Chapter Twenty-Three
Chloe span around delighting in feeling so free and deliciously light headed. There were no worries, no stresses in her world right then. Just her, music, dancing and … she was fairly certain that there had been yummy drinks and a tasty man a few moments ago. She danced around a little more sure that she would find them again eventually.
"Oh", she gasped as her twirling was halted by two very large, very manly hands on her hips. "There you are", she said in a sing song voice. She was vaguely aware that she should be afraid of him, whoever him was, but she just felt all light and tingly.
"Here I am", his voice was low and sent chills down her spine. He pulled her to him so that their hips were melding and he leant forwards so that she could hear him.
She responded instinctively, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him pull her in until their bodies were practically fused. The DJ suddenly changed to a slow, seductive song which made such a hold normal. Chloe probably would have wondered about that, had she not been quite so light headed.
The voice tickled her ear and prodded her mind. She knew that voice. Finally she gave in, she stopped staring at his hands and let her gaze travel up his body. Strong chest, nice arms, yummy looking neck, "Lex".
"I thought that you were referring to me as Mr Luthor now", he growled.
"I did, I was, I am … what was I saying?" She wondered as they swayed together to the music.
"If you can't finish your sentences then I think that it is time to get you outside for a breath of fresh air", he decided, squeezing her a little more tightly.
"No", she pouted. "Don't want to go outside, want to stay here. Like dancing."
"Okay", he pretended to give in, hoping that his resolve not to take that stuck out bottom lip between his teeth would last, "one more dance and then outside you go".
"Two", she countered.
"Alright, two if they are slow", he said, signalling to the DJ to ensure that it would be. When did be become so weak? That pouty look shouldn't have completely unmanned him.
"You smell nice", Chloe said into his ear, as she nuzzled his neck. His warm, strong, gorgeous neck.
"So do you baby", he replied hugging her close and feeling her sagging against him.
"You feel good too", she continued.
"Another thing that we apparently have in common", he ran his hand down her back.
"I bet that you taste good too", she announced, she vaguely remembered their conversation from that lunchtime.
He ran a thumb across her full lower lip. "I would give anything to find out"
She licked her lips, and his thumb in the process drawing a groan from him. She took his thumb into her mouth and kissed him, twirling her tongue around the top like she wanted to do to another part of his anatomy.
"You are killing me darling", he said in a strained voice, "and you are going outside now". The final word was almost menacing.
"But it's only been one dance", she sulked and tried to cross her arms in front of her chest.
He briefly considered just throwing her over his shoulder and walking out of there, possibly giving her something to think about on the way, but if it looked like he was taking her by force then Lois might get involved, then Oliver would and then it would get complicated. Better to just placate her until he got her out of there.
"I have a music system", he said. He caught Oliver's eye over her head and gave him a nod to say that he was taking Chloe then, the blonde looked relieved.
Chloe seemed to be considering this for a moment, before announcing, "Just let me go and get another drink. The buzz is wearing off".
"Good", he said, looping an arm underneath her knees and carrying her out of the club.
"Weeee I'm flying", she sang, not seeming to mind that she hadn't got her next drink.
"Yes sweetheart. How many have you had?" He wondered.
"Vodka or … what was the red stuff?"
"Red stuff? Wine I hope, although here I'm not sure", Lex continued out of the door, as the cold air hit them he asked again, this time more of a demand, "How many?"
"Um … 5?" She asked. "Wait, does vodbull count?"
"Vodbull? You polluted vodka with redbull?" He sounded really disgusted now.
"Yep", he grinned at him.
"No wonder it had such an effect", he strode to where his limo was waiting for him and got in, still holding Chloe, as the driver opened the door.
"I like alcohol", Chloe declared far too loudly, having got used to the volume of the club.
"So I'd gathered", he put her seatbelt on and the car started.
"It makes you forget, hey where are we going?" She wondered, trying to see out of the darkened windows.
"What does it make you forget?" He asked, pulling her back to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
She shrugged, but didn't try to remove herself from his arms.
Lex put his hands on her shoulders and began to rub gently. She was so carefree at that moment he was fairly sure that he could get any information he wanted out of her, if he could just get her to relax enough. He knew that he should regret taking advantage of her, but he needed to know the truth.
"Tell me sweetheart", he continued. "What does it make you forget?"
"Everything", she said rubbed back against him.
"Care to elaborate", he applied some more pressure to his massage.
"Mmmm …" she moaned. "Makes me forget all about everything, the fear. The worry. It's nice not to have to think about it all. I'm just sick of it all. Sick of being worried every time I'm near someone new or in a crowd and there is no reason to be. I know that. The only reason why it got too bad was because I was kept away from people and allowed to get silly about these things".
"What about my Dad?" Lex prodded.
"He's dead", Chloe informed him, wondering if he hadn't been drinking. He drank too much. She was going to have to put a stop to that. There was going to be no more scotch drinking for Mr Luthor.
"But he hurt you", Lex wrapped his arms back around her waist as if that would somehow make everything alright.
