Hello everyone, thank you for the feedback, I hope you all like the update.
Linda
***
20th June
Clark pulled the truck out of the farm driveway onto the road to Smallville and began to hum happily along with the music. Since the morning four days ago when he'd told Lois they were only going to see each other while she was in Smallville, he'd tried to think of how to get her agreement without starting an argument. If that was what it came down to then he was ready for it, but he didn't want to go down that path unless his back was against the wall, and he had no other options. He could easily think of two scenarios that could result from the fallout of a shouting match, neither of which would put him in a good mood. The first was that Lois would crack the shits and refuse to give him sex, and the second was that she'd ask someone out just to piss him off.
Knowing that you caught more flies with honey than vinegar, he figured it was time to turn on the charm, and while he was at it, also put a stop to the 'just sex' rule that she'd put into place. A deep and meaningful relationship wasn't on his agenda, and he didn't intend to give her the impression that it was just to get what he wanted, but he wasn't averse to them becoming friends if it resulted in Lois seeing him as more than just her fuck buddy. He could take that, it was her indifference to him after they were done that he was going to put a stop to. As he had no intention of accepting defeat on any score, he'd tried to think of how to achieve his goal without turning it into a big deal, and the answer had come to him out of the blue 30 minutes ago while doing farm chores.
Firstly, he had to get Lois out to the farm. Secondly, wine and dine her, and thirdly, pull out all the stops in the bedroom until she was purring. That was only the first part of his plan, but it was also the most important. If he could achieve that, the rest would be easy.
He hadn't brought up the idea of Lois coming out to the farm before now because it simply hadn't occurred to him, neither had she taken any opportunity to even drop by for a visit. Since Lois appeared quite content with the status quo of their liaison, he thought it likely she was hoping to keep their association on neutral ground, thereby reducing the familiarity of the intimacy they shared. Well he was putting a stop to that as well. So getting her to the farm was going to be the hard part, but he was pretty confident that he'd found a way around that little problem.
Lois must have forgotten that he knew a few pertinent facts about her. One was that food had always been one of her pleasures, and the other was that she used to enjoy bossing him around. So offering her a home cooked meal made by yours truly, would be almost impossible for her to resist. A nice meal, followed by necking, which led to heavy petting then hours of intimacy, should hopefully wear her out enough that when he promised a full cooked breakfast on the morrow, she'd agree to stay the night.
He'd call her about 3pm, just a casual phone call; or even better a hurried call where he didn't have time to talk, but did have time to throw in the promise of dinner if she could just see her way clear to coming to the farm. And just to ensure that she didn't have the option of saying no, he'd quickly say 'great see you at six' then hang up, and turn of his phone so she couldn't call back later to cancel.
Actually, forget that, he had an even better and fail safe plan. He could call; pretend to sound urgently harassed and worried. One of the animals was hurt or sick and he didn't want to leave it in case anything happened. If that didn't arouse the feminine sympathy in Lois' heart, then he didn't know the first thing about women. Of course if he went with that idea, then he'd either have to find a hurt or sick animal, or just pretend the crisis was past when she arrived. Ah well he'd figure out the minor details later, but he was going to get her to the farm by hook or by crook.
As Lois had pointed out, they were both old enough to understand you didn't have to care about someone to jump into bed with them. However, by the same coin, they were also old enough to appreciate that what they did was their business. Right now no one knew about their liaison, it had been kept quiet simply because they only saw each other in the morning and at night, but it was way past time they came out of the closet so to speak. Since taking her to dinner at the Talon he'd received a few arch and playful queries on his intentions which he'd managed to brush off with a quip and smile, but as he'd decided they were only going to be seeing each other, then keeping their association under wraps was self defeating.
Not having a relationship was one thing, but he wanted more than sex, and since Lois wasn't inclined to give it, then he was going to have to coax it out of her. His plan of campaign was simple. Get her to sleep at the farm tonight then simply make it routine for them to sleep together every night, which would lead to them sharing time and companionship out of bed during the day; which in turn would result in everyone finding out about them. They had nothing to hide, and yeah gossip would run rampant with speculation that he was courting her, but gossip was just a part of small town life. When Lois left, everyone would realise his affiliation with her had only been of the most casual kind, but while she was here, it would be in his favour for other men to get the very clear and unmistakeable message 'hands off'.
