by Kara Bryn
"Erm, Jennifer, how are you today."
I smiled. "Fantastic, thanks. Nice boxers, by the way." I winked. Kieran blushed.
The day passed like this, with a surprising amount of work being done given the circumstances. For myself, I could feel heads turning every time I walked past someone's desk, no matter who it was. My gym subscription was finally paying off.
I was almost sad when the day ended and I was handed my clothes by another researcher. She read the name on the lid as she handed it over.
"Oh, so you're Jennifer, the joker," she said with a smile.
"Yup, that'll be me," I replied.
"Got anything planned for the week?" she asked me.
I smiled. "I'll think of something, don't you worry." With an office full of naked colleagues there were just so many opportunities.
That night, I started to hatch a plan, or rather a few plans. For a start, if I could get to those boxes, then no-one would get their clothes back at the end of the day. The researchers must put them in one of the storerooms, and I was sure I could get to the keys.
Tuesday morning came and there was no need for fancy underwear today, since I was going to be taking it off again at 9am. Exactly the same as the previous day, I was met by the researcher who handed me a box with my name on it. Now, I'm a pretty confident girl, as you might have guessed, but even I paused when it came to stepping out of my underwear and dropping it into the cardboard box. I put the lid on and paused for a second but, well, there'd be people in the office feeling worse about it than I was.
Wearing nothing but a confident smile and the same white stilettos as the previous day, I stepped out from the screen holding my box of clothes. The researcher grinned. I felt more naked than I'd ever felt before as I handed everything over.
"Don't worry," she said, "Everyone's nervous, and you look amazing." I already knew that, but it was kind of her to try to reassure me.
The assistant pushed the door open for me and I walked through. It closed gently behind me and I heard the lock click.
Taking a deep breath, sucking my stomach in and pushing my chest out I took the last couple of steps into the main room of the office. My head was spinning and then, as I looked around, I thought I must be hallucinating or dreaming: why was everyone else fully dressed?
I've had this dream a hundred times before and I wondered if I was about to wake up. Heads began to turn towards me and I felt their eyes on my naked body. I froze and was about to turn and run for the door, but I remembered I'd just heard it lock behind me.
David, one of the senior partners, walked past me carrying a box file. I saw his eyes glance down at my breasts. "Hey, you're looking good today Jen. Have you done your hair?" He kept walking and I saw a smirk on one of the legal secretary's faces. My fight or flight mode was kicking in, and flight wasn't an option.
I put one hand on my hip and stood looking around the office. "So, have all you got the wrong day, or have I?" I said loudly.
There was a ripple of laughter, but no-one answered. Then I noticed the camera pointing at me from across the room. Well, at least they wouldn't be showing this on early evening television.
It was surreal, but everyone started going back about their business. There were glances in my direction, but everyone was pretending it was just a normal day. I didn’t know what was going on, but I was determined not to let it get to me.
With slow, deliberate steps I walked through the middle of the office towards my desk. I don't know what it says about me but now, with the initial shock over with, I felt a smile growing on my lips.
I'd worn a few fairly skimpy outfits in the office before, although nothing unprofessional, but sitting nude in my chair was an entirely different experience. But still, as I turned on my laptop and started to look through my e-mails, it began to feel almost natural.
There seemed to be nothing more urgent than usual so I stood up and walked to the kitchen to get myself some coffee. A hush fell over the room as heads turned towards me and I realised that, somehow, without even knowing what was going on, I had the upper hand.
Feeling especially mischievous I took a diversion towards Kieran's desk. He was sitting with his back to me so I touched his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around and stared straight at my breasts, and then down, and then, as the day before, to somewhere far over the top of my head.
"Morning, Kieran," I said with a smile, and then, seeing the colour rising in his cheeks, I turned myself side-on and leant back against his desk with one leg crossed over the other.
"Erm, hi, Jennifier." The poor boy could hardly speak.
"That Mitchum case? We have a meeting to talk it through at eleven." He nodded. I think we would have nodded no matter what I said. "Any chance we could move it forward to ten thirty? My morning's clear but I know it won't stay that way for long."
"Erm, sure. Ten thirty."
I smiled. "Great! I'll update the meeting invite so you don't forget me." He wasn't going to be forgetting me in a hurry. "You look a bit distracted this morning. Is everything okay?"
His mouth opened and closed and then a mumbled "Erm, fine, I'm fine," came out.
"That's good. But let me know if you're coming down with something, okay? We've got to get back to the client tomorrow and I can always get someone to cover for you." As I spoke I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Well, it would be reassuring, but as my left nipple was now only a foot away from him it was turning him into a nervous wreck instead. I loved every minute of it.
I stood up and his eyes glanced towards my crotch and then back above my head.
"I'm going to grab a coffee. Coming?" I asked him. His mouth opened speechlessly again and I glanced down at the bulge pressing against the inside of his trousers. He noticed my gaze and reddened again. "Actually, perhaps you'd better not stand," I said teasingly, "Not if you're not feeling a hundred percent."
I turned and walked towards the kitchen, conscious that he would be watching my lovely pert bum swaying out of the corner of his eye.
