Title: Strength, Reserve, Control
Part: 1/?
Author: Cam
Author's Email: camerada2006@yahoo.com
Pairing: Chloe/Lionel, Clark/Lois, Chloe/Lex
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I'm not making anything off of these great characters. Honestly!
A/N: I hope you guys still want to read this . . . here's part one, it follows the prologue.
*~*~*~*
Chloe tossed her keys into a silver tray on an end table in the hallway. Lionel didn't like her to drive, but that was one thing she insisted upon.
Walking toward his study, she shed her outerwear piece by piece. Scarf discarded by the entryway, coat in a small heap halfway down the hall, shoes kicked off just outside the room. By the time she entered, she was hopping on one leg in order to peel her stockings off.
From his desk, Lionel looked up at her. "Chloe, must you get undressed the minute you arrive home? You could leave your shoes on, at least."
She ignored the comment and poured herself some sherry. "How was your day?"
"Fine," he said. "Please tell me you didn't drop your coat on the hall floor again."
"The staff is paid to clean up. They'll hang up the coat like they always do," Chloe said, looking down at the liquid. "Besides," she walked over to him, pushed his chair back, and took a seat on his lap. "Don't you ever just want to shed the day completely? Get naked and -"
"Mmm," he brushed his fingers over her bottom lip. "Perhaps another time."
"Spoilsport," she grinned, knowing that she was just as good as Lionel when it came to the game they were playing.
"If you say so, dear." His desk phone rang. "Who could that be?"
"You really need to get Caller ID," Chloe said, getting up.
"Hello?" Lionel frowned. "Lex, I was positive we were quite clear on the terms. No, there is no way I'm going to change my mind. Chloe's fine. Here, speak to her."
Chloe was a bit surprised. She and Lex had never been the closest of friends, and after Clark - well, things went from to ok to not-so-ok. And after Lionel, it went from not-so-ok to horrendous. But lately, Lex had been making an effort to be polite. Somewhat.
"How may I help you?"
"I'm coming over for dinner tonight, Chloe," Lex said abruptly. "I'm going to make the old man change his mind."
"I see." Chloe smiled a little at Lionel's sharply curious face.
"I'll be bringing April Torrance with me. She doesn't eat red meat."
"I'll be sure to pass that on," Chloe said, sitting on the edge of the desk. She ran her hand over a piece of paper with an unknown name written on it.
"Thank you," Lex said. Chloe noticed hesitation in his voice. "Chloe . . ."
"Yes, Lex?"
"How's the 'Sentinel' doing?"
She was positive that wasn't what Lex really wanted to know, but she graciously answered. "Wonderfully. You know Ash Thomas just won a Pulitzer for a feature we ran."
"I heard. Pass on my congratulations."
"Sure."
Chloe was familiar with Awkward Silence. She didn't like it, but she knew how to deal with it. After a moment, she cleared her throat and said, "Is there anything else?"
Lex seemed to have gotten his confidence back, because he immediately answered, "It can wait."
"Ok, then. See you this evening." At this, Chloe glanced down at Lionel, who seemed to be turning a whiter shade of pale.
She hung up the phone and stood. "Lex and April are coming to dinner this evening."
"We're going out," Lionel said curtly.
"No, we're staying in," Chloe said, her voice leaving no room for argument. "What are you in the mood for, chicken or fish?"
"Veal."
"Snapper it is," Chloe grinned at her husband's last ditch attempt. She bent to kiss his cheek. "It won't be so bad, Lionel."
"You realize Lex despises you," Lionel commented.
Chloe bit her lip, then cursed the display of weakness. "Well, maybe I can change his mind."
"I don't think he'll take kindly to being seduced by his father's wife," Lionel replied leisurely.
Before marrying Lionel, Chloe would have been horrified at such a statement. Now she just laughed. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind . . . but whatever works."
"Hmph."
Chloe turned on her heel and walked to the door.
"I meant to ask you, Chloe," Lionel said clearly, "why were you so late today?"
