Chapter Eight
Rock Steady
A week had passed since the infamous dinner party hit Salem and Stefano Dimera had marked his return. Everyone had been shocked once they'd learned of his rebirth from the dead and his new arrival in Salem. Frankly, he had shaken the world with his return, everywhere people were keeping their families in check and in distance. Everyone, that is, with the exception of Chloe, Philip, and Mimi. They were all hard at work ensuring they found out who'd been extorting money from Titan. So far all their efforts had pointed them in one direction ... Brady Black.
"Philip, I honestly cannot believe that Brady would steal money from Titan. I mean, what reason could he possibly have? It's not as if he isn't already rich. He has money coming from Basic Black and he does extremely well in the stock markets. It doesn't make any sense." Chloe said leaning over Philip's shoulder looking at the paperwork before him. "It's too easy for a solution."
Philip agreed with Chloe on that point. It was simply too easy for Brady to be the thief. Besides that he would never leave such obvious evidence of his crime. No he'd be sneakier and cover all the bases. Something was clearly going there. Someone was trying very hard to point the finger at Brady. "Well Chloe, while I'm not saying I agree with you. I do think this is way too neat." He looked up at her as she moved from behind his chair. "I mean Brady would never leave such obvious clues as this with the money, the accounts ... there's no way he would leave a trial like that leading straight back to him."
Chloe nodded in agreement as she started to pace in front of the desk. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing." She stopped pacing to look at him.
"What do you mean nothing?" She asked questioningly.
Philip rose from his chair and circled his desk. "I mean we should just forget about this for tonight and go out and have a some fun. We could go dancing or something?"
"Go dancing?" She parroted again once again.
"Yeah you know on the dance floor moving back and forth to music. You know that thing we used to do at those old - damn there's that word again - dance."
"I know what dancing is Philip. I just wondered why you want to go out when we're in the middle of an investigation. Don't you want to look over some more accounts." She questioned gesturing to the desk of unopened files.
"It can wait. Since Lily is staying with Lexie and Brandon tonight I don't see why we can't go out and have some fun. Besides, I have something I want to show you. So come on say yes." He asked her as she looked hesitantly at him. "Look if you don't want to go out we can stay here and bury ourselves in more files." He added as he started to return to his desk walking slowly as if he was headed to the guillotine.
Chloe grabbed his arm. "That's not it. I was just trying to decide what I should wear." She told him smiling brilliantly.
Philip returned her smile with one of his own dimpled smiles. "Wear anything you want but make sure you can dance in it. So an hour and then we'll go?"
"Sure I'll be back in an hour." She said leaving the office to go get changed.
Meanwhile on another side of town Mimi was just arriving in her condo. Unlocking the door she pushed in the security codes before continuing down the darkened hallway. She put her purse in a chair as she started to rifle through her mail.
"It's all junk mail, nothing good, I already," a voice called out from across the darken living room.
Mimi jerked up automatically reaching for her gun in her purse as she turned her on light. She was surprised to see Brady lounging in a chair in the living room in front of her large floor to ceiling windows. "Jesus Brady! What are you doing here?" She put her gun down and stuffed it into the back of her pants.
"I've been waiting for you." Brady stood up and walked over to her. He clearly hadn't come from work like she did. He was dressed in a pair of pants and a black turtleneck.
"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here. If I recall correctly the two of us aren't exactly on speaking terms."
"Well, I still have a key. And I still remember you're security codes. By the way, you might want to think of changing those." He said taking a seat by her purse.
"Trust me that's the first thing on my to do list for me tomorrow. Now back to my original question. What are you doing here?" She asked standing across the room from him.
Brady didn't answer at first, he just watched her. She changed a lot from the woman he'd once been with. He owed her a lot, but first and foremost he owed her an apology. "I'm here to apologize. I've done a lot of thinking since that night and I wanted you to know that I don't blame you for the death of our child. I know that the miscarriage wasn't your fault. I know that you would have done everything in your power to keep our baby if you could have." Mimi nodded and started to interrupt him. "Wait let me finish. I also had another incentive to come here tonight ... Mimi I had to know if the true reason you're helping Philip is to punish me for my part in our baby's death?"
