Spark & Stone

#TGIM

Aidan sat at his desk, fired up his computer, and began browsing through his e-mails. Leaving aside the spam that seemed to find him no matter how hard he tried to keep it his inbox crap-free, a few social media notifications that he ignored since they just showed how happy some people were, and newsletters from online shops he only visited once, he finally decided that it was actually a good moment to get to work.

Only that, for the first time since he started working, he could not find the motivation in him to ‘hustle harder’, as was the mantra around the office these days. No, Aidan the perfect professional seemed long gone, or hidden somewhere he could not find him. In his place, the no-longer-a-virgin version of himself sat triumphantly. Well, maybe not that triumphantly, since he was still sore after his crazy weekend.

His middle finger was lazily rolling the mouse wheel, and his mind was happily wandering, back to what had happened in the short span of a Saturday night and an entire Sunday.

The good news was he hadn’t dreamed whatever happened. The bad news was that he had no idea where to go from there. Heathcliff had been clear; they were in a relationship of sorts. Not a relationship-relationship, but sort of a business deal. It was easy for Heathcliff to take everything so easy, mostly because he hadn’t been the one getting fucked.

Not that Aidan had any regrets. He had been an enthusiastic participant and he would have done the same all over again. He just hoped Heathcliff would be true to his word and this would continue, at least for a while.

It felt like he had so much to learn, mainly about sex, but also about interacting with someone on an intimate level. Everywhere he looked, people seemed married to their jobs, and treated romantic implications as nothing but obstacles. By how they bragged, they also fucked a lot, but Aidan had an inkling that wasn’t the case, at least, not for everyone.

Work was the number one priority. It had to be for him, too. He was twenty-two, young, strong, capable, ready to climb the career ladder that seemed to go up, up in the clouds, only if he logged in the hours and proved to be the perfect corporate employee.

At least, that was the spiel. He envied Heathcliff. The man didn’t have to work from nine to five. He did what he liked. And, on top of everything, he had no troubles showing how good he felt in his own skin.

Someone was leaning against the half wall of his cubicle. The smell of coffee from the downstairs machine let the intruder’s presence known. Aidan turned his head, feeling already irritated. Could people just see that he was busy working?

“Thank God it’s Monday,” the intruder, some young employee who was even newer than him, commented with a wistful look on his face.

He wore a suit that seemed too large for his skinny frame, and shoes that appeared as penguin feet from under the overflowing hem of his pants. Penguin-pants, Aidan thought an immediate nickname for the man interrupting his musings about a certain gorgeous fitness guru.

“Excuse me?” Aidan looked at the other, intrigued.

“It’s the start of a new week,” the young man said loudly, as if he was addressing an invisible audience, “the gate is open for new opportunities.”

Aidan felt the need to roll his eyes, but caught himself in time. “Yeah, nice, great, whatever,” he mumbled and turned toward his screen.

“Attitude is everything,” the guy continued, as he could barely wait for someone to listen to him babbling away.

Aidan didn’t want to listen. He stole a glance around, half sitting up from his chair. To be fair, they were the only ones present. Why had he come so early? Maybe because he felt too energetic after his weekend with Heathcliff.

“Work is the most beautiful thing in our lives, as young people,” the intruder added.

“For you, maybe,” Aidan said under his breath.

He would have sided with this guy last week. Well, maybe not entirely, but still. Now, he had more important things on his mind.

“What did you say?” Penguin-pants asked smoothly.

“Nothing. I’m just going through the tasks for the day, in my head. I sometimes find myself talking,” Aidan attempted an apologetic tone, while trying to make it clear that the guy was bothering him.

“That’s great, Aidan. Just imagine, one day, years from now, that we might switch our cubicles with some offices on the corner,” Penguin-pants continued, seemingly impervious to being told off.

“There’s only one office on the corner,” Aidan pointed out.

Penguin-pants stared down at him with his washed out eyes. “Exactly,” he said pompously and finally decided to leave.

