Disclaimer: I disclaim J
AN: First off I forgot to mention that I changed the restaurant in Chapter 3 from Penthouse Grill to Tuscany, so there wasn't a typo or anything, but if you were confused that's why. Second, thank you everyone so much for the kind feedback. It really means the world to me. And now, onto Chapter 4. Enjoy!
All right, let's go over the facts. Do I really have to say that it's Mimi? Well it is. Hi! Okay, right, facts. My mother always said if I hadn't gone into fashion I would have been a reporter. What do they call that? Gift for gab? I'm guessing that's the gossip queen in me. Not that this is about gossip. This is about me. Me and Brady. Me and Brady. Sorry I just had to repeat that! Back on topic. What was the topic? Right. Facts. Me. Brady. That's three topics. Oh well, they all tie in together: The Facts about Me and Brady. See?
Anyway, Fact #1: Our 'date' was nothing more than a desperate attempt by Belle to set up her ladies man of a brother (did I ever mention Brady was a ladies man? Well he is.) with her lonely friend.
Fact #2: Brady and I enjoyed ourselves, despite that's he's my boss, we had no dinner, and my sprained ankle.
Fact #3: Brady kissed me. Granted, not on the lips, but darn close enough.
Fact#4: I think I'm falling for him…
"Hello, Isabella Black—soon to be Brady—speaking," Belle's cheery voice answered.
"You," accused Mimi, "are so dead."
"Hi Meems," Belle laughed.
"Why did you set me up with your brother?" Mimi paused. "What did you say about soon to be Brady?"
"He did it Mimi!" Belle squealed so loud Mimi had to lift the receiver away from her ear for fear of going deaf. "Shawn finally asked me to marry him."
"Okay, we'll put me killing you aside—for now," Mimi said. "How did it happen? When? Details Belle!"
"Calm down," she giggled. "He made me an adorable picnic out by Lookout Point. There were strawberries and champagne, so romantic!" Belle gushed.
"C'mon get to the good part," Mimi urged.
"Well, he went to pour the champagne, but when he handed me the glass there was this beautiful ring at the bottom. And then…well…I started crying, he got down on one knee…" Belle trailed off with a happy sigh.
"Oh Belle, sweetie!" Mimi exclaimed. "Congratulations! Wow…both of us with a marriage proposal in one night."
"What?" Belle's question exploded with curiosity as Mimi winced at her own stupidity.
"Nothing," Mimi said in a quick rush.
"I don't think so Mimi. Spill," she demanded.
"Big misunderstanding with hilarious consequences," was her vague answer.
"Meems," Belle almost whined. "You have to tell me what happened tonight."
"I don't know if there even is anything to tell," Mimi frowned.
"So I left you and my brother to your own devices and…nothing?" she asked.
"Not nothing. Just not…well…anything," Mimi stopped, then added hopefully, "I sprained my ankle."
"So that's it?" Belle inquired with disappointment. Her plan to get her brother together with Mimi had backfired—major.
"Well he carried me out of Tuscany, because of the sprained ankle. Which by the way was a direct result of shock after I realised that I was on a date with Brady Black, himself. Fell right out of my chair," Mimi grumbled, although her lips still had a ghost of a smile at the thought of Brady running his fingers down her leg.
"That's it?" Belle asked again.
"And he kissed me," Mimi smiled.
"Miriam Anne Lockhart!" Belle scolded. "Kissing is not nothing!"
"Exactly. Not nothing," Mimi smirked.
"Well it's not, 'not anything' either," she pointed out.
"Fine," Mimi huffed with a grin.
"So…" Belle pried.
"So…" Mimi echoed.
"Get to the kiss," Belle said, excitedly.
"It's not what you think. It was even on the lips. Cheek," Mimi made a sound that resembled a groan. "And I mean, Brady's kissed me before—"
"What?" Belle screeched.
"In a friendly, strictly platonic, peck on the cheek kind of way," Mimi explained and continued. "He's kissed me before…just not like this," Mimi sighed for the second, third, or was it fourth? time tonight.
"Not like this, huh?" the corners of Belle's mouth turned up into a grin.
"No…" Mimi struggled with the simple word.
"Was that a question or an answer?" Belle asked.
"I don't know," Mimi responded with a shrug, although her friend could not see her. "Don't think you're off the hook with this whole Mimi murders Belle plan," she growled.
"Meems…are you seriously mad a me?"
"No," she admitted.
"I figured as much. Belle Black or actually Brady," she corrected herself. "Matchmaker at your service."
"I wouldn't go that far…" Mimi grunted.
"What do you—" Belle stopped her sentence at the tiny beep of her call waiting. "Just a second the other line is beeping."
