She gave him a weird frown, and Edison tried not to squirm. How in the world had he let that happen? He was willing his erection to go down the best he could. He glanced out of the window and noticed the ground crew was up on their feet as if heading back to work, and he caught the back of Bishop’s huge body rounding the corner before disappearing. That was definitely for the best.
“But, I always… I’ve never...” Mila eased inside and closed the door behind her, leaning against the hard surface. Whenever she cocked her head to one side like that it made the perfectly asymmetrical bob hairstyle she wore tilt to one side. “Is everything okay? Rosemary said you looked upset after running into Jessica last week. She know you denied her leave time?”
Edison’s erection withered faster than a popped balloon. He’d tried to forget his coworker’s rude comment, but he’d been unsuccessful. Then after being caught fantasizing over the lawn guy, a guy he couldn’t snag in a million years, no matter if he lost those last twenty pounds or not, made it all so obvious. He went across his office and sat gingerly. “I told her and she wasn’t happy.”
“What did she expect? This isn’t a play place where you can come and go to work as you please. This isn’t Google. She’s so ditz.” Mila took her wide hands and held them up as if she was wringing a neck. “That cute little figure won’t get her as far as she thinks.”
Edison moved some papers around, not bothering to really see what he was doing. Mila sat across from him in one of the chairs facing his wide desk. “We sound like haters.”
“We do not,” Mila harrumphed. “I’d never hate on the malnourished.”
While Edison constantly struggled with his fluctuating weight, Mila was happy and proud to be plus-size and her husband was even happier. No one missed the way he looked at her at office functions or the way he stayed wrapped around her. So Edison knew that kind of love was possible for people who looked like him. It just hadn’t come his way.
“She didn’t say anything mean, did she? I heard she can be a real spitfire when she’s not getting her way. I swear I’ll go right to HR this afternoon with the complaint.” Mila was rising from her seat as if she was going to get the forms from her desk.
“Sit, sit.” Edison waved. “No. I told her it was denied, and I left the break room. I think I’m just tired from all the hustle and bustle of getting these emergency filings completed. I’m actually looking forward to things slowing down, and focusing on the community appreciation in the park project coming up.” Yeah, that would keep his mind occupied. He loved that project and even though he didn’t have the time to spearhead it, he discreetly micromanaged it.
“Fine. I came in here to tell you that your senior staff meeting has been changed from conference room one to Bravo. I sent it to your phone twenty minutes ago, but you hadn’t read it yet.” She stood and adjusted her floral, flowy dress and went to stand where Edison had just been touching himself in front of the open window. He wiped his hand over his smooth jaw, trying to appear unruffled. “What were you looking at that was so fascinating out here that I scared the bejesus out of ya anyway?”
Edison swallowed. “I was just checking out the work being done down there. Those guys are good.”
“I know, right.” She smiled, craning her head at whatever had caught her eye. “A few of the guys were staring so hard at me when I came in this morning I was about to tell them to take a picture, it’d last longer.”
Edison shook his head. Mila was so full of confidence, he wished he could borrow some of it. “None of them have been inappropriate, have they?” Edison asked, keeping on his boss hat.
“No. I hope they do, though. A girl needs to hear a few catcalls and brash innuendo sometimes.” She grinned at him. “You could stand to hear a little, too, because I’m sure when you hang out with Skylar he doesn’t exactly flood you with positive reinforcement.”
“I don’t hang out with him.” Edison clenched his teeth. “He’s come to my house a few times to pick up something or another, and we’ve gone to a few meetings together, but that’s only because Skylar likes to be chauffeured.”
“And you comply,” Mila said, giving him a pitying frown. “You’re the boss, Edison. You can’t let them run all over you because you want to fit in. Skylar, Jessica, Courtney, and Smith… they’re not the cool kids, ya know. You need a better circle of friends.”