A Whole New Life

Dave arrived at work, met with the team and started the day. He was on a conference call with the executive team when his phone rang. He checked it and saw that it was Joan and sent it to voicemail, assuming she'd call back immediately. Instead, a moment later he got a notification of a new voicemail. The call finished and he went to get a cup of coffee, then pushed the button to hear what kind of horrible things Joan would have to say.

He was shocked when he heard her voice say, "Dave, I'm sorry about how I reacted yesterday. It was just such a shock to see you with another woman, especially after the whole Karen thing. I want to talk and work this out. Can we meet for lunch, please. Just text me when and where and I'll be there."

Sitting back in his chair, Dave took a drink of coffee and pondered his phone, flipping it around in his hand as he thought. What was that crazy bitch up to? He knew better than to believe her. But something had to give, he had to deal with her and get this divorce filed. So, he texted her the address of a cafe and told her to meet him there at twelve-thirty.

He left the office at twelve-thirty with a manila envelope under his arm for the five-minute walk to the cafe, he planned to be a couple minutes late to spin her up. Joan was waiting at a table when he got there. She stood as he walked up to the table and hugged him with a smile on her face, that settled it, now he was sure she was up to something. He hugged her politely, then sat and placed the envelope on the table beside his right elbow.

"Dave, as I said in my message, I'm sorry," Joan said softly, looking in his eyes. "This has gotten way out of hand. All I want is for this to be over and us to be happy again." As she finished a waitress came to the table and took their order, then walked away.

Dave smiled and looked back at Joan as he said, "Joan, I couldn't agree more, all I want is for us to be happy again."

Joan smiled and replied, "Oh, Dave, I'm so glad. So, when can we go back home?"

Dave's smile broadened as he said, "Oh, I am home, Joan."

Joan smiled with her condescending look and said, "No, silly, Our home. When can we pack up your things and go home."

"I am moving here as soon as I can find a place, Joan," he said quietly.

Looking at him for a moment, she smiled and said, "Well, I guess we could move here. Maybe a change of scenery would be good for us."

He shook his head, understanding her plan now. "Joan," he said, "I am moving here without you."

She looked at him with a look of confusion and replied, "But Dave, you just said you wanted us to be happy together again."

"Actually, what I said was that I wanted us to be happy again," he replied, "We will be happy, or at least I will be happy, when we get this divorce finalized." As he said it, he patted the envelope laying on the table.

A look of rage, not sorrow, flashed over Joan's face, then the crocodile tears started. "Dave, everything we've built together, we can't throw that away," she said. "I'm willing to forgive you for Karen and for that slut at the hotel, I just need you to come home so we can work this out."

"I am not looking for your forgiveness," he said, the smile never leaving his face.

Her tears started to flow, and she looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

"Joan, enough," he said, shaking his head, "We're done. The only thing left is the divorce settlement."

The tears disappeared immediately, replaced by a look of pure hate. "So, you're trading me in for a younger model?" she said through clenched teeth. "I thought you were a better person than that."

Dave just laughed as she moved to shaming. He shook his head and said, "No, Joan, I didn't trade you in, I left you because." He stopped, getting into an argument with her was just what she wanted. "Joan, it's done, all that's left is finalizing the legal part. So, I'm going to make this easy." He placed his hand on the envelope and continued, "This is my final offer before we end up in court where your adventures during our marriage will all be brought out. This offers you the house and all the equity in it, plus a quarter of my investment account."

He slid the envelope across the table to her and said, "I sent a copy of this to your lawyer before I left the office. You have until noon tomorrow to sign it, or my lawyer will be filing the court papers. My lawyer says I'm offering you way too much, that we should go to court, the evidence we have of your activities would probably mean you get nothing. But I'd rather give the money to you than to him and your lawyer, so be smart, take the offer and let's move on with our lives." With that, he stood and tossed two twenty-dollar bills on the table and walked out.

