Sweet Surrender ~ Chapter 7
Chloe returned with a jar of strawberry jam to where Lex was lounging on the floor. Nudging at him to move, she settled herself between his thighs, and comfortably leaned back against his chest, then looked back and up at him. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Why would I mind?"
"Because you're mister, 'Don't touch me or something bad will happen to you.'"
"I never said that."
"Yes you did." She reached up over her shoulder and grabbed his chin between her thumb and first two fingers, though not harshly like she had the last time. He remained still for all of a few seconds before pulling his head back, breaking the contact. "See?" she smiled devilishly at him. "You can't stand it."
He was grateful that she turned her attention toward getting the lid off the jar, giving him a moment to close his eyes and forcibly refrain from reacting to her touch. In the position she had settled herself, she would have felt exactly how bothered he could be by her touch, and he wanted to avoid her knowing that.
"Dammit!" she exclaimed, making a grunting noise while trying to twist off the lid.
"Here, let me..." he started, reaching around her arm for the jar.
"No!" she snapped, hugging the jar to her chest, and hiding it from him so he couldn't take it. "I can get this. I 'will' get this!"
She attempted again to twist the lid loose, her entire body tensed with the effort. She gave up, breathing hard and stared at the offending object with a death glare. Grabbing it once more for another try, she prepped herself for the next bout, her ass wiggling back against Lex in the process.
"Dammit Chloe, give me the jar!" he snapped, and grabbed it from her hands before she could stop him. Before she could protest, he grabbed the lid, and with one swift twist, had it popped open.
"Oh sure," she said snidely. "After I got it loose, you come along and pop it right open!" She reached back to take the jar from his hand. Lex thought she had a hold of it and let it go. The jar dropped to the floor next to them, landing on its side, and spilled half the jam onto the floor.
"Wow, and it didn't even break!" she exclaimed, picking it up to look for cracks in the glass. Then looked down at the mess. "I sure as hell hope that that doesn't attract any rats."
"If it does, we can just hit them over the head with the wrench," Lex stated with a shrug.
"Ewwww! That is gross!" Turning to look back at him again. "You are really morbid, you know that?"
He raised a brow questioningly at her. "And that comes as a surprise to you?"
She twisted around even more to meet his gaze, realized his eyes were full of humor, and turned around to lean against him again. "I'm not even going to answer that."
She busied herself with dipping her finger into the jar, scraping the sides to scoop some jam onto her finger. Halfway to her mouth, he took hold of her hand near her wrist.
"What?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
He eased her hand up towards her shoulder, leaned forward behind her, and put her jam coated finger into his mouth. He slowly sucked on it, his tongue lapping at the stickiness. He slowly pulled it out, then wrapped his lips around it once more, watching how her eyes fixated on what he was doing to her.
His tongue caressed the entire length of her finger as he eased his mouth back to the tip, then licked at it around all sides before flicking the tip of his tongue across the tip of her finger. He licked at his lips, then shifted his gaze to hers.
"I like strawberry jam."
She hardly heard him speak. The shock of him taking her hand to suck on her finger in the first place was quickly replaced with the desire to feel his lips, and tongue, on other parts of her body. She had no idea that her own tongue had been mimicking his motions along her lips.
She swallowed hard, the jam jar finally slipping from the loose grip of her other hand, causing it to land with a thud between her knees. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't get her mind to work fast enough.
Releasing her hand, he slid his fingers to the side of her neck, and tilted her face back with his thumb under her jaw. Bending over her, he slowly took her lips in his, running his tongue over them for her to open her mouth. She complied without hesitation, tasting the sweetness on his tongue.
She gently nudged at his shoulder when he shifted slightly for a better position, breaking the kiss instead of deepening it. "It's your turn," she grinned at him, her voice raspy, her breathing uneven. She held up the jar, daring him with her eyes to refuse to get his fingers sticky.
He smirked and, while holding her eye contact, dipped his index finger into the jar. After making sure it was well coated, he pulled it out and placed it at her lips, challenging her to do her worst, or best, however you wanted to look at it.
She met his eyes daringly, parting her lips just enough to engulf half his finger, closing the soft flesh around the digit, licking at the jelly leisurely with the tip of her tongue. Capturing it between her tongue and the roof of her mouth she sucked on it firmly while pulling her head back until only his fingertip remained inside.
Leaning forward she took his entire finger into her mouth, repeating her motions of licking and sucking on it.
He refused to fully give in to the effect she was having on him. There was too much challenge in her eyes for this to be anything but retaliation on her part. It didn't matter that neither of them were breathing normally, nor that both of them had desire darkened eyes. They were playing with each other, neither of them willing to be the one to give in first.
