MMF BISEXUAL ROMANCE: Phoenix Running (28 page)

C
ee-Cee found
herself snugly pressed between Phoenix and Ashley in Phoenix’s bed after another mind blowing sex session. She fought sleep. She wanted to savor this moment. Ashley quietly chatted with Phoenix about when he would begin his tour again. Phoenix stroked her hair while they talked. Ashley absently ran his fingers in circles around her navel.

She smiled to herself. Phoenix had asked her multiple times whether this meant they were back together, and she hadn’t given him an answer. She tried to picture another span of weeks like the two she had just spent, talking to Ashley only occasionally and not interacting with Phoenix for anything other than work.

The past two weeks had been stressful. She had lost five pounds for lack of appetite, and she had always thought lovesickness was a made-up thing. She thought about the long nights crying herself to sleep. She had never imagined she’d be that kind of girl, but heartache did things; it changed people.

She realized having money in the bank didn’t make her any less lonely. She had missed them. She needed them in her life.

She hadn’t felt this relaxed and at peace since prior to seeing that damn email from Gina. This was where she was supposed to be. Her main concern at this point was whether they could sustain this if Phoenix was elected and when Ashley went back on tour. Love was grand, yes, but it made you so damn vulnerable.

“When I think about us, I think of you two as part of this special universe no one else can enter. The past two weeks while we were separated, I’ve been a planet without a sun or satellite,” Ashley said poetically.

“You read my mind and translated my jumbled thoughts more eloquently than I could have,” Cee-Cee replied, laughing.

Phoenix smiled. “Every day, I came
this
close to giving up everything for the two of you. Hell, maybe that’s exactly what I did tonight. I don’t know. I’m hoping the people react favorably come voting time. This should be a distant memory by next month.”

“I was in the back, watching,” said Cee-Cee. “I didn’t know if I should scream with delight or horror.” Her eyes drifted shut, and she forced them to stay open. “Hey, what did you decide to do about your dad, Ashley?”

“Well,” he sighed, “with time winding down, my half-brother, Reggie Jr., is on his way down to spend the last days with him. I wanted to stick around until the end, but Reginald won’t have it. He says I’ve done enough, and he doesn’t want me to keep my tour on hold for him. I spoke with Mum and she’s in agreement. I’m being overruled.”

“How long before you leave?” Cee-Cee rose over him and kissed his lips softly. Ashley sighed with pleasure as he put his arms around her and shifted his hips forward to let his satisfied cock rest against her pelvis. She moaned and giggled.

Ashley replied, “I’m in the process of hiring a new manager, but probably within another month.”

“Around election time.”

“Can I ask you guys something?” she whispered wistfully. “What are we going to do when you’re reelected, Phoenix?”

“What do you mean? We’ll do what we do now. I’ll keep my condo. We’ll have our personal space, and every minute of my free time will be for the two of you. We’ll go places together. This no longer has to be hidden. Isn’t that what you want?”

“And you, Ashley? When you leave?” Her eyes felt heavier, and her limbs were deliciously tired after the vigorous sex.

“Well, you know I won’t be gone forever. What are you getting at, Cee-Cee?”

“I don’t want to be broken up anymore,” she said playfully. “I don’t want a phony relationship, either. I only want to try this again if you’re both willing to do what’s necessary for us to work.” She stretched, cat-like, and groaned.

“Deal,” Phoenix murmured, gleefully pulling her over on top of him. She giggled again when he hugged her. “My soul is in this. I’ll do whatever it takes.” Ashley agreed with a nod of his head.

“Then, I’ve got some good news,” Cee-Cee whispered, drifting off now that she had her answer. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she burrowed closer to Phoenix. “I bought the house. I want you two to move in with me.”

Phoenix stilled. He looked at Ashley, and both their faces registered surprise. “Are you sure, Cee-Cee? That’s kind of a big deal,” Ashley opined. She nodded, soft snores following the affirmation. Phoenix wrapped his arms around her. Ashley wrapped his arms around him. They went to sleep together and woke up in each other’s arms.

“Ready to start packing?” Cee-Cee asked at dawn.

“Damn! She was serious,” Phoenix said in shock.

“You’re damned right!”

T
he invitation
for Ashley and Phoenix to move into the big yellow house on Crown Street had been an impromptu, rash decision, but as the moving plans got underway, Cee-Cee became more certain that they were doing the right thing. Phoenix needed a place to lay low after the heat from the interview, and Ashley couldn’t stay in hotels forever while he was in town. It made sense for the three lovers to try cohabitating.

