Chapter 7:
"It's a certificate," Brady said simply, not sure he could get the rest out, knowing she wouldn't believe it, him hardly believing it himself.
"Of what," Chloe asked, completely clueless. When he remained silent, obviously transfixed on that stupid piece of paper, she pushed on. "Of what, Brady?" She stood from the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped firmly around her.
Still not looking at her, "It's a certificate." Slowly, he brought his weary gaze to hers. "A certificate of marriage." He leaned against the dresser.
"What? But how?"
"We must have driven to the next town and gotten married." He figured as he looked at the legal document signed by some judge he had never heard of.
"No," she stood shocked. "Oh nooo," she cried and fell back onto the bed, face down, burying her face in the pillow and beating the bed with her fists.
Brady didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She looked like the perfect little spoiled brat with her sobbing body shaking the bed and flailing limbs flying haphazardly about. "Chloe," he started, as he went to her, sitting on the bed. "I know this isn't exactly good news."
Her head shot up as she looked at him incredulously. "Isn't good news!? Isn't good news!? It's the [i]worst[/i] news!"
Kinda hurt by her obvious disgust with the situation, he fought back defensively. "Hey, I'm quite a catch dammit! Plenty of women would kill to be in your shoes right now!"
"Ugh," she cried. "As a little girl, I always dreamed that I was going to marry for love but I don't even like you! And now I am married to you!" Her head hit the pillow again as she sobbed.
Brady sat quietly for a long while, listening to her agonizing cries. Soon, her sobs began to die down and he gently touched her shoulder. While she'd laid there crying, he'd had time to think this whole thing over. "Chloe, look at me please." She obliged and her bloodshot eyes made contact with his sympathetic ones. "I'm not thrilled with what we've gotten ourselves into either. Also, not to hurt your feelings or anything, but I'm not too fond of you either. We were obviously drunk and not thinking clearly. For some odd, twisted reason, we turned to each other for comfort and now." He took a deep breath, becoming used to the situation. "Now, we are married."
Chloe sobbed again. "Oh G-d." This was awful.
Brady rolled his eyes. "We just have to deal with it."
"Okay," Chloe sniffled and rubbed her face, swollen and red from her hysterical crying. "No one even has to know about this, right? I mean we can just.we will just.we'll just need a lawyer and have this taken care of. I think I have a number downstairs in my Rolodex." She wiped her face clean with the palm of her hand and sniffed back her runny nose.
"Actually, I was thinking about one way we could deal with this and.ummm." he trailed off.
"Ummm what?" Chloe wasn't sure she liked that look on his face. It was like he was preparing himself to tell her news he knew she wasn't going to like.
"Well, I was thinking." He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair before looking at her dead on. "What if we don't get a divorce?" He smiled. There he said it.
"What!? You're insane! I don't want to be married to [i]you[/i]!"
"Okay, you've made that clear enough!" Brady's brow furrowed in irritation as blew out a frustrated breath. "Man, you are such a-"
"Go ahead. Say it!" She defied him, her eyes flaming brightly with anger.
Brady declined her challenge; knowing he'd say something he'd regret. "Look, here's the thing; for some sick reason, that I'll never understand, you still want Philip."
"How the hell do you know about that?"
"I inquired." He shot her a glare but continued before she could protest. "And well I think if we stay married, you might be able to get back together with him and everything will be as good as new."
"How so?" Chloe frowned.
"Well, being married to me, his very attractive, very sexy yet very intelligent nephew, will make him insanely jealous for a start."
"But Philip already wants me. It's me who's not ready to forgive him."
"Right, right. Well, think of being married to me as a sort of payback for his infidelity."
She sat up, making sure to keep the sheet around her still. Philip was all she'd ever known, so naturally she was afraid to close that chapter of her life, she knew. But part of her knew she would never be able to fully forgive him if she had any respect for herself and that same part could care less if she never saw him again. "I don't know. I mean I'm not even altogether sure I want his sorry ass back anyway."
Brady chuckled. "Okay, okay. Well still, even if you never speak to the guy again, wouldn't it just kill him to see you with me?"
