Valentine’s Day Card - Another View

That Damned Valentine's Day Card - A Different View

This story uses the "Hall Pass" or "Get Out of Jail Free Card" as a plot device. If you feel that no sane man would give the woman he loves such a pass - I am in complete agreement. But this is fiction and requires the suspension of disbelief. If you can't suspend disbelief, you won't enjoy this story so I would recommend you skip this one and move on; there are a lot of great stories on this site and I hope you find one you enjoy.

This story follows the same trajectory as a story by Tx Tall Tales, That Damned Valentine's Day Card that I highly recommend: https://www.literotica.com/s/that-damned-valentines-day-card. Although I have used the same premise, this story is very different, having a different dialogue and dynamic between the characters and a different ending. I have written Tx Tall Tales several times asking for comments on my version and received no response. It is unfortunate for all of us that Tx Tall Tales has not published a story since March, 2017. He was a great writer with a creative flair.

For the rest of you, I sincerely hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter One - I am an Idiot

Ask yourself three questions:

1. Am I a man?
2. Have I ever been in love?
3. Did I ever do something stupid because I was in love?

If you've answered "yes" to the first two questions, a "yes" to the third question is almost inevitable. If you answered "no" to the first question, chances are you have observed the results of question 3. While women can and do make mistakes; in my experience profound stupidity in demonstrating love is the sole provenance of men.

Maybe your "something stupid" was making a complete fool of yourself: saying something profoundly stupid in an attempt to be clever; trying to impress her with your athletic abilities and falling flat on your face (albeit the nurse in the emergency room was cute); or buying a ring you really couldn't afford and having to eat Spam for six months in order to be able to pay your rent. The list of examples is endless.

For me, it was giving her a "Get out of jail free" card when I proposed. I should say when I proposed the second time. The first time I proposed, I didn't get the "Yes" from her that I was expecting, FULLY EXPECTING. I loved her more than anyone or anything and I knew she loved me. We were devoted to each other. Our physical and emotional connection was beyond anything either of us had ever imagined. We were one of those couples that finished each other's sentences and even fed each other bites of food when we went out. Yes, you can add that last bit to the list of stupid things we do when love makes us blind. One science writer Katherine Wu, writing for the Harvard Blog "Science in the News" referred to it as the "Total Eclipse of the Brain".

But, instead of the expected "Yes" she said "We need to talk". Fuck.

We did talk after about four days of my blinding drunk when I had locked myself in my apartment consuming more alcohol than I thought possible. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could have died from alcohol poisoning, if I had been that lucky. She was curled in a ball outside my apartment door and I stepped over her when I finally emerged.

She sprang to her feet "Alex, please don't. I'll marry you. I love you with all my heart. Please don't leave me!! God, Alex, PLEASE, PLEASE don't leave me." She was sobbing uncontrollably.

"No Sheri. I'm not going to force you to marry me just because you feel guilty for having hurt me. If you couldn't say "Yes" when I asked either you don't love me or you are not ready for a commitment. I understand, you are only 21 and still in college. I'm only 25. Marriage is off the table at least for the foreseeable future. It's just that I thought... I thought that what we have been to each other was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I thought that you felt that way too. You surprised me. You surprised everyone: your parents; my parents; our friends. They all thought you would say "yes". They were congratulating me, us thinking you said "yes."

"Alex, please. Let's talk. I don't want to lose you."

Talk we did, and talked. For over a year, we talked. The first three months I was civil. I was polite. I was distant. I was preparing for her exit from my life. It was rough. She was my best friend and that made the loss of her from my life even more painful. The next three months we resumed our friendship but not with benefits. It was another four months before we resumed our romantic relationship which we restarted slowly and built from there. By that time, I had just about paid off the ring.

The sum total of her words after that year was "Alex, you know that I love you more than anything. I will forever regret how I hurt you. I was scared. I wasn't ready. There is so much of life I have yet to experience. Will I be the same person in five or ten or even twenty years? I don't know. But I do know that my life will be a lot less happy, a lot less fulfilling if you are not a part of it. I was and perhaps I still am afraid. What if someday there is something I want that you don't? Am I to put that aside, to just give it up? And will I feel bitter and resentful for doing so?"