"Traffic, I told you," she said calmly. Another thing that grew on her after marrying Lionel: lying.
"The radio didn't mention any accidents," he persisted.
"Well . . ." damn, and she was stuck.
"You went to see that reporter, didn't you? Lex's little friend, Clark."
"Clark is my friend too," she said defensively.
"Luthors don't have friends," Lionel said.
"Lex is a Luthor," Chloe said putting her hands on her hips.
"Not anymore," he replied. "Speaking of which, we really need to discuss having a son."
"Non sequitur much?" Chloe muttered.
"I know I mentioned this to you before, Chloe. Last night, in fact," Lionel said.
"I thought you were joking," she said loudly. The sound echoed throughout the room, and down the hall.
"Well, I wasn't. There needs to be a Luthor heir."
"Lex-"
"-is no longer a Luthor, Chloe," Lionel said impatiently. "He will not be the heir to my fortune, to my business. And anyway, at the rate he's going, he won't even produce an heir. Have you seen the Torrance girl's hips? Not conducive to childbirth at all."
"Oh, and mine are?" She shook her head of longish blond curls.
"Definitely," Lionel said, looking her up and down.
Which brought her back to her original objection to this subject. "Lionel, sleeping with you is expressly written in the marriage contract as NOT part of it."
"That's a formality," Lionel waved his hand. "Artificial insemination is acceptable to you, I hope."
"No!" Chloe opened her mouth to say more, but Lionel interrupted her.
"Chloe, before you continue, allow me to make one final statement."
She waited.
"You have everything you ever wanted: an award-winning newspaper, money, power, and even that godforsaken budgerigar," he paused, and Chloe felt sick at the calculating look on his face. "I can take that all away if you choose not to cooperate."
"Lionel-" she couldn't continue. Chloe knew she was caught between a rock and a hard place. Lionel had funded her newspaper, had powered every daydream she'd ever had, and in return she had provided him with companionship and good PR. And now he wanted a child. She could hardly refuse him.
"You're coming around," he smiled expansively. "Good. I've made an appointment at an OB/GYN."
"When?" She said softly.
"Three weeks," he said. "By then the Trappe merger should be complete. At which point, I'll be free to spend as much time as possible on this project."
Project. To him, a child was a project. Chloe's stomach twisted itself into one huge knot. "I see."
"Also, the Season will be over," Lionel said. "Which means you too will be free."
The Season. A month during which all of Metropolis' high society threw a succession of galas, parties, plays, and balls. As editor-in-chief of the relatively young Metropolitan Sentinel, Chloe was expected to handle all coverage of the events. As Lionel's wife, she was expected to host the LuthorCorp Ball - the biggest one of them all.
Chloe looked at the floor.
Lionel sighed and stood, then approached her. "Chloe," he said gently. "This is important to me. To us."
"What us?" She spat. "There is no 'us,' Lionel. This is a loveless marriage where each of us stands to gain something."
"I'd thought perhaps you liked me a little," he took her hand. "I've grown quite fond of you over the last three years, you know."
"Lionel," she sighed, looking at her hand in his. "We're friends, ok? That's it."
"I've been turning something over in my mind for a while now, Chloe," he began.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Since your, ahem, needs, aren't being satisfied in this partnership, I wouldn't object to you going elsewhere."
She looked her surprise at him.
"As long as you are discreet about it, that is." Lionel smiled. "Perhaps Clark . . ."
"Clark doesn't want me," Chloe sighed.
"He's a fool," Lionel said firmly, patting her shoulder. "Someone else? How about that Kiplinger fellow, didn't he just graduate from Harvard Law? He's quite handsome-"
Chloe actually held her hand up at the suggestion. "Please, Lionel. If I'm going to commit adultery, I'll find a partner myself, ok?"
"Of course, dear," Lionel still looked thoughtful.
"I'm going to get ready for dinner," she said, gently extracting herself from his grip. "You'd better do the same."
Lionel muttered something about how Lex was no reason to get dressed up. Chloe smiled, and headed up to her room.
