By the time I got back to New Mexico on Sunday night, I regretted exchanging phone numbers with Marie. I don't want to be her friend. She has the man I have loved unconditionally for twenty-five years. She is a hurdle I had to overcome in order to experience him again. I don't want to be asking her permission to enjoy Austin's body and his cock. I want to be the one giving permission. I don't mind sharing as long as I am a participant and it is my bed he comes home to every night.
"Hey. What's wrong?" Austin asks me on Tuesday when we talk. I know I am down, and it is clear in my voice.
"I can't do this anymore. I can't be the third wheel." I tell him. "It hurts too much knowing that after our encounters you two will be reminiscing together while I come home to an empty house and my memories."
"Sweetie. It's okay. You have given me a gift I will always treasure" he tells me. "It was a total surprise. I enjoyed kissing you, touching you, tasting you. But I can understand how you must feel and can't blame you for wanting to end this threesome. However, I still haven't been inside you, and I need to be."
I barely keep it together for the rest of our conversation. We will still talk, but I won't be running into them at random places around Louisiana. After we hang up, I break down sobbing and spend the rest of the day in bed.
_____
"Hello?" I answer the phone a couple days later without looking to see who was calling. I am still emotionally raw, but life goes on. I have a job and responsibilities I have to attend to.
"Hi Lynn! It's Marie. How's it going?" A knot forms in my stomach at hearing her voice. Since talking with Austin, I have been trying to figure out how to end our friendship without hurting her relationship with Austin. As much as I want to tell her about our history, I wouldn't do that to him. Instead, I give her the story I came up with.
With a deep breath, I try to use a cheery voice, "Hi Marie! I am doing great! I found out yesterday that I got a promotion! The only bummer part is that I have to move back to New Mexico. And just when I have started making friends." I hope she buys it. I actually work from home and even with a promotion, I could potentially work from anywhere.
"Congratulations! I was calling to see if you wanted to go out this weekend. But I guess you'll be packing." I hear the disappointment in her voice.
Still in a cheery voice, I reply, "One good thing is that I haven't been here long, and a lot of my stuff is still packed. The movers will be here on Saturday morning and I start driving to New Mexico that afternoon. I wish I had time to see you before I left." I think I threw up in my mouth a little at that.
"I would also like to thank you for what you shared with Austin and me. I have never experienced anything like that and had never even dreamed of being with another woman. You have woken something in me that I don't know if I will ever be able to experience again. Thank you."
"No need to thank me. I assure you it was a selfish act. I saw you and wanted you," I lied to her, "Then I saw Austin and wanted both of you. So, I must thank you for sharing. But hey, the movers are on the other line. I need to go. Take care of yourself. And thank Austin for the memories."
I hear her answering, "Okay. You too" as I hang up. With a sigh of relief, I lean back in my office chair. I am feeling relieved knowing that she is now mostly out of my life. However, she is still in his. And will be for the foreseeable future.
_____
Three months later: My divorce is finalized. Single again after almost 21 years.
_____
Another four months later: I get a nice surprise one Thursday afternoon. Austin calls outside of his usual time frame.
"What are you doing next Thursday night?" he asks me.
"I don't have anything planned," as usual. "Why? What's up?"
"I need to haul a load from Louisiana to Bakersfield, California. I'll be stopping in Albuquerque."
My heart begins to race. But then I remember how every time we have tried to rendezvous before, the fates made sure it didn't happen. The excitement quickly lessens. "Albuquerque isn't far from me. I could meet up with you there."
"Why don't you sound excited?" he asks.
"Well, the last three times we tried to get together, before I met Marie and everything that happened between the three of us, something always kept us from connecting. I don't want to get my hopes up just to have them crushed again." I explain to him.
"Yeah. We do tend to have the shittiest luck. I have a feeling this time will be different."
"We'll see. Let me know where you plan on staying when you figure it out. I will take Thursday and Friday off." I also offer my services as navigator, "And of course, if your plans change while on the road, give me a call and I will help you find a new place for the night."
Starting the following Wednesday, the updates on progress begin. He gets from Baton Rouge to Amarillo, Texas. A stop in Dallas kept us from meeting in Las Cruces last time. With apprehension, I wait for the call on Thursday morning; Will he be able to get out of town early enough to make it to Albuquerque?
At 8am, the phone rings. "Hey sweetie. I am out of Amarillo and on I-40. I was able to start driving at 4am. I should be in Albuquerque by 11am."
Now I start getting excited. This is finally going to happen. Just me and him.
I get myself cleaned up; showered, shampooed, and shaved, everywhere. I pack a small overnight bag that includes my toys, the ones he knows about and a new one. At 10am, I head to the Route 66 Hotel and Casino. They have a large parking lot for rigs and being on the west side of Albuquerque, will let Austin get an early start without dealing with traffic. It's also a scenic 45 minutes from where I live, so double bonus.
I arrive at the hotel's travel center at 10:45. It was hard not flooring the accelerator all the way there. I park at the side of the building so I can see the cars and trucks arriving. At 11:10, he arrives. I get out of my car and lean on it, watching him park. After a minute of doing paperwork, he hops out of the cab with his bag, and walks (or stalks?) towards me.
My heart immediately begins to race. At a hundred feet between us, my breathing gets heavy. At fifty feet, the tingles start. At twenty-five feet, I begin to tremble. At ten feet, I feel myself getting wet. Then, he is within touching distance.
Without missing a step, he drops his bag to the ground, presses up against me, cups my face in his hands, and kisses me, softly yet deeply. His kiss feels like salvation, releasing me from a pain I have carried for many years. His lips are soft against mine, our tongues reacquainting in a dance almost forgotten.
My arms wrap around his waist, pulling him to me. His hips push against mine and I feel his length against my belly. Our hands begin to wander. His move from my face to my neck, a light touch that almost tickles, to my shoulders and down my arms to my waist. Mine move from his waist, up his back, and around to his shoulders.
We are lost in each other. Forgetting where we are. A rig honks his horn, bringing us back to reality as the driver essentially catcalls us as he passes by.
"Hi babe." I say to Austin once we break our kiss. It came out rather breathily as I was trying to inhale fresh oxygen after that initial greeting.
"Hi." He simply responds with a smile.
He grabs his bag and puts it in the backseat of my car, and we drive the short distance to the hotel. We check in and go up to our room on the fifth floor.