Part 6
They pulled up in front of one of Lex's favorite restaurants in the city, Grazia. "I didn't ask, but I hope that you like Italian?" he questioned as he helped Lana out of the car. Her hand tightened on his as she slid first one leg and then, the other toward him. He pulled her up out of the car, but didn't step back as he did, so her body brushed against his as she stood.
"Love it," was all she said.
"Mr. Luthor, welcome back. If you'll wait a moment, I will arrange for a table in the back for you," the maitre d' announced as he ushered Lex and Lana inside the elegant restaurant.
"No, actually, one on the balcony would be better, Alberto," Lex corrected the sycophantic man.
"Absolutely. Just a moment then." And he hurried off to get the table ready.
Lana leaned into Lex and whispered, "So, which do you prefer, being fawned over or being ignored?"
Lex glanced down at her upturned face and noticed that she had hooked her tiny hand through the crook of his arm. He caught a few, inquisitive looks from other diners and wondered if the two of them looked as intimate as he felt. He squinted slightly at Lana as he processed what she'd asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, in Smallville everyone either ignores you or is afraid of you and here they fawn all over you, just wondering which was better?"
"Oh." Lex thought about it as he followed the maitre d' with Lana still on his arm. He motioned the man away as he reached for Lana's chair himself and waited as she settled gracefully into it.
Lex took the other seat and cast a quick glance around. The table was on the balcony and against the wrought iron railing, but still at the end of the row, which gave them some privacy. Lex grimaced as Alberto told them for the fourth time that if they needed anything, all they had to do was ask and it would be theirs.
"I guess I like the other better after all," Lex answered ruefully when the man had scooted off.
"Really, I kind of like this, it's different," Lana laughed with delight as she gazed around the city.
"That's precisely why I like the other," Lex told her as he casually tossed the black napkin on to his lap.
"Because it's different? I never thought about that before. Do you even notice all of this?" Lana gestured around her. "Do you even notice all of the people staring at you?"
Lex glanced around as Lana spoke and wondered what she meant by 'all of this?' The city or the restaurant, he wasn't sure.
"I notice all of the men who stare at you, Lana," he brought his gaze back to rest on her. Her eyes were aglow in the city lights and her cheeks were flushed. He was starting to think that their kiss on the balcony hadn't been a mistake after all.
Lana leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing them carefully, her gaze never leaving Lex's face. "Really, I only notice one."
The waiter had to clear his throat several times before either Lex or Lana realized that he was there and that only earned him an annoyed, "What?" from Lex.
"M-m-may I bring you something to drink?" the man stammered while Lana giggled.
Lex grabbed the wine list and gave it a cursory glance before snapping, "The Two Hearts Sangiovesse is fine." The waiter hurried off, glad for any reason to leave the table.
"Two Hearts? How sweet," Lana had to bite her lip to stop giggling.
"It's the name of the wine, nothing personal. So, what do you like?" Lex opened the menu to see what the specials were and also to give himself a minute. He knew he was slowly being pulled in with Lana. Whatever she wanted was tugging at him. It hit nerves that he had thought were tightly locked away.
A beautiful, amazing woman was one thing to wish for, but one that was sweet and good on top of that was a fantasy. Especially one that wasn't after his money or his position. Being at the penthouse, his mother's penthouse, had added to that fantasy. He never took anyone there, not women anyway. He didn't want anything cheap to mix with that perfect memory he had of her. But Lana being there was different, special. He wondered if his mother would have liked her and somehow knew that she would have.
The waiter came and poured the wine that Lex was hardly aware of tasting and approving; he was too preoccupied, trying to sort out feelings he hadn't even known were there. Not only were they there, but they were stronger and more intense than he'd ever thought possible before.
For the first time in a very long while, Lex wanted someone who had nothing to do with his father or with some kind of game. The one woman he could say he'd really been involved with had been Victoria and that had never been about wanting, but about positioning. She'd used him and he'd used her and that was the way Lex liked it . . . before now.
