Surprise everyone (I even surprised myself in completing two chapters in a week)! After the last chapter, I heard from many of you sharing similar sentiments about where the year is going, and no Hallmark Christmas movies in July! I hope this chapter finds everyone well, and hopefully we'll get a break from the extreme heat soon. Take care all, and check in on your family members as well as the elderly during this heat wave.
I continue to rewrite, add to and write more chapters of this story and I'm seeking any suggestions, constructive or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
CJ is back where he belongs. All he wants now is one day alone with Wally, but you know they're the hub of the social network and it's hard for them to get time alone. In this chapter, CJ and Wally check in on UD and the girls. CJ also receives unexpected and exciting news for him and a number of other people.
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I woke up Sunday morning wrapped in Wally's arms with my head on his chest. The sheets were tangled all around us and it felt good to be with him. Nature is calling though, and if I don't relieve myself soon, we'll be entering a new dynamic of our relationship involving piss play. We've talked about it, and both agree that it's one thing not at the top of our 'things I want to try' list.
I made the way to the bathroom and started my morning flow. Wally was soon behind me and began kissing my neck while pinching my nipples with his fingers. I felt his cock in my ass crack getting bigger by the second. Once I had finished urinating, I turned to him and wrapped my arms around him pulling him closer to me. I planted my lips on his and started a kissing scene that is not going to end anytime soon.
Wally broke the kissing and said "let me have a moment here, because soon you will be drenched if I don't drain the pipe." I cracked up at his statement and said "okay stud. Hurry back to bed."
What a beautiful way to wake up and enjoy a Sunday morning. No time pressures, in the arms of the love of my life and the two of us satisfying each other emotionally, physically and sexually. Once Wally made his way back to the bed, he crawled on top of me and began kissing me. I began feeling his body all over as I rubbed my hands on his shoulders, torso, hips, legs and of course his beautiful cock. Soon we were into another one of our passionate scenes as I felt his snake inching its way closer to the burrow it knows and loves so well.
I'm in pure bliss as Wally is ravaging me with kisses, while thrusting his cock into my ass. He started out slowly on me and is now increasing his speed with each thrust he takes. I thought to myself "someone woke up horny this morning, but I will not deny him anything. This is what I wanted, spending all day with the man I love doing anything that pleases both of us."
Wally is the only one in my life to fulfill me in reaching a climax without touching my cock. He drives his beautiful tool to my sweet spot and works it like a magician. It's always a special feeling every time with my breath being taken away.
It's fun in this position to watch him. My legs are over his shoulders and I can tell when he reaches his point of no return. His eyes get huge and roll back in his head. He starts out with a low grunting sound, and eventually reaches a scream-like growl when climaxing in my ass. Today is no different, and once he's done, he lowers my legs, climbs on top of me and snuggles. Sometimes we kiss, but most of the time we just hold each other enjoying the afterglow.
Wally's cock eventually deflated and made an exit from my ass. We both chuckled as a `plop' sound accompanied the departure. As Wally was caressing my upper torso he said "what do you feel like doing today sweetheart?" I smiled at him, gave him a kiss and said "more of this." We both laughed and he replied "I think I need a break, along with some substance to refuel." I said "yeah, me too babe. I'll go cook us some breakfast." He said "nonsense, no household duties for you today! We'll go to the diner and see Tami and Kurt. I'm sure they saw your hurricane coverage and will both want to see you in person." I smiled at my man, gave him a kiss and said "I can do an ultimate omelet after the ultimate evening and morning we've had. How about a shower first before heading out?" He smiled at me and said "oh yeah, that's a must do for us. You think you have enough energy in you to ravage me in the shower?" I cracked up and said "probably not right now, but the day is early baby!"
Our shower was filled with so much caressing, kissing and many expressions of love. I love it when we shower together, as I never know where it will lead to, but I always enjoy it.
We finished up, brushed our teeth and decided no shaving for today. Wally also said "let's go for the slutty butch look today. Skimpy shorts for both of us along with muscle shirts. Sound okay to you CJ?" I cracked up at my man and said "yeah, it sounds great Wally. We'll be the envy of all the straight men at the diner this morning."
I was going to offer breakfast to Alex, but found a note from him saying "Ronny got me a press pass to the game today. I'm with him being his assistant. You two have a great day, and we'll see you tonight. P.S. I'll take a picture of Baker's ass if I get the chance to. Love, Alex." Wally immediately cracked up and said "oh man, I hope he gets that shot. How much do you think we can sell if for on eBay?" I cracked up and said "come on stud, I'm hungry."
We drove my jeep to the diner with the top down, and the radio turned up loud. The brunch crowd was winding down at the diner and there were plenty of parking places. I walked into the diner first and Kurt was at the host stand talking to a group of people. He immediately excused himself when he saw us and approached Wally and I very quickly. Before I knew it, he had me in a bear hug saying "welcome back CJ. I'm so glad to see you and I have to say, your one report scared the hell out of me and my wife. Are you sure you're okay?" I assured Kurt that I'm fine, but did let him know I'm exhausted after my experience and ready for an ultimate omelet breakfast.