Aidan shrugged. Whatever that dude was into, Aidan wasn’t interested. He needed to go back on more important matters, such as how serious Heathcliff was about the whole thing happening between them.

No, no, no, he had promised himself that he would not lose his head, and that was what he was doing. He would just have some more amazing sex with Heathcliff, but that was where everything stopped.

Come on, Aidan, he chided himself, do you really think a guy like that would want anything else? It was a wonder in itself that Heathcliff wanted anything from someone like Aidan. So, he needed to stop fretting, and be content with what he had.

Hmm, what he had … his mind traveled to the day before. How many times had Heathcliff blown his mind? Yes, he used metaphors, trying with all his might to stop his mind from sending the wrong signals to certain parts of his body. The last thing he needed was a hard-on at work.

He would open Excel and start working. That would be the perfect cold shower he needed so that he could stop his mind from wandering to those magnetic blue eyes, perfect abs, amazing c –

“Aidan, do you have those graphs ready?” A female voice interrupted his daydreaming.

“Of course,” he shook his head, “just printing them.”

“Good. The boss wants them now.”

When the hell had that man arrived? Looking around, Aidan noticed that the cubicles were now quite animated. His daydreaming proved dangerous. He was clearly unaware of his surroundings.

He grabbed the graphs impatiently, the whirring of the printer getting a little on his nerves. He could have just used the larger printers down the hall, but, for some reason, his boss wanted him to have a printer in his otherwise poorly appointed cubicle. For emergencies, or something like that.

Aidan ambled toward his boss’s office, and almost crushed into Penguin-pants. “Sorry,” he said and tried to move past him.

Apparently, Penguin-pants had other ideas. When Aidan quickened his pace, he did the same, and for a few awkward moments, they almost brushed their shoulders.

Little was Aidan’s surprise, seeing how Penguin-pants was making a beeline for the big kahuna’s office, just like him.

“He wants to see my graphs,” Penguin-pants threw over his shoulder.

“Really? That’s exactly --”

The door opened and their boss’s personal assistant looked them up and down as if she could check them for some fatal diseases while doing so. “You’re late,” she said haughtily, and made room for them to walk inside.

This was odd. Everything was odd, Aidan thought, and pushed one hand through his hair and arranged his tie quickly. Why on earth was the big kahuna asking two different employees for those graphs? Maybe they weren’t the same graphs; that was one possible explanation.

The personal assistant pushed them both through the door to the inner sanctum of their leader. Aidan still felt awkward next to Penguin-pants.

Their boss was behind his desk, his fingers propped in front of him. “The graphs,” he demanded shortly.

Aidan took one step forward, but the other was quicker and placed his papers in front of their boss, as if he was showing the man some treasure map. Their boss examined the offered gift with scrutinizing eyes.

“Excellent!” he shouted, startling Aidan.

Penguin-pants seemed unfazed. Damn, he had been here longer, but their boss’s antics still took him by surprise. He collected himself quickly and hurried to show his graphs, too. The boss threw them a bored, fleeting look.

“Work harder, Spark.”

What? What was that? What was that supposed to mean? Graphs were graphs.

“What do you mean, sir?” he asked directly.

“See this line?” The man asked, and pointed at a thick red smudge of printer paint on Penguin-pants’s material. “This is what I want to see. And the font! Verdana? Spark, I thought you better than this!”

Aidan frowned and took one step closer to look at the other’s graphs. “These are incorrect, sir.” He drew with one finger along the praised red line. “We can’t expect this level of growth --”

“You have no confidence, Spark!” His boss boomed, and, for a second, Aidan wondered if the windows rattled or was just his imagination. “Ambition is a way of life. If we’re always cautious, how can we move forward? How can we conquer the vast expanse of the universe?”