He held her gaze, waiting to see if she would pull him closer and kiss him as he had her. Secretly hoping she would, while dreading what his reaction would be at the same time. She swayed ever so slightly towards him, her eyes transfixed on his mouth. Her hand went up between them, slowly, as though she was about to touch him, then stopped.
"I know the perfect thing to wash that down with!" she exclaimed suddenly, scurried to her feet, and rushed to the wine cellar.
Checking over her shoulder to make sure he couldn't see her, she nearly collapsed at finally letting herself breathe erratically. She felt like her knees would buckle from under her, she could feel how flushed her face was, and her entire body was so hot with arousal that she felt lightheaded.
She was playing with fire, she realized that now. But after he had sucked on her finger, then the way he had kissed her, what was she supposed to do?! She couldn't do what she 'wanted' to do, which was to give in, so she decided to turn the tables on him. To play his game by his rules. Now she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to keep up the pretense.
But the reaction she got from him was unexpected, too. She saw how his breathing changed, how his eyes darkened with desire, how he had looked at her. He wanted her to kiss him, he wanted her to give in. Her own reaction to him was even worse, she wanted to give in so bad it hurt. But that wasn't part of the game. Giving in wasn't an option, unless she made him 'make' her give in.
Getting her breathing back to somewhat normal, she squared her shoulders and set her resolve. With tongue in cheek, she grabbed a bottle at random from the wine rack, and returned to the other room, ready for the next round.
A sharp breath of frustration had escaped his lips as she had left the room. 'Dammit, Chloe, you are stubborn!' he thought, then tossed a few ideas in his head of how to get around that defense barrier of hers. He now knew for certain that she wasn't just playing his game. She wouldn't look at him the way she had, she wouldn't respond to him the way she had, if she was simply toying with him. But she had a stubborn will almost equal to his own. Almost, but not quite.
'I've been playing this game a lot longer than you have, Chloe,' he thought, leaning back more comfortably. 'Add that with a little patience, and I will have everything I've ever wanted.'
XxXxX
(fourth night-still in the basement)
"You know, all in all, this isn't so bad," Chloe stated, popping another piece of chocolate into her mouth, then took another swig of wine.
After returning with another bottle of wine, she had resettled herself between Lex's legs to lean against his chest. She knew she was being a glutton for punishment, but a part of her hoped that he wouldn't give up, and she would eventually be able to give in. In the meantime, she refused to be the one to back down.
"Barring the problem of having to relieve ourselves, I'd have to agree with you," Lex stated, taking the bottle from her to drink some himself.
"Oh don't remind me of 'that'," she groaned. "I don't want to have to do that again."
"Then you might want to stop drinking," he suggested as he felt her shiver against him. "Are you cold?"
"It's starting to feel cooler down here, damper too."
He put the bottle aside, and wrapped his arms around her. "Is this better?"
"Yea, a little," she voiced, sounding uncertain. She was again surprised by his willingness to show physical contact. But he was warm, and she liked the feeling of him holding her, so she took advantage of his offer and snuggled back against him.
Letting her head rest near his shoulder, she found herself yawning when only a few minutes before she was ready to challenge him again and see exactly who could withstand whom. But, the beating of his heart, along with his warmth, was lulling her to sleep. Her mind drifted back to finding Lillian's note just as she felt him lightly kiss the side of her face, just above her cheek.
She craned her neck back, turning her face up to look at him. "Lex?" Her entire countenance had changed. She had become quiet and thoughtful. "Why would you call me a friend? I mean, we never did anything together. We've never watched a movie, seen a play, had dinner, nothing."
"You showed me your friendship in other ways, Chloe. You weren't a business partner, or an associate. You weren't on my payroll, and I wasn't blackmailing you," he added with a brief little smirk before continuing seriously. "You helped me when no one else would, you came to me with information you thought I needed, you made me aware of things that I otherwise wouldn't have been aware of, and you did it all because you wanted to. Isn't that what friends do for each other?"
"I never thought of it that way," she admitted softly, lowering her cheek to his chest again. After another couple minutes of silence, she asked softly, "Have I ever refused anything from you, Lex?" Her eyes were full of emotion when she lifted her face up to look at him again. She seemed to hold her breath while waiting for his answer.
"I never offered you anything to refuse, Chloe."
Her relief was tangible. Her shoulders relaxed visibly, her breath came out in a rush, and a content smile graced her lips. She resettled herself comfortably, closing her eyes.
"What did you find down here, Chloe?" he asked in a low voice.
"Piles of old junk," she answered softly, starting to drift off. "Stuff nobody wanted."