Chloe and Philip were going to club to go dancing or at least that was the plan. She had dressed accordingly wearing a short dark blue dress and a pair of matching blue-heeled sandals. Philip matched her outfit as if they were somehow in sync with their moods and wore a dark blue causal suit. While he went to pick up some drinks for them, she surveyed the area around her. The nightclub seemed to be very popular; it was called Blue Ice.
Philip arrived back at the table with two drinks in hand. He placed them both on the tabletop and sat down on the stool. "Here we go."
"Thanks," She sipped her white wine. "So how did you hear about this place?" She asked as she watched him take the lime of his glass of gin and tonic and suck it.
"I have an in of sorts with the owner. He's a friend from college."
"A friend of yours from Harvard owns a nightclub? Somehow I find that hard to believe."
"Yeah well he actually went to Columbia with me. He owns a chain of clubs around the country. I have a share in the club sort of like a silent partner." He shrugged and downed his G and T.
Chloe was surprised. "After all this time I'm still learning new things about you. Back in high school I thought I knew everything about you. But, I'm still learning new things about you everyday and that surprises me. It's know wonder Victor was so proud of you ... you've accomplished a lot for yourself and you've done it without using your status as Victor Kiriakis' son do to it." She said earnestly as Philip started to get up it was clear he wasn't comfortable getting complimented like that.
"Come on let's dance." He suggested wanting to get Chloe to stop talking about him like she was. It made him feel flustered, nervous even for her to see that other of himself that he'd closely guarded for years.
"Let's not and say we did." Chloe added wanting to stay seated and get to know more of this Philip.
"Aww, come on Chloe don't be such a party pooper we can talk later," Philip said leaning across the table. She shook her head no, smiling all the while. "Fine, then I'll just dance by myself." Philip said as he goofily started to dance. He waved his arms in the air exaggeratedly and making faces to the music, basically making a fool of himself.
"You're crazy, you know." Chloe said laughingly.
"Yes, but I bet that you want to get crazy with me." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Come on Chloe be crazy with me." He asked this holding out his hand for hers.
Chloe smiled as she took his hand and allowed him to pull her out of her seat. They made their way to the dance floor while "Kiss, Kiss" by Stella Soliel was playing. Then the DJ came on. "Alright we're going to slow this down for a bit with some old school jams." No Ordinary Love's seductive beats came on.
Chloe looked around at the other couples on the dance floor. Returning her gaze to Philip's she slowly slipped her arms around his neck as his slid around her waist and they began to sway to the seductive song. Leaning in closer to him she laid her head on Philip's shoulder breathing in his natural masculine scent.
Philip slipped his arms around Chloe's waist and pulled her securely into his arms. As they glided across the dance floor he was taken into another time when they had danced like this. The first time they danced together to another song that now represented their past and this song ... it would be their future.
Listening to the words of the song Chloe thought about all the people who'd told her a love like hers with Philip would never last. From Belle and Brady to even her own mother had told her that love would never last. Everyone had told her she would get over their love and find someone else because what she and Philip shared was nothing more than puppy love. But, it wasn't ever a simply case of puppy love. No it had always been more than that. And Philip had always been the one to tell her that their love would last a lifetime. Even when there relationship had been in shambles he kept the faith. However, somewhere along the past fifteen years Philip had lost that faith in them. It was right there in Philip's arms that she made the promise to herself that she would do whatever it took to prove to Philip that their love was ever lasting.
Philip held Chloe in his arms thinking about their relationship when they had been younger. He had given Chloe his heart, his love. He had opened himself to her in a way that he had never done before. And in return he had been the one left with nothing. Chloe had taken all of his love for her and left. When it had happened before it had left a whole inside him so deep he'd never thought he would be able to give his love freely to anyone again. Now, he'd lost his heart again but this time things would be different, he vowed. Because this time he would regain his heart and hers as well.
As the seductive beats of the song moved Chloe realized that this just wasn't another song someone had picked out. It was a remainder that her relationship with Philip had never been ordinary. It was a special, enchanted love that only happens once in a lifetime.