And when she allowed herself to be completely honest, she could admit that she had been wrong about relationships. The sappy songs and romantic comedies had gotten it wrong, too. Love didn’t complete her. She had come to the table intact. Love simply made life make more sense. It lent purpose to her hard work to have someone with whom to share the things she acquired.

Cee-Cee tapped on the kitchen counter to get Phoenix’s attention. “Hey, look at this one.” She turned her laptop to face him, and he paused putting away dishes to have a look at the living room furniture on the screen.

“Eh…I’m not feeling that. Too much velvet, too many buttons.”

“It’s vintage. I like vintage.” She tilted her head and looked at the oversized sofa on display.

“Why don’t we go for something more modern?”

“I don’t think squares, plastic and leather are going to fit the design motif of the house, Phoenix.”

He laughed. “I didn’t say a thing about squares. Let me see that again? Yeah, see. That shit looks like something that would’ve been in my great-grandparents’ house. There’s gotta be a middle ground. It’s too stuffy.”

She shrugged and turned the laptop back to her side of the bar. “I like it.”

Ashley stepped into the kitchen and set down the last box from the moving van. Between Cee-Cee’s things she wanted transferred from her parents’ place and Phoenix’s furniture that he was setting up in their man-cave, unpacking might take weeks. He turned to Phoenix with a tired grin, pulling off his gloves and stretching. “What is it we’re disagreeing on this time?”

“Our tastes are too different,” Cee-Cee whined. Ashley grabbed her by the waist, spinning her around for a hug.

“Our tastes are just fine. We can figure out the décor as we go. It’ll be the most attractive interior on the block,” Ashley promised. He stroked her back as he explored her mouth in a searing kiss that left her tingling, forgetting about the furniture for a while.

“On second thought,” Cee-Cee murmured, “why don’t we just put beds in every room and call it a day?”

It had been like this between them since the interview. The sex was explosive, frequent and soul-stirring, but the late night conversations and waking up to each other was new. Learning that Ashley wasn’t a morning person. Discovering Phoenix was a neat freak. Teaching them not to bother her when she was working.

They were coming together in ways living apart wouldn’t have allowed, and Cee-Cee felt herself falling deeper in love with her two princes by the day. It was like the heartrending incident on the cruise ship had never happened and Gina Lafitte didn’t exist. While Phoenix still threw his heart and soul into his work, he made more time for them. Eventually Ashley had to pull away to go back on tour, but the Internet allowed them to stay in contact. He texted them throughout the day, and every night they video chatted.

While Ashley was away, Phoenix hired a landscaping team who came in the week after they moved in to begin transforming the rolling grassy lawn with flowerbeds and outdoor seating. Cee-Cee continued unpacking and decorating. She set up an office in a spare bedroom where she spent her free time working on a new app, with days as busy as before, if not busier.

The nights were too short. Cee-Cee and Phoenix slept together in the bedroom facing the sunset and watched the stars wink to life after long days of work. Cee-Cee spoke of her dreams and voiced her wishes, and the lifestyle she thought wouldn’t be hers made itself apparent. She could have the same kind of love her parents had without compromising her ambitions.

Cee-Cee hadn’t imagined things could be so great.

A few weeks after the official move, when unpacking and furnishing the house slowed down some, Cee-Cee dropped by her parents’ house to get her mom’s opinion on fabric swatches for window dressings. It was the weekend, and she found Josey and Brett in the den with the kids. Josey waved when she let herself in with the front door key she hadn’t bothered to relinquish upon moving out.

“What are you doing here?” Cee-Cee picked up Hailey and swung her around, and the baby cooed gleefully.

Josey responded, “You know I can’t keep these grandkids away from their favorite people. And when are you going to do a housewarming party? Brett and I picked out the loveliest—”

“Don’t tell her. It’s a surprise,” Brett said. Cee-Cee plopped down on the couch between them.

“We don’t keep secrets.”

“I know,” Brett said tellingly. “How are your boys, by the way?”

“Josey!” Cee-Cee squealed. Josey shrugged, laughing.

“What?! We don’t keep secrets, either!”

Cee-Cee shook her head and giggled. “They’re fine, thank you for asking. I gotta go see Mom about some sewing I want her to do. As far as a housewarming party, the three of us haven’t slowed down enough to invite people over, but you two will be the first to know.”

“Has Ashley started up his tour again yet?” Josey asked. “Now that I’m not with child, maybe Brett and I will get to travel to see him perform.”

