In the Past
Lex Luthor loathed lectures. Lex allowed his lips to twitch a ghost of
a smirk at the alliteration that drifted through his mind before
turning from the blackboard to face the class. Another 'hoop' his
father had created for his son to jump through - as well as a
demonstration to the masses that Luthors were not the devil in
disguise - guest lecturing at Metropolis University was tedious at
best. The only saving grace was the pretty co-eds that attended his
lectures.
"That's all I have today, so I guess I'll be turning the class back
over to Professor Montgomery next week." There were a few feminine
sighs of disappointment and Lex made certain to note the direction they
came from. Now that his lecture series was over, there was no reason
why he couldn't pursue a sexual relationship with one of his
'students.'
"I thought it was against the Billionaire Mogul Code to give out trade
secrets." The female voice behind him triggered Lex's memory.
Smallville. He turned and smiled. "You know I don't tell my secrets
to anyone, Chloe Sullivan. So, why don't you tell me what a reporter
is doing in a business class?" He sat down on the edge of the desk.
She hadn't changed much in the three years since he had seen her last,
her hair was a little longer and tucked behind her ears. He had no
idea why he hadn't noticed her in class. She was beautiful.
"Well, if I want to run my own paper someday, I'll need to know how to
do it." Chloe smiled and her gaze darted toward the bevy of women
waiting to catch Lex's attention. She held out her hand. "Buy me a
cup of coffee and we'll catch up on old times."
To refuse was out of the question. Lex took Chloe's hand and led her
out of the classroom without a second thought to the other students
who were there to offer their comments on his lectures or offer other
things. He hadn't seen Chloe Sullivan in ages and he was strangely
invigorated by her renewed presence in his life. Back in Smallville,
he had flirted with her a bit. She had never giggled, blushed, or
tittered instead she had flirted back in an easy, sardonic manner. It
had never gone beyond a casual dalliance then, but she was older now.
He couldn't give up the opportunity to see where their past flirtation
would lead them.
*****
"You weren't taking that class. I would have noticed you." Lex had
come to that conclusion on the short walk to the campus coffee shop.
He decided it would be interesting to confront Chloe with it right
away.
"I'm flattered." Chloe took a sip of her coffee, not at all upset
with Lex's confrontational attitude. "One of the girls in my dorm was
rhapsodizing over your lecture style - actually it was more about you
than your lectures - I had to check it out for myself. The Lex Luthor
imparting his sage advice. You are good."
"Now I'm flattered." Lex took a moment to study Chloe. She had
matured with the confidence of a woman - she wasn't uncomfortable
under his scrutiny - but she still retained the impulsive and
sparkling personality she had as a girl.
"Why don't you just ask me and get it over with?"
"How is Clark?" The question actually hadn't occurred to Lex until she
had brought it up. He had been too focused on Chloe. But now that it
was out there, he really did want to know. In fact, given the
circumstances, Lex was surprised that Chloe had even sought him out.
"He's fine. We're both taking journalism here and staying in the
dorms. He doesn't like to talk about you. Changes the subject every
time you're mentioned." This time it was Chloe's turn to stare and
Lex met her gaze as evenly as she had his.
"And Lana?"
"Still in Smallville. She's getting married - the really nasty people
will tell you it's because she's pregnant, but she's not. I smacked
the last person who tried to pass that bit of gossip on to me."
Chloe's lips pressed into a disproving line and Lex felt a sudden
desire to kiss them back into a soft pout. He loved it when she was
defending something or someone she believed in. Lex leaned across the
small table between them and went with his impulse.
*****
Space was a luxury for most people. Lex had always had space. Hell,
after the meteor accident, he had a whole damn wing all to himself.
His mother had visited him a few times, but his father had been afraid
that Lex would contaminate her and had her kept away from him. So, Lex
didn't exactly view it as a hardship to be curled up with Chloe in
the single bed her dorm room provided. The sex had been incredible.
There had been others before him, he hadn't been her first lover. It
didn't matter, Lex fully intended to be her last. Idly, he rubbed
her arm, which was thrown across his waist, and wondered if Clark was
on the list of her past lovers. If he was, then Chloe would have
memories of their lovemaking, and if he wasn't, then she would still
have the fantasies her girlhood crush had created. Either way, Lex
really didn't want to know.
A movement caught his attention and Lex looked down at Chloe. Her head
was pillowed on his chest and she had tilted it up to look at him.
"What are you thinking?"
Lex smiled and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "That if this is
what happens after coffee, I really have to take you to dinner."
Chloe laughed. "You'll be disappointed. After dinner, it's just a
firm handshake and a peck on the cheek. Coffee is so much more
important than food on the Chloe Hierarchy of Needs." She propped
her self up to look down at Lex. Her expression softened and she
caressed his cheek. "Although sex with you might be giving coffee
some serious competition." She leaned down and kissed him. Just a
soft touch of her lips which neither of them deepened.
