A/N: All right you guys. I finally had time to write something. It's not
much really. This chapter is a bit smaller than all my previous ones, but I
hope you like it anyways! I should be able to update this again by.Friday.
Please don't stop reading because of the slow updates. (wink) Enjoy!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The bright, forceful sunlight beating down on her eyelids and the insistent knocking on the bedroom door weren't enough to wake her up. The arm draped around her side, pressing her firmly to a rather muscular chest, that did. She didn't know how they'd gotten like this, but she soon came to realize that she'd traveled all the way across the bed to his side, and he hadn't even moved an inch. Although waking up with Lex Luthor's body pressed against your own wasn't the worst form of torture, it did produce a rather unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling she knew all too well. The knocking started up again and she knew with every second that passed, there was more of a chance they'd get caught.
'Get caught doing what? It's not like anything happened.'
The knocking stopped and she barely heard the sound of descending footsteps.
'Okay, now...how do I get out of this mess.' She wanted to stay right where she was, wrapped up in the moment that would most definitely never happen again, but that nagging feeling only intensified the longer she waited to move. Grabbing his arm, she pulled at it, in hopes of simply slipping away from his grasp, but she should have known better. With Lex, it's never that simple. No, he had to tighten his grip and pull her even closer, if it were possible. And to top it all off, he began to nuzzle the side of her neck with his nose, and that wasn't helping her in her decision to move. So, she decided, the best way to go about this was to just jump off the bed. Real quick. Like a Band-Aid. She counted to 5 and psyched herself up about a dozen times before surrendering to this. No way of escaping it and hopefully, when he gets up, he'll be too tired and grumpy to realize what side of the bed they were on. Why she was so worried about this, she didn't know. Cutting off her own thoughts, she snuggled in closer to the warmth that radiated from him and sighed, not knowing why she ever wanted to leave in the first place. The light breeze that danced across her neck startled her.
"So...you finally decided on staying," he said in a deep and husky voice that made her blush furiously. "I was wondering when you'd stop wiggling around and let me get back to sleep."
"Well, if someone weren't so insistent on cuddling, I'd have gotten up and left a long time ago." There, that should shut him up.
"I don't cuddle." Even as he said it, his grip on her didn't falter and she had to smile.
"Then, what do you call this?"
She felt him shrug. "You're a good pillow. Nice and fluffy."
"Are you insinuating that I'm fat, Luthor," she asked in her angriest tone which, right now, came out more playful than anything else.
"Not at all." And, as if to prove a point, he ran his hand down the side of her stomach, over her waist, and ran it back up again. She couldn't hide the full body shudder than ran through her and this new color definitely rivaled her previous blush. This had gone far enough. She had a boyfriend. Lex was too old for her. He was just playing games with her mind. Simple as that. Just as she was about to fling his arm aside, a booming voice filled the room causing not only herself, but Lex also to jump up in surprise.
"Just friends, hmm?"
They both shot up into a seated position and Chloe was sure she had whiplash from turning her head so quickly.
"What are you doing in here," Lex asked, anger evident in his voice.
"I believe the more important question here, son, is why you have a 17 year old girl in your bed." Lionel's face was cold and impassive, which perfectly mirrored Lex's very own face.
"I don't believe that's any of your business. Why are you in here anyway?"
"Can't a father simply visit his son?"
"No, a father simply can't." Sarcasm on both sides of the conversation and Chloe was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second.
"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to," he smirked and continued. "snuggling with your little girlfriend. God knows she'll be gone in a week, so enjoy her while you can."
Out of the corner of his eye, Lex could see Chloe's face grow red. But not from embarrassment. This was from anger. Just as she opened her mouth to fire back at Lionel, Lex placed his hand on the small of her back and she looked over at him, the flames of rage evident in her normally soft hazel eyes.
"Why don't you go downstairs to the kitchen...ask the cook to fix you some breakfast." He could tell she didn't want to leave, that she would much rather stay and give Lionel a piece of her mind. But he didn't want her to hear he and his father fight. After a beat, she nodded and squeezed his hand once reassuringly, then climbed off the bed and walked out of the room.
