Part 4
He was right, of course. There was a blurb about meeting the infamous Luthors at the Little League game in the section reserved for local sports the next day. He was, however, wrong in the assumption that it had been written by Chloe. Instead, Lois Lane's name accompanied the three-paragraph article that speculated more about LuthorCorp's sudden interest in local events than it did go over the highlights of the game. He was, however, surprised to see how tame the article was. Their brief exchange yesterday had left him thinking Lois Lane was as free with her opinions as her cousin, and yet the article so devoid of those opinions that he wondered just how much editing Perry White had subjected it to. The Giants had come from behind after the half to win by one run, but that had been more of a footnote in Ms. Lane's mind.
Lex had to laugh, realizing now where Chloe had gotten her journalistic instincts from--whichever side of her family's gene pool she shared with her cousin. Ah, well, he thought as he sipped his morning coffee. The article wasn't necessarily a bad thing, after all. It was good publicity, showing even the doubters that the Luthor men could do normal.
He called Chloe's cell phone and asked her to thank Lois for the "glowing review." Chloe laughed, as well, and relayed the message to an indignant Lois. "She really doesn't like your family's reputation," she told him apologetically. Lex told her it was it okay, that most people he knew fell into the same trap. He was used to it. Chloe asked if he was planning to go to the next home game and if he wouldn't mind the company again. Lex had to admit, he had enjoyed having Chloe around. They'd talked about Clark and Smallville--which really pissed his father off, despite the good face Lionel put on for their guests--and had generally had fun. It had been nice to have a friendly face around, one that wasn't looking to double cross him.
Slipping the cell phone back into his pocket, Lex sighed. Smallville had spoiled him, left him wanting people in his life who weren't completely false with him. In most the dealings he'd had in the town, people either hated him for who he was or knew nothing about him at all. Neither did they hide their presumptions about him behind smiles and false praise.
He missed that, missed the honesty even with all its animosity. He also missed the man this honesty had made of him. A better man, in some ways. Metropolis was slowly leeching it out of him... the goodness, that is. He felt it flowing away from him, like a river intent on escaping to the sea.
The biggest example of this escape had been the other day, while plotting his next move against his father, when it had crossed his mind--even briefly--how easy it could be to screw Bruce Wayne over. Lex even knew *how* he could accomplish the ultimate coupe d'état: he knew all of his partner's recent investments, knew which of them had left his company vulnerable to outside influences. Moreover, he knew which of his assets he could easily liquidate to give LuthorCorp an edge of Wayne Enterprises. So easy, and a shadow voice in the back of his mind even praised the thought, whispering how grand a defeat that would be--a Luthor triumphing over an unsuspecting Wayne. His father's voice... and the voice of every Luthor who'd gone before them.
Lex had dismissed the thought and the voice, however. That couldn't tempt him, shouldn't tempt him. Bruce wasn't his enemy. His father was the enemy, always, and Lex had to remind himself that every closeness they'd shared recently was a lie, a hoax perpetrated by both of them to serve their own purposes. Games. He'd once told his father that all they had left between them were games. It was still true, and Lex couldn't lose sight of that, lest he also lose the game.
*&*&*&*
Lex was deep in thought, eyes staring--but unseeing--at nothingness as thoughts of Smallville, the tornado and his father's deceit flashed through his mind. He was so deep in thought in thought that he barely heard the admittedly stealthy footsteps behind him or the crinkle of leather until a warm breath breezed across the skin at the back of his neck.
"Penny for your thoughts..."
The voice was warm and dark, like a thick blanket wrapping around Lex's mind. "The going price is a dollar these days--inflation, you know," Lex replied, unable to control the smile that slid across his features. "How did you get past the doorman?" Or security, for that matter. No one was supposed to gain entrance to this suite without his knowledge and permission--not even his father. He turned his head to find Bruce grinning at him, dark eyes twinkling with merriment as he shrugged in response to the suspicious question. "Bruce..." Lex's voice held a hint of warning.
"I slipped in when the doorman went on break. I missed you," came a more satisfactory answer. His lover's arms slid over the soft leather of Lex's chair to drape over his shoulders. Sure fingers kneaded the muscles which had tensed while Lex had been lost in thought.