Lana wanted to ask Lex what he was thinking about, but his stare was so serious that she opted not to interrupt his silent reverie. Besides I may be much closer to what I want than I thought, she mused. She wasn't sure why Lex had been so resistant to her so far, but she was going to change that. She had made the decision to seduce him and he was going to be seduced even if she had to make up tricks to achieve her goal.
But what happens after you do that, a little voice inside her head wondered. Lana ignored the question and instead reached out and laid her hand over Lex's.
"Earth to Lex, come in."
Lex scowled as his attention was brought back to the here and now and to Lana. He felt her hand on his and slowly turned his over so that his palm rested against her's. Their fingers intertwined and stroked each other, their eyes locked.
"May I tell you the specials now or do you want me to come back?" the ubiquitous waiter queried nervously as Lex shot him another, angry glare.
Lana chuckled as she pulled her hand away, "Talk about bad timing."
"Now is fine," Lex ground out each word between clenched teeth, furious that the moment had been broken.
"Lana, do you know what you want or do you need more time?" Lex inquired as he noticed that Lana hadn't even opened her menu.
"No, I don't need more time, I'm ready," she replied in a soft, but self- assured voice, imbuing the words with a double meaning. Lex wondered if the waiter picked up the same nuance that he did. "Whatever you think would be good."
Lex couldn't help himself; he had to laugh. Lana really was good at this, better than he would have ever imagined. He wondered where she'd ever learned to hit all the right buttons on a man. Not from the Quarterback, who wouldn't recognize subtlety if he got punched in the face with it. Probably from romance novels then, he thought with a smirk.
"The lady will have the shrimp and asparagus a olio then. I'll have the eggplant," he offered up when he had composed himself.
Lana wanted to close her eyes and remember each perfect second of dinner; it was better than anything else she'd ever experienced before. Each taste of the meal and then, dessert was better than the bite before. She wanted to remember each second of Lex too. He was charming and witty and kept her laughing all during dinner, telling her stories of different places and people in the city.
"Enough, I can't take anymore. You made all of that up, I know it." She threw her hands up in surrender as the table was cleared of the dessert dishes.
"I did not, I swear they were all true...more or less," Lex jokingly amended when he saw her begin to argue with him.
"'More or less?' I knew it," Lana threw back at him, letting her hands fall into her lap.
"Mr. Luthor, will there be anything else this evening?" Lana knew that the waiter had to be glad that Lex had stopped glaring and barking at him each time he came to the table.
"That will be all, thank you. Just the check," Lex replied as he tossed his napkin on the table and watched Lana fold her's into a perfect triangle and lay it down.
"I'm going to go and check my lipstick. Be right back." Lana leaned down and grabbed her purse as Lex stood part way up out of his chair. She smiled as she brushed past him, stopping to put her hand on his shoulder and brush a brief kiss on his cheek. "How sweet," she commented.
Lana wondered if it had been the two glasses of wine that was making her so reckless, but while she walked to the bathroom, she plotted a way to get Lex to skip the club and go back to the penthouse. A noisy club filled with people wasn't where she wanted to be just now. The thought of the quiet, dark penthouse sent a shiver of excitement up her spine.
"Lana? Lana Lang," a man's voice stopped her mid-fantasy.
"Yes," she swung around to see Lionel Luthor standing in front of her with a quizzical look on his bearded face.
"Mr. Luthor, how are you?" she inquired politely, hoping that Lex wouldn't see his father and allow him to ruin their night.
"I saw Lex, but I couldn't believe that that was you with him." Lionel had been sure that it had been some other woman. The Lana he remembered was a child and not someone who would have interested his son, but this wasn't the same, little girl who wore braids and pink, frilly dresses.
"Well, it is," Lana said a bit tersely. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go..." she started to turn away but Lionel's hand on her arm stopped her.
