Weather Delay

Thanks as always to Todger65 for editing. The following is as far from serious literature as one can get. I recommend that you read it with that fact in mind.

Weather Delay

Making the best of being stranded with strangers

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I knew better, but she wouldn't listen. My wife Mandy wanted to be home and she wasn't waiting, regardless of the weather. I get it, I really do. She'd accompanied me on this alleged two day work trip and it had turned into a weeklong marathon of meetings for me, and lonely hotel time for her. She was sick and tired of the boredom and the weather. Snowstorms had pretty much closed the city and she couldn't even take a walk to alleviate the boredom. We were due to take off that evening on a regional jet and it looked like we had a window of opportunity between bouts of bad weather. Like I say, I knew better.

I didn't push it though. Mandy is normally an upbeat person. She lives every minute of life with joy and enthusiasm. She must have felt like she was in prison this week and she wanted out. The odds were long, but worth it for her.

I'd been in this neck of the woods many times before during the winter, and I knew the weather report couldn't be trusted. The weather around here changed on a moment by moment basis, making forecasts farther out than an hour practically useless. Nevertheless, after a struggle through barely passible streets, our ride dropped us off at the airport. This wasn't a large airport, far from it. There was one terminal building with one gate.

We went inside ponderously, and slowly. I had no other speed at that point since I was dragging two suitcases through more than a two feet of fresh snow. That two feet of snow had fallen on ice and compacted snow from earlier in the week. The lunar landscape I struggled to cross was anything but smooth. I was sweating under my coat by the time I set the bags on the scale at the check in counter. There wasn't a soul to be seen and I glanced down the hallway before noticing the doorbell button with the little sign below it, right in front of my face. No wonder I didn't see it right away.

I pushed the button and waited. I have a pet peeve about doorbells. Often you can't hear them ring, so you're left wondering if the button actually worked. You don't want to press it again if it worked the first time because it would be rude to do so. Then you're left wondering if it worked, and if it did, did anyone hear it. After a sixty second wait that feels like five minutes you press the button again, invariably as the person you're trying to get a hold of opens the door. Doorbells are the epitome of awkward introductions.

The young women that came through the swinging door didn't look like she had good news, "Well folks, I can go ahead and check you, so you'll be ready, but the flight has been canceled due to the snowstorm. The next weather window isn't until tomorrow, and the plane is still sitting in Chicago."

I could see the disappointment on Mandy's face, along with growing anger. If she was getting angry, she was truly nearing the end of her rope. I decided to nip that in the bud, "We'll grab a cab back to town and come back in the morning. One more night in a hotel won't kill us."

The airline rep gave us a look of sympathy, "I'm really sorry, but the governor has declared a state of emergency. There isn't anyone that can give you a ride, and honestly, the conditions are too dangerous to be driving anyway. I'm afraid you're stuck here until your flight leaves or the roads open. Neither of those things is going to happen before morning."

Well Shit! Mandy is going to lose her mind, "What are we supposed to do until then?"

She shot us a little smile and I couldn't help but notice how cute she was, "Well sir, we're closed for all intents, so we're all going to meet in the bar, have a few drinks, and figure it out from there. You're both welcome to join us."

I thought that getting a drink or two down Mandy's throat would go a long way toward changing her mood, "Absolutely. I think at this point we both could use a drink."

She held out her hand to shake, "I'm Darby."

I let Mandy shake her hand first, "This is my wife Mandy and I'm Chase."

Darby came around the counter and walked with us down the hallway. The bar wasn't difficult to find. There was one hallway with three doors and gate security. One of the doors was near the gate and was limited access. The other two doors were on the opposite wall. One fed into the restaurant and the other was direct access to the bar. Once inside the bar I could see a short hallway that connected with the restaurant.

Two guys in business suites sat at the bar and I assumed that the attractive woman serving them was the bartender. I was kind of correct. She was also the maître de, waitress, and busboy. I found out a little later that the cook in the kitchen was the only other person in the airport outside of the bar.

