Page 52 of Feasting on Her Curves (Forbidden Fantasies)

GAVIN

Cory and I sat on opposite sides of the living room, staring at each other. It was almost comical, and after a few minutes, we couldn’t help breaking into laughter. Donovan leaned out of the kitchen to see what was so funny.

I couldn’t explain it. Everything was just so tense, and we needed an outlet. Petra came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a hot batch of cookies. I watched her move as she circled the room, handing one to each of us.

“Are you ready to talk?” she asked.

I looked at Cory, checking with him before I responded. He nodded, still a little drunk from the inside joke we’d shared. The cookies were delicious. I thought I’d had everything that Petra cooked from my samplings at the bakery, but these were even better than anything else. I couldn’t believe she’d pulled them together in a fit of frustration from a bunch of things Donovan had lying around his kitchen.

“These are really good,” I said.

“Really good,” Donovan agreed.

“I’ve never worked with so little,” Petra complained, sitting down beside me. “Donovan didn’t even have a mixing spoon.”

“I don’t mix things,” he replied. “Other than drinks. I have that kind of spoon.”

Petra stuck her tongue out. “No thanks.”

“So I’ve been thinking about this,” Cory began. I could see that he really wanted to talk and had been waiting for someone to offer him the floor. “I think we could do it. I think it could be good.”

Petra looked up, a radiant smile washing over her face. Without saying a word, she looked back down at the cookie in her hand. She didn’t take a bite but studied the thing as if all the answers were written in the pattern of the chocolate chips.

“Gavin?” she asked finally.

I was the one person in the room who hadn’t agreed to the arrangement. Frankly, I didn’t know. It almost felt too soon to get involved with another woman, though several weeks had gone by. I wasn’t aching so much anymore, but I still didn’t trust myself to be any good to anyone.

The novelty of the suggestion didn’t bother me. I had seen a lot of things in my travels, and a three-man, one-woman relationship wasn’t even the strangest. I’d met with war lords who had twenty wives. I’d met with hipsters in Paris who had six or even eight people sharing an apartment and a sexual lifestyle. I knew dozens, if not hundreds of people who didn’t think that marriage between one man and one woman was the only way to be. The typical American might be close-minded when it came to such things, but I wasn’t.

The question for me wasn’t so much could I share Petra with Cory and Donovan, but was I ready for a meaningful relationship? Since everyone was looking at me, I decided to take a chance.

“Okay,” I said.

“Okay?” Petra repeated.

“Okay,” I answered.

What was the worst thing that could happen? It wouldn’t work out, and I would be back to square one. Just because I had recently been burned didn’t mean this wasn’t the chance of a lifetime. Petra was sweet, and I definitely vibed with her. What was I waiting for? An announcement to come down from heaven letting me know I was free to date again? That wasn’t likely, and if I didn’t take a chance, I might regret it.

“So how is this going to work?” Cory asked.

“Well,” Petra began, “I don’t know. But I have a friend I can ask.”

“Right,” Donovan said. “I forgot about your friend who is…”

“Polyamorous,” Petra supplied.

“Is that what this is?” Cory spoke up again.

“I don’t know,” Petra answered. “I’m just as new to this as all of you.”

“So do we do Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with me?” Cory asked.

Petra laughed. “I don’t think we need anything quite so structured.”

“I’m just going to ask you out,” Donovan decided. “For example, are you free tomorrow night?”

Petra looked at me and then at Cory before responding. “Yes, I am.”

---