Sweet Surrender ~ Chapter 10
(day five-continued)
After they both had showered and changed for the day, breakfast had been comfortable enough, but, Lex realized his persistence about the basement findings was becoming too much of a priority in his mind, and it was putting a strain between himself and Chloe, even though she pretended otherwise.
Lex made a mental note to take it slower to get his answers, from both Chloe and Enrique. It intrigued, and at the same time, irked Lex how his butler managed to give him an absolutely meaningless reply while answering his question at the same time. Something he was sure the man had picked up being in 'Luthor' employment for so long.
But Chloe was his first concern at the moment. Deciding that he needed to relieve her wariness toward him, he challenged her to another round of pool. She had accepted with a gleam in her eyes and a confident grin. To appease the blonde further, he had allowed her to win the first game, not making it obvious of course, but it put her more at ease and the slight tension had lifted from between them.
"I have a request for this evening," he stated halfway through the next game.
"Let me guess, you want me to wear something fancy so you can drag me to some ballroom banquet?" she asked with light sarcasm, pausing only briefly to look over at him before making her shot.
He smirked warmly when she glanced up at him. "Am I that transparent?"
"Considering our circumstances right now, I'd say yes." She took her shot and missed.
"You did promise to go wherever I asked after I provided you with information about Nancy, and I've done that," he reminded her, feeling that she was going to give him a hard time about it.
"I know I did," she stated amicably, meeting his gaze. "But that doesn't mean that I have to like it, those dinners are boring as hell." She picked up the chalk cube and chalked the tip of the cue. "Do you mind if I wear the same dress I wore the last time we almost went to Metropolis?"
"Not at all," he replied easily, relieved that she wasn't arguing with him about going. He took his shot successfully, and rounded the table for another. "I'll even give you another alternative," he added, sinking another shot. "I'll absolve you from accompanying me, if you win this round."
"We're already in the middle of the game, and you're two shots ahead."
"If you're not up to the challenge," he shrugged. "I understand. I was just trying to be appeasing."
"Not up to a challenge? Me? Not up to a challenge?" she repeated laughingly. "You're going to eat those words, Luthor," she stated with conviction. "And when you're sitting at that Banquet tonight all by yourself, you just remember it was 'your' idea!"
Lex smirked as he took his next shot, and sunk it with ease.
XxXxX
(meanwhile-somewhere else in the castle)
A cleaning maid was doing her daily rounds on the third level, dusting and polishing the bedrooms. She had only been working for Mr. Luthor a few months and had been relieved as hell when she was told that not 'all' the rooms were her responsibility. Her assigned section included the bedrooms on the far East side of the second and third levels, mostly unused guest rooms along with the library.
She reached up to open the curtains to let the sunlight fill the room, when the sleeve of her uniform caught on her earring as she pushed the drapes open wide, pulling the clip from her lobe to land on the floor.
"Oh dammit," she muttered, turning to follow the piece of jewelry with her eyes as it bounced on the hardwood floor, then roll under the closet door.
She grabbed the door handle of the closet with a resigned sigh. They weren't supposed to wear any jewelry while at work, but she had forgotten to remove her earrings and put them in her purse. Turning the doorknob, she found it to be locked. She looked around in a panic, thinking she would lose her job for sure for this.
Getting down on her hands and knees, she squeezed her fingers under the door, feeling around for her earring.
"What are you doing?" a feminine voice asked from behind her.
The girl jumped to her feet with startled surprise, and turned to face the maid who was her supervisor. "I dropped one of my earrings," she said regretfully. "I'm really sorry," she added in a rush. "I usually take them off when I get here, but I forgot this morning."
"And it went in the closet?" the older woman asked with cynicism.
"Yes. But it's locked, so I was trying to feel for it with my fingers. That's when you came in."
"It's not locked, dear," the woman stated with patience, walking over to the closet. "It's probably just stuck. These doors do that a lot in this mansion." She placed her hand on the doorknob and gave it a turn. "Hrm, it is locked," she voiced when the knob didn't budge under her palm. "These doors aren't supposed to be locked," she added with confusion.
