Manny and Carol were the geek brains that handled complaints for the Morrison Air Conditioning Company. Morrison AC designed, built, and maintained custom air conditioning systems both private and commercial. No job was to big or to small according to their boss.
Right now, they were the ones with a problem. Manny had already been outside their small portable office trailer to check the AC unit five times. He had done everything from check the relays to change the filters and they were still frying.
It was the Fourth of July weekend, the company was moving into a larger more elaborate building, and it was one hundred and two in the shade. Of course, the trailer wasn't in the shade and it was one hundred and six inside.
The only reason it wasn't hotter were two fans and the small windows were open. Well as open as they got, which was a two-inch crack at the bottom and in the middle of the crank out windows? They did let in a little wind even if it was hot as a blast furnace.
Carol sat forward in her swivel chair and leaned to let the fan blow down the neck of her t-shirt. The back of the shirt was a darker color from the sweat running down her back. The only good thing about today was her shorts and sandals. Normally she wore jeans and boots.
Manny had his shirt unbuttoned and had his head on his arms on the desk in front of him. He was about to burn up in his jeans and boots. He had just got off the phone with the boss, who sounded drunk and there was the sounds of people in a pool in the background.
"What did he say, Manny?"
"He'll have someone over here as soon as he can find someone."
"Shit!" Carol said with enthusiasm. She hardly ever cussed but this sounded like an appropriate time. "We've had one call today and that was a guy who wanted to know how to shut the system down for the weekend."
Manny nodded. "I told him and he said someone had to be here."
"Then one of us can go home, right." Carol asked hopefully.
"Nope, we're both stuck here until five." Manny told her and then groaned as he looked at the clock. It was only one and that wasn't even the hottest part of the day.
"Fuck!" Carol all but yelled.
"Sorry, I'm to hot to do that much exercise." Manny shot back at her with a grin. "Anyway I can't compete with BOB."
Carol felt herself flush. In the old office one day, she had her Battery Operated Boyfriend in her purse and her purse was in the foot well under her desk. She had kicked her purse and nearly died when BOB rolled out from under her desk and over to bump Manny on the foot. He had never let her live it down.
"You don't have to compete with BOB, I buried him a couple of weeks ago, " she said truthfully and then realized how open she had left herself. She quickly added, "In a shoebox in the backyard, he died."
Manny snickered and shook his head. "So close but you saved yourself just in time. Not to mention BOB, who died so tragically."
Carol interrupted, "Don't even go there. As hot as I am right now, they wouldn't convict me for killing you."
"Hey, don't tell me about your personal problems. At least you have shorts and sandals on. These Jeans and boots are twice as hot."
"So take the boots off dummy."
Manny looked at her and whispered, "Well, duh!" He then scooted back and started unlacing his boots.
"Hey! That's gas warfare." Carol yelled and then laughed as she rolled her chair to the far end of the small room.
"Right now, I could care less. I'd strip off naked, if I thought it would help any."
Carol held up two fingers in the sign of the cross. "Heaven help me, he's losing his frigging mind or what he had left of it."
Manny got his boots and socks off and then took his shirt off. He tossed the shirt at Carol and stuck out his tongue. "Nana duh nana," he tainted her.
"Hey, no fair," she said loudly as she threw the wet shirt back at him.
"No ones stopping you, take yours off too, if you want," he said with a leering grin.
"Yeah, right. You would just love that wouldn't you. You've always wanted to see my tits."
Manny laughed and shot back, "I've seen bigger tits than those on a mannequin."
Carol frowned and looked at him hard. "Just for that..." she started to say and then reached over and locked the only door into the trailer. With the deadbolt locked, she stood up and whipped her t-shirt off over her head.
Manny's eyes locked in on her pale pink bra and the breasts it was working overtime to contain. "Holy shit!" he whispered. "You sure proved me wrong." She threw the t-shirt and hit him right in the face with it.
At twenty-five Carol was a college graduate and working on a Masters. She had spent all of her life with her nose stuck in a book. Only lately had she even started to notice guys and felt awkward and shy around them. The only exception was Manny.