Kurt led us to our table and said "Tami will be so glad to see both of you. She commented to me yesterday that she hoped to see both of you sometime this weekend."
As Kurt was still exchanging chit chat at the table I heard "CJ, my God it's good to see you" from Tami. She had an order of food for another table and dropped it off before coming to our table. She gave each of us a hug and kiss and said "my prayers were answered today. I get to see both of you in the flesh, and I know now you are safe CJ. I bet you're exhausted from everything this week?" I smiled and said "yeah Tami, it's been an eventful and tiring week. However, I think an ultimate omelet will get everything squared away for me." She busted out laughing, took our orders and said she'd be back soon with our drinks.
Wally was right. Kurt and Tami treated me like royalty and are both happy to see me. They each sat down at the table at separate times asking me specific questions about the hurricane coverage. I felt bad for Wally as it seemed as though I was monopolizing the conversation. He didn't seem to mind as he latched on to every word I was saying with extreme interest.
Kurt and Tami left us alone as our breakfast orders were delivered. Breakfast tastes great, and I feel so relaxed on my lazy Sunday morning. My phone rang and I saw UD in the caller ID. I answered it saying "hey there, I'm running in slow gear this morning. Wally and I are at breakfast now, and I'm planning to call you when we get back to the condo. Are you doing, okay?" UD replied "I'm doing fine CJ. It's been a tough week on the girls though. They know about the divorce, and they know about you and Wally. They all want to talk to you if you're able to and feel like it? I've tried to get them to get out of the house and go shopping. You know they're upset when Josie and Maddie won't even take my credit card and max it out." I broke into a hearty laugh with UD and said "I want to talk to all of you, and I'd like some alone time with you." He said "I'll have Laura send you an invite for a noon call. They're going to a birthday party at 2:00, and you and I can talk then. Does this sound okay to you CJ, and please make sure Wally is available. We all want to talk to him also." I replied "noon sounds great UD; we'll be ready for the call. Do you want us to have a sunset pleasure ready to go for you while we're talking?" He gave a laugh and said "yeah, plan on it. I'll be sipping on something here, so you two may as well have an adult beverage with me. Talk to you soon son."
I told Wally about the call highlights and asked if he minds joining me on a noon call? He replied "I'll be happy to sit in on the call CJ, but are you sure you want me there? This is all new for you, the girls and UD. Perhaps it will be better for the five of you if I am not on the call?" I thought for a minute and said "I understand Wally, but UD insists they all want to talk to you. I wish I could tell you what to expect from the call. If I know all of them though, they want to wish us both well and share their feelings with us. The girls have always been open to diversity and inclusion topics. Thinking back, I know this always upset Aunt Sally. It's a lot to ask of you and if you're not comfortable baby, I will let them know you want to give us space before joining us in family discussions. Please know though, I love you and I'm very comfortable with you sitting in on the call." I took his hand, and gave it a kiss. He smiled at me, returned a kiss to my hand and said "I'll be on the call for you CJ. You're my life, and we face the good times and the bad times together."
As we finished our breakfast, several people approached our table and offered me positive comments about the hurricane coverage and my well-being. Bailey is not kidding when he told us about the community interest in the coverage. After the second group of people left the table, I looked at Wally who is smiling at me. He looked into my eyes and said "do you know how proud I am of you, and how much I love you?" I returned the smile and said "the pride and love go both ways, Wally. We're very lucky to have each other."
We paid our bill and left a healthy tip for Tami. I tried to escape both her and Kurt on a final set of hugs, but I had another thing coming to me. They both insisted on one more hug and told us to have a good day.
We made it back to the condo before 11:30 am. I took inventory of my clothing situation for the week. Luckily, I am well stocked and don't need to do a load of laundry today, unless I absolutely want to. I feel relieved that I'm back on my morning schedule tomorrow and I'm ready to get back into a normal schedule.
The patio has a nice breeze blowing and the ceiling fans are enhancing it very well. I decided to take the call on the patio and plugged in the laptop in case the call goes much longer than I'm expecting. Wally asked me "do you want anything to drink during the call sweetheart?" I smiled and said "do you feel like joining me in a beer?" He cracked up and said "two IPA's coming up!"
At noon, I joined the call and there they were -- all waving at Wally and myself. It's great to see Maddie and Josie, as they're usually at the mall when Laura, UD and I have our normal weekly call. Wally and I were greeted warmly by all of the girls as well as UD. UD kicked it off by saying "It's great to see both of you and CJ it's wonderful to see you back where you belong. You did a hell of a good job son, but you had me crapping my pants the last few days." We all had a good laugh and I replied "it's wonderful to see all of you. Let me just say the past few days have been an experience I will never forget in my life. I'm happy that all of us came through the hurricane coverage with no injuries. I know I was not mentally prepared for what I encountered. I need to process everything that happened, but I will tell you all the experience I gained was very valuable for me in future storm coverages. I need to think about what I'm going to say to the network executives and I'm not sure I want to be as close as we ended up for a hurricane coverage."