"You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you, grown quite a lot actually. Is your aunt in town with you? She should have called. I would have been happy to escort you around so that you wouldn't be stuck with my.rather morose son." Lionel smiled and leaned down like it was some kind of private joke. Lana wanted to smack him.
"That's very kind of you, Mr. Luthor, but actually I'm here with Lex. A business trip for The Talon, so I'm not really 'stuck,'" she assured him in a crisp tone as she shook off his hand.
"With Lex? How interesting. Hmmm, I guess I should have come over to the table after all." Instead he had just sat and watched his son, obviously smitten with the woman at his table. Finding out that it was little Lana made the situation all the more intriguing.
"So, business for that little coffee thing of Lex's . . ." Lionel decided to try something just to see what would happen, "I thought he told me that he was thinking about selling it or shutting it down or something?"
Lana wanted to scream, but instead just smiled even brighter, "No, you must be confused. Lex isn't doing either."
"Well, I guess I misunderstood then." Lionel found it interesting that Lana was so willing to trust Lex without a moment's hesitation.
Lionel moved a few steps closer to Lana under the guise of making room in the hallway for someone to pass. "I have to say, Lana, you look very . . ." he eyed her up and down in an appraising way, "fetching tonight. I guess I won't be able to think of you as a little girl anymore."
Listening to his father, Lex thought that he was going to be sick. He had paid the check and wondering why Lana was taking so long, had gone to look for her. When he'd seen Lionel leering at Lana, he'd wanted to intercede on her behalf, but long years of waiting and watching were too ingrained. So, he stayed just around the corner, waiting to see exactly what his father was up to. It was pretty obvious now; he was hitting on Lana.
Before he could reveal himself and stop his father from going any further, Lana started to laugh. A sarcastic and almost nasty laugh.
"You are kidding, right? Oh my God, you aren't. You're actually putting a move on me." Lana was disgusted, not to mention outraged too, but rather than slinking away like she normally would have, she just guffawed again.
"Let me get this straight, Lionel," she called him by his first name as if they were equals, "you saw me having dinner with Lex and you followed me to see who I was and now you're trying to seduce me? Lex is sitting 10 feet away." Lana closed the short distance between Lionel and herself and spat her words into his anger-mottled face.
"You're pathetic. Do you seriously think that I would be flattered by this, by you, you depraved, old man? It's sick that you're hitting on your son's date. Sick, Lionel," she chastised him.
Lionel struggled mightily to keep his anger under control. He didn't want this insignificant teenager to know that she'd managed to shred his ego with a few, well-aimed barbs. No, better that she think that this was all some, big misunderstanding on her part. "If that's what you think I was doing, Miss Lang, then "
"What I think is that there is no way I would throw Lex away for you. I don't know what you see when you look at him, but let me tell you what I see. He's young and sexy and powerful, all the things you used to be and you see slipping away." A mean, nasty smile curved the corners of Lana's pretty, wine-colored lips; she was enjoying putting Lionel in his place.
"So, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back." She ignored Lionel's glare and smoothly walked around him, turning back briefly to deliver the parting shot, "Oh and I'll tell Lex you said hello."
Lex couldn't believe his ears. Lana had stood up to his father; she'd defended him, she'd chosen him. Had she really meant everything that she'd said or had she just been antagonizing Lionel? Lex hastily stepped backward on to the balcony and waited until Lana reappeared at the corner of the hallway before going to join her.
"Ready?" he asked as he draped the shawl around her shoulders.
"The ladies' room was a wait, sorry," she apologized with a sweet smile.
"No problem, your lipstick's fine." Lex carefully avoided looking down the hallway leading towards the restrooms as they passed, guessing correctly that his father was still standing there with his mouth hanging open in astonishment.
Lex replayed the conversation between Lana and his father over and over again in his head on the way back to the car. He still couldn't wrap his mind around what Lana had said. She'd been so blunt and rude in dealing with Lionel; he must be purple with rage right about now. Not that he hadn't deserved it, but it was still something to see. And in a way it wasn't out of character; Lana had also set him down a peg or two before. There definitely must be something in the corn in Smallville, Lex thought.