As they were on his home turf, he was well aware that other men wouldn't ask Lois out if they thought she was taken as cutting in was against the gentlemanly code. So he'd be scoring high all the way down the line. He'd still be getting the sex, a bed partner every night, and the companionship that he liked. More importantly, he'd be cutting off any avenues Lois had of dating other men while she was holidaying in Smallville.
Once she realised that he was the only bee buzzing around, she'd also discover that he'd gotten his way after all and they were exclusive, so she might as well give in and get used to it. His lips twitched in anticipation of her reaction. She'd be indignant, she'd be mad; in fact she'd be so passionately pissed off that he'd just have to remind her why they'd gotten involved in the first place without being too smug about it. That would smooth down her ruffled feathers, and he wouldn't lose any ground.
Now he just had to figure out what to make for dinner. Something that was sexy with aphrodisiacal properties? Or a nice roast lamb with all the trimmings so she didn't go hungry, and after a suitable interval follow it up with some kind of sexy desert. Or maybe he could just cheat and order dinner from the Talon. Nah, he was actually looking forward to cooking it himself. He didn't usually bother since he was at the farm alone, so quite often just made do. Besides if he was going to lie about the reason she had to come out to the farm, then it was only fair that he at least didn't lie about cooking the dinner in the first place.
Smiling hugely, Clark turned down the main street, and seeing an empty parking space outside the bank, parked the truck, hopped out, and either called or waved hello to the greetings throw in his direction.
While walking towards the market, one part of his mind remained occupied with thoughts of food, while the other part absently greeted people in a way that wasn't dismissive or rude, but let them know that he didn't have time to stop and chat. Passing one shop then another and another, he continued on his way nodding and smiling before coming to an abrupt halt.
Backtracking slowly, he looked inside the shop window, saw them and felt his temper flare "I'll be painted blue and double damned."
He didn't realise that he'd spoken out loud, nor did he notice the startled look thrown in his direction at his words. Peering curiously in the window, Mavis Dixon's brow wrinkled for a moment then smoothed out when she spotted the couple. Now hadn't Clark given the impression that his dinner with Lois had been nothing more than one old friend welcoming another old friend back to town? Well it seemed that he wasn't happy to see his old friend enjoying the company of a handsome single man. Her eyes shot in his direction, noted that his hadn't shifted from the couple one iota, and swallowing back the chuckle, she remembered seeing that same look in her husband's eyes when he found her with....what was his name; oh who cared? He'd been a newcomer who hadn't stayed for long, but he'd been there long enough to help her unknowingly. At the time she'd be downhearted and fed up with George's vacillation. She'd wanted to marry him, but he seemed to be unsure of just what he wanted. So when the man had asked her on a date, she'd said yes. She'd been thoroughly bored until George came into the soda shop like gang busters, told the man that she was spoken for then all but carried her out to his car. On the drive back to her parent's farm, he'd informed her that she was his girl, and instead of asking her to marry him, had told her they were getting married; end of conversation.
Seeing the same look in Clark's eyes that was so reminiscent of George's in years past, caused her heart to lift in glee. They'd been happily married for 42 years, and god willing would have many more years together. Her eyes flicked to the side once again, and noted that not only was Clark still unaware that she was standing beside him, but his eyes were still fixed on the couple in the shop, and the sour expression on his face hadn't lifted one iota. Men bless them; sometimes they just didn't know. Almost dancing away, she wondered how long it would be before Clark Kent realised that he was sinking fast, and would soon be going under for the third time.
Unaware of anything but what his eyes were seeing, Clark continued to fume silently. Exactly what did Lois think she was doing with Neil Harper? Even if they'd only just run into each other and were doing nothing more than passing polite pleasantries, Neil could think he was a shoe in, and decide to ask her out on a date. Hadn't he told Lois they wouldn't be seeing anyone else, hadn't he been quite adamant about it in fact; yes he damned well had been, yet there she was! So he hadn't brought the subject up again; big deal. So he didn't want a relationship, that wasn't the damn point. The point was that she was leading Neil on, wasting the man's time and getting his hopes up for nothing when she was already involved with someone; him!
He felt both indignation and ire rise in unison. Stalking to the door, he pulled it open, and walked inside. He didn't bother waiting or asking for an invitation, just took a seat at their table as if the two of them had been expecting him all along.
"Hi Neil..." He greeted his friend then turned and gave her a tight smile "Lois."