UD and the girls asked me so many questions about my experience. I shared what information I wanted to and left some of the topics out of the conversation.
About thirty minutes into the conversation UD said "sorry Wally, I feel bad about monopolizing the conversation with CJ. How are you son, and is there any damage to the bungalow or your boat from the storm?" I was happy to let Wally have the floor for a few minutes while I took a few drinks of my beer.
After Wally shared his information and how the storm impacted the Bradenton and St Pete Beach areas, I took the lead on the conversation and directed questions away from Wally and myself.
After taking a drink of my beer I said "everyone, I don't want to pry and tell me if you want me to back off any topics. Girls, your dad informed me of the divorce last month when he was in Florida. I knew that counseling sessions were in progress and you all should know that I had a rather unpleasant visit with your mom earlier this week. So many bad things were said, and have left me feeling that I've left all of you down. I hope you know it was never my intention to break your family apart, and it still feels like a dagger in my heart when your mom told me that my coming to live with all of you started the problems for her and your dad." I started to cry at this point, and Wally put his hands on my shoulders to comfort me. I continued and said "I'm sorry for crying everyone. I still hear your mom's comments in my head from Tuesday and my stomach churns wildly when I relive them. I love you all, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me through my troubles when I needed you all."
Wally got up from the table and retrieved a box of tissues from inside. Laura did the same thing for everyone on that side as they were all shedding tears along with me.
UD spoke up saying "CJ, I'll set the scene for you and then I know the girls each have something to say to you. It's been a tough week for them hearing the news, but they're being strong mainly for me. It's a shock to all of them, but they saw and heard some of the cruel intentions that you and I have been victims of. Sally picked up all of her possessions on Wednesday along with delivering a vicious verbal attack on the family. I'm not going to say anymore as I am trying to be strong for everyone here. Girls, when you're ready to say something please go ahead and talk to CJ and Wally."
I thought for sure Laura would share first, but I was shocked when Maddie spoke up. Maddie resembles Sally the most in her looks and mannerisms. Little did I know that today I will see a different side of Maddie that has been hiding.
She started by saying "CJ and Wally, first I want to tell you both that I love you and wish you the best in your marriage next year. I want to help you with the ceremony in any way that you need me to." I had already grabbed a tissue and now my man took one as he had tears coming down his cheeks as well.
Maddie continued with "CJ you have done nothing wrong to the family. If anything, I blame Mom for dumping all of her pent-up feelings on us without giving any of us the chance to respond and work it out. I know Josie and I can be a handful, but Mom's answer has always been to buy us something or take us on a shopping spree. Looking back, when I had a real problem that I needed help with, she tended to redirect me as she was always busy with her business affairs. Dad has always been there for me, and I remember how you even took me under your wing while you were in high school. You stood up to several female bullies for me and I never had to worry about them again after you interceded. I did not ask you to do anything; you saw a problem and you just took care of it. I cannot remember how many times you have helped me with homework or just being there to listen to me. You're not just a cousin to me, you have and will always continue to be like a big brother for me."
By this time, I don't think there was a dry eye on the call. I replied "Maddie, I thank you for your beautiful comments. Please know that Wally and I will always be here for you and I'm always just a phone call away if you ever need to reach out to me."
Josie asked Maddie if she had any more to say, to which Maddie indicated she was done for now. Josie then spoke up and said "CJ, I echo everything that Maddie said, but I have more. I too wish you and Wally my best wishes. I want to help plan the wedding, and I want to be there sitting in the front row when you two say your vows."
Josie took a drink of water and continued with "I think I have a lot of similar traits to you CJ. When you first joined us, I saw that you accepted all people for who they are. You have always had plenty of friends, and you never isolated yourself with one particular group. I knew from an early age that you were accepting, but I did not see you with a number of women. You always made your way around the social circles by yourself, or in groups of diverse people. I like the manners you displayed, and I want to continue in your footsteps of being open and accepting of everyone."
Josie went on saying "while I never knew of your preference in men, I had my suspicions. I must say, you have picked a fine catch and I'm proud to say that you will both be in my family. I'm going to be gaining another brother through this wedding, and I cannot be happier about it. In the past, Mom and I have always argued about the topics that she considers taboo in today's society. Dad has been much more receptive of the topics, as he deals with the public and the topics are present to him on a daily basis. I can only imagine what mom said to you, and it hurts me to think about it. She can be very vicious with her tongue as some of my bi and lesbian friends have been on the receiving end of her verbal attacks. Where am I going with my thoughts CJ? I'm not sure as my head is still full of recalling the incident from this week. All I know is that I love you and always want to be included in your future with Wally. We're going to get through this divorce and help dad out as much as we can. I know you two will be there for us, and that thought is very reassuring to me as I look forward."
