50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

Chapter Seventy-Three

    After both of their workouts, Aubrey and Destiny showered together. He washed her, and she washed him. Both of them made a conscious effort not to initiate another lovemaking session. Before leading the way out of the gym, he'd announced that he had to go into work. Destiny didn't want to make him late, so in the shower she was strictly business. Flirtatious looks and a few short kisses were still exchanged, but they didn't take their interaction beyond that.

    After the shower, they both got dressed on opposite sides of the bed.

    "You'll have the condo to yourself," he told her. "Both of them, actually. Francesca, my cleaning lady, will be in to clean up the place. So you don't have to worry about the cleaning." He knotted his tie while looking at his reflection in the floor-length mirror in the corner of his bedroom. "Ugh, shit."

    She finished zipping up her crimson dress and looked over at him. "What is it?"

    "I don't know. I can't get this knot to work." He frowned.

    She walked around the bed and walked up to him. She looked up at him. "May I?'

    He smiled. "Well done, and yes you may."

    She lifted her hands. She completely undid the knot he'd created. "The knot you made was fine," she told him.

    "It was imperfect," he insisted.

    She arched an eyebrow at him.

    "When it comes to certain things, I can be a bit of a perfectionist."

    "I hadn't noticed," she said, the faintest trace of sarcasm touching her voice as she lowered her eyes to his tie.

    The smile remained on his face as she worked at perfecting the knot in his tie.

    She stepped back and turned to look at his reflection.

    He did the same and smoothed his tie down. "See? Perfect." He kissed the top of her head and tugged at each sleeve before turning and picking up his suit jacket.

    "I probably should have made you breakfast," she fretted.

    "I do the cooking, remember?" he reminded her, sliding his arms into the sleeves of the charcoal gray suit jacket. He squinted his eyes while studying his reflection. "I'm probably just going to grab something on the way, but feel free to make something for yourself, if you like." He reached for his wallet on the nightstand, but saw her collar sitting beside it. He moved his hand over to the collar and picked it up. He turned to face her. "I think you're forgetting something. Hair up."

    She pulled her hair back. "I was just about to put that on," she claimed, looking up at him.

    "Mmmhm," he said softly as he secured the leather collar around her neck. He checked it for tightness. "Too tight?"

    She shook her head. "No, Sir."

    "Good." He hooked his index finger in the D-shaped ring at the front of her collar. He pulled her forward and kissed her, long and deep. When he pulled back, he stroked her cheek affectionately and turned to grab his wallet. He headed towards the bedroom door.

    She trailed behind him. "Are you sure I just shouldn't come with you to work today? I wouldn't know what to do here."

    "Today, I'm probably going to be slammed with work," he told her as he exited the bedroom and walked down the hall. "On your first day, I want to at least have some time to sit down with you and Brian. That would be Brian Davies - he's your manager, the one who is responsible for training you. Today I'd have no time whatsoever for that. So I'd rather you just relax. Enjoy a day without me breathing down your neck. Actually..." He slowed his steps as he neared the kitchen counter. He opened his wallet. "What you should do is go to the salon. You can pick one of your choosing, or if you need me to I can reach out for recommendations." He withdrew several large bills from his wallet and pressed them into her hand.