"Can I get a broom stick or something to get my earring? I promise this won't happen again."
"No, I'll go get a key. In the meantime, finish your rounds and I'll bring the earring to you after I get the closet opened."
"Thank you!" the girl said with enthusiasm at not being fired, and went to do her chores in the next room.
The older servant stepped into the hall and saw William coming from the stairs. She addressed him politely as she met him halfway. "William, do you by any chance have the keys for these rooms?"
"What do you need a key for, Teresa?" Giving her his attention as she turned to walk by his side the way she had just come from.
"The new girl lost an earring under a closet door, and it's locked."
"Locked? Those doors aren't supposed to be locked. Are you certain it's not just stuck?"
"I'm certain," she affirmed.
"Hmm. Which room?"
"This one right here, thirty-seven."
William stepped into the room taking a small ring of keys from his pocket. "You're lucky I happened to have these," glancing at the maid briefly. "It seems Enrique has been extra attentive at serving the lord and lady of the manor," he snickered at his own humor.
Teresa raised an eyebrow in response, but otherwise kept quiet. Not only did she not think his humor funny, but the accent he tried to say it with was deplorable. William cleared his throat at his joke failing miserably and turned to unlock the door.
"It was my understanding that the cleaning maids were required to remove their jewelry while in the mansion," he stated waywardly, turning to the woman once more. "Or has there been a change to that regulation that I was not informed of?"
"Your assumption is correct," Teresa answered. "And the girl has adhered to that rule until this morning. She has fully apologized for this inconvenience, and I trust her word that it will not happen again."
William nodded in accordance and turned his attention back to the door. Unlocking it, he turned the knob and opened it. "What are these?"
Teresa stepped closer to the closet to see what he was referring to and saw the neatly stacked boxes marked as Christmas items. "I don't know. All holiday ornaments are stored in the attic, or so I thought. They weren't here last week, I know that much, I had cleaned this room myself."
William's brow creased thoughtfully while the maid looked at him expectantly. "Teresa, lets keep this to ourselves for now. I will talk to Enrique myself concerning these."
"Okay," she responded easily, and bent down to pick up the silver earring on the floor in front of the boxes. "I'll return to my duties now. Thank you for your help." She pocketed the adornment and left the room.
William stared at the boxes in the closet for a couple of minutes before closing and relocking the door. His first intention to address this with Enrique had been replaced with the idea to simply approach Mr. Luthor directly. After the fiasco of Miss Sullivan missing the other day, he had been trying to get back in Enrique's good graces. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to prove to the head of staff that he was competent enough to handle miscellaneous things without consorting with him first.
XxXxX
Lex was in the middle of getting dressed for the banquet when a soft knock sounded at his bedroom door. He opened it to find Chloe still in her bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel, and feet bare.
"Where's the girl who cleans my room?" Chloe asked in a sweet tone.
"She's gone for the day. Is something wrong?" he asked, his mind instantly listing at least ten things the maid could have done wrong.
"Not really. I just can't get my hair to do what I want it to, and I thought that the girl who cleans my room might be able to help me with it."
Lex subconsciously held his breath and stared at her, not sure of what to say. Chloe had, once again, beaten him at their billiards game when he had unfortunately sunk the cue ball instead of the eight, making her the winner by default.
But she had been gracious about it, and had agreed to go with him to Metropolis anyway, telling him that as boring as it may be, it would be more so staying in the mansion without him. He hadn't even thought to argue her point. But this turn of events could change her mind.
Although Chloe wasn't one to fuss over her appearance as much as other women he's known, she prided herself with her appearance, and a woman's hairstyle was a known vanity that would not be ignored, not even by Chloe.
"I've seen you fix your hair beautifully, Chloe," he said, making sure there was bewilderment in his tone while trying to work this in his favor. "I thought it looked very nice the other night."