Chloe thought back to that afternoon in the elevators at Basic Black when Philip had seen them in the elevator together. Chloe found herself smiling. He was clearly jealous, though there had been no reason to be. There was nothing going on between her and Brady then and there never would be. "Okay, but what's in it for you?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Ah, you're smarter than I thought." He lightly flicked her nose and she roughly slapped his hand away. "Well, see my father and his clients supposedly have a problem with me being 'too single.' They want a more domesticated handler and I'm just way too wild for them." He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
Chloe giggled. "Oh, yeah," she cooed. "You're a real tiger." She jokingly ran a finger along the front of his shirt.
Suddenly, the air became thick with tension as Brady stared intensely at her, the path she'd traced with her finger and then back at her again. Chloe's thoughts betrayed her, as she thought of what kind of night they must have had together. She looked away, blushing.
Brady cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I'm not suburban enough for many of the Salem clients. In this business, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the people you date, whether you do date or not.well it matters to these people for some insane reason."
If he said 'for some insane reason' one more time, Chloe thought to might kill him right then and there. "Spit it out, Brady." She was growing impatient, knowing full well he had something to tell her.
"My father told a client of ours that I was engaged to be married."
"What?" Chloe giggled.
"He specifically said I'm engaged to a lovely girl and we're planning a wedding for next June."
"John said that? Aw.that's a hoot." She broke into a fit of laughter.
"I'm glad you find that so f&cking hilarious," Brady frowned at her. "I mean can you imagine me married?"
Chloe grew serious, looking at him intently. "Yes," she said simply and couldn't help the goofy grin that appeared on her face.
They were staring at each other again and this time Brady decided to break the spell. "Yeah? Well, I can't." His smile faded.
"How will being married to me change anything?"
"Well, Basic Black's Salem office has been floundering recently, losing ground to Titan. Ironically enough, you and good ol' Uncle Phil being engaged may have had something to do with that. But well, I think if [i]I[/i]was married, I'd be able to attract more potential clients."
"What would [i]I[/i] have to do?"
"Go to business dinners with me, make the rounds at parties. Stuff like that."
"Hmm." Chloe considered this a moment. What did she have to lose that she hadn't lost already? And Brady wasn't all that bad once you got past his jerkiness, cockiness and brazen attitude. This might even be a little fun and here they could both gain something in return. Brady'd get his father's business back on its feet and she'd be able to show Philip what he threw away the minute he touched Cynthia. "You have a deal Mr. Black. Care to shake on it?" She extended her hand.
Brady let out a pent up breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Relieved, he flashed his infamous lopsided grin and took her hand in his. "There's nothing I'd rather do.Mrs. Black."
"Ugh, okay rule number one, Brady: You do not call me Mrs. Black at home. I'll only allow it in public places."
"Deal." He chuckled. He looked at the clock on her nightstand. "Hey, according to your clock, it's three in the afternoon. We must have slept all morning. Good thing it's Saturday."
"Well, we had a rough night," Chloe reasoned, smiling in spite of herself.
The comment did not go unnoticed by Brady who laughed lightly. "So I was thinking we could shower and get out of here, tell our parents the big news. We have quite a day ahead of us."
Chloe groaned. "Oh, no, my mother is gonna hit the roof." She got up and walked to the bathroom, holding her forehead in her hands, the sheet still wrapped firmly around her.
"She'll be fine." Brady followed her close behind. Granted, he'd never met Chloe's mother but how bad could she be?
She turned around to see him right behind her. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I thought we were going to take a shower."
"Not together!" She shouted and slapped his chest. "Ugh," she shuddered at the thought.
"I was kidding, Chloe." He laughed and sat back down on the bed as she closed the door to the bathroom. "I give you 72 hours, Chloe," He yelled through the door. "You won't be able to keep your hands off me!"
"In your dreams, Black!" She yelled over the roaring water from the shower.
"In yours HoneyPoo!"
"Rule number two: Never call me that again!"
"Okay, okay," he chuckled and went about cleaning up the mess they'd made of Chloe's room. "She's such a diva."