"Sure," Mimi cradled the receiver between her shoulder and ear, trying to paint her nails with one of her free hands.
"Hello?" Belle answered, pressing the small button.
"Hey Tink," Brady greeted her with her childhood nickname.
"Hi Brady," she beamed. "What you up to?"
"Just stepped out of the shower," he readjusted, the terrycloth towel that hung loosely around his well-toned hips.
"Oh," Belle responded. "Can you hang on a minute?"
"No problem," he said, wiping water droplets from his face.
"Mimi?" Belle clicked back to her friend.
"Yeah?" Mimi answered, blowing lightly on her nails.
"It's Brady," she told her.
"Oh boy," Mimi went pale. "Just…umm…let me know how it goes. Okay?" she stammered.
"Sure," Belle said. "See you at work tomorrow.
"With the way we've been talking tonight, you'd think it would be 'see you at school tomorrow'," Mimi laughed.
"Yeah," Belle agreed.
"Night Belle and congratulations again," Mimi yawned.
"Thanks. Good night Meems," Belle connected back to her brother. "Brady?"
"Yep," he replied.
"Sorry about that. I had somebody on the other line," Belle informed him.
"Oh really? Who?" Brady inquired.
"Oh I don't know," she stated smugly. "Someone you might have kissed tonight."
Brady blushed at the seemingly innocent comment. He wasn't one to get embarrassed easily, but when those rare moments did occur, Brady's face would turn beet red and he would fumble around with his words. Or better yet, as was the case now, he would be at a loss for words all together.
"Brady?" Belle questioned as the line went silent. She heard a the faint noise of somebody clearing their throat. "Braid?"
"Yeah…" his voice almost meek.
"Anything you want to tell me?" Belle urged him on.
"If anything you have some explaining to do," Brady countered regaining the control of his vocal chords.
"About what?" she played her innocent card.
"You know what Izzy," he remarked.
"Oh you mean that whole you and Mimi date thing…" Belle said.
"Yeah, that," Brady muttered.
"It's just…" Belle sighed. "Brady, please don't take this the wrong way, but you keep bouncing from relationship to relationship…"
"Isabella, my love life is personal," he reminded her.
"I know, I know," she repeated.
"Do you?" Brady challenged. He wasn't in any way mad at his sister, but found himself growing increasingly angry with himself. Perhaps because Belle had gotten it right. She'd seen through the playboy façade and decided that macho man or not Brady had needed some romance in his life for once.
"Brady Victor Black, if I did something horribly wrong, come out and tell me. Otherwise, I don't need you lecturing me like I'm a little child. Okay?" Belle instructed.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Just you setting me up with Mimi, of all people, came as a bit of a surprise," he told her.
"What's wrong with Mimi?" Belle argued.
"What? Nothing. Nothing is wrong with Mimi," Brady said. "In fact, I think that's the problem."
"Okay, slow down. I am really confused," Belle knit her eyebrows together, trying to fit the pieces together of the puzzle that Mimi and Brady had made.
"Look, I know it was just some stupid set up done as a favour to us or whatever goes on in the twisted little mind of yours," Brady grinned. "But I had an amazing time tonight."
"Really?" Belle couldn't help but smile.
"Yes really Belle. The thing is…it's just too weird," Brady exhaled.
"What's weird? That you enjoyed yourself, or that you enjoyed yourself with Mimi?" she questioned.
"The latter," Brady groaned. "At dinner Mimi mentioned something about me being her boss and…you know how I feel about dating in the workplace."
"Oh, you mean that only models classify for that position?" Belle inquired, hotly.
"Belle," he pleaded. "Hear me out please."
"Okay," she conceded, although Mr. Black was known around the office for having the latest cover model acting as his arm candy.
"She just got me thinking to how well her and I know each other. It was strange. At the end of the night…I started feeling things that I should definitely not be feeling for my sister's best friend."
"Like what?" Belle strained to think of what her brother was getting at.
"Obviously she told you about the kiss," Brady raked his hair back with his fingers.
"Yeah. She said it was different than all the other times, but she didn't know how," Belle rattled off the information.
"For me too. I really don't know what to feel about all this," Brady moaned. "Right now, I think it's best just for you not to push us together."
"Sure," Belle nodded, still confused as to whether she had created a problem or a solution to Mimi and Brady's love lives.
"Sorry to call you up and bother you about nothing Izzy," he breathed.
"Hey, that's what sisters are there for right?" Belle laughed.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Goodnight Belle."
"Night Brady. Love you," she told him.
"Love you too," Brady hung up the phone and collapsed backwards onto the leather sofa. "Black, what have you got yourself into?"