"And you think I did that by myself?" she laughed. "Do you have any idea what is involved to get my hair to look like that?"
'Apparently not,' he thought, waiting for her to announce that she wasn't going to go with him after all.
She stared up at him waiting for him to give some semblance of an answer. "Of course you don't," she stated, her face suddenly full of amusement. "Sometimes it must be nice to be follically challenged, right Lex?"
Cocking his head to the side, one fine eyebrow arched, a sharp smirk appeared on his lips. His expression practically screamed; 'Is that the best you got?'
Chloe laughed harder, turning towards her room. "Don't worry," she tossed over her shoulder. "I'll think of something to do with it. Just don't laugh if I come back out with pig-tails!"
He peeked his head into the hall and watched her walk down the corridor with an amused smirk. She apparently knew he had been watching her and gave him a mischievous grin as she ducked back inside her bedroom.
XxXxX
Lex checked his watch for the umpteenth time. It was already three twenty, they should have been on the road by now. 'If she's not down here in five minutes,' he thought of Chloe. 'We're taking the chopper.'
He went to the bar and poured a drink, just to keep himself from pacing. He abhorred being late, unless it was his desire to do so. Catching himself starting to check his watch once more, he switched the glass to his left hand, therefore refraining himself from being able to repeatedly check the time.
Hearing footsteps in the hall, he immediately assumed his calm, impassive expression and turned towards the door. He knew it wasn't Chloe, but hoped it was someone to inform him of her status in getting ready. It was William.
"Mr. Luthor," he address respectively after entering the room. "I wondered if I may speak with you for a moment."
"Is this in regards to Miss Sullivan's progress upstairs?"
"No, sir, it is not."
"Then I'd prefer, if it's not a pressing matter, that we schedule a time to talk tomorrow morning."
"In the morning would be fine, sir."
Lex nodded and William left the room as feminine heels could be heard coming down the stairs. 'Finally.' Lex thought. He placed the untouched drink on the bar, checked his watch unseeingly, and met Chloe in the hall.
XxXxX
They had arrived in Metropolis not only on time but with almost an hour to spare, not surprising considering Lex had ordered the chauffeur to break the sound barrier once they reached the open highway. He had led Chloe into the banquet hall with his hand gently at the small of her back, assisting with the removal of her shawl before pulling the chair out for her to be seated.
Chloe glanced up at him as he helped to push her chair to the table. He looked absolutely debonair in his tux, and she loved the way his eyes sparkled when the chandelier lighting caught them just right. He smiled down at her just before taking his seat next to her. She felt a warmth in her cheeks and lowered her face from his watchful eye. He smiled so rarely that it was breath catching when he actually allowed himself the expression.
"Will you be alright for a few minutes?" he asked her, giving her his full attention.
"Uhm, yea. I'm good." Momentarily perplexed at him excusing himself when they had literally just sat down.
"Thank you, I'll be right back." He rose from his chair, bestowed a light kiss to her cheek as he did, then went around the table to meet with a gentleman who had just arrived.
Watching him walk across the hall, Chloe could see the transformation in his body language as he approached the other man. His shoulders squared, his head was raised high, his back straight. By the time he reached the other table the man was met by the formidable Lex Luthor, billionaire tycoon and man without humor nor recourse.
But, Chloe knew differently. She knew how caring he could be, how gentle his touch was, how soft his voice sounded while wrapped within his warm protective arms. With a mental shake of her head she took a deep cleansing breath and reached for her glass of water from the table. Despite a few issues that needed to be dealt with she found herself being drawn to Lex more and more as the days wore on. The scary part though, in Chloe's perspective, was how he was opening himself towards her. He was making it far too easy for her to want to be near him, to want to touch him, and more specifically- to want to get closer to him.
She slightly shook her head again, her musings blocking out all else around her at the moment. She couldn't give in to these feelings and she knew it. He wanted something from her and was slowly breaking down her defenses to get it. Though, what it was that he wanted, Chloe hadn't a clue.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, returning to her side at the table.
