50 Shades of Drake 3 and 4

Chapter Ten

    Brian heard the bed in Destiny's room shift, heard her quiet footsteps as she approached the door. He even heard the sliding sound on the door, indicating that she was touching it. He raised his own hand and pressed it against the door. She was so close to giving him a chance; he could feel it. So close but still so far. He wished that she would open the door and invite him in, but he knew that wouldn't happen. So after holding his palm against the door for a few moments, he let it fall and walked away.

    He went for an early morning run on the jogging path that wrapped around his gated community. Jogging was usually a good time to clear his head, a good time for him to think. During this jog, he thought about everything. Work. Palmer. Wondering if Carlos was somewhere hiding out, somewhere safe. Destiny. No matter what he thought about, those thoughts always seemed to lead to her.

    The main community jogging path formed a lopsided circle around his house. He slowed from a brisk run to a leisurely jog as he neared his house. Glancing at the heart rate monitor on his wrist, he slowed from a jog to a walk. A sheen of sweat graced his arms, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he entered the house. His steps were sluggish as he walked up the stairs. He lifted the bottom of his sleeveless gray shirt and mopped off his forehead as he rounded the corner.

    Destiny stepped out of the bathroom and halted her footsteps.

    He stopped walking and the hand beneath his shirt froze, unintentionally keeping his abdomen exposed.

    She stared at him with wide eyes, one hand in her hair and the other at her side. She wore a white tank top and black shorts, curly hair pulled up into her trademark topknot. After a prolonged period of silence, she greeted, "Good morning."

    "Good morning," he returned, finally lowering his shirt. "I just got in from a jog."

    "I see that," she said, nodding slowly.

    He smiled and lowered his eyes. "What are your plans for the day?"

    "I was just going to relax. Stay in my room."

    "You get time off from work and that's how you're going to spend it?"

    She shrugged and looked away from him.

    "We should do something," he suggested. "Watch a movie. Or go out, maybe."

    She shook her head. "I'm not really in the mood to do anything. I'd be horrible company."

    "I doubt that."

    She turned her eyes back on him and stared at him for a moment.

    He stared back.

    Timidly, she took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them.

    His breath caught in his throat as she lifted a hand and moved a lock of dark, damp hair from his forehead.

    She brushed his hair back, smiling at him wistfully.

    He reached up and gently closed his hand around her wrist.

    Her big brown eyes shone with conflicted emotions, but she didn't pull her hand away. That had to mean something.

    Their eyes remained locked on each other for several moments. He started to caress the inside of her wrist.

    She let him, for all of twenty seconds. Her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted. Then she pulled her wrist away and took a step back, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I just...I need some time on my own today. Okay?"

    His brows drew upwards, but he nodded in understanding. "Sure. Of course."

    She offered him a smile and backed away from him. "I hope you enjoy your day off."

    She's pretty much telling me that I won't even see her today, he thought as he watched her walk away. Which means she's going to avoid me, more so than usual. He didn't know why he was surprised. Last night has been one of the strangest, yet stimulating experiences he'd ever had in his life. Although she hadn't been aware of his presence, she was probably giving herself a hard time for fantasizing about him. She probably felt weird about it. It had thrilled him to hear her call out his name, but he was now paying the price for that. That price was her absence.

~~~~~~

    Aubrey opened his eyes and a ran a hand over the empty spot beside him. Once upon a time, it was rare that he'd allow a woman to sleep next to him. After experiencing Destiny, though, he now hated sleeping alone. He'd known that being with her had changed him, but only now that she was gone could he truly appreciate just how much he'd changed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was Saturday. For the past few weeks, he'd worked even on the weekends, but for once he was going to take this day off. The chances he'd be able to focus on work were minimal, anyway.

    He stood up from his bed and went through the motions. Brief workout in his home gym, focusing on his upper arms and abs. Then a long shower, where he couldn't help but remember just how he and Destiny used to make love in the shower. Just as he was getting dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, his doorbell rang. His eyes zeroed in on the watch he was lacing around his wrist, taking a note of the time.

    Then he leisurely walked out of his bedroom, down the hall, and to the entrance door to his condo unit. He pulled the door open. A uniformed man stood on the other side.

    "You're just on time," Aubrey greeted.

    The man, who had the name "Dylan" embroidered on a uniform patch, tilted the brim of his navy blue hat. "I'm from Armotek Services. Are you..." He consulted with the clipboard in his hand. "Are you Aubrey Graham? I mean...I know you are, but I have to ask. Legal purposes."

    "I am," Aubrey confirmed, stepping back. "Come in."

    Dylan turned and made a gesture to someone who was standing behind him. He and another man wearing an identical uniform pushed a dolly into the condo. On top of the dolly, there were four large boxes stacked, nearly too high to be rolled past the doorway.

    Aubrey instructed for them to leave the dolly near the front door. Then he proceeded to walk them through the unit. "I want you two to case my condo. Look for cameras or surveillance equipment. If you find anything, I want you to report it to me and uninstall it. You guys are the experts, so you'll know where the new equipment should go - but there are key areas where I want you to make sure to install cameras."

    Dylan and his co-worker, Nate, nodded as they followed him around the condo. "We got it," Dylan said.

    Aubrey nodded. "Good."

    The doorbell rang again.

    Aubrey's brows drew together. "Did you bring someone else with you?"

    Dylan and Nate exchanged confused glances. "No, just us. Two-man team."

    Aubrey went to answer the door. He pulled the door open, and his brows shot up. "Carlos?"

    Carlos stood in the hallway with his arms wrapped around himself. "Looking as good as ever, papi," he complimented with an uneasy smile. Then his expression turned serious. "But I need your help."