50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Eighty-Seven

    Aubrey's morning had started off quite strangely. He'd woken up cheesing like an idiot, because he'd had a dream about Destiny. He had rolled over, stretching out an arm, expecting to feel warmth, firmness, and soft skin; instead, he had felt nothing but cold bed sheets. At that point, he'd heard a toilet flush and in his groggy state, had thought that Destiny was just using the bathroom. But it hadn't been Destiny, of course. It had taken a while for the grogginess to clear, but eventually he did remember that Destiny was off living with another man - at his request - and Bridgette was staying in his condo.

    He had completed his early morning workout and almost literally bumped into Bridgette in the kitchen.

    She had blushed, something he'd never seen her do. Most likely that was because he was shirtless and sweaty.

    They'd awkwardly worked around each other, him grabbing filtered water from the refrigerator, and her making breakfast for herself.

    When he arrived to the Graham Enterprises building, it was crackling with energy. There was a certain buzz in the air; he couldn't put his finger on it. His employees gave him funny looks as soon as he stepped on the elevator, and as he walked through the office on the thirty-fifth floor. Something was going on, but no one was willing to tell him what when he asked.

    He was seated at his desk with his seat tilted back, staring up at the ceiling and missing Destiny like hell. Wondering if he'd get the chance to see her today. That was when the text messages started rolling in. His notifications blew up, back to back text messages. With a frown, he grabbed his phone and scrolled through the messages. The small gadget vibrated in his hands as more text messages came through. The first text message was from his long time friend and former manager and brand consultant, Oliver El-Khatib. Aubrey's complexion blanched as he read the message. He slowly set the phone on his desk and stood up.

    With measured steps, he walked out of his office and back out onto the main floor. The staff stood up, talking to each other excitedly, gesturing wildly with their hands. The room was full of chatter. It was surreal to see, because these employees were usually hard at work, very little socializing under normal circumstances. He scanned over the room with his eyes. Then, he conducted a test with a very simple action. He cleared his throat. Everyone stopped talking simultaneously. They all whipped their heads around and peered at him. All conversation ended, and those who were standing quickly made their way to their desks.

    The muscle in his jaw twitched. They know. They all know. That is why people were staring at me in the elevator. The video is out and everyone knows about it. Wordlessly, he turned around and returned to his office, where he went to stand at his window. Why would Palmer release the video? I thought he wanted my cooperation in keeping the details about his car crash secret? The accounting allegations were bad enough. This on top of it all...I don't know if my company can survive this scandal.

    The office phone on his desk rang. He lifted the phone receiver to his ear. "This is Aubrey Graham. How may I help you?"

    He had expected to hear Bridgette's voice. She transferred all of the calls that came in to his line. But a gruff male voice asked, "Have you seen the news today?"

    Aubrey had to fight to keep his anger in check as he sat down at his desk. "I thought we had a deal."

    "We did," Palmer said. "But that deal was null and void when I found out that you have an investigator looking into the accident and the years I spent in the military."

    Aubrey ran a hand over his face and held the hand over his mouth. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he let his hand fall into his lap and told Palmer, "The investigator was hired before you showed up to my place."

    "And yet he's still digging," Palmer said. "You don't seem to understand how important your cooperation is to me."

    "You just ruined all chances of me cooperating."

    "No, I haven't," Palmer insisted, chuckling. "You're making the mistake of assuming that releasing that video was the worst thing I could do to you. And you would be incorrect in that assumption. Because right here in front of me, I have a list of the people who are near and dear to you."

    Aubrey gripped the edge of his desk, sliding his eyes over to the office door.

    "Just so you know I'm not bluffing...Sandi is at the top of this list."

    Aubrey's blood ran cold. My mother.

    "Ryan is on the list. Sade is on the list. Spirit is on the list. Courtne is on the list. Raemiah is on the list. Dennis is on the list. Haanif is on the list. Chubbs is on the list." Palmer laughed darkly. "Chubbs? Is that a real name? Or is he a part of the rapper posse you used to spend your time with?"

    "If you touch any of the people you just named-"

    "You would what?" Palmer interrupted, his voice easing into a low growl. "You wouldn't want to make idle threats. If you continue looking into my past, I will pick off the people close to you one by one. I am not playing with you, Aubrey. I am not joking. This is not a game. When you defy me, you are treating this entire situation as if it's a game. As if you're invincible. You don't have five lives, and neither do the people you love. So I will tell you again. Stop investigating. Drop it. Or else, I promise you, you will have funerals to attend in the near future." Click.