She returned his greeting, sipped her coffee, and appeared to ignore his manner.
"Hey Clark, what are you doing in town?" Neil asked cheerfully.
"I have to pick up a few things at the market, but when I saw you both I thought that I'd join you for a coffee first." He returned blandly.
"Won't it look odd that you're having coffee in here, instead of at the Talon which you own?" Lois asked politely.
"Nope, it's always wise to keep an eye on the competition." He looked around before turning back to address the two "This place isn't bad, not as warmly hospitable as the Talon, but maybe their coffee will make up for that. I'll judge after trying some."
"It's delicious." Lois murmured dulcetly.
He turned and narrowed his eyes at her "So is the Talons."
She pursed her lips before smiling sweetly "My opinion is unbiased, but I doubt that yours will be."
Ignoring the dig, he encompassed them both in his next question "So did you two just happen to run into each other?"
"Nope, Neil called the house earlier and asked if I'd like to get together for a coffee, so I happily accepted." She replied smoothly.
"Is that right?" Clark asked affably, gritting his teeth at her reply.
"Yeah, I ran into Lois in town yesterday and we got to talking, so I thought that I'd give her a call and here we are." Neil grinned and turned his attention to his date "I've only seen you once or twice since your arrival, and then it was from a distance. So I was a lucky to run into you yesterday, giving me an excuse to break the ice."
"I'd just had coffee with Dean Marshall actually, so you caught me just before I was leaving to go home for a spell, before going onto Kate Fulchers house for lunch." She chuckled lightly.
"Dean yesterday and Neil today; my you are a busy lady." He put in tightly.
Neil laughed in amusement "A man's gotta be quick to catch this one Clark."
"Yes he does Neil; he certainly does." He replied with an abrupt head nod.
When the waitress came to their table, he ordered a large coffee, the other two declined refills, and small talk was made until his beverage was delivered a couple of minutes later.
"Clark..." At his name he turned to Lois with brows lifted in query "Neil and I were having coffee together."
He ignored the hint and lifted his mug "I know, and now all three of us are." He deliberately turned to his friend and began a long boring discourse on the different insecticides there were on the market that would be the kindest to crops. When he'd exhausted that topic, he went onto discuss seedcorn maggots and their larva. Sliding his eyes to the side, he noted that Lois no longer looked bored but disgusted, and found it hard to keep his lips from twitching.
Ten minutes later Lois wasn't sure her stomach could take much more. Pushing her chair back abruptly, she stood and smiled "I'm sorry guys but I have to be going."
"No, I'm sorry Lois; I completely hogged the conversation." Clark replied abjectly, and likewise stood.
"Yes you did." She returned ungraciously.
Neil pushed back his chair and stood as well "Um...well thanks for joining me for a coffee Lois."
"Thanks for asking." She smiled with genuine warmth.
"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to...."
"Neil..." Clark cut in pleasantly.
"Yes..."
When his friend turned to him in question, he plastered a frown on his face then shook his head "Oh, I'm sorry I thought I saw someone waving at you from outside, but I was wrong."
When Neil turned to look out the window, Clark sent Lois a smug smile, and ignored the venomous look she threw in his direction. When his friend turned back, he shrugged apologetically, and quickly began to talk not giving the man a chance to address Lois again "Well this was nice wasn't it? Having coffee with friends is such a civilized way of getting to know each other."
"Usually I'd agree." Lois gritted out, and with a last smile to Neil, made her apologies and left.
At the disappointment on his friends face, Clark felt a twinge, but shook it off a moment later. Pulling out his wallet, he sighed heavily in fake remorse "I'm sorry Neil, I should have left straight away instead of hanging around." He pulled out a few bills and laid them on the table "Let me pay for the coffee's and cake you both had, but didn't even get to enjoy because I barged in so boorishly."
"No that's ok."
"It's the least I can do." With a last apologetic smile and slap to his friends shoulder, he walked out of the coffee shop, and made his way to the market.
After loading everything into the bed of the truck, he climbed behind the wheel, and drove towards the Murphy place. Obviously he hadn't made himself understood when he told Lois they wouldn't be seeing anyone but each other. Clearly it was a case of 'give the woman an inch and she takes a mile'. Because he hadn't pushed the issue, she'd mistakenly thought he'd given into her. Well it was high time that he cleared up any misconceptions she was currently labouring under. Since his nocturnal activities were curtailed due to the inconvenient desire he seemed to have developed for her alone, then Lois' wings were going to be likewise clipped. Not that he was going to tell her that, or he would but not in so many words. However, what he would be making abundantly clear; was that he wasn't into sharing.
