This is a story that I wrote about a month ago.. Let > me know what you think..I enjoy getting comments.. it lets me KNOW what my readers like and dislike.. I know, call me crazy, but I actually take my readers feelings into account. :-) (Gee, I should be running a network.. LOL)
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Remember WENN and it's characters are copyright Rupert Holmes, Howard Meltzer Prods, and the The Land Of the Lost . . . er. . . I mean The Planet Of the Apes . . . er . . . AMC. :-) Story's mine. :-)
This one just kinda happened this afternoon. :-) Lack of sleep is a beautiful thing. :-) Thanks to my beta-readers. Dani, Diane, Dana.. :-)
This story is set not long after Maple's arrival at WENN. I'd guess around Nov, early Dec 1940
The Affair
By Michele Savage
Hilary breezed into the front door of WENN with a smile on her face. "Good," she looked at the clock on the wall and giggled lightly, "mid-morning Gertie."
"Hilary, where have you been?" The receptionist questioned sharply. "Betty has been looking all over for you. Maple had to do Bedside Manor with Jeff."
"Yes, and I'm sure she hated it." Hilary retorted.
"Well, it's nice to see you are gracing us with your presence today, MISS Booth," Jeff said sharply as he walked from the studio intending to go into the green room, but turning to walk toward reception when he saw Hilary.
"I wasn't aware that I had to check in with my truant officers here," Hilary snapped.
Jeff walked up next to her and lowered his voice. "You could have checked in with me some time this weekend!"
She stood straight, "I would have, but there was no phone!" She stalked off into the green room. With a growl, Jeff followed her.
Gertie raised her eyebrow in surprise. She obviously wasn't meant to overhear that last exchange between the pair. Quite frankly, it surprised her. But then again, at this point nothing surprised her about those two. She tucked the information into her memory and turned to answer the shrilly ringing phone.
Maple walked into the green room to find Hilary sitting on the couch, thumbing through a magazine and Jeff sitting at the table staring at his wife with annoyance. Making the wise decision, she turned on her feet and left the room.
"Maple!"
The redhead turned to the sound of her name being quietly called. She saw Gertie gesturing for her.
She walked to the desk. "Jeez, what is up with them?"
"What is always up with them?" Gertie deadpanned.
"What'd you want?" Maple asked.
Gertie motioned for her to bend closer so she could whisper, "Hilary came in late this morning, and I heard Jeff ask her why she didn't check in with him over the weekend."
Maple's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"
"Yes, and these just came for her." the older woman motioned to a rather large bouquet of mixed flowers.
"So Jeff sent her flowers," Maple supplied.
"Maple, I have been at this place long enough to know that when Jeff sends Hilary anything, he's usually apologizing for something," Gertie responded. "Look at the card."
"Gertie! It's none of our business."
"Please," Gertie waved off Maple's comment. "After all these years, Hilary has yet to notice I open half her mail."
Maple gave the woman a surprised glance and then smiled. "You don't open MY mail by any chance--?"
Gertie returned the smile. "No, Hilary's mail is the most interesting." She pulled the small card out of the envelope. "See what this says? 'Love from room 503'." She expertly placed the card back into the envelope and tucked the flap back into place so it looked as if it hadn't been touched. "Hilary spent the weekend with another man as sure as I'm sitting here."
Maple stood angrily, "That witch! I mean, I don't know Jeff all that well, but he seems like an okay joe. Why would she do this?"
The older woman harrumphed, "That street goes both ways."
Maple lifted her brow, "Oh?"
"Why do you think Hilary is so jealously possessive?" Gertie replied. "But I thought that after Jeff's near death experience they had settled into a somewhat stable marriage."
"Now, I'm really confused." Maple said, furrowing her brow. "And I need to be on the air. Radio is much more interesting with music."
Over the course of the month, things settled back to somewhat normal. Then a single rosebud arrived for Hilary. Gertie noticed it was signed the same way as the other gifts that had sporadically been delivered. By now, her curiosity was piqued. Who on earth could '503' be? And why was Hilary so obviously flaunting this affair?
As each gift arrived, she noticed Jeff getting angrier. In the last week, other than doing their shows together, he had ceased speaking to Hilary. The wider the rift got between Jeff and Hilary, the more curious about this other man Gertie became.
He was even starting to send love letters to her. They were flowery and quite romantic, even she had to admit. She tried to see if she could recognize the handwriting. As the receptionist for the station she saw nearly everyone's writing, including the sponsors.
Sponsor! Her mind tumbled over that thought. Was there a sponsor of theirs that was getting his payment on the side? She tried to remember if she'd seen any copies of contracts that seemed to be lower, payment-wise. Or even a hesitant sponsor that suddenly seemed thrilled with the idea of working with WENN. Gertie knew that Hilary wasn't above sleeping with a producer to get a part. Would she sleep with a sponsor to get his advertising?
"Hilary! Would you at least talk to me?" Gertie was roused from her thoughts when Hilary walked past her desk, followed by the pleading Jeff.
Hilary stopped at the front door. She turned and said, "If you'll recall, Jeffrey, YOU stopped speaking to ME!" She left the station, the door shutting in his face.
Jeff threw up his hands in frustration and stormed back into the green room.
Two days later, a package arrived for Hilary. It was obviously clothing and as Gertie of course noted, it was from the elusive, '503'. The difference was that the attached message alluded to a weekend get-together.
At nearly noon, Hilary received a phone call. To Gertie's amazement, she took the call right at the switchboard. She stepped slightly to the side and lowered her voice, but the nosy receptionist could still hear the conversation.
"My last show is at 11:30. I can meet you at midnight." She laughed as the man replied. "Of course. Did you make the reservation?" Another laugh. "All right then," she said, then added a seductive tone to her voice, "I'll see you there." Finished with her conversation, she handed the phone to Gertie. "You heard nothing!" Hilary reminded, then walked away.
"Heard nothing," Gertie mumbled. "Do you take me for an idiot?"
Hilary, having heard the muttered comment, whispered under her breath as she walked
off, "Actually--" She pushed into the studio and Mackie handed her the script
for Valiant Journey.
"I've missed you." He said and enveloped her into his embrace. He kissed her deeply and removed her dress. He pulled back and looked at her. She was wearing the teddy that he'd sent her that morning. "That one has always been my favorite."
Hilary laughed and turned, still held in his arms. She backed toward the bed and sat, pulling him with her. She lay back and settled with him laying half over her. "You've missed me? Darling, we work together every day."
"I know that, Mittens, but it hasn't been easy to avoid you during the day," Jeff told her, punctuating the sentence with a kiss.
"Yes, but hasn't it been fun watching Gertie try to figure out who I've been having an affair with?" She giggled.
"Don't you think it's a little mean to tease her like this?"
"Of course not," Hilary defended, drifting her fingers randomly over his chest. "For one, it's been fun sneaking around with you, and two, Gertie deserves it for reading my mail."
"Do you think we should tell her Monday that I am 503 and that we meet once a month here?" Jeff wondered, "Or should we let her suffer?"
"I'm all for letting her suffer," Hilary chuckled, "but I do think for everyone else's peace that we should 'reconcile' at work, and take our 'monthly affair' back to a more private level. Although, I'm not above you still sending me letters," Hilary suggested, "It gives Gertie something interesting to read and I rather like them myself."
"All right," Jeff moved to nuzzle at her neck, "But right now, I would really like to forget about Gertie and concentrate on this spot on your neck."
Hilary giggled and moved to give her husband easier access to her body.
The End