"It's a certificate," Brady said simply, not sure he could get the rest out, knowing she wouldn't believe it, him hardly believing it himself.
"Of what," Chloe asked, completely clueless. When he remained silent, obviously transfixed on that stupid piece of paper, she pushed on. "Of what, Brady?" She stood from the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped firmly around her.
Still not looking at her, "It's a certificate." Slowly, he brought his weary gaze to hers. "A certificate of marriage." He leaned against the dresser.
"What? But how?"
"We must have driven to the next town and gotten married." He figured as he looked at the legal document signed by some judge he had never heard of.
"No," she stood shocked. "Oh nooo," she cried and fell back onto the bed, face down, burying her face in the pillow and beating the bed with her fists.
Brady didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She looked like the perfect little spoiled brat with her sobbing body shaking the bed and flailing limbs flying haphazardly about. "Chloe," he started, as he went to her, sitting on the bed. "I know this isn't exactly good news."
Her head shot up as she looked at him incredulously. "Isn't good news!? Isn't good news!? It's the [i]worst[/i] news!"
Kinda hurt by her obvious disgust with the situation, he fought back defensively. "Hey, I'm quite a catch dammit! Plenty of women would kill to be in your shoes right now!"
"Ugh," she cried. "As a little girl, I always dreamed that I was going to marry for love but I don't even like you! And now I am married to you!" Her head hit the pillow again as she sobbed.
Brady sat quietly for a long while, listening to her agonizing cries. Soon, her sobs began to die down and he gently touched her shoulder. While she'd laid there crying, he'd had time to think this whole thing over. "Chloe, look at me please." She obliged and her bloodshot eyes made contact with his sympathetic ones. "I'm not thrilled with what we've gotten ourselves into either. Also, not to hurt your feelings or anything, but I'm not too fond of you either. We were obviously drunk and not thinking clearly. For some odd, twisted reason, we turned to each other for comfort and now." He took a deep breath, becoming used to the situation. "Now, we are married."
Chloe sobbed again. "Oh G-d." This was awful.
Brady rolled his eyes. "We just have to deal with it."
"Okay," Chloe sniffled and rubbed her face, swollen and red from her hysterical crying. "No one even has to know about this, right? I mean we can just.we will just.we'll just need a lawyer and have this taken care of. I think I have a number downstairs in my Rolodex." She wiped her face clean with the palm of her hand and sniffed back her runny nose.
"Actually, I was thinking about one way we could deal with this and.ummm." he trailed off.
"Ummm what?" Chloe wasn't sure she liked that look on his face. It was like he was preparing himself to tell her news he knew she wasn't going to like.
"Well, I was thinking." He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair before looking at her dead on. "What if we don't get a divorce?" He smiled. There he said it.
"What!? You're insane! I don't want to be married to [i]you[/i]!"
"Okay, you've made that clear enough!" Brady's brow furrowed in irritation as blew out a frustrated breath. "Man, you are such a-"
"Go ahead. Say it!" She defied him, her eyes flaming brightly with anger.
Brady declined her challenge; knowing he'd say something he'd regret. "Look, here's the thing; for some sick reason, that I'll never understand, you still want Philip."
"How the hell do you know about that?"
"I inquired." He shot her a glare but continued before she could protest. "And well I think if we stay married, you might be able to get back together with him and everything will be as good as new."
"How so?" Chloe frowned.
"Well, being married to me, his very attractive, very sexy yet very intelligent nephew, will make him insanely jealous for a start."
"But Philip already wants me. It's me who's not ready to forgive him."
"Right, right. Well, think of being married to me as a sort of payback for his infidelity."
She sat up, making sure to keep the sheet around her still. Philip was all she'd ever known, so naturally she was afraid to close that chapter of her life, she knew. But part of her knew she would never be able to fully forgive him if she had any respect for herself and that same part could care less if she never saw him again. "I don't know. I mean I'm not even altogether sure I want his sorry ass back anyway."
Brady chuckled. "Okay, okay. Well still, even if you never speak to the guy again, wouldn't it just kill him to see you with me?"
