Part 10 The Lexcapade

The sight of Lex Luthor's car breezing through the streets of the small town was not a new one. The peaceful residents turned their hands to watch the young billionaire speeding through with no thought to safety. Someday, Lex Luthor's car would drive off another bridge and there would be no Clark Kent to jump in and fish him out. Until then, they would just shake their heads and hope that the young man did not hit any of their children on his path to his own grave. His no-good brother was the same. Of course Lucas Luthor was not as bad as Lex was. He had not been as exposed to the devil incarnate of a father they had as Lex had been.

Inside the small car, Lex was as oblivious to what the residents thought as they supposed. He stepped on the gas to pick up the already rapid trek. The vehicle ate up the distance from the manor to the Talon in mere minutes. By the time he screeched to a stop in front of the coffeehouse, not one person in Main Street remained undisturbed. Lex quickly stepped out of the car and strode towards the door.

The Talon was once again occupied by less than half its seating capacity. He really should review his investment in the business. He knew that he had planned to do it before, and then he had spotted Chloe Sullivan seated in one of the booths. She had drawn him into such a conversation that he had forgotten his intent. And then, because he held his almost regular meetings with her in the coffeeshop, Lex decided he would keep the Talon after all.

He was satisfied to see that one of the few patrons was the girl he had been looking for. The party was tonight, and he could smell the tension in the air whenever he would pass her by. Her interior decorating skills had been invested in Lucas' room, and he would swear to heaven and hell before she ever stepped foot in there again with a purpose other than to strip down her touches of color and style from the otherwise glum bedroom. He just knew that whatever the purpose of the party was, he was not going to be happy. Actually, he was certain. The ring box and Lionel's excitement said it all. It still amazed him how warmly his father took the girl. Heck, it still amazed him how stealthily she got under his skin. All those conversations about meteor rocks was probably calculated to make him fall for her. He should be more wary when he was close to her. Then again, it was too late.

Lex sighed. Right. All those remarks about his shallow desire to bed all the brunettes that made the tiniest overture towards him were made so that he would notice how nice and plump her lower lip was, how the red just made him want to take it between his teeth. When she mentioned how dense he was for not seeing the connection between the freaks and the meteor rocks, she was actually drawing his eyes towards her cleavage in the flirtatious way she always did when her stupids meant gorgeous and her weirds meant unbelievably freakishly drool-causingly sexy. Lex would have rolled his eyes if there were not people who would see him acting unlike the Lex they knew and feared. And then he remembered his resolution. He would not be the stiff albeit attractive businessman who Chloe would willingly trade for his irresponsible and deranged brother. Lex breathed deeply and waited for Chloe to look up and see him. He would do it. He was going to show her that he was capable of doing something wild, something Lucas would do, something crazy.

Chloe heard the hushed murmur of the other customers.

She put down her coffee and turned towards the direction the others were looking.

Lex waited as the movement of her head took on a slow motion.

One.

Two.

Three.

Her eyes met his. Lex took another breath for confidence.

And then he rolled his eyes.

Chloe's gaze widened and she covered her gasp with trembling hands. Lex hid his smirk. He did it. He finally proved that he could do something that was not in character. Armed with that newfound self-assurance at having caught her off guard with a simple gesture, Lex ambled towards her booth and slipped smoothly into the seat in front of her. She was still regaining her composure.

"I hear you're going to the party," he began.

It did not take her long to recover. Chloe raised both eyebrows in a movement that Lex now knew, well okay suspected, was meant to emphasize the beautiful hazel orbs that served as her haunting eyes. "And I'm surprised you're even talking to me."

And she just said that so that he would be enraptured by the sound of her voice. The girl was a merciless temptress! He almost groaned aloud. "Why wouldn't I be talking to you, Chloe?" He watched her expression carefully, because that was something she couldn't cheat about. He learned that from his weeks of talking to her. Whatever Chloe felt, it showed clearly on her features.

Her eyes sparked with obvious irritation. "Well Lex, you stood me up! And right after we-we-Ugh!"

"But you recovered easily," he mentions offhandedly. "The next day you're hanging around Lucas' bedroom like you're-" And then he remembered that resolution again. "But you know what? I'm so cool with that."