David was in the kitchen area stirring a coffee. He smirked as I walked in but I could tell how much effort it was not to watch my every movement as I took one of the mugs off the counter.
"Erm, Jennifer," he said timidly.
"What can I do for you, David?" I said, turning my body to face him and putting a hand on my hip. I knew exactly what thought I'd just planted in his head.
"I think… well, we owe you an explanation," he said.
I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about.
"Oh? An explanation? What for?" I asked and went back to choosing a coffee sachet.
"The whole documentary thing… last time, with the joke you pulled… Well, this time the crew thought we could turn the tables. And we thought we'd get our own back and have a laugh when you went and hid in the corner…" He glanced down at the floor. "Well, anyway, we knew you could deal with it, but I must admit we weren't expecting…" He gestured at me with his hands. I smiled back.
"Oh, it's fine, really," I said, and I actually meant it. I would never have dreamt of a naked office day, especially not with me being the only one naked, but I was having the time of my life and it was barely nine thirty. I continued making my coffee.
"Well, anyway," he continued, "We don't want to put you through any more embarrassment. Your clothes are over in the small meeting room. I can't believe you've just… I mean, I can, but I can't… And you're sure you're okay with it?"
"I'm fine," I shrugged and David's eyes watched my breasts move up and down. "Don't think twice about it. Honestly." I said, smiling reassuring.
He smiled and, before the silence became an embarrassing one, he left the room with his coffee.
A few minutes later I walked back to my desk and sat with my eyes on the door to the small meeting room. My clothes were in there; I could go in, get dressed, and then it would just be something else to laugh off for a week or so. It would be a story that would be told to all the new recruit
s in future about how they tricked me into walking naked around the office for an hour.
But that would mean playing to their script, wouldn't it? And I'd already left that behind when I hadn't shrivelled into the corner at the start of the day. And besides, now I was here, it was fun, and there was more fun to be had.
So, I resolved to make it through the morning without getting my clothes back, or at least to take it an hour at a time. I was determined that I could make this whole thing work in my favour, as long as I was the one who chose how and when it ended.
The next hour passed as much as any other in the office. I noticed the cameraman walking around but he spent a lot more time pointing his lens in my direction than anyone else's, and then when ten thirty came it was time to talk through the Mitchum case files with Kieran. I went over to his desk just as he was standing up to come over to mine.
"Shall we do it in one of the meeting rooms?" I said from a few paces away, loading as much innuendo into my voice as I could. He turned and I noticed his scan up and down my body before he caught himself again.
"Erm, sure. I'll grab the files," he said, not making eye contact.
I watched as he fumbled with the case folders and turned towards the small meeting room. I could hear him a couple of steps behind me. I stopped and turned around quickly. As I'd expected, his eyes were firmly on my backside and he went into shock as he realised he'd been caught watching me walk.
"Have you got the most recent contracts printed out?" I asked him. I knew he had because I'd put them in the folder myself last week.
"Erm, yes, they're in here," he said.
I smiled by way of a reply and continued into the meeting room.
As I entered I saw the box containing my clothes on the table.
"Let's clear this out of the way," I said and quickly picked it up and put it in the corner on top of some other boxes. I don't think Kieran had any idea what it contained.
Kieran shut the meeting room door and suddenly it felt very surreal, being alone in this small room with this handsome, clothed man. Oh, how I wished I could just throw caution to the wind and get him out of that suit right now.
"Okay, right," I said as I sat down and Kieran did the same, albeit very nervously. I'd been flirting all morning, but we really did have some work to get through.
"So, do you think you've got the corporate structure sorted out?" I asked him.
"Well, erm, I'm not entirely sure, I know there's the parent company, and the directors own some of that, and then the trust fund also owns shares, and the directors own the trust fund… is that right?"
It was close, but there was a lot more to it than that. I stood and walked over to the flipchart in the corner of the room and turned a new page over. I leant over and started to draw from the top down.
"Here," I said as I drew a box, "Is the parent company, and…" I turned round to check he was following and realised that he was staring at my backside pointing towards him. I guess I did look like the cover of a porn video as I leant naked over the flipchart.
"Erm, Kieran?" I said as he turned bright red, "Have you never had a meeting with a naked woman before?" We both laughed in relief.
"I'm sorry," he said, "But I'll try not to get distracted." Half of me wanted him to be distracted, but we did have work to do. Maybe I should just ask for a five minute break to get dressed and then we could start again. Then an idea came to me.
"Can I borrow your jacket?" I asked him.
"Uh, sure!" he said, as if this was going to solve all of our problems. He stood and took his jacket off and held it out for me to take.
"And the shirt?" I said, and then realised by the look in his eyes that I was being far too naughty. "Just kidding! Just kidding!" I wondered what it would look like if someone walked through the door right now with Kieran handing his clothes to a naked woman.
I slipped the jacket on. It was oversized and the smooth lining felt odd against my skin. As I buttoned it up I closed my eyes for a second as I breathed in the scent that Kieran had left on it.