At the sight of her car in the driveway, he smiled and pulled in behind it before killing the ignition. At least she was home and he didn't have to waste time waiting for her to arrive. Pushing open the truck door, Clark climbed out, walked up the stairs to the front porch and pressed the buzzer, holding his finger steadily on the bell until Lois wrenched open the door a few minutes later.
"What now?! Are you here to quiz me about the damn maggots you seemed to enjoy talking about while I was trying to eat my cake?" She demanded wrathfully.
He ignored the anger in her voice, the fire in her eyes and instead picked her up, planted his mouth on hers, then stepped into the house, and kicked the door closed.
While keeping their mouths locked, he let her down slowly, deliberately brushing her body all along the length of his then settled one hand on her jaw, while his other arm stayed heavily around her waist, with his hand sitting firmly in the middle of her back keeping her pressed tightly against him. Since she refused to open her mouth, he purposely taunted her by running the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips, and waited patiently. Another point in his favour was that he could hold his breath far longer than Lois could, so he was quite content to wait her out. As soon as her mouth opened to take a breath, his tongue thrust inside, stroking, plundering and clashing with hers in a battle of wills; until she finally melted against him.
Feeling the tide of desire wash over him, he wrenched his mouth clear before being pulled under, and opened his eyes, resisting the urge to take her mouth once again "There will be no more dates with other men." At his words, he saw the dazed look leave her eyes, to be replaced with defiance.
"I'll go out with anyone I please." She panted back harshly and pushed out of his arms.
"No you won't." He returned inflexibly.
"Yes I will."
"No....you...won't." He enunciated clearly.
"What the hell is your problem?" Lois asked seriously confused.
"My problem is that we're seeing each other; which means that other people of us are off limits for both of us." Clark informed her readily.
"We're sleeping together....no, we're just screwing each other so..." She began angrily.
"The not sleeping together part was your idea." He cut in abruptly.
"Yes it is, and I don't appreciate you playing the chauvinistic overlord. I'll go out with and or have sex with anyone I damned well like." Lois replied mutinously.
"No you won't." He repeated angrily.
"If you think that you can stop me from seeing whoever I want to, then obviously the sun's fried your brain while you've been looking for maggots in the corn." She returned disdainfully.
"I may not be able to stop you from going out with anyone else, but I do recall warning you that I'd ruin any dates you went on. I'm sure you now realise that I'm a man of my word." Her chin lifted in challenge and her mouth opened. Not giving her time to respond, he continued conversationally "While you're seeing me, you will ONLY be seeing me."
"Then obviously it's time to bring our little fling to an end. So goodbye, and don't let the door hit you on the way out." She waved at the door before turning away.
He stepped around and into her path "Don't waste either of our time by making statements that you know very well hold no water." Clark shook his head and smiled thinly "We have the have kind of chemistry that's not easily ignored Lois. We both tried the first day, and lasted for all of 10 seconds before going at each other in your backyard." He paused for a moment before admitting quietly "I want you so badly that I ache, and I know you feel the same way about me. So instead of fighting against it, we should just enjoy it while we can without trying to piss each other off."
She stared at him stubbornly for a minute, before letting out a heavy sigh of defeat "I do want you the same way, but I don't want to."
"Hell you think I'm comfortable with it; I'm not." He let out a short bark of laughter "I was quite happy not being tied in any way, shape or form to any one woman for even the shortest time before you came back."
Her lips twisted in resignation "Me too....for men I mean." She tacked on quickly.
"I know what you meant, but whether we like it or not is immaterial Lois, we're already involved. Yeah, it's only in the most liberal sense of the word, but we are just the same." He finished steadily.
She nodded minutely in agreement "True, why do you think this didn't happen years ago?"
"I think in a way it did, which is precisely why we purposely said or did things to get under each other's skin. It wasn't anywhere near full blown then like it is now, but the potential was there and I think subconsciously we knew it, we just didn't understand it." When she nodded in agreement, he slipped his arms around her waist and bent to brush his lips fleetingly with hers "You were more mature than I was, but being a girl in some part of your head you still equated sex with love. As for me, well..." He paused and shrugged "...I was about as worldly wise as John Boy Walton, and related sex to angels singing and blue birds dancing around."
