“Oh, my fucking God!” I swore to myself as I walked to work on the overheated sidewalk. It felt like fire under my shoes.

I would willingly jump into a fetid swamp right now—with alligators—if it would cool me down. Damn, it was beyond scorching today, and it was only seven-thirty in the morning.

As I trudged along the road from the train station to my office building, I saw other miserable people stoically trying to bear up in the unrelenting heat. I wore a tank top and shorts and carried my work clothes in a backpack. I knew better than to try keeping myself nice, neat, and dry in this type of weather. I would fail horribly.

I sauntered by one poor woman whose hair was flat from the humidity, and her white silk blouse was soaked to the skin. Farther along, a man had taken off his suit jacket and fancy shirt and strolled along in a white T-shirt. Smart.

When I entered the ice-cold lobby of my building at fifteen minutes to eight, I almost fell to my knees in gratitude. As it was, I slumped against a wall near the elevator bank, just to breathe in the cool air. I could almost see smoke rising from my skin. The sharply dressed über-professionals waiting nearby looked at me askance, but I didn’t care.

My car had broken down this past Monday, and I didn’t have the funds to fix it right now. So I took transit instead. And walked. And bitched. Maybe I should be grateful I had the option to take the train. I wasn’t really feeling that appreciative, though.

Eventually, I took the elevator up to my floor and headed to the bathroom to freshen up and change. What a great start to the work day, with the heat wave of the century in town for a visit.

* * * *

I stared at Jenson Sommers in shock, not believing what he’d just announced to me.

“A one-mile hike up Stone Mountain? Really?” I heard the unmanly squeak in my voice and cringed.

I was the furthest thing from an exercise enthusiast, but even if I were, it was the middle of frickin’ August! What were they smoking in the peace pipe in the Human Resources department, thinking this was a good idea for employee-bonding?

I looked at my coworker and frowned. “Don’t they get that teambuilding is a crock of shit? When will they learn that no matter how many incentives they give or parties they throw, the cliques will remain? It’s still high school in this place.”

Jenson and I worked for a marketing firm that had over fifty employees. There were several departments. Each one had a popular set and…the rest of us. I thought I’d left that behind in my teens. Apparently, some of us were still stuck in puberty.

“Suck it up, Stace. There’s no way around it. You sweat for a couple of hours, collapse in the shade with a beer, and then you’ll have an early start to the weekend. What could be better?”

“Not having to do it at all. It’s over a hundred degrees outside! Isn’t it dangerous to be exposed to such high temperatures?”

“Quit your whining. There’s shade along the trail, and you’ll be wearing sunscreen and drink lots of bottled water.”

I arched an eyebrow. “And you’re this gung-ho because…”

His grin was diabolical. “Never you mind the why. Since you’ve been paired with me, I will get you to the top of Stone Mountain, even if I have to drag you there.”

I was sure I looked suspicious when I said, “That sounds…ominous.”

“I’ll take care of you, promise. Plus, you have no choice in the matter. I’m a competitive son of a bitch, and there’s no way we’re going to be the last pair to make it to the top of that granite rock.”

“And if I don’t want to?” I could feel petulance rising within me.

“Want to keep your job?” Jenson retorted.

“Nice try,” I growled. “You’re not my boss.”

He rubbed his hands together and grinned. “It’ll be fun.” Such relentless cheer was nauseating.

“Fuck me.”

He winked. “You wish.”

As Jenson went back to working on his computer, I thought to myself, Yes, I really do wish you would fuck me. Jenson and I were the only two openly gay employees in the firm. I had my suspicions about a few others, but they weren’t talking.

We’d bonded from the beginning, and fate had placed us in the same department, working side by side in the cubicle maze on our floor.

Whatever the case, I’d been attracted to the friendly graphic artist since the day we met. Unfortunately, he was in a long-term relationship, or so he said. Thus, I lusted after him from afar

It didn’t hurt that he was totally my type, multiplied by a thousand. I loved men with red hair, and the more freckles, the better. His almost aquamarine eyes were bright, intelligent, and always had a spark of mischief in them. Sometimes he could be overly aggressive, but I put that down to his enthusiasm for life.