He needed to go. It was getting harder to justify standing there breathing in the scent of Bishop’s hard day of work. “Whenever you get there is fine.”
“I won’t be long.” Bishop started to back away, and Edison was finally able to inhale a bit easier and catch Bishop’s eyes when he said one last time, “I won’t be long at all, Edison.”
Chapter Twenty
Bishop
Bishop was in Edison’s driveway again, second-guessing the decision he was making. He had Mike’s voice in his head since his dad had decided to add in his two cents about Bishop’s business dinner tonight before he left for his girlfriend’s house.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, lil homie. I saw you talking to him after work today and it didn’t look like the two of you were planning a business dinner. It looked like you were planning to meet at the Holiday Inn.”
Bishop fastened the last button on the shirt he’d gotten out of Mike’s closet to go with the best jeans he had—which meant no grass stains. He’d showered an extra fifteen minutes and made sure to pay extra attention to his beard since it was obvious Edison was into that. Bishop had never seen a man pay such attention to his grooming.
“I know what I’m doing. Did you see the sketches?” Bishop said confidently. He felt great and he didn’t know why his dad was trying to shit on his good mood. “He’ll love them.”
“Yeah. It’s some of the best I’ve seen you do.”
“All right then.” Bishop shoved his wallet into his back pocket. “So, what’s your deal?”
“My deal is you fucking this executive, while you’re doing a job for him. It’s bad business, Bishop.”
Bishop jerked his head back. Yes, he was ridiculously attracted to Edison and it was growing each day but he didn’t believe that would affect his ability to do the job and he wanted more than a fuck from him. “I’m not trying to fuck him. He’s…” Bishop growled and shoved past his father. He stormed into the dining room to gather his portfolio and the rest of his belongings. “He’s not like that.”
“I know the look, B. I’ve seen it a lot myself.” Mike quirked one of his brows at him. “He wants more from you than just lawn service.”
And Bishop wanted more from Edison.
“Maybe you should either stop watching or look closer. He’s not Royce. Not even close.”
“I know that… that’s the problem.”
“I know what I’m doing.” Bishop paused at the door. “Did the center send my eval scores yet?”
Mike scrubbed his beard. “Not yet. But, when they do, I’ll tell you. And we can get going.”
His dad kept using the word ‘we’.
Bishop grabbed his large portfolio and got out of the truck. He saw Edison peek through the sheer curtains before he opened the front door. He was barefoot and dressed casually again, this time in a worn green collared shirt and black athletic pants. When Bishop was on the top step, Edison smiled softly and held the door wide for him. He had to turn sideways for both of them to fit in the doorway, and when he did, it put their bodies only a couple of inches apart. Edison seemed to be holding his breath but Bishop sure wasn’t. Everything smelled amazing, including the man he was so close to pressing his entire frame against. Damn, he knew their attraction was building fast, but this was insane. He wanted to stoop and press his nose into Edison’s smooth jaw and inhale for hours—hours of just smelling him. Then the scent of seasoned meat and the sound of frying food made his stomach rumble.
“Hey, handsome. Something smells good in here.” Besides you.
Edison closed the door. He brushed past Bishop on his way inside, smiling up at him as he did. “Since it’s a Friday night, I made burgers. I almost put them on the grill out back, but I swore I saw something moving out there the second I opened the door. So, I cooked them on the stove.”
Bishop couldn’t believe his eyes. Edison had two place settings at the dining table, nothing too fancy—there were no candles or dessert forks—but far nicer than anything he was used to. Two huge burgers topped with white cheese and a fried egg were on a serving dish. Bishop had never seen a burger like that before, but damn if his stomach didn’t growl furiously. Edison had made it look delicious. Then he had all the fixings a man would need to make the ultimate burger: tomatoes, onions, lettuce and pickles.
“You can set your stuff down over there on the table if you want. Once I take the fries out, we can make our burgers and start eating. I’m starved.” Edison’s eyes widened before he hurried to say, “I had a light breakfast and lunch… so…”