She grinned at that and bobbed her head in accord "You really were a babe in the woods y'know."
"Guilty." He rolled his eyes feelingly before smirking back "But for all your big talk so were you in a way. Neither of us was ready for the kind of attraction we felt, and we should be grateful that it hadn't come to fruition back then, because we definitely weren't old enough to handle it."
"True, who knew that one day Clark junior would be my play-toy?" She asked with a cheeky laugh.
"Who knew the Lane twins that I managed to cop an eye-full at, would one day be mine?" He countered in the same tone.
She frowned lightly in confusion "I don't remember you seeing me naked back then."
"You don't huh? Well I remember coming to your apartment one day to ensure that you were alright, when you suddenly wrenched opened the bathroom door, saw me and just stood there in your birthday suit." He smiled hugely at the dawning comprehension in her face "You were only frozen for a few seconds, but it was long enough for me to get a gander at the most impressive pair of breasts I'd seen up until then." He paused for a beat "Actually they still are, and now I've seen enough to know."
"Why thank you; and I grew them all by myself." She smiled proudly, and at his light chuckle her smile grew. Cocking her head to the side, she quizzed lightly "Why didn't your eyes stay on my face, I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman."
He shrugged unconcerned "A gentleman's one thing, a fool is another. No teenage boy...hell no man with a pulse would miss the opportunity of getting a nice long gawk of a naked woman, when she's standing right in front of him."
She nodded in agreement "At least I tried not to ogle when I found you in the cornfield."
"But you did." He pointed out politely.
"But I did." She inclined her head in agreement.
"I think destiny was trying to tell us something when you found me naked, but as we didn't pay any attention, it tried to tell us again by letting me catch you naked."
"Yeah, it was trying to tell us that we were a pair of perverts?" She put in dryly.
"Well yeah but that goes without saying. More importantly it was yelling, 'get a good long look, cause one day this will all be yours'." He wiggled his brows lecherously.
Lois slapped a hand over her mouth but the giggle popped out "Don't even start; besides I seriously doubt that destiny would be that dirty minded."
He grinned unrepentant "Lo, I think we were always meant to have a hot and heavy relationship, it just took some growing up for us to realise it."
"I'm only going to be here for another ten weeks, so that's how long the relationship will last." She reminded him pointedly.
"I can live with that. I'm not looking for 'Miss Right' Lois; I'm more than happy making do with a succession of 'Miss Right Now's.'" He informed her truthfully.
She snorted lightly, tapping his chest with her forefinger "I like that one. When it comes to men I follow the adage 'why buy a hat when there's plenty of shade from tree to tree'."
His sniggered in appreciation "I like that one. We both enjoy sex and we're dynamite together so why shouldn't we enjoy it."
"With no hard feelings when I leave."
"None." He agreed honestly and pulled her to him for a quick hard kiss "But I do promise to act so wretchedly heartbroken when I wave bye-bye, that you won't even realise I'm going to be hot-footing it to Metropolis for a night of hot steamy sex once I'm rid of you."
"How sweet." She replied dryly, but her lips twitched in betrayal.
"Well I'm a gentleman, so I'll wait until your backs turned before getting it on with anyone else." He paused for a beat "However, I can assure you that whoever I hook up with will only be offering me comfort in your absence, but I'll still be thinking about you the whole time."
"Oh course." Lois replied politely.
His brow lifted in challenge "And how about you?"
"Well I'll need comfort as well."
"I guess you will at that; and there's nothing wrong with getting a little succour from strangers." He smiled agreeably.
"In the immortal words of Blanche DuBois; I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." Lois quoted in a fake southern accent and fluttered her lashes playfully.
"Very nice." He let out a shout of laughter, then tilted his head and asked seriously "But while you're here, I'd really prefer it if we could have a real summer fling, as opposed to the buddy sex we've been indulging in."
She regarded him silently for a moment "A real summer fling, which entails what exactly?"
"We don't date anyone else, we stop trying to tick each other off, we spend time together when we're not in bed, and we sleep together at night; either at the farm or here." Clark replied swiftly.
She thought about it for a moment then put forward a counter offer "I'll agree to the first three, but not the last. I'm not comfortable sleeping with anyone."
He smiled crookedly "I promise not to hog the covers."