"Yea," she responded automatically, snapping out of her reverie at the sound of his voice and his warm hand on her bare shoulder. Turning her face to look at him as he reseated himself. "I'm exactly as you left me!" she beamed with a bright smile, completely pushing her previous thoughts from her mind.
He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, a half smile at the corner of his lips in response to her smile. He had seen her slightly shaking her head as he had returned to their table. Her expression had been that of deep contemplation.
"Chloe," he addressed, turning slightly in his chair towards her, his arm resting behind her shoulders. "If you feel uncomfortable we don't have to stay for the entire dinner. I merely need to meet with one more person, then we can leave."
"Why would you think I'm uncomfortable?" she asked curiously. "I am more than capable of mingling among the elite."
A smirk showed on his features. "Of course you are." He resettled himself in his chair and covered his lap with a napkin wondering what had occupied her mind so intently.
XxXxX
After the head chairman had given his speech and welcomed the benefactors, the dinner had progressed nicely. Chloe and Lex shared idle conversation that, for once, hadn't led into a verbal judo match, and Chloe found herself actually enjoying the evening.
The associate Lex needed to meet with had approached their table just as they had finished their meal. Chloe politely excused herself so the men could talk business, and headed towards the ladies room, certain that her hair and makeup needed a touch up anyway.
After taking care of her personal needs and washing her hands at the sink, she stood at the counter with its bright overhead lights and full sized mirrors, and took a critical look at herself. Surmising that everything was holding up just fine, she gave herself a pleased smile.
"I see the illustrious Mr. Luthor has finally started dating blondes," a woman at the sink next to Chloe stated aloud, taking her lipstick from her purse.
"Excuse me?" Chloe replied, turning her attention to the brunette.
"You're here with Lex Luthor," the woman stated with certainty, glancing at Chloe via the mirror in front of them, giving her full lips a healthy touch of color.
Chloe smiled with an understanding sigh. "I'm here with Lex, yes, but I am not dating him."
"Pity." Smacking her lips to even out the tone. "You're an exact match to the woman he dreams of."
Chloe huffed lightly. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I know for a fact that Lex prefers brunettes."
The woman turned her head to look at Chloe directly. Her tone remained light as she spoke. "I didn't mean 'all' blondes, Hon, just one in particular."
Chloe's eyebrows shot up with curiosity. "Really? And how exactly do you know what particular type of woman Lex Luthor dreams of?"
"I was married to him for a full year," she continued at Chloe's obvious surprise. "Don't worry," she reassured with a smile, replacing her lipstick in her purse. "I'm not trying to start trouble. I just happened to see you sitting with him and thought I'd give you some friendly advice."
"And what advice would that be?" Chloe asked, keeping her tone neutral. She wasn't sure what the woman was up to, but her tone was friendly enough, and Chloe actually believed she had good intentions by speaking to her at all.
"That there's only one woman Lex Luthor really wants, obsesses over in fact, so if he proposes to you it's for the wrong reasons." She had taken out a hairbrush from her purse and began to run it through her long wavy tresses.
"Is that why he married you, for all the wrong reasons?" Chloe asked, a suspicion of dread seeping into her heart, but she didn't want to believe that she, Chloe Sullivan, was the blonde this woman was referring to.
"Oh god no. We actually got along fairly well, at first anyway. After a few months I couldn't take it anymore. He really has a gentle side, you know? But hearing him call out another woman's name in the middle of the night, there's only so much I could take, no matter how much I cared for him."
"Then I take it that none of your belongings were tossed into the Luthor Estate's basement?"
"You mean the mansion in Smallville?" she asked rhetorically, putting her brush away and glanced at Chloe. "No, I didn't live there with him. He's always been fond of that hell hole," the woman said, then creased her brow thoughtfully. "I have no idea why he loves that place so much." She zipped her purse closed and turned to Chloe once more. "Anyway, I just thought I would pass along some advice from someone who has been there. He could promise you the world, give it to you as a matter of fact," she chuckled light heartedly. "But there's only one woman who has his heart and nothing you do can change that." She looked at Chloe with sympathetic eyes. "I know, because I tried."