Joan sat, stunned. This had not gone at all as she had planned. What the fuck had happened to him. As she sat, the waitress walked up with their lunch and set the plates on the table. Joan picked up the envelope and left, leaving the food and the money on the table. The waitress started to say something, then just picked up the money and went back to the computer to close out the check.

Joan got into her car and called her lawyer. She told him what Dave had said and he asked her what was going to come out in court that he didn't know about. She gave him a quick overview of what she thought he might know, and her lawyer said he'd call her back.

Dave went back to the office and called his lawyer, as usual letting him know what had happened. "That's an interesting strategy," his lawyer said, "not the way I would have gone, but we'll see what happens."

Dave left the office at four to meet his real estate broker and look at a few condos. As they were touring one of the condos, Dave received a text from Joan saying she wanted to meet and work this out. He responded that she had until noon tomorrow to sign the papers, or they were going to court. An hour later he received another text from her that the divorce papers had been signed and she would leave them at the front desk of the hotel. Her lawyer must have explained what she'd probably get if she rolled the dice in court. He told his agent that it was good news, looks like the finances are settled and things may move forward sooner rather than later.

After they finished touring, Dave headed back to his hotel, picked up the documents and checked them, it wouldn't have surprised him at all if she had lied as part of some scheme she had worked up. Sure enough, she had signed them. When he got upstairs, he texted Tania and told her the good news. She was in the middle of making dinner for her and Becky and invited him to join them. He changed into jeans and a polo shirt and headed over for dinner.

Joan got a room at a hotel near the airport and picked up Chinese at a place down the street and ate in her room. Her lawyer had called back and told her that the deal was pretty good and a lot better than he would offer if he was Dave's lawyer. If she went to court, she'd be lucky to get alimony, much less any assets and best case was probably less than what he was offering. She had thought for about ten minutes and came to terms with the reality that it was over, he wasn't coming back, so now she just had to get the most she could from him.

She had a flight the next day, then she'd have to figure out what to do going forward. She'd have to sell the house, she did some quick math and figured out how much she'd end up with after the sale. She'd have to go back to work, but she'd be fine for a while and be able to find someone new to take care of her. She texted Karen and told her she was leaving, alone, and thanked her again for the previous night, then turned on the TV and surfed channels until she fell asleep.

After dinner, Dave sat with Tania and Becky and chatted until Becky said goodnight and went to bed.

They sat together; Tania snuggled up against him with her hand on his chest. "I'm sorry, Dave," she said softly.

"Sorry about what, sweetie?" Dave replied.

"About your marriage being over, about all that you've been through lately," she said as her hand moved along his chest.

"Thank you," he said and kissed the top of her head. "It's funny, despite all the shit she's done and how she's treated me, there is still a part of me that's sad."

"Of course," she said, "You love her, and you always will. You can love someone and not like them."

"I guess," he replied, he could feel himself beginning to fall into that self-pity state again.

"So, how'd the condo hunting go?" she said after a moment of silence, sitting up and changing the subject.

Dave snapped back out of his funk and said, "We saw three, two were pretty boring, but the third was amazing. An older building that has just been renovated, on the eighth floor with a large balcony overlooking the river. Twelve-foot open beam ceilings, floor to ceiling windows on two sides and an amazing bathroom with a jetted tub big enough for two."

"Sounds awesome," she said with a smile.

"My agent says I can get it a lot under asking if I can close quickly, the builder is a little strapped for cash because of some delays," he said, "So I think I'll make an offer tomorrow."

Tania felt like she was going to explode with happiness. His unfinished divorce and the prospect of his going back home had been in the back of her mind since they met. She had felt like this was just a fling, and that had made her sad. Now, there was the possibility this could go somewhere.

Dave looked at his watch, it was after eleven and it had been a long day. "I should go home and let you go to bed," he said and gave her a kiss.

"You're welcome to stay the night," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, baby, but I didn't bring clothes for work tomorrow," he said.

