50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Eighty-Nine

    When the elevator doors opened and Brian stepped out, he didn't expect to nearly collide with Destiny. Once he got over his shock, he realized that she was crying. He grabbed onto her shoulders to steady her. "Hey," he said soothingly.

    She looked up at him, her bottom lip trembling.

    A group of employees came out of the office, chatting and laughing.

    Thinking quickly, Brian pulled Destiny into the elevator with him and pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator closed just in time. He held Destiny close to him as the elevator climbed up the shaft. "Hey. What's wrong?"

    She shook her head.

    "Talk to me."

    "I saw the news. I saw about the tape. I came here because...I just wanted to make sure he was okay." Her entire body shook.

    He sighed and kept his arms around her.

    "He didn't even want to see me. He said that me being around him wasn't good for either of us."

    Shit. "If he told you that, it was probably for your protection," Brian told her. "I'm sure he wanted to see you."

    "I came all the way here. I had to take a cab, because he hasn't had the car delivered to your house yet. He could have at least hugged me or kissed me... or told me that he missed me...something." She wiped at the tears on her cheeks and groaned in frustration. "This is so embarrassing."

    "Don't feel embarrassed. I understand why you feel the way you feel, but I understand why he feels the way he feels too."

    She frowned up at him.

    "If you're seen around him, that puts you in potential danger. And you don't just have Palmer to worry about anymore. Now you have to worry about the media discovering that you're the one in that video."

    "I get that. It just...doesn't make any of this easier." She pulled away from him just as the elevator doors opened.

    He followed her out of the elevator and into the atrium area of the top floor of Graham Enterprises. The area was, for the most part, empty. It was still too early in the morning for any of the employees to be on their lunch shifts. A few employees who were on their first fifteen-minute break were taking phone calls up here, however. Paying them no mind, he trailed behind Destiny as she walked over to the railing and looked down. "This situation...it's not an easy one," he said softly. "Both of you are just trying to work your way through it."

    She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm worried about him. He can't handle all of this by himself."

    "I wish I could tell you what you want to hear, but Aubrey is a grown man," Brian told her. "He knows what he is capable of handling. And if he is pushing you away from him, you should trust that there is a reason for it. Everything he does, there's a purpose to it. If there's one thing I've learned from getting to know him, it's that."

    She angled a look at him. "Even with how you feel about me...you're defending him?"

    Shock morphed his face, and he glanced over his shoulder before responding. "I know that what he's doing is to protect you. Regardless of what I feel for you, I can't just be a dick and pretend like he's pushing you away for no good reason. That's not the kind of man I am."

    She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at him.

    He sighed and glanced at his watch. "I'm supposed to be meeting with him, and with everything that's going on, I don't want to keep him waiting. I just wanted to make sure you're okay." He paused. "Are you?"

    She shrugged. "I will be."

    His brows drew together. He wasn't so sure. She looked like she was falling apart at the seams, on the verge of a nervous breakdown - despite the calm front she was trying to put on. "If you need more time before heading back to the house, just...stay here until you're one hundred percent calm."

    "One hundred percent calm isn't going to happen, not today. Not with everything that's going on."

    "Maybe you should wait here until after my meeting is over," he said, frowning down at his watch again. "I can take you home when it's done."

    She shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I didn't mean to come here and disrupt your work day. After seeing him, I just..." She wiped at her cheeks again and took a deep breath. "I'm okay. I promise."

    "I don't believe that, but after the meeting I'm going to come up here and check for you. Just in case. Either way, I'll see you in a bit."

    "Okay."

    He backed away from her slowly, then turned and headed in they direction they'd come in.

    "Brian?" she called out to him.

    He stopped walking and turned back to her. "Yeah?"

    She offered him a weak smile. "Thank you...for everything."

    If she were his, he would have walked back over to her and kissed her. Seeing her vulnerability that vividly was enough to make him pick her up and carry her off, away from all of the danger and craziness. Instead of going over to her the way he wanted to, he smiled back. "Of course. No problem." As soon as he stepped back on the elevator, he wondered what he was doing, walking away from her when she obviously needed someone. In a perfect world, he would meet with Aubrey and take the rest of the day off, but the company was being attacked at every turn. It was his job to help minimize any negative impact the current scandals had on the company. Today was not a day that he could leave early. As a matter-of-fact, today he'd most likely have to stay late.

    The elevator let him out on the thirty-fifth floor and he didn't waste time in heading towards Aubrey's office.

    Bridgette told him that he could go in.

    He opened the door, walked in, and allowed the door to ease to a close behind him.

    Aubrey glanced up from his computer monitor. "You're late."

    Brian strolled further into the office with his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, dripping with aggravation. "Do you know why I'm late?"

    Aubrey stared at him without responding.

    "Come on," Brian urged. "Three guesses. Two don't count."

    "You saw Destiny."

    "I saw Destiny," Brian repeated. "And I have to ask you, man. What the fuck did you do to her?"