February Sucks - For Them

Copyright © 2020

My sincerest thank you to GeorgeAnderson for his permission to plagiarize his work. Although I've thought about it on a few other occasions, I've never written my version of someone else's story before, but this had such an intriguing plot, I had to try it.

Although this is obviously based on George's story, "February Sucks," I still wrote it my way. I hope you enjoy my version and as always, I love hearing that feedback.

My hat's off to George for stirring the imagination of so many writers with his brilliant concept.

*****

Midwest winters are notorious for cold north winds, freezing temperatures, and snow, lots and lots of snow, so it really should have been no surprise to anyone that February had been a really, really rotten month. For the first two weeks, no one had even seen the sun, just a dull- gray, wintery sky, and on top of it, it was leap year. Everyone was hoping for March to come in like a lamb, so nobody was looking forward to an extra day of February.

Jim stood at his office window looking out at the winter wonderland that was the city of Chicago. By midafternoon, the predicted two inches of overnight snowfall was twelve inches deep, with apparently no end in sight. In Illinois and Indiana, they call it, "lake effect." At times during the morning, it had come down so hard and fast, he could barely see across the street, and now the weather guys were forecasting another twelve inches by morning.

It was about half-past one when his secretary walked in. "Jim, I just got word from the top, we're closing early. I'm taking off now if that's okay with you."

"Yes, of course, Shirley, thanks. I'm going to call Linda, then I'll be right behind you. Drive careful," he added as she started to leave.

"I will, Jim, you too. I doubt that all this will be cleaned up by tomorrow, so I'll probably see you on Monday," she replied, on her way out.

He walked over to his sport jacket hanging over the back of his chair and took his phone out from the side pocket. His wife answered on the second ring.

"Hi, honey, are you still at work?" she asked right away.

"Yeah, but I'm getting ready to leave now. I wanted to call and see if you want me to pick up you and the kids on the way home. I know you don't like driving in crap like this."

"You're sweet, honey, but a little late. They let us out of the office more than an hour ago. I picked the kids up already and just walked into the house. Please drive carefully, the roads are miserable."

"Will do, honey. I'll see you as soon as I can, love you, bye." Well, knowing Linda and the kids were home safe and sound was a big load off his mind. He felt bad, though. It was February fourteenth, Valentine's Day. Every year, he and Linda celebrated in style. Of course, he always came home with the mandatory card and flowers, which was followed by a romantic candlelit dinner in a fine restaurant, some cheek to cheek dancing, and culminated with a night of passionate whoopee while Linda's mom and dad kept the kids overnight.

Well, the fine dining and dancing was out of the question. By that evening, no one was going to be going anywhere, but he wondered about the florist. By the time he got the snow brushed off his car, he had decided to give it a try. It was only four or five blocks out of his way. He had ordered a beautiful bouquet two weeks prior and hated to show up at home empty-handed.

"Thank God you're still open," he said, greeting the man behind the counter.

"Yeah, I'm going to stay as long as I can. I figure a lot of people will be getting off early and stopping here to pick up their orders on the way home."

"Well, your instincts are right on. That's exactly why I'm here. Jim gave him his last name, and a minute later the florist pulled a beautiful bouquet of red, yellow, and white roses from the refrigerator. "Damn, that's gorgeous," Jim told him. "What're the purple flowers in there?"

"Sweet Peas," he replied. "I threw a few in as an accent, you like?"

"It's absolutely striking," Jim answered. He took a pen and signed the card while sticking his debit card in the machine.

It was almost five o'clock by the time Jim pulled into his drive. He lost time going to the florist, but it was worth it. Jim knew how disappointed his wife was going to be with having to stay home on their special night and hoped the flowers would cheer her up.

If Jim needed cheering up, he only had to look into the two angelic faces of his kids. "Daddy's home," yelled six-year-old Emma. Along with her four-year-old little brother, Tommy, they jumped off the couch and ran to their proud papa the moment he walked in the door. Jim knelt and set the flowers behind him so they wouldn't get crushed before opening his arms to the onslaught of hugs and kisses.

He looked up and saw his beautiful smiling wife watching the happy reunion. "Finally, I was getting worried," she said.