In truth, I could not imagine my life without her. I didn't know what doubts she still had or how I could relieve them. So, I asked "Is this about sex? You always seem so satisfied. I know I am. I know you love me; no one would have stayed for the last year if they didn't. I can't imagine that either you or I could think there could be a deeper emotional connection than what we have. So that leaves the physical aspect. Do you want something or someone else? Are you not satisfied with me or are you afraid of missing out, of settling for something that you would come to regret?"

"Alex, our sex life is beyond great. I never thought I could feel the things I feel when I'm with you. It' so different than anything I felt before. You manage to satisfy, I should say MORE than satisfy my desire, and also to make me feel loved. No one has ever done that before."

I injected "But..."

"You know I'm a lot less experienced than you with regard to sex. That used to bother me. I've worried that I wouldn't meet your expectations. But since meeting you, I can't separate sex from the emotional bond, the love, that we have. And that's how it should be. My mom told me the best thing that can happen in life is to fall in love with your best friend and I have. But what would happen if someday I felt that I had missed out? Would I succumb to temptation? Alex, I could never betray you but there will always be risks and uncertainties in life and temptations. I am so afraid of disappointing you."

"Sheri, you could never disappoint me. I trust you with my life and I love you more than I can express in words."

Then I made the most monumental mistake since the Japanese decided to bomb Pearl Harbor. The day before Valentine's Day I went to a jewelry store and got an expensive box, lined in blue velvet with a gold clasp. I made a card. On one side it said "Get Out of Jail Free". On the reverse I wrote "Whatever you want. One Time only."

On Valentine's Day I spread the floor of my apartment with rose petals, chilled Champagne, and gave her several cards and helium balloons. Then, before going down on one knee to give her the ring, I gave her the box with 'the card'.

"Sheri. I know that life is full of uncertainties and temptations. I also know that I can't imagine my life without you. If this is what it takes to show the depth of my love for you, then here."

She opened the box, read the card and her eyes filled with tears.

I looked at her and said "I would NEVER want to know. I would hope that you would never use it. But if you do..." I couldn't say anything further.

"You will never know how much this means to me. I will never use it but knowing that you would put me above your own feelings... above your own happiness..." She couldn't continue to speak.

I knelt and handed her the little blue box from Tiffany. Stifling her tears, she managed to say "Yes, Yes, YES."

That was Valentine's Day seven years ago. We were married three days after Christmas.

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Chapter Two - Valentine's Day seven years later

I made every Valentine's Day since our engagement a celebration of one of the happiest days of my life. I pulled out all the stops. This year it was a carriage ride through Central Park followed by a picnic with champagne, roses and an early dinner at Tavern On The Green. When we returned home, we made love. Over the almost seven years of our marriage, our sex had become less frequent, but not a lot less frequent as the demands of both our jobs extracted their toll. We certainly never lost the passion and intensity we had the first time we were together.

Also, we were best friends. We did practically everything together. I remembered her concern that someday there might be something she wanted that I didn't. So, everything she wanted to do we did: ballroom dancing lesions; pottery lessons (yes, I made a freakin ugly pot); season tickets to the opera; I even learned to swim so we could go together. That's not a complaint!! With each activity we shared she enriched my life beyond all measure and she reciprocated. She learned to play golf, ride horses, and skeet shooting. Unbeknownst to me, she found instructional videos on how to give a blowjob and she turned it into an art form.

Sheri was even more beautiful now than when I first met her. She looked like a Playboy centerfold from the mid-1960's; the "girl next door" type rather than the vamps that dominated the pages in later years. She had an "innocent sexuality". By that I mean she didn't flaunt her body. She knew guys looked at her but she never looked back. She would dress modestly in public and was always a perfect lady. In our private life, she was beyond incredible. Life was great!!!