Aidan could feel a headache coming in. His boss was a total nutcase, he was sure of it, but this talk about conquering the universe was new. And he had never been scolded about his graphs before. He was the big kahuna’s PowerPoint darling. Everyone knew that.

Apparently, he now had competition. Aidan threw a furtive look in Penguin-pants’s direction. The guy seemed quite pleased with himself. So that was that morning talk all about. A new PowerPoint star was in town, and he was challenging Aidan to a deathmatch.

Aidan could care less for deathmatches. “Sir,” he insisted, as he turned toward his boss again, “it is not about precautions, it’s about facts.”

“Facts.” Penguin-pants snickered at his left.

“Yes, facts,” Aidan said, half-turning toward his unexpected competition. “We’re not ignoring facts, are we?”

“Your insinuations are disappointing, Spark,” his boss intervened. “We create an environment here. It’s not just a business.”

High time for a huge mental eye roll. Here we go, Aidan thought. The talk about the environment, and not just any environment, but the one the big kahuna was struggling to invent at the workplace.

“We think beyond,” his boss made his fingers crack.

Aidan stopped a grimace just in time. He needed to work on his neutral attitude when it came to his boss’s interminable speech about what the company meant to him and had to mean for everyone else, regardless of paycheck.

“Can you think beyond, Spark?” the man asked, in a paternal voice.

“Yes, sir,” Aidan said stiffly.

“Today, toiling for greatness is our raison d'être. It’s not about profit,” his boss said, standing up and slamming his palm against the desk.

“Not about profit,” Penguin-pants echoed, his eyes shining, his mouth a bit slack in awe.

Aidan took an imperceptible step away from his co-worker. The guy was seriously giving him the creeps.

“It’s not about our products,” his boss continued.

“No, not our products,” Penguin-pants murmured in fervor, clasping his hands in front, and rocking gently back and forth.

When had this meeting turned into some Corporate Cultists Anonymous networking event? Aidan hoped they wouldn’t have to hold hands and sing Kumbaya next.

“It’s not even about growth!”

“No, not growth!”

“It’s about us,” his boss’s voice became gentle again, “as humans, living together, working together, creating a greater good.”

Wow, Aidan thought. He had always believed his boss was a quirky character, but this bordered on insanity. Maybe he should call 911 and ask for help? Someone needed a straitjacket.

His boss droned on about some mission of sorts. Aidan knew he needed to pay attention, but his mind was wandering again, against himself. It was like he had a natural mental shield to protect him from bullshit, particularly the corporate kind. His co-worker continued to echo the big kahuna’s words without fail. Aidan wondered briefly if he was caught, perhaps, in some absurd play, waiting for a saviour of sorts who would never come.

Eventually, it was clear. He was no longer the boss’s favorite PowerPoint graph illustrator. Actually, that was a relief. He would have more time to invest in things that truly mattered. The only inconvenience was that falling from his boss’s graces meant that he had even lower chances of advancing to a creative position.

“I have an idea,” his boss said while puffing his chest in self-importance. “Today, we’ll have a marathon.”

Marathon? Seriously? Were they going to run around the building, dressed in suits? What about the female employees? Some of them wore high heels, for goodness’s sake!

“It is even more.”

Of course it was. Everything was more with the Military Apeman, Aidan invented another nickname, this time for his boss. For some reason, his creative juices were flowing. Not in the right direction, but they were definitely flowing.

“It is a test of will.”

Aidan was sure he didn’t like the sound of that.

“We’ll see who’s capable of putting in the most extra hours. We’ll toil, we’ll struggle, but we will prevail,” his boss put out a fist, punching the air in a victorious gesture.

Oh, great. Heathcliff would hate him, and even forget about him, but there was no way around this. He was called to arms and needed to prove himself. That meant no going to the fitness guru’s house tonight, no eating that delicious food Heathcliff managed to make while still keeping it healthy - how he did it was beyond him - and, above all, no chance of amazing sex.