"Mmmm..." was the only sound that came out of his mouth when his lips parted. What he'd meant to say was... "I missed you, too." Bruce gave him another smile, one his small, knowing half-smirks, and slithered around to the front of the chair. He had this incredible gleam in his eyes--hungry and sinful--and it occurred to Lex that he must be dreaming... that somehow, he'd fallen asleep, as this was too good a fantasy to waste being awake.
That illusion was promptly shattered when Bruce slid into the chair with Lex--climbing onto his lap and straddling his legs--successfully pinning him down.
Lex reached out, his fingers tangling in dark hair as his palms cradled Bruce's skull, snaring him effortlessly and drawing him downward. Their lips met in a fierce kiss--nothing tender or warm, just scorching heat. Lex dominated the kiss, tongue plundering the mouth that opened for him in a groan of desire. His own panting breaths broke the chuckle of satisfaction that escaped his lips.
A swooshing noise followed another ragged groan, the leather covering of the chair rejecting the touch of Bruce's designer clothing and sending him slipping from Lex's lap. Bruce caught himself on his knees, and Lex suddenly found his lover's face buried in the soft folds of his silk shirt. Kisses pressed the material into his flesh, sent shivers racing down his spine and straight to his...
"Mr. Luthor?" A buzzing noise accompanied the voice that broke into the erotic tableau. It look Lex a minute or two--shaking his head to clear his mind--to realize that it had, in fact, been nothing more than a daydream: Bruce Wayne wasn't there, wasn't seducing him, and the buzzer in question was from the intercom. The voice belonged to Bernie, the doorman. "Mr. Luthor?"
Struggling to fight his residual arousal, Lex padded to the intercom box and pressed the speaker button. "Yes, Bernard?" he asked, his voice finally finding itself.
"Your father is here to see you, sir. Shall I let him in?"
Shit. Not what he needed right now. "Yeah," said Lex with a groan of frustration. "Go ahead, and let him in." His father had probably seen Lois Lane's article by now and would likely have plenty say about it. Of all the joys in the world, this was certainly not one of them.
Ah, well, Lex had to admit one thing. His father had impeccable timing.
He was right, of course. There was a blurb about meeting the infamous Luthors at the Little League game in the section reserved for local sports the next day. He was, however, wrong in the assumption that it had been written by Chloe. Instead, Lois Lane's name accompanied the three-paragraph article that speculated more about LuthorCorp's sudden interest in local events than it did go over the highlights of the game. He was, however, surprised to see how tame the article was. Their brief exchange yesterday had left him thinking Lois Lane was as free with her opinions as her cousin, and yet the article so devoid of those opinions that he wondered just how much editing Perry White had subjected it to. The Giants had come from behind after the half to win by one run, but that had been more of a footnote in Ms. Lane's mind.
Lex had to laugh, realizing now where Chloe had gotten her journalistic instincts from--whichever side of her family's gene pool she shared with her cousin. Ah, well, he thought as he sipped his morning coffee. The article wasn't necessarily a bad thing, after all. It was good publicity, showing even the doubters that the Luthor men could do normal.
He called Chloe's cell phone and asked her to thank Lois for the "glowing review." Chloe laughed, as well, and relayed the message to an indignant Lois. "She really doesn't like your family's reputation," she told him apologetically. Lex told her it was it okay, that most people he knew fell into the same trap. He was used to it. Chloe asked if he was planning to go to the next home game and if he wouldn't mind the company again. Lex had to admit, he had enjoyed having Chloe around. They'd talked about Clark and Smallville--which really pissed his father off, despite the good face Lionel put on for their guests--and had generally had fun. It had been nice to have a friendly face around, one that wasn't looking to double cross him.
Slipping the cell phone back into his pocket, Lex sighed. Smallville had spoiled him, left him wanting people in his life who weren't completely false with him. In most the dealings he'd had in the town, people either hated him for who he was or knew nothing about him at all. Neither did they hide their presumptions about him behind smiles and false praise.
He missed that, missed the honesty even with all its animosity. He also missed the man this honesty had made of him. A better man, in some ways. Metropolis was slowly leeching it out of him... the goodness, that is. He felt it flowing away from him, like a river intent on escaping to the sea.
