On the extreme side of this spectrum are the swinging couples that have an unspoken understanding that while you do Mr Boss, I shall have my way with my work wife. It is a fine silent understanding of the concept of the “open marriage”. While the couple themselves may not even acknowledge this phenomenon, people around them have ears to the ground and know the pulse of sexual interests among their colleagues. Related reading: Married but open about their office affair…how right or wrong is it?
There was this hot, dreamy guy
I was the head of a team of 14 digital artists and communication experts, and while I reported to this God-like creature, a Sunil Dutt look alike, I was a new recruit and the whole team knew him better than I did. Mr Sunil Dutt was handsome, 40 years old, articulate, charming and oozed sex appeal, and not the least, had a great sense of humour. Even as the 55-year-old celibate me looked on with amusement, I couldn’t deny the extent of his attractiveness and the spell that he cast on female employees. What seemed to add his candidacy for a quick affair was that he was safely married to a beauty and had two adorable school going kids. When men at top management levels carry their authority with easy charm and friendliness, it acts as an aphrodisiac. It is enhanced when news of his many travels to the US, France, Germany, and London float around, I could almost hear an imaginary collective sigh of desire. By the way, the men in the office collectively hated him. So there was this coterie of women in their 40s who would gather around him at the lunch table and please their Lord Krishna with homemade delicacies from their home cooked dabbas. Related reading: 13 signs your work wife is taking over your life
Rumours rife in the office
They were suitably rewarded with junkets to Sri Lanka where they’d enjoy 5-star hotel comforts and shopping sprees and God knows what else. Meanwhile, back in my team, the mischievous and notorious youngsters would lay bets over a chai and smoke, as to which one of the gals would turn out to be the work wife. I don’t think that was ever established, but I noticed that the most likely one was also one who reported to my team and was in my team. Sheila was a kinda single mom who was estranged from her husband and lived alone with her daughter in this city. All the women were southern belles, and had one eye on Mr Sunil Dutt. The way Sheila watched over him reminded me of a mother turkey, clucking around him, marking her territory and making sure that no one else walked away with the prized trophy. One day Mr Sunil Dutt confided in me. I was a safe bet because I was almost like another man friend, and he could safely use swear words in conversations and be sure I wouldn’t be offended. He said “Saala your mallu jaath behens are all so horny, and beautiful, you know, I could bed that Sheila in the blink of an eye.” I asked him why he didn’t do so. “Are you crazy? My wife will have me chopped, parcelled and drowned in the Arabian Sea.” So she remained his work wife and Mr Sunil Dutt saved his conscience and moral compass, just about. Related reading: 8 tips to enjoy one-night stands and have amazing sex
It’s a tough path to tread
In fact, so efficient was Sheila as a work wife, she made sure that my contract was not renewed and I returned to Bangalore with a better position and salary, in a new company. My sympathies are with these work wives, however. It is difficult when you spend most of your waking hours with men who are not your legally wedded partners. The men have to exert themselves not to slip into a much enticing affair with them.
