Chapter Fifty-Five -Revelations
The memories of her meetings on the pier continued to haunt her the next evening. Chloe paced the small confines of her bedroom, nervously running her hands through her short, dark hair. A pensive expression crossed her face while she tried to outrun the memories but completely and totally failed. Brady Black continued to make a mockery out of Chloe, whether he was physically present or only an image in her mind.
"Why, oh, why, do I let THAT MAN get to me?" Chloe fumed to herself, picking up a pillow from her bed and throwing it against the wall in an expression of anger. "God, I've only talked to him a few times since I've been back to Salem, and each time I end up looking like some type of a deranged lunatic! He makes me lose every ounce of composure I have."
She chuckled harshly at herself before she began listing her memorable meetings with the infuriating Brady Black. "First I slap him, then I completely humiliate myself at Tuscany, and, worst of all, I nearly let him kiss me after I've revealed to him the extent of my dislike for him! Dammit, but that last one burns me the most. How could I almost let him kiss me?"
Chloe ranted some more and kicked the pillow on the ground for good measure, before she reluctantly admitted to herself, "Admit it, Chloe. There was no "let" about it. You practically begged Brady Black, your family's enemy, to kiss you!"
"He's a sneaky one," she whispered, remembering the potent pull that he somehow exuded over her. For some reason she couldn't fathom, she was drawn to him. "Trying to draw me to him, just like the fated moth to a flame. Only I won't be burned. Not by him," Chloe vowed strongly. She shook her head at her own incredulous behavior where Brady Black was concerned, and then flopped down on the bed, attempting to push the infuriating mind as far out of her mind as she possibly could.
An image of little J.T. Brady formed in Chloe's mind instead while she gazed unseeingly at the ceiling. In an abrupt change of moods, Chloe smiled brightly while she recalled his joyous response to seeing her again. "What a sweet little boy," she murmured, rolling over on her bed and grabbing a pillow. She placed her head on the pillow and played with fringes of the comforter, remembering J.T. with fondness.
A few moments later, Chloe brought up the most bothersome worry about J.T.'s response when he saw her in front of The Brady Pub. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration before she asked herself softly, "I wonder, though, the reason why he was so genuine. He was so happy to see me, so willing to hug me and talk to me, when our families are supposed to be total adversaries. Why would he respond to me that way?"
Her eyebrows furrowed while Chloe wondered about a possible angle the Brady's may have had with their son, J.T. "Could they have made J.T. behave like that?" Chloe asked herself, searching out a reasonable explanation. The memory of J.T.'s joyful, smiling face broke through Chloe's doubt, making a mockery of her question.
She hugged the pillow tightly to herself, answering her question swiftly and strongly. "Definitely not," Chloe announced with conviction. "That little boy was completely sincere and honest, without any possible motivation for his behavior. He could never have feigned such sincerity. He's too young, absolutely too innocent, to have been acting a part for my benefit, like most of his family and their friends do."
Chloe chewed on her bed, mulling over J.T.'s warm behavior. Suddenly, a new thought occurred to her and she shot up from the bed, even uneasier about her encounters than before. "Wait a minute!" Chloe exclaimed, her eyes widening with suppressed horror. "If he was really sincere when he greeted me, then…No, I won't believe it, I won't!"
In an abrupt change of mood, Chloe stomped away from the bed, attempting to outrun the new, and dangerous, thought that had taken root in her mind. She glared mutinously at the wall in front of her. "I don't believe it! Never. There is no way, NO WAY, that my father is the horrible person that all of the Bradys and the Blacks paint him to be. No way at all."
Chloe brought both hands to her hips, her eyes glinting furiously. "Damn! I've got to stop this course of thought!" An idea occurred to her to help her accomplish that, so she strode from the side of the bed to her closet, where she began to rummage viciously through her clothes. She pulled out a midnight blue dress, with a flared skirt and spaghetti straps adorned with sparkling silver gemstones. She held the dress up for inspection and then announced, "Perfect." She smiled with satisfaction at the dress, her eyes glinting with steely determination.
Half an hour later, Chloe walked elegantly down the staircase. Rolf heard her approaching feet and came out of the living room, wondering what she was doing now. He knew that he hadn't kept the best watch over her, but he believed there was no serious need to stick closely by her. After all, she had already proven herself a true DiMera. Why waste his time when he could be working on something else? Rolf rationalized inwardly, even though he always made sure he knew exactly where Chloe was going and the extent of her activities.
Chloe halted her progression on the last step of the staircase when she noticed Rolf's presence in the foyer. She heaved an inward sigh of annoyance, irritated with Rolf's continuing inquiries about her activities in Salem. She realized that Rolf was keeping tabs on her for her father, so she only told him the bare minimum of her plans, just enough to satisfy him and to keep him from trailing her. She hadn't shared with him her recent meetings on the pier, either, and didn't feel a moment of guilt. So far, her approach had worked, and Rolf had been content to let her go her own way.
"Chloe," Rolf began from the foyer, clearly taking in Chloe's mesmerizing appearance. He cleared his throat in response to her breathtaking beauty and then started again, "You look amazing, Chloe! Are you going out on the town this evening?" He tried to mask his curiosity with an innocent look but failed completely.
Chloe realized what Rolf was doing and hid her annoyance at the man standing in front of her. She stepped down from the last step, laid her sparkling purse on the table by the staircase, and walked nonchalantly over to the closet, where she pulled out a warm black leather jacket. While she was sliding the jacket over her arm, she answered Rolf's question easily, "I'm feeling lonely tonight, Rolf, without Father or Lexie here to keep me company."
"Of course, that's understandable," Rolf responded affirmatively, avidly curious about Chloe's destination for the evening. He placed his hands under his chin, waiting patiently for Chloe to share her plans for the evening with him.
Chloe picked up her small midnight blue purse from a nearby table and placed it gracefully over her shoulder. "I feel like company tonight, so I'm going to that really cool bar Lexie took me to a few times this past month."
"The Blue Note?" Rolf questioned, definitely feeling relieved at Chloe's announcement. He didn't think anything untoward would happen there, in a very public place, so he felt confident in Chloe's decision.
Chloe forced a cheerful grin to her face, hiding her troubling thoughts, and nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's the one, Rolf. I had a really good time there with Lexie and her friend, Brandon Walker. I'm hoping he will be there, to keep me company."
The last of Rolf's apprehension about Chloe's plans for the evening faded, replaced with clearly evident relief. "Excellent, Chloe! Have a delightful time. When do you think you'll come back home?"
Chloe walked to the front door and threw a slanted look over her shoulder, studying Rolf closely before she nodded once, pleased because she realized that he wouldn't be following her. "I should be back relatively early. I'm not planning on staying out all that long." She opened the door and called out in farewell, "Have a good night, Rolf!"
Rolf watched Chloe exit through the doorway, a smile twisting his lips. "I'll call the manager there, Chloe, keep tabs on you that way. He's never adverse to making a few extra bucks." Satisfied with his plan, Rolf headed back into the living room, where he picked up the phone and put the call through to The Blue Note.