Lana slid into the back of the car and shook out her hair, pushing some stray strands behind her ear as Lex eased in beside her. She turned towards him, remembering that she was going to feign a headache or something to get out of going to the club, but Lex moved at that same moment.
He shut the car door behind him with one hand, then anchored the other one behind her head and pulled her to him. His mouth locked on her's and his teeth nipped at her lips until she opened them and let his probing tongue invade. Lana groaned and grabbed at the front of Lex's sweater, steadying herself against him as the car pulled forward.
The kiss was hot and lingering; Lex pushed her back against the plush, leather seat, steadying them with one hand while the other rested on Lana's knee. He worked his way just under where the dress hit to lightly trace small circles with his thumb. The motion over the silk of the pantyhose elicited a moan from Lana, which Lex swallowed.
He broke the kiss, but kept his face inches from her's, "Did you have a nice dinner, Lana?"
Lana didn't even bother to open her eyes when she answered, "Parts of it were very nice."
Lex smiled at her and rested his head against the back of the seat next to her's, "Which parts exactly?"
Lana opened her eyes and shifted slightly so that she was looking at him, "Well, before and after were really very nice and during was nice too." She kept her grip on the front of his sweater with one hand, but the other she linked with his.
"Just 'really nice?' Grazia is one of the best restaurants in Metropolis, Lana," Lex teased as he raised her finger to his lips.
"Well then, it was very nice too," she joked. "Does the driver know where we're going?"
Lex continued to nibble on her fingers. "Yes, he knows. I told him earlier."
"Earlier, that's good." Lana scooted forward so that she was closer to Lex and pulled her hand away from his lips, replacing it with her mouth.
"I think he wants us to get out of the car," Lana murmured against Lex's soft lips a short time later.
The driver had been discreetly clearing his throat for several minutes, but had gone unnoticed by the car's passengers. "How annoying," Lex remarked, lifting his head from the seat and squinting out the side window.
Seeing his chance, the driver jumped out and practically broke in to a jog as he came around to open the door for them. Lex held Lana's hand and pulled her out the open door behind him.
"Lex, this is the club," Lana gaped at the brightly lit establishment in surprise, not sure where the misunderstanding had occurred. She had been sure that they were going back to the penthouse. Hadn't Lex said that?
"I know, this is where your girl is singing right?" Lex knew that she was confused, but for the first time all day he felt like he'd gained some control back. You're not the only one who can throw someone off, Lana, he chuckled to himself.
Lana could tell he was playing with her and she didn't like it one bit. "Singing?" Lana pulled back as Lex moved forward into the crowd that was gathered outside the club's entrance. "Are you kidding? Lex, I thought we were going back to the penthouse?"
Lex threw her a bemused look, as he pulled on her hand just hard enough to send her stumbling forward, "Isn't hearing these groups play the reason you came to the city, Lana?"
Lana knew that she was trapped and she was none too happy about it. She frowned at Lex and jerked her hand free. He started to step toward her, but she tossed her hair and gave him a dazzling smile before brushing past him and moving in the direction of the door.
"Of course it is, I just thought that you'd forgotten," she answered breezily as she turned a beaming smile on the large bouncer. "Excuse me," she tapped his enormous chest with one, small finger, "can I get in please?"
Lex watched Lana work her wiles on the bouncer and knew from the enamored expression on his face that he was going to just step aside and let her in. Lex should have been irritated, but he just laughed instead. She only came up to the big bruiser's waist and yet she was the one who was in control.
"We would like to get in actually." Lex hooked an arm around Lana's waist and hauled her up against him before she could sashay into the club and leave him standing on the street.
"Of course, Mr. Luthor, go right in," the bouncer replied quickly, but Lex noted that he was still staring at Lana. And so it begins, he thought with a wry grimace.
