"Starved? Sure. Okay, let's do that," Lex recovered quickly. He realized
that Lana was up to something, but he was too intrigued to argue with her
again.
He hit the elevator button to take them to the first floor, but stayed on one side of the small chrome and dark wood box, carefully avoiding Lana.
"Don't worry, Lex, you said it was a mistake, so that's that, right?" Lana joked when she noticed that he was practically huddled in the corner.
"Lana, look," Lex turned to face her, "if you want to stop being, what did you say, 'the good girl of Smallville?' Then, that's great. It has to be tiring by now, but I don't think that using me to do it is the best idea. People could get hurt that way."
"Is that what you think I'm doing, Lex? That's nice and here I thought I was just being honest." Lana refused to look at him, but stared at the light that bounced from number to number on the elevator panel.
"I didn't mean." he searched for the right words, ".it's just that last week you were... well, not like this... and now you're forceful and.seductive. It's strange Lana."
"Well, at least I got one part right. And Lex, if I had wanted to stop being the good girl, I could have done that with Whitney, I didn't have to come here," Lana threw over her shoulder as the elevator stopped on the first floor and she got out.
Lex shook his head as she waited for him, her black-shod foot tapping on the ground impatiently. He didn't know what other arguments to use for why she was here. He had used convenience, but that wasn't the case. He had used her trying to change her image and that obviously wasn't her motivation either. So that left only that she wanted to be here with him and he still couldn't accept that.
"Lex?" Lana called to him and he realized that both she and the doorman were staring at him. He stepped off the elevator, nodded to Phillip, and guided Lana out through the double doors.
He steered her toward a sleek, black, Mercedes coupe that waited at the edge of the driveway. She wanted to ask about the car, but was much more fascinated by the warm hand that Lex had placed on the small of her back. His hand radiated heat throughout her body, making her feel all tingly. She climbed in to the back seat as Lex gave directions to the driver.
"You don't drive in the city?" Lana inquired as Lex slid in beside her, careful to leave enough space between them so that their legs didn't touch. Lana wanted to laugh at that and because he had been so careful about it, she purposefully slid sideways and turned so that she faced him. She bent one of her knees against the leather seat and let it rest, just brushing against Lex's leg.
Lex glanced down as her knee settled against his leg and then back up at Lana, who wasn't staring out the window at Metropolis, but at him. "No, it's easier to get a car or take a cab. I figured the car would be better tonight."
"So, which group did you want to see tonight and where are they?" Lex asked casually, still trying to sort out his confused feelings about what was happening.
Lana's response was equally casual as she turned to look out the window at the passing buildings, "There's a singer, who's supposed to be up and coming; her name's Basha and she's a Tori Amos type from what I've heard. She's playing at some club called 'Bar.' Isn't that funny?"
"It's a decent enough place, very trendy. Not a problem, we can get in there," Lex replied smoothly, but he really wanted to groan out loud when Lana made her announcement. Bar was the place to be now; it was dark and steamy and had many, hidden areas where lots of illicit things went on. Some girl had enticed him there a while ago by telling him that the club smelled like sex. Lex had been intrigued and had to admit that she'd been right, but taking Lana there now was making him nervous.
"Are you sure there isn't some other person you would rather hear tonight or something else you would rather do?" Lex queried, hoping that she would change her mind.
Lana continued to gaze out the window and away from Lex, hiding her smile. She had already heard all about this place from Chloe, whose cousin went to school in the city. It was the perfect setting as far as she was concerned.
"Yes, I'm sure. Why is there something wrong with the place?" she inquired innocently, turning large questioning eyes back to Lex.
Lex grimaced and shook his head, "No, it's fine. Just checking."
Lana decided to give Lex another option and wondered idly which one he would choose. "Of course, you have that indoor swimming pool, so you could teach me to swim." She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as she leveled a serious gaze on him.
"You don't know how to swim?" Lex was surprised that Lana didn't know how to do something so easy. Wasn't taking a dip in one of the local, swimming holes what a nice, Kansas girl did to entertain herself in the heat of the summer?
"Well, I've never been very good at the breast stroke and I know you are," she said teasingly.
Lex knew that he should have seen that one coming from a mile away, but hadn't. He grimaced again at the impression that his behavior must have made on a 10 year old Lana. "Uh, I think that the pool back at the penthouse is closed," he sputtered lamely.