I'm not sure which male on the call was balling more at this point. UD had joined in with Wally and I wiping tears from his eyes. Wally had to leave the table for a few minutes, but returned with two fresh beers for us as he knew we needed another cold one to make it all the way through this call.
I shared comments with Josie expressing how much I appreciate what she is saying, and not to worry as Wally and I will always be here for the family.
The time came for Laura to speak. She started out with "I'm not sure what more I can offer today that hasn't been said already. CJ, you have always been there for me: you helping me with my homework; me helping you with our late-night talks about your feelings concerning your mom and dad; you driving me to soccer practice and watching my games; and now your advice you are giving me in a possible career choice moving forward. Your aces in my book, and please join me in putting this week behind us on family topics. Don't put this week behind you on your career advancement. I can only imagine what your reporting this week will do for your future advancement."
Laura went on with "when I say putting this week behind us, there is a lot I don't understand about mom's feelings and probably will never understand. What I've learned from you is that an incident happened. I'm going to do my best to help myself and my family to move ahead the best way we can to get by this incident. I've watched you at various times in your life, and you always tackle incidents head on. I'm going to play that role for the family now in Cincinnati, and please know I'll be calling you for advice on it."
Laura finished up saying "I too want to be involved in your wedding. After spending a week with you two in August, I know we're gaining another fine person in our family. Wally, on behalf of all of us, we love you and welcome you to the Skinner clan. However, if you ever hurt CJ you will have to deal with us three girls, and believe me you don't ever want to mess with us."
What a tension breaker in the crowd as everyone busted out in laughter and UD gave Laura a big hug and kiss. He then said "okay girls, you have about 20 minutes before you need to be at the pizza place for Natalie's birthday party. You better get going, and Maddie drive safe as you always do."
The three girls said their goodbyes to Wally and I, but I had to know which pizza place they were going to? When I asked, Maddie said "LaRosa's on the west side." I groaned and said "oh my God, my favorite pizza. Do me a favor and see if they ever ship frozen pizza's out of state? If they do, let me know. I want a supreme and a Hawaiian plus several of their Italian subs. You three have a good time and tell Natalie I said happy birthday to her." All three girls waved and blew kisses to us as they exited the screen. UD said "I'm going to walk the girls out to the car, but I'll be back. Take a bathroom break and get a refill if you need it guys."
Wally and I did take a piss break as well as refilling our beers. As we were at the kegerator, Wally said to me "can you believe those three and how sincere they were?" I smiled and said "Laura did not surprise me. Maddie and Josie blew me away though. I know it was never an easy relationship for Sally and them, but it's almost as though there will be peace moving forward without Sally? We'll see when we hear more from UD."
Wally and I returned to our seat and waited for a minute or two for UD to return. He was carrying a big glass which I assumed was bourbon with a mixer of some sort. I started the conversation with "what's your drink pleasure on this Sunday afternoon UD?" He grinned and replied "bourbon and diet dr pepper, the drink of champions." Wally and I chuckled at him and I said "UD, how are you doing and is that a real reaction from the girls, or is it staged in anyway?"
UD took a big drink and replied "what you witnessed is all real CJ. I have done no coaching to be on my side. I have been picking up the pieces of the cracked mirror left by Sally on Wednesday, and trying to put the mirror back together as best as I can. It's going to take a long time. I know that the girls feel unwanted by Sally and have an unsure feeling of what their contact will be with her in the future. She laid into all of them on Wednesday saying it was time for her to lead her life the way she wants too without them. She was cruel about many topics and brought you two into the conversation, ignoring my objection to her telling the girls about you and Wally. I followed up after she left saying it was not her position to inform the girls of your news. They all understood, and their empathy went to you immediately knowing that you were probably very torn up by what she said to you. As you can tell by the call today, they're all accepting of you two and love you both very much. You can include me in the acceptance and love, as I am going to need both of your strength and support as I move through this new chapter of my life."
Before I said anything, Wally spoke up and said "UD, we are here for you for whatever you need from us. We both love you, and I can't tell you how much your acceptance and love expressed for us means to me. You look very tired UD, are you sleeping okay, and what can we do now for you?"
UD took a big swig of his drink and said "you're doing it now for me you two. I'm so glad to see CJ safe back with you, and now you're entertaining this old geezer on a Sunday afternoon. I have not been sleeping well, but that will change as I continue to move forward. My lawyer received divorce papers from Sally's lawyer. He forwarded them on to the divorce specialist in the practice. They want to speak to me tomorrow about a no-contest divorce. I've shared what happened with my lawyer, and the divorce expert suggests we challenge the no-contest with an abandonment and child support charges. I know I want this over with as soon as possible, but guys I have to be honest the way she treated the girls and you two on Wednesday all I can think about is nailing her for her cruelty. I'm not a vindictive person, and I hope you both know that. She attacked my girls, my sons and I want revenge."
