and he had to wrestle with it to keep the wind from inverting it. He was cold and damp, but worse, he was exhausted, mentally and physically. The all-important presentation had not gone well. Dr. Norton had stopped him not once but twice for grammatical errors, interrupting Adamâs train of thought. Consequently, Adam had left out an important part of the case history. At the end Dr. Norton had merely nodded and asked the chief resident about another patient.
Then, to round out the day, Adam had been called down to the emergency room because it was understaffed and had been given the job of pumping out the stomach of a young attempted suicide. Inexperienced in such a procedure, Adam had made the girl vomit, and heâd caught it smack in the chest. And if that werenât bad enough, fifteenminutes before he was to be off duty, he got a complicated admission: a fifty-two-year-old man with pancreatitis. That was the reason he was so late coming home.
Passing the alley that communicated with the scenic airshaft outside their apartment, Adam saw the assortment of trash cans that the sanitation department noisily emptied three mornings a week. Today the cans were full to overflowing, and a couple of scrawny alley cats had braved the rain to investigate.
Adam backed through the front door to their building and closed the worthless umbrella. For a moment he stood in the ancient foyer and dripped onto the tiled floor. Then he unlocked the inner door and began mounting the three flights of stairs to their apartment.
To announce his arrival he pressed the doorbell as he pushed the key into the first of several locks. Theyâd been broken into twice during the year and a half theyâd lived there. Nothing had been stolen, though. The thieves probably realized theyâd made a mistake as soon as they saw the beat-up furniture.
âJen!â called Adam as he opened the door.
âIâm in the kitchen. Iâll be out in a second.â
Adam raised his eyebrows. Since his hospital hours were so irregular, Jennifer usually waited until he was home to start dinner. Sniffing the savory aroma, he went into the bedroom and took off his jacket. When he walked back to the living room, Jennifer was waiting. Adam gasped. At first it appeared that she was only wearing an eyelet apron. Naked legs stretched from the bottom edge of the apron to high-heeled mules. Her hair was brushed straight but held back from her face withcombs. Her oval face seemed to be illuminated from within.
Lifting her arms and positioning her fingers as if dancing a classical ballet, Jennifer slowly revolved. As she turned, Adam saw that under the apron she was wearing a lavender teddy edged in lace.
Adam smiled. Eagerly he reached out to lift the front edge of the apron.
âOh, no!â teased Jennifer, avoiding his grasp. âNot so fast.â
âWhatâs going on?â laughed Adam.
âIâm practicing to be the Total Woman,â quipped Jennifer.
âWhere in heavenâs name did you get that . . . thing?â
âThis thing is called a teddy.â Jennifer lifted the front of the apron and pirouetted again. âI bought it at Bonwitâs this afternoon.â
âWhat on earth for?â asked Adam, wondering how much it cost in spite of himself. He didnât want to deny Jennifer something she wanted, but they had to be careful on their budget.
Jennifer stopped dancing. âI bought it because I always want to be attractive and sexy for you.â
âIf you were any more attractive and sexy for me Iâd never get through medical school. You donât have to dress up in frilly stuff to turn me on. Youâre plenty sexy the way you are.â
âYou donât like it.â Jenniferâs face clouded over.
âI like it,â Adam stammered. âItâs just that you donât need it.â
âDo you really like it?â asked Jennifer.
Adam knew he was