"You are?" He saw her surprise.

Lex gritted his teeth. If she whooped and celebrated right then, he was going to grab her and haul her over his lap and land several well-placed smacks on her butt. And by smacks he did not mean that he was going to spank her, although that was just another level of Lex-happy. "Definitely. What did you think? That I'm so stiff and reserved that I would oppose you having a little fun with another guy? Come on, Chloe."

Horror spread over her face. "Ass!"

"Thanks." Would he be incarcerated if he dumped Lucas down the cellar and sealed the door until he was married with children with this girl? "But you know what? Between you and me, you shouldn't be kissing Lucas."

"Lex," she whispered furiously, "I don't understand you! Are you telling me to find someone else to kiss?" Lex was caught unaware. He did not want that. Shit. What kind of brain goes to that conclusion at once? Lex nodded. Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Lex Luthor, are you telling me that I'm not good enough for Lucas? Are you telling me you can kiss me but I'm not good enough for a relationship with your brother?"

He was going to have to plan this unpredictable and cool thing later. He was going to make diagrams and flowcharts about what he has to do and say so it doesn't turn out like this. Right now, he was being erratic. Wait. Wasn't erratic attractive? Wasn't erratic part of the wild and youthful? He seriously had to plot unpredictability to get it just right.

"You know, Chloe, I'll see you at the party." Lex hastily slipped out of the booth and hurried to his car. When he got to his car, he released a tremulous breath. That did not go as planned, and it was her fault. She did not swoon at his rolling eyes gesture. Did he not roll sexily enough?

~~

Chloe walked across the parking lot that stretched in front of the Luthor castle. She had picked the best, sluttiest dress she could find from the things her mother left. True, they were probably worn two decades ago. However, there were just some cuts and colors that never died. She had found a small black dress that ended midthigh that was going to kill Lex Luthor. She swore that by all the stars that were looking down at her tonight. She was going to get Lucas to wrap his arms around her and dance with her so closely that Lex would not know when she ended and Lucas began. Those were things she would rather Lex do, but if he was going to be such a bastard about her worth, then she was going to show him just how precious of a commodity she could be.

She took her phone out of her small purse and called Lucas. "You know my boyfriend should escort me in," she told him. Within seconds, she saw the fine figure of Lucas Luthor cut against the glaring white lights coming from the castle.

Lucas' arm around her waist, Chloe walked into the house. Lionel immediately went forward to greet her. She looked around for the arrogant Lex and found him standing by the bar, dunking shot after shot of something as clear as water. Chloe saw him look at her and she learned her head against Lucas' muscular arm. "Kiss me," she commanded. Lucas pressed a kiss on her temple. Chloe snorted. "Am I your sister?"

Lucas choked. "I'd rather reserve the passionate kisses for later."

"Are you seeing your brother's glowering looks?"

"And fearing them."

"Pffft. He's not going to murder you, especially in front of this crowd."

Lucas led her to the middle of the dancefloor where all other couples were twirling to a waltz like there was no tomorrow. He laid his palm on the small of her back and took huge steps. "Lex is capable of anything."

"Apparently everything except for holding on to a promise. Did you know that your brother doesn't think I'm worthy of you?"

Lucas shook his head and continued to dance with her. "I'm sure there's a misunderstanding somewhere there." He whirled them swiftly around and dipped her, causing her to squeal and giggle.

"I don't think we were supposed to dip."

"Who the hell cares?" he pronounced with a grin.

At the time, they were only a few feet away from Lex. He heard his brother's words and tried it himself, "Who the hell cares?" Lex grinned too. It didn't sound so bad coming from him. Maybe he was going to try that again.

Lionel tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you enjoying this break from work, son?"

"Ah, who the hell cares?" slipped from his tongue. Lionel shook his head and walked away from him.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Chloe approached him. "Having fun, Lex?" Lucas asked. His eyes fell on the several shotglasses in front of his brother. "Chloe," he said, turning to the blonde. "I'm going to talk to my dad briefly about something."

She watched Lucas get eaten up by the crowd. Turning back to the bartender, she asked for a Coke. The guy smiled at her and gave her the iced drink.

