Two men trapped in an elevator are about to discover they have more in common than the inconvenience of lost time. Dr. Mason Grant recognizes Parker Collins, whom he had loved during their senior year in high school, but Parker does not immediately recognize Mason. Maybe it’s the passage of time that has dulled his memory ... or maybe it’s the wheelchair in which Mason is confined. As the two wait to be rescued, Mason recalls their six month love affair -- its uncertain beginning, its athletic highs both on and off the field, its romantic peacefulness spent at the Grant’s remote lake cabin, as well as its painful lows and horrific conclusion. The teenage Mason realized there were two sides to his lover -- the confident Parker, an athletic hero popular with both teammates and female students, and the private Parker, who is unsure, sexually submissive, and needs to be cuddled and petted. All Mason wanted then was for Parker to love him, and not diminish what they shared by giving in to the social pressures that demanded he play out the role of football jock and studly lady killer. Now that they’re grown men, what happens when Parker sees past Mason’s wheelchair and realizes who’s trapped in the elevator with him?

Trapped Nerves

It was only a brief kiss, but it still resulted in Mason letting


“When you checked me out in the locker-room,


it was kinda like the answer to my prayers.”


Mason didn’t respond, he just continued to


“But I still had to make sure. So I gave you


a series of little tests. I’m sorry about deceiving you, but a guy


in my position has to be real careful, you know?”


Mason wasn’t sure that he did. Then a light


bulb went on in his head. “You’re gay?” Mason asked, loudly.


Parker looked round to see if anyone could


possibly have heard. “Yeah, but it’s not easy, you know, with me


“Oh, uh, no.” Mason’s mind spun. Parker


Collins, theParker Collins, was gay, and was sitting in his


hot tub holding his hand. “You, uh.” Mason cleared his throat.


“Yeah, bud, I had to be certain that you were


actually gay, though that was kinda easy to figure out. I mean all


Chapter 7