They pulled up in front of one of Lex's favorite restaurants in the city, Grazia. "I didn't ask, but I hope that you like Italian?" he questioned as he helped Lana out of the car. Her hand tightened on his as she slid first one leg and then, the other toward him. He pulled her up out of the car, but didn't step back as he did, so her body brushed against his as she stood.
"Love it," was all she said.
"Mr. Luthor, welcome back. If you'll wait a moment, I will arrange for a table in the back for you," the maitre d' announced as he ushered Lex and Lana inside the elegant restaurant.
"No, actually, one on the balcony would be better, Alberto," Lex corrected the sycophantic man.
"Absolutely. Just a moment then." And he hurried off to get the table ready.
Lana leaned into Lex and whispered, "So, which do you prefer, being fawned over or being ignored?"
Lex glanced down at her upturned face and noticed that she had hooked her tiny hand through the crook of his arm. He caught a few, inquisitive looks from other diners and wondered if the two of them looked as intimate as he felt. He squinted slightly at Lana as he processed what she'd asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, in Smallville everyone either ignores you or is afraid of you and here they fawn all over you, just wondering which was better?"
"Oh." Lex thought about it as he followed the maitre d' with Lana still on his arm. He motioned the man away as he reached for Lana's chair himself and waited as she settled gracefully into it.
Lex took the other seat and cast a quick glance around. The table was on the balcony and against the wrought iron railing, but still at the end of the row, which gave them some privacy. Lex grimaced as Alberto told them for the fourth time that if they needed anything, all they had to do was ask and it would be theirs.
"I guess I like the other better after all," Lex answered ruefully when the man had scooted off.
"Really, I kind of like this, it's different," Lana laughed with delight as she gazed around the city.
"That's precisely why I like the other," Lex told her as he casually tossed the black napkin on to his lap.
"Because it's different? I never thought about that before. Do you even notice all of this?" Lana gestured around her. "Do you even notice all of the people staring at you?"
Lex glanced around as Lana spoke and wondered what she meant by 'all of this?' The city or the restaurant, he wasn't sure.
"I notice all of the men who stare at you, Lana," he brought his gaze back to rest on her. Her eyes were aglow in the city lights and her cheeks were flushed. He was starting to think that their kiss on the balcony hadn't been a mistake after all.
Lana leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing them carefully, her gaze never leaving Lex's face. "Really, I only notice one."
The waiter had to clear his throat several times before either Lex or Lana realized that he was there and that only earned him an annoyed, "What?" from Lex.
"M-m-may I bring you something to drink?" the man stammered while Lana giggled.
Lex grabbed the wine list and gave it a cursory glance before snapping, "The Two Hearts Sangiovesse is fine." The waiter hurried off, glad for any reason to leave the table.
"Two Hearts? How sweet," Lana had to bite her lip to stop giggling.
"It's the name of the wine, nothing personal. So, what do you like?" Lex opened the menu to see what the specials were and also to give himself a minute. He knew he was slowly being pulled in with Lana. Whatever she wanted was tugging at him. It hit nerves that he had thought were tightly locked away.
A beautiful, amazing woman was one thing to wish for, but one that was sweet and good on top of that was a fantasy. Especially one that wasn't after his money or his position. Being at the penthouse, his mother's penthouse, had added to that fantasy. He never took anyone there, not women anyway. He didn't want anything cheap to mix with that perfect memory he had of her. But Lana being there was different, special. He wondered if his mother would have liked her and somehow knew that she would have.
The waiter came and poured the wine that Lex was hardly aware of tasting and approving; he was too preoccupied, trying to sort out feelings he hadn't even known were there. Not only were they there, but they were stronger and more intense than he'd ever thought possible before.
For the first time in a very long while, Lex wanted someone who had nothing to do with his father or with some kind of game. The one woman he could say he'd really been involved with had been Victoria and that had never been about wanting, but about positioning. She'd used him and he'd used her and that was the way Lex liked it . . . before now.
