Marguerite took a business trip to Paris but forgot her allergy medicine, so her company made an appointment with a local clinic for her to get an emergency refill. Stephen—another American who had been working abroad for several years—accompanied her so she didn't get lost. The clinic was only a few blocks away from the office, so they walked there together.
It was a small clinic on the third floor of an older building. There was only one physician on duty at the time, a smartly-dressed middle-aged woman named Dr. de Longpré. She wore a white lab coat over a Chanel suit, and her long black hair hung in a thick braid down her back. Marguerite liked her immediately, but it quickly became clear that Dr. de Longpré's English was worse that Marguerite's French. The doctor exchanged a few quick words with Stephen, whose French was impeccable.
"She asks if your husband could serve as an interpreter," he said, smiling.
"My husband? Oh! She thinks you and I ...?"
"Are married, yes. I don't mind. It will probably be easier than trying to find another clinic."
Marguerite laughed. "Okay. You can be my husband for twenty minutes."
The doctor showed them both into an examination room. Using Stephen to translate, she explained that there wouldn't be any problem giving Marguerite an emergency prescription, but she would need to perform a basic exam first, just to make sure she didn't have any medical issues that would interfere with the medication.
Dr. de Longpré began by taking down some medical history—Marguerite's age, whether she smoked or not, whether she'd ever had any serious illnesses, and so on. She wrote everything down neatly on a chart with a slim gold fountain pen. Then she checked Marguerite's pupils, looked inside her ears, made her stick out her tongue and say "ahh". Marguerite felt rather foolish doing such things with Stephen in the examination room. Before now all their interactions had been strictly professional, and it was odd to have him standing there while she was poked and prodded.
Suddenly, the doctor said something that made Stephen's eyes widen. He questioned her in quick, nervous tones, and she repeated what she had said before, more emphatically this time.
"What is it?" Marguerite said. "Is there something wrong?"
Stephen gave her a sheepish look. "The doctor ... well ... the doctor asks if you would please disrobe for the rest of the examination."
"I need to get undressed for allergy pills?"
"She says that she's required by law to perform a full physical before prescribing any medication. It's out of her hands."
"This is ludicrous!"
"If you want, we can try to find another clinic ...."
"No. They'll probably say the same thing. Let's just get this over with."
"I'll wait in the waiting room."
"No, stay. She might need to ask me something. Just don't look, okay?"
"Okay."
Stephen turned away and averted his eyes. Marguerite stood up and began taking off her clothes. She was wearing a stylish gray business suit, black stockings, and patent leather pumps. As she shed each piece of apparel, she folded it neatly and placed in a tidy pile on the exam table. She stepped out of her heels and set them carefully off to one side, then rolled down her stockings and added them to the pile. In less than thirty seconds she had stripped down to just her bra and panties. They were black lace, and skimpier than she would have preferred, given the circumstances.
"There," she said. "Can we get on with this?"
The doctor said something in French. All Marguerite could make out was "s'il vous plaît".
"I'm sorry ... what?"
"She asks ... um ... for you to remove your underclothes as well ... if you please." Stephen said, his back still turned.
Marguerite felt her ears start to burn. She had been naked in front of doctors many times before of course, but this was different. Stephen was being a complete gentleman, but he was right there! Nevertheless, she wanted her prescription. Marguerite took a deep breath and unhooked her bra. She slipped it off her shoulders, letting her small breasts swing free. In the cool air of the examination room, her nipples were quite rudely erect. Marguerite folded one arm across her chest, trying to keep herself covered as she awkwardly tugged her underwear down. Her panties dropped around her ankles and she stepped out of them, kicking them off to one side with her bare foot.
Good lord, she was naked! Not thirty minutes before she'd been giving an important presentation to a boardroom full of high-powered executives. Now here she was standing stark naked in a shabby little doctor's office. Mortified, she held one hand over her breasts, and the other over her crotch. The tangled black patch of hair between her legs was impossible to completely hide though. Marguerite loathed using a razor on the delicate skin near her sex, and as a result her pubic hair was quite lush and thick. Her generous bush poked tantalizingly out between her fingers, adding a raw sexual edge to her nudity.