Part: 1/?
Author: Cam
Author's Email: camerada2006@yahoo.com
Pairing: Chloe/Lionel, Clark/Lois, Chloe/Lex
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I'm not making anything off of these great characters. Honestly!
A/N: I hope you guys still want to read this . . . here's part one, it follows the prologue.
*~*~*~*
Chloe tossed her keys into a silver tray on an end table in the hallway. Lionel didn't like her to drive, but that was one thing she insisted upon.
Walking toward his study, she shed her outerwear piece by piece. Scarf discarded by the entryway, coat in a small heap halfway down the hall, shoes kicked off just outside the room. By the time she entered, she was hopping on one leg in order to peel her stockings off.
From his desk, Lionel looked up at her. "Chloe, must you get undressed the minute you arrive home? You could leave your shoes on, at least."
She ignored the comment and poured herself some sherry. "How was your day?"
"Fine," he said. "Please tell me you didn't drop your coat on the hall floor again."
"The staff is paid to clean up. They'll hang up the coat like they always do," Chloe said, looking down at the liquid. "Besides," she walked over to him, pushed his chair back, and took a seat on his lap. "Don't you ever just want to shed the day completely? Get naked and -"
"Mmm," he brushed his fingers over her bottom lip. "Perhaps another time."
"Spoilsport," she grinned, knowing that she was just as good as Lionel when it came to the game they were playing.
"If you say so, dear." His desk phone rang. "Who could that be?"
"You really need to get Caller ID," Chloe said, getting up.
"Hello?" Lionel frowned. "Lex, I was positive we were quite clear on the terms. No, there is no way I'm going to change my mind. Chloe's fine. Here, speak to her."
Chloe was a bit surprised. She and Lex had never been the closest of friends, and after Clark - well, things went from to ok to not-so-ok. And after Lionel, it went from not-so-ok to horrendous. But lately, Lex had been making an effort to be polite. Somewhat.
"How may I help you?"
"I'm coming over for dinner tonight, Chloe," Lex said abruptly. "I'm going to make the old man change his mind."
"I see." Chloe smiled a little at Lionel's sharply curious face.
"I'll be bringing April Torrance with me. She doesn't eat red meat."
"I'll be sure to pass that on," Chloe said, sitting on the edge of the desk. She ran her hand over a piece of paper with an unknown name written on it.
"Thank you," Lex said. Chloe noticed hesitation in his voice. "Chloe . . ."
"Yes, Lex?"
"How's the 'Sentinel' doing?"
She was positive that wasn't what Lex really wanted to know, but she graciously answered. "Wonderfully. You know Ash Thomas just won a Pulitzer for a feature we ran."
"I heard. Pass on my congratulations."
"Sure."
Chloe was familiar with Awkward Silence. She didn't like it, but she knew how to deal with it. After a moment, she cleared her throat and said, "Is there anything else?"
Lex seemed to have gotten his confidence back, because he immediately answered, "It can wait."
"Ok, then. See you this evening." At this, Chloe glanced down at Lionel, who seemed to be turning a whiter shade of pale.
She hung up the phone and stood. "Lex and April are coming to dinner this evening."
"We're going out," Lionel said curtly.
"No, we're staying in," Chloe said, her voice leaving no room for argument. "What are you in the mood for, chicken or fish?"
"Veal."
"Snapper it is," Chloe grinned at her husband's last ditch attempt. She bent to kiss his cheek. "It won't be so bad, Lionel."
"You realize Lex despises you," Lionel commented.
Chloe bit her lip, then cursed the display of weakness. "Well, maybe I can change his mind."
"I don't think he'll take kindly to being seduced by his father's wife," Lionel replied leisurely.
Before marrying Lionel, Chloe would have been horrified at such a statement. Now she just laughed. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind . . . but whatever works."
"Hmph."
Chloe turned on her heel and walked to the door.
"I meant to ask you, Chloe," Lionel said clearly, "why were you so late today?"
