Bishop: A True Lover's Story

Edison didn’t fidget when a few eyes turned towards him. This was a prime place for Skylar to dig at him. “Fine. Forget it.” He hated that those poker nights were coveted and any and everyone wanted to be invited. It was said that even some of the senior partners had gone to a few. But not just from their firm—it was also top executives from some of the other offices in the building as well. It seemed obvious that someone in Edison’s position would get asked for sure, but it never happened. However, Skylar didn’t mind asking him to provide homemade food for it.

“Well you could always come and watch, I guess. As long as you bring some good hors d’oeuvres. No dips or crudités or any of that other tasteless shit.” Skylar popped him playfully in the stomach—at least Edison believed that Skylar thought it was playful—then amended his invitation. “Matter of fact, I’ll let you know.”

Skylar got off at the third floor. Edison threw a hand up in question, then checked his watch.

“Just gonna say a quick good morning to this little hottie in the accounting firm down here. Start her day off right for her, ya know what I mean?” Skylar winked like a jerk just as the doors closed.

The woman beside him scoffed in disgust but any comments that may have been on her tongue she kept to herself, and so did Edison. Letting Skylar get into his head was stupid. He had a long day ahead and tons to get done if he wanted to be home by six tonight. The thought of an evening of Netflix and the beef shanks he’d put in the crockpot this morning would be his catalyst to propel him through the eight hours.

He made his way to his office to unload his bag and then to the break room for breakfast with little obstruction. His boss, Presley wasn’t coming in until late so he wouldn’t be fielding her requests all morning. She had a creditor’s meeting at nine forty-five, and then she was preparing to take off with one of her male friends to a bed and breakfast in Williamsburg for the weekend. Even an important woman like Presley Alfred found time to carve a piece of pleasure out of her hectic life. Sure, there was probably something she could’ve been working on in the office, but she choose to interject a bit of joy… and action into her body.

Edison didn’t want to think about action or the lack thereof in his life. Work was a good distraction from sex, and so was reading. The minute he sat and spread his food in front him, he pulled up his Kindle app on his phone and opened his latest download by Robert Galbraith. He’d been waiting none-too-patiently for the next installment in his Cormoran Strike series and thought now would be a good time to get a couple of chapters read. He’d eaten his breakfast sandwich and was slurping down his little container of orange juice with his head buried in his phone screen when one of the legal secretaries jolted him with her screechy voice.

“Morning Edison,” Jessica said as she bounced over to the coffee center and grabbed her own mug that had Secretary, Because Badass Isn’t an Official Title wrapped around it. “Were you able to approve that leave time for me? I really wanna go with Derrick to the Labor Day classic concert in Miami,” she whined.

Edison made sure there were no crumbs around his mouth or on his suit, and tossed his trash. Why did some of the partners keep hiring slackers like this? He sighed internally and pocketed his phone into his inside breast pocket. So much for a few minutes of reading. “No, Jess, I’m sorry. I can’t. Not again. You just came back from vacation a month ago. That’s too soon. Did you happen to look at Mr. Shaw’s schedule before you requested this time off? He has two hearings and seven creditors’ meetings that week. How’s he supposed to get prepared for that with his secretary gone?”

“Can’t someone cover for me like last time? I’m sure Roberta wouldn’t mind.” Jessica stirred a packet of Splenda into her black coffee. Despite the obvious hangover signs from last night’s happy hour excursion, Jessica was a pretty girl who liked to use her looks to manipulate some of the staff. But Edison was immune. He didn’t like the games she played. She sat in the seat beside him and leaned over to grip his hands. Her cleavage popped up in her low V-neck blouse, and she smiled when Edison’s eyes accidentally dropped in that direction. God, he didn’t want to have another talk with her about appropriate office attire. “I’d be so very grateful,” she purred.