Like Fine Wine

Story Info
A woman betrayed finds love with a younger man.
17.3k words
4.75
64.8k
78
12
Share this Story

Font Size

Default Font Size

Font Spacing

Default Font Spacing

Font Face

Default Font Face

Reading Theme

Default Theme (White)
You need to Log In or Sign Up to have your customization saved in your Literotica profile.
PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here
komrad1156
komrad1156
3,777 Followers

"Ed, you can't be serious? I haven't missed a day of work in what? Fifteen years? I'm out for a week with a terrible cold complete with fever, chills, and night sweats, for heaven's sake, and you're letting me go? Really?"

"Janice, I really am sorry, but it's all about ratings. You know that, right? It isn't personal. It's business. We brought Ariel in while you were out and we had a three-point uptick in ratings. I feel terrible about having to let you go but those three points mean tens of thousands of dollars in new advertising revenue. Look, you know there'll be a substantial severance package and you can still get another job."

"Oh, that's rich! I'm being let go at 42 in Omaha, Nebraska, and I'm just gonna go out and find another job at one of the many other TV stations in town. Sure! Ed, I turned down an offer to go national ten years ago because we love Omaha. Doesn't loyalty count for anything?"

Ed Hanson was the station manager for KMTV and Janice Jones-Monroe had been doing weather for him since she graduated from college 20 years ago. She'd been young, smart, and gorgeous. Several years later, she'd married a local businessman and as she said, had turned down an offer from a major cable network with just five years of local experience.

But ratings had been flat lately. After Janice took sick two weeks ago, they'd brought in a girl named Ariel Freeman, who was about as pleasant...and hot as they come. Her beautiful smile, long, gorgeous blonde hair, short skirts and high heels had boosted ratings more than covering the nearby Iowa caucuses every four years. She was an instant hit and the station owner wanted her brought on full-time.

Ed had made his case to keep Janice on as she was still a very attractive woman who didn't look anywhere near her age. But he'd been turned down flatly. Even his suggestion to move Janice out of prime time and back to her old slot was shot down. She was being let go and that was that.

"I did my best, Janice. I fought for you. I made the best case I could. But the owner was having none of it. I'm sorry. Loyalty should count, but in this case, youth seems to have won out. I don't know what else to say."

Janice sat there and stared out the station manager's large corner office window as the sun shone brightly. She'd just fully recovered from the nastiest cold she'd ever had, and on her first day back she learned she was being let go. She took a deep breath and said, "I guess it really is dog-eat-dog in this business. I just assumed by staying local I'd be allowed to age gracefully rather than finding out the hard way being over 40 is a death sentence." She looked back at Ed and told him, "Pardon me if I sound bitter, Ed, but as much as I appreciate your efforts, the bottom line is I'm now unemployed."

Hanson was genuinely sorry. He and his wife Margie were good friends with Janice and her husband, Tom. It was killing him to have to be the bearer of such bad news, but he knew it came with the territory. For that matter, so did Janice. "So do you have any thoughts as to what you might do after this? You know I'm gonna write you a killer recommendation."

Janice smiled and tried to be sarcastic. "Ed, there isn't any room in a city this size for a 'weather girl' my age who's been let go. So while I do appreciate the recommendation, it isn't going to help me land a new job doing weather in Omaha. I honestly have no idea what I'll do. I think I'll take some time and do some real reflecting and I'll definitely spending more time in the gym or the pool. I may even get back to playing racquetball. Did I ever mention I won a couple of tournaments in college?"

"No, not that I recall anyway. Why'd you quit playing?"

"Work mostly. And then marriage. I was juggling too many things and I still wanted to be able to swim and do aerobics so something had to give. Lord knows I'll have plenty of time to get my game back up to speed now."

"Well, the good news is you have Tom to lean on. The two of you are as close as anyone I know and together, you'll figure this out. Speaking of Tom, we all need to get together here real soon. It's been way too long, Janice."

"Yeah, it has been quite a while, Ed. I'll talk with him and give Margie a call."
 She looked around and said, "Well, I guess this is it. All I have to do is grab my things out of wardrobe and I'll be out of here."