When we got home from dinner, we went straight to the bedroom. I started slowly undressing her, something we both enjoyed. For me, it was like opening a present. For her, it was her opportunity to be a temptress. First, I knelt and removed her shoes. She was wearing silk stockings and I marveled at her tiny, perfect little feet holding each for a brief moment before releasing. I stood and unfastened her skirt and let it drop to the floor giving me a full view of her stockinged legs and the pair of panties she wore. Neither of us cared for thongs so she wore the very feminine lace panties from Agent Provocateur that I had picked out. This time they were white. I put my hands on her gorgeous little ass and pulled her to me. As I looked into her eyes, I was overcome as always. Her eyes conveyed desire, love, surrender, and a thousand other emotions that I could not put into words. Her smile said even more.

I began unbuttoning her white silk blouse and when unbuttoned, I moved my hands over the smooth skin of her midriff to her back then upwards to her brassiere clasps. Looking into her eyes, I kissed her softly and gently as I unfastened her brassiere and let my hands slip under it moving my hands forward under the fabric of her bra until I held her breasts in my hands. As I gently grasped her breasts, her eyes closed as she placed her hands on my neck with a small gasp as my hands gently stroked her. She kissed me again and again. I watched her face as she responded to my touch and as her nipples became erect. I slid her blouse off her shoulders and, without removing her unclasped bra, I lowered my head and took her breast in my mouth.

I felt her shudder as I kissed her breasts, her breathing growing heavier. First there was her gasp then her words "God...Oh God...Alex, I love you...I love you...".

I held her away from me long enough for her bra to fall to the floor. Pulling her close again, we resumed our kisses as I slid my hand into her panties and my fingers entered her. Within a few minutes I brought her to orgasm with my fingers in her vagina and on her clitoris. As I did, I said to her "Sheri, I love you, my darling. My sweet, sweet darling. My perfect angel. You are my life. I love you so very much."

Recovering from her orgasm, she began undressing me. I kicked off my shoes. She unbuttoned my shirt and then unbuckled my belt, letting my pants drop to the floor. I kicked my pants away and with my shirt unbuttoned, she ran her hand up and down my chest all the while looking into my eyes.

"Alex, I love you with all my heart. Always remember that...always."

Sheri went to her knees and pulled down my boxers. She looked up at me with that mischievous smile that seemed to say "I bet you didn't think I was this naughty." She took my cock in her mouth and began to slowly move her head up and down along its full length. Teasingly she lightly raked her teeth over the head and when she paused, I could see that mischievous smile. Augmenting her mouth with her hand, she stroked, licked and sucked. She continued with her eyes locked on mine. I swear I see heaven when I look in her eyes. I was getting close to my own orgasm and I motioned for her to stand up so I could take her in my arms but she moved her head in a side-to-side motion that said "No." As I began to come, she took me deep in her mouth and I exploded as she swallowed every drop. I felt weak in my knees. I had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing.

Still smiling, she stood and went to the nightstand retrieving and drinking her glass of champagne. Getting into bed she said with a winsome smile and lilt in her voice "Come to bed...when you can walk again." I never felt as alive as when we made love but just seeing her smile...God how I love her.

I finished undressing and joined her in our bed. Now it was again my turn to please her. I started with a gentle kiss on her forehead, a sweet kiss that said 'you are my life'. I moved to her wonderful lips then, after a while, to her neck. The perfume she wore was intoxicating. Her neck is always very sensitive and her arousal heightened as I continued my kisses. After a while, I was kissing her shoulders then her breasts working down very slowly to her midriff and then moving to her panties. I slowly removed her panties watching her lift her hips to assist in their passage. With her panties removed, I held her stockinged feet in my hands and began kissing her toes then the soles of her feet then her ankles. The feel of the silk of the stockings on my mouth and face was indescribable. I continued kissing her legs upwards to where the stockings ended on the smooth, cool skin of her thighs. Finally, my mouth reached her pussy. Sheri didn't like the word "pussy", she thought it vulgar so I called it her "kitten".