The biggest example of this escape had been the other day, while plotting his next move against his father, when it had crossed his mind--even briefly--how easy it could be to screw Bruce Wayne over. Lex even knew *how* he could accomplish the ultimate coupe d'état: he knew all of his partner's recent investments, knew which of them had left his company vulnerable to outside influences. Moreover, he knew which of his assets he could easily liquidate to give LuthorCorp an edge of Wayne Enterprises. So easy, and a shadow voice in the back of his mind even praised the thought, whispering how grand a defeat that would be--a Luthor triumphing over an unsuspecting Wayne. His father's voice... and the voice of every Luthor who'd gone before them.
Lex had dismissed the thought and the voice, however. That couldn't tempt him, shouldn't tempt him. Bruce wasn't his enemy. His father was the enemy, always, and Lex had to remind himself that every closeness they'd shared recently was a lie, a hoax perpetrated by both of them to serve their own purposes. Games. He'd once told his father that all they had left between them were games. It was still true, and Lex couldn't lose sight of that, lest he also lose the game.
*&*&*&*
Lex was deep in thought, eyes staring--but unseeing--at nothingness as thoughts of Smallville, the tornado and his father's deceit flashed through his mind. He was so deep in thought in thought that he barely heard the admittedly stealthy footsteps behind him or the crinkle of leather until a warm breath breezed across the skin at the back of his neck.
"Penny for your thoughts..."
The voice was warm and dark, like a thick blanket wrapping around Lex's mind. "The going price is a dollar these days--inflation, you know," Lex replied, unable to control the smile that slid across his features. "How did you get past the doorman?" Or security, for that matter. No one was supposed to gain entrance to this suite without his knowledge and permission--not even his father. He turned his head to find Bruce grinning at him, dark eyes twinkling with merriment as he shrugged in response to the suspicious question. "Bruce..." Lex's voice held a hint of warning.
"I slipped in when the doorman went on break. I missed you," came a more satisfactory answer. His lover's arms slid over the soft leather of Lex's chair to drape over his shoulders. Sure fingers kneaded the muscles which had tensed while Lex had been lost in thought.
"Mmmm..." was the only sound that came out of his mouth when his lips parted. What he'd meant to say was... "I missed you, too." Bruce gave him another smile, one his small, knowing half-smirks, and slithered around to the front of the chair. He had this incredible gleam in his eyes--hungry and sinful--and it occurred to Lex that he must be dreaming... that somehow, he'd fallen asleep, as this was too good a fantasy to waste being awake.
That illusion was promptly shattered when Bruce slid into the chair with Lex--climbing onto his lap and straddling his legs--successfully pinning him down.
Lex reached out, his fingers tangling in dark hair as his palms cradled Bruce's skull, snaring him effortlessly and drawing him downward. Their lips met in a fierce kiss--nothing tender or warm, just scorching heat. Lex dominated the kiss, tongue plundering the mouth that opened for him in a groan of desire. His own panting breaths broke the chuckle of satisfaction that escaped his lips.
A swooshing noise followed another ragged groan, the leather covering of the chair rejecting the touch of Bruce's designer clothing and sending him slipping from Lex's lap. Bruce caught himself on his knees, and Lex suddenly found his lover's face buried in the soft folds of his silk shirt. Kisses pressed the material into his flesh, sent shivers racing down his spine and straight to his...
"Mr. Luthor?" A buzzing noise accompanied the voice that broke into the erotic tableau. It look Lex a minute or two--shaking his head to clear his mind--to realize that it had, in fact, been nothing more than a daydream: Bruce Wayne wasn't there, wasn't seducing him, and the buzzer in question was from the intercom. The voice belonged to Bernie, the doorman. "Mr. Luthor?"
Struggling to fight his residual arousal, Lex padded to the intercom box and pressed the speaker button. "Yes, Bernard?" he asked, his voice finally finding itself.
"Your father is here to see you, sir. Shall I let him in?"
Shit. Not what he needed right now. "Yeah," said Lex with a groan of frustration. "Go ahead, and let him in." His father had probably seen Lois Lane's article by now and would likely have plenty say about it. Of all the joys in the world, this was certainly not one of them.
Ah, well, Lex had to admit one thing. His father had impeccable timing.