UD is not a vindictive person, and he is surprising me with this reaction. I do understand and appreciate his response, but I think the best thing for him is to get out of this as soon as possible.
I took a drink of beer and said "UD, I understand where you are coming from. You're hurt. The loved ones surrounding you have been attacked, and you're angry about the attack. Take Wally and I out of the equation on this one. Were the girls verbally attacked by Sally, or are you more upset with how she treated Wally and me in the conversation?" UD thought for moment, took another big drink of his bourbon pepper and said "it's both CJ. You're right, and I will take the comments about Wally and you out of the equation. She has always shown support and love to the girls, and this week that was all shattered by her verbal attack. They now feel that everything she displayed to them all of their formative years has been fake. I do feel that they were attacked, and now I must decide how far I want to go with legal actions."
I looked at Wally, took another drink of my beer and said "UD, let me give you two items to consider before doing anything with your lawyer tomorrow. First, if you're out for money to protect the girls moving forward, you have me to fall back on. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty in finically supporting me. I know most of the money was not from my trust funds and was from you. I'm doing fine now, and there is plenty of money left in the trust funds. I will be proud to help you and the girls out financially for what all you have done for me." A big smile came to UD's face as he said "CJ, I appreciate what you just said. It's not about money. I have been putting money aside for all three girls. I will be able to keep them on my health insurance plan and we're going to do fine with the income for the restaurants. My thanks to you for the offer, and if I am ever in a pinch, I will let you know son. What's your second point?"
I smiled and said "my second point is your happiness UD. I know this has all been a shock for you, and I saw true happiness in you with Jack on your September visit. I want to see that happiness for you UD always. Don't let vengeance ruin that happiness for yourself UD."
UD chugged the remainder of his drink and said "ah grasshopper, the mentee is teaching the mentor!" We all busted out laughing and UD continued on saying "thanks CJ, you have given me two very important topics to think about today. As you always say, I appreciate you keeping me grounded."
We continued talking and about fifteen minutes later UD said "guys, thank you so much for your time and attention today. I feel like I want to take a nap now, and get a few hours of sleep while the girls are out. CJ, do you go back to your morning shifts starting tomorrow? If so, I will call you after the noon show to let you know how I plan to discuss things with my lawyer." I replied with "yeah UD, I go back to morning and noon shows tomorrow. Call me when you can and we can talk more. If you ever can't reach me, please give a call to my handsome future husband here. I know he loves you, wants you to be happy and will help you in whatever way he can." Wally smiled and chimed in with "yes, I will UD. I'm here for you and love you very much."
UD chuckled and said "I love you both guys, and thank you for your support. You two have a great afternoon, and I'll talk to you tomorrow afternoon CJ. Also, before I forget let's start planning for the holidays. I know the girls want to visit you either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Let's look ahead and see what works for all of us." We said our goodbyes to UD, and he returned his love and goodbye to both of us before the screen went black.
I looked at the time and the laptop and said "wow, how was that for a three-hour therapy session today?" Wally smiled at me, gave me a kiss and said "I feel great to be part of a family again sweetheart. You know I was nervous about joining this call with you, but it's been very therapeutic for me today. I love you CJ." I simply smiled, gave Wally a big kiss and said "I love you more Wally."
I put the laptop away in the office and returned to the patio. Wally had adjourned to the tv area and turned on the Buccaneers game. The score is tied and it's midway through the third quarter. I said "are you hungry Wally?" He looked at me and said "not right now, but the pizza discussion got me wanting some pizza later. How does that sound to you?" I replied "pizza, beer and a sexy man beside me. You're reading my mind for the remainder of our Sunday afternoon."
My phone rang about fifteen minutes later and Bailey appeared on the caller ID. I answered saying "David Muir, how can I assist you?" I don't know who laughed more -- Bailey, Wally or Aaron. Bailey said "hey I have you on speaker and Aaron is with me. Are you two doing anything special, and do you have time to talk to us? I have a number of items I want to run by you, and I'd like for Wally to hear them as well to share his non-WPHS view." I replied "we're sitting on the patio watching the game and drinking beer. We're planning to get some pizza later if you want to join us?" Bailey said "perfect, thanks CJ. We'll be up soon and I'll buy the pizza tonight."
I told Wally what Bailey said to me and also informed him Bailey is buying the pizza today. Wally looked at me and said "wonder what this is about? He values your input when he's making changes. Do you think the coverage last week has resulted in any changes in the station lineup?" I said "who knows, we'll find out in a little while."