With former girlfriends, I learned the techniques of oral sex and I was always eager to learn more. And, I was never afraid or embarrassed to ask how I could make it better. Sheri shaved her "kitten" for me leaving a "landing strip" above the clitoris. I concentrated on using my fingers and mouth and easily brought her to another orgasm. By this time, I was erect and I moved up her body kissing her as I went back up the route I had traveled down before. With the head of my cock, I began penetration. I always look at her face when I enter her. Sublime and serene, the face of the girl I love. As I entered, I watch her breasts gently rise and fall. She reached her hands to touch my face. I was conscious of her legs around me, her sexy little feet rubbing against my legs and hips. I built momentum slowly not wanting to finish too quickly. I read her response knowing when she wanted my rhythm faster or slower, harder or softer.

I somehow managed to speak repeating "I want you...I want you..." over and over.

She responded "You've got me in so many ways...in every way." In between the words was the sound of her breath and her soft voice "ohhhhhhh...oh God...oh God...oh...oh...oh. And then the silence as she reached what the French call la petite mort."

I managed to look into her eyes once more as I exploded inside her; her legs around my waist pulled me deep inside her. Her arms held me tight for a long while. I collapsed beside her and she rolled into my arms both of us breathing hard.

Post-coital bliss is such an understatement. We lay together looking into each other's eyes. I was not only the luckiest man alive; I am the luckiest man who ever lived.

After a while she spoke "Alex...I've been thinking of using my 'card'."

Chapter Three - My life is over

I was confused as I asked myself "what card?" Then I looked at her and saw her the trepidation in her face. I knew at that moment she meant 'that card'. The 'Get out of Jail Free' card I gave her seven years ago today. I could see my face in the mirror behind her and it wore the 'thousand-yard stare'.

It seemed like hours but I heard her voice calm but anxious "Alex...Alex..." I felt like I was in a bell jar, that all sights and sounds were coming from far away and through a barrier.

I fell to my knees. I never made it to the bathroom. The digested combination of champagne, chocolate, steak Diane, asparagus and crepes suzette was not a pretty sight.

With desperation in her voice "Oh God Alex! Are you all right? Alex, please. It's not what you think."

After a long pause I said "What I think? Are you serious? You're saying that you want to fuck someone else? There is no ambiguity in that." I had never used the work "fuck" or any profanity to her.

I paused again then resumed "How dare you bring up that damned card! And today of all days! And after we made love! Were you thinking of someone else while I made love to you? You don't love me. If you did you could NEVER do this."

"Alex, I do love you and only you. And I know how much you love me, that's why I was able to ask for this. Because you know that I love you and this has nothing to do with that love. And, no I never think of anyone else, before or after and certainly not during our intimate times. I had to ask today because there is a limited window of time for this. Please let me explain."

"What is there to explain? You want to have sex with someone else. You have 'that card', my promise, my 'word of honor' that you can have "whatever you want, one time only". I can't stop you and I'm too hurt and exhausted to try. USE YOUR FUCKING CARD."

"Alex, this is not about you and me. I love you completely and only you. This is about John, John Herring. You know him. You know he went through a horrible divorce. His wife had a score of lovers and then destroyed him in the divorce. One of her 'boyfriends' physically abused her while John was away. She had her friend take photos of the bruises and the lashes - he used his belt as well as his fists. John wasn't going to contest the divorce. He offered her a 50/50 split. She wanted more in the settlement so she used those photos of the abuse and claimed John was the culprit. Her friends committed perjury to support her claim of spousal abuse. He's never been able to exonerate himself. He's withdrawn, desolate. The men at work have tried to draw him out, no luck. The women have even less luck. He thinks that women can't be trusted and only want him for his money. He opens up to me because I'm married, he trusts me. I have become his sounding board. Last month he got the notice from the Army. They need engineers in Afghanistan and he's been called up. He leaves Tuesday morning. Alex, I think he's suicidal. I feel I need to do something or he won't come back."

"That's one side of the ledger. Yes, John got hurt more than anyone should have to endure, from his divorce and from the accusations. But John's also tall, good looking and rich. His wife may have taken him to the cleaners in the divorce but his family still has money in trust that she couldn't touch, A LOT OF MONEY, and he has access to it. YOU WANT TO FUCK HIM. You want to see if he's a good replacement for me. God, I've lost you already. Go ahead, USE YOUR FUCKING CARD."