Ten minutes later, Chloe could be found leaning against the wall next to Lex's bedroom door. She knew it was wrong to spy like that, but being the inquisitive reporter that she was, she had to stay and listen. Not much could be heard, and she realized Lex must've soundproofed the room or something, because the only sounds she heard were coming from the crack at the bottom of the door.
"You never seemed to care before."
"Yes, well that was before I realized you were sleeping with underage children."
"First off, I am not sleeping with her, she is 17, which is the legal age in Kansas, and she is not a child, so don't treat her or myself like we are one."
She heard footsteps coming closer, so, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, she hurriedly walked up the hall and down the stairs. She entered Lex's office and noticed her clothes, now clean and dry, lying on a chair. She picked them up and walked over to the connecting bathroom, quickly changing. When she walked back out, Lex was already there, sitting on a couch with his head in his hands. She slowly walks over to him and sits down.
"I'm sorry that happened," Lex said with a sigh. "He's always like that."
"It's okay. I should get going."
She gets up and he does the same.
"You don't want anything to eat? Or...just to stay a little longer? He left already so..."
"No, I should really be getting home. And also, my car needs towing and all."
Lex smiles slightly. "Already taken care of." At her questioning look, he continues. "While you were changing last night, I called the towing company. Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, I could just call Charles. Wouldn't want you to go out of your way."
"I wouldn't be-"
"It's all right, Lex. I'll just give him a call, okay?"
Not waiting for an answer, she walks over to the phone and dials Charles' number, not noticing the frown that was placed upon his face.
After she finishes the call, she walks out of the office and towards the front door. They both step outside and sit down on the steps. They stay silent for a while before Lex clears his throat.
"Chloe, about this morning-" he starts, but Chloe cuts him off.
"It's okay, Lex. All ready been forgotten."
"But Chloe, I've been wanting to tell you. I-" He stops talking when he notices Charles' car pull up in the driveway. Chloe stands up and he follows suit.
"Well, thanks Lex...for everything." She kisses him quickly on the cheek and leaves with Charles. As soon as they're out of his sight, Lex steps back inside and leans against the door.
"I've been wanting to tell you...I think I'm falling in love with you."
*~*~*~*~*
"So...how did you end up at Lex's?"
Chloe sighed and stared out the window. "My car broke down. He gave me a lift to his house because of the storm." When she looked over at him, she noticed that his hands were turning white from the vice grip he had on the steering wheel. "Nothing happened, if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm not worried. Why didn't he just drop you off at my place?"
She started fidgeting a little. "Well...I told him that. But he said I could just stay at his place, so we went there."
"Mm hmm." He seemed to be growing more and more jealous as the weeks went by, and she really couldn't blame him. They're relationship was falling apart and surprisingly enough, Chloe wasn't exactly saddened by that idea.
'That's it. I have to break it of with him. I can't keep playing Lex and Charles like this.'
"Charles, we need to talk." He pulled into her driveway and stopped the car, and she briefly wondered how the ride went by so quickly.
"Yes," he asked, and when he looked at her, she couldn't help but notice the caring, concerned look her was sending her way.
"Um...I...we," she sighs. "Never mind. It's not important. I'll talk to you later."
She kisses him quickly and climbs out of the car. He leaves and she lets out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
*~*~*~*~*
Three days had passed since that day with Lex and she hadn't talked to him since. She didn't know what she was hiding from. They were friends. That was it. These feelings...they were just there because she and Charles hadn't spent much time together. She was sure of it. But she would fix that soon. She would start spending more time with Charles, but she would get back to talking with Lex first. She leaned over to the phone beside her bed and picked it up, dialing the all too familiar number. When it didn't pick up after the fourth ring, she hung up and dialed his cell phone number. It rang twice and picked up. Laughter filled the earpiece as a female voice told someone to "stop that."
"I'm sorry. Hello?"