"Traffic, I told you," she said calmly. Another thing that grew on her after marrying Lionel: lying.
"The radio didn't mention any accidents," he persisted.
"Well . . ." damn, and she was stuck.
"You went to see that reporter, didn't you? Lex's little friend, Clark."
"Clark is my friend too," she said defensively.
"Luthors don't have friends," Lionel said.
"Lex is a Luthor," Chloe said putting her hands on her hips.
"Not anymore," he replied. "Speaking of which, we really need to discuss having a son."
"Non sequitur much?" Chloe muttered.
"I know I mentioned this to you before, Chloe. Last night, in fact," Lionel said.
"I thought you were joking," she said loudly. The sound echoed throughout the room, and down the hall.
"Well, I wasn't. There needs to be a Luthor heir."
"Lex-"
"-is no longer a Luthor, Chloe," Lionel said impatiently. "He will not be the heir to my fortune, to my business. And anyway, at the rate he's going, he won't even produce an heir. Have you seen the Torrance girl's hips? Not conducive to childbirth at all."
"Oh, and mine are?" She shook her head of longish blond curls.
"Definitely," Lionel said, looking her up and down.
Which brought her back to her original objection to this subject. "Lionel, sleeping with you is expressly written in the marriage contract as NOT part of it."
"That's a formality," Lionel waved his hand. "Artificial insemination is acceptable to you, I hope."
"No!" Chloe opened her mouth to say more, but Lionel interrupted her.
"Chloe, before you continue, allow me to make one final statement."
She waited.
"You have everything you ever wanted: an award-winning newspaper, money, power, and even that godforsaken budgerigar," he paused, and Chloe felt sick at the calculating look on his face. "I can take that all away if you choose not to cooperate."
"Lionel-" she couldn't continue. Chloe knew she was caught between a rock and a hard place. Lionel had funded her newspaper, had powered every daydream she'd ever had, and in return she had provided him with companionship and good PR. And now he wanted a child. She could hardly refuse him.
"You're coming around," he smiled expansively. "Good. I've made an appointment at an OB/GYN."
"When?" She said softly.
"Three weeks," he said. "By then the Trappe merger should be complete. At which point, I'll be free to spend as much time as possible on this project."
Project. To him, a child was a project. Chloe's stomach twisted itself into one huge knot. "I see."
"Also, the Season will be over," Lionel said. "Which means you too will be free."
The Season. A month during which all of Metropolis' high society threw a succession of galas, parties, plays, and balls. As editor-in-chief of the relatively young Metropolitan Sentinel, Chloe was expected to handle all coverage of the events. As Lionel's wife, she was expected to host the LuthorCorp Ball - the biggest one of them all.
Chloe looked at the floor.
Lionel sighed and stood, then approached her. "Chloe," he said gently. "This is important to me. To us."
"What us?" She spat. "There is no 'us,' Lionel. This is a loveless marriage where each of us stands to gain something."
"I'd thought perhaps you liked me a little," he took her hand. "I've grown quite fond of you over the last three years, you know."
"Lionel," she sighed, looking at her hand in his. "We're friends, ok? That's it."
"I've been turning something over in my mind for a while now, Chloe," he began.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Since your, ahem, needs, aren't being satisfied in this partnership, I wouldn't object to you going elsewhere."
She looked her surprise at him.
"As long as you are discreet about it, that is." Lionel smiled. "Perhaps Clark . . ."
"Clark doesn't want me," Chloe sighed.
"He's a fool," Lionel said firmly, patting her shoulder. "Someone else? How about that Kiplinger fellow, didn't he just graduate from Harvard Law? He's quite handsome-"
Chloe actually held her hand up at the suggestion. "Please, Lionel. If I'm going to commit adultery, I'll find a partner myself, ok?"
"Of course, dear," Lionel still looked thoughtful.
"I'm going to get ready for dinner," she said, gently extracting herself from his grip. "You'd better do the same."
Lionel muttered something about how Lex was no reason to get dressed up. Chloe smiled, and headed up to her room.