New Year's Eve found Lori sitting on the couch in the living room with Tiffany's head on her lap and me sitting in my recliner watching some mindless sitcom when Lori broke the silence by whispering "This is nice." as she gently stroked Tiffany's hair.
"It's a shame we are going to have to end it soon." she continued softly, locking eyes with me as she said it.
"What in the world brought that on?" Tiffany exclaimed, pushing herself into a seated position as she tossed her hair behind her back with a jerk of her head.
"The truth." Lori replied.
"Who's truth and why?" Tiff fired back.
"Mine and for numerous reasons."
"Such as?" Tiffany asked hotly.
"Tiffany, eventually we are going to have to admit that this won't work. It's too complicated and too many people will end up getting hurt."
"Who? One of us?"
"All of us and a lot of people that we know, respect and love." Lori said quietly.
"Are you going to say anything Phillip or are you simply going to sit there acting like you can't speak?"
"I want to hear her concerns before I say anything." I said quietly as I sat up in the recliner.
"I was doing a lot of thinking on the drive back from Austin last night and it occurred to me that while this is possibly the most intense relationship I've ever been in, it won't last more than six to eight months."
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Because eventually, one or all of us will start asking some very difficult questions." Lori said rather coolly.
"Such as?" I asked.
"Ok Phil, let's start with the office." Lori responded, quickly adding "How fast will one or both of us be out on our asses when they finally figure out I'm sleeping with you and Tiffany? I don't know about you but I signed a moral turpitude clause when I was hired that basically said "Thou shalt not bang the boss."
"Ok. Next?" I said with a smirk on my face.
"What's that smirk for?" Lori asked with her face beginning to turn red.
"Thou shalt not bang the boss? Do you realize how many of the bosses have banged their assistants and secretaries in that den of thieves?" I replied, laughing at the absurdity of it.
"Oh yes. But still." she began.
"Hell, we're probably office gossip because you haven't put out for me. So, next?"
"What?"
"Next." I responded.
"Fine! How about this? At what point do I move in here? Because I'll be damned if I'm going to be in a relationship and always be on the outside of the home that I should be sharing with my lover; or in this case lovers." Lori said with a hint of emotion forming in her voice.
"I'll help you start packing first thing tomorrow morning Baby." Tiff responded, tucking her legs underneath her as she leaned back against the cushions.
"Thank you Sweetheart but my lease doesn't expire until March."
"Then I'll help you in February." Tiffany responded so softly and sincerely that Lori shook her head smiling.
"Next?" I asked again thinking that she had really thought this through.
"Children."
"Next!" Tiffany said loudly enough that we all laughed a little.
"Seriously, what else?" I asked, simply because I was getting tired of saying "Next?"
"Ok, how about this one? Our families. One day they will figure out that something is going on and I can't speak for your families but mine will shit bricks."
She had all but whispered the last part as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
Sitting back in the recliner I took a sip of my drink then stood up and walked to the couch. Holding my hands out to Lori I pulled her upright then took her in my arms and kissed the top of her head. I felt her relax somewhat in my arms and thinking that the danger had passed I sat down on the couch and pulled her into my lap.
"Lori, this has been two of the most incredible months of my life. I get to spend every day and most nights with the two women who mean everything to me. Not many men get to say that and fewer still would really mean it if they did say it."
"And?" Lori asked.
"And, if this is only based on sex, then yes, it has about six months to go; if that. But, if it's based on each of us wanting to be a part of the other's lives, who knows? At that point it is just like every relationship. It lives and dies with what the people in it are willing to commit to it." I said to her as I reached out and took hold her hand.
"That's another fear."
"What?" Tiffany asked softly.
"That I'll have to choose between what we have now or going back to the way it was; and it can never go back to the way it was." she said as her shoulders slumped a little.
"Do you honestly think the only reason you are here is because of sex?" Tiffany asked her.
"No. At least I hope not. God knows if all you two wanted was a fuck buddy, you could have probably found one who was a lot younger and hotter than me."