Once they broke away, Lex cupped her face to keep her gaze locked with
his. "I'll take my chances then. Chloe, will you go out to dinner
with me tomorrow night?"
"Why did you kiss me back in the coffee shop?" Chloe asked instead of
answering Lex's question.
"I wanted to." Lex coiled a strand of her hair around his fingers. He
wasn't used to explaining his actions. "You looked so fierce
defending Lana and so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you a lot of times
back in Smallville, but you were just a teenager then."
"Isn't it wonderful how the age gap decreases when both people are in
their twenties?" Chloe seemed pleased with his answer. He had been
afraid that she would be disturbed by his previous attraction to
her, especially considering what had happened between he, Lana, and
Clark. "I would love to go out with you tomorrow night, Lex. Where
are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Lex rolled them over so he was on top. He licked
the curve of her neck, tasting the slightly salty residue of sweat on
her skin from their earlier exertion. Chloe moaned and shifted
beneath him, pulling him closer. Her hands traveled down his back.
Things were just starting to heat up when his cell phone rang. "Ignore
it," he murmured before capturing Chloe's mouth. Then it hit him.
"Shit. I have a meeting this afternoon." Lex broke away from Chloe's
embrace and dug around the floor for his phone. He glanced at his
watch and then at the digital display on the phone. "It's my father."
"You better answer it then." Chloe clambered across the bed and got
up to get dressed. She slipped on some underwear and did up her bra.
"I have to meet Clark at the library anyway." As she passed by Lex to
pick up her shirt, she paused to give him a quick kiss, but he grabbed
her and pulled her down onto the bed. He devoured her mouth hungrily,
his tongued plundering and claiming her until they were both
breathless. "Your father?" Chloe gasped. The phone rang for the
fifth time.
"He'll get my voicemail." Lex wished he could stay here and kiss
Chloe all afternoon, make love to her again, but the meeting was really
important. His father was going to be pissed as it was that he had
missed their 'strategy' session. "Are you going to tell Clark?"
"That I saw you today, yes, and that we're going out to dinner
tomorrow night. I think our 'nooner' might be a bit too much
information though." Chloe pulled on her shirt. "He's going to flip
as it is."
"Optimism is an admirable quality." Lex was pretty sure that his
former friend would do everything in his power to make sure that Chloe
never saw him again.
*****
It wasn't like Chloe to be late. Clark frowned at the clock, as if it
was responsible for the absence of his best friend. He should go look
for her at her dorm. Maybe she was held up by that air head Rachel and
needed rescuing.
"I'm here. I'm here." Chloe's voice stopped Clark from rising out of
his chair any further so he sat back down. She chucked her book bag
onto the table and brushed her hair out of her eyes as she sat down
beside him. "Sorry, I'm late. I ran into an old friend."
"Pete? Isn't he supposed to be in Michigan?" Chloe was nervous about
something. Clark could tell by the way she twisted her fingers as she
talked.
"My social circle does consist of more than just you and Pete, Clark."
Chloe gave him her annoyed look and tucked some stray strands of hair
behind her ears. "There's Felicia in my dorm and Roxy from Yoga class
and Lana and...Lex."
"Lex Luthor? You aren't seriously saying that you're late because you
were with Lex Luthor?" Clark's normally warm and open face closed off
and went cold.
"We had coffee." Chloe started to chew her lip and her eyes stared at
a point about his head. She was going to omit the truth. Chloe very
rarely lied to him, but sometimes she didn't tell him everything.
"And we're going out to dinner tomorrow night."
Clark shook his head. "No. You can't do that. You can't go out on
a date with Lex."
"Yes, I can. And I'm going to." Chloe moved her book bag to the floor
so there was nothing between her and Clark. "Look, I know you have a
problem with Lex...."
"He took advantage of Lana! He'll take advantage of you too." Clark's
raised voice attracted a few curious glances from the students around
them. He immediately lowered his tone. "You can't trust him, Chloe."
"It was just a kiss, Clark, and you know damn well that Nell set it
up. She wanted Lana secure in the Luthor Mansion, not living on some
farm with you." Chloe scowled. "Lana was vulnerable after Whitney
cheated on her and Nell knew that. She's the one who took advantage."
"That's Lana's excuse for what happened." Clark stood up. "What's
Lex's? Why don't you ask him that on your date?" He stalked out of
the library, too angry to think straight. It was happening again. Lex
Luthor was insinuating himself into his life and he was using Chloe to
do it. He would charm her and get her to trust him, like he did with
Lana, and then he would hurt her. Well, it wasn't going to happen this
time. Clark would stop Lex from hurting Chloe even if she ended up
hating him. Anything was better for Chloe than Lex Luthor.
