed and started pulling on his trousers, but she didn't pitch a fit about him leaving. Instead, she smiled serenely at his parting words. "I love you and I miss you, Carrie. I want to work this out, but I can't get past the idea of it happening again down the road. You honestly can't tell me it won't happen again either. How do we fix all that?" When he bent down to kiss her goodnight, she clung to him fiercely and whispered in his ear. "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll think of something. Just don't give up on me — Okay?" ------- 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. He landed five swats on each of her butt cheeks. The blows were just hard enough to turn her ass a pretty pink color. He stood her up in front of him when he finished the spanking. She was looking at him almost worshipfully with tears running down her face as she stood there rubbing her butt. "There are going to be some changes around here, Carrie Ann Simmons, and you are going to make most of them. From now on, you are going to start behaving responsibly all the time. You will participate fully in all aspects of our relationship, not just the ones that please you. You will treat me in private the same way you like to in public. If you don't, I will do what I just did regardless of where we are and who is around, got it? And if I ever catch you lying to me again..." Rocky didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. By now, Carrie's excitement was palpable, as her fragrance hung in the air and her eyes fairly smoldered though wet with tears. "Yes, Honey, I get it," she replied huskily. Carrie slipped her jeans back on and gingerly took her seat at the table. The three of them made a few plans for moving Maria and Amanda, and then Rocky went to shower. When he exited the bathroom in his robe, he stopped short at the sight of Carrie and Maria lying on the master bedroom's king-sized bed. A few scented candles scattered around the room provided the only light. They were both on their sides facing him, their heads propped up by their elbows on the bed. Carrie was wearing a short wine colored chemise, and Maria had on a long white, diaphanous gown. Both had brushed their hair until it shined in the flickering candle light. Rocky thought hey were about as beautiful as two women could possibly be. Rocky didn't have a clue that Maria would be staying with them that night, but he was exceedingly happy when he learned she was. As he stood in the doorway, he had the thought that maybe he needed to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. Then as he looked at Carrie lying there with her eyes hooded with desire, he had another thought. He walked past the bed to their walk-in closet and snagged half a dozen neckties off the little carousel they hung on. He stuffed the ties into the pocket of his robe, walked over to the bed, took Carrie's hand, and pulled her to her feet. Once she was standing, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a smoldering kiss. As they kissed, Rocky walked backwards to the antique rocker he'd bought for her. She looked at him in confusion as he broke the kiss and sat her in the chair. Her confusion ramped up considerably when he started securing her to the chair with the neckties. The look on her face was priceless. "This is some payback, Carrie. This time you can sit and watch helplessly as I make love to someone else." As his eyes bored in to hers, she dropped her head and meekly whispered, "Yes Rocky." Rocky looked at her for a few seconds as he digested this new side of Carrie he was seeing, then he turned towards the bed. Maria smiled at him in obvious approval at what he'd done. As he walked back to the bed and dropped his robe, Maria's eyes widened when she saw his erection. "It is so big," she said in a soft voice. Rocky had to smile at that, because he was only slightly larger than average. When Rocky thought about it for a second, he realized that Maria probably hadn't seen that many penises in her life. He knew she didn't date much, and hadn't had a boyfriend the entire time she'd worked for him. It shocked him to think that this sexy, vibrant young woman might have seen only one other penis up close and personal in her life. It was quite possible that before him, Amanda's jerk of a father might have been Maria's only other male lover. That thought gave him even more reason, other than Carrie watching, to make it special for her. He stretched out next to her and kissed her. She returned the kiss with passion and sighed when he broke it. "I have waited so long for this, Rocky," she whispered in his ear. "I have loved you for more than three years, and dreamed of this night a thousand times." Instead of saying anything, Rocky kissed her near her ear and started nibbling his way down her throat. He nibbled down across her shoulder, moving the thin spaghetti strap of her gown off her shoulder as he went. Rocky took his time exploring and learning Maria's body. Maria wasn't as well built as Carrie, but her body was nothing to sneeze at either. Her breasts, once he exposed them, were large and full, with enough sag to them to verify they were real. Her stomach was flat, but her abdomen bore the scar from delivering Amanda by Caesarian section. Rocky kissed and nibbled his way lower as Maria encouraged him with her hands on his head. She was making a cooing sound that Rocky fell in love with as his tongue found her neat and tidy little quim. Rocky had to hold onto her boyishly narrow hips when he found her large clitoris, because she squirmed around and bucked so vigorously. Despite her obvious arousal, it took him a few minutes to bring her to orgasm, but when he did, she came spectacularly. Maria wasn't as vocal as Carrie when she came, but she made enough noise for Rocky to know she'd liked what he'd done a lot. As she was in the throws of her climax, Rocky raised himself over her and pulled her knees up. When he had her in the right position, he started working his tungsten steel hard shaft into her channel. Maria was as wet as it was possible for a woman to be, yet she was so tight that he had to work hard to force his rod into her. Maria was barely over her orgasm when he was fully seated and slowly stroking into her. When he saw he had her undivided attention, he pulled her slender legs over his shoulders and drove even deeper into her. When he did that, her eyes popped open and she gave a sexy groan. Miss Maria liked it a little rough, he noted. Rocky continued the slow and rhythmic thrusting as her eyes closed again and her hips started moving in counterpoint to his. When their motions were in sync, he increased the pace slightly, drawing back until only the head of his stalk was in her, before plunging back until their hips crashed together. Rocky was holding out from coming in her hot and spasming pussy by shear force of will. When she stiffened up and had another