"My boy scout isn't prepared?" she said with a soft smile, then kissed him and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll forgive you this time."

They got up from the couch and kissed goodnight. "Are you doing anything for the weekend?" he asked.

"Just Sunday dinner with my parents," she replied.

"Want to go away for the weekend?" he asked.

"Where to?" she replied, thinking that she really didn't care.

"Don't know, the idea just hit me," he said with a laugh. "Haven't thought that far yet."

"All I need is an hour's notice, so I know what to pack," she said with a smile.

"I'll try to make it two," he said as he kissed her once again, "Good night, beautiful."

"Good night, stud," she said with a wink.

Tania went to bed, thoughts turning over in head. Dave drove back to his hotel, his mind alternating between ideas for the weekend and deciding what to do about the logistics of moving, in his mind, getting a deal on the condo was a foregone conclusion.

Dave was up the next morning, worked out, showered and headed to the office. After he finished his morning reviews and calls, he jumped on the internet and found a place for the weekend, it was a lodge in the mountains, about two hours away. The reviews said it had spectacular food and activities including hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, plus golf, trap shooting and a full-service spa.

Since it was already Thursday, he called, rather than trying to book on-line, and was able to get a room, plus an appointment for Tania at the spa on Saturday afternoon before dinner. He texted a link to the lodge's website to Tanya and asked if she could leave at noon tomorrow. She was able to re-arrange a couple things to make it work; most people were more than happy to reschedule Friday afternoon meetings in the summer.

Tanya looked at the website and mentally created a packing list then called her dad and let her know she wouldn't be at Church on Sunday but would be there for dinner. He didn't ask what she was doing, and she was relieved, though she felt much less guilty about going away with Dave now that his divorce papers had been filed, though she doubted her father would appreciate the nuance.

After lunch, Dave called his agent and discussed an offer for the condo he wanted. He thought about his current situation and focused on structuring the deal to get him moved in as quickly as possible. Now that he had decided on his path forward, he was anxious to get things going, that was who he was. They decided on a strategy and his agent put the documents together and forwarded them to him to sign electronically. Within an hour the seller's agent had the offer and Dave began putting together his plan for the move.

Dave had a dinner meeting with clients that night, then went back to his hotel. He called Tania and they talked, then he sat down and did some work as he had decided to take tomorrow morning off before he and Tania left for the lodge. He read through some emails, including one from his lawyer that let him know the divorce papers had been filed. He would need to arrange to get his personal items out of the house and sign the title of the house over to Joan. He looked at his calendar and asked his lawyer to plan for him to be there in three weeks. He sent a quick email to his assistant and asked her to make his travel arrangements.

He began a list of items he wanted from the house, the divorce agreement required him to submit a list of items he wanted seven days before he planned to remove them and Joan would need to agree, if they couldn't agree, an arbitrator would resolve the dispute. He knew that she was going to sell the house since the equity was substantial, but so was the mortgage payment.

He started his list with the obvious; golf clubs, contents of his office, then updated it to say except for the desk as it was too large and the wrong style for his new condo. He decided he would buy new furniture for the condo, except for a few odds and ends including a couple side tables that he had been given by his grandmother and his dresser.

He closed the list for now, then went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. He climbed into bed and thought about the fact that Tania wasn't with him, and he missed her being there in his arms. He grabbed his phone and texted her, told her that he missed her beside him. She responded almost immediately that she was lying in bed thinking the same thing and how excited she was to spend the weekend with him. He smiled and texted her goodnight, then rolled over and went to sleep.

Tania as up early and went off to work the next morning. She had a few things to get done before she left, so decided to get an early start. She was out of the office and on her way home by eleven-thirty, Dave would be there to pick her up at noon. She got home and grabbed her bags and made two cups of coffee in travel mugs. Dave knocked on the door just before noon, grabbed her bag and they headed out for their weekend.

