A/N: First of all, thanks for the reviews. This is my first attempt at Chlex (Why, oh why didn't that couple occur to me before? They're perfect for each other!), so I hope I don't screw it up too much. I figure having it set in the future is good, because any OOC moments can be attributed to maturity. I'd also like to give a (suburban) shout out to my kick-ass beta, xixie. She's actually going to start a companion fic to this one, detailing what Clark's up to (I'll give you a hint: he's not in Metropolis or Smallville). Seeing as how it's been a year (at least) since she last updated her own fics, you guys might want to encourage her with some e-mails. :o)

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The Non-Date: Chapter Two

Lex Luthor was feeling good.

No, he was feeling…great.

Being with the Sullivan girl last night had done wonders. Although they hadn't seen each other face-to-face in years, they had communicated sporadically via e-mail and mutual friends. Her quirky, fiery personality was the same as always, but at the business dinner they had quickly moved past their old pattern of verbal judo (and subtle flirting) to real conversation (and subtle flirting). Lex felt refreshed, having someone listening to him who wasn't paid to do so. It was almost enough to take his mind off the more pressing financial and business matters he would be attending to in less than an hour…

The cell phone in the seat beside him rang and he reached over to pick it up. He hoped it was Chloe; he wanted to confirm their…lunch. He caught himself, realizing he had almost used the word "date." Calm down, Luthor, he mentally chided himself, you already have more enemies than friends. Don't go alienating the rest by imagining yourself attracted to Chloe. He tried to picture the look that would no doubt appear on Clark's face as a result of being told that Lex Luthor was having romantic inclinations towards one of his oldest friends. Normally, that would have been enough to deter his thoughts. Just not today…

"Hello?"

"Mr. Luthor? I – um, I mean, Lex? This is Chloe Sullivan."

He smiled. It's about time she started using my first name. "Hello, Chloe. Good morning, I should say."

"Is it too early? I can call back…" She sounded distracted.

"No, it's fine. I'm actually on my way to work right now." He could hear banging and cursing on the other line. "What are you doing?"

She sighed. "Trying to get my morning caffeine fix. I have to be at the Planet in half an hour and our coffee maker just broke."

"So you've resigned yourself to the torture that is non-Talon coffee?"

"Actually…" Now she sounded almost embarrassed. "One of the first things I bought when I moved back to Metropolis was a commercial-grade coffee maker. Lana helped me get it at a really great price, and I can make pretty much anything with it."

"I take it you and the Prom Queen have kept in touch?"

"Yeah. We got really close towards the end of high school. She was pretty upset about her breakup with Clark"-Lex almost expected to feel her grimace as she said the words, but Chloe sounded strangely unaffected by the memory of that particular relationship-"I think Lana felt left out, not leaving Smallville when the rest of us did. But she had the Talon – does I mean – and she and Pete have gotten really close, which is good for both of them. Did you know they're dating?"

"Well, after seeing the way they hang all over each other at the Talon, not to mention that Pete actually accepted a job at Luthor Corp. to be near her, and the fact that Lana can't stop buying all these silly bridal magazines-" he paused, listening to her giggle. "Let's just say I'd be a little surprised if it slipped past me."

There was a lull in the conversation. Lex pulled into a parking space at Luthor Corp. and turned off the car. He could hear Chloe banging; then a hiss of steam followed by her shout of triumph.

"About lunch…" he began.

"My break's at 12. There's a little café called Le Petit Déjeuner two doors down from the Planet; we could meet there."

"Sounds great." One of her roommates must have walked in; he could hear talking and laughing. Chloe had probably covered the receiver with her hand – her cries of "I will NOT ask him that!" and "Get your own billionaire playboy!" were somewhat muffled.

"Sorry about that, Lex. Sam says hi."

"'Billionaire playboy,' huh?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I've been called worse. So, lunch at 12. Do I need to make reservations?"

Chloe was smiling; he could feel the warmth through the phone lines. "It's not that kind of place. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will. See you at 12."

"Bye."

Lex hung up and got out of the car, making his way toward the Luthor Corp. building. He had a few things to take care of before his…lunch (NOT a date, he told himself), and he wanted to make sure he got them out of the way.

*****

Chloe hung up the phone and turned to face her smirking roommate.

"Let me guess. Another non-date?" Sam poured herself some coffee and leaned against the countertop.

Chloe tried to glare, but it didn't last long. Her trademark grin spread ear-to-ear as she thought about Lex and their impending lunch together.

Tina walked into the kitchen, still groggy from sleep. "What's gotten into her?" she mumbled at Sam, who almost choked on her coffee from laughing.

" I think you mean who," she replied, reaching for a napkin to wipe up the spilt coffee.

"Sam!" Chloe tried to look to mad, but her grin wasn't moving. She settled for a fleeting look of annoyance, but even that failed to look convincing. "I'm meeting Lex for lunch at Le Petit Déjeuner and Sam is trying to imply that there is something other than completely platonic friendship at work," she explained.

"Well, have fun. But be careful."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that from what you've told us, this guy is an experienced womanizer; not to mention incredibly rich and powerful. I know you're a good judge of character and all, but I also know that neither Sam nor I want you to get hurt."

Chloe wavered between exasperation at Tina's motherly attitude and feeling touched that she and Sam were so concerned about her. Maturity won, and she decided to go with the latter.

"Thanks for being concerned. But really, there is nothing going on between me and Lex. He probably just wants to make sure I'm not writing an article about last night." She saw Sam's head shoot up and added, "And I'm not. I wouldn't abuse our friendship like that." Sam looked disappointed for a fraction of a second, and then got over it.

"Now if you will excuse me," Chloe continued, the smile slowly making a comeback, "I have to go change."

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A/N (again): Sorry if that was too short. I've been really busy with school, so I probably won't be able to post again until next Wednesday. I would suggest everyone go out and buy the Smallville comic, but it's been delayed until October. Ugh.