It had been one of those days; not so much physically draining, as psychologically. Ben felt as if he'd had his brains beaten out with a club for the last eight hours.
Isn't there a law that says Fridays should be easy days? he thought.
To make matters worse, he had originally taken the day off, but had to come in to "problem solve" for his client. Normally, he loved his job, but on days like this, he wondered if he was charging enough for his services.
"The world is full of idiots, and I have to deal with every single one of them," he swore out loud – not for the first time that day – as he climbed in his Jeep for the drive home.
He started the engine, reached over to a cluster of buttons on the dashboard, and opened all four windows simultaneously. Cool mid-September afternoon air flooded the cabin. He took a deep breath, in through his nose, and then out slowly through his mouth.
"First things, first," he said, reaching for the CD player. "This kind of day calls for The Boys!"
He pressed play, and then dropped the Jeep into drive as the distinctive first note of The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" sprang from the speakers.
"But when I get home to you, I find the things that you do, will make me feel alright..." Ben sang along, as his mind turned to Gaby.
Gabrielle would be at home waiting for him, he thought.
Tomorrow – Saturday – was her birthday. They'd be having dinner with Gaby's parents tomorrow evening. Tonight, however, they'd be having dinner and celebrating alone, hence his taking the day off.
"So much for the best laid plans of mice..." Ben said, as he turned the wheel and guided the Jeep to a parking spot in front of his trusty, regular florist.
Good thing I already bought her gifts.
The thought made him smile.
"Yes, her gifts," he said, with a short laugh.
"Hello, Ben," the florist said, as soon as Ben opened the door. "Special occasion, romantic weekend, or are you in trouble again?"
"Tommy, if I ever stopped getting in trouble, you'd be out of business, my friend," Ben answered.
"The usual, Ben?" Tommy asked.
"Nope, a dozen roses," Ben answered, "it's Gaby's birthday."
Within a few minutes, Ben was back on the road, with a slim lead on the afternoon rush hour.
When he arrived home, he could hear Gaby moving around in the kitchen.
"Hey, Babe," she called out.
"Hey," he answered. "How was your day?"
"It was good," she said. "Everything stayed pretty quiet."
He took a few steps and stood in the kitchen door. Gaby was standing in front of the sink, washing a glass. She wore only spandex shorts and a sports bra.
Ben moved up behind Gaby and placed the roses on the counter next to her.
"Happy birthday, Babe," he said.
He reached out, took hold of her shoulders, and pulled her backward slightly, as he leaned forward against her.
"You know it drives me crazy when you dress like this," he said.
"I know, but I can't exercise in full battle armor, just to keep you from getting a hard-on," she giggled.
He leaned in closer and kissed the side of her neck.
"Ohhh, I've been needing that," she cooed.
As he continued to kiss her neck, Ben slowly slid his hands off her shoulders, downward to her breasts, cupping them with his fingers and running his thumbs across her nipples.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" she whispered.
He pulled his lips away from her neck.
"Hmmm, judging by how fast your nipples are getting hard, I'm turning you on," he answered, with a smile.
"Well, cut it out," she said firmly. "You need to take a shower and get dressed, so we can get to Giuseppe's on time."
He continued holding her and kissing her neck.
"Mmmm, dinner can wait," he mumbled.
She moved her hands up to his and squeezed them. He pulled her back against his body.
She let out a long sigh as he trailed his tongue down to her shoulder, but then her body straightened and she pulled his hands away from her breasts.
"No way," she said, "no dessert until after dinner! Go take your shower."
"Tease," he said, as he took a step back from her.
She turned to face him as he slowly walked toward the kitchen door.
"You'd better make it a cold one," she said, as she laughed and stuck out her tongue.
Ben didn't follow her suggestion regarding the temperature of the water. He let hot water run over his body for a long time; feeling it wash away the last of the day's stress. He took his time, hoping that Gaby would come join him, but she didn't.
Slightly disappointed, but looking forward to returning home after dinner, he dried off slowly.
He wrapped the towel around his waist, opened the bathroom door, and took the three strides required for him to reach the bedroom door. He stopped dead in the doorway...
On the other side of the bedroom, Gaby stood next to a taller woman. They were both facing away from him – looking at themselves in the mirror hung on the closet door – so they didn't see him. They were dressed nearly identically.
Gabrielle wore a short, low-cut, form-fitting little black dress. On her feet, she wore a pair of black three-inch heels with straps that ran up – crisscrossing – to the middle of her calves. Her legs were covered in black thigh-highs. Her lower arms were encased in black, elbow length, satin opera gloves. In the mirror, Ben could see that she had a choker around her neck and black sunglasses hiding her eyes. To top off the entire ensemble, she wore a neon pink bob cut wig to cover her brunette hair. Ben even knew what he couldn't see...what she had on underneath. He knew she wore a sheer, black thong underneath that sexy LBD.
He knew this because he had bought this entire outfit for her as a birthday present. A few weeks earlier, on a day Ben knew Gaby had to work late, he had surreptitiously gathered all the information he required regarding the size of each article of clothing he needed to purchase. He already knew the locations of the stores he would need to visit to find them all. He'd taken all the items from the several bags he had collected during his shopping trip, and placed them all in one large box, tied a red bow around it, and placed it in the back of the closet – not really hiding it – with a note attached that read, "Do Not Open – this means you, Gaby." He had intended to give it to Gaby after her birthday dinner.
Despite wearing the same type of sunglasses as Gaby, and a neon purple wig, Ben recognized the woman next to Gaby. It was Whitney, their neighbor from down the hall. Normally, she stood just a hair under 5'10", but in the calf-high boots she wore, she reached six feet. She had slightly pouty lips, which Ben could see reflected in the mirror, and the curve of her ass was unmistakable – Ben had seen her in tight jeans more than enough times to remember it well.
Whitney's dress was skin-tight, though it came farther down her legs than Gaby's did. Her black stockings had a diamond pattern to them. And, like Gaby, she wore opera gloves and a choker.
"I guess my warning didn't help," Ben said.
Both women jumped slightly, startled by his voice.
They turned to face him.
"You know me," Gaby said, "I can't stand not knowing what's inside the box."
"Yes," Ben said, "but I only remember buying one of those outfits."
"Well, last week, I found the box" Gaby began. "I opened it and tried on the outfit."
"Hmmm, so much for the surprise," Ben said.
"I thought I'd spring a little surprise on you," Gaby said with a smile. "Whitney is kind of my birthday present to myself."
