Lex and Chloe had been on the road for at least thirty minutes and hadn't talked much. Chloe was looking by the window a minute, the radio, the clock all and over again, get the pattern. She has been moving in her leather seat and completely hated the squeak coming out of it. She kept on moving even though she knew that it bothered both her and Lex. Sometimes she could really be annoying like in this case. She looked at Lex for the first time since he started to drive his splendid Ferrari. That's the reason why she was so quiet, he was driving it like it was the most beautiful and only car in this world, like it was some sort of a mass. Plus, he was driving carefully, but something was missing here. She kept on looking at him and she saw his face. He was smiling at her. At her. Smiling. He should truly and seriously start thinking about the fact that he could kill a plethora of women with his dazzling smile.



* Am I thinking what I'm thinking straight? True, he's kind of sexy in a very suave way. Why is he smiling at me? Hey, self! It's not like you know the answer! Why don't you just ask him?*

"What are you smiling at?" she asked suspiciously.



"At you. The way you look." he simply said to her.



"I doubt that." she chuckled.



"Don't doubt Chloe, what I meant by the way you look was and still is that when you're and thinking we can almost see those gears working in your head."



"I'll try not to think anymore then." sighed Chloe.



"You shouldn't." he said to the girl by his side.



"Why?"





"Because it's attractive." he simply answered. she let out a sweet and light laugh.



"You've got to be kidding me!" she spat out. She was really trying to avoid this flirt.



"I know that you probably think that I'm flirting with you. Sorry if it bothers you but I am flirting and I always mean what I said."





"Like that better. So are you always flirting when it comes to interact with the opposite sex?



"Probably. Let's just say that it's rare that I put some boundaries concerning flirting with the' opposite sex' as you like to call it."



"Well, I'm expecting that you won't let me get bored." she said to him with a nice smile.



"I can guarantee that I'll make sure that you're really well entertained." he said winking jokingly at her.



"I guess that I shouldn't be worrying about this anymore."



"Exactly." he said to her with a grin of the devil itself.



* He just winked at me. Weird but the weirdest thing is that I'm actually thinking about it. What if now my feeling are growing towards him? An even more unattainable person! I'm so crazy, all I'm doing is hurt myself even considering me having a relationship with my father's boss. Here it goes again! My hormones. I hate them, they make me think about stuff like this and I can't stop this! My brain is such a mess! If it's this being a girl, I'm so ready to give up!*





"So Chloe are.." he glanced a worried look at her. She wasn't even moving. She was looking at a blurry spot. Lost in her deep thoughts. She was lost in a void complete by insecurity.





"Chloe?" he said again. He was amused by his passenger's face. It was blank and completely innocent. Not that innocence was driving him excited, he wasn't a psychopath. His right hand reach her knee and he squeezed it a little. His touch break her away from her fuzzy thoughts. It made her shivered. She just hoped that Lex didn't feel it.

"Are you finally out of your little bubble?" he asked her.



"Yeah. Think so." she babbled.



"You must be tired, if you want to we can stop by and by a cup coffee when we arrived." he suggested.





" I like this idea of yours." she said in a very satisfied voice.

"Glad you like it."



"Not that you care what I think!" she said.



"I do care because unlike everybody else you actually are able of thinking." he replied as 'smart-ass' matter of fact way.



"Two!" she screamed with a beaming smile.



"Two what?"



"It's been two times that you have been complimenting me."



"And?"



"I should probably be thanking you but see I said that I won't be polite for a month at least with people that I know. Anyway, thank you for enduring me too."



"You're not that hard to handle Chloe. You're imagining things here. A lot of people would like to be in the company of a pretty young lady like you. You own everything to please someone." he said in sincere way.





"Why do I suddenly feel like you really are stroking my ego just to get rid of me like I'm some stain.?"





"Sorry but usually if you want to get rid of a stain you have to use some detergent." he said again hurt that she didn't took him seriously.





"Ha-ha! Funny. I really like your wicked sense of humour."



"Don't wound me like this. I mean it Chloe. You may not like it but it's not only Clark that has the right to compliment you." he said dryly at her.



She immediately turned her head to face him with a hurt face.



"What is that suppose to mean? I mean where are you getting with this , thing you just said."



"that you should moved on with your life."



"you knew?"





"I'm not blind. You're smiling like a kid in a candy store every time he enters the place."



"Ever thought about a little update here! I mean it's been a long time that I don't have a crush on him, actually my eyes had landed on another subject. Which is a rather really interesting and strange one because I really don't know this guy. I know his name but nothing really personal about him, like if he is human or not. Second thought I already know this answer." she said to him with a kick in the behind attitude.





"May I know this answer of yours?" he asked mischievously at her.





"Yes. He is a human."



"Really! Well, I'm surprise considering the fact that if you knew any alien you'll probably be making jubilations about it since you are a reporter."





"I may be a reporter but I'm firstly a human too and I don't like to be categorized in this category."



"What category?"



"Oh, please! C'mon, you know this category!"





"No, I don't."



"Well, I have a scoop, I can see it from here 'Lex Luthor doesn't know everything so he obliviously can't read into our civilians mind'." she joked.



"What is the category you're talking about?"





"The 'She is so curious that she can't keep her mouth shut' category. Sorry to disappointed you but I'm not a gossiper."





"You are afar from disappointing me Chloe." he said smiling at her.



* Oh my god! Once you crossed the ' this hunk just smiled at me again. Somebody just save me!' line you're dead. Toast. Grilled like a little chicken on the barbecue in a Dijon marinade.*



"Thank you again."



"You are welcome."



"Lex?"



"What?"



"Why did you suggest my father to let me skip a month?"





"Because I thought you could you some time away from the weird town."

"You expect me to buy this? You know I'm smarter than that. Because you like this town believe it or not, it makes you alive."



"I can't fool you can't I?"



"You got this right, buddy!"



"Did you just called me buddy?"



"As a matter of fact I did. Now why?"



"I thought-

"Do you ever stop thinking?"



"Do you ever stop asking questions?"



"I really find interesting."

"what is interesting?"



"The fact that you can drive and participate to a quiz with an annoying yet snarky reporter."



"It's an art."



"Now why?"



"you're not going to drop this are you?"

All she did was smiling at him with thin lips.

"I guess I have no choice. Clark told me that you had the ability to spy and I thought that you would like to work for me."



"Got that but for what exactly do you need me?"



"Your are my only beacon Chloe."



"You just sound like princess Leia but without the pastries."



"Okay. there's something fishy going on behind my back and I want to know what it is. Like all those crap industries wants to get in my way and disturb everything. You see. What if they put some chemical substances which can poisoned the apples or corn field. Everybody will blame me and I need someone to get in the middle of this. To do some sabotage in their computers and to spy and you're the first person that came into my mind."



"I'm flattered again. Is it dangerous?"



"What do you think?"



"So it's dangerous!"



"No shit Sherlock!"



"I get it! There's no need to say bad words."



"Your answer is?"



"Yes! How can I say no to that? I mean this can help me to get some scoop about all these crap industries."



"Don't even think about it Chloe. You'll have to change your identity while you are working with me by the way your father knows about this. That's why he accept that I make you skip."



"And that you gave my dad a promotion." she finished for him.



"Part of it."



"It will be an honour for me Lex."



"Now it's my turn to say thank you."

He stop the car because they were now in Metropolis. Opened her door, exctended his hand to her.

"Coffee!"

"Yes. That's a way to say thank you."



"Well, you welcome."



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So what do you think? do their relationship should get steamier or not in the next chapter?

Minute Papillon