orgasm, this one smaller than the first, he thankfully pulled out and attacked her sweet tasting slit once more with his tongue. When he did that, Maria squealed and grabbed his head again. "Oh, Papy, you are going to kill me like this," she said in about the sexiest voice he'd ever heard. Her voice made him even more determined to make this special for her, so he made every effort to impress. Of course, in the back of his mind, he knew Carrie was watching them, too. He wanted her to see him giving someone else the pleasure that until then had been reserved for her alone. He knew without a doubt that this would be the defining moment of their relationship. If she hadn't truly changed, if she was only play acting, her selfishness and jealousy would rear its ugly head any minute now. As much as he wanted to, he didn't look at her to see her reaction. Instead, he concentrated on Maria. Concentrating on his old friend and new lover was not a difficult task, because making love to Maria was a wonderful experience. She was eager and responsive, and everything Rocky did was a new thing to her. It was almost as if she were a virgin bride on her wedding night. Rocky was only able to do the switcharoo twice more before her clasping tightness had him on the brink, he was about to explode when he had a thought that stopped him dead in his tracks. "I can't hold back any longer, Maria. Are you safe?" he asked through gritted teeth. She nodded. "I'm on the pill to regulate my period," she gasped, "so go ahead, I want to feel you filling me." Rocky kissed and cuddled with Maria for a minute, before disengaging from her and finally looking towards Carrie. She had tears streaming down her face as he walked over and untied her. As soon as she was free, she stood up and grabbed him in a fierce embrace. "Oh God, Rocky, I am so very sorry for what I did to you. While you were making love to Maria and ignoring me, it was as if you were driving a stake through my heart and I suddenly knew exactly how you felt because of my stupidity with Amy. I will never, ever, do anything like that again," she sobbed. Rocky stroked her hair and calmed her down. Her revelation was the outcome for which he had hoped. As she stopped crying, he kissed her. She eagerly returned his kiss, her tongue damn near strangling him. Rocky led her over to the bed, stripped off her chemise and laid her down. Once Carrie was in position, he gave her the same treatment Maria had received. The only difference was that Maria was quick to pitch in and help. When Rocky moved down to get his licks in with Carrie, Maria started kissing her and rolling her nipples. Soon Carrie was in la la land, one of her hands tangled in Maria's hair and the other on top of Rocky's head, holding it in place when he hit the right spot. Carrie reached her first orgasm much quicker than Maria had reached hers. Rocky was all set to slide up and enter her, when Maria stopped him. "Help me turn her around," she said huskily. Rocky gave her a curious look, but complied. They flipped Carrie over onto her stomach and pulled her up on her knees. Once Carrie was on her hands and knees, Maria, limber as an eel, slipped under her so they were nose to toes. Maria wiggled around until her face was right under Carrie's dripping vagina. Rocky quickly understood the idea and knee-walked up behind Carrie. He rubbed his reinvigorated dick against her smoothly shaven lips, then in one stroke, plunged into her to the hilt. Carrie moaned a drawn out "yesss" when he hit bottom. As soon as Rocky was fully seated, Maria pulled Carrie's hips down and latched onto the bigger woman's clit with her lips. Carrie moaned again and dropped her head down between Maria's splayed thighs. Carrie was insatiable with both of them working on her. Rocky, one orgasm already out of the way, had plenty of staying power. He lost track of the number of orgasms the women had as he concentrated on the wonderful feel of Carrie's clenching canal. When he finally blasted into his wife, she screamed, stiffened up and fainted. Maria laughed as Rocky had to move Carrie's dead weight off her diminutive body. When Carrie was lying on her back dead to the world, Maria jumped up and scampered into the bathroom. She returned with a damp washcloth and gently wiped Carrie's face until she rejoined the living. Rocky marveled at the loving look in Carrie's eyes when she pulled him down for a kiss. "I love you, Hubby," she said with sweet sincerity. The three of them sleeping in the big king-sized bed was as wonderful as Rocky had imagined. Maria did indeed sleep wrapped up in his arms while Carrie slept with her butt backed up to and barely touching his. Rocky was the first to awaken the next morning, but as he tried to slip out of bed, Maria instantly popped up too. Rocky gave her a wink and put his fingers to his lips as they hopped out of bed. They both dashed to the bathroom, Rocky starting the shower while Maria relieved herself. Rocky took care of his business as Maria slipped into the shower; he brushed his teeth and then joined her. It was a blast lathering up her small soft body and big pendulous breasts, but he didn't try anything more sexual than that with her. When he shampooed her hair, she purred and sagged against him. "You're stuck with me now Rocky, no matter what," she said matter-of-factly. They were dressed and sitting in the kitchen reading the paper when Carrie came stumbling down the stairs in her robe. She looked tousled and adorable as she flopped down in her chair. Maria had already fixed Carrie a cup of coffee, and slid it in front of her. Rocky had briefed Maria earlier that Carrie was definitely not a morning person, so Maria didn't say anything. Rocky just watched both women trying to get a feel for how things stood in the light of day. He received his answer after Carrie was fully awake and on her second cup of coffee. "Thank you both for the greatest night of my life," Carrie said. "And I don't mean just the sex either. This morning I woke up the happiest and most content in my life. I also woke up more in love with you than ever, Rocky." Before Rocky could say anything, Maria chimed in. "Amen," she said reverently. When they finished laughing, the women tuned Rocky out and started making plans for moving Maria and Amanda into the Simmons' house. Rocky listened with half an ear as they talked. He was thinking hard as he hid behind the newspaper, trying to foresee the inevitable problems that were sure to arise from their unique new relationship. Rocky might have only been half listening, but he sure heard Carrie's next statement. " ... And as soon as we decorate a room for Amanda, we can turn Rocky's home office into a nursery. What do you want, another girl or a little boy?" she asked excitedly. ------- The End ------- Posted: 2008-02-24 Last Modified: 2008-02-24 / 09:07:18 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------