Bailey and Aaron came up ten minutes later. They walked into the condo and I said "fix yourself a drink, or grab a glass for beer if you want." Aaron decided to have beer, and Bailey fixed himself his standard vodka and lemonade specialty. Aaron joined Wally and I while Bailey was finishing his drink mixture. I looked at Aaron and asked "should I be worried about anything I'm about to hear?" Aaron cracked up and said "nope, but you need to be in the know on it as you're at the center of it. I've been hearing about this for a week now, and Bailey is finishing his pitch to Brad tomorrow on the changes. I hope you'll be very pleased." I smiled at Aaron and said "okay dude. Wally in case you forgot, Brad is the Executive Director of Operations at the station. Bailey reports to him and Brad is the head honcho of big-wig row.
Bailey joined us on the patio and said "afternoon gents and thank you for letting us crash your afternoon." I cracked up and said "no problem, Bailey, but I'm three beers into the afternoon and soon will be starting my fourth. It's been a relaxing day, but Wally and I are emotionally drained after a three-hour call with the Skinner clan." Bailey looked at me concerned and said "is everything okay with them?" I replied "yes and no. You go ahead with your news, and we'll fill you both in on the call while we're chowing down on pizza."
Wally turned the volume down on the game, but still left the game on the screen so we can see any score updates. Bailey took a drink and said "I knew about some of the information I'm going to share before you left for Marco Island. The changes I'm going to present to you have been in the works, and have not been influenced by your outstanding reporting done this week. I've ran these by Aaron at least 50 times, and he is tired of hearing about them. He convinced me to bring you into the loop before I meet with Paul, as you CJ are the critical path in all of the changes. I also want Wally to hear them so he can ask me questions I may not have thought about yet." Wally smiled and said "let me get CJ and myself another beer before you start." Aaron joined Wally for a kegerator trip as he downed his first beer very quickly.
While the beer run was in progress, I looked at Bailey and asked "is everything okay, and is my position in jeopardy?" Bailey looked at me, began laughing obnoxiously and said "quite the contrary. Your position is critical to all of my plans. If I don't have your support, I'll have to go to plan B, and I haven't even thought of a plan B yet. So, hear me out, and make this geezer GM happy today." I cracked up and said "okay boss. I ready for you to fire away at me."
Aaron and Wally returned and took their seats. Bailey started in with "first of all we have had some resignations at the station and there is an upcoming retirement to consider on the changes I'm presenting to you." I quickly said "who's resigned, and does it impact me?" Bailey smiled, took a drink and said "yes, the resignations do impact you. Aaron, do me a favor and step in if I miss any details. CJ, what I'm going to share with you is confidential and if you have any concerns let me know. I meet with Brad tomorrow, and if he approves, I plan to meet with all involved this week to present new titles and salary changes. A formal announcement will be made on Friday so that we can begin planning for the new 2024 lineup." By this time, Bailey had my attention and I said "out with the changes Bailey. You have my full attention."
Bailey started in and said "Bob the evening producer has turned in his resignation. He will be staying with us until December 1. I'm going to move Angela up to the evening producer and name her Executive Producer due to all of her accomplishments." My smile showed my emotions as I said "that's a wonderful move for Angela, but I'm going to miss her in the morning." Wally said "Bailey, how do you think Nick and Zach will react to this news about Angela and the promotion? Do you think you'll lose either one of them over this?" Bailey smiled and said "this is why I wanted you to hear everything Wally. I've not put too much thought into Nick and Zach. Zach should be okay as he has less experience than Angela. Nick will be a different story though. When I compare him to Angela, he does not take advantage of what he has to work with. He has not shown the initiative that Angela shows either. It will be a tough conversation to have with him and something I will have to focus on."
Bailey took a drink and said "next, Paul is taking a sports position in Jacksonville, and will also be announcing the Jaguars football games. It's a good move for him, but leaves us with the 11:00 shows to fill. I'm going to offer Ronny a pay increase and hope that he will agree to take on the 11:00 shows in addition to the current shows he has." Wally and I both nodded our heads in the affirmative and I said "Ronny should accept that with no problem, Bailey."
Bailey smiled and said "you ready for the big one CJ?" I nodded my head yes and Bailey said "as you know Mitch recently turned 60. He informed me he wants to retire in two years, and he wants to lighten his schedule in advance of that. In addition, Daniel has turned in his resignation and will be moving to the Charlotte market next year. I checked in with Daniel once he returned from his Italy trip, and his decision is firm. Both Daniel and Paul start their new positions in early January. So, the evening news cast has been wiped out, but luckily, I have a good answer for the replacement."
I smiled and said "I take it your answer involves me?" Bailey smiled and said "actually it involves you and Ross. I want to move both of you to the evening news shows. I like the combination of you two and Ronny, all working with Angela. I want to continue the model with you and Ross sharing anchoring duties and have you will continue the weather reports. This will be a pay increase for you, and I know that our ratings are going to increase due to your outstanding performance. In addition, I'm going to give you the title of chief meteorologist replacing Daniel. What do you think of this?"