Lana laughed out loud, noticing that even in the dark, Lex's blush was obvious. "Oh well, maybe some other time then."
He hit the elevator button to take them to the first floor, but stayed on one side of the small chrome and dark wood box, carefully avoiding Lana.
"Don't worry, Lex, you said it was a mistake, so that's that, right?" Lana joked when she noticed that he was practically huddled in the corner.
"Lana, look," Lex turned to face her, "if you want to stop being, what did you say, 'the good girl of Smallville?' Then, that's great. It has to be tiring by now, but I don't think that using me to do it is the best idea. People could get hurt that way."
"Is that what you think I'm doing, Lex? That's nice and here I thought I was just being honest." Lana refused to look at him, but stared at the light that bounced from number to number on the elevator panel.
"I didn't mean." he searched for the right words, ".it's just that last week you were... well, not like this... and now you're forceful and.seductive. It's strange Lana."
"Well, at least I got one part right. And Lex, if I had wanted to stop being the good girl, I could have done that with Whitney, I didn't have to come here," Lana threw over her shoulder as the elevator stopped on the first floor and she got out.
Lex shook his head as she waited for him, her black-shod foot tapping on the ground impatiently. He didn't know what other arguments to use for why she was here. He had used convenience, but that wasn't the case. He had used her trying to change her image and that obviously wasn't her motivation either. So that left only that she wanted to be here with him and he still couldn't accept that.
"Lex?" Lana called to him and he realized that both she and the doorman were staring at him. He stepped off the elevator, nodded to Phillip, and guided Lana out through the double doors.
He steered her toward a sleek, black, Mercedes coupe that waited at the edge of the driveway. She wanted to ask about the car, but was much more fascinated by the warm hand that Lex had placed on the small of her back. His hand radiated heat throughout her body, making her feel all tingly. She climbed in to the back seat as Lex gave directions to the driver.
"You don't drive in the city?" Lana inquired as Lex slid in beside her, careful to leave enough space between them so that their legs didn't touch. Lana wanted to laugh at that and because he had been so careful about it, she purposefully slid sideways and turned so that she faced him. She bent one of her knees against the leather seat and let it rest, just brushing against Lex's leg.
Lex glanced down as her knee settled against his leg and then back up at Lana, who wasn't staring out the window at Metropolis, but at him. "No, it's easier to get a car or take a cab. I figured the car would be better tonight."
"So, which group did you want to see tonight and where are they?" Lex asked casually, still trying to sort out his confused feelings about what was happening.
Lana's response was equally casual as she turned to look out the window at the passing buildings, "There's a singer, who's supposed to be up and coming; her name's Basha and she's a Tori Amos type from what I've heard. She's playing at some club called 'Bar.' Isn't that funny?"
"It's a decent enough place, very trendy. Not a problem, we can get in there," Lex replied smoothly, but he really wanted to groan out loud when Lana made her announcement. Bar was the place to be now; it was dark and steamy and had many, hidden areas where lots of illicit things went on. Some girl had enticed him there a while ago by telling him that the club smelled like sex. Lex had been intrigued and had to admit that she'd been right, but taking Lana there now was making him nervous.
"Are you sure there isn't some other person you would rather hear tonight or something else you would rather do?" Lex queried, hoping that she would change her mind.
Lana continued to gaze out the window and away from Lex, hiding her smile. She had already heard all about this place from Chloe, whose cousin went to school in the city. It was the perfect setting as far as she was concerned.
"Yes, I'm sure. Why is there something wrong with the place?" she inquired innocently, turning large questioning eyes back to Lex.
Lex grimaced and shook his head, "No, it's fine. Just checking."
Lana decided to give Lex another option and wondered idly which one he would choose. "Of course, you have that indoor swimming pool, so you could teach me to swim." She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as she leveled a serious gaze on him.
"You don't know how to swim?" Lex was surprised that Lana didn't know how to do something so easy. Wasn't taking a dip in one of the local, swimming holes what a nice, Kansas girl did to entertain herself in the heat of the summer?
"Well, I've never been very good at the breast stroke and I know you are," she said teasingly.
Lex knew that he should have seen that one coming from a mile away, but hadn't. He grimaced again at the impression that his behavior must have made on a 10 year old Lana. "Uh, I think that the pool back at the penthouse is closed," he sputtered lamely.
Lana laughed out loud, noticing that even in the dark, Lex's blush was obvious. "Oh well, maybe some other time then."