The businessmen's backs were to me so I walked around where they could see me, "Hey guys. Looks like were stuck for the night. I'm Chase by the way."

The older of the two men looked to be in his early forties and also looked like he just finished modeling for GQ. He had the salt and pepper thing going with his hair and blue eyes. I noticed the blue eyes because Mandy thinks blue eyes are sexy, "Nice to meet you Chase. I'm Hal, and this young man is my protégé Tim. Tim looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had brown eyes instead of blue, but he made up for that by looking like a fitness model.

I saw both men's eyebrows go up when they saw Mandy. She had walked over and was now standing next to me and studying both men closely. I could tell by her facial expression that she found them both attractive. She thinks that if she wears a bland face no one will figure out what she's really thinking. She's funny that way. Since there are only two reasons she wears a face like that, and one is when I'm mansplaining something, I knew this time it was the second. Over the years I've seen her bland face on many occasions when she found someone, or something, arousing. She was looking at them, not me, and her attraction was obvious in her body language.

I didn't mind at all. I get that she finds other men attractive and I don't mind if she looks, or even flirts a bit. I'm far more interested in keeping her in my arms forever than chastising her for finding someone attractive. I've never been too concerned about her straying. She has a very healthy sex drive and I know other guys flirting with her has turned her on, but she would never cheat on me. She's not built that way. Now, if I gave her permission, encouraged her? Not for the first time I wondered what might happen if I told her to go have fun, that it would be fine if she fucked somebody. It's a great fantasy, but probably ends awfully in the real world.

That didn't stop me from thinking about it though. Just for a second, I assume that Melody has her own fantasy about another man (men?). She's had a rough week and she craves some excitement. What if I got her laid? How would she react to that? How would I react to that?

I pondered the idea while sipping the nice single malt the perky red headed bartender gave me. Her name was Amy and she was distracting to say the least. Apparently, my wife wasn't the only one appreciating the hot people in the room. I decided to return to my original thought before my new focus on the hot redhead got me busted.

I took a quick glance at my lovely wife talking with Hal and Tim. Hal being the alpha male big shot was fully engaged in talking with my wife in a flirtatious manner. I left it to her to decide what the boundaries were while I discretely watched. Darby and Amy did a wonderful job of distracting me with conversation, and as the drinks went down, mild flirtation. I didn't think anything of it, figuring that they were having a bit of fun at the married guy's expense.

I glanced over at Mandy just in time to see Hal gently gliding his hand up and down her arm as he talked quietly with her. He wasn't all that quiet and I could clearly hear him using his seductive voice on my wife. I had just decided to step in when Mandy abruptly pulled her arm back and turned to me, "Honey, I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?"

I was glad that she realized what Hal was up to and that she stopped things before I had to, I nodded, "Sure babe. Let's go."

Amy heard the exchange, "Come with me. I'm also your waitress."

She escorted us down a short hallway to the dining room, grabbing a couple of menus along the way. This wasn't a high end restaurant by any stretch, but the burgers we had were excellent and took the edge off our hunger. While I had some privacy with Mandy I wanted to cover some bases, "I see that Hal and Tim are a couple of hunks, and they are definitely interested in you. Hal was giving you his best seduction efforts and it looked like Tim was more than ready to join in."

Mandy blushed deeply, "Yeh, I know. That's why I decided we needed to eat. Hal didn't seem to care that my husband was sitting right next to me."

I looked into my wife's eyes, "Yes, I picked right up on that. I also picked up on the fact that both guys are very attractive, and that you noticed that as well."

She looked down at the table, "Well, maybe a little."

I laughed, "A little? Honey, I know you well and I know that look you get when you're attracted to someone, or in this case, someones'. It's ok, I'm not angry or upset. After the week you've had I don't have a problem with you having a bit of fun. Just make sure that you talk to me before things get out of hand. OK?"

She looked up at me puzzled, "What are you saying Chase?"

I smiled gently at her, "What I'm saying is that I love you and I'm sorry you were in hell all week. If you are enjoying those guy's company, then I don't have a problem with you having a bit of fun. How much fun you have is open for discussion."