***

“Hey, guys, welcome to another livestream,” Heathcliff said while opening his arms wide. “Today, we are going to do something a bit different. Some of you asked me in the comments about some stretching exercises that anyone could do. So, let’s get to work.”

Heathcliff continued his explanations in front of the camera, and, from time to time, he looked at the live chat so that he could give the people watching him some extra pointers. One of the commentaries made him grimace.

He could choose to ignore it, but he knew about these things. They were going to come back and back again like a nasty fly.

“I see you’re interested in my love life,” he said during a small break. “No, I did not turn into a monk. Actually, far from it.”

As he grabbed his elbow and pulled it tight, keeping it there, he looked at the large screen. Whoever that was, had no intention of letting him off the hook.

“Well, the truth is I found someone. Someone who’s gorgeous, makes me laugh, and is a great person all around.”

He huffed when he read the next comment. “No, I didn’t turn straight, and far from me to elope. You, guys, know I don’t believe in the marriage institution. But we’re not here to talk politics, right? Let’s get to work. I can bet that you can’t exercise and type at the same time.”

The troll, if it was a troll, stopped for a while. Maybe he or she was doing what Heathcliff said, which was certainly healthier than being hunched over a phone and trolling people’s live chats.

It didn’t take the troll long. Heathcliff liked to think it was a troll, and it was best to ignore such things, but he had a reputation to uphold, and that meant that he was nice to everyone, even those who tried to get a rise out of him.

Plus, somewhat secretly, he wanted to brag about Aidan, without telling who it was or any details. The thing was he was damned proud of his latest conquest. That was a way of saying since there was still a long road to get Aidan to fall for him, and not just consider him a good lay. He was working on that.

“Maybe that’s what’s happening,” he said and smiled as he read the new comment. “Yes, even someone like me can be monogamous. Plus, I’ve always been that, serial monogamous, but monogamous nonetheless. And that’s all for today’s livestream. Thank you, guys, for watching, see you on Wednesday, when we’ll talk about healthy eats and how we can have more of them in our diets without a hassle.”

It was no wonder some people wanted to know what was with him and his sudden disappearance from tabloids and whatnot. Also, it was a relief that the tabloids themselves had left him alone for the time being, at least.

That could not take long. They would harass him soon enough. As long as he had provided for their shitty publications with endless gossip material, he had been their sweetheart. Like the vicious vipers they were, they would strike.

Aidan was right about being cautious. But unless they thought about breaking into his home or sending drones over the high fence to spy on him, they had no chance of learning anything. Outside the home, Aidan was just someone from The Healthy Shakers, sent to him on business, and Heathcliff could live without PDAs, seeing how important appearances were now. Not that he wouldn’t have liked some PDAs if they involved Aidan. Just the thought of walking hand in hand with his cute bunny made him smile fondly.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Maybe it was Aidan. It was just late afternoon, and he was well aware that the bunny worked long hours, but a man could hope. Maybe his naughty boy had snuck into the bathroom for a quickie and needed Heathcliff to provide the right entertainment.

But no, as much as he liked the idea, it wasn’t like Aidan to do such a thing. He sighed when he looked at the phone. It wasn’t Aidan, but Michael.

“Hey, hey, stranger, you disappeared from the face of the planet since Saturday night,” his friend teased him as soon as he put the phone to his ear. “I am dying to know, so I’m swallowing all my pride and dignity and, as you can see, I’m calling first. How was it? Did Aidan tell you off?”

“You wish,” Heathcliff snorted, “what kind of friend are you, you ass?”

“The kind who wants to know if you got laid, and if your crush was, at least, somewhere around when that happened,” Michael joked.

“Yes and yes,” Heathcliff said curtly, but he was dying to talk to someone about Aidan, and Michael was the perfect candidate since he knew him so well.

“Details. You know you can’t leave me like this.”

“I can, actually. C’mon, Mikey, you know I’m a gentleman.”