Lana wanted to ask Lex what he was thinking about, but his stare was so serious that she opted not to interrupt his silent reverie. Besides I may be much closer to what I want than I thought, she mused. She wasn't sure why Lex had been so resistant to her so far, but she was going to change that. She had made the decision to seduce him and he was going to be seduced even if she had to make up tricks to achieve her goal.
But what happens after you do that, a little voice inside her head wondered. Lana ignored the question and instead reached out and laid her hand over Lex's.
"Earth to Lex, come in."
Lex scowled as his attention was brought back to the here and now and to Lana. He felt her hand on his and slowly turned his over so that his palm rested against her's. Their fingers intertwined and stroked each other, their eyes locked.
"May I tell you the specials now or do you want me to come back?" the ubiquitous waiter queried nervously as Lex shot him another, angry glare.
Lana chuckled as she pulled her hand away, "Talk about bad timing."
"Now is fine," Lex ground out each word between clenched teeth, furious that the moment had been broken.
"Lana, do you know what you want or do you need more time?" Lex inquired as he noticed that Lana hadn't even opened her menu.
"No, I don't need more time, I'm ready," she replied in a soft, but self- assured voice, imbuing the words with a double meaning. Lex wondered if the waiter picked up the same nuance that he did. "Whatever you think would be good."
Lex couldn't help himself; he had to laugh. Lana really was good at this, better than he would have ever imagined. He wondered where she'd ever learned to hit all the right buttons on a man. Not from the Quarterback, who wouldn't recognize subtlety if he got punched in the face with it. Probably from romance novels then, he thought with a smirk.
"The lady will have the shrimp and asparagus a olio then. I'll have the eggplant," he offered up when he had composed himself.
Lana wanted to close her eyes and remember each perfect second of dinner; it was better than anything else she'd ever experienced before. Each taste of the meal and then, dessert was better than the bite before. She wanted to remember each second of Lex too. He was charming and witty and kept her laughing all during dinner, telling her stories of different places and people in the city.
"Enough, I can't take anymore. You made all of that up, I know it." She threw her hands up in surrender as the table was cleared of the dessert dishes.
"I did not, I swear they were all true...more or less," Lex jokingly amended when he saw her begin to argue with him.
"'More or less?' I knew it," Lana threw back at him, letting her hands fall into her lap.
"Mr. Luthor, will there be anything else this evening?" Lana knew that the waiter had to be glad that Lex had stopped glaring and barking at him each time he came to the table.
"That will be all, thank you. Just the check," Lex replied as he tossed his napkin on the table and watched Lana fold her's into a perfect triangle and lay it down.
"I'm going to go and check my lipstick. Be right back." Lana leaned down and grabbed her purse as Lex stood part way up out of his chair. She smiled as she brushed past him, stopping to put her hand on his shoulder and brush a brief kiss on his cheek. "How sweet," she commented.
Lana wondered if it had been the two glasses of wine that was making her so reckless, but while she walked to the bathroom, she plotted a way to get Lex to skip the club and go back to the penthouse. A noisy club filled with people wasn't where she wanted to be just now. The thought of the quiet, dark penthouse sent a shiver of excitement up her spine.
"Lana? Lana Lang," a man's voice stopped her mid-fantasy.
"Yes," she swung around to see Lionel Luthor standing in front of her with a quizzical look on his bearded face.
"Mr. Luthor, how are you?" she inquired politely, hoping that Lex wouldn't see his father and allow him to ruin their night.
"I saw Lex, but I couldn't believe that that was you with him." Lionel had been sure that it had been some other woman. The Lana he remembered was a child and not someone who would have interested his son, but this wasn't the same, little girl who wore braids and pink, frilly dresses.
"Well, it is," Lana said a bit tersely. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go..." she started to turn away but Lionel's hand on her arm stopped her.