Philip spun Chloe around him slowly with the music. This song was perfect for them. It was about the trials and tribulation of their love. Everything that made their love extraordinary and unforgettable. It was no ordinary love. Philip thought to himself as he spun Chloe back around. But, this time instead of leaning into him she stared straight in his eyes; they were as warm and excited as his were.
No ordinary love ... As their eyes connected he slowly bent Chloe backward in a sweeping motion. Never once did their eyes leave one another. It was as if they knew what each other had been thinking like somehow their thoughts were connected. As Philip brought Chloe back to his body, her hands slid up from his shoulders to cup his face.
Her hands moved up to brush a fallen strand of hair of his forehead. His hand came up and took her away as he slowly eased down and she leaned up and their lips connected.
There in the middle of the dance they stood embraced. They kissed tentatively at first as if they knew they were in public, their lips barely touching. But seconds later they were in full contact as the pent-up sexual tension and passion they'd held back for one another for years was unleashed. The question was where would it lead?
Meanwhile, Mimi was surprised that Brady would even think she would do something like that. Moving to look out at the moonlit sky from her patio she thought about it. "Of course not Brady." She turned and looked at him, "What happened between us and my relationship with you are two entirely different issues. I care too much about my work to let my personal issues with you or anyone interfere."
Brady nodded. "I know that but I just had to be sure." Looking at Mimi he could tell that it would probably be best if he just left. He rose to his feet. "Look, Meems, I think that I have done enough for one day so I'm just going to leave." As he headed down the long hallway, Mimi stopped him by grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving.
"Brady do you regret that night? Do you regret having slept with me?" She sputtered fast before she could rethink it. She held her breath waiting for his answer. She knew deep down that she shouldn't have asked. But, she had to know.
"No, I don't regret that Mimi. I never could. We were best friends and that night I needed more than a friend and you were there for me. The only thing I regret is being the cause of us losing the baby. I should never have let you drive out into that storm ... I've lived with that one regret since. My time with you before the crash is something so precious and dear with me I could never think it otherwise. Never." He answered honestly believing what he told her. So many years had passed and even a renewed relationship with Chloe that failed would never make him regret the one time he had been with Mimi.
"I feel the same, I guess you and I are more a like than I thought. One more thing Brady," he remained solemn. "Have you been stealing from Titan?" Even as she asked she knew that there was no way Brady would steal from his grandfather. But, he had to have some explanation for all the paper trials left.
"Mimi I don't know what tricks Philip is pulling. But, I have not now or ever stole anything from Titan. I don't have any need to. I make enough money on my own. Besides, that I would never do something like that to Victor. My God he was my grandfather how you think I would do something like that?" Although he had known he would be Philip's my number one suspect he had thought that at least Chloe and Mimi would know he was innocent.
"Relax, Brady I didn't think you had. And for your information Philip hasn't done a thing. All the evidence points to you. There was a long paper trial that all leads straight back to you." Mimi explained to him.
"Look I don't know who would frame me for something like that. But, I promise you I'll find out and personally hand him over to Philip and Stefano." And with that Brady left her condo slamming the door in his wake.
Mimi sighed. "Great Meems, just what you need another overbearing, hotheaded Kiriakis male looking for blood. I'll just have to find the culprit before either Brady or Philip does." She pulled her gun out her pants and carried to the cabinet she held at before picking up a box of files and heading into her office to get a closer look. It was going to be a long night.
On the other side of town in the Kiriakis Mansion a pair of lovers were on their way into a bedroom to spend the night feasting on each others bodies.
Philip had carried Chloe all the way the stairs and into his bedroom. As soon as he entered the room he placed her on her feet and attacked her neck. He was slowly working his way up her neck as he kicked the bedroom door shut. "Chloe are you sure you want this?" He said taking a brief reprieve from her neck to push her hair away from his face.
She didn't hesitate in answering. "I'm absolutely positive, I want this, and I want you now and forever." She said before pulling him to her as they back on the bed together and their desire for one another took over.
Tell me what you think.
Author's Note: As of 4/29/05 I have taken out the lyrics to the song No Ordinary Love by Sade, as per the request of the management. So please take note if you wish to see the chapter in it's entirety with the lyrics please check my website.