"Maybe. Or maybe I knew I could trust one woman that I love to never hurt the other woman that I love." I said, giving her hand what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze.
"Be careful throwing that word around Philip. It isn't one that I use lightly." Lori said as she glanced first at me, then toward Tiffany.
Touching the ankle bracelet I had given her the week before I said, "The guy that had that made for you that has to love you both a little bit more than you're giving him credit for or he wouldn't have put that kind of thought into a gift."
"I know his other girlfriend does." Tiffany replied quietly from the far end of the couch.
"Other girlfriend?" Lori asked.
"What else would you call us Honey? Thing One and Thing Two?"
"Um?" Lori began to speak.
"Red fish? Blue fish?" Tiff said with a giggle.
"Ok. I get it." Lori replied.
"No, I don't think you do Lori." she responded, suddenly becoming serious, "I came to grips with the fact that we were going to be sharing our time with him a month or so ago. Just like it came to me that I was never going to be able to have you all to myself either because of him. But that's how any relationship works. We all share our time with something; work, hobbies, other people. The biggest difference here is sex and honestly, that isn't the biggest reason I want you to be here."
"What is it then?" Lori asked, arching her eyebrows.
"Truthfully? I think I'm starting to fall in love with you. This is new to all of us Lori so it will take some getting used to. I mean, how long have we known each other?"
"Years." Lori responded.
"Exactly, so it's not like you are a stranger off the streets. I know Phillip has loved you for a very long time, there just wasn't any sex involved." she reached out and gently pulled at the button down that Lori was wearing, before she added, "Obviously, that's all changed now. But, two or three years ago, if I had told Phillip that it was you or me; I would have been standing on the sidewalk holding a suitcase, asking myself what had just happened."
Lori glanced up at me and all I could do was smirk and shake my head. Tiff was right, two years ago, I would have done just that. And I was somewhat amazed that Tiffany realized it.
"So, from what you're telling us, your biggest fear is this ending because of something that none of us has any real control over?" I asked Lori as I slowly stroked her hair.
"It terrifies me Phillip. It honestly terrifies me because I am forty years old and I haven't been in any type of a relationship in over two years. A month ago I was planning on spending my birthday alone, on my couch, with a bottle of red wine and my cat. I was just going to go straight home and spend the rest of the evening watching Netflix. I would have never dreamt that I would spend it snowbound in bed with the two of you. Then, boom! My fortieth birthday ended up as a cross between a Hallmark movie and a porn film and I felt like the leading lady. I don't want to spend number forty-one sitting on my couch alone remembering what happened the year before."
"It was memorable wasn't it?" Tiff responded with a giggle as she began to rub Lori's feet.
"Really guys, I'm scared. Even my family noticed the difference in me right away. Everyone kept asking me who the guy was. It was really getting awkward until my cousin Tim said if it wasn't a guy then it had to be another woman and everyone laughed."
"What did you say to that?" Tiffany asked with a smile on her lips.
"I winked and blew him a kiss." Lori replied.
"I bet that went over well." I said as I began to slowly rub her right temple with my thumb.
"Just like you think it would in a house full of Texas Baptists. They all said they were praying for me when I left to come home." she replied as her eyes closed.
"Lori if you want to stay then stay and if you want to leave, then leave. I'll, we, will respect your wishes but you need to know that Phil and I both want you here. Me probably as much, if not more so than Phillip. That you are even considering the possibility of leaving scares the hell out of me." Tiffany said as she began to slowly drag her fingernails across the soles of Lori's feet, causing Lori to flinch and giggle at the same time.
"Stop it! That tickles!" Lori squealed as she jerked her feet away from Tiffany.
"I know. That's why I did it. It's called cheating." Tiffany said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she lay down and placed her head on Lori's lap. Then slowly, almost tentatively she began tracing small patterns across the tops of Lori's thighs. Lori's reaction was to moan softly and tilt her head back.
"This is exactly what I am talking about." she whispered as she closed her eyes.