"You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you, grown quite a lot actually. Is your aunt in town with you? She should have called. I would have been happy to escort you around so that you wouldn't be stuck with my.rather morose son." Lionel smiled and leaned down like it was some kind of private joke. Lana wanted to smack him.
"That's very kind of you, Mr. Luthor, but actually I'm here with Lex. A business trip for The Talon, so I'm not really 'stuck,'" she assured him in a crisp tone as she shook off his hand.
"With Lex? How interesting. Hmmm, I guess I should have come over to the table after all." Instead he had just sat and watched his son, obviously smitten with the woman at his table. Finding out that it was little Lana made the situation all the more intriguing.
"So, business for that little coffee thing of Lex's . . ." Lionel decided to try something just to see what would happen, "I thought he told me that he was thinking about selling it or shutting it down or something?"
Lana wanted to scream, but instead just smiled even brighter, "No, you must be confused. Lex isn't doing either."
"Well, I guess I misunderstood then." Lionel found it interesting that Lana was so willing to trust Lex without a moment's hesitation.
Lionel moved a few steps closer to Lana under the guise of making room in the hallway for someone to pass. "I have to say, Lana, you look very . . ." he eyed her up and down in an appraising way, "fetching tonight. I guess I won't be able to think of you as a little girl anymore."
Listening to his father, Lex thought that he was going to be sick. He had paid the check and wondering why Lana was taking so long, had gone to look for her. When he'd seen Lionel leering at Lana, he'd wanted to intercede on her behalf, but long years of waiting and watching were too ingrained. So, he stayed just around the corner, waiting to see exactly what his father was up to. It was pretty obvious now; he was hitting on Lana.
Before he could reveal himself and stop his father from going any further, Lana started to laugh. A sarcastic and almost nasty laugh.
"You are kidding, right? Oh my God, you aren't. You're actually putting a move on me." Lana was disgusted, not to mention outraged too, but rather than slinking away like she normally would have, she just guffawed again.
"Let me get this straight, Lionel," she called him by his first name as if they were equals, "you saw me having dinner with Lex and you followed me to see who I was and now you're trying to seduce me? Lex is sitting 10 feet away." Lana closed the short distance between Lionel and herself and spat her words into his anger-mottled face.
"You're pathetic. Do you seriously think that I would be flattered by this, by you, you depraved, old man? It's sick that you're hitting on your son's date. Sick, Lionel," she chastised him.
Lionel struggled mightily to keep his anger under control. He didn't want this insignificant teenager to know that she'd managed to shred his ego with a few, well-aimed barbs. No, better that she think that this was all some, big misunderstanding on her part. "If that's what you think I was doing, Miss Lang, then "
"What I think is that there is no way I would throw Lex away for you. I don't know what you see when you look at him, but let me tell you what I see. He's young and sexy and powerful, all the things you used to be and you see slipping away." A mean, nasty smile curved the corners of Lana's pretty, wine-colored lips; she was enjoying putting Lionel in his place.
"So, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back." She ignored Lionel's glare and smoothly walked around him, turning back briefly to deliver the parting shot, "Oh and I'll tell Lex you said hello."
Lex couldn't believe his ears. Lana had stood up to his father; she'd defended him, she'd chosen him. Had she really meant everything that she'd said or had she just been antagonizing Lionel? Lex hastily stepped backward on to the balcony and waited until Lana reappeared at the corner of the hallway before going to join her.
"Ready?" he asked as he draped the shawl around her shoulders.
"The ladies' room was a wait, sorry," she apologized with a sweet smile.
"No problem, your lipstick's fine." Lex carefully avoided looking down the hallway leading towards the restrooms as they passed, guessing correctly that his father was still standing there with his mouth hanging open in astonishment.
Lex replayed the conversation between Lana and his father over and over again in his head on the way back to the car. He still couldn't wrap his mind around what Lana had said. She'd been so blunt and rude in dealing with Lionel; he must be purple with rage right about now. Not that he hadn't deserved it, but it was still something to see. And in a way it wasn't out of character; Lana had also set him down a peg or two before. There definitely must be something in the corn in Smallville, Lex thought.
