50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Seventy-Five

    Aubrey poured himself a glass of champagne, wearing only a large, crimson robe with his name embroidered on one lapel and a pair of white pajama pants. The television in the living room was on. If someone asked him what channel the television was tuned into, he couldn't have answered the question. He stood at his bar counter trying to calm his nerves. Trying to think about anything other than the conversation he'd had with Palmer - but that was, of course, all he could think about.

    Realizing that Palmer did know about Destiny had been devastating, to say the least. Most likely, Palmer assumed that Aubrey was the one researching him because Aubrey had purchased the laptop for Destiny. Its IP address and ties would lead back to him, not her. Aubrey was just fine with that; he preferred that, actually. He wanted to keep her out of this mess. Last year, it had been his idea to call out the names of the politicians who had stonewalled his music education program. If he recalled correctly, she had even asked if he was sure he wanted to call them out. Politicians could be vindictive little creatures. Some of them really knew how to hold a grudge.

    Apparently, they didn't appreciate their names being dragged through the mud, Aubrey thought now, taking a sip of champagne. Palmer hinted that more of them might be involved in this crazy plot he has to make sure the dirt he's hiding isn't brought to light. But what could he be hiding that would be worth the threats? Worth sending someone to follow me and record what I'm doing? Is the car accident the only thing he's hiding, or is there something much bigger than that? He sighed and closed his eyes. When the video had been presented to him, it felt like the world had stopped just to acknowledge how royally fucked the situation was.

    As a public figure, he always made sure to weigh the consequences of his actions. Women in the past had asked him why he would dare walk into a sex club and participate in its activities when his face was so well-known. It was something that truly perplexed the women he was involved with.

    First and foremost, sex clubs generally had patrons sign a non-disclosure agreement, vowing to never speak of what is seen and/or experienced. If a patron brought a guest, he or she was responsible for making sure the guest practiced discretion, a clause also included in the non-disclosure agreement.

    Secondly, while Aubrey didn't frequent the sex club every weekend, he had still been in the establishment often enough to recognize most of the faces of the regulars. Obviously I wasn't paying attention the last time I went, he thought to himself now, raising his champagne glass to his lips again, but then again it's always difficult to focus on anything else when Destiny is around me.

    Thirdly, times were changing. People had all sorts of kinks and fetishes, and many areas of the world were becoming desensitized to it all. It was taking more and more to shock people. So once upon a time, Aubrey had felt that even if it got out that he'd gone into a sex club, no one would really care. Now, though, things were...quite different. He had Destiny and didn't want to shame her in any way, and his company was already being called out for engaging in unethical accounting procedures. The last thing Graham Enterprises needed was a released sex tape featuring its CEO and founder.

    Fourthly, the sex he had within was consensual and he only involved himself with one person: the woman he took there. He rarely did anything especially kinky within the walls of that establishment - that was something he left for the red room and the privacy of his own home. Sex clubs for him were a chance to be an exhibitionist. Have an audience observe while he showed the men the way they should be making love to their woman, and showing the women how they should be pleasing their men. That had especially been the case with Destiny, seeing as she'd trumped every woman in the joint. She had easily been the most attractive and sexiest woman there.

    He stroked his bottom lip with an index finger, remembering just how good it had felt to dominate her in a crowded room. Even with the emergency at hand, that night would be one of his most treasured memories.

    After showing Aubrey the video, Palmer had pocketed the phone, looking as smug and pretentious as ever. "I take it you understand just how important this is to me."

    "Yes," Aubrey had managed to choke out.

    "Good. I hope we're on the same page, then?" Palmer had questioned, standing from the chair.

    Aubrey hadn't responded.

    Palmer had slowly put his suit jacket back on. "I surely hope we're on the same page. Because between me and you, I couldn't care less that you brought a girl from a bakery in D.C. up to Toronto so you can fuck her brains out in a sex club whenever you want. What you enjoy in your personal time is not a concern of mine. I would rather delete this file and allow you to live your life in peace. To be honest, I commend you for living the way you want to live. Not all of us have the freedom to do that." He paused and looked down at the floor for a moment. "But there are certain details of my life that are...sensitive. Certain details I would rather the entire world not know. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure those details never see the light of day. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

    "Yes."

    "Good."

    That had been that. A civil discussion between two civil men, cloaked threats and blackmail aside. Aubrey sighed and sat down on the couch. He was now able to ascertain that the channel his television was currently tuned to was Lifetime...which meant that there must be something faulty with his television, because he would rather sit in a room and watch the paint dry on the walls than watch a Lifetime movie. Even Destiny hated the Lifetime channel. He picked up the remote with the intention of changing the channel.

    But the actress that flashed on the screen resembled Destiny. Sure, her eyes were a little smaller, her nose a little wider. Still... her complexion, her lips, and something about her facial expression or maybe the look in her eyes very much reminded him of Destiny, to the point where he turned the volume up instead of changing the channel.

    "I don't have to defend my actions to you!" the Destiny look-a-like shouted to a girl that looked her age, early twenties. "I love him."

    "He's too old for you, Crystal," her blonde friend argued. "He's running a multi-million dollar company while you're still in college."

    "We graduate next month," the Destiny look-a-like, whose character's name was Crystal, reminded her friend.

    Her friend shook her head. "You're young. You're supposed to be out there, living your life, having fun. Enjoying yourself. Figuring out what you like, what you want out of life. Not latching onto some guy who's ten years older than you are. He's in a different phase of his life than you are. To settle down with him would be cheating yourself out of those wild, carefree years our parents keep telling us about."

    On the screen, Crystal frowned in concentration, mulling over her friend's words.

    Aubrey's brow furrowed as he took another sip of his champagne.