He stared down at the top of her head, feeling her slip into sleep. 'That's the same thing Enrique said.' He thought, his mind trying to piece together something he didn't have any of the pieces for. He held her close, being content for the moment with knowing for certain that something was in the basement worth looking for.
XxXxX
"Mr. Luthor," Enrique whispered, not wanting to wake up Chloe.
It had been a few hours since he'd heard any sounds coming from the basement, and he had decided to investigate. Reaching the wine cellar, his back went rigid at not finding them near the steps. It relaxed greatly however, as he made his way further into the lighted sections and found them both sleeping, Chloe comfortably snuggled within his employers arms.
"Mr. Luthor," he called quietly again, then began to unfold the blanket he had brought with him in case of finding such a situation.
Lex's eyes flew open the second the material touched his body. It took a few seconds for his mind to catch up with him. But when it did, he settled back down, slightly tightening his arm around Chloe.
"Just leave us here," he ordered in a sleep gruff voice, tucking the blanket around them both.
"Would you prefer some assistance with moving upstairs, sir?"
"No, I wouldn't. Good night, Enrique."
"Good night, sir," the servant replied, turning to leave.
"Enrique. I want a contractor to meet with me tomorrow afternoon."
"Very well, sir." Taking another step after pausing to listen to Lex's instruction.
"And get rat control down here first thing in the morning."
"Rats, sir?" Completely turning around to look at him. "Are you certain you wouldn't like to..."
Chloe shifted in her sleep, both men quietly watched to make sure she settled back down again. She did, after pressing herself fully against Lex, with the blanket securely wrapped around them.
"We'll talk in the morning," Lex whispered.
Enrique nodded, and left them to sleep on the cold floor, berating himself for only bringing one blanket. He paused at the threshold, turning around to look back at them.
Lex semi raised himself to lean on his elbow, and peered down at the woman near him. He brushed a strand of Chloe's hair from over her closed eyes, wrapped his arm around her securely, then laid back down to rest his head on his other arm, stretching his legs out fully under the blanket. Chloe murmured softly in her sleep, and shifted closer to his body, accommodating herself to his slightly changed position.
Enrique smiled warmly at them, thinking maybe Lex had had the right idea of keeping her down there with him for a while. If nothing else it forced them to remain in the same company longer than they had managed so far.
Glancing around the room his sharp gaze noted the array of half eaten foods and empty boxes, along with a few wine bottles neatly set aside, and the spilled jam on the floor. He sighed inwardly at seeing the empty cereal box, and wondered if he'd get any lip for lying about there not being any in the castle. With a resigned sigh, he silently walked to the shelves and took a couple boxes to take upstairs with him.
"Make sure there's plenty of cold milk to go with it," Lex stated in a relaxed tone with closed eyes.
"Of course, sir," he replied in a low voice, then left, leaving the cellar door wide open for when they awoke in the morning.
XxXxX
(Day Four)
Chloe woke up to feel fingers idly stroking through her hair. She remained still for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of being gently fawned over, until her bodily needs refused to be ignored any longer.
"Were we rescued last night?" she asked, still not moving.
"Yes, the door was opened sometime after you fell asleep."
"Good," she said, rising to separate herself from him. Her brow creased irritably when she was only able to move about an inch above him, and glanced down at him for some explanation.
"We're tangled in the blanket," he explained. "It seems you're a restless sleeper who can't lay still longer than fifteen minutes at a time."
"Don't fuck with me when I'm not even fully awake, Lex," she growled with warning. "Maybe laying on top of your bony ass on a cold rock floor could have had something to do with it, you think?"
"I'm not holding you down," he said, choosing not to address her insults, showing his hands freely.
"No," she grunted, trying to pull the blanket from around her. "You're just...," she pulled on the material harder. "Lying on the... would you move!"
He shifted the left side of his body so she could pull the blanket out from under him. With that done, she tossed it off completely and got to her feet. Without another word, she strode purposefully out of the room, waited until she reached the wine cellar, then broke into a full run, taking the steps two at a time, to the nearest bathroom!
'Definitely not a morning person.' Lex commented to himself, then rose to join her upstairs. He no sooner firmly closed the basement door, when Enrique appeared with two maids in tow.
"Did you sleep well, sir?"
Lex gave his butler a pointed look, and decided to not even answer that question. "Were you able to schedule an appointment with a contractor?"
"Yes, sir. He will be here at three."
"And rat control?"
"They are scheduled for eleven. I also took the liberty of scheduling your masseuse. She will be here in two hours."
"Thank you," he said, wondering why the man asked how he slept when he knew damn well he was on a cold rock all night.
