Part 8
Lex excused himself, leaving the teens and Mr. Kent to the pool and what was left of the buffet. He'd lost his taste for lunch after seeing Amelia Gilcrest throwing herself at Bruce Wayne. Who, it would seem, had gotten lost in his own castle... otherwise he would have returned, as he had said he would.
Joking aside, Lex thought he could guess what had become of his friend. Likely, he'd been cornered by Amelia or her mother--or both--and being the polite host that he was, hadn't thought of a decent way to escape them. Had the situations been reversed, Lex would not have had such a problem. He'd have just walked away when the sugary oozing had gotten to be too much. This, he reasoned, was why there was no love lost between him and Amelia Gilcrest. He *had* walked away form her on more than one occasion.
But Bruce Wayne wasn't like that. He wasn't selfish or self-absorbed--not that Lex would ever call *himself* those things; he was just more aware of what he wanted--and always put his guests before himself.
A foolish practice sometimes, Lex thought wryly as he pushed open the door to the library--the last place Alfred had remembered seeing Bruce and the Gilcrest women--and stepped inside. What he saw froze him in the doorway, shocked.
Bruce and Amelia... were kissing.
Kissing. Confusion and jealousy raced through Lex, and he was caught between the desire to interrupt the scene playing out before him and his instinct to turn and run.
Shock, however, won out, and Lex stayed, watching in fearful silence as Bruce kiss--.
Something was wrong with this picture, he realized, inwardly sighing with relief. The man before him was standing perfectly still--almost rigid--with his hands clenched tightly at his sides. Lex could see that his knuckles were turning white. Amelia, on the other hand, did not seem to notice those little details. Her hands were on his cheeks, holding him in place. Bruce Wayne was very passionate in his romantic pursuits. If he was going to kiss someone--anyone--he wouldn't be this tense... or this submissive.
He wasn't kissing her, Lex concluded, suddenly feeling better. She was kissing him. He wasn't enjoying it, either, Lex noted, inwardly joyful of that fact.
Just as the revelation came to him, the kiss broke off and Amelia took a tiny step backwards. "There," she cooed, smoothing a hand across Bruce's cheek. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
It looked painful, Lex thought. He could see his lover's jaw tightening--as it always did when something upset him.
"Amelia..." the other man said, finding his voice. There was a warning to the words." I don't think--"
"Shhh..." she said, pressing a finger to his lips. Bruce flinched almost unnoticeably. Almost. Lex had seen it, though he was certain Amelia had not. "You've been so tense today... I just thought this might loosen you up. I really don't see what the problem is."
The problem is that Bruce is mine, Lex thought, biting his lip to keep from saying it aloud and drawing attention to his presence. He wanted to see how Bruce handled this.
The tense billionaire shrugged away from the woman who'd just thrown herself at him. "Aside from the poor timing? I have other guests, any of whom could walk in here and--"
"And what? Find two consenting adults sharing a moment?" Her words were haughtily spoken, clearly showing what she thought of his other guests.
Bruce looked defeated, and Lex couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He knew his friend was trying to be diplomatic, but Amelia was not making that easy.
"Or an argument," he said loudly, drawing attention to himself at last in an effort to rescue Bruce from himself, as well as from her. "Really, Ames... did you honestly think Bruce Wayne was going to... " he paused, eyeing her like a rotten piece of meat... "...jump you here in his library, with a house full of guests and business associates? A rather juvenile assumption, wouldn't you agree?"
"What are *you* doing here?" she snapped, whirling to face him. "No one invited you."
"Ah, but I beg to differ. Bruce invited me here. As his business partner and as a friend." Lex smiled when Amelia's face contorted into a mask of anger. He flopped down on the sofa in the middle of the room, pointedly making himself comfortable in her presence.
She glared at him hatefully before turning her attention back to their host. "Mother will be looking for me. Come," she reached for his arm. "let's go find her." The fake smile she'd pasted on her face to go with the words melted away when Bruce brushed her hand away. Then it recovered. "That's okay," she said quietly. "You need to see to your other guests right now. We'll see each other tonight though." With that, she turned on her heel, breezing from the room like an indignant queen.