Ed looked down and said, "Um...we um...already took care of that, Jan. Ariel needed the space and...."

"Oh, for God's sake, Ed! Are you serious?" She refused to lose her temper or her dignity but she was right on the verge. Rather than lay into him, she just stood up and told him goodbye and walked out.

It was summer and very warm outside thanks to a high pressure system. The thought of that almost made her laugh. Almost. She took the elevator to the parking garage, got in her car and left the building where she'd gone to work every day for all those many years.

Her husband was late getting home—again—and Janice was having an uncharacteristic second glass of wine when he came in. She stood up and welcomed him home and asked how his day had been as she poured him a glass. "Busy, as usual," he said as dropped his keys in the bowl on the sideboard by the front door.

Tom Monroe owned four car dealerships in the Omaha area having started with one used car lot some 20 years ago which just happened to be the same time she'd started out doing the local weather. He'd beat the odds and turned it into a franchise which did quite well allowing him to buy a second franchise and then a third and finally a fourth.

Janice had initially turned down the "used-car salesman" when he asked her out the first time, but she'd said 'yes' when he persisted and asked her again. He was five years older than her, and he'd been so handsome when they first met.

Janice had always had boys and then men standing in line to date her, but after she made her TV debut doing the local weather, her social life exploded. She was something of a local phenomenon and was regularly invited to do promotions for anyone and everything in Omaha from hospital charity events to local golf tournaments to advertisements for a local car dealership. And that's how and when they met.

Tom had stood out from all the other guys because of a particular quality she believed he had that Janice so admired. Loyalty. He was loyal to a fault and Janice had trust issues with men. She'd been cheated on and hurt enough times that she'd almost given up on marriage and romance. But Tom was different. He was old-fashioned in the best possible way and he'd been so romantic. It hadn't taken long to be swept off her feet and when he proposed, she was thrilled to say goodbye to dating say 'yes' to him.

Like all couples, they'd had their problems over the years, but on balance, life with Tom had been good. Until recently, when their automobile business began taking a real beating due the sharp downturn in the economy as well as another rival having opened three new dealerships in town flooding the market, Tom had been home in time for dinner pretty much every evening for as long as they'd been married. He'd repeatedly assured her things were fine financially, and she trusted him primarily because she had no reason not to. Even so, he was working late nearly every night now and he was often gone on Saturday and sometimes even on Sunday.

They owned their large, beautiful home outright and there hadn't been a mortgage payment for several years. They each drove any dealer car they wanted and Tom was always bringing home some new model for her to sport around in until it was replaced with the next great thing.

He was also a devoted husband who, again until recently, was an attentive lover in bed. Although things had grown a little stale over the years, he was still the only man she had any interest in since she met him and she was secure in knowing that would never change. She didn't complain when he'd started occasionally turning her down when she was in the mood as she knew the toll that stress and long hours could take. Also, he did have those five years on her and she knew it was normal for a man's sex drive to decline some while a woman her age typically experienced an increase in desire. She often quietly took care of herself after he fell asleep using some old memory of their honeymoon or other special time to fuel the flames of desire. It wasn't ideal, but it was...adequate.

Things had gone from slow to nearly full stop in the bedroom the last few months as Tom was spending even more time away from home. It had been about six weeks since they'd slept together and then only two or three times in the previous three months. It was particularly troubling because even during busy times in the past, they'd always managed to get together at least once a week and nearly always twice. Janice would have preferred three or even four, but twice was...comfortable. But not having sex—at all with her husband—was anything but comfortable.

"I made your favorite for dinner tonight," she told him as she kissed him hello. He gave her a perfunctory peck and thanked her as he took the glass of wine.

"Sorry, honey. I already had something at work. I hope you don't mind too much," he said as he took off his suit coat and tie and fell into their soft, deep leather coach.

"Oh, no. That's fine," she said trying to conceal the hurt. After the shitty day she'd had cooking and doing something nice for her husband had relieved some of the stress. She should have called and asked as she knew he was eating out more and more often.

She picked up her own glass and sat next to her husband and said, "So how are things at work?" She put her hand on his leg and playfully ran it up and down his thigh.