"Not the last." She repeated firmly.
Hearing the tone, he tilted his head in acquiescence "Ok, well we can shelve that until or unless you're comfortable with it, but since you said yes to the first three, will you at least stop kicking me out the second we're done?"
She pursed her lips then nodded "I can do that."
"Thank you." He inclined his head briefly. With their new understanding in place, Clark decided to abandon his plans of getting her to the farm using underhanded methods, and keeping one arm around her waist, turned towards the door "Now I really have to be going because I've got a lot of work to do at the farm, but I was hoping that you'd come over tonight, instead of making me be the one to haul my ass over here all the time. If you say yes, I'll cook dinner with my own two hands, and afterwards we can just relax for a little while before I have my wicked way with you."
"You're going to cook dinner?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because I figure that your little heart would fill with glee, and consequently make you feel grateful just knowing that I, the guy you used to enjoy bossing around had spent time slaving over a hot stove cooking dinner for you." He replied without hesitation.
She nodded in understanding "Grateful enough that I'll feel frisky, and want to give you a great big fat reward afterwards, correct?"
"Correct." He confirmed unembarrassed.
"And what if I decide to eat and run?"
He leant down and whispered "I'll also make desert."
Lois choked back the snicker "Something chocolate?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll be glad to come over; what time?"
"Six."
"Six it is." Pulling open the door, she ushered him out and had begun to close it when Clark quickly spun around "Do the southern accent for me again tonight, and I'll make it worth your while."
"I'll think about it." And grinning, she watched as he got into his truck and drove away with a cheery wave.
***
Retreating to the kitchen Lois poured herself a glass of iced tea, then retreated back to where she'd been sitting before Clark began hammering on her door. Making herself comfortable on the couch in the lounge room directly in front of the fan, she sighed in pleasure at the swirl of cool air that washed back and forth over her.
Smiling crookedly she decided that he was right; there was no point in fighting against it, or trying to piss each other off. The kind of desire they shared came along so rarely in a person's life that it was foolish not to make the most of it by indulging themselves to the full while they had the chance.
Dean and Neil were both nice men who were friendly, and congenial; but neither lit even a spark of interest in her. At the moment she was the new girl in town, which naturally caught the men's notice since they weren't accustomed to her. But she also knew that if they asked her out again and she said no, they'd just mentally shrug their shoulders and move onto someone else.
She hadn't even thought about going out to the farm, then again she hadn't been back for long before her plans of just lazing around had gone down the gurgler. Ever since saving Peter in the supermarket she'd either been inundated with invitations from the women, or the occasional offer to share a cup of coffee from the men, and her mornings along with part of her evenings had been taken up with Clark.
However, now that she was going to the farm tonight, she was actually looking forward to seeing the place again. Years ago she'd loved it; the house had been warm and homey, the Kent's warmly hospitable and Clark was the brother you either felt sorry for when he was down, or the brother you wanted to beat up when he annoyed you; now he was the man that she wanted really, really badly. Still she hoped the farm house hadn't changed, time marched over everything and changed it, but it'd be nice for at least one thing to have stayed the same.
Sitting up a little straighter to allow the breeze of the fan to play over her neck and upper chest, she sighed slightly in relief. Maybe she should have rented a beach house, or even better, one in the mountains, at least the weather would be cooler. Flopping back against the couch, she picked up the glass to sip, then almost choked in laughter in recollection at the pissed off look on Clark's face when he joined her and Neil at the Criterion coffee shop. She didn't know what he'd been more outraged about; that they were having coffee at the competition instead of at the Talon, or because they were having coffee together at all.
Remembering his look of insult when she'd implied the Criterions beverage would more than likely be far superior to that found at the Talon, she sniggered once again. In truth she didn't care, as long as it was coffee, without all the added frou frou crap that turned it from a coffee into a cappuccino, and it was made to her taste, then it was good.
Well at least she wouldn't have to worry about what to have for dinner tonight, since Clark was cooking all she had to do was sit at the table and wait to be fed.
She lifted the glass to sip at the contents again, but at the flash her hand paused in mid air.
"C'mon, we're going to do something we never did when we were kids."
"Haven't we been doing that for three months now?" She chortled in amusement.
"Not that." Clark replied with a grin "This is even more important."
"More important than sex?"
"Ok, not more important but…"He trailed off wiggling his brows, pushed her gently into the truck and drove into town.