I took a drink of my beer, smiled at Bailey and said "I'm up for it, Bailey. I believe Ross will be thrilled with the change as well. I absolutely love the idea of the two of us doing the evening shows with Ronny. I'm so glad that new model you introduced will be moving to the evening format. Will you still keep the model going in the morning?" Bailey nodded his head yes saying "my new morning team will be Trevor at co-anchor and weather, and I'm going to ask Jennifer to take the anchor position." Upon hearing this, I gave Bailey a high-five and said "excellent choice for a morning anchor Bailey. I'm so impressed with how far Jennifer has come in her skills and I know she will continue to flourish with her new responsibilities. Will you be replacing Jennifer with another traffic and human-interest story reporter?" He cracked up and said "you're such a stickler for detail, CJ. Yes, I will be replacing her and hopefully I won't have to look that far. We're wasting Mindy's talent by having her as a receptionist. She has been working on her degree in journalism and will finish it next year. I want to give her a shot if she will accept it. I know she can do a great job for us, and this hopefully this will be my way of keeping UD from stealing her away from us." All of us busted out in laughter as we all know how much UD wants Mindy to work for him in his restaurant empire.
Wally continued to keep an eye on the football game while listening to Bailey's news. All of a sudden, Wally said "crap! Baker just threw an interception and the defense returned it to the ten-yard line. There's only ten seconds left and the Saints are setting up for a field goal." We all watched the end of the game to see the Saints defeat the Bucs by three points.
I turned my attention back to Bailey and said "okay boss, you have the morning and evening shows filled, what's your plan for Mitch and replacing Trev?" Bailey took another drink and said "I'm going to have Mitch do the anchor duties on the weekend evening shows. Leslie will continue as the weekend morning anchor, and if I hear good news from James Thompson tomorrow, Josh will stick around with us and he will work with Leslie. I want to extend the news and weather model to the weekend morning shows also."
I gave Bailey a puzzled look and said "how is James helping you with this?" Bailey said "excellent question and thank you for asking you future GM in training! It turns out that Josh only has three mandatory classes to finish for his graduation next semester at Maumee: two television classes and one general elective. James is working with the powers that be at Maumee to replace those three classes with another internship at WPHS for the spring semester." Wally said "what benefit is that for Josh? I'm not sure I understand Bailey." Bailey smiled and said "it will not only be an internship for his college graduation, but he will become an associate of WPHS before his graduation. He will be earning a salary for his work, and enhancing his resume tremendously. I've been very pleased with his work, and I want to secure him in our lineup." I just smiled at Bailey and said "what a nice start for Josh. That sounds like an excellent plan Bailey, and knowing James, he will come through for you and Josh."
Aaron finished his beer and said "I'm getting hungry. Do you guy's mind if I order a couple of pizzas and salad?" We all agreed, and I asked Aaron to order extra for Ronny and Alex to eat tonight. We settled on a Hawaiian, a supreme and a pepperoni and sausage. Aaron went to make the order, while the three of us continued on discussing the remainder of the changes.
Aaron came back out on the patio and said "the food will be here in about 30 minutes. My buddy Kegan is delivering and is throwing in some extras for us. Can I get anyone another drink while I am up?" Bailey said "yeah stud muffin, I think we're all ready for another round." Wally joined Aaron in getting all of us a round of drinks.
I looked at Bailey and said "I think you have everything covered except for the weekend evening weather." He smiled and said "yeah, that is where I'm struggling. Do you think Mindy is a fit there, or should I focus her on the morning traffic and human interest?" I thought for a minute and replied "I'd ask her what sounds good to her. I can see her doing both positions, but my preference for he is the morning shows. Her vibrant personality will do well with Jennifer and Trevor, and I see her growing more there than I do on the weekend nights. Does that make sense to you, Bailey?" He replied "yes, it does. I will offer both, but if I know Mindy she will choose the mornings. Ah well my friend, we have time to fill the weekend weather. I may talk to some of the junior reporters to see if they have a desire to expand their wings and take on the weather. It's too bad that Laura is not in college yet." We both laughed on that comment, and our better halves returned with our drinks.
Bailey said "I have one more change that is not mine, but I'd like to get your input on it. Albert, the engineering officer is retiring at year end. Brad wants to promote Carl to that position. Do you think Carl will want anything like that? He's a smart guy, and I know he will continue to excel WPHS on the latest engineering technology. He likes to keep his hands dirty though, and I'm not sure a desk job is for him?"
I took a drink of my beer and was about to respond when Wally jumped in ahead of me saying "Bailey, let me make an observation here. When I originally brought Alex on, I wanted him to focus on office administration. He is doing that very well for me, but he has also shown me that he can still keep his hands dirty at the construction sites. I see the same skills and abilities in Carl. I agree with Brad, and I think Carl should get a shot at it. He's probably going to surprise everyone and be a `working officer' at the station, just like you."
I am so proud of what Wally said and commented "I could not have said that any better than Wally just did. I'd give him a shot and I think you will be very surprised with the results Bailey. Thanks, Wally for stating your thoughts with the example you gave. You have a very similar situation, and I have to agree with you it's working out wonderfully for all parties." After I finished my comments, I blew Wally a kiss and blinked my eye at him.
