Page 10 of Heat Transfer

Chapter four

Felix

Ileaned back in the chair at my cubicle, fiddling with my headset.

The call I needed to return was a big one, and I’d gotten personally invested. Not just because I was aiming for a management position in the company but also because the client who had contracted us was hosting the medieval swords exhibit at Philly Art Museum. I couldn’t fucking wait to go. From the moment the assignment had landed on my desk, I’d been chatting with Carly, the exhibitor owner.

She’d left a message to call her but hadn’t mentioned about what, and my gut fizzed with nerves. I’d been at the top of my game for most of the project, which would launch fully next week. My supervisor had been hinting that if this went well, potential promotions were in store for me. And I banked on that.No matter how hard I worked, I always felt like I had something to prove.

Maybe if I had a management job, my folks and my brother would see I was capable. That even the sick kid who got seizures could be successful.

Maybe I needed therapy too, but that was a problem for another day.

I stared at the white ceiling I only needed to see when I wanted to. Icarus Tech was flexible about working in the office or at home, and most of us floated in and out. But I liked my team, a bunch of awesome geeks, so a lot of us tried to coordinate days to come in.

Okay, enough stalling. Time to call back. I hit the Dial button, and the ringing began.

“Hello, this is Carly.”

“Hey, it’s Felix,” I said, my palms growing a little sweaty. “I got your message. What can I do for you?”

“Just the guy I wanted to talk to.” Her voice switched from cool professional to warm. After our long chats, the rapport came easily. “You’re a big fan of the exhibit we’re putting on, right?”

“Huge. I even take historical sword fighting classes, so the exhibit is at the top on my list to visit.”

“Perfect. We’ve got a gala to raise funds next weekend, and since you’ve been such a joy to work with, I wanted to offer you and a plus-one tickets to attend. It’d give you a chance to look at the swords and weaponry up close in case you needed more convincing.”

Oh, damn.

My heart just about leaped out of my chest. Up close and personal with the exhibit? At a fucking gala at the Art Museum? Talk about way outside my pay grade.

However, I sure as hell wouldn’t pass up the chance.

“Yes, I’d love to,” I blurted out. Shit, Cor would be so damn jealous. I couldn’t go without him. “Wait, you said I could bring a plus-one?”

“Absolutely,” Carly said.

“Cor is going to be so excited when I tell him.” The nerves from before converted to pure, bouncy adrenaline. “He’s just as into historical weaponry as I am. It’s how we met.”

“Really?” Carly said. “That’s so adorable. I’ll send you an email with your tickets and all the details. I’m looking forward to seeing you in person after the work we’ve done together.”

This was awesome. Not only were we going to go to some fancy soiree at the art gallery while it was closed for the night, which felt like something rich folks did, not a lowly guy from the IT department, but we’d also get an exclusive sneak peek at the exhibit. I vibrated in my seat.

“Thank you so much. I can’t wait to meet you too.” I tried to calm the bubbliness from my tone. But seriously. Swords. Art museum. Fancy gala.

Cor was going to lose his shit.

“And of course I’m excited to meet your boyfriend too. It’s wonderful you both have something so unique to bond over.”

Wait, record scratch.

Boyfriend?

“I’ve got to get going,” Carly said. “But check for the email.”

Before I could say anything, she hung up.

She thought Cor was my boyfriend. Me, who’d only ever dated women. Guys had never been on my radar, even though Marco was openly bisexual, and my folks didn’t care. Not that I had any hard “hell no” vibes when it came to guys, but no one had ever sparked my interest. No “man, I need to jump on that dick” urges.

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