The Layoffs Pt 01

The news about the upcoming layoffs had trickled out around the proverbial company water cooler and based on what I'd heard I realized that I was at risk. I'd been there for over ten years and had maxed out my salary grade. But three bad quarters on the exchange had cooled investors and it didn't take brilliant corporate genius to realize that the rumors of forthcoming layoffs likely had some teeth.

I could understand Amber's position. It was not a job that we could really afford for me to lose. The kids were now 12 and 13 and we'd decided a number of years ago that she didn't need to go back to work. Amber had been dedicating her free time to volunteering with the hospital rotary which was something she found fulfilling. But with only the one salary paying for everything it certainly did leave us exposed in a situation like this. We'd recently undertaken a fairly costly renovation on the annex suite of our house.

The vision had been that we would either be able to rent it out for more money, or that the kids could live there for a period of time when they were older. As Amber had laid out to me that evening, we were not in a financial position for me to lose my job and go back out searching in the workforce as a white male of 44. I explained that my tenure and salary put me at high risk and she seemed increasingly distraught. This degree of emotion was certainly a bit out of character for her, but she ended the conversation by imploring me to speak to my boss quietly and see if there was anything that he could do to ensure ongoing employment, even if it meant dropping a pay grade or something of the sort.

- -

I'd waited until I saw Ryan outside on the deck. We were on the 'executive floor', 18, and the large outside space provided an incredible view of the city skyline as well as the valley out below. I'd purposely waited until he was alone outside in order to join him. I knew that there was a great deal of risk in approaching him this way, but I also felt that based on what I'd heard about the layoffs there was little to lose. Ryan and I had always got along well. He had been an effective leader at the company and had advanced quickly. He was a few years younger than me at 36. He was tall, handsome, and genial. As the Senior VP of our division I understood why the board liked him. He had the ability to be direct, and he ran our division with a degree of confidence that kept everyone on task.

"John... you know that's not something I can talk about"

he'd replied with a pained expression as I'd gently edged around the topic of the layoffs.

"But it's true that you'll be involved"

I pressed. I could hear Amber's urgent tone in the back of my head.

Leaning against the railing and looking out over the city Ryan paused for a moment and then turned to me.

"Look. I don't know what's going to happen here, but I know you're not stupid. Something's definitely forthcoming. And as you know, in a situation like this... given your pay scale.. the company will probably have to either let you go... or promote you! That's just how it works".

"I'd obviously prefer the latter"

I shot back with a dry chuckle. Gallows humour.

"Listen"

, I responded... now even more alarmed by the reality of his blunt assessment.

"I won't repeat this to anyone else. But I KNOW that you're going to be involved in making these decisions. And I need YOU to know that I am offering whatever it takes to convince you that I need to keep this position. The door is open. You tell me what I can do."

I prompted desperately.

He stared out over the city quietly before turning, fixing me with a strange look for a moment, and then proceeding back inside from the windy patio.

- -

"You MUST be kidding"

Amber intoned, before turning back to me and bursting out in full laughter!

- -

It hadn't been what I'd been expecting either.

But two full days had passed without anything from Ryan and I could feel my own anxiety beginning to swell. Seeing Ryan out on the patio checking emails on his phone I again joined him. It had been close to 48 hours and rumors of the layoffs had only intensified.

"Hey, uh.... I was just wondering if you'd given any thought to what I said the other day"

I offered by means of an awkward intro. He again gave me the same inscrutable look that had ended our previous conversation and motioned me towards the railing of the balcony again.

Where the wind was loudest.

Where we were facing away from the lone security camera by the balcony door.

"Alright John. I'll bite..."

he stated matter of factly, looking out over the city.

"One hour."

"With Amber"

As I reviewed the exchange later I deduced that it had taken me approximately 7 loooong seconds to process the fact that he was likely referring to sex. 7 seconds is an extremely long time in conversational terms. I turned to him.

"Are you actually being serious?"

It wasn't a particularly profound response, but I still felt that there was a degree of risk that I had misunderstood him.

"You're right"

he stated calmly, confidently.

