50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

Chapter Eighty

    Aubrey escorted Destiny to a center booth and made sure she was situated before turning and making his way towards the stage. He made long strides between rows of round tables until he reached the stage. Stairs were located to the left, but instead of turning in the direction of those stairs, he leapt onto the stage and rubbed his hands on his jeans.

    The band was still playing a bluesy tune as he went to stand behind the microphone stand. He turned on the mic and looked out over the audience. "So...my name is Aubrey Drake Graham. And I guess I'm singing for you all tonight."

    There was a smattering of applause across the room, and whispers amongst the crowd. There was confusion, which was quickly replaced with pleasant surprise.

    Aubrey turned his back to the audience and walked over to the band. The band's music slowly faded out, then stopped altogether. Aubrey spoke to them, gesturing with his hands. The conversation between him and the band lasted several minutes.

    Destiny's guess was that Aubrey was getting the band up to speed on his music, maybe asking them if they were familiar with any of his songs. The audience started talking amonst themselves, random conversation while waiting for Aubrey to take center stage again.

    Destiny lowered her eyes to her phone and checked her text messages. She had two from Carlos and several from Candace. She typed in responses to them, but her fingers stilled on the screen of her phone when slow, hypnotic music started to play, heavy on synth.

    Aubrey crossed the stage, grabbed the microphone stand, and moved it closer to the piano that was on the stage. The audience buzzed with anticipation as he adjusted the height of the microphone stand to compensate for the fact he'd be sitting at the piano. "We're almost there, just hold on for me," he said into the microphone.

    A few women in the audience squealed in response.

    He smiled and turned back to the piano. The band continued to loop the beginning chords of the song while he prepared to perform. He flexed his fingers over the piano keys and leaned towards the microphone again. "It's been a while since I last performed, so be gentle with me. All right?"

    More squeals from the ladies.

    Destiny set her phone down on the table. A waiter approached and asked if she would like to put in a food and/or drink order. She mumbled an order for a pineapple juice, completely distracted by the sight of Aubrey on the stage.

    He hummed into the microphone with his eyes closed.

    Goosebumps raised along the length of Destiny's arms.

    His fingers seduced the most beautiful music from the piano as he started to croon the words to "Marvin's Room." His voice had the capability of a silkiness that caused tingles to run along the length of her spine.

    When Destiny looked around at the other women in the audience, she could clearly see that she wasn't the only one with that reaction. There were some women fanning themselves off with their clutch purses. The waiter brought her pineapple juice in a tall, slender glass. She barely noticed.

    His voice was deep, melodic, and all-around swoon-worthy. He swapped out the word "bitches" for "women" to help prevent offending anyone in the audience. The change was so smooth and swift, that it sounded as if the song had originally been written that way. He skipped over the rapping part, and the music made a subtle transition into "Trust Issues."

    His voice wasn't the only thing sending tingles down her spine. He had certain habits while singing. During certain lines where his voice had to go higher, the winged ends of his eyebrows would arch in the sexiest way. He would pause, lick his lips, and turn his eyes to the audience while singing certain lines. A few times, he searched her out in the audience and held eye contact with her while his fingers stroked the ivory keys on the piano. She gripped the edge of her seat and closed her own eyes while listening to him. Towards the end of the song, he started throwing in adlibs. "Ohs" and "whoas" that were enough to make her melt. She crossed her legs tightly together.

    There were moments in most women's lives when the man she was involved with exuded such raw sexiness, she thought to herself, Oh, he is going to get it tonight. This...

    This was that moment. The moment when she was visualizing all of the things she wanted to do to him. The moment when it felt like the temperature in the establishment kicked up twenty degrees. She bit her bottom lip while listening to him. There were parts in the song where his voice dipped even deeper.

    "Marvin's Room" led into "I Get Lonely Too," another song where his voice was simply enchanting. The screams and squeals from the women in the audience only gained in intensity. Many of the women were seated beside exasperated-looking husbands, but even those husbands couldn't help but sway to the beat of the songs. The band kept their music understated and allowed Aubrey and the piano to have the spotlight. "I Get Lonely Too" faded into "Girls Love Beyonce."

    The music from "Girls Love Beyonce" blended into "Come Thru," and at this point he stood up from the piano and moved the microphone stand back to the front of the stage. He adjusted the height of the stand again, stretching it out taller. He looked out over the audience. "How are you feeling? Are you enjoying yourselves tonight?"

    There were screams and applause.

    "I want to thank you for the love you've shown this evening. It's been so long since I've been on a stage performing...it only makes sense that when I make my return to the stage, I do so in my own city of Toronto. The city I love, the city that raised me." He adjusted the microphone stand again and turned his head to the side, looking over appreciatively at the band. "You should really give the band a round of applause. I'm flattered they were familiar enough with my songs to be able to play them for you tonight. They're doing an amazing job. Give them a hand."

    More applause, more squeals, and a few whistles.

    He closed his eyes and started humming into the microphone. He wrapped both hands around the microphone and started to sing. When he opened his eyes, he was looking right at Destiny.

    She stared back at him with a heated gaze.

    A small smile curved his lips as he sang. After a few moments, he shifted his gaze to members in the audience. When "Come Thru" ended, he stepped back from the microphone and grinned. The music continued to play, and he bobbed his head to it. Then he stepped forward and said into the mic, "I'm going to take a short break, then come back for another set of five songs, if you'll have me."

    Deafening applause echoed throughout the lounge.

    Aubrey hopped down from the stage and walked through the center aisle. People stopped him to commend him on a job well done. A few asked him to snap photos with them. He obliged, but kept conversation with them brief. He continued walking towards Destiny with his eyes locked on her.

    She stood up from the table and walked towards him.

    They met somewhere in the middle, wrapped their arms around each other, and held on tight. She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him.

    He trembled in her arms, shaking with nervousness. But he kissed her back passionately and he didn't let go.

    "You were amazing," she said into his ear. "You were so amazing."

    He pulled back so he could look down at her. He gave her a smile so boyish and charming, she couldn't help but feel an immense love for him.