Chapter Seven

Five years later …

Smallville high school's gym was decorated with streamers and balloons in varying shades of red and blue – a tribute to the red and blue blur, although they had no idea that he came from their town. A large banner welcomed the alumni to their five year reunion and the party was officially in full swing. The majority of the guests who had already arrived were either dancing or somewhere over by the snack table, but hardly anyone was sitting down.

Chloe sat at exactly the same table she had sat at during her high school prom, and like that night she was alone. The only difference (other than her wardrobe) was that this time at least she had an alcoholic drink, which she felt she thoroughly deserved. She hadn't wanted to come back to Smallville, it wasn't that she hated it here it just wasn't home anymore her true home was in … She shook her head. She couldn't think about the home that she had made anymore or who she had made it with. It had been a mistake.

Taking a sip of her drink and enjoying the way that it burnt her throat she surveyed the scene. She still recognised most of the people there and she had even spoken to a few of them but her friends were not there yet.

She took another swig of her scotch and scowled. It wasn't a good year and it certainly wasn't a single malt, she had become a connoisseur over the last five years but she would take it at the moment. At least if no one she really knew was there yet she didn't have to put on a happy face and pretend that everything was alright.

The moment that Clark and Lana arrived they would hug and kiss her and want to know everything that had happened to her – although they did still email each other about once a month and saw each other a couple of times a year. Chloe really didn't want to talk about how her life was going right then, she knew that it would all work out alright in the end but it didn't really make her feel any better at that moment. As she kept reminding herself, no one had ever died from a broken heart, she had looked it up. It was just hard to believe at that moment.

Chloe tried desperately not to think about the past or the last time that she had been in that gym. She finished her drink and pulled a face at the bottom of the glass.

"Hello happiness, I was informed that you were supposed to be there", she addressed it very strictly.

"That is at the bottom of the bottle, not the glass, and not of that filth", a voice came from behind her.

She closed her eyes, unable to stop the memories flooding back to her in a torturous montage.

"Well you would know", was all that she managed to get out, hoping that her voice would not crack. She was not entirely successful.

"I've got the bottom of a lot of bottles, but I never found happiness there", she was informed and she felt his hand touching her shoulder lightly. She screwed her eyes shut even more tightly, willing the tears not to fall.

"No, you no doubt find it between women's legs", she said jumping to her feet, spinning around and trying to get away but she found her way barred.

Chloe held herself as still as she could, concentrating on every single muscle in her body but it didn't work, she still shook a little with desperation. She could feel the warmth of his body, smell his scent – he had been drinking more than normal – and feel his hand still on her shoulder. It was enough to undo her but she had to be strong. She didn't know what kind of game he was there to play but she was not having any part of it.

"Get out of my way Luthor", she demanded angrily.

"Not until you look at me", he said, fighting the impulse to grab her and kiss her senseless, she might fight at first but eventually she would submit.

She wanted to refuse, wanted to fight against him and the hold he had over her … but she couldn't. He was too strong for her and she knew it.

His words "look at me", replayed over and over in her head, spawning unbidden images.

Prom night …

"I can't Lex", Chloe's voice sounded pained and Lex thought that his heart might break. Not because he was going to be denied the physical release that he had been anticipating for days now, but because she sounded so upset.

"Chloe, look at me", he instructed her as he brushed his thumb across her cheek.

Slowly she did as she was bid.

"There's no need for tears, there is no need for you to get upset. I meant what I said; I'm not going to try to force you. We can …"

Chloe shook her head and his heart sank even further as he realised that he wasn't even allowed to say that they could take things as fast or slow as she wanted. The message was clear, she didn't want him. She had just come with him because she had needed someone and that was okay, he had forced her into getting into the helicopter, if all she wanted as friendship then that was what he would give her. He could take her out dancing. He would do anything to make her happy, even if that meant denying his own needs and wants.

"It's not that Lex", she tried to explain, seeing the doubt in his eyes, "I can't …"

"It's okay sweetheart", he tried to assure her. He wanted to pull her into his arms, it seemed like the most natural thing to do but he wasn't sure if she would find that comforting or alarming in her present state.

"No it isn't Lex. I can't get the bloody zip undone", she finally got out as she continued to fight with the wretched thing behind her.

"You can't get the bloody zip undone?" Lex repeated in astonishment as his mind tried to catch up with his libido, which was once again raging. "That was all the matter was?"

"Yes", Chloe nodded.

"That's no reason to cry", he said.

"I wasn't crying, it was just frustration and it's so hot in here", she moaned, "I want to feel your hands on my skin, not on this stupid dress". She cursed herself inwardly for having brought the damned thing in the first place; she should have known that something with pink on it was bound to cause problems. She did not even realise what she had just let slip.

A shot of arousal went straight to his cock.

"Turn around", he ordered her as he tried to spin her around by the shoulders. She did as she was told and presented her back to him.

He ran his hands up and down her sides a few times, now that he knew just how much she liked it. He knew that it was mean but he couldn't resist.

"Please Lex", she moaned.

He grinned. He hadn't been with anyone who could get quite that worked up quite that quickly in a very long time. He was fairly certain that she wasn't just doing this to "get it over with" anymore.

"You have discovered the magic word", he teased her as she took hold of the zip, "and I expect that I will be hearing a lot more of that tonight".

She felt her mouth go dry at that and her knees weaken a little but she was determined to be strong. "Why, planning on doing a lot of begging are you?"

Her cheekiness was rewarded with a chuckle as he yanked the zip hard. It moved, but only a little.

"God, I knew that I shouldn't have had those fries yesterday", she groaned. The dress was now clearly too tight.

