A/N: Rating is hard 'R' from here on out. Be warned. ^_~

Chapter Four: Playing by the Rules

"I think I'd better sit down," Chloe mumbled and walked blindly to the chair nearest the fire. She sank into its depths and sat huddled beneath the blanket, looking for all the world like a small, lost child. After a moment her eyes found Matthew again, and she looked up at him with a sad, bewildered expression. "You? You did this?" Matthew nodded hesitantly and Chloe's eyes narrowed, her temporary sadness displaced again by anger. She shot up out of her chair and took a menacing step towards him. "You're the one who trapped me here?"

"Chloe," he began, his voice placating, "let me explain—"

"Explain what?" Chloe cut him off, her voice rising with every word. "That you and Lex got together and decided to dictate my life? You're my friend—you're supposed to help me, not keep me prisoner. I don't want to hear your explanations, I want you to let me out."

"I can't do that. Lord, you sound like Michelle when she found out," he muttered. Chloe's eyes widened.

"She knows about this?"

"I told her before I came over here." He saw Chloe's raised eyebrow and winced. "She was pissed," he admitted. At her satisfied look he rushed to continue. "But she calmed down a little when I told her about the conditions."

"You keep mentioning conditions," Lex spoke up. "And I for one would like to know what they are."

"Hold up," Chloe cut in. "First, tell me why the hell you're keeping me here."

"Um . . . well . . ." Matthew took a deep breath. "I can kind of look into people's hearts and see the thing that they desire most," he rushed out. Chloe blinked once, not sure of what to say to that. Knowing she wouldn't stay silent for long, Matthew hurriedly continued. "That's why you're here. See, when I met Lex, I was curious, so I Looked."

"Ok," Chloe said slowly, not quite following. "And what does that have to do with me, exactly?"

"Well, when I Looked, the thing that I Saw . . . was you."

Chloe glanced from Matthew to Lex, who was gazing at her with an unreadable expression, and back to Matthew again. She wasn't sure she believed him, but whatever the real reason was, she was still stuck here.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you could do this?" she asked, a trace of hurt showing through in her voice.

"I wanted to," he told her, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "But . . . well, you had that Wall of Weird . . ." Chloe ran a tired hand through her wet hair.

"That damn wall," she muttered. Then her shoulders straightened, and when she looked at him again the steel was back in her eyes. "So what are these conditions you were talking about?" Matthew grinned, pleased that she seemed to have made it past the wanting-to-punch-him point.

"Ok," he started enthusiastically. "First, the good news. You're not here indefinitely, just for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Lex cut in, an irritated expression on his face. He knew the situation was only temporary, but he had been hoping for a somewhat longer time frame.

"Yes, two weeks," Matthew confirmed. "I told you, Lex, we're dealing with someone else's free will here. Two weeks is the amount of time Chloe was planning on staying in Smallville, so that's the time limit." He turned back to the small blonde in front of him. "At the end of two weeks, you're free to leave . . . so long as you haven't accepted Lex's hospitality." Lex perked up at that—this must be the opportunity to extend the time that Matthew had mentioned before.

"What do you mean, 'accepted Lex's hospitality'? What, am I going to have to sleep outside?"

"No," Matthew chuckled. "You just can't accept any food he gives you." He caught the speculative gleam in Lex's eyes and shook his head. "It has to come directly from you, Lex. Just telling her that all food in the house is hers won't have any effect. From your hands to hers, that's the only way it'll work."

"And if I eat something he gives me?" Chloe questioned.

"Then you're no longer a captive but a guest; you're accepting his hospitality and, by extension, accepting his intentions. Eating something he gives you will bind the two of you together more permanently than any legal ceremony ever could."

"That's absurd," Chloe felt compelled to point out.

"Hey, I didn't make up the rules here," he told her, raising his hands in protest. "I just know what they are."

"Ok, let me get this straight," Chloe said, pacing back and forth. "If, after two weeks, I haven't eaten anything that Lex has personally given me, I'm free to walk out of here."

"In a nutshell."

"And there's no way I can get out before then?"

"No." Chloe nodded mutely and clenched her jaw before turning to glare icily at Lex.

"So do I get a room, or is it just a straw pallet in the tower for me?" she snarked. Lex's lips tilted up despite her menacing look.

