50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Forty-Three

    The ride home was quiet. Destiny sat, shivering in the passenger seat. She stared out of the window, feeling very disoriented and confused. Had she really seen Brian standing on the other side of the street, or had she imagined that? Had he been there, or was her brain using an image of him to represent the normal relationship she craved so badly?

    She snuck a peek at Aubrey while he drove. He had a grave expression on his face.

    He's probably wondering if I was really trying to leave him, she thought. He had run after her, at full speed once Tim informed him that she'd walked out of the club. Her expectation had been that he would yell at her or scold her for leaving without permission. Instead, he had been relieved to see her and concerned for her welfare. He had asked her if she was okay more than once. She hadn't known how to respond to that. Was she physically okay? Sure. But mentally and emotionally? It felt like her personality was splitting in two, splitting to form Good Girl Destiny and Bad Girl Destiny. She didn't know how to process the change that was happening within her; the change was scaring her.

    She wrapped her arms around herself as another shiver rolled through her body. Even though Aubrey had rescued her coat from coat check, it wasn't doing much to keep her warm.

    After glancing at her, he leaned forward and wordlessly cranked up the heat.

    When they reached the condo, she followed him inside and stared around the living room. The space looked different to her somehow. Her footsteps halted as she glanced around, trying to determine why the condo looked different and felt different. Maybe it's me that is different, she thought after a few moments of not being able to put her finger on it. Maybe I'm looking at the room with different eyes.

    Aubrey, standing near the entrance to the hallway, turned and looked back at her.

    She crossed the room and went to stand near the window. Peering out into a world that she felt was unfamiliar. There were so many things out there that she didn't know about. So many acts that people were engaged in that were taboo, not widely accepted by society. Happening right under everyone's noses. Tonight, she had joined that league of people. People who engaged in filthy acts. And she hadn't had the decency to commit them behind closed doors. She had committed those acts in a wide open space with a crowd of witnesses.

    Aubrey approached her and grabbed one of her hands. He gently tugged her along with him and didn't stop walking until he reached the master bedroom. After closing the door, he disappeared into the master bathroom. When he returned, he held towels in his hands. He laid the stack of towels on the bed and gently said, "Turn around."

    Without thinking, she obeyed him. A moment later, she could feel him untying the laces to her corset. He loosened them, then wheeled her around with steady hands placed upon her shoulders. Under ordinary circumstances, he probably would have told her to unbuckle the front clasps of the corset herself. But he could tell she was under duress and seemed to want her to do as little as possible. He set to unbuckling the clasps himself, keeping his eyes cast downward. Focused on the task at hand.

    Memories started to rush at her, images of the expression on his face when she was riding him in the club. She turned her head, trying to turn away from the images. The images were behind her eyes, however - so they just moved along with her. She lifted her hands up and covered her face to try to shield herself from the memories; that didn't help, either.

    His touch was gentle as he pulled her hands away from her face. Concern filled his eyes as he stared at her.

    She avoided meeting his gaze, making sure to keep hers lowered.