Once at the Talon, he sat her down at a corner table and smiled "I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to put our order in."
"Hang on, aren't you even going to ask what I want?"
"Nope, it's a surprise."
He came back a few minutes later with a smug smile.
"What's going on?"
"You'll find out."
A minute later the waitress delivered their beverage, and she stared at it stupefied, before looking at him amusement "A milkshake?"
"Yep, now give me your hand."
When she held out her hand, Clark clasped it in one of his, then smiled in thanks when the waitress returned and put two straws in the glass.
"What's this?"
"Remember our first afternoon in the backyard?" she smiled and nodded; he grinned "You said and I quote 'this is not a date, I'm not interested in holding your hand while we share a milkshake'…" Before he'd finished she was giggling.
"And this is?"
"This is us on a date, holding hands and sharing a milkshake." He leant over and pressed a kiss against her cheek, then whispered "I figure that since I got sex that afternoon, I can buy you a milkshake in return."
She laughed "I'd say that you're generous but it's not like I even get my own milkshake, I have to share."
"Mmm, and after we've finished this we're going parking."
She couldn't help giggling again "Parking?"
"Uh huh, I figure that it's about time that I tried to get you naked in the back seat of my car."
"I think your odds are pretty good."
"You don't say that to a guy; you're supposed to keep us guessing." He replied patiently and shook his head "You're supposed to say 'no, now stop that, I'm not that kind of girl' etc etc."
"I've never actually said that to a guy." She replied contemplatively.
"No talking of exes; not casual flings, meaningful relationships or anything else." He returned firmly. Her brows lifted in quest....
Shaking her head, Lois came back to the present with a start. That one hadn't been like any of the others. It hadn't been sexual, or softly romantic, it had been sweet.
Obviously they were both going to get into the spirit of enjoying a summer fling, which she was supposed was the point. Blowing out a soft breath and ignoring the fluttering in her belly at the softness she'd seen in their eyes, she shrugged philosophically.
The flash she'd had was a happy one, which made sense. After all, the most important part of a summer fling was to keep things fun and casual; and it appeared that's exactly what they were going to do.
***
After pulling up in front of the house, Clark carried in the groceries, put everything away then stood in the middle of the kitchen and smiled.
Well everything seemed to be coming up roses. He hadn't expected Lois to give in without an argument on the 'summer fling' issue, but since he'd very logically pointed out their affinity for each other without wrapping it up in soft words, she'd said yes. One thing he could say about Lois was that she preferred straight talking to lot of airy fairy bullshit; and now that he was older he was of a like mind.
Using 5 words to say what you mean, was far preferable to using 150 that sounded good but meant absolutely nothing. He no longer wasted time on flowery speeches, nor did he have the patience to listen to them. Direct talk might be harsh at times, but it was honest. A person knew where they stood from the get go, which was much better than being mucked about or misconstrued.
The only thing he hadn't managed to secure was her agreement to sleeping over or allowing him to do so. Yeah, he hoped that she changed her mind, but he wasn't going to push the issue. But at least she wasn't going to kick him out straight afterwards, so to his way of thinking, half a glass was better than none. Actually since she'd given in on all his requests except the sleeping together one, his glass was at least three quarters full not half.
In a way it was all to the good that he'd seen her having coffee with Neil. At the time he'd been angry, not jealous; just irked, but that was only because she was doing exactly what he'd told her they wouldn't; and consequently leading Neil on unnecessarily.
Normally if a friend was making a monkey of himself over a woman, he might wonder what in hell was wrong with the man for being such a dick, but ultimately wouldn't consider it was any of his business to stick his nose in. This however, was different. Neil wasn't being an ass over Lois now, but if he hadn't barged in earlier, then his friend might have become enamoured with her, and then he would have to step in because it was well known that Lois was in some way affiliated with the Kent's. The last thing he'd wanted was to find Neil on his doorstep demanding his help in romancing Lois, when he was sleeping with her himself.
So in the end he'd managed to put a spoke in the wheel of any romancing other men might try now that Lois had agreed she wouldn't see anyone else. This of course ultimately saved him from having to smooth over troubled waters or listening to any heartfelt confessions from Neil or any other man when she left; and Lois wasn't pissed at him.
All in all it had turned out to be a pretty good day; and tonight was going to be even better.
Whistling cheerfully he stepped out the back door and got back to work.