"You can have your pick of any of the rooms on the second floor. I'll have your luggage sent up to you." She gave a curt nod and stalked out of the room again. Lex took it as a good sign that she didn't slam the door this time. He sighed and ran a hand over his head, turning to Matthew. "What now?"

"My work is done," Matthew told him holding up his hands. "There's nothing else I can do for you here. So now, you have two weeks to convince her to stay with you. I'd get to showing her how you feel pretty damn fast." Lex glared at him and Matthew just chuckled. "I wouldn't worry too much—she likes you, that's obvious. Well, it was before now," he amended. "You just have to get her to see that you're serious. I can find my own way out; I'll be back tomorrow to check on Chloe. Good luck." With that he clapped Lex on the back and walked from the room, leaving Lex alone with his thoughts.

'So all I have to do now is get Chloe to forgive me for holding her hostage here, gain her trust, and get her to love me,' Lex thought. A sardonic laugh escaped him. Good luck, indeed.

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


'Well, at least it's a luxurious prison,' Chloe mused to herself as she looked around the room she had chosen. A huge bed draped in deep purple satin stood against one wall and bulky antique furniture in rich mahogany filled the rest of the large space. It was the bathroom that had sold her, however. The shower alone was almost as big as her whole bathroom at home, and a sunken marble Jacuzzi filled one entire corner, begging for her to slip in for a soak. Just now, though, none of that could hold her interest for very long; although her luggage hadn't arrived yet, the clothes she was wearing were nearly dry, and Chloe decided that it was high time she went exploring.

'Exploring, right,' an inner voice scoffed. 'You're going to snoop.'

'So what?' she shrugged. 'If Lex Luthor didn't want anyone snooping around his house, he shouldn't have abducted a reporter.'

Since her inner voice wanted to look around just as much as she did, that argument effectively shut it up. She threw her bag on the bed and walked from the room, hesitating a moment when she reached the hall. Which way to go? She remembered that the few rooms on the fourth floor were more guest bedrooms, so after a few seconds of thought she decided to start at the third floor and work her way down. A few minutes of searching turned up the stairs to the next level, and in no time she was making her way through the twists and turns of the hallway, trying to keep a mental map so that she could find her way back. She peeked her head briefly into several rooms, including one containing a model of the battle of Troy that seemed very . . . Lex. Before she knew it she was in a very familiar passage, and she started to breathe faster despite herself.

'Calm down, Chloe," she told herself. 'Nothing's going to happen.' Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the library. No sooner had she taken two steps than a small noise behind her had her whirling around. Nothing there. "Get a grip!" she muttered out loud. "There are no men in ski masks, no one's going to push you out a window, you'll be fine." Even so, she moved skittishly as she entered the room, ready to bolt if she had to.

The pool table caught her attention first, and she strolled over to it. Colored balls were strewn haphazardly over the surface, as though someone had started a game and abandoned it halfway through. Chloe grabbed a cue and lined up a shot, grinning when it went straight into the pocket. 'Pool,' she thought, 'a necessary skill for any college student.' Maybe she would play later; for now, she replaced the cue and continued her exploration of the room. She glanced up at the small balcony that ran along one wall and caught sight of several file cabinets tucked neatly away and out of easy sight.

'Bingo,' she smirked, and took the stairs two at a time. "All right, Lex," she murmured, "let's see what you don't want people to know about this government contract of yours."

Chloe approached the first of the file cabinets, leaned down to the bottom drawer, pulled . . . and nothing happened. She tried again with no luck—it was locked. A quick run-through of the other drawers yielded the same result. "Well, damn," she muttered, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Ok, if she were a key, where would she be?

Her gaze lit on Lex's desk, and she slipped down the stairs and across the room to it. The glass slab held two flat-panel monitors as well as a laptop, and Chloe's fingers itched to take a quick peek inside his computers while she was there.

'Later,' she decided, and for now concentrated on examining the other contents of the desk. It was, unsurprisingly, almost completely bare of any clutter, the main non-electronic item a small, sleek box composed of wood and metal. Chloe's eyes lit on it, and a triumphant grin spread over her face. 'Jackpot,' she thought. 'Key city. Now I just need to figure out how to open it . . .'