“In what parallel universe? But I don’t want details about sex positions and all that. I suspect that your bedroom gymnastics are unparalleled. My question is: how did Aidan react? How come he didn’t put you in place?”

“Obviously, he likes me,” Heathcliff said with satisfaction.

“Ah, damn,” Michael sighed, “and I thought the man to tell Heathcliff Stone ‘no’ finally fell from heaven.”

“You would have liked that, wouldn’t you?” Heathcliff laughed. “Always ready to make fun of my predicaments?”

“I’d never,” Michael said theatrically. “But I like Aidan. I’m not sure if walking into the wolf’s den was the best decision in his life.”

“Are you worried about Aidan more than about me?” Heathcliff protested. “Who always saved you a place in the cafeteria all throughout the middle school? And who got you your first date ever? Or supported you when you came out to your folks?”

“Hmm, I think you’re forgetting a few hundred other things, but well, at thirty, your memory might start to fail.”

“You’re twenty-nine years and eight months old, asshole,” Heathcliff said with affection.

“Still in my twenties. Now, seriously, Heathcliff, do I have any reason to worry for you? Is there something the matter?”

“Stop it right there, mother hen. No and yes. I think I like Aidan very much.”

“Yes, you told me.”

“No, I really, really like him.”

“Oh.”

Heathcliff waited for a few seconds. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Sorry, I was busy checking the fashion trends for best men at weddings.”

Heathcliff laughed. “I didn’t break that badly. I still don’t see the point of marriage.”

“All right,” Michael said brightly. “But it was worth checking. I think I’m going to buy a new suit, just in case.”

“If you’re done joking, can we talk for real? Or should I allow you a joke more or two?”

“No, I’m done. So, let’s see what’s happening here. Are you falling for your little corporate bunny?”

“Let’s not talk about romantic crap. I just feel the need to have him near, preferably locked in a shiny cage so that I don’t lose him out of my sight.”

“Hmm, possessive, aren’t we? But how are you going to compete with Aidan’s convenient lovers on speed dial?”

“Easy. They’re imaginary,” Heathcliff said with satisfaction.

“Ah, that’s what you’re telling yourself to protect your ego?” Michael questioned right away the validity of his statement.

“No,” Heathcliff said and wished his scowl could be visible through the phone. “He, how should I say this, had something when came home with me Saturday night and now he doesn’t have that thing anymore.”

“Hmm, his self-esteem?”

“Try harder.”

Michael was among the very few people who could tease him like this and get away with it.

“Well, I don’t know. I’m not used to you being so mysterious. What is it? Don’t keep me hanging, Heath, I mean it.”

Heathcliff laughed. “His V-card.”

“His V-card?” Michael said slowly, as if he was trying to process that new piece of information. “Fuck, did you just defile an innocent, Heath?”

“Hey, he enjoyed his defilement very much.”

“I bet. But really? How old did you say he was? Twenty-two, right? We were definitely younger than that when we first did it. So he recently realized he was gay?”

“No, apparently, while knowing well he liked guys, he waited for me.”

“Yeah, sure.” Michael could always tell when he was joking. “C’mon, what’s the whole story?”

“The whole story doesn’t matter. Point is he is, ah, damn, Mikey, how can I say this? He’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“You had gorgeous men in your bed before, Heath. That’s not it. So, as you told me earlier, try harder.”

“He’s unique, like no one else I know or ever fucked. I mean, he’s so cute, you saw that, right?”

“Yes, and I also noticed him to be well behaved and modest.”

“That’s why I like him, yes. See, I can always count on you when I can’t find my words.”

Michael fell silent for a couple of seconds. “Heath, are you serious about this?” He no longer seemed in the mood to joke.

“Yes, I am,” Heathcliff replied promptly. “Why? Does it seem so hard to believe?”

“Aidan seems like a nice guy. You don’t do ‘nice’, Heath.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heathcliff valued Michael’s friendship more than anything, but the guy was sometimes getting on his nerves with his brutal honesty.

