Aubrey's Playground

:60:

Lori picked up the thick black folder from the table and neatly placed it in her large bag, she collected the rest of her things finding a place for everything between her purse and tote bag. Two half-empty drinking glasses sat in the center of the table, another business meeting that ended on a great note. She picked her phone up and stood there scrolling through the many notifications that were silenced during the duration of her meeting.

"Still no Owl sightings?" The distant voice stopped her, she frowned as she tried to remember where she heard it from.

"Excuse me?" Lori turned.

"Owl sightings, seen any?"

Lori continued her drawn-out pause, it was an awkward moment as she stared at the handsome man, her lips finally parted. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked.

The man pressed his lips together and slightly smirked. "Know me, no. But I remembered you from an art show a few months ago and thought I'd say hi."

"An art show?..." Lori repeated as she did her best to remember the tall gentleman. She looked up at him with squinted eyes that finally widened. "Oh my God! Bad Omen guy! The one that said Owls are a sign of bad luck!"

The man laughed as he put his head down shaking it. "That's how you remember me? I gotta do a better job at introducing myself."

Lori smirked and shrugged. "I remembered tho."

He nodded. " Touché. You did." He stood staring at Lori for several seconds, the silence sat awkwardly over the both of them. "I didn't mean to bother you, I was visiting a friend that's staying here and I saw you as I was leaving and figured I'd ask if you finally got to see one."

Lori smiled. "Uh, well... other than my boyfriend's obsession with them, I haven't PHYSICALLY seen an actual one, yet. No." She said playfully. The first time she felt the need to reference Aubrey as a title higher than a Dominant, a title more appropriate that the outside world would understand. She purposely put a clear distance between the man and whatever thoughts he had even if they were friendly.

"Well, he has to make sure he takes you to see one." He said with a smirk.

Lori frowned and cocked her head to the side, she then slightly forced a smile. "Yeah, I gotta make sure I tell him to take me. I'm sorry I didn't get your name, again?"

"Eric." He replied.

"Right! Eric. Well, it was really nice talking to you. I'm sure we'll see one another again."

Eric nodded. "Oh, I'm sure. The city isn't that big."

Lori nodded with a smile and turned around, she quickly gathered both bags and headed towards the line of doors. His smile and friendly presence disappeared as he watched her walk the length of the wide hallway. He sat down comfortably in the chair behind him and continued watching her until she completely disappeared from his sight. Eric sat quietly clicking his teeth behind his sealed lips, he lightly tapped the face of his phone as it rested on the top of his knee. Eric thought to himself for several long minutes before he picked his phone up and scrolled through it, then pressed it to his ear.