After a few minutes of inspection, Chloe finally got the thing open. Rather than a key, however, Chloe found a ring inside. Curious, she picked it up, turning it this way and that. It was an engagement ring, that much was obvious. But who was it for? Although she would vehemently deny it, she hadn't escaped the wave of female curiosity that swept the girls in town when Lex had gotten married years ago, and she, too, had crowded around the bride to examine the ring adorning her finger. The ring she had seen that day was not the one she was holding in her hand. She wasn't surprised, really—she certainly wouldn't have wanted to keep a memento of someone who had tried to kill her.

Holding the ring up to the light, she looked it over again. This was about as far from Desiree's ring as it was possible to get. Chloe remembered that ring had been a platinum band decked with a huge oval diamond, surrounded by clusters of sapphires and smaller diamonds. It had fairly screamed, 'I'm marrying a Luthor!' This ring, in contrast, was exquisitely simple. A plain gold band held a princess-cut solitaire diamond that managed to be eye-catching without being ostentatious. Chloe wondered if it was the gold that made the diamond seem to glow with warmth, or if it were simply an illusion of the light. It was a beautiful ring, and Chloe found herself wondering what it would look like on her finger.

"Like it?" a voice from behind her made her jump. She clasped a hand to her heart and spun around to see Lex leaning casually against the doorframe, watching her with an amused smirk on his face.

"God, Lex, you scared me." He quirked an eyebrow at that before her honestly panicked expression registered and he remembered. Library, interview, robbery, Chloe lying crumpled on the ground three stories below. His face grew concerned and he took a few steps towards her. She read his look and waved him off. "I'm fine."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you're even in here," he told her. "If there was one spot I'd think you'd avoid in this house, it would be this one."

"Yeah, well, you have to face your fears sometime," she shrugged, absently playing with the ring she still held. His eyes caught the movement and his customary smirk returned to his face.

"You never answered my question." At her confused look, his smirk widened and he nodded to the ring. "Do you like it?" She glanced down at her hands and blushed when she realized what he had caught her looking at.

"Oh. I . . . yeah, it's beautiful." A thought occurred to her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Tell me, Lex, does the woman this is intended for know about this little living situation you've arranged?" Lex fought back a laugh and looked at her contemplatively.

"I don't know," he mused, walking closer to her. The mischief in his eyes was clear as he stopped in front of her. "But I think you might be getting an inkling." She snorted at that and tried to stand still instead of fidgeting, as she was inclined to do with him so close.

"Are you trying to imply that this is for me?" she asked, her tone clearly indicating that he was insane if he thought she would believe that.

"Trying?" Lex retorted, his voice wounded. "I thought I was doing a pretty good job." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"We're not even dating," she pointed out, "and you've never expressed any kind of romantic interest in me until today. What, do you have a cache of engagement rings on hand for girls you kidnap?" She set the ring down on the desk and walked away from him to lean against the pool table.

Lex frowned. Increased space between them was not one of his goals. He knew she was attracted to him—their kiss earlier had proved that. He thought of her fidgeting, the tension in her body when he got near her, the hunger in her eyes that she tried to conceal, and the pieces fell into place. A mischievous smirk crept over his face. It had been a long time since he had been near a woman made nervous by desire. This should be enjoyable.

"I don't make a habit of buying things I don't intend to use," he answered her and began to walk slowly towards her again, testing her reaction. Sure enough, she was growing visibly nervous, uncertainty and passion warring in her eyes.

"That's an awfully arrogant statement even for you, Lex," she said. "I might not even be attracted to you." He shot her an amused look.

"Are you really going to try to tell me you're not, after the way you responded to me downstairs?"

"It was an automatic response," she shot at him. "Try not to take it personally."

"Is that so." She took in his dangerous smirk and belatedly noticed how very close he had gotten. 'Ok, Chloe, now would be a good time to bolt,' she thought, but she had waited too long. With one smooth movement, Lex closed the space between them and placed his hands on the pool table to either side of her. She was effectively caged, with the table blocking a retreat to the rear and Lex himself cutting off any other avenue of escape. He moved in until there were only inches separating them, careful not to let any part of them touch.

"Now, as for me never showing my interest in you—well, that was my mistake."

