Explanation:

My friend, I’ll call her “Alyssa”, works in finance. So obviously, all of her co-workers are hot men. She’s kept things platonic there since she’s smart and now these cute money-makers are her pals. This means we all hang out on a semi-regular bar-going basis, thus allowing male/female attraction to develop.

Now my roommate, “Kelly”, has had her eye on one of these fellows for a while, and the two of them have been flirting for months. So it was only a matter of time before they wound up in bed together.

I mean, I wasn’t surprised. But Alyssa, well, she was kind of pissed.

This is something I can understand if a) Alyssa told her not to go there or b) Kelly knew Alyssa had a thing for the dude she bedded. But neither scenerio applies.

Alyssa hasn’t been blind to the obvious liking these two have taken to each other. She’d seen the flirting, the touching, and it never seemed to bother her. But now that something has actually happened between them, there’s been an explosion. And she and Kelly are in a massive fight.

Obviously, I’m trying to stay out of it. But as an outsider, I can see what’s really going on here: Alyssa has a secret crush on her stud of a co-worker.

I know all of this will blow over. The boy/girl drama always does. But the lesson learned is, don’t mess with any co-workers because that work/pleasure dynamic can be a tricky one, especially if there are emotions no one’s talked about.

Unlike freshman year in the dorms, the real world doesn’t provide you with a place filled with hundreds of people just like you looking for new people to drink (and hook up) with. Well, I guess that might happen if you move to Murray Hill in New York City, but for the rest of us that just isn’t a reality.

It seems that most of us make our new real-life friends at work. Which makes sense; we spend so much time at the office (and, oftentimes, need a few drinks afterwards) that it is only natural to get close with the people alongside us. For the most part this is a good thing; there are many times when the only thing motivating you to get to the office is the opportunity to see your buds.

But what happens when things go a bit too far?

Last week I mentioned a friend of mine who explained to me his love for morning sex. Well, that friend also happens to work with me. Actually, I work for him; he’s my boss. Now, this isn’t as creepy as it sounds; he is only 29 and we do hang out socially. But, as I work here longer we get closer and closer the line between personal and professional continues to blur.

At first I didn’t mind that much, but now as we share more and more “after 5” stories, I am beginning to worry about our working relationship. I mean, how can he take me seriously in a business meeting when he saw me puke at the bar? And how can I heed his constructive criticism when all I can think about is the crazy sex he had the night before? Or when I wake up and find him on my couch with my friend visiting from out of town?

I don’t want to stop hanging out with him – mostly because he’s one of the closest friends I have right now! – but I worry that we may make our way down a very awkward road. One that may make working together slightly weird. Or totally impossible.

I want to be taken professionally at my job, but how can I do that when I am partying with the very person who reviews my performance?

And, working 60 hours a week, where else am I going to find friends?!

Girls, take my advice. Keep the guy in his suit, and keep your professional relationship professional.

Summer internships have become a right of passage of sorts, offering invaluable experience (not to mention recommendations) that can shape your future. The easiest way to mess it up, and quite possibly ruin your summer? Hooking up with a full-time employee in your office.

Piece of cake, you say. You wouldn’t want to jeopardize your future, or a potential job offer, so you’ll find some other way to release your sexual energy. Except it’s not always so easy. For one, depending on where you decide to spend your summer, you could be more or less on your own, with not a lot of friends to fall back on.

It’s only natural that if you meet some of the recent grads that your office employs, you’ll attempt to foster friendships out of the office. Toss in a happy hour three times a week, and there’s no telling where things could lead.

Compounding the difficulty of keeping sex out of the workplace is that young male employees are often on the prowl. To them, “summer interns” is just a fancy phrase for girls with whom there’s probably no real future. Put more simply, it’s the ideal situation. So they’ll flirt with you, they’ll hang out around your desk, give you the eyes, make you laugh and do everything else in their power to make you think that they’re into you. And what girl living it up during the summer can really resist being the object of the office hottie’s affections?

What’s the big deal, you ask? Why can’t I have my cake and eat it too? The fact is, office relationships cause nothing but awkwardness. Regardless of whether you want to make a full fledged summer fling out of it or not, the guy is almost always going to feel like you’re now too close to the action. It’s just how we tend to think.

You’ll hook up with your boy, and then notice that he starts to avoid you more and more. He starts taking his lunch breaks at random times. He first avoids your gaze, and then begins to avoid your desk altogether. And unless you’re one of those rare girls that can hook up like a guy (you know, without any emotion or feelings whatsoever), you’re bound to get annoyed, and even upset. Other people around the office begin to notice the palpable tension whenever you and your (soon to be former) crush are in the same room. And it all spirals downward from there.

Bottom line? It’s just not worth it. But you guys are feisty. If you want him, you’ll find a way to get it done. So if you really, really can’t help yourself, at least wait until the end of the summer!