"Well, you were right, the roads are miserable. I'm afraid we won't be going anywhere tonight, hon."

"Oh, I know," she acknowledged with a twinge of sadness. "I already called mom and dad to let them know we wouldn't be dropping the kids off. I didn't have anything defrosted, so the kids talked me into homemade pizza for tonight. I hope that's okay."

"That sounds wonderful," he replied. He waited until Linda turned to go back into the kitchen before picking up the flowers and hiding them behind his back. Both Emma and Tommy returned to the couch and their TV show.

Linda knew he was sneaking up behind her, but she just smiled and kept her back to him, wondering what he was up to. She felt his left hand slide around her waist, then his lips kissing her neck. Suddenly, a beautiful bouquet of mixed roses appeared in front of her as she heard...

"Happy Valentines Day, honey."

"Oh, Jim, they're gorgeous!" She turned, put her arms around his neck, and gave her thoughtful husband a big, passionate kiss, tongue and all. She chuckled when she felt his cock stir against her stomach. "That's going to have to wait," she said, patting the front of his trousers with the back of her hand.

She took the flowers and set them on the table, then slid the card from its envelope. "Oh, honey, what did I ever do to deserve you," she said before giving him another quick kiss.

Well, it wasn't the romantic evening they had planned, but seeing the excitement when the kids realized they'd have a four-day weekend with Mom and Dad made it a little easier to take. Emma and Tommy already had plans for several snowmen, a couple of snow forts and an ongoing snowball fight, all starting early the next morning.

It was a little after nine by the time Linda and Jim got their two excited offsprings tucked under the covers for the night. There was still plenty of evening left, and Jim was determined to make the best of it.

"Honey, I'm so sorry our plans didn't work out. I know all the bad weather has gotten on our nerves lately, and I know how much you've been looking forward to tonight."

"Yeah, you mean man, why did you order all this snow?" she chuckled. "Honey, there'll be other nights we can go out for dinner. We'll make our own Valentine's Day when the weather gets better. Four days off with you and the kids is a great consolation prize, honey, believe me... besides," she added, "I still got a great new party dress and a beautiful bouquet of roses out of it. Who could ask for better than that?"

"Well," he said in his most seductive voice, "why don't you go put your new party dress on while I open the wine. I'll put some soft, romantic music on the stereo, and we'll have our own private Valentine's date right here."

"Mmmm," she hummed with delight, "that sounds great, except you don't get to see the party dress until you take me out for the evening."

"That's fine," he replied. "You go put it on and I'll take you out of it later this evening."

She giggled. "That's not what I said, but I do like your plan. I'll run up and find something appropriate. I'll be down in a few," she said, reaching up and kissing him on the lips before running upstairs.

Jim was thinking, if he did this right, he might be able to start a whole new tradition. He opened a bottle of semi-dry Port to let it breathe, stuck it in an ice bucket, and put it on the coffee table along with two wine flutes.

Okay, he asked himself, what next? Ah, nothing says romance like a warm, crackling fire in the fireplace. Within minutes, he had it going, but there was still something missing. He looked to his prise LP selection of vinyl for the answer.

He dimmed the lights, allowing the flickering glow of the fire to set the ambiance, poured the wine, then with a gentle lowering of the needle, filled the air with the voices of love.

Each was astounded when Linda made her entrance, Jim with her beauty, and Linda by the romance shown by her husband. For a while, they simply sat in front of the fire, cuddled together, sharing ten years of memories together.

When the time was right, Jim asked his love to dance. As he took her in his arms, Linda closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. "Honey, this is incredible, thank you."

"You're very welcome, honey. Happy Valentines Day, babe."

"The same to you, hon. I was going to get a card for you on the way home today, but with all the commotion, I didn't get a chance. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, honey. I don't need a card to know I'm your valentine," he replied with a smile.

They danced a little longer, drank a little more wine, then silently snuck up the stairs to be sure they didn't wake the kids. By the time Jim quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and turned around, Linda was almost out of her dress already. She made a show of slipping out of her panties. "Well," she asked, while standing there in her birthday suit.

That's when Jim realized he was still dressed. A problem he solved in record time. He was naked by the time she slipped under the sheet. There were times when Linda liked it rough and hard, but this wasn't going to be one of those times.