As the door swung shut behind her, Bruce sagged against a bookshelf, sighing in heavy frustration.
"I suppose it would be different if you were actually attracted to her," Lex commented, sitting up a little and patting the seat beside him in an invitation. Bruce walked over and sat down, allowing himself to be gathered into Lex's arms.
"You're not angry?" he asked quietly. "It must have looked--"
Lex shushed him with a kiss. He slowly massaged Bruce's lips with his own, caressing them gently until their owner moaned.
"Yes, Lex. I--"
"Shh..." Lex whispered against his lover's mouth. Then, without much warning, he changed tactics. Soft and gentle were replaced with hard and furious. Mouths, tongues and teeth collided roughly as Lex tried to erase the memory of Amelia's kisses from both their minds. Judging from the way Bruce's responding erection ground into his hip, he was succeeding in the task.
"God!" Lex suddenly found himself being pushed away. "You have worse timing than she does, you know that?"
He laughed raggedly, drawing a steadying breath. "I suppose this *would* be a bit more shocking to walk in on than you and Amelia," he admitted.
"Yeah." The passion suddenly drained from Bruce Wayne and he stood, propelling himself away from Lex. "I'm sorry, Lex. I didn't mean that to happen. She just--"
"Bruce, don't." Lex countered, stopping his partner's next words. "I know you didn't mean it. Trust me, had you wanted to kiss her, it would have shown. Any idiot can see you're not attracted to her."
"But she--"
"--is no normal idiot. She's the queen of idiots." Lex stood, coming up beside his friend. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Lex added, "Although, she does have good taste in men."
That brought a smile to Bruce's face and a rueful chuckle to his lips. "Thanks, Lex." He sighed. "I'll be glad when this Historical Society thing is over with and she doesn't have an excuse to be here."
"Have you tried talking to her?"
"Why do you think we were in here alone, Lex? I tried to tell her I'm not interested in her that way, but she didn't exactly listen."
Lex nodded. He remembered coming home from boarding school one summer to find the Gilcrests as his father's guests in their Metropolis home. Amelia immediately attached herself to him, inferring that because she was living under the same roof with him that it was an invitation to become intimate. Lex had found her charming for the first three hours he'd known her. Then the bloom wore off their budding 'friendship', and he realized he couldn't stand her. When he discovered her in his bed--naked--that first night home, he'd rejected her, thus solidifying her hatred of him, as well.
Of course, Lex could care less what Amelia Gilcrest thought of him.
Bruce, however, was too nice for his own good. He'd wind up engaged to her without ever having proposed if Amelia continued with her deluded ideas. Or rather, she'd be telling people as much, such was the way her brain worked. Which *wasn't* a pleasant thought.
Neither was this: "Why not go with it, then?" he asked, wondering that he was even able to say the words.
"Go with it?" echoed Bruce. "Please don't tell me you're suggesting I lead her on."
"Why not?" Lex replied with a shrug. "She'd make a good smoke screen, just in case people start wondering about our friendship."
"No!" Bruce was adamant, not that Lex blamed him. It was a horrible idea, even if it *did* make sense to him on some level. "If I want a decoy, there's always Cyn... or... anyone else. Just not her."
"Try talking to Donovan then. He's a decent enough guy, I'm sure he'll understand."
Bruce looked pained, but nodded. "Might be worth a try."
"I suppose I missed lunch," he asked after a thoughtful pause.
"No, there was some left," Lex told him, his eyes glinting mischievously. "I can't vouch for it now, though. The kids were pretty hungry."
"Let's just get out of here, then," Bruce suggested. "If I have to, I can always grab a sandwich from the kitchen."
Lex followed him out of the library, hoping that the rest of this afternoon was not as eventful as the morning had been. He wasn't sure how much more of this "excitement" he could take.