"Is there anything else about this woman you can tell me? I mean, the world is full of blondes," she chortled uncomfortably. "Do you know her name?"
The woman shouldered her purse and stepped towards the door, pausing with her hand on the handle. "Yea, 'that' I know all too well. It's Chloe."
The woman had said something else before leaving the restroom, but Chloe didn't hear what it was. Her mind started reeling from what the woman had just told her, what she suspected but hoped wasn't true. She found herself leaning heavily on the counter by the sink, the blood loudly thumping in her head, struggling to catch her breath.
She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, her mind racing with all the hints and clues she had been picking up from him since her return to Smallville. How could she have been so stupid to ignore that he had had her followed all these years. How he constantly worked at drawing her closer to him. How he had forgone business deals on her behalf. That alone should have had her packing, he had allowed himself to lose money just to get in her good graces.
She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water, then leaned over the sink as the droplets fell from her nose and chin. She had known he wanted something from her, had known it from the first night, but it never occurred to her that what he wanted was 'her' personally.
She raised her head to look at herself in the mirror, a shaky breath escaped from her parted lips. Her bottom lip trembled, her eyes were wide with shock. She closed them, not wanting to see her own reflection at the moment, and chided herself over and over again for not seeing this.
The sob came from deep within her throat as her elbows folded, bringing her face closer to the sink. Her breaths were choppy and uneven and her tears fell unnoticed to blend with the droplets of water. 'The bastard,' she seethed mentally. 'And it almost worked, too.'
The door to the restroom opened and the sound of heels on the tile floor echoed as someone entered. Chloe splashed her face again and quickly pulled herself together, reaching for a paper towel with a composed expression.
"You had the veal, didn't you?" the woman asked, pausing at a stall door.
"What?" Chloe asked, looking at the lady.
The woman smiled knowingly. "If there's one thing I've learned by attending these functions, it's that you never have the veal. It will disagree with you no matter how well it's prepared."
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly. "That must be it then, thank you."
"Just have a glass of chardonnay and some dessert, that always worked for me. But, stay away from the chocolate mousse, that's just simply troublesome in more ways than one."
"You sound like a pro in the matter," Chloe complimented, dabbing at her face with the towel.
"When you've been a senator's wife for as long as I have, you learn all the tricks," the woman chuckled. "Now if you'll excuse me," she added with a smile and stepped into the stall, closing the door behind herself.
"Sure," Chloe responded in monotone. "Thank you for the advice."
"You're welcome," she sing sang from behind the locked door.
Chloe turned back towards the mirror and sighed deeply. She glanced down at the damp towel in her hands still feeling numb and having no idea how to handle Lex once she returned to the table.
"You wouldn't happen to have any advice concerning a man's obsession, would you?" Chloe wasn't sure why she had asked that aloud and quickly glanced at herself in the mirror for letting the words out of her mouth without the final approval from her brain.
At first the only response from the senator's wife was an amused chuckling sound. "That, my dear, is a very touchy thing. Every man has his obsessions."
"I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to say that out loud."
The lock on the stall door clicked after the flush of the toilet and the woman emerged into view. "So it wasn't the veal after all," she stated knowingly, walking to the sink to wash her hands.
"No, it wasn't the veal," Chloe admitted softly.
"By the look of you I'd say it's another woman," she stated, rinsing the soap from her skin. "There's no easy way to handle that, I'm not going to lie to you, but if you have a good relationship with him on a solid foundation, then the best thing to do is to just let him have his obsession." She shook her hands over the sink and reached for a towel. "As long as he thinks he's getting over on you, he'll eventually tire of her."
"What if I'm the obsession?" Chloe inwardly cringed. Since when did her mouth get a mind of its own?!
