It had been literally years since we’d gone out like this together. Between work, the kids, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, mowing the lawn, and every other activity that consumed almost every waking moment, there was little time for just us. We finally moved this past summer slightly closer to home. A few weeks before the millennium, Carol’s parents called and said they’d be coming down for New Year’s Eve. They even volunteered to watch the kids if we wanted to go out.

At first, we hemmed and hawed and procrastinated about what we would do when my company offered up free tickets to a black-tie affair downtown at the Embassy Suites Hotel. The only catch was that we had to pay for our own room for the night. It seemed like a pretty good deal from my perspective.

Carol and I went down and checked in that afternoon.

“This is going to be fun,” she said as we walked through the hotel, not encumbered by little arms asking when we can go to the pool, can we have some candy, he’s bothering me.

Our room was a two-room suite with a king bed, a couch, and a little living room. It was pretty damn nice. I took a shower while Carol got dressed. I was getting anxious, so she told me to wait for her down at the bar. I ran into some of the guys from my office, and we had a few drinks while I waited for my wife.

Scott and Lee were both going stag to the night. Scott’s wife couldn’t come, and Lee was recently divorced. We sat together critiquing the women as they came in. “Nice, nice. Average, average, yuck, owww ... Average ... very nice.” That was in response to the nice-looking blond that was walking right towards me.

“Very, very nice,” I said to myself as I recognized my wife of 12 years. She had on a sparkling, long black halter dress that showed her shoulders and had a slit up to her mid-thigh.

The string of pearls I’d given her the day I proposed were draped around her neck. Her blond hair was tied in a tight bun on her head with small pearl studs in her ears. Strappy heeled black shoes covered her feet, and a small gold chain was draped around one ankle. The back of the dress was open almost to her tight little ass. I had to admit it was making me hard just looking at her. I was very impressed, and I think my two co-workers were too.

“Hello, handsome,” she said. “Buy me a drink.”

I was smiling from ear to ear. “You look fantastic,” I told her.

“Why, thank you. I thought you might like it.”

That was an understatement.

She sipped her drink and continued, “It’s been so long since we’ve been away for the weekend.” I offered her my arm, and we walked off to the ballroom. I was pretty sure that more than one guy caught a second glimpse as she walked by.

There were hundreds of people in the huge room. We had a table with some other couples and joined them for dinner. Dinner was filled with the idle chat that people who know each other but really don’t know each other engaged in social intercourse. The band was pretty good. It ought to be, considering what the company had paid for the tickets.

Carol and I danced like a couple of college kids. I was having a blast. They switched to a slower song, and she hung her head on my shoulder, and I could smell the faint hint of her perfume. My hands rested on her hips, and I slowly slid them down to her rear. I could feel the silky fabric slide over her ass and looked down at her. She had a slight smirk on her face.

“No panties,” she whispered as I felt myself getting hard again. She kissed me gently on the lips and said, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I replied.

We sat back down, and I noticed that a bit of the crowd had slipped away. Carol said, “Who is that waving at you?” It was Lee sitting by himself about two tables over.

“He’s one of the guys I work with. You know, the one whose wife left him last year. He goes to the gym with me.”

Lee waved again. Carol added, “That’s too bad. He looks lonely tonight.”

“Go dance with him,” I said.

“What? It’s not my night to take care of charity cases.”

“Oh, go ahead. He doesn’t bite.”

“No way, besides I couldn’t just walk over there and ask him to dance. What kind of woman would he think I was?”

“Jesus,” I muttered. I looked over at Lee and waved to him to come join us. At first, he gave a friendly no-thanks wave, but I waved again. He picked up his drink and walked over to our table.

“Carol, this is Lee. Lee, Carol, my wife.”

Lee sat down, and we started talking. I goaded him about being there alone, and that seemed to bother Carol.

“Leave him alone, you big lout,” she said.

“It’s okay,” Lee said in my defense. “It comes with the territory.”

The band started up again, and Carol looked at me with that “let’s dance” look. “I’m tired,” I moaned. “ You are wearing me out. Maybe Lee wants to dance.”

“No, that’s okay,” he said.

“No, really, it’s alright,” I told him. “Go ahead.”

He looked at her and asked, “Would you like to dance?”