Title: Rendezvous
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Summary: "You should be more careful," Lex told her. "You never know who's watching."
Rendezvous
1/1
There was always something to be found when the subject was Chloe Sullivan; Lex had learned that early on. She was always up to something and unfortunately it usually had to do with putting him out of business. Admittedly, at least to himself, his many business excursions weren't always for what some might classify as the "greater good" but he saw the potential behind them and it was truth he was after, not justice.
He learned quickly to be careful around her. She was always on guard, always had her eyes searching for onlookers. A camera helped, with a special scope so he could see everything clearly. Chloe was a creature of habit; the top of the Daily Planet being her favorite spot to rendezvous with potential sources. He was surprised to see who swung in on a grappling hook, though. Green Arrow, himself, settling down on the roof and walking toward the intrepid reporter as if they knew each other well. He couldn't hear them and reading lips wasn't his talent. But he didn't need words to see where this was going.
The hero in leather circled her as she stood, arms crossed, hip cocked, a look of defiant amusement on her face. The Green Arrow seemed at ease with her, as if he'd done this same routine a million times before. And then his hand was on her shoulder and turning her around swiftly and her hands were raising, arms wrapping around his neck. He didn't shed his glasses or throw back his hood, much to Lex's chagrin. But he did lean down and kiss her, full on and passionate. They stumbled back toward a brick wall and Chloe was lifted up, legs wrapping around her secret beau. Her arms spread out across the wall behind her and the angle of the camera caught the deft way Green Arrow's hands separated her blouse, revealing her creamy torso. Her skirt was pushed up to her hips and he slid between the part of her thighs, pressing against her intimately. Chloe's face wasn't hidden and so the pleasured expressions that crossed her face – fluttering eyes, smirk, flushed cheeks – were all caught on camera.
While he wasn't usually voyeuristic, he stayed watching for the simple reason that the man's face could be revealed. Green Arrow was a long time rival of his and he already had too many, so one less would benefit him greatly. The leather chair he occupied was quite comfortable as he sat in the dim office that was too far for anybody to notice his presence. Which was why Chloe Sullivan didn't flinch as the camera lens caught each of her movements as she leaned in to the Green Arrow's browsing hands. A lot more of her was revealed than Lex ever truly expected to see, not that he was complaining. While she was a pain in his ass on a regular basis, she was also beautiful and intelligent.
Even if he never got the identity of Green Arrow, he had a solid lead and blackmail material to last him a life time. Chloe Sullivan wouldn't be digging up dirt on him anymore; he'd make sure of that.
He watched to the finish, only mildly irritated when no ID was made on the infamous emerald archer. After an intimate farewell, he was off, ropes and grappling hooks keeping him safely out of reach. Picking up his cell phone, Lex dropped the camera down on the desk behind him. He dialed a familiar number and smirked as the other line picked up.
"The Daily Planet, wait for Chloe Sullivan, bring her to me," he said simply before hanging up. Standing up from his chair, he walked out of the room and left the building entirely. He had a chopper waiting to take him back to Smallville when he felt like and preferred the setting of his home when interrogating the likes of the sneaky and curious reporter that would be joining him later. He had a feeling it was going to be a moment to remember.
Three hours later, Lex Luthor was sitting in his private office, holding a tumbler of whisky in one hand and waiting for his guest to arrive. When he heard a ruckus down the hall, he knew he'd be seeing her soon. The double doors were thrown open and two large men dragged the blindfolded blonde in, her arms tied behind her back but her legs doing a pretty good job of bruising their knees as they kicked out erratically.
He turned in his chair, standing up and crossing the room at a leisurely pace. He motioned for them to leave, knowing they'd be standing right outside the doors should he need them. After tugging her blindfold off, he was amused to see her defiant and surly expression. He walked around her, undoing her wrists before he motioned for her to sit down near his desk. She glared at him, rubbing her wrists as she crossed the room. "Always a dramatic invitation, Lex. You couldn't just call and ask me to meet you for coffee?' she asked, lifting a brow.
He shook his head slightly, his lips curling. "You and I both know that you wouldn't show up." He lifted his glass in askance of whether she was thirsty and she shook her head, expression suspicious. "Not unless your curiosity got the best of you."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"
He was silent for a moment, sitting down in his chair and staring at her speculatively. "You just know everybody's secret, don't you?" He shook his head, as if the idea was simply unfathomable. He didn't trust many and so his secrets were kept close. She always found them out though and being the reporter she was, she didn't hesitate to print them. But now there were at least two heroes that she cared about enough not to write a word about; Clark Kent and the Green Arrow. Why they would trust her, he still wondered.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, shaking her head, expression blank.
Instead of dancing around the subject, he made it simple. "Green Arrow."
She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "What about him?"