Dr. de Longpré spoke again, gesturing to the scale. Stephen translated, still keeping his eyes averted. "She wants to weigh you. She says to keep your hands at your sides, please, and hold still."
Marguerite walked over the scale and stepped on. Nervously, she dropped her hands down to her sides, leaving herself fully uncovered. She glanced at Stephen, mortified that he might turn his head and peek. If he looked right now, he would see everything. Marguerite was so used to hiding her sexuality at work that to suddenly find herself so crudely on display sent a shiver down her naked spine. Her sense of embarrassment was magnified by the fact that Stephen himself was so impeccably dressed. His suit was a beautiful wool pinstripe. His green silk tie was elegantly knotted, and his white shirt was perfectly pressed. Seeing him standing there in his crisp professional clothes only made her own nakedness seem more shameful and debauched.
What if he did look? Would he be attracted to her? Would it arouse him sexually? Would it make him hard? Marguerite felt a perverse frisson at the idea. She realized with horror that there was a part of her that wanted him to look. She had never considered herself an exhibitionist and had always been very modest in her dress and actions, but there was something about her current predicament that triggered something primal. A shameful quiver of anticipation cut through her embarrassment. She realized she actually wanted Stephen to look at her and be aroused by her. She wanted to feel that rush of feminine power, to bask in the warmth of his masculine desire
Marguerite shifted uncomfortably on the scale, appalled at the direction her thoughts had taken.
And then, my God, she actually saw him do it! She saw Stephen flick his eyes slightly to the right and then back again. There was no mistaking it. He had stolen a look. He'd seen her there on the scale, fully naked, with her nipples standing up erect and her hairy crotch in full view. Marguerite's cheeks flushed bright red and she felt a prickling over her body as though she were about to break out in a sweat—little pin pricks all across her bare back, and down the backs of her legs, and under her arms.
Dr. de Longpré lowered the bar on the scale to measure her height. As she did, Stephen glanced at her again. This time he held his gaze longer. His eyes lingered on the arch of her spine, her outthrust breasts, the perfect line of her slender neck. Marguerite could tell he was savoring every detail. She struggled to hold still. The urge to cover herself with her hands was very strong. But she couldn't—not without interfering with the doctor's measurements. Stephen's eyes wandered slowly downwards, taking in her flat tummy, her perky bottom, her slender thighs.
How dare he look! How dare he take advantage of her like this! He'd said he wouldn't, but he'd gone back on his word. So typical of a man! Her anger flared hot and bright. If they'd been alone, she would have slapped his face. She would have made him get down on his knees and beg her for forgiveness.
But his gaze had also stirred something wanton inside her. She felt a familiar warm tingle centered in the bowl of her pelvis. It radiated outward, waves of warmth spreading through body, rippling out to the points of her nipples and the tips of her fingers and the roots of her hair. Marguerite realized to her horror that she was becoming aroused. Her insides felt like molten caramel, all warm and drippy and sticky. The knowledge that Stephen was looking at her naked body was making her wet. She shifted her legs again, appalled at the sudden slickness between her thighs. A wave of shame washed over her, snuffing out her anger.
The doctor noted her height on her chart, and gestured toward the exam table. Red-faced, Marguerite scurried over to it and hopped up. Dr. de Longpré handed her a drape to cover herself with. It wasn't a proper gown, just a rectangle of light cotton about the size of a small towel. Marguerite had to clutch it to her chest to keep it from falling down. It was enough to cover her front, but just barely. The entire side of her body was exposed, her pale skin in full view where the skimpy cloth ended.
Dr. de Longpré spoke to her again and Stephen translated. "She ... uh ... asks for you to lower the drape while she listens to your heart."
Haltingly, Marguerite lowered the cloth so it covered only her lap. Her breasts were completely bare. Stephen had turned toward her. He wasn't even trying to pretend he wasn't looking anymore. Their eyes met briefly, a strange shared moment. She felt deeply embarrassed.