He had tried to get as much of the blanket as possible under his back, but with Chloe constantly shifting her weight, and moving in various positions close to or on top of him, it was a wonder he got any sleep at all. Not that he was complaining, having her so close was nice. It just would've been better in softer quarters.
"I don't want anything disturbed down there just yet," Lex informed Enrique. "There are a few things I need to check, and I'd like to do a walk through with you concerning cleaning out certain areas."
"You wish to leave the food and wine areas as is also?"
"For now, yes." He fixed the servant with a blatant stare, making sure the man understood his orders. The man nodded accordingly and shooed the maids away with a subtle gesture of his hand. Satisfied, Lex turned his attention to the next matter in his mind. "Did you by any chance see where Chloe went?"
"To the nearest restroom, sir. I believe she was complaining about not hitting something with a wrench?" he daringly half asked.
Lex nodded with understanding, but didn't elaborate to his butler. "After I get everything straightened in the basement, you have my permission to have that door replaced."
"Thank you, sir. It 'is' about time," the man said with a small smile. Lex met his eyes dead on, not being amused by the statement at all. "It 'has' been a few years of my reminding you of this problem, sir. I am simply overjoyed at finally being able to fix it."
Lex walked away without further comment. If that's what the man considered insubordination, then let him get off on it. Lex was more concerned about getting a shower, getting breakfast, and getting back in that basement to find... whatever it was that Chloe had found.
XxXxX
After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Chloe headed to the pantry for a much needed cup of coffee. Enrique, with his premeditated efficiency, had it ready, hot and waiting for her by the time she entered the room.
"You are absolutely a god send, Enrique," she complimented, sitting in a chair while wrapping her hands around her cup, and taking a languid sip of her brew.
"I wasn't sure what to tell the cook to prepare for your breakfast. Is there anything specific that you would prefer this morning?"
"Mmm," she contemplated. "I'd like some pancakes with butter and syrup, please."
"Very well, Chloe. I will return shortly."
"Thank you, Enrique," she replied, sipping leisurely at her hot coffee while waiting for him to come back.
He returned a few short minutes later with a plate of hot pancakes, toast, and a glass of orange juice on a tray. Setting everything before her, he automatically took her coffee mug to refill it while she picked up her utensils to dig into her breakfast hungrily.
"I was wondering, if I may ask, if you planned to venture downstairs again any time soon?" he asked, setting the mug back on the table.
"Not if I can help it, no," she replied with half a mouthful. "I had more than enough of the basement, thank you."
"Very well, then," he acknowledged, and motioned to step away.
"Wait a minute," she said, swallowing her food. "Why?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"Mr. Luthor has forbidden us to enter the basement without his accompaniment," he informed her coyly.
"Huh? What do you mean," she asked slowly. "He's forbidden us to enter the basement without him?"
"Not you, Chloe. Us, as in his staff. He did not specify any orders to prevent you from going back down there."
"He's going for the boxes, isn't he?" she asked in a whispered tone.
"It would seem so." Her answer verifying in his mind that Chloe had in fact found the boxes he'd been secreting all these years.
"How could I be so stupid?" she asked herself rhetorically. "He asked me 'twice' what I had found down there. I knew he suspected something!" She raised her gaze to Enrique. "It's all my fault, I was acting different around him. He found me right after I found Lillian's note."
"There is no blame in this, Chloe. It was inevitable that he would discover the truth eventually. It's only by pure luck he hadn't questioned me sooner concerning disregarded items."
"This is one truth that I don't want him to find out," she stated in a low tone, standing up from the table. "I don't care what you think of me, we're not going to let him find those boxes."
"How do you suggest we do that?"
"Why were they kept in the first place? Why weren't they thrown away or given to charity?"
"It would have required the involvement of too many people, to answer both those questions. Until yesterday, I was the only one who was aware of this."
"Then we'll move them. There's like a hundred rooms in this place, I'm sure we can find 'somewhere' to put them."
"He plans to have a 'walk through' of the basement with me later, I suggest we move them before that."
Chloe nodded. "Yea, where is he now?"
"In his room."
Chloe bit her lip thoughtfully, knowing he wouldn't be up there much longer. "I'll be right back, I have an idea." She turned on her heels and darted from the pantry, heading for the basement.
XxXxX
She had to pull at the door four times before it opened with a loud screeching sound. Hoping nobody, particularly Lex, heard that, she rushed down the steps and through the storage rooms. Grabbing one of the flashlights off a water crate, she darted quickly along the corridors, pausing only once to get her bearings, before finding the little nitch with the boxes in it.