"I do have the ability to influence the decisions of the board when it comes to this department... and yes, as you'd suspected... your position is part of the current discussion"

I looked at him incredulously.

"And I wouldn't generally be open to influence, but as a starting point I like you and think you're good at your job. It's obviously not something I would have suggested out of the blue, but you were quite convincing in your openness to offers"

he trailed off cooly.

I was flabbergasted.

I'd met a couple of Ryan's previous girlfriends. Not to be harsh... but arm candy. Vacuous skinny model types. Not that my wife wasn't attractive. She was beautiful. But she was also a 'mom'. 41 years old. She wore her brown hair in a simple, easy to maintain, shoulder length cut. The kind of length where when she was doing something active, a couple of strands might slip out from her short ponytail. I loved it when that happened and found it to be just one of a million small but sexy things that attracted me to my wife. She complained that she didn't exercise enough, but I didn't mind the added curve to her rounded bum and hips. Her DD cup breasts were not as 'perky' as they were in her thirties and after two kids, but they still held substantial heft and were a frequent target of my affection in the bedroom. We had a relatively active sex life. Probably about what you'd expect from a couple who are trying to raise two teenagers and have fairly active social and personal lives. As much as Amber was incredible to me, I couldn't help but be curious about what apparently attracted Ryan to her.

I felt a potent mixture of emotions spinning around my stomach as my brain frantically attempted to process them. Of course, the innate animal reaction was to punch him right there on the spot for suggesting such a thing. But I wasn't really that type of guy. And my wife's distraught pleas to do

whatever

I could to maintain my employment held any such reactionary impulses at bay.

A lot had taken place in my mind in the short period of time since Ryan had made his offer. I attempted to settle my thoughts.

"Ryan, this is my wife we're talking about"

I reasoned finally, trying to keep my tone measured.

"You've never struck me as a guy who has difficulty finding women, but if it's about getting laid I'm more than happy to pay for a VERY high end escort"

I suggested hopefully.

"Fuck it, honestly I'll pay for 5 different escorts just so you can see who's best!"

I grinned hopefully.

He stared out impassively for a moment.

"I could pay for escorts myself if that's what I was hoping to experience"

he responded softly.

"It's not"

"Why Amber?"

I shot back, perhaps a bit too sharply.

"Frankly speaking"

Ryan explained

"I've spent the last 15 years of my life devoted to getting ahead in the business world. The women I've dated have intentionally been the kind of girls who are fun for a while, but wouldn't be someone I'd settle down with. More recently I've been experiencing a degree of regret that I haven't taken on some of life's more domestic escapades... I've always enjoyed speaking with Amber at the company functions, and honestly I just find a woman like her incredibly attractive at the moment. Don't know what else to say"

he finished with a simple shrug.

- -

After her initial peal of laughter settled, Amber recognized that mine was not a 'joking' tone.

Despite finally realizing that I wasn't being funny, it still took several minutes for her to actually come to terms with the fact that what I had said to her was in fact actually true.

I'd had the last two hours of my work day to process it, or at least attempt to. So by the time I was relaying it to her, the very shocking reality of what was being discussed had well and truly settled over me.

"Does he just need someone to give him a blowjob?"

she'd shot back incredulously.

"He's a great looking guy! I've got girlfriends who would probably fuck him!"

she offered.

"Can we explore that instead?"

I'll admit that her phrasing of

'he's a great looking guy'

did come back to rattle around in my brain a number of times throughout the forthcoming sleepless night.

Amber had obviously wanted to know more. All the same questions that I'd had. I offered her the explanations I'd been offered and deferred on those that I didn't have.

"So he spent too much time climbing the corporate ladder and now has some kind of MILF fantasy that he wants to fulfill?"

she questioned dubiously at one point, a wry smile across her face.

I appreciated that she still had a slight sense of humor about it. From my own experience of the last several hours, I knew that would wane.

It probably wasn't the right time to really explore it.... but Amber reached for me in the middle of the night. Both of us in a haze of mental exhaustion we lay in bed next to each other....

...and we talked about it.