Continued....
Lex Luthor loathed lectures. Lex allowed his lips to twitch a ghost of
a smirk at the alliteration that drifted through his mind before
turning from the blackboard to face the class. Another 'hoop' his
father had created for his son to jump through - as well as a
demonstration to the masses that Luthors were not the devil in
disguise - guest lecturing at Metropolis University was tedious at
best. The only saving grace was the pretty co-eds that attended his
lectures.
"That's all I have today, so I guess I'll be turning the class back
over to Professor Montgomery next week." There were a few feminine
sighs of disappointment and Lex made certain to note the direction they
came from. Now that his lecture series was over, there was no reason
why he couldn't pursue a sexual relationship with one of his
'students.'
"I thought it was against the Billionaire Mogul Code to give out trade
secrets." The female voice behind him triggered Lex's memory.
Smallville. He turned and smiled. "You know I don't tell my secrets
to anyone, Chloe Sullivan. So, why don't you tell me what a reporter
is doing in a business class?" He sat down on the edge of the desk.
She hadn't changed much in the three years since he had seen her last,
her hair was a little longer and tucked behind her ears. He had no
idea why he hadn't noticed her in class. She was beautiful.
"Well, if I want to run my own paper someday, I'll need to know how to
do it." Chloe smiled and her gaze darted toward the bevy of women
waiting to catch Lex's attention. She held out her hand. "Buy me a
cup of coffee and we'll catch up on old times."
To refuse was out of the question. Lex took Chloe's hand and led her
out of the classroom without a second thought to the other students
who were there to offer their comments on his lectures or offer other
things. He hadn't seen Chloe Sullivan in ages and he was strangely
invigorated by her renewed presence in his life. Back in Smallville,
he had flirted with her a bit. She had never giggled, blushed, or
tittered instead she had flirted back in an easy, sardonic manner. It
had never gone beyond a casual dalliance then, but she was older now.
He couldn't give up the opportunity to see where their past flirtation
would lead them.
*****
"You weren't taking that class. I would have noticed you." Lex had
come to that conclusion on the short walk to the campus coffee shop.
He decided it would be interesting to confront Chloe with it right
away.
"I'm flattered." Chloe took a sip of her coffee, not at all upset
with Lex's confrontational attitude. "One of the girls in my dorm was
rhapsodizing over your lecture style - actually it was more about you
than your lectures - I had to check it out for myself. The Lex Luthor
imparting his sage advice. You are good."
"Now I'm flattered." Lex took a moment to study Chloe. She had
matured with the confidence of a woman - she wasn't uncomfortable
under his scrutiny - but she still retained the impulsive and
sparkling personality she had as a girl.
"Why don't you just ask me and get it over with?"
"How is Clark?" The question actually hadn't occurred to Lex until she
had brought it up. He had been too focused on Chloe. But now that it
was out there, he really did want to know. In fact, given the
circumstances, Lex was surprised that Chloe had even sought him out.
"He's fine. We're both taking journalism here and staying in the
dorms. He doesn't like to talk about you. Changes the subject every
time you're mentioned." This time it was Chloe's turn to stare and
Lex met her gaze as evenly as she had his.
"And Lana?"
"Still in Smallville. She's getting married - the really nasty people
will tell you it's because she's pregnant, but she's not. I smacked
the last person who tried to pass that bit of gossip on to me."
Chloe's lips pressed into a disproving line and Lex felt a sudden
desire to kiss them back into a soft pout. He loved it when she was
defending something or someone she believed in. Lex leaned across the
small table between them and went with his impulse.
*****
Space was a luxury for most people. Lex had always had space. Hell,
after the meteor accident, he had a whole damn wing all to himself.
His mother had visited him a few times, but his father had been afraid
that Lex would contaminate her and had her kept away from him. So, Lex
didn't exactly view it as a hardship to be curled up with Chloe in
the single bed her dorm room provided. The sex had been incredible.
There had been others before him, he hadn't been her first lover. It
didn't matter, Lex fully intended to be her last. Idly, he rubbed
her arm, which was thrown across his waist, and wondered if Clark was
on the list of her past lovers. If he was, then Chloe would have
memories of their lovemaking, and if he wasn't, then she would still
have the fantasies her girlhood crush had created. Either way, Lex
really didn't want to know.
A movement caught his attention and Lex looked down at Chloe. Her head
was pillowed on his chest and she had tilted it up to look at him.
"What are you thinking?"
Lex smiled and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "That if this is
what happens after coffee, I really have to take you to dinner."
Chloe laughed. "You'll be disappointed. After dinner, it's just a
firm handshake and a peck on the cheek. Coffee is so much more
important than food on the Chloe Hierarchy of Needs." She propped
her self up to look down at Lex. Her expression softened and she
caressed his cheek. "Although sex with you might be giving coffee
some serious competition." She leaned down and kissed him. Just a
soft touch of her lips which neither of them deepened.