On the second pass, he pulled away and said, "Jan, stop it. I'm not in the mood. I'm exhausted."

Hurt again, she pulled her hand back and just sat there. She wanted to look at him; to look in his eyes. Yet, for the first since she'd known him, a part of her was afraid to do that. She also wanted to break her bad news to him but not until whatever was going on here got cleared up.

"Tom? Is everything okay? At work? Are...we okay?" she asked tentatively.

Without looking at her he said, "Uh, yeah. Everything's fine, Jan."

She wasn't buying it. She forced herself to turn and look at him. Even in profile she could tell when he was hiding something. "There's something you're not telling me. What is it?"

"I don't want to discuss this right now," he said sharply.

"You know I don't complain very often so when I do it's because something is very wrong. Now I don't know exactly what it is that's bothering you so much, but I can tell you're keeping something from me. Postponing it won't make it go away so I'd rather you be honest and just tell me now. If it's the business, I can take it. We can work through whatever problems...."

"I'm having an affair," he said coldly. Janice felt her blood turn to ice water. Tom turned to look at her and said, "I never meant to hurt you. It just...happened."

Janice felt hollow like her stomach had been surgically removed. She was empty and numb. "How long?" she asked emotionlessly.

"Four months," he told her.

"So that's what's keeping you late every night and gone nearly every weekend?" she asked him.

"Yes. But not initially. The business was, and still is, in real trouble, Jan. We'd lost a ton of money by then already and I needed to audit the books and...."

"Let me guess. You hired Traci to do that for you. Traci, the only woman I've ever been jealous of. Traci, the woman you kissed at a party two years ago and tried blaming it on having too much to drink. Traci, the woman who left her husband and told you you could have her anytime you wanted her. Is that who you brought in?"

"Jesus, Janice. I said I'm sorry. We were spending hours going over tax records and everything we could find in terms of paperwork and after a month, it...just happened."

"Oh, I see! Your clothes just happened to fall off. You just happened to be alone in the same room or maybe you just happened to pay for a hotel room. Your dick just happened to end up inside her. Yeah, I can see how something like that can 'just happen,' Tom."

He went to put his hand on her shoulder but she batted it away and said, "Don't you ever touch me again. Do you understand me? Those hands...hands I trusted, for God's sake...have been places that make me sick." She sat there and began to fume. The emptiness she was feeling was slowly being replaced a rage that was building from the inside and that was boiling up to the surface.

"I was let go today," she said coldly.

"What? What do you mean 'let go?'" he asked with disbelief.

"Yeah, they're keeping the new girl. Just like with you and me, Tom. It's out with the old and in with the new. Ed told me today."

"Oh, Jesus, Jan. I'm so...."

"Uh-uh. Stop it. I don't want to hear your bullshit apologies or your phony sympathy speech. I want you out." She turned to face him as the anger spilled over. For the first time in their marriage she screamed at him, "I want your cheating ass out my house tonight! You get your sorry ass upstairs and pack what you need and get the fuck out! Do you HEAR ME?!?!"

Without saying a word he did just that. Thirty minutes later he was downstairs dragging two suitcases and carrying a garment bag.

"Jan, I..."

"Don't you dare say another word. Just...leave. Now!!!" she yelled without looking at him.

He picked everything up and as he got to the door he said, "We're going to lose the business...and maybe even the house, Jan. I'll have Jeff Bright call you tomorrow."

Jeff had been their attorney for a dozen years. He was another man Janice had always trusted. Now she had to wonder whether or not he knew about the affair and the business and if he'd been keeping them from her at Tom's request. When she met with him, he assured her of two things. While he knew the business was in deep trouble, he hadn't known about the affair. He also let her know Tom wouldn't contest the divorce. In Nebraska, that meant it would be final in just three months from they day she filed and she wanted to file that very day.

Jeff had also suggested she get her own attorney in spite of the no-contest divorce, but from what little he'd explained, she knew all four of the dealerships would soon be in bankruptcy and the house would very likely be up for sale in the near future. A primary residence could be shielded from the bankruptcy, but with no savings (Tom had slowly drained everything they had propping up the business), no income, and no way to pay taxes or maintain it, it would almost certainly have to be sold. She had no money of her own outside of her severance, and if all of their joint assets were gone, how could she afford to hire an attorney? How would she even afford to live?