“That if you plan to mess with Aidan’s pretty head, make him fall for you, and then discard him later, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Why should I discard him? How heartless do you think I am?” Heathcliff frowned.

“As heartless as your next hook up,” Michael replied right away.

“Hey, I’m having fun, what’s wrong with that?” Heathcliff felt a bit defensive. Yet, he knew what Michael was saying.

“Nothing’s wrong, as long as the men who come to your bed know where and how they stand. Aidan’s different.”

“He is,” Heathcliff said. “And I don’t plan to discard him. I’m serious, Mikey, I have no intention to let him go.”

“Wow. I thought you only wanted to get into his pants. I don’t remember ever to have heard you talk like this about someone. It was always about the gorgeous ass on some guy, or pretty mouth that would look good sucking your cock.”

“You make me sound like such an asshole,” Heathcliff said.

“You know I always tell you the truth. Until today, I thought you had the hots for Aidan, only because of his bubble butt. So, what changed?”

“I might not have told you the entire truth,” Heathcliff replied.

“So spit it out now,” Michael encouraged him.

“I like Aidan like I haven’t liked anyone in a long time. I can’t put my finger on what makes me think that. But I do. He just does it for me, and I feel like, the moment he entered my house for the first time, and watched me fucking some random guy with his big pretty eyes, I liked him.”

“That’s as close to a romantic confession as I’ll ever hear from you, right? Well, if things are like this, it’s simple. Aidan likes you, too, right?”

“Yes, of course he likes me,” Heathcliff replied, a bit too quickly.

“So tell him.”

“I did.”

“Great. When’s the wedding?” Michael asked, and he seemed only to half joke.

“Again with the wedding,” Heathcliff huffed. “Don’t you think we should get to know each other better first?”

“You’ll have plenty of time after you tell your vows,” Michael joked this time around. “I can smell insecurities from a mile away, but I’ve never thought I’ll talk to you about such a topic that’s always been beneath you. What doesn’t work to your utter and complete satisfaction, Heath?”

Heathcliff sighed. “He thinks it’s just an arrangement.”

“I’m sure that’s just because you told him so.”

“That’s true.”

“So? Tell him now that your feelings finally run deeper.”

“It’s not that easy. He also thinks he’ll move on after we’re done, whatever he believes that is, have a boyfriend and tell him about how he lost his virginity to a famous influencer.”

Michael was laughing his ass off on the other end. “This boy will give you a run for your money, Heath.”

“Yeah. I’ve already told him I like him very much, but I don’t think he believes me. Whatever words will come out of my mouth, they can’t convince him.”

“Because of your playboy reputation, obviously. Okay, so you’ll need to convince him otherwise. What do you have in mind?”

“Seduce, secure, and lock him up.”

“Hmm, I suppose it sounds like a plan. But you will have to do better than this.”

“Go on,” Heathcliff said. He knew he could count on Michael. The guy was a serial romantic, so he had to have some tricks up his sleeve.

“You must show Aidan how you really are. I know you’re all friendly and nice with everyone, but how many people know the real you? You must introduce him to your family, and talk to him about things that truly move you, you know what I’m saying?”

Heathcliff sighed deeply. “I’m doing that. I might not be good at it, but I want to show him the real me.”

“Great. Now I must leave you, Heath. I should get ready for my date. Of course, if you still want to talk some more, I can cancel.”

“No, don’t behave like I’m suddenly an invalid or something. And you’re going on a date this early?”

“My club doesn’t open until eight. I don’t function by the same rules as other people,” Michael replied with a small laugh.

“So, is it someone new?” Heathcliff asked.

“Yes,” Michael said and it was his turn to sigh now.

“Hmm, why the sighing?”

“I don’t know. People treat love today like fast food. Where’s the sophistication, the thrill, I wonder?”

“I think you have too high expectations, Mikey. Many men just want to fuck.”