"Right," she scoffed, trying to ignore her racing heart. "I've seen the women you date, remember Lex? I'm hardly on par with supermodels as far as physical attractiveness goes."

Lex simply blinked at her, realizing she was serious. Damn it. If he were to kiss her now, she would almost certainly think he was insincere. She had to be the one to make the first move this time, and she wouldn't unless she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He would have to make her understand; and as tempting as it was to show her physically, he knew that wasn't the way to go with Chloe. Words were her life—so, he would show her with words.

Chloe stood there, waiting for his response. When she saw his eyes, she forgot to breathe—desire had darkened them to a stormy gray, and the heat in them seemed to reach out and scorch her.

"Do you really not know how desirable you are?" he asked, his voice lowered to a husky whisper. He smirked when she didn't answer. "Maybe I should tell you," he suggested. His mouth moved to her ear, hovering a hairsbreadth away from her skin. Chloe shivered as his warm breath and low voice played havoc with her system.

"When you came in from the rain, soaking wet and furious, it was one of the most erotic things I've ever seen in my life. I was jealous of your clothes, the way they were clinging to you like a second skin, like I wanted to be." Her breathing grew ragged, and Lex pressed on. "Every curve of your body was outlined. The way your breasts were heaving it looked like your shirt would rip like wet tissue paper; I could imagine your clothes dissolving away, and you standing there naked and damp with the firelight flickering over you. Do you know how much I wanted to just grab you and take you right there? To lay you down in front of the fire and pound into you until you screamed out my name?"

His head shifted to her other ear and Chloe licked her suddenly dry lips. The way he was leaning into her brought her face in inches from his neck, and his scent was making her head spin as surely as his words. 'God, he smells good,' she thought in the split second before Lex's voice was once again whispering in her ear.

"Kissing you was an almost unbearably sensual experience. You tasted so damn good, and your skin was so unbelievably soft—like hot silk. The noises you made were driving me wild. Just the memory is enough to make me hard again." His voice lowered even more, and her breath caught at his next words. "I wonder, what noises would you make with me inside you, Chloe?"

He shifted again; now his mouth was less than an inch from hers, so close that their lips almost brushed when he spoke. His plan was beginning to backfire on him, and he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to keep his hands off of her. With Chloe's ragged breathing spurring him on, Lex spoke again.

"Are you going to tell me now that you don't want me?" he rasped out. "If my words can do this to you, Chloe, imagine what my touch could do. Let me taste you again, let me touch you."

God, yes, she wanted him to touch her. A part of her mind was telling her that this was all just a game to him, that she shouldn't give in. 'But why resist when you know it'll feel so good?' some wicked little voice whispered.

"Chloe," Lex whispered, waiting for her response. Her mind and body warred for a moment more before the one finally gave in.

"Oh, hell," she muttered, and fused her mouth to his. Her hands reached up to his neck and head, pulling him closer, and Lex wasted no time in responding. His arms snaked around her and brought her body flush against his. One hand splayed over her back, pressing her chest into his, while the other lowered to her bottom and pulled her against the bulge growing in his pants. She moaned at the contact, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue past her lips. She met it enthusiastically with her own, giving him back stroke for stroke. His groan echoed through her mouth as she rubbed against him; both hands moved beneath her now and lifted her onto the pool table, spreading her legs so that he could stand between them. Her arms were wound around his neck, one hand grasping at his back and the other at the base of his skull, fingers brushing over the smooth skin there.

Before she really knew what she was doing, she gave in to a longstanding fantasy and ran her nails over his bare scalp, from his forehead to the nape of his neck. The moan he gave was something a little less than human, and his mouth left hers; she gave a little whimper at the loss before she felt him at the crook of her neck. He roughly nipped the soft skin there before soothing it with his tongue, and a wordless sound of approval came from her throat as he started suckling the spot. Contact with his skin seemed like the best possible idea at the time, and she pressed a hand to his head to keep him there while her other hand found its way underneath his shirt to stroke the smooth muscles of his stomach. One of his hands slipped up to cover her breast, and she arched into his touch.