"You really are in a quandary, aren't you?" the woman asked, tossed the towel on the counter, then turned her full attention to Chloe. "Well, you're not one of my husband's flings," she voiced, crossing her arms over her chest, then chuckled lightly at Chloe's surprise. "Yes, I am well versed in this matter. Unfortunately my husband's obsession is with women who have had more plastic surgery done to their bodies than you could shake a stick at. But, that's not your problem."
The woman shifted her position to lean back against the counter, her hands easily resting on the edge, her eyes noticing how Chloe wrung the towelette in her hands. "I recall seeing you sitting next to a particular bachelor during dinner," she continued without prompting.
Chloe's eyes shot up to meet the other woman's. "This just became extremely uncomfortable." She shook her head and backed away a step. "I hadn't meant to address this with you. I just... it's just that..."
"Someone was 'nice' enough to dump exclusive news into your lap?" the woman asked suggestively.
"Why do I get the feeling that you know who I am?" she asked, feeling completely uncomfortable with how this was turning out, and berated herself for not keeping her mouth shut in the first place.
"Your name eludes me at the moment, but I recognize your face," the woman stated matter of factly. "My husband was a senator in Gotham for two elections, all that is missing from your accessories is your press badge."
"My name is Chloe Sullivan, and I assure you that I am here for personal reasons tonight."
"I know that you are," she stated in a soft tone. "Your eyes didn't light up at the biggest scoop of my husbands career a few minutes ago." She leaned forward and took the towelette from Chloe's hands.
"The political scene isn't exactly my forte, Mrs. Lyndly," Chloe chuckled.
"No, it's not, or you would've recognized me much sooner. I realize that I caught you at a vulnerable moment, and for that I'm almost sorry. But in a way you're lucky that it was I who walked in and not someone who could rake you over the coals, dragging Lex across the front page as well." She pushed away from the counter and tossed the towelette in the trash, Chloe following her movements with her eyes. "I honestly don't know what to tell you, Chloe. My husband and I had associated with Lex during his brief political involvement. He is very powerful, very influential, and very used to getting what he wants. The best advice I could give you is to play his game by his rules, and if you're the woman I think you are, then you already have a good idea of how to do just that."
Chloe lifted her chin, her eyes setting with determination at the challenge. When it was put that way, Chloe had no problem with how to handle this situation. If only her feelings for him would stay out of the way, then everything could work out just fine.
"I'm more than capable of playing by his rules," Chloe admitted, her tone sounding stronger, more confident. "But why are you doing this? Why would you care one way or another?"
"Let's just say that it wasn't a coincidence that I came in here after the ex Mrs. Luthor," she sounded smugly. "It's also no coincidence that no one has entered this room in the meantime." The woman smiled in a kind manner and stepped closer to Chloe. Reaching out, she fixed the chain of Chloe's necklace, placing the clasp at her nape. "You may not realize this, dear, but that little show of affection that he bestowed upon you at the table was as subtle as a fireworks display coming from that man. Added to the condition you were in when I entered, I'd say the two of you have something very special between you."
Chloe's brow creased slightly, having to think of what show of affection she was referring to. Concluding the woman meant the peck on the cheek Lex had given her when they had first arrived she met her eyes directly. "Mrs. Lyndly, I'm not sure what you thought you saw, but believe me, there isn't anything remotely special between us."
"No?" she asked rhetorically, her brows darting high on her forehead. "Then I'd say you really are in a quandary, Miss Sullivan." The older lady stepped back and turned on her heel towards the door. Once there, she turned back to Chloe for one final word. "If you decide to play his game, dear, just remember to get something out of it for yourself. I wish you luck, Chloe."
"Thank you," Chloe voiced softly, not certain of what else to say.
As the senator's wife left the restroom Chloe caught the broad shoulders of her body guard just outside the door before it swung closed. She took a deep steadying breath, squared her shoulders, and followed the older woman's lead to rejoin Lex at their table. Whatever she came up with as a way to handle this situation with Lex, it could wait until after they returned to the mansion, away from prying eyes, and hidden press badges.