While they were driving, Dave got a call from his agent with a counter from the seller. Dave thought about it for a second, then told his agent what to counter with, but also let him know that the seller's counter was acceptable, but he thought he could get a little more. If the seller rejected his counter, he would accept the seller's counter.

When he disconnected the call, he turned and smiled at Tania and said, "Well, that settles that, I have a place a to live in about a month."

Tania grinned and leaned over and hugged him and kissed his cheek then said, "That's so great. I'm so happy for you."

They arrived at the lodge around two-fifteen, checked into their room and went for a walk around the property, checking out all the activities and making arrangements for an early morning ride and afternoon of shooting. They got back to their room just before four o'clock, dinner was at six, it was served family style for all the guests staying at the lodge, about one-hundred and fifty people.

They had an hour to kill before they needed to get dressed for dinner. Dave sat down in an armchair in the corner of the room and patted his lap. Tania smiled and walked over to him, kicking off her boots and slipping off her blouse and tossing it aside, leaving her in a navy-blue bra and a pair of faded jeans. She sat down in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and deeply. "So, she said with an evil smile, "We have an hour to kill, got any ideas?"

"I saw some board games in the lobby," he said as he ran his hand up her bare arm.

She leaned in and nipped his neck playfully, "Not what I had in mind," she said as she slid off and pushed his knees apart and kneeled between them. Rubbing on his cock, she felt it grow, then unzipped his jeans and pulled it out, stroking it softly until it was hard. Her mouth eased over the head of his cock and her tongue swirled around it as she took it into her throat. Her head moved slowly up and down, his cock sliding in and out of her throat, her hands cupping his balls and squeezing them softly.

Once his cock was nice and hard, she stood and took off her bra, then slid off her jeans and panties before stepping over to the bed, sitting down and whispering, "Now get over here and fuck me."

Dave stood, pulled off his shirt and jeans, then walked over to the bed and lifted her legs before kneeling in front of her and running his tongue over her slit. His tongue slipped between her lips, then slid slowly up to her clit and back down. Tania squirmed and her hand ran through his hair as his tongue teased her pussy.

He stood and smiled down at her, pressed her legs apart and guided his cock to the opening of her pussy. Pushing forward, his cock slipped inside her. Tania exhaled softly as his cock penetrated her, stretching her again, a feeling she now craved. He held her legs against his side as he slowly fucked her his cock sliding in deeper with each stroke.

Tania clenched her pussy on his cock and smiled up at him, whispering, "Fuck that feels so good, baby." She began bucking and squirming, then squealed with delight as she came. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down on top of her before rolling onto her side, his cock still clenched inside her.

Her bottom leg slid out from under him, and the heel of her top leg slid down between his legs and hooked his calf and used it as leverage as she slid her pussy up and down his cock. They lay that way for a long time, fucking slowly and tenderly as they kissed. Her hands explored his chest, then around his back before sliding up behind his head.

She came again, her body tensing and shaking, then lay there for a moment before she began fucking him again, more urgently, using her pussy to milk his cock. Their kiss broke and she smiled at him and watched his face as she worked his cock until he came, filling her with a thick load of cum. They lay still and she felt his cum dripping from her pussy.

They stayed like that for a while, then she pulled his arm out and looked at his watch. It was almost five o'clock, so they got up, took a quick shower together and started getting dressed for dinner. Tania put her hair up and put on a royal-blue sundress and black flats, while Dave put on grey slacks with a white polo shirt and a black sports jacket. She kissed his cheek, then wiped her lipstick off with her finger, before they headed downstairs. The hallways and stairs were full as all the guests made their way to the large central dining room that the lodge was built around.

They made their way to their table, where they were seated for dinner with ten other guests at a galley style table. The other guests at their table consisted of a couple in their forties and a family consisting of a husband and wife and their three children with their spouses or companions who were in their late twenties to mid-thirties. The first course was chicken noodle soup and baskets of various breads. Dinner was roast chicken and ham with a variety of vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream and warm fudge sauce.