She shook her head in confusion, "Wait a minute. Are you saying you don't have a problem with me flirting with those guys?"

"I'm saying I don't have a problem with more than that if that is what you want."

Her mouth fell open in surprise, "I... I don't know what to say to that. Are you trying to get rid of me?"

I quickly got off my chair and moved around the table. I pulled her to her feet and kissed her with all the love I could express, "Never my love. Never.."

I paused for breath, and continued, "I love you with all my heart, but I also owe you for this week, for this life, for this love. If you want to have a little adventure, I'm ok with that, with conditions. First, and most important, you are mine and you stay mine. I am taking a chance here and I don't want to lose you to a couple of hunky horndogs. Second, we touch base and get each other's approval before anything happens. I may chicken out if I get too jealous. Third, no secrets. You have to tell me everything. Fourth, you don't agree to anything without checking with me first."

Mandy stood there hugging me tightly for the longest time before she finally spoke, "I don't know. I'm not sure if you've just given me a wonderful gift, or a curse. Things could go so wrong, and I don't want to risk what we have together."

I pulled back a little so that I could look into her eyes, "But, you're interested, aren't you?"

She nodded, "What woman wouldn't be? In a perfect world I could have a dalliance with them, our plane would leave in the morning, and we would never see them again. What if it isn't that simple? What if something goes wrong and you end up hating me? I couldn't stand that."

I kissed her lips, "As long as you follow the rules, we won't have a problem. After all, I'm the one that brought it up in the first place. Why don't we just go with the flow and see what happens?"

She kissed me and I could tell she was practically shaking from arousal. She stepped back, "I admit that the idea turns me on something fierce, and that means I need you to keep me straight. I'm afraid the fantasy aspect of this is making me so horny that I'll make a bad decision."

"So bad a decision that you forget about me?"

She shook her head, "Of course not. I could never forget you."

"Then, I don't think we have a problem. You're in charge here. You decide how much, or how far, you want to go. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to."

She was silent for a moment, "Why are you doing this Chase? Does it do something for you to think about me with another man?"

I pulled her tight against me, "No, sweetheart. That's not it at all. What I want is for you to be happy. This week has been pure torture for you, and you need to have some over the top fun. If having sex with a couple of strange men one time in your life gives you that, then I want you to have it."

She sat back down on her chair and picked through her French fries, "What are you going to be doing while I'm doing whatever the hell it is I'm doing?"

I smiled gently, "I'll be nearby watching over you to make sure you're safe. I won't watch if you don't want me to, but I will make sure that I can hear you at a minimum."

She nodded, "OK, here's the deal. Anything I do, you have to do. If you won't do it, then I won't do it. I won't fool around and leave you by yourself. That's disrespectful to you and I won't have that."

I chuckled, "What on earth makes you think Darby or Amy are even remotely interested in me? Cause I'm certainly not interested in Hal or Tim. You've put a roadblock in your way, and if that is what you want, then fine. I'm not asking you to do this, I'm giving you a pass to do it if you want. The thing is that those guys have made it clear that they are very interested in you. I don't see the need for you to wait in the hope that I can seduce someone."

It was her turn to chuckle, "You really didn't see it did you? Baby, if you'd pulled out your cock in front of those two, they would have fought each other to get at you. I promise you that they both find you very attractive, as do I by the way, and you don't have to seduce the willing."

I thought that she was exaggerating by seductive abilities by a lot, "Sure thing babe. Anyway, let's just see how things go, and take it from there. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but you are free to do what you want within the rules.

As we walked back to the bar I pondered the wonderful dichotomy that was us. Mandy stood nearly six feet tall, but she wasn't' long and stringy. Oh no, never stringy. She had a runway model's figure if that runway model had a few more pounds in muscle and tits. Big green eyes that glittered with mirth at life itself, and long wavy brown hair. She was a smoke show in my opinion and I was constantly amazed that she let me into her life, let alone loved me.