Lana slid into the back of the car and shook out her hair, pushing some stray strands behind her ear as Lex eased in beside her. She turned towards him, remembering that she was going to feign a headache or something to get out of going to the club, but Lex moved at that same moment.
He shut the car door behind him with one hand, then anchored the other one behind her head and pulled her to him. His mouth locked on her's and his teeth nipped at her lips until she opened them and let his probing tongue invade. Lana groaned and grabbed at the front of Lex's sweater, steadying herself against him as the car pulled forward.
The kiss was hot and lingering; Lex pushed her back against the plush, leather seat, steadying them with one hand while the other rested on Lana's knee. He worked his way just under where the dress hit to lightly trace small circles with his thumb. The motion over the silk of the pantyhose elicited a moan from Lana, which Lex swallowed.
He broke the kiss, but kept his face inches from her's, "Did you have a nice dinner, Lana?"
Lana didn't even bother to open her eyes when she answered, "Parts of it were very nice."
Lex smiled at her and rested his head against the back of the seat next to her's, "Which parts exactly?"
Lana opened her eyes and shifted slightly so that she was looking at him, "Well, before and after were really very nice and during was nice too." She kept her grip on the front of his sweater with one hand, but the other she linked with his.
"Just 'really nice?' Grazia is one of the best restaurants in Metropolis, Lana," Lex teased as he raised her finger to his lips.
"Well then, it was very nice too," she joked. "Does the driver know where we're going?"
Lex continued to nibble on her fingers. "Yes, he knows. I told him earlier."
"Earlier, that's good." Lana scooted forward so that she was closer to Lex and pulled her hand away from his lips, replacing it with her mouth.
"I think he wants us to get out of the car," Lana murmured against Lex's soft lips a short time later.
The driver had been discreetly clearing his throat for several minutes, but had gone unnoticed by the car's passengers. "How annoying," Lex remarked, lifting his head from the seat and squinting out the side window.
Seeing his chance, the driver jumped out and practically broke in to a jog as he came around to open the door for them. Lex held Lana's hand and pulled her out the open door behind him.
"Lex, this is the club," Lana gaped at the brightly lit establishment in surprise, not sure where the misunderstanding had occurred. She had been sure that they were going back to the penthouse. Hadn't Lex said that?
"I know, this is where your girl is singing right?" Lex knew that she was confused, but for the first time all day he felt like he'd gained some control back. You're not the only one who can throw someone off, Lana, he chuckled to himself.
Lana could tell he was playing with her and she didn't like it one bit. "Singing?" Lana pulled back as Lex moved forward into the crowd that was gathered outside the club's entrance. "Are you kidding? Lex, I thought we were going back to the penthouse?"
Lex threw her a bemused look, as he pulled on her hand just hard enough to send her stumbling forward, "Isn't hearing these groups play the reason you came to the city, Lana?"
Lana knew that she was trapped and she was none too happy about it. She frowned at Lex and jerked her hand free. He started to step toward her, but she tossed her hair and gave him a dazzling smile before brushing past him and moving in the direction of the door.
"Of course it is, I just thought that you'd forgotten," she answered breezily as she turned a beaming smile on the large bouncer. "Excuse me," she tapped his enormous chest with one, small finger, "can I get in please?"
Lex watched Lana work her wiles on the bouncer and knew from the enamored expression on his face that he was going to just step aside and let her in. Lex should have been irritated, but he just laughed instead. She only came up to the big bruiser's waist and yet she was the one who was in control.
"We would like to get in actually." Lex hooked an arm around Lana's waist and hauled her up against him before she could sashay into the club and leave him standing on the street.
"Of course, Mr. Luthor, go right in," the bouncer replied quickly, but Lex noted that he was still staring at Lana. And so it begins, he thought with a wry grimace.