She was good, he'd give her that. If he didn't have photographic proof, he might even believe her. She could have gone into acting rather than reporting. "You're telling me you don't know him?"
She shrugged, her mouth pursing. "I know a lot of people."
Lex found himself becoming annoyed. "His identity, Chloe," he said gruffly. "I want to know who he is." He stared her down, trying to intimidate her.
She didn't even flinch. Her expression turned mockingly quizzical. "Have you checked the White Pages?"
He sniggered, unamused. "This will all be a lot easier if you just give me a name."
She sighed, leaning forward. "Look Lex, we've done this before. We both know how it ends." She lifted a hand, palm up, and shook her head. "I don't know Green Arrow's identity. He's just another hero."
"Hero," he spat, the many times his warehouses had been blown up and his plans had been destroyed filled his mind. He flipped open the file on his desk, smirking at the colored photos he'd had specially developed two hours prior. "So tell me, is it the green leather that turns you on?" he asked, holding up a photo of the two in lip lock. "You should be more careful," he told her. "You never know who's watching."
He stood, walking around the desk to bring the photo to her and dropping it in her lap. She stared down at it a moment, her fingers wrapping around the edges. While Green Arrow's face was covered, the angle gave a clear view of their lips slanting together and Chloe's face was easily recognizable. There was even a little tongue shown between them and he smirked in triumph.
Her expression hardened instead of falling, like he'd expected. "What can I say? He knew something I needed to know."
"And this is how you get information?" he asked, leaning forward, his eyes tracing her figure. "Should I follow in your footsteps?" His hand reached out, forefinger curling to trace her cheek.
She shuddered, her head pulling back from him. "I wouldn't suggest it." Her tone was acidic; her expression warning him that she wasn't tolerant of his behavior.
Still, he was amused by how defiant she could be in the face of what she was. She knew his power and influence; he could dispose of her within seconds. He chose to ignore the many times he'd had her in his clutches and she'd escaped. There was no Clark Kent or Green Arrow to save her this time, however. "Oh?" he asked, lips curving.
She flicked the picture from her lap, staring up at him with hateful eyes. "It's not as effective as you might think."
"I don't know about that…" He said, lifting a few more photos. Her expression clearly in the throes as the leather covered man thrust into her, hands taking hers and holding them tight against the bricks. His head was bowed, kissing her neck as she tipped her head back, eyes shut tight and mouth open in an obvious cry of pleasure. "Looks like Green Arrow wasn't put off by your affection in the least. In fact…" The last photo showed him caressing her cheek and kissing her forehead. "You look a whole lot closer than just source and reporter."
"Camera angles," she muttered with a lift of her shoulder.
He laughed humorlessly. "It's rather hard to fake screwing up against a wall, don't you think?" He tisked, shaking his head. "Who knew you were such a dirty reporter?"
Chloe scowled, crossing her legs and staying silent. Her jaw tightened in her aggravation and she stared ahead.
"I have all night, Miss Sullivan," he reminded, feeling as though he had the upper hand.
"Funny, Lana had a far less flattering view," she threw at him, smirking.
His expression turned murderous and she turned her eyes away, hoping her fear wasn't palpable.
His hand flew out, striking her across the face. Her lip was torn and blood dribbled down her chin. "I'm a man of little patience, Miss Sullivan. And my temper is flaring with your presence." He leaned back against his desk. "End this now and just give me a name. It's as easy as that. And you can leave, with no more repercussions."
She looked up at him, mouth pursed. "Not. Gonna. Happen."
He sneered. "You never learn."
"Neither do you," she replied, glaring.
He avoided cursing. She was a lot harder to break than he expected; he should've learned by now. "What would it take for you to break your silence?"
Her hard green eyes met his. "The dead don't speak."
While he was surprised, he didn't show it. The implication that she would die for this secret as well was something that still boggled the mind. To die for somebody else… Why? Loyalty? What would that get you in the end? Besides a nice burial and a little respect that would be forgotten in the long run. Her little Green Arrow would appreciate it for a moment and then move on. Just another casualty of war. But his reasoning wouldn't change her mind, he knew that well enough.
"Have it your way," he said, rounding the desk to pull his gun from the desk drawer. Some part of him wondered if he'd really do it while another part of him figured the scare would be enough. She couldn't truly be that loyal, could she? Such strength didn't exist. There was a coward in everyone; he just needed to draw it out of her. "Such a waste, don't you think? All those dreams you have, down the drain."
"Some things are more important," she replied.
"A vigilante who's out to destroy the progression of science?" he asked, jaw tightening.
"To stop a madman from destroying mankind," she corrected, lifting a challenging brow. "Always trying to play God, Lex. Evolution doesn't need your help."