Without pause she grabbed the top boxes, dropping them to the floor, and started opening them. Without any regard to the writing on the sides she unceremoniously dumped everything from many boxes into one. When that was half full, she put the lid on it and set it aside to be moved to another hiding place.
Moving right along without pause, she repeated this process with the next several boxes, reducing those down to two half filled boxes. Reaching the last five on the bottom she found that they were already almost full, and simply put them with the rest. All in all, her efforts left her with eight boxes instead of twenty.
She turned around and looked at the empty boxes that were littered all around her. A disgruntled expression creased her face. If they hadn't been marked she could have simply left them there. No one would think twice about empty boxes in a basement. But as it were, they each had their yearly markings clearly visible on the sides. The thought of breaking them down occurred to her, which would make them easier to hide, but she didn't have that much time.
'Come on, Chloe, think. THINK!' she silently yelled to herself. Then an idea struck her, and she liked it. Without another minute to waste, she grabbed as many empties that she could carry and headed off to find one of the sections with piles of junk already filled in it.
Exactly three trips later all the empty boxes were safely hidden among the junk of Lex's ex wives. Stacking two of the half filled boxes together, she picked them up and headed back towards the steps, hoping she was able to get them hidden without Lex catching her.
XxXxX
"Where's Miss Sullivan?" Lex asked Enrique, stepping into the pantry.
He had entered to find his butler fussing over some trivial thing at the counter, a breakfast platter sitting on the table, touched, but not eaten, and Chloe nowhere in sight.
"I'm not sure, sir," he answered with a tone of bewilderment, turning to face Lex. "She simply stated that she would be right back, and rushed from the room." Lex's gaze immediately turned in the direction of the basement door, even though he couldn't see it from inside the pantry. "Would you like me to tell her that you are looking for her?"
He shifted his eyes back to the butler, speculation running deep within his mind. "Yes, please inform her that..."
"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor," a maid interrupted tentatively from behind him. "The masseuse is here for your appointment, sir," she continued when he turned around.
"Show her to the exercise room."
"Yes, Mr. Luthor."
Lex turned back around to find Enrique still waiting patiently for him to finish his instructions concerning Chloe. "Tell Chloe I'll be in the exercise room, and for her to meet me there when she is finished with her meal," he stated directly.
"Very well, sir."
Lex stepped into the hallway, glanced left in the direction of the basement, then half turned to look back at Enrique, who had continued with his chore at the counter. After another brief pause, he turned right and headed for the exercise room.
XxXxX
Chloe returned to the pantry a few minutes after Lex had left. Enrique turned to look at her as she tiredly plopped into the chair. Her face was flushed, her breathing labored, and a slight line of sweat dotted her forehead.
"Have you seen Lex?"
"He was here a few minutes ago looking for you. I believe he suspects something, but is currently having his massage. He wishes for you to join him in the exercise room after you've eaten."
She nodded, picked up the orange juice and drank half the glass thirstily. "I've minimized the number of boxes, and put them behind the water crates in the storage area for now." She informed him. "He'd have to half climb over them to see the boxes on the floor, so they should be safe until we can think of somewhere else to move them."
"Would you like me to reheat that for you?" he asked, gesturing toward her plate.
"No, it's ok. I'm too hungry to care," she replied, shoveling a forkful of pancakes into her mouth. After chewing most of it, she continued speaking. "Where do you think we could hide them?" she asked, referring back to the matter at hand. "I had no problem carrying two of them, but those other five are a little heavy."
Enrique gazed down at her with an almost shocked expression. "I wouldn't have you carrying them, Chloe, I would assume that responsibility myself."
She stopped in mid chew to look at him. "I can at least help."
"Chloe," he said, his expression deep with appreciation. "You've already helped more than I could ever have asked of you. I will take this matter back into my own hands. You no longer need to concern yourself with it."
"Oh, no, you don't!" she exclaimed. "You can't expect me to simply walk away from this. I found those boxes, I read the note, there is no way I'm going to let you just push me aside like this."
"Chloe, please. I beg of you, don't let this concern you any longer. Lex is confident that you have found something, and he will tear the basement apart looking for it. When he doesn't find anything to satisfy his suspicions, he will turn on you, and I don't want you to lie to him more than you already have."
Chloe had glared at him at first for trying to exclude her, then let her gaze drop unseeingly to the table. He had a valid point, she didn't want to lie to Lex either. They were starting to be the friends he already deemed them to be, and she didn't want that to get messed up.
"Ok," she conceded in a low voice. "I'll let you handle it from here. I'll just keep finding that note to myself."
"Thank you, Chloe," he replied earnestly, lightly touching her shoulder before exiting the room.