"You know what he did", it wasn't a question. She was now fairly convinced that Lex knew all, somehow.
"I know what he did to your job, your father … I thought that was everything. But when you told me about killing him, you said that he put his hands on you". Lex suddenly became very aware of the fact that his own hands were on her and didn't know whether they were providing comfort as he intended or should be removed.
"It was nothing", Chloe tried to brush it off.
Gritting his teeth, he commanded, "Tell me". He had to know the damage – however much he didn't want to – otherwise there was no way of knowing how to help her.
"He …" She fought against the memory, the fear, the impotence, "he just held me down. It was nothing really. We hadn't been able to sell our house, Lionel made sure of that and we were in a terrible little one bedroom apartment. My Dad was in Metropolis one night, staying with a friend and trying to find work, when I heard a knock at the door. I went to see who it was, I thought that it was probably Clark coming to check on me but I couldn't see before I opened the door because we didn't have a spyhole or a latch. Lionel forced his way in. I tried to get him to leave but he wouldn't."
Lex's grip around her tightened even more.
"He walked around the place as if he owned it, reminding me that even this shelter was only temporary and that I shouldn't have backed out on our deal. He told me about all of the other plans that he had for bringing my father and me down even lower. Then he told me that it didn't have to be like that. He talked of giving me everything that I had ever wanted if only I would give him one thing … my body. I said no. He didn't listen", she turned her head and hid inside Lex's jacket.
He ran his hands through her hair and down her spine, hoping to comfort her somehow.
"I don't know why I am getting so upset about this. He didn't do anything to me. Not really. He just held me down, for hours and hours telling me how everything could change overnight if I just gave in to him. Telling me that he would marry me if that was what I wanted but I refused. I refused but I couldn't move. Finally he got tired and tried to take me by force … it was a mistake", she tried to sound brave, "The second he moved from just straddling me and holding both of my wrists above my head I kicked him and got away. That night I came to you at the mansion … it was right after …"
Lex tensed. He remembered her appearance from that night perfectly, how had he not seen it? Had he known his father would never have seen the sunrise.
"Meteor freaks have knocked me out. Tied me up. I was never that scared before", she admitted. She wished that she had more alcohol. Nothing seemed to matter when she had more to drink.
He tried to stay calm, as she checked. "He didn't rape you?"
"No", she was emphatic.
She waited a second and pulled her head out of his jacket to stare up at him. "Why do you care?"
He gazed at her in confusion. "You know that I care".
"No you don't, you hate me".
"What? What the fuck are you talking about?" He demanded.
"You hate me", she said, with apparently no more emotion than if she had been telling him the day's date. "It makes me sad. I liked you".
"I don't hate you, I could never hate you. What would make you say something like that?" His hand under her chin to ensure that she kept eye contact this time.
"I killed your father, you loved your father, therefore you hate me. You threatened me yesterday and wouldn't let me leave, you are probably plotting some terrible way of getting even with me", she suddenly paled, "you aren't planning on killing my father are you? You aren't going to go after my father are you?" She looked desperate.
"No of course not", he swore. He held her close, thinking that she must be going crazy.
"But you love him", Chloe whimpered.
"No, I wanted him to love me", Lex tried to explain, "and yes, a part of me did love him. But that ended the day that he threatened you. I love you Chloe, only you".
She stared at him with wide eyes at first, but then they narrowed. "You're lying", she accused him.
"No baby, I'm not lying. I love you", he swore.
"Prove it", she challenged. Her mouth forming words before her drink sodden brain could function properly.
His first thought was to kiss her senseless, but that wouldn't prove his love. "I brought this for you", he said, pulling something out of his pocket.
"What is it?" She wondered.
"This is a locket of my mother's", he opened it gently, on its side.
"What is that powder?" She wrinkled her nose.
"My father's ashes", that had to prove to her that he was telling the truth. "No one would keep his father's ashes and be willing to part with them if he weren't alright with his death".
Chloe gapped at him. "But, but", she floundered to make sense of all of this, "you were angry with me."
"No", he protested vehemently, not quite believing that they could have been talking at such crossed purposes. "Well, yes. I was angry but not with you darling", he stroked her face. "I was furious that I hadn't been able to protect you, that he might have hurt you … that you would be crushed by the guilt of being in some way responsible for his death".
"Oh". It might have been the vodka and the red stuff but she believed him. "You love me?"
"Yes, I love you", the passion in his voice was convincing.
"Lex …" His ears pricked up with hope as she started the sentence, she had used his first name that was a good sign.
She wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but all that came out was, "I didn't kill him".
Lex smiled. It wasn't what he had been hoping for, but it was something and now that they had got the basics out of the way – like the fact that he didn't hate her and wasn't trying to destroy her and her family – he was certain that he could win her. The seduction of Chloe Sullivan would begin the second her hangover faded, much like his taking her to task for dancing and grinding with men in a club.
"I know honey, I sent Davis 10 million dollars this morning", he cuddled her.
"Oh", was all that she said. The sleepiness from her day's activities finally catching up with her; she sank down into him for a little nap.