Lex excused himself, leaving the teens and Mr. Kent to the pool and what was left of the buffet. He'd lost his taste for lunch after seeing Amelia Gilcrest throwing herself at Bruce Wayne. Who, it would seem, had gotten lost in his own castle... otherwise he would have returned, as he had said he would.
Joking aside, Lex thought he could guess what had become of his friend. Likely, he'd been cornered by Amelia or her mother--or both--and being the polite host that he was, hadn't thought of a decent way to escape them. Had the situations been reversed, Lex would not have had such a problem. He'd have just walked away when the sugary oozing had gotten to be too much. This, he reasoned, was why there was no love lost between him and Amelia Gilcrest. He *had* walked away form her on more than one occasion.
But Bruce Wayne wasn't like that. He wasn't selfish or self-absorbed--not that Lex would ever call *himself* those things; he was just more aware of what he wanted--and always put his guests before himself.
A foolish practice sometimes, Lex thought wryly as he pushed open the door to the library--the last place Alfred had remembered seeing Bruce and the Gilcrest women--and stepped inside. What he saw froze him in the doorway, shocked.
Bruce and Amelia... were kissing.
Kissing. Confusion and jealousy raced through Lex, and he was caught between the desire to interrupt the scene playing out before him and his instinct to turn and run.
Shock, however, won out, and Lex stayed, watching in fearful silence as Bruce kiss--.
Something was wrong with this picture, he realized, inwardly sighing with relief. The man before him was standing perfectly still--almost rigid--with his hands clenched tightly at his sides. Lex could see that his knuckles were turning white. Amelia, on the other hand, did not seem to notice those little details. Her hands were on his cheeks, holding him in place. Bruce Wayne was very passionate in his romantic pursuits. If he was going to kiss someone--anyone--he wouldn't be this tense... or this submissive.
He wasn't kissing her, Lex concluded, suddenly feeling better. She was kissing him. He wasn't enjoying it, either, Lex noted, inwardly joyful of that fact.
Just as the revelation came to him, the kiss broke off and Amelia took a tiny step backwards. "There," she cooed, smoothing a hand across Bruce's cheek. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
It looked painful, Lex thought. He could see his lover's jaw tightening--as it always did when something upset him.
"Amelia..." the other man said, finding his voice. There was a warning to the words." I don't think--"
"Shhh..." she said, pressing a finger to his lips. Bruce flinched almost unnoticeably. Almost. Lex had seen it, though he was certain Amelia had not. "You've been so tense today... I just thought this might loosen you up. I really don't see what the problem is."
The problem is that Bruce is mine, Lex thought, biting his lip to keep from saying it aloud and drawing attention to his presence. He wanted to see how Bruce handled this.
The tense billionaire shrugged away from the woman who'd just thrown herself at him. "Aside from the poor timing? I have other guests, any of whom could walk in here and--"
"And what? Find two consenting adults sharing a moment?" Her words were haughtily spoken, clearly showing what she thought of his other guests.
Bruce looked defeated, and Lex couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He knew his friend was trying to be diplomatic, but Amelia was not making that easy.
"Or an argument," he said loudly, drawing attention to himself at last in an effort to rescue Bruce from himself, as well as from her. "Really, Ames... did you honestly think Bruce Wayne was going to... " he paused, eyeing her like a rotten piece of meat... "...jump you here in his library, with a house full of guests and business associates? A rather juvenile assumption, wouldn't you agree?"
"What are *you* doing here?" she snapped, whirling to face him. "No one invited you."
"Ah, but I beg to differ. Bruce invited me here. As his business partner and as a friend." Lex smiled when Amelia's face contorted into a mask of anger. He flopped down on the sofa in the middle of the room, pointedly making himself comfortable in her presence.
She glared at him hatefully before turning her attention back to their host. "Mother will be looking for me. Come," she reached for his arm. "let's go find her." The fake smile she'd pasted on her face to go with the words melted away when Bruce brushed her hand away. Then it recovered. "That's okay," she said quietly. "You need to see to your other guests right now. We'll see each other tonight though." With that, she turned on her heel, breezing from the room like an indignant queen.