Lex's senses were filled with Chloe; the taste of her; the sound she made as his fingers brushed over her hardened nipple; the feel of her skin under his lips and hands. Desperate to feel more of her he lifted the hem of her shirt, and Chloe raised her arms and allowed him to draw it over her head. He tossed it to the side, heedless of anything but the image of Chloe before him, pale skin covered by a whisper of red lace and satin. His breath came heavier at the sight of the clasp sitting seductively between her breasts, but his lips were gentle when they returned to hers, coaxing her to relax and lean into him. His mouth trailed down, over her neck; he scraped his teeth gently over her collarbone and she arched towards him, urging his mouth lower. One hand returned to massage her breast, drawing a whimper from the back of her throat as his thumb brushed teasingly over her nipple, standing out against the thin material of her bra. His lips moved to her other breast and sucked, gently at first, then more insistently. When he felt her breathing grow more strained, he slipped his tongue beneath the fabric to caress her skin.

His other hand had moved to her leg, running slowly from hip to knee. Now it slipped beneath her skirt, gently stroking the soft skin, each stroke bringing him closer to the juncture between her thighs. Chloe whimpered softly and tried to push herself closer to his fingers.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear before sucking her the lobe into his mouth. Her hands were clutching at his arms, her breath coming in gasps. When his fingers finally brushed against the thin satin that covered her, her hips bucked at the sensation. He groaned and took her earlobe between his teeth. She was already wet for him, and he slipped past the wisp of material to gently rub her bare folds.

"Lex," she choked out, moving against his fingers in a frantic search for friction. His unoccupied hand shifted to the small of her back, lightly holding her in place as he slipped a finger inside of her. Without knowing where the oxygen to speak came from, he began whispering again in her ear.

"God, you're so tight." His husky murmur vibrated through her, sending even more heat coursing through her body. Another finger was in her now, filling her, and Lex's thumb was moving over her clit in time with his thrusts. "Can you imagine me moving inside you, stretching you? I can almost feel you, hot and wet and tight around me, pulling me in deeper. I can see you above me, lowering yourself down and riding me. Or would you want me on top, so you could wrap your legs around my waist as I thrust inside of you?" Her body was tensing now as pleasure built inside her, and sensing it Lex began to intensify his movements as he continued to assail her with his words. "You're even more beautiful like this. I want to watch your eyes as I make love to you, to see your face as I slide into you. That's it, Chloe. Don't fight it, just let go."

As if on his command, Chloe felt her climax abruptly explode. It swept like a tidal wave to every part of her body; her sight went hazy for a moment and she was deaf to the small cry she gave. As the pulsing of her body gradually slowed and her panting breath began to ease, she became dimly aware of Lex holding her, whispering soft words as he stroked her hair and feathered kisses over her eyes and cheeks. When he saw that she was regaining her senses he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her lips, his hands tracing small, comforting circles on her back. The feel of him caressing her skin so gently had something stirring in her again; she wrapped her arms around his neck once more and sucked lightly on his bottom lip. He seemed slightly surprised at her boldness, but pulled her closer and eagerly allowed her to deepen the kiss. Just as her tongue slipped into his mouth, however, they were startled by the sound of a throat clearing behind Lex. Lex growled softly, but moved back to let Chloe down and turned, standing in front of her to shield her from view. His butler stood in the open doorway, staring straight ahead and studiously avoiding looking at the rumpled couple.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but Clark Kent is here to see you. He said it was urgent." Lex sighed in resignation and ran a hand over his head.

"Send him up." The man nodded and left the room, obviously glad to remove himself from the awkward situation. Lex glanced over his shoulder to see that Chloe had already pulled her shirt back on and was nervously combing her fingers through her hair. Her back was to him and he smirked slightly as he stepped up behind her, leaning down to speak in her ear. "Still want to tell me you're not attracted to me?" he teased.

Chloe, for her part, was mortified. She couldn't believe what she had just done. What the hell had she been thinking? She turned around and found herself startlingly close to him; her eyes met his and his sexy smirk grew larger. 'Oh, yeah,' she remembered. He started leaning towards her and her eyes were just fluttering closed when Clark burst into the room.

"Lex, have you seen . . . Chloe?"

TBC . . .

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A/N: See, this is what happens when my smut muse get suppressed. She goes along with it for a story or two, but when I finally let her out she has a whole lot of pent-up energy. So yeah, expect more of this in future chapters. Hey, I didn't rate it this high for nothin'. ^_~