He sighed, tipping his head as he checked the chamber on his gun to make sure it was full. "How sad, up and coming Daily Planet reporter Chloe Sullivan was found dead just outside of her workplace. Another senseless crime. When will we learn?"
"Sadly, I don't think you ever will," she replied, shaking her head. "Luckily, there are a few great men out there just waiting to teach you your lesson." She cocked her brow at him. "When you decide to take the dunce hat off, maybe you'll listen."
He sneered, raising his gun to her forehead. "Any last words? A name perhaps?"
"Robin Hood," she replied through grit teeth.
His jaw flexed and he used his thumb to take the safety of his .45. "I'm sure I'll miss that sense of humor of yours."
"Undoubtedly."
As his forefinger slid against the trigger, the window behind him shattered and the man in question stood on his desk, holding a ready-to-go arrow at his head. "I wouldn't suggest doing that," he told him, his voice deep and gravelly.
Lex weighed his options, keeping the gun trained on Chloe, his eyes turning sideways toward the sharp end of the arrow just centimeters from his temple. "So glad you could join us," he said in greeting. "We were just discussing you."
"Stimulating conversation, I'm sure."
Lex's mouth twitched. No wonder he and Chloe got along so well. "The photos were more stimulating than anything."
While he couldn't see the man's eyes, he was sure they fell to the evidence he was standing on and the copy on the floor by Chloe's feet.
"Sexual offender now, are we Lex? Bit below even you, don't you think?"
"Not my fault your little reporter chooses to trade sexual favors for information."
He felt the arrow come closer to his head and silently swallowed tightly.
The doors opened in the background and the two bumbling guards stumbled in, guns drawn. He felt a breath of relief escape him, but then Chloe was standing and had a gun in either hand that she'd pulled from the straps at her thighs.
"You didn't check her?" Lex half-shouted, blown away by his guard's idiocy.
"Didn't think it was needed," one admitted, looking aggravated by the blonde pointing her gun at him.
She held them a lot steadier than he expected of her and was sure that if he dug a little, he'd find that she'd been practicing at the range lately. You can never be too careful.
"We're going to need those pictures and the negatives," the Green Arrow told him.
"They're all yours," he replied, his tone light.
The Green Arrow bent low, arrow still held steady against him and picked up the folder of pictures. "Negatives?"
"Didn't get them back from Wal-Mart," he replied, sneering.
"Wal-Mart? Because cheap is your middle name," he mocked sarcastically.
"Who's the private photographer you're using?" Chloe queried, her tone harsh, expecting answers.
"Can't remember his name," Lex replied.
"Try," the Green Arrow told him.
"Leave a number; I'll get back to you."
The Green Arrow leapt off the desk, walking around it. Chloe bent low, guns still pointing directly at the guards, one falling as she picked up the last picture. Oliver took it from her hand, adding it to the folder.
"These meetings are getting old," the Green Arrow told him. "I haven't killed you in the past, but come near her again and I won't hesitate."
Lex turned his head, eyes staring straight at the stoic figure before him. There was no cocky grin or confident amusement in his tone. He was deadly serious. "Frankly, I'm tired of these meetings as well. If you'd simply stay out of my business—"
"Impossible," he interrupted. "As long as you keep being a monster to society, I'll keep ruining you." It wasn't a threat, but a promise. "Chloe?"
She nodded shortly, walking around the chair and standing back to back with her lover. They stepped fluidly toward the door and the guards separated, though their guns stayed on them. When she was close enough, however, she used her guns to knock theirs down and then used the butt of her pistols to crack the noses on the two guards, effectively bringing them to their knees.
"Always interesting," Green Arrow said in farewell, before he and Chloe had turned the corner and were running down the hall.
He hurried to the door, gun lifted, but as he turned the corner, they were gone. He chased after them, running down various hallways, only to find they were long gone. An engine could be heard in the distance and he ran to a window to see her climbing on the back, arms wrapping around the Green Arrow's waist as they took off. They were too far away to shoot and he cursed their very existence. Still, he smirked as he walked back to his office, rolling his eyes as it his incompetent henchmen fumbling to get up from the floor, holding their broken noses. He still had the negatives with his private photographer and by Monday, they'd be posted in every tabloid he could call.
It wasn't until the next morning, that he received a call from said photographer to find out he'd been robbed and the negatives were missing. He slammed the phone down, scowling over the fact that Chloe Sullivan had evaded him once more and the identity of Green Arrow was still a mystery. His hands sat in a steeple before him as he reclined at his desk in thought. Whatever it took, he was going to unmask the green hero and take down his reporter lover at the same time. Victory would be his. Soon.
Author's Note: I have another two oneshots in the works. Glad you're enjoying them. Reviews are sustenance, readers! Luv yas - Fina!