As the door swung shut behind her, Bruce sagged against a bookshelf, sighing in heavy frustration.
"I suppose it would be different if you were actually attracted to her," Lex commented, sitting up a little and patting the seat beside him in an invitation. Bruce walked over and sat down, allowing himself to be gathered into Lex's arms.
"You're not angry?" he asked quietly. "It must have looked--"
Lex shushed him with a kiss. He slowly massaged Bruce's lips with his own, caressing them gently until their owner moaned.
"Yes, Lex. I--"
"Shh..." Lex whispered against his lover's mouth. Then, without much warning, he changed tactics. Soft and gentle were replaced with hard and furious. Mouths, tongues and teeth collided roughly as Lex tried to erase the memory of Amelia's kisses from both their minds. Judging from the way Bruce's responding erection ground into his hip, he was succeeding in the task.
"God!" Lex suddenly found himself being pushed away. "You have worse timing than she does, you know that?"
He laughed raggedly, drawing a steadying breath. "I suppose this *would* be a bit more shocking to walk in on than you and Amelia," he admitted.
"Yeah." The passion suddenly drained from Bruce Wayne and he stood, propelling himself away from Lex. "I'm sorry, Lex. I didn't mean that to happen. She just--"
"Bruce, don't." Lex countered, stopping his partner's next words. "I know you didn't mean it. Trust me, had you wanted to kiss her, it would have shown. Any idiot can see you're not attracted to her."
"But she--"
"--is no normal idiot. She's the queen of idiots." Lex stood, coming up beside his friend. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Lex added, "Although, she does have good taste in men."
That brought a smile to Bruce's face and a rueful chuckle to his lips. "Thanks, Lex." He sighed. "I'll be glad when this Historical Society thing is over with and she doesn't have an excuse to be here."
"Have you tried talking to her?"
"Why do you think we were in here alone, Lex? I tried to tell her I'm not interested in her that way, but she didn't exactly listen."
Lex nodded. He remembered coming home from boarding school one summer to find the Gilcrests as his father's guests in their Metropolis home. Amelia immediately attached herself to him, inferring that because she was living under the same roof with him that it was an invitation to become intimate. Lex had found her charming for the first three hours he'd known her. Then the bloom wore off their budding 'friendship', and he realized he couldn't stand her. When he discovered her in his bed--naked--that first night home, he'd rejected her, thus solidifying her hatred of him, as well.
Of course, Lex could care less what Amelia Gilcrest thought of him.
Bruce, however, was too nice for his own good. He'd wind up engaged to her without ever having proposed if Amelia continued with her deluded ideas. Or rather, she'd be telling people as much, such was the way her brain worked. Which *wasn't* a pleasant thought.
Neither was this: "Why not go with it, then?" he asked, wondering that he was even able to say the words.
"Go with it?" echoed Bruce. "Please don't tell me you're suggesting I lead her on."
"Why not?" Lex replied with a shrug. "She'd make a good smoke screen, just in case people start wondering about our friendship."
"No!" Bruce was adamant, not that Lex blamed him. It was a horrible idea, even if it *did* make sense to him on some level. "If I want a decoy, there's always Cyn... or... anyone else. Just not her."
"Try talking to Donovan then. He's a decent enough guy, I'm sure he'll understand."
Bruce looked pained, but nodded. "Might be worth a try."
"I suppose I missed lunch," he asked after a thoughtful pause.
"No, there was some left," Lex told him, his eyes glinting mischievously. "I can't vouch for it now, though. The kids were pretty hungry."
"Let's just get out of here, then," Bruce suggested. "If I have to, I can always grab a sandwich from the kitchen."
Lex followed him out of the library, hoping that the rest of this afternoon was not as eventful as the morning had been. He wasn't sure how much more of this "excitement" he could take.