Chloe thought back to that afternoon in the elevators at Basic Black when Philip had seen them in the elevator together. Chloe found herself smiling. He was clearly jealous, though there had been no reason to be. There was nothing going on between her and Brady then and there never would be. "Okay, but what's in it for you?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Ah, you're smarter than I thought." He lightly flicked her nose and she roughly slapped his hand away. "Well, see my father and his clients supposedly have a problem with me being 'too single.' They want a more domesticated handler and I'm just way too wild for them." He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
Chloe giggled. "Oh, yeah," she cooed. "You're a real tiger." She jokingly ran a finger along the front of his shirt.
Suddenly, the air became thick with tension as Brady stared intensely at her, the path she'd traced with her finger and then back at her again. Chloe's thoughts betrayed her, as she thought of what kind of night they must have had together. She looked away, blushing.
Brady cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I'm not suburban enough for many of the Salem clients. In this business, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the people you date, whether you do date or not.well it matters to these people for some insane reason."
If he said 'for some insane reason' one more time, Chloe thought to might kill him right then and there. "Spit it out, Brady." She was growing impatient, knowing full well he had something to tell her.
"My father told a client of ours that I was engaged to be married."
"What?" Chloe giggled.
"He specifically said I'm engaged to a lovely girl and we're planning a wedding for next June."
"John said that? Aw.that's a hoot." She broke into a fit of laughter.
"I'm glad you find that so f&cking hilarious," Brady frowned at her. "I mean can you imagine me married?"
Chloe grew serious, looking at him intently. "Yes," she said simply and couldn't help the goofy grin that appeared on her face.
They were staring at each other again and this time Brady decided to break the spell. "Yeah? Well, I can't." His smile faded.
"How will being married to me change anything?"
"Well, Basic Black's Salem office has been floundering recently, losing ground to Titan. Ironically enough, you and good ol' Uncle Phil being engaged may have had something to do with that. But well, I think if [i]I[/i]was married, I'd be able to attract more potential clients."
"What would [i]I[/i] have to do?"
"Go to business dinners with me, make the rounds at parties. Stuff like that."
"Hmm." Chloe considered this a moment. What did she have to lose that she hadn't lost already? And Brady wasn't all that bad once you got past his jerkiness, cockiness and brazen attitude. This might even be a little fun and here they could both gain something in return. Brady'd get his father's business back on its feet and she'd be able to show Philip what he threw away the minute he touched Cynthia. "You have a deal Mr. Black. Care to shake on it?" She extended her hand.
Brady let out a pent up breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Relieved, he flashed his infamous lopsided grin and took her hand in his. "There's nothing I'd rather do.Mrs. Black."
"Ugh, okay rule number one, Brady: You do not call me Mrs. Black at home. I'll only allow it in public places."
"Deal." He chuckled. He looked at the clock on her nightstand. "Hey, according to your clock, it's three in the afternoon. We must have slept all morning. Good thing it's Saturday."
"Well, we had a rough night," Chloe reasoned, smiling in spite of herself.
The comment did not go unnoticed by Brady who laughed lightly. "So I was thinking we could shower and get out of here, tell our parents the big news. We have quite a day ahead of us."
Chloe groaned. "Oh, no, my mother is gonna hit the roof." She got up and walked to the bathroom, holding her forehead in her hands, the sheet still wrapped firmly around her.
"She'll be fine." Brady followed her close behind. Granted, he'd never met Chloe's mother but how bad could she be?
She turned around to see him right behind her. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I thought we were going to take a shower."
"Not together!" She shouted and slapped his chest. "Ugh," she shuddered at the thought.
"I was kidding, Chloe." He laughed and sat back down on the bed as she closed the door to the bathroom. "I give you 72 hours, Chloe," He yelled through the door. "You won't be able to keep your hands off me!"
"In your dreams, Black!" She yelled over the roaring water from the shower.
"In yours HoneyPoo!"
"Rule number two: Never call me that again!"
"Okay, okay," he chuckled and went about cleaning up the mess they'd made of Chloe's room. "She's such a diva."