Bailey took a drink and said "thanks you two for hearing me out. I've been using Aaron so much as a sounding board this week, and I bet he is relieved for a change in the audience." Aaron grinned and said "nah, every time you tell me more about your plan Bailey, I get more excited about it. I hope that you and Paul will make the announcements to the entire station, if possible, versus an email. I believe it will mean more to do this in front of the entire station."
Wally held up his glass and said "everyone please join me in a toast. Bailey, you have an excellent plan and I'm very excited about the proposed changes. Don't worry -- I'll keep quiet until they are announced. Thanks for including CJ and myself, and best of luck to you tomorrow with your meeting. I hope everyone you talk to this week impacted by the changes is as excited as I know CJ is. Cheers to Bailey."
The pizza, salad, spaghetti and breadsticks came to the door just after 5:00 pm. All of us pigged out and continued watching the late football games. Ronny and Alex joined us around 5:30 and told us all about their experiences at the game. Alex cracked me up so much when he said "CJ and Wally, you two have to help Ronny sometime with his football reporting. I've never seen so many handsome asses in a locker room as I did today. I couldn't get a clear picture of Baker's ass for you Wally. It's a piece of work you're just going to have to see for yourself." The patio erupted in laughter as we continued to eat pizza and enjoy each other's company.
Around 6:00 pm, Bailey said "guys I hate to cut this short, but I need to go finish a presentation that I'm making for tomorrow. Aaron is helping me jazz up my power point slides, so we need to take off. Everyone enjoy the rest of the evening, and I'll see you all tomorrow. CJ, get some sleep -- you look tired." I smiled and replied "will do boss. I feel very relaxed being home, and I'm ready to get back into my morning shift. Talk to you tomorrow at the station Bailey." I walked Bailey and Aaron out and said "you two have a good night, and good luck tomorrow, Bailey. Everything sounds wonderful, and you have my full support." Bailey pulled me in for a hug and said "thanks CJ. Stop up before you leave tomorrow, and I'll let you know how things go. This is going to be good for all of us!" Aaron gave me a hug and kiss goodnight and the two of them departed to their condo, hand in hand.
I returned to the patio to find Alex still chattering away about his day. I started to carry the leftover food into the kitchen, with Ronny trailing behind me. He looked at me in the kitchen and said "are you doing okay, you do look very tired CJ. I'm worried about you." I smiled at him and said "I'm fine and I promise all of you I will catch up on my sleep this week. It was a long week Ronny, and my only regret about the week is that I did not get to spend as much time as I wanted to with you on the set. The time we did have together brought back so many fond memories to me, and I hope you and I can share the set together again, very soon." He smiled at me, pulled me in for a hug and said "I enjoyed our time together also CJ. Don't worry, I have a feeling we'll be back on the news together very soon. The BANA nominations are a strong indicator of how I feel the fall sweep ratings will come out. You and I are a power team, and I know Bailey and all the other big wigs recognize that. We'll have the CJ and Ronny show going very soon my friend. You go get your man and turn in. I'll put the food away and clean up. I feel my man is so horned up right now he's going to take advantage of me tonight and ravage me until early morning." Both of us laughed on that comment, and I went back to the patio to retrieve Wally.
I sat down with Alex and Wally to finish hearing Alex telling Wally more highlights of his day. It dawned on me that I did not get a chance to tell Bailey and Aaron about UD and all of the excitement in his life. I don't feel like sharing it with Ronny and Alex now, so I'll sit down with all of them later this week.
When Alex finished, I looked at both of them and said "I don't mean to be anti-social, but I am tired and going to get a shower and turn in. Will you join me in a shower big guy before I go to bed?" Wally smiled at me and said "best offer I've had all day." I'm really not tired, but I want a shower scene with Wally before the weekend ends.
Wally and I went into the bedroom, and I shut the door while Wally shut the blinds. We ripped our clothes off, and started kissing and fondling each other. After a few minutes of kissing, he broke away from me and said "I thought you were tired babe?" I grinned and said "nah, that was just my excuse to get you away from everyone. As my first official act as chief meteorologist of WPHS, I want to take a hot, steamy shower with my husband to be. I've got a strong warm front building down below, and I need to hide it in your ass to keep it under control. Does that sound good to you?" Wally cracked up at me, took me by the hand and we headed into the shower. As the water started rushing over the two of us, he looked deep into my eyes and said "I love you so much, and I've got the perfect spot for you baby to keep that warm front under control tonight. Congratulations CJ, and I'm so happy to have you back safe and sound with me baby."
We started to kiss and explore each other's body. Both of us entered our special pleasure zone, and the shower ended about two hours later. What a way to end a week, and a beautiful way to start a new exciting week ahead of me. I'm so excited about how my long-range forecast is looking. Watch out St Petersburg, CJ is moving on up the ladder!