50 Shades of Drake 5 and 6

Chapter Seventy

    "He actually insinuated that the only reason I got an interview with you was due to me being attractive."

    Aubrey lie with his head in Destiny's lap. His brow furrowed at her words. "Well..."

    She shoved him. "Really?"

    He chuckled, prompting her to pick up the closest pillow. Holding his hands defensively in front of his face, he said, "You know better than to think that was the only reason."

    Looking uncertain, she lowered the pillow a bit.

    "I could have granted that interview to anyone," he went on, reaching up and toying with her curls. "But I chose you because you seemed to have good ethics. You seemed like you would be one of the good guys, one of the journalists with positive intentions. And...you saw the potential in a cause that was and still is important to me: keeping arts programs in schools. My attraction to you didn't have much to do with why you I went with you. I can't say it had no bearing, but that bore little influence on my ultimate decision."

    "That's not how the L.A. Times editor sees it," she grumbled, dropping the pillow.

    "Just say the word, and he'll never harass someone like that again," Aubrey said firmly.

    She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll just deal with it." 

    His mouth slanted in disapproval. "Deal with it?" he repeated.

    "Yeah. Fetch him his coffee or whatever the hell. Whatever I need to do to get to where I want to be."

    "Have you forgotten who I am?" he asked. "What I'm capable of?"

    "I'm quite aware of what you're capable of," she said knowingly. "But I don't want a spot among the journalistic greats just handed to me. That is something that I have to earn. I'm willing to earn it."

    "So you want me to stand by, full well knowing that he's giving you a hard time every single day?"

    She hesitated before answering. Was that what she really wanted? Wasn't there the smallest part of her that did want him to do the chauvinistic thing and step in to defend her honor? Of course, but I don't want him to bully anyone who stands in my way as I climb to the top. I have to earn respect on my own. I can't rely on him to fight all of my battles for me. If I allowed him to do that, everyone would fear me, but not because of the respect that I've garnered on my own. She sighed and caressed his head. "That's how it has to be."

    He slowly sat up and turned his head. "Where is your briefcase?"

    She scratched her head. "In the closet, probably. I haven't had much use for it since I've been here."

    "Because you've been too busy pleasing me," he said with a sparkle in his eye. He hopped out of bed and jogged over to the closet.

    Drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them, she called to him, "What are you doing?"

    "It's been awhile since I've read your writing," he called back from the closet.

    Rolling her eyes heavenward, she asked, "And you have the sudden urge to read some of it now?"

    "Call me sentimental," he told her, switching the closet light off and returning to the bed with her laptop case in hand. He unzipped it, pulled her slim laptop out of it, and set it down on the bed, before lowering the case to the floor.

    She stared at the laptop for a moment before raising her eyes to him. "What is this?"

    "This is me wanting you to read some of your writing to me," he said, lowering into bed and returning his head to her lap.

    "It's getting late."

    "And while I'm granting you leniency I shouldn't even be granting you, out of respect for what happened earlier to you today, don't forget your position," he reminded her, his voice mimicking her chiding tone.

    Pursing her lips shut, she sighed and moved the laptop onto the pillow beside her. She flipped it open, logged in, and accessed one of her many document folders. "I don't even know what to read you," she murmured.

    "Read me one of your favorite pieces."

    "Hmmm." There were assignments that she had saved on her laptop, and articles from her days as a Hilltop school newspaper journalist...there were also articles that she'd written just for the fun of it. That was a pastime that she hadn't indulged too much in as of late. She hadn't realized just how much she missed it until she started browsing some of the old articles she'd written. As far as what she wanted to read to Aubrey...all of a sudden everything she looked through read off as sounding immature, or naive, or too bland, or too amateurish.

    "I'll choose one for you to read," he said, lifting his head up.

    "I found one," she was quick to say.

    The article was one of the first she'd written after starting school at Howard University. It was a piece on the culture of the students attending the college. One of the aspects about the university that had surprised her was how there were so many students of varying backgrounds, other than African or African-American. As she read the article out loud to him, she paused in different places and grimaced in embarrassment at some of the lines she'd written.

    He listened quietly, without interjecting. When she was finished reading, he said, "Another one."

    "In your Khaled voice?" she teased, not really wanting to read him another article.

    Failing at hiding a smile, he said, "You've written a lot of articles since that one."

    "Yes."

    "Read me something more recent."

    That was their night. Her reading him articles that she'd written, and him listening to her read. He offered very little commentary. No criticism, but also no praise. He just gave her his undivided attention and when she was finished reading, he sat up and moved beside her so he could hold her until they both fell asleep.

~~~~~~

    "Mr. Graham, I just wanted to say 'Welcome back,'" Troy Avers greeted.

    "Thank you," Aubrey said, checking the watch on his wrist. "It's good to see you. Which team would you say is your sharpest when it comes to design?"

    The tall, lanky blonde dropped his gaze down to the briefcases Aubrey held in his hands. "I'd say that the Alpha team is the best. Why, what's up?"

    "Take me to them," Aubrey ordered.

    Troy nodded, turned on his heel, and led the CEO through the fourth floor offices. He weaved in and out of aisles, finally halting at a four-unit cubicle. A few of the employees were talking to each other in hushed tones, but all conversation stopped when Troy cleared his throat. "Mr. Graham is here and he'd like to...speak to you?" He turned and looked back at Aubrey.

    Aubrey smiled and stepped forward. "I hear that you are one of the best design teams that we have here at Graham Enterprises," he said, raising one of the briefcases to the nearest desk. He unzipped it and withdrew a laptop from it. "I have a special project for you all."

    The Alpha team looked upon the laptop he held in his hand with wide eyes. Their interests were piqued. And so was his, because he couldn't wait to see what they came up with.