Oh, dear God in heaven, how in the world am I going to survive this? Steve's my husband and I do love him, but damn it, I love Jim too! I want them both! God, are you punishing me for loving two men at the same time?

From the moment of their first meeting, it had been instant lust between them. So what if she was married and Jim was her boss? Nothing had mattered except the flame of desire burning out of control.

Looking back, it seemed incredible! It could have been disastrous, but instead it turned out to be one of the better times of Marcie's life.

She, Steve and Jim had become good friends, but Steve would have had to be blind not to see the attraction raging between Jim and Marcie.

Marcie blushed as she thought about the first time the three of them had made love together. She and Steve had gone to Las Vegas for the weekend. Little did she know that Steve had gotten together with Jim and arranged for him to meet them there. What an incredible surprise that had been! It had been a wild weekend of lovemaking and the beginning of their ménage a trios--their unique desert triangle.

During the months since then, the three of them had shared many wonderful experiences together. They usually made it out of town at least once a month for lovemaking and were always doing things together. She and Jim had been together every day at work and every Wednesday at The Watering Hole for shuffleboard. It's no wonder that they had fallen in love so deeply. How could they not have?

Marcie sighed. Steve was her husband and she loved him but she loved Jim, too! He had been a part of her life for over a year. How could she possibly go off and leave him? It would be like leaving part of her behind!

How could she hurt Jim like that? Even though they had known all along that it would end one day, they had shoved that thought to the hidden recesses of their minds.

Well, she couldn't do anything about it. Her place was with Steve. It was time to say goodbye to Jim.

She went into the bathroom, washed the tears from her face, and went back into the living room. She went over to the stereo, inserted The Joshua Tree tape and turned the volume up loud. She listened to it one last time, then took it out and tore it to shreds. She never wanted to play it again. She would never hear that tape again without thinking of Jim and all the wonderful times they had shared together. It was too painful to listen to it.

Marcie went out onto the balcony and joined Steve. She smiled to herself as she watched the sun fade away behind the mountains. She might be leaving the desert, but that didn't mean she would have to leave her memories behind. They would never fade away. Nothing could take them away from her. She would have those precious memories for the rest of her life.

She turned to Steve, put her arms around him, and hugged him close. She leaned back in his arms and looked up at him, smiling through the tears still wet on her eyelashes.

"This part of our lives is over. We have to start filling in the blank pages of that next chapter in the book of our lives. New adventures and experiences are waiting for us just around the next bend," she said and smiled softly. "Let's go find out what's waiting on us in Austin, Nevada."