Some guys never learn. Even after you've told them a dozen times or more.
"Hey Boss, ain't that your wife?"
I didn't even look up to check. Bob's sense of humor runs to the obvious and mundane. One of the girls from the architectural firm upstairs probably wore a short skirt today and Bob thought he was being funny or subtle. He was rarely either.
Jill couldn't really be here. Despite the importance of today, she was at work. The medical field is not one to go into when you're looking for lots of time off or the ability to set your own hours. I understood. I wasn't free to set my own hours either, so we would have to celebrate her special day after we both finished our appointed tasks. It had me a little annoyed, but Bob had no way of knowing it. I bit back the mean-spirited comment that first came to mind and went for light-hearted sarcasm.
"Nope, can't be her. C'mon Bob! You know County General is clear on the other side of town. Not enough time to get back and forth to make lunch dates feasible. Must be my girlfriend."
"First I've heard of a girlfriend. Is she cuter than me?" said a sexy voice that certainly did not belong to my balding and rotund assistant.
"Honey? But you had to ...I mean, I didn't expect...What are you doing here?" I left the figures on my screen to appreciate one far more enthralling.
"What, a girl can't get taken out for lunch on her birthday?"
"Well, unless your present was a new car and you changed your mind about the validity of the speed limit, we don't have time for lunch Ten minutes and you're going to have to turn around and get right back on the road. That's barely a cup of coffee."
"Then let's go have a cup of coffee...or something stronger."
I shrugged and smiled up at my wife. The look she returned was odd: a mischievous grin. Just as I wondered what she had up her sleeve, she straightened, and I could see that she didn't have any sleeves. She wasn't wearing her scrubs. I automatically expected to see her in work clothes, and their lack caught me by surprise. Something was definitely going on here.
Instead of asking more questions, I logged off the computer and went to the coat rack to get my suit jacket.
"Hey, Bob?"
"Yeah, boss?"
"I'm gonna go get some lunch. If they call back on that Walker file, tell them I'm in a meeting and I'll give them a call after the market closes."
"Will do, boss."
"Thanks," I said as I walked out of the office and around to meet my lovely wife in the lobby. "I'll see you in a bit." I took Jill's hand and headed out the firm's glass doors into the relative privacy of the city streets, my first goal to ask about the surprising change in attire.
"Now, since when do you bring a change of clothes to the hospital? You were wearing your scrubs when I walked out the door this morning. I'd bet money on it."
"Other people's money, I'm sure. You always play your games with other people's money. But yes, you're right...I was wearing my scrubs. I just felt like getting through lunch without fielding questions about headaches and hangnails. This is actually a new dress. You like?"
"Very much. It just caught me off guard. So, where do you want to eat? Sixth Avenue Bistro?"
"Actually, I just thought we could go for a drink. There." Jill pointed to the Doubletree Hotel across the street. The top floor was a bar with a famous view of the city, a benefit commonly associated with the top floors of thirty story buildings, but it was a very unusual choice for her. Even inside, Jill wasn't exactly fond of heights.
"Okay, why not? I know the manager, I gave him some good advice about getting out of that adjustable rate. He'll bring us up some calamari from the seafood place if I ask him nicely. And you can tell me what was running through your mind when you bought that flimsy little thing. Not that I'm complaining."
The words died on my lips as we stepped out into the windy street. The strong breeze filtering through the concrete canyons slipped beneath the folds of the blue and white sundress and the fabric lifted away, revealing the pale pink of her bare nipple from where I stood looking down.
"Jill, I..."
She put her finger to my lips and leaned forward to whisper, "I'm not wearing any panties either."
She pulled her lips back from my ear and winked, then turned and walked to the corner. It took me a moment to recover and follow. As I did, I found myself watching the curve of her ass under the lightweight dress and trying to decide whether I could tell. I couldn't, but under a dress how would I see the difference?
Walking up behind her, I fought two conflicting urges as the wind blew. The first was to slide my hand beneath the fluttering skirt and find out if she was telling the truth. The second was to keep it smoothed down so it wouldn't fly up. That one surprised me.