She started moaning the instant his lips softly touched behind her ear. "Oh, God," she whispered breathlessly. Unconsciously, Linda arched her back as she felt a tingling already building between her legs. With eyes closed, she twisted and contorted with each carress of his fingertips, every stimulating tremor from his tongue.

Deftly, his skilled hands navigated their way along the hills and valleys of her body until finding their mark. Her first climax came as soon as his finger entered and curled up to carress the inside of her pussy. "Oh, God, Oh God," she called out, her body stiffening as euphoria raced through her veins.

Giving her little time to recover, Jim separated her vaginal lips. Using the secretions left on his finger, he teased and worked her clit while tasting her with his manipulating tongue and sending her over the top in a continuing frenzy of orgasms.

He looked up and saw her wonderful tits rising and falling as she panted in a state of erotic bliss. Jim continued to plant kisses as he maneuvered into place. "Oh, yeah," she said, still out of breath. "Give me all you've got honey."

He easily slipped inside and started with long slow strokes. At times, when he felt himself getting close, he'd slow down until the feeling passed, then continued. She came three more times before they exploded together in amatory ecstasy.

The following morning set the tone for the rest of the long weekend. Linda woke from the knocking on their bedroom door. "Mom, Dad... com'on, wake up. Tommy and me are hungry."

Linda looked over at the clock. It was a little after seven. "Ohhhhh," she groaned. "Okay, honey, you guys go downstairs and watch cartoons for a couple of minutes. Dad and I will be down in just a little bit."

"Okay, Mom, but hurry up. Tommy and me want to make a snow fort."

"We'll be right down, honey." She heard the pitter-padder of little feet run down the hall. Jim was just starting to stir. She thought about waking him with a blow-job but didn't want to keep the kids waiting that long, so a simple kiss would have to suffice.

"Mmmmm," he hummed as he felt his wife's lips pressing against his own. He threw his arms around her and rolled her over. He didn't try to hide his straining woody.

Linda immediately knew what he was thinking but had to be the bearer of bad news. "Sorry, honey, that's going to have to wait. The kids are downstairs, and they're hungry."

Jim dropped his head, faking his distress. "Well, we can't go down there without a shower. We both smell like sex."

"Yeah," she chuckled, "like they'd know the smell of sex."

She had a point.

"Come on though, You're right, we do need a quick shower. I'll wash your back, you wash mine. We'll get done in half the time that way."

The kids were still on the couch, watching TV when the smiling couple finally made it downstairs. The kids didn't seem to notice the time lag, they were both engrossed in their cartoons. "What do you guys want for breakfast?" Linda asked.

"Pancakes," the two little ones yelled in unison.

After a good hearty breakfast, the four of them were in the back yard making the best snowman ever, according to Tommy and Emma. Of course, everyone knows no snowman is safe unless he has a snow fort for protection. To say it was a full day was an understatement.

By the time Jim and Linda were ready for bed, they were too tired to even think about sex. Linda was curled up to her husband's side when she heard him chuckle. "What?" she asked.

"I just happened to think, this is only Friday. We still have Saturday and Sunday."

"Ohhhhh," she moaned. "I'm not sure I can make it," she joked, before throwing her arm over his chest. Five minutes later they were both sound asleep.

Saturday morning cartoons gave them a small reprieve and delayed the addition to yesterday's snow fort, but only for a while. Of course, if you have an award-winning snow fort, you must defend it against advancing forces; hence, the afternoon snowball fight that only ended after an hour of laughs and when Jim raised the white flag in defeat.

By Sunday, the streets were pretty well plowed, so they took the kids to a park with a sledding hill. It was the kind of weekend that created lasting memories, as substantiated by their oldest when they tucked her in for the night. Emma reached up hugged both her parents around the neck. "Thanks for playing with us this weekend. I'll never forget it. I love you, Mom and Dad."

"We love you, too," they both told her. "Now," Linda said, "get to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

By the time they went to bed, both Jim and Linda were ready to get back to work; they needed the rest.