Once they broke away, Lex cupped her face to keep her gaze locked with
his. "I'll take my chances then. Chloe, will you go out to dinner
with me tomorrow night?"
"Why did you kiss me back in the coffee shop?" Chloe asked instead of
answering Lex's question.
"I wanted to." Lex coiled a strand of her hair around his fingers. He
wasn't used to explaining his actions. "You looked so fierce
defending Lana and so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you a lot of times
back in Smallville, but you were just a teenager then."
"Isn't it wonderful how the age gap decreases when both people are in
their twenties?" Chloe seemed pleased with his answer. He had been
afraid that she would be disturbed by his previous attraction to
her, especially considering what had happened between he, Lana, and
Clark. "I would love to go out with you tomorrow night, Lex. Where
are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Lex rolled them over so he was on top. He licked
the curve of her neck, tasting the slightly salty residue of sweat on
her skin from their earlier exertion. Chloe moaned and shifted
beneath him, pulling him closer. Her hands traveled down his back.
Things were just starting to heat up when his cell phone rang. "Ignore
it," he murmured before capturing Chloe's mouth. Then it hit him.
"Shit. I have a meeting this afternoon." Lex broke away from Chloe's
embrace and dug around the floor for his phone. He glanced at his
watch and then at the digital display on the phone. "It's my father."
"You better answer it then." Chloe clambered across the bed and got
up to get dressed. She slipped on some underwear and did up her bra.
"I have to meet Clark at the library anyway." As she passed by Lex to
pick up her shirt, she paused to give him a quick kiss, but he grabbed
her and pulled her down onto the bed. He devoured her mouth hungrily,
his tongued plundering and claiming her until they were both
breathless. "Your father?" Chloe gasped. The phone rang for the
fifth time.
"He'll get my voicemail." Lex wished he could stay here and kiss
Chloe all afternoon, make love to her again, but the meeting was really
important. His father was going to be pissed as it was that he had
missed their 'strategy' session. "Are you going to tell Clark?"
"That I saw you today, yes, and that we're going out to dinner
tomorrow night. I think our 'nooner' might be a bit too much
information though." Chloe pulled on her shirt. "He's going to flip
as it is."
"Optimism is an admirable quality." Lex was pretty sure that his
former friend would do everything in his power to make sure that Chloe
never saw him again.
*****
It wasn't like Chloe to be late. Clark frowned at the clock, as if it
was responsible for the absence of his best friend. He should go look
for her at her dorm. Maybe she was held up by that air head Rachel and
needed rescuing.
"I'm here. I'm here." Chloe's voice stopped Clark from rising out of
his chair any further so he sat back down. She chucked her book bag
onto the table and brushed her hair out of her eyes as she sat down
beside him. "Sorry, I'm late. I ran into an old friend."
"Pete? Isn't he supposed to be in Michigan?" Chloe was nervous about
something. Clark could tell by the way she twisted her fingers as she
talked.
"My social circle does consist of more than just you and Pete, Clark."
Chloe gave him her annoyed look and tucked some stray strands of hair
behind her ears. "There's Felicia in my dorm and Roxy from Yoga class
and Lana and...Lex."
"Lex Luthor? You aren't seriously saying that you're late because you
were with Lex Luthor?" Clark's normally warm and open face closed off
and went cold.
"We had coffee." Chloe started to chew her lip and her eyes stared at
a point about his head. She was going to omit the truth. Chloe very
rarely lied to him, but sometimes she didn't tell him everything.
"And we're going out to dinner tomorrow night."
Clark shook his head. "No. You can't do that. You can't go out on
a date with Lex."
"Yes, I can. And I'm going to." Chloe moved her book bag to the floor
so there was nothing between her and Clark. "Look, I know you have a
problem with Lex...."
"He took advantage of Lana! He'll take advantage of you too." Clark's
raised voice attracted a few curious glances from the students around
them. He immediately lowered his tone. "You can't trust him, Chloe."
"It was just a kiss, Clark, and you know damn well that Nell set it
up. She wanted Lana secure in the Luthor Mansion, not living on some
farm with you." Chloe scowled. "Lana was vulnerable after Whitney
cheated on her and Nell knew that. She's the one who took advantage."
"That's Lana's excuse for what happened." Clark stood up. "What's
Lex's? Why don't you ask him that on your date?" He stalked out of
the library, too angry to think straight. It was happening again. Lex
Luthor was insinuating himself into his life and he was using Chloe to
do it. He would charm her and get her to trust him, like he did with
Lana, and then he would hurt her. Well, it wasn't going to happen this
time. Clark would stop Lex from hurting Chloe even if she ended up
hating him. Anything was better for Chloe than Lex Luthor.
Continued....