"You know what Lucas is going to ask dad, don't you?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not snoopy enough to know everything," she retorted. "And I have a sinking suspicion that you're drunk. The fact that I noticed that without even trying just shows how drunk you are, Lex."

Lex clasped her arm with a firm hand. "He's going to ask dad if he can ask you to marry him in front of all these people so that you'll be trapped and can't say no."

"Are you crazy?" she whispered furiously when a woman who overheard them turned her head. "Shut up, Lex! Do you want my dad to have a heart attack?"

"It's true, Chloe. I saw the ring. Do you believe my dad would invite this many people for a party that's just for fun? It's your engagement party, Chloe, so I hope that you're enjoying it!"

"What?!" She and Lucas never talked about anything of the like. She hired Lucas to help him get Lex to admit that he liked her. What was this about Lionel? The poor old bastard did not know about what she and his son cooked up. Narrowing her eyes, Chloe pulled Lex out of the ballroom and down the corridor towards the main doors. She only stopped dragging him when they reached the parking lot where no one would hear them. "You odious man! What the hell were you doing?"

It was just what Lex wanted. He spotted his car a few feet away and pulled her kicking to it. With his free hand, he fished for his keys and opened the door for her. He then jumped to the driver's seat with Chloe watching in awe. Within seconds, they were speeding out of the Luthor property and heading out of town. "I'm not going to sit by and watch you commit the biggest mistake of your life, Chloe," he said moments later. "Lucas is a good guy. He is. But you can't stay with him. He's irresponsible and childish. You deserve someone like me. I may be stiff and reserved. I may be old. But I am the best guy you can possibly be with."

Chloe could not believe her ears. "I knew that!" she protested. "But you friggin stood me up and told me you can't see me!"

Lex glared at her. "Stop trying to make a point. I'm not impressed!"

"I have no idea what you think you're up to, but you are crazy."

"I'm kidnapping you. What does it look like?" he snapped exasperatedly.

"Hey! Why are you driving?" She stared intently at him and gasped. "You're not drunk!"

"I was drinking water, Chloe."

"You planned this! Even the most insane and unpredictable thing you ever did was planned," she said in disbelief.

"Face it, Chloe, and accept it. I'm a planning man."

Chloe sighed. "Well, planning man, did you plan to let me starve and dehydrate? Because you kidnapped me before dinner. I didn't eat anything so I can fit into this dress."

His eyes ran over her body appreciatively. "We'll get some drivethrough from that McDonalds."

Chloe chuckled. "You went this way out of Smallville because you knew there was going to be a fastfood right at the part where I was going to complain."

Lex shrugged.

"So where did you get reservations for us?"

"At a bed and breakfast just several hundred kilometers from Smallville. I'm only planning to keep you until I could make you understand how wrong Lucas is for you."

Chloe rolled her eyes this time. "First of all, Lucas is not in love with me," she told him.

"How could he not be!"

"Gosh, Lex, thanks." She winked at him. "Next, that was a ring I asked your brother to get fixed because he knows a good shop that doesn't charge too much. It was my mom's."

"Oh. Then what's up with all the kissing and hugging?"

"Your dad made me hang out with him in exchange for refurbishing the trashed Torch. Lucas wanted me to pretend to be his girlfriend to throw your business associate off his trail. The guy was sniffing after Lucas to marry his sister," she enumerated. "And then you became an asshole and I had to get Lucas to make you jealous. He made me pay by making me redecorate his room," she said in a rush.

Lex's eyes narrowed. Everything she said was plausible. However, there were too many coincidences. His father went to Chloe and offered his help just when Lucas was arriving. He was called to a bungled meeting the exact day Lucas was going home because of a blown allowance. When he confronted Lionel, he made it seem like he knew firsthand that Lucas and Chloe were very much involved. Not to mention the fact that his father led him to believe that the redecoration was part of something nastier, dirtier, and damn, so much sexier.

"Chloe," Lex said. "I'm attracted to you. As soon as we can pick up on some sort of relationship, we will. Do you want that?"

She screwed her lips. "Not exactly romantic."

"It's going to be," he promised in a voice that made her tingle all over. "However, there's one thing we have to do first."

"Ummm. I'm really not ready-"

"I have a proposition for you."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Okay. In that regard, I'm very experienced. Shoot."