With freezing temperatures too cold to melt anything, the days dragged on with mountains of plowed dirty snow everywhere, serving as a visual reminder of the ruined holiday, as if anyone needed it. Like most others, Jim, Linda, and the kids spent most of their free time indoors. The long cold winter had everyone in a bad mood; even the happy-go-lucky attitudes of Emma and Tommy were strained.

With only a few days of the dastardly month left, Jim and Linda were snuggled on the couch, enjoying a glass of wine after putting the kids to bed, when Linda's phone rang. Jim groaned, "Oh, who would be calling at this time of night?"

Linda reached over and looked at the display, "Dee," she answered with a small chuckle. "I better take it, it might be important."

Dee and her husband, Dave, were part of a close-knit circle of friends that they'd accumulated over the years. Counting Jim and Linda, there were five couples all together, but they were closer to Dee and Dave than the others. They were all relatively in the same age and financial brackets, shared a lot of the same interests and had kids of various ages who all pretty much got along with each other. There was always a good time to be had when they all got together, which was usually several times a year.

So as not to disturb her husband too much, Linda took the phone into the kitchen to talk, but Jim could still hear his wife's end of the conversation.

"Really? Oh, Dee, that's a great idea... Where?... Oh, that's perfect... Yeah, I think so... Oh, I'm sure... Oh, that'd be great... Of course... Yeah, this sounds like... Oh, he'll like that... Oh, I'm sure he'll be as excited as I am... Yeah, it's been so crappy out... Yeah, I'll talk to him right now, but unless I call and tell you different, count us in... Okay... Yeah, bye."

Linda's feet barely touched the floor as she glided back into the living room. She looked like the cat that ate the canary as she flopped down in her husband's lap and threw her arms around his neck. Based on what he heard, Jim figured he was probably going to like whatever she was about to tell him, but he had to give her some skepticism to keep her guessing.

"Okay, what have you gotten us into now?" he said with a smile.

"Something I know you're going to love," she replied. "Dee has a wonderful idea, a "Leap Year," night of dining, dancing, and sex."

"But won't Dave get mad if I have sex with Dee?" Jim teased, prompting a playful punch in the shoulder from his wife.

"The sex part is with me, dodo, remember that," she joked back. "Leap Year" is a week from this Friday. Dave heard all about a dance club downtown from a couple of co-workers. It's called The Down Beat. They have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Normally they have a ten dollar per-person cover charge, but they have a deal worked out with the Madison Hotel. If you're a guest at the hotel, you just show them your key card at the door and the dance club waves the cover.

"Dee figures we can all get a room at the Madison, then have dinner in the dining room before going to the club. After tripping the light fantastic for a couple of hours, we'll all go back to the hotel for a night of decadent pleasures. You don't even have to worry about driving, the dance club is a block from the hotel. We can all walk to and from."

"What about the kids? We'll have to see if your parents are available to have them overnight."

"Already taken care of," Linda quickly replied. "Phil and Jane asked Mrs. Porter to take their kids overnight and they say she's fine with taking Emma and Tommy, as well."

He looked like he was thinking about it. What was there to think about Linda wondered. "Well?"

"Okay, under one condition," he responded.

"What's that?"

"You wear the dress you bought for Valentine's Day."

"You mean the one you haven't seen yet," she chuckled.

"That's the one."

"You got it," she agreed, sealing it with a kiss.

Dee called again the next day to tell Linda everything was arranged. She had confirmation from all five couples, so she booked a party of ten for dinner at seven-thirty in the dining room of the Madison. She had a harder time reserving a table that big at The Down Beat, but she finally got them to agree. Although they'd have to push a couple tables together to accommodate a group that large, they promised to have it all ready by nine o'clock.

"The only thing I didn't do," Dee said, "was book the rooms. I figured everyone has their own preferences, so I'll leave that up to everybody else. I wouldn't wait, though, Linda. When I made the reservations, I got the idea that we're not the only ones planning to go out that night, and you'll have to have your key card to avoid paying the twenty-dollar cover at the club."

"Okay," Linda chuckled, "I'll have Jim book it as soon as he gets home. We're really looking forward to this, Dee. You're an absolute genius for coming up with it." The two good friends talked a little longer before hanging up. A little while later, Jim booked a room at the Madison with a king-sized bed for February twenty-ninth. All they had to do after that, was sit back and wait.