Then, there's me. I'm far from tall at five and a half feet, nearly six inches shorter than my amazing wife. I weigh in at one-ninety-five and my body mass index is as close to zero as you can get without being stupid about it. I've trained my body since I was very young, constantly trying to improve on the gift that god gave me. Was I obsessive about it? For many years the answer to that was 'Yes' without a doubt. I was a shrimp kid with a ton of attitude, and I got picked on a lot. I fought back every fucking time, no matter the size of the kid, or kids. Something in me wouldn't tolerate a bully and I wasn't about to go down easy. Over time the bullying dwindled until by high school, it had stopped.

No, the kids with bullying tendencies didn't suddenly become mature adults. I gave them some incentive to mend their evil ways when I learned how to fight. I mowed lawns and did chores to pay my way into a boxing gym. From there it was Ju Jitsu because that was the only martial arts gym open in my little town. By high school, I had a regular after school job and that allowed me to join a Tae Kwando school in a nearby city. It's been various martial arts and dojos throughout the years since then, plus a stint in the Army.

During my scholastic career I always worked to be the best. Not because I needed the kudos, but because I had a vision for my life, and being uneducated wasn't part of that vision. I glommed onto the fact that a good education was part of the entry fee into a good life as I entered high school and doubled down on my studies. I wasn't valedictorian, and I may share my reasons for that some other time, but I graduated next to the top of my class. I reaped the reward of a scholarship and focused my attention on the three most important things in my life to that point, perfecting my body, preparing for my future, and as much sex as is humanly possible.

Sex. Yeh, that's the other thing I became obsessed with. My dating life didn't start until high school. Before I got good at defending myself I was the midget joke, and no self-respecting girl would be caught dead near me. I was resting uncomfortably at the bottom of the high school social ladder.

Things began changing during my Junior year. I had my first date, then another, then more. I wasn't having sex with them. I was being with them, fully in the moment, and fascinated by them. One date told another girl how much fun I was, and the next thing I know the other girl is hinting at a date. I graduated high school with more than a few lifelong friends, that just so happen to be women. I never pressured them or groped them. I did kiss them as much and as often as possible.

I couldn't help but become close friends with the girls I dated. Once I got to know each one as a person it became way more important to me to keep their friendship and not mess it up by pushing for something that they weren't ready for. I had the libido of a typical young man, but none of the impatience that went with it. I approached dating like I approached my life, focused on the future, and not on the demands of the moment.

I lost my cherry three days after my eighteenth birthday. It's funny when I think about it. I didn't regret the wait. I don't want a world where I get my rocks off at the expense of the woman. I want her to remember our coupling with fondness, not regret. I didn't have some religious calling that made me want to save it for marriage, but I did want it to be right, memorable, and better for her than it was for me.

I lucked out. One of the yards I mowed belonged to a young widow. In the eyes of guys my age, Tess was ancient at twenty nine. To my eyes she was magnificent. Her husband had been killed in an industrial accident two years prior. I had mowed their lawn for three years and I'd seen them together, and her quiet sadness every time after that. She was beautiful, sexy, sad, and far beyond anything I could ever hope to attain. I wanted to make her smile again.

I had no delusions about a romantic interaction with Tess. I knew I could never have her, but I thought I could at least make her smile. Spring had sprung and the grass was growing fast. It wasn't unreasonable to mow twice a week. I made sure I showed up like clockwork on Saturday and Wednesday. I was nearing the end of my senior year and this would be my last summer mowing her lawn.

I have mentioned my focus on perfecting my body and that might be a bit misleading. I'm not in love with my body. It's a tool I use to live my life and like any tool, I want to keep it working at peak efficiency. I don't think about how I look in a particular shirt, or what my reflection looks like, or if anyone even notices. I just live. When I showed up at Tess's house to mow, I was wearing a pair of work out shorts and shoes. I was working on my tan and hadn't given a thought to what Tess might think when she saw me. She eventually told me that she first offered me a cold drink so that she could look at me close up without staring.