"First of all you don't change yourself to meet the requirement of a piece of fabric", Lex told her sternly. "Second of all, the dress isn't too tight; it is just a dodgy zipper. I intend on suing whoever made this for negligence, incompetence and mental and physical cruelty".

"Do you think that you can accuse them of that?" Chloe wondered, she didn't know the finer points of the law but she thought that it was unlikely that that was allowed.

Lex's only answer was to grasp her hips and pull her hard against him. She wriggled enjoying the friction and from what she could feel she imagined that Lex would probably win his case.

"Do you trust me?" He murmured in her ear.

"Yes", she whispered back, not needing a second to think about it. He was Lex Luthor; he had protected both her and her father. He deserved her unquestioning trust and loyalty.

"Thank-you", he said, not knowing where that he come from. He had only meant for practical purposes, he didn't realise quite how much her opinion of him mattered to him. "Stay where you are", he commanded as he reluctantly moved away from the heat of her body.

Chloe wondered what was going on but did as she was told, she could hear Lex moving away from her and rummaging in a draw before returning to her and plucking the fabric slightly from her back. He slipped two fingers down the back of her dress, allowing some cool air to get at her skin. He spread his fingers and she felt tingles right the way down her spine.

"Don't move", he said and then she felt something cold against her back and the sound of cutting.

The air found its way through the gaping hole in the fabric as Lex cut his way carefully down her back until he got to her tail bone – being sure never to cut her -, then he moved around to the front.

"Will you do the honours?" He asked, nodding towards her halter neck, there was nothing wrong with the fastening there and it was now all that was keeping her dress on.

She swallowed, she had been desperate to get her clothes off, to feel his skin on hers. She had been so overcome with lust that she had not actually considered the part where she would have to bare herself to him.

"You first", she said, buying some time. She needed to get a few more deep breaths into her before she was quite up to stripping off in front of him. It may have been night but the curtains were wide open so that they could see the stars and there was soft candle light, he would see everything.

Lex smiled at her, sensing the nervousness in her tone. He wanted to tell her that she had nothing to be afraid of but he knew that that would do little good.

"As you wish", he said and removed his jacket and placed it neatly on the chair near the bed. He then sat down on it to untie his shoes, take them off and do the same with his socks. He loosened and then removed his tie before standing up and working on the first few buttons of his dress shirt.

Chloe had to catch her breath. She didn't think that he had ever looked more handsome. Certainly he looked good in his suit, but like this, a little less formal with the hint of smooth skin exposed by his shirt … she wanted to throw herself into his arms, and probably would have done so if that would not have impeded the show that she was enjoying.

Lex grinned, as he felt her eyes burning into his skin. He knew that he was an attractive man but it was always nice to have definite proof of the fact and to see the effect that he had on her. Chloe's cheeks were a little flushed and her chest was rising and falling more definitely than was normal.

He wanted to tease her and slowly pulled out the shirt from his trousers and fiddled with the next button down.

"Hurry up Lex", her voice was saturated with need and desire, "please!"

"Well since you asked so nicely". He made short work of the rest of his buttons and the cuffs and threw the shirt back over the chair, too far gone to care about whether or not it was folded up neatly.

Chloe gasped as his torso was revealed to her. She had never seen such a beautiful chest. He was exquisite. He had long hard muscles but not overly bulked up. He was perfect, not even the slight scars could detract from his deliciousness.

Lex unbuckled his belt and shoved his trousers down before kicking them to the side, he was only in his boxers now – he didn't want to scare her.

"Your turn", he growled as he advanced on her. "Take your dress off, let me see you". He could rip it off her himself, and was more than half tempted to do so, but he wanted her to do it. He wanted her to willingly show him everything.

"Okay", she agreed, her eyes still glued to his body as her fingers rested on the straps just above her breasts before slowly tracing their way around to the clasp at the back. She took a breath stealing herself, her eyes travel up to him and the patient need she saw there spurred her on. It took a few attempts, as her fingers were trembling so badly, but finally she got it. Still holding onto the straps she brought them back around in front of her.

She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She was about to expose herself completely to Lex Luthor.

"Look at me", Lex's tone was low and commanding. It was the one that he had used on her a hundred times before and normally made her succumb to him, but not this time. Chloe kept her eyes screwed shut. She would not give in to him.

"Chloe", he repeated, this time cupping her chin and raising it, "Look at me".

She tried to recoil from his touch, but her body wouldn't let her. It had been so long and she ached for his touch more than a junkie craved its fix.

"Look at me", he repeated his command, this time stressing every single word. He was going to win this, come what may.

Her body trembled under the strain of not obeying him, but she wouldn't open her eyes. She did not want to see Alexander Luthor! Well, that wasn't really true. She yearned to see him, just like her body burned for his touch but she knew that she couldn't allow that.

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere with this plan of attack, Lex kept his grip on her chin but used his knowledge of her body to his advantage. He trailed his other hand down the back of her neck, along her shoulders and down her arm in a sensual caress. He could feel the muscles jumping under her smooth flesh causing him to smirk; he could still get a reaction out of her. She still wanted him and he was not unaffected by her himself.

He reached behind her and rubbed her back in the way that always made her relax. Her body wanted to give in, it was only her mind that stopped her from melting into his arms.

Lex licked his lips, he should have known that she would make this difficult for him. He looked around to check that no one was paying them any attention, they weren't so he was free to continue – not that an audience would have necessary stopped him but it might have given his pause for thought.

He cupped her bottom gently and saw her eyelids flicker a little. His smirk grew. He grabbed her ass, squeezing her and pulled her into him.

Chloe's eyes shot open.