“Ooh! We should all go! I’ve only seen him on stage the one time, and even though the venue was small, the guy can put on a show. I’ll have to see when Phoenix is free, and then we can all make plans. Now if you’ll excuse me, Mom’s waiting for me. And stop gossiping with your husband about me behind my back.” Cee-Cee wagged her finger as she scooted to her feet. Josey swatted her bottom playfully as she skipped out of the room in search of Winny.

She tapped on the door of the sewing shack, but the roar of the sewing machine drowned out the sound. Smiling nostalgically, Cee-Cee turned the knob and stepped in.

“Mom?”

The sewing machine thumped to a stop and Winny peeked over her shoulder at the sudden golden light from the open door. A wide smile spread across her face as her eyes widened with delight. She beckoned her in excitedly. “There you are. I thought you had forgotten! I was expecting you a little earlier.”

Cee-Cee sat beside her on top of a trundle of sewing material. “I had some things to finish up at the office for Uncle Bryan, but I would’ve called if I couldn’t make it. And what are you still doing out here? I thought you were taking over my room?”

“I considered it, but I’m not quite ready to change anything just yet. Getting used to having you girls out of the house has been tougher than I imagined. I don’t have Baby Joe crawling underfoot. I don’t have you trying to tear up my electronics. I don’t have Josey running up the phone bill. You’d think I’d be happy, but this empty nest business is for the birds,” Winny replied, grinning.

“Awww, Mom.” Cee-Cee smiled and blinked away unexpected tears. “I miss you guys, too. You know, I actually put the same cinnamon potpourri in my bedroom because it reminds me of you, but it’s just not the same. I’ll probably end up doing exactly what Josey does, coming over here every other weekend. Did you get the package I sent over to you?”

Winny gasped and looked around the sewing room for her gift. She pointed at the embroidery machine beside the mannequin. “I did! I got it to work the other day on a blanket for Hailey. It’s an amazing piece of machinery. What people can do with computers these days! I just synced it with your father’s laptop, and the graphic design embroidered itself. Can you believe that?”

“I know Daddy said he’d get it for you, but I figured he might want to get you something a little fancier for Christmas.”

“Ha!” Winny laughed. “Your father’s idea of fancy is a big book, which I wouldn’t turn down, but when do I get the time to read for leisure these days?” She chuckled. Cee-Cee patted her hand.

“Well, things are going to get a lot easier moving forward.”

“Now, honey, you don’t have to take care of us. We’re fine! And you have a family of your own now.” Winny turned away with a hidden smile.

Cee-Cee blushed. “I thought you and I agreed we’d end this prematurely marrying me off stuff. Anyway, Phoenix has to get past this campaign. We aren’t quite a family yet,” she said, giggling nervously.

“Nonsense. Maybe not a family in the traditional sense of the word, but the three of you are making a fine home together. Don’t give me that surprised look. Nobody moves in a third wheel unless it helps with the ride.” Winny laughed. “I may not comment on everything I observe, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see what’s going on.”

“What’s going on?” Cee-Cee prodded, curious to know what her mother had ‘observed.’

Winny colored modestly and finally looked at her directly. “Ashley and Phoenix and you. Yes, I know. I figured it out some time ago. The three of you remind me of those artist communes from when I was younger.”

Cee-Cee didn’t know what to say. Her jaw dropped at her mother’s words. Winny nodded and patted her knee. “How did you guess?”

“Well, it didn’t seem likely Phoenix’s big confession during that interview was his way of saying he was cheating on you with Ashley, not as close as I know the three of you are. But it’s funny. Out of you and Josey, I never would’ve pegged you to be the one to engage in a polyamorous relationship.

“Now, let’s look at fabric, shall we? What did you have in mind? I know you’re not big on flowers, but I have this lovely magnolia print that might suit if you give it a chance.”

“Wait a second, Mom. Since we’re being candid with each other, you don’t think I’m in over my head, do you? I think…I think what I have with Phoenix and Ashley might be what works best for me, but is it possible?”

“Your boys bring out a side of you I’ve never seen. They make you glow, Cee-Cee. I’m happy you’re exploring love with such gusto. You needed to see how fulfilling a relationship could be, and if it takes two, well, then…listen, the one thing I’ve learned about love is that there is no one size fits all. When you find something you like, you don’t ditch it just because it’s not what everyone else is doing.”

Cee-Cee chuckled in amazement at her mother’s response. “Josey told me you’d react this way.” Winny giggled conspiratorially. “Maybe times really are changing.”

“Changing times, or people finally realizing that what other people do in their bedrooms is none of their business. I’m certainly not inviting anyone into the bedroom with me and Marty.”

“Mom!”