Chloe's heart skipped a beat. The British accent was unmistakable and she knew that this woman was the one person that she didn't want answering Lex's cell phone at any costs.
"Victoria?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The bright, forceful sunlight beating down on her eyelids and the insistent knocking on the bedroom door weren't enough to wake her up. The arm draped around her side, pressing her firmly to a rather muscular chest, that did. She didn't know how they'd gotten like this, but she soon came to realize that she'd traveled all the way across the bed to his side, and he hadn't even moved an inch. Although waking up with Lex Luthor's body pressed against your own wasn't the worst form of torture, it did produce a rather unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling she knew all too well. The knocking started up again and she knew with every second that passed, there was more of a chance they'd get caught.
'Get caught doing what? It's not like anything happened.'
The knocking stopped and she barely heard the sound of descending footsteps.
'Okay, now...how do I get out of this mess.' She wanted to stay right where she was, wrapped up in the moment that would most definitely never happen again, but that nagging feeling only intensified the longer she waited to move. Grabbing his arm, she pulled at it, in hopes of simply slipping away from his grasp, but she should have known better. With Lex, it's never that simple. No, he had to tighten his grip and pull her even closer, if it were possible. And to top it all off, he began to nuzzle the side of her neck with his nose, and that wasn't helping her in her decision to move. So, she decided, the best way to go about this was to just jump off the bed. Real quick. Like a Band-Aid. She counted to 5 and psyched herself up about a dozen times before surrendering to this. No way of escaping it and hopefully, when he gets up, he'll be too tired and grumpy to realize what side of the bed they were on. Why she was so worried about this, she didn't know. Cutting off her own thoughts, she snuggled in closer to the warmth that radiated from him and sighed, not knowing why she ever wanted to leave in the first place. The light breeze that danced across her neck startled her.
"So...you finally decided on staying," he said in a deep and husky voice that made her blush furiously. "I was wondering when you'd stop wiggling around and let me get back to sleep."
"Well, if someone weren't so insistent on cuddling, I'd have gotten up and left a long time ago." There, that should shut him up.
"I don't cuddle." Even as he said it, his grip on her didn't falter and she had to smile.
"Then, what do you call this?"
She felt him shrug. "You're a good pillow. Nice and fluffy."
"Are you insinuating that I'm fat, Luthor," she asked in her angriest tone which, right now, came out more playful than anything else.
"Not at all." And, as if to prove a point, he ran his hand down the side of her stomach, over her waist, and ran it back up again. She couldn't hide the full body shudder than ran through her and this new color definitely rivaled her previous blush. This had gone far enough. She had a boyfriend. Lex was too old for her. He was just playing games with her mind. Simple as that. Just as she was about to fling his arm aside, a booming voice filled the room causing not only herself, but Lex also to jump up in surprise.
"Just friends, hmm?"
They both shot up into a seated position and Chloe was sure she had whiplash from turning her head so quickly.
"What are you doing in here," Lex asked, anger evident in his voice.
"I believe the more important question here, son, is why you have a 17 year old girl in your bed." Lionel's face was cold and impassive, which perfectly mirrored Lex's very own face.
"I don't believe that's any of your business. Why are you in here anyway?"
"Can't a father simply visit his son?"
"No, a father simply can't." Sarcasm on both sides of the conversation and Chloe was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second.
"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to," he smirked and continued. "snuggling with your little girlfriend. God knows she'll be gone in a week, so enjoy her while you can."
Out of the corner of his eye, Lex could see Chloe's face grow red. But not from embarrassment. This was from anger. Just as she opened her mouth to fire back at Lionel, Lex placed his hand on the small of her back and she looked over at him, the flames of rage evident in her normally soft hazel eyes.
"Why don't you go downstairs to the kitchen...ask the cook to fix you some breakfast." He could tell she didn't want to leave, that she would much rather stay and give Lionel a piece of her mind. But he didn't want her to hear he and his father fight. After a beat, she nodded and squeezed his hand once reassuringly, then climbed off the bed and walked out of the room.