“Well, I don’t,” Michael replied promptly. “I know I’m heading for my next disappointment right now, but I’ll do my best.”

“At least you’ll get laid.”

“Don’t remind me,” Michael said, his voice void of humor.

“Among gay men, you must be the real unicorn, Mikey. What’s so wrong about just wanting to get laid?”

“I don’t know,” Michael said airily. “Maybe Aidan just wants the same thing with you.”

“Hitting below the belt, Mikey?” Heathcliff complained.

“It proves my point. What do you have to say now?”

“I suppose you are right, to some degree. Then, I wish you good luck. Maybe your date is more than after a hook up.”

“Yeah,” Michael said without conviction. “Talk to you later. And don’t scare Aidan off. If someone like you can finally fall in love, it’s worth seeing it all.”

“Ah, you couldn’t stop using the L word,” Heathcliff chuckled.

“Never,” Michael confirmed.

For minutes after he finished his conversation with his friend, Heathcliff pondered over Michael’s words. He wanted to show Aidan the real him, so that was pretty good advice. If only Michael could be convinced to try some of Heathcliff’s tricks, he would have plenty of men falling in love with him. Not that Heathcliff would have used them on purpose, but he knew, from experience, what worked. But Michael was stubborn when it came to love. He wanted the impossible, sparks flying, and meeting someone who was his other half and needed to match him like an arm in shoulder.

Heathcliff shook his head. He needed to plan well to make Aidan fall for him. No matter how much the bunny liked him, that was far from what Heathcliff wanted. So he had to put his mind to work.

***

Aidan consulted the clock on the right corner of the screen and pursed his lips. The entire office was in a standoff. No one was leaving their battle stations, and they were all pretending to work.

He could not leave first. It would look badly. And it was already nine o’clock. Good thing Heathcliff had fucked him so well all weekend. Seeing how Heathcliff would get bored to wait for him and that from the first day of their so-called relationship, he would find someone else fast.

But not if Aidan could help it. He had to make a phone call and tell Heathcliff why he would be late, and probably not go to see him tonight.

“Hey, bunny boy, you must tell me that you’re on your way,” Heathcliff’s voice was a sexy drawl that made Aidan’s heart beat instantly faster.

“I wish,” he said dejectedly. “My boss has this idea of testing us, to see who’s capable of putting in more extra hours. The office is full at this hour if you can believe it. I’m sure some people are even afraid to use the bathroom so that they’re not written down as deserters.”

“So you’re in the trenches?”

“Yeah, I’m so sorry, I was so looking forward for tonight, I mean, I knew you were waiting for me, and --”

His ramblings were cut short. “Do you need evac to extract you, bunny boy? Leave it to me,” Heathcliff said abruptly.

Aidan wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but Heathcliff was no longer on the phone. With a sigh, he turned back to his graphs. What font could be better for those crappy PowerPoint presentations?

Half an hour later, his boss boomed from his door. “Spark!”

Aidan jumped to his feet. “Yes, sir!”

“You just got a special mission!” his boss yelled over the many sleepy heads, dozing off in their cubicles, now a bit confused over all that ruckus. “You need to go to Heathcliff Stone’s house immediately!”

“Yes, sir!” Aidan said with enthusiasm and caught himself in time. “Why?” he asked.

“The man is throwing some orgy and you must stop it at all costs. Stay with him till morning if need be. Kick everyone out and make sure they stay there!”

With that, his boss withdrew to his office and slammed the door. It took Aidan all his willpower to school his face into an annoyed expression and he started to mumbled something under his breath, to convince his co-workers that he wasn’t pleased in the least with the turn of events.

The door to the boss’s office flew open again. “And the time you spent there will be logged as extra hours!” the man shouted and then slammed the door again.

Aidan bit his lips hard not to laugh. Heathcliff would laugh, too, when he would hear about it. Wait, his mind caught up with him, an orgy?

TBC

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