50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Sixty

    Meetings. Meetings upon meetings. The Palmer situation was going from bad to worse. The media called Aubrey out, demanding that he hold a press conference or conduct an interview to clear the air. They were no longer content with statements. They were dragging his company through the mud, trying to back him into a corner.

    Over the course of the day, his voice grew hoarse from having spoken so much: on the phone for teleconferences, in meetings, barking orders to his administrative assistant, Bridgette.

    Bridgette went above and beyond trying to help in any way she could. She even went on a lunch run for him, since he couldn't get away from his desk. His phones, both office and cell, were ringing off the hook.

    Her eyes were sympathetic as she handed him the bagged meal she'd picked up for him. "You look so tense," she commented. Her dark hair was pulled up into a neat chignon and her slender frame was encased in a chic, mint-colored dress suit. She was considered a knockout by most. Creamy, pale complexion. Long, dark hair that looked like it belonged in a Pantene or Garnier commercial. Very slender. Not many curves there. Just one of the reasons why Aubrey had no interest in her, despite the crush she evidently used to have on him.

    Back in the day, she had been lethal. Every trick in the book, she used to her advantage. The drop-your-pen-and-bend-over move? She tried it. The lightly-touch-his-knee-while-talking-to-him move? She tried it. He'd even once caught her following him home. What was the excuse she'd given? He had looked tired and she wanted to make sure he'd gotten home safely? Right. Okay, Bridgette.

    She was a great assistant and excelled at her job. For that reason, he decided to take her advances lightly. He had chosen to ignore them. Over time, she seemed to get the message loud and clear that he wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with her. That was the phase where she started telling him about the dates she went on with other men - in detail. As if that would ignite his interest. Ever since he'd brought Destiny around the office, Bridgette had settled down. No dirty jokes, no explicit details about her sex life.

    But today, she stared long and hard at him while standing on the other side of his desk. Then, she walked around the desk and went to stand behind him. She lowered her hands onto his shoulders.

    He turned his head. "Bridgette."

    "You're crazy tense and you have a one o' clock with the private investigator," she told him. "So just let me do this for you."

    His brows drew together, but he stopped protesting. "What is the word on the floor?"

    She blew out a puff of air as she started to massage his shoulders. "Most people have faith that we will pull through this, but some people are stressing, worried about the future of the company."

    "All because of a politician who is a piece of shit," he muttered, drumming his fingers on the surface of his desk. "I call him out for dragging his feet on a great program, and he goes to these lengths to try to bury me."

    "Why did you call him out?" she asked him. "Politicians are known for being dirty and underhanded, aren't they?"

    He raised a hand and smoothed it across his forehead. "I wanted them to be held responsible for their actions. I'm tired of people getting away with shit just because of who they are or how much money they have."

    "You didn't expect for him to lash back out at you?" Bridgette questioned.

    "I did, just...not to this extent," he said somberly. "This is such a fucking mess. And at some point, I will have to interview. I can't avoid it."