Ten minutes later, Chloe could be found leaning against the wall next to Lex's bedroom door. She knew it was wrong to spy like that, but being the inquisitive reporter that she was, she had to stay and listen. Not much could be heard, and she realized Lex must've soundproofed the room or something, because the only sounds she heard were coming from the crack at the bottom of the door.
"You never seemed to care before."
"Yes, well that was before I realized you were sleeping with underage children."
"First off, I am not sleeping with her, she is 17, which is the legal age in Kansas, and she is not a child, so don't treat her or myself like we are one."
She heard footsteps coming closer, so, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, she hurriedly walked up the hall and down the stairs. She entered Lex's office and noticed her clothes, now clean and dry, lying on a chair. She picked them up and walked over to the connecting bathroom, quickly changing. When she walked back out, Lex was already there, sitting on a couch with his head in his hands. She slowly walks over to him and sits down.
"I'm sorry that happened," Lex said with a sigh. "He's always like that."
"It's okay. I should get going."
She gets up and he does the same.
"You don't want anything to eat? Or...just to stay a little longer? He left already so..."
"No, I should really be getting home. And also, my car needs towing and all."
Lex smiles slightly. "Already taken care of." At her questioning look, he continues. "While you were changing last night, I called the towing company. Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, I could just call Charles. Wouldn't want you to go out of your way."
"I wouldn't be-"
"It's all right, Lex. I'll just give him a call, okay?"
Not waiting for an answer, she walks over to the phone and dials Charles' number, not noticing the frown that was placed upon his face.
After she finishes the call, she walks out of the office and towards the front door. They both step outside and sit down on the steps. They stay silent for a while before Lex clears his throat.
"Chloe, about this morning-" he starts, but Chloe cuts him off.
"It's okay, Lex. All ready been forgotten."
"But Chloe, I've been wanting to tell you. I-" He stops talking when he notices Charles' car pull up in the driveway. Chloe stands up and he follows suit.
"Well, thanks Lex...for everything." She kisses him quickly on the cheek and leaves with Charles. As soon as they're out of his sight, Lex steps back inside and leans against the door.
"I've been wanting to tell you...I think I'm falling in love with you."
*~*~*~*~*
"So...how did you end up at Lex's?"
Chloe sighed and stared out the window. "My car broke down. He gave me a lift to his house because of the storm." When she looked over at him, she noticed that his hands were turning white from the vice grip he had on the steering wheel. "Nothing happened, if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm not worried. Why didn't he just drop you off at my place?"
She started fidgeting a little. "Well...I told him that. But he said I could just stay at his place, so we went there."
"Mm hmm." He seemed to be growing more and more jealous as the weeks went by, and she really couldn't blame him. They're relationship was falling apart and surprisingly enough, Chloe wasn't exactly saddened by that idea.
'That's it. I have to break it of with him. I can't keep playing Lex and Charles like this.'
"Charles, we need to talk." He pulled into her driveway and stopped the car, and she briefly wondered how the ride went by so quickly.
"Yes," he asked, and when he looked at her, she couldn't help but notice the caring, concerned look her was sending her way.
"Um...I...we," she sighs. "Never mind. It's not important. I'll talk to you later."
She kisses him quickly and climbs out of the car. He leaves and she lets out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
*~*~*~*~*
Three days had passed since that day with Lex and she hadn't talked to him since. She didn't know what she was hiding from. They were friends. That was it. These feelings...they were just there because she and Charles hadn't spent much time together. She was sure of it. But she would fix that soon. She would start spending more time with Charles, but she would get back to talking with Lex first. She leaned over to the phone beside her bed and picked it up, dialing the all too familiar number. When it didn't pick up after the fourth ring, she hung up and dialed his cell phone number. It rang twice and picked up. Laughter filled the earpiece as a female voice told someone to "stop that."
"I'm sorry. Hello?"
Chloe's heart skipped a beat. The British accent was unmistakable and she knew that this woman was the one person that she didn't want answering Lex's cell phone at any costs.
"Victoria?"