Over those three months, she'd gone out just once. The date was with a guy she'd worked with some ten years ago; a guy roughly her age she'd liked and thought was very nice and rather attractive. When she saw him for the first time in ten years, she had this sickening feeling. He looked so...old. It made her think that's how she must appear to other people. She fought the feelings all evening, but in the end said no to a second date because just looking at him upset her so much. It was irrational. She knew that. It wasn't like he'd done something wrong. It was just nature and time doing their thing. But it made her feel so...unattractive and unlovable she decided she'd rather spend some time alone for a while and if that meant living alone, then so be it.

The only answer to her question of how to get by seemed to be by working again. She wasn't about to throw herself at some guy with money. The very thought disgusted her.

She knew she could find a job. That wasn't the issue. The issue was finding something that paid anything close to what she'd need to support herself even if she didn't enjoy it. As concerned as she was about her financial future she wasn't afraid to work. But doing what? It was just one more thing that caused her anxiety as she tried to sort through the mess that was now her once-perfect life. She had no safety net other than Tom and he'd just pulled it out from under her. There were no rich parents or family inheritance on which she could rely. All of her eggs were in Tom's basket and he'd just blown it all to hell.

She had a couple of girlfriends she considered close friends, but both of them were married, had children, and worked full-time. Any time they spent with her was time taken away from their husbands and kids so Janice quickly realized she was pretty much on her own. In fact, the only time she ever felt like she was in control of her life was the time she spent at the gym. It was her refuge from the insanity that had become her life.

The days drug on endlessly with very little do distinguish one from the other. The one bright spot was the day Jeff stopped by with the final divorce decree. Janice thanked him and even hugged him as she thought about framing it before deciding that would be just a little too petty.

It was still early on a cold Saturday morning in late October when she again pulled into the parking lot of Anytime Fitness, the largest gym in town. She loved going there and her annual pass gave her access to everything from spinning to aerobics to an Olympic-size swimming pool. She went nearly every day and although she ignored or rebuffed every advance from every guy who hit on her, she did enjoy the attention, and she had to admit she also enjoyed checking out the eye candy. They were all too young to date—way too young in most cases—but that didn't stop her from enjoying the view. After all, in her mind, she was still 25 and just as hot as they were. Only when she looked in the mirror did she believe she was 42 years old. Forty-two. Ugh! That was such a depressing thought.

As she walked inside, she thought again about how much she'd loved playing racquetball back in college and gotten pretty good at it; good enough to win a couple of women's singles tournaments on campus. She often stood and watched people play as she walked passed the four courts located near the front of the gym. She'd thought numerous times about trying to find her racquet and possibly start playing again but never actually got around to doing it. She hadn't set foot on a court in well, 20 years, the same amount of time she'd been out of college. If one of the courts was free today, she might even borrow a house racquet and a ball and bang it around for awhile.

There were only two people ahead of her as she headed toward the check-in counter and by the time she got there they'd swiped their pass cards and gone in.

"Hey, Mrs. Monroe!"

"Morning, Dave. And I'm officially going by Jones now," she told him proudly.

"Oh, really?" he said with a puzzled look on his face. Janice hadn't told anyone but a couple of her closest girlfriends about her separation from Tom or the recent divorce. She'd taken off her rings the night she threw him out, but she preferred keeping personal things as quiet as possible and well...personal.

The young guy behind the counter looked a little embarrassed and Janice said, "It's okay, Dave. As Forest Gump taught us, it happens, right?" He laughed as she emphasized the word 'it' the same way Tom Hanks had in the movie.

She swiped her card and the monitor beeped, but the sound was different. "Here, try it again," Dave told her after resetting the card reader. She swiped it a second time but the result was the same.

"Let me check your account real quick okay, Mrs. M...Ms. Jones." He tapped a few keys as she stepped aside to let the guy behind her go through but he stood there watching and waiting even though Janice wasn't really paying attention.

komrad1156
komrad1156
3,777 Followers