50 Shades of Drake 3 and 4

Torn: Chapter Eighty-Eight

    Reality was suspended. As two naked men moved toward Destiny, time stood still. Her breathing grew shallow; her heartbeat slowed to a dull thump. There were no words spoken at first. Silence filled the room. It was jarring to see Brian in this room, this bizarre play world that Aubrey had created.

    Brian looked as out of place as he must have felt. At first, his eyes stayed on Destiny, but then he lifted them and turned around in a slow circle, observing the toys and gadgets stacked in the shelves around him. His gaze landed on the tall structure at the far end of the room, the platform with wrist and ankle shackles chained into it. Both of his arms hung at his sides, no sling or cast cradling one arm.

    While he took a moment to appreciate the strange nature of the room, Destiny's eyes locked on Aubrey's.

    Aubrey's approach to her was slow and deliberate, a tall proud stallion preening for one lone spectator. He came to stand before her and stared down at her. No smiles, no playful look in his eyes. His dark, downturned eyes were intense and as serious as ever.

    What is this? she wondered. What was the point in bringing Brian in a room that Aubrey and I share together?

    His eyes crinkled at the corners as a slow smile curved his lips. "We're here because you need help deciding."

    Her brows drew together.

    "I know who you should choose," he went on. He tilted his head in Brian's direction. "He knows who you should choose. Even you know who you should choose. But instead of choosing, you volley back and forth between the two of us. You are expecting to fall completely out of love with one of us, and that will never happen. Not without provocation. You will love us both - most likely until the end of time. This arrangement isn't a matter of complete elimination of one man. This arrangement is for you to decide which man you cannot live without. And that man..." He dragged the sentence out and held her eyes captive, as his smile expanded. Stretching out his arms wide, he said, "That man is me."

    She turned her head and looked at Brian, who was holding up a ball gag with a confused look on his face. His facial expression was almost enough to make her laugh. Almost.

    Aubrey took a step closer to her and knelt down, placing his hand beneath her chin. "I'm the one for you, and it's not just because of this playroom or the few toys that I have in it. With the events that are soon to follow, it is easy to assume that I believe I deserve to have you just because I can make your toes curl in a way that he can't. And while I can..." He stroked her chin with the pad of his thumb. "While I can certainly make your toes curl in a way that he could only dream of doing, that isn't the only reason you should choose me. And you know it. From the beginning, you and I have had something magical. Something that most people won't ever get to experience in their lifetime. Something that made both of us willing sacrifice, just so we could stay with each other. You've changed me in a way that no other woman has, and in a way that no other woman will have the power to."

    "And you've changed me," she said softly.

    Brian circled around the room and came to stand behind Destiny. He set a hand on her shoulder.

    Aubrey's thumb continued to caress her chin. "You love him," he said, allowing his hand to fall away from her face. "But this is to help open your eyes to the fact that you love me more." With those words, he rose to his full height and held out a hand. "Stand."

    As she stood up, Brian's hand slid from her shoulder down the length of her back, until it was resting just above her ass. His hand curved around her hip.