I don't know that this was any less of a pornographic image, to be honest, as I kept flashing my breasts at Kieran as I was drawing on the flipchart, but we seemed to be getting through things. After an hour and a half of diagrams and explanation we were done.
"So, do you think you've enough to work with for the next few days?" I asked Kieran.
He nodded. "Yes, thank you. That was a lot of help." He had such a dreamy smile.
He stood to leave and I stood automatically.
"Oh, I need to give you your jacket back," I remembered
"Erm, you can keep it for the rest of the day, if you want," he gallantly offered. What a gentleman.
I wasn't going to let on that I could put my clothes back on any time I wanted; that they were right next to us in the corner of the room. I mean, what kind of a television program would force a woman to work nude for the entire day, eh?
"It's okay," I smiled, and watched him closely as I unbuttoned the jacket. "People will talk if I start wearing your clothes around the office." My mischievous smile was back again and I slid the jacket off my arms and caught it in one hand. After ninety minutes of being partially covered, the feeling of being naked was fresh and exhilarating again.
Kieran took his jacket whilst trying not to look at me. He left the meeting room with both it and the files in his hands.
It was time to walk back into the office again. This somehow felt even more of a moment than it had earlier, because this time I knew everyone else was clothed. I felt butterflies in my stomach but, no, I was not going to open the box in the corner and get dressed.
A few heads turned as I went back to my desk but it was almost as if people were getting used to me being in the nude. After another half an hour Carol, one of the other junior partners, came over to my desk. She seemed unsure as to whether she could even talk to me.
"Hi Carol!" I said, "Sorry I haven't had time to say hello this morning, but I've had a load of meetings and e-mails to get through."
Carol smiled; that wasn't how she'd expected the conversation to start, but at least it had saved her the trouble of deciding whether to ask me about my nakedness or not.
"That’s okay, Jen. A couple of us are just going to pop out for a sandwich and I wondered if you wanted me to get you something."
I smiled; Carol was such a perfect human being and she was assuming that I was stuck naked and unable to leave the office. But I wanted everyone to know that I was throwing this practical joke right back at them. That, from now on, this was my choice.
She leant forward conspiratorially and whispered. "You know, I don't know whether it's against the rules, but I could buy you something while I'm out. A dress, perhaps?"
I laughed. "Oh, don't be silly, Carol. I'm fine. Honestly!" I meant it. "You know, you should try working naked. It's very liberating."
Carol blushed. She might not have my figure but she looked pretty good, and I wouldn't object to a naked co-worker. But I knew Carol well enough that there was no way she was going to be taking me up on that suggestion.
"What? You're sure?" Carol questioned, "You don't want me to buy you something to cover up? I mean, I guess they told you what this was all about?"
I nodded, although I was a bit disappointed that Carol hadn't felt the need to let me in on the secret before lunchtime.
"So when do you get your clothes back?" she asked me.
"Any time I want," I said, "They're over there somewhere." I indicated the meeting rooms with a nod of my head. Carol's eyes widened in surprise.
"Relax," I said, "I figure that once everyone's seen me naked, there's no point making a big deal of it, eh?" She didn't believe me. I wasn't sure I believed me. "Anyway, where are you going for lunch?"
She shook her head, shocked at the sudden change in conversation, and how comfortable I seemed to be.
"Oh, just to the deli next door," she said.
I turned my head and looked out of the win
dow.
"I could come with you. Do you think I'd need a jacket?" Her eyes widened even more, and then we both fell into laughter.
"Jennifer, I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you do. I'll just bring you something up, okay?"
I smiled. "Okay," I said, "And thanks."
The afternoon passed in a similar way to the morning, with a few phone calls and e-mails and a bit of writing. You know, it's a great experience to be on a conference call to a room full of men who have no idea that they're talking to a naked woman.
As five o'clock approached I could feel someone approaching my desk. I turned to see David again. It was getting so predictable by now: I'd swivel my chair around and the man approaching would scan me up and down, look embarrassed about how obviously he'd done it, and then stare at a point two inches above my head as he talked to me.
"David!" I said with a smile.
"Hi, Jennifer, I don't know how you've made it through the day… but anyway, in case you haven't seen the e-mail yet, the TV production crew have put some money behind the bar at the top of the building and they're going to be up there, and I'm going up there, and I think most of the office is, and, well… if anybody deserves a drink today, I think it's you."
I smiled. I felt like I had won. "That's great!" I said. Actually, all I could think of was: would Kieran would be up? If he wasn't interested in me after today he never would be.
"So you'll come?" he asked.
"Sure! I've just got half an hour of e-mailing to do, but I'll see you up there."
David's eyes glanced over to the small meeting room where my clothes were. It was almost a plea for me to go and get dressed again. I smiled: I had nothing else to prove, although this had been fun, so I'd fetch my clothes soon.
"So is tomorrow the official naked office day?" I asked him as innocently as I could, "Because I'm really looking forward to everyone else joining in."
"No! No! There isn't one! Please, come dressed!" he almost shouted. I laughed at how anxious he was. Then he realised I was winding him up and he laughed too.