Part Seven
Clark tapped his fingers nervously on the gleaming dark wood arm of the
chair he was sitting in. It earned him a sharp look from the
receptionist. She was new and apparently she thought Lex Luthor had
better things to do with his time than hang out with a guy still in
highschool. Clark glanced at the clock behind her. He had been
waiting for over an hour and it was getting late. He should leave, he
had chores to do at home. Clark started to stand, but then settled
back down into his seat again. He had put this off long enough - he
had to talk to Lex about Chloe. It's not like he thought that anything
was going on between his two best friends, he just wanted to put
everyone's minds at ease. Clark shifted uncomfortably. What the hell
was he going to say to Lex?
"Mandy, do you know where Helen...." Lex looked up from his paperwork
as he exited his office. His face was still pretty beat up from the
Club Zero incident and it made Clark wince. He was sure that Lex would
never intentionally hurt Chloe - if there was something between them -
but he couldn't ensure that any Luthor enemies wouldn't. "Clark, have
you been here long?"
"Oh, uh, no." Clark shook his head and stood up quickly. "I probably
should have called first since you're at work."
"Nonsense, I'm the boss remember." Lex showed Clark into his office.
Before he shut the door he stepped out to talk quietly to the
receptionist. "Mandy, just for future reference, I like to be
informed of any visitors so that I may decide whether or not I want to
see them."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor. I'm sorry," the girl gulped as Lex shut the
door.
"I'm sorry about that, Clark, Mandy's a temp replacing Helen while
she's on vacation." Lex sat down as Clark shrugged. "What brings you
by?"
"Well, uh, it's about Chloe." Clark scratched his head and looked
down at his beaten up old sneakers. How was he going to do this? He
wasn't good at making small talk and steering the conversation toward
the topic that he wanted to discuss.
"What about Chloe? The cast was removed a few weeks ago, is her arm
giving her trouble? Is she in pain?" Lex frowned and picked up the
phone. "I told Gabe to let me know if she needed any further medical
attention."
"Chloe's fine," Clark assured Lex quickly. "Her arm is fine. It's
something else." Clark shoved his hands in his pockets and took a
deep breath. He met Lex's perplexed gaze briefly before glancing away
and focusing on the blue cloudless sky in the window behind his friend.
"Chloe is...uh...she's my friend and...uh...I've known her forever
and...well, she's nice and, um, pretty...."
"Yes," Lex agreed slowly and set the receiver back down with sharp
click. This wasn't happening. Clark had not picked now to realize
that Chloe was a girl - a smart, intelligent, beautiful girl - and ask
his wise older friend's advice on these new budding feelings. A cold
vice squeezed Lex's heart, tightening with the rising red tide of
Clark's blush. He wasn't sure what he would do if Clark started
rhapsodizing about Chloe the way he had about Lana. He certainly
couldn't listen to it, not sober anyway. He stood up and walked over
to the bar to fix himself a drink.
"Yeah...." Clark looked down at Lex's desk. He could here the ice
clink into a glass and the brief slosh of alcohol being poured. "Chloe
is my best friend...."
"We've covered that already," Lex interrupted and grimaced at the
very apparent hostility in his voice. He belted back the drink.
"Right." Clark frowned. Lex's mood had changed quickly. If he was
this stressed about work, it might be better to bring this up at
another time. Or he could do it quickly and get it over with and then
Lex could yell at him or laugh at him, but the matter would be put to
rest. "Okay, this is probably a stupid question....Do you like Chloe?"
Lex turned to face Clark. "Excuse me?" He was surprised. He would
have bet LuthorCorp stock that Clark would have been the last person
to pick up on the sexual tension between he and Chloe.
"Well, I know you like Chloe, but do you like like her - I mean as a
potential girlfriend kind of like?"
"I get your meaning, Clark, I just don't understand what brought about
the question." Lex strolled back to his desk, but stood in front of it
beside Clark. He didn't want it to look like he was hiding anything
when he lied to his friend.
"You went to Metropolis together and then after what happened at the
mansion - your reaction to Chloe getting hurt was a bit extreme."
Clark tentatively met Lex's eyes. He didn't look mad.
"We didn't go to Metropolis together, I just gave her a ride because I
happened to be going to the city as well." Lex smiled as if amused by
Clark's suspicions. "And I will admit that I have been overly
solicitous toward Chloe after those thugs pushed her out of one of
my windows at my house, but as you said - she is your best friend -
and she is the daughter of one of my most valuable employees. I like
Chloe, Clark, but I have no romantic interest in her."
"Okay." Clark smiled with relief. Now he could go back to Lana and
Pete and tell them there was nothing to worry about. "I'm sorry I
asked, but...." Clark shrugged.
"She's your friend. I understand completely." Which is exactly why
he had to lie. Lex squelched the errant feelings of guilt that tried
to take root in his conscience. It was for the best. Clark didn't
need to know the truth because nothing was going to come of his
feelings for Chloe. Nothing.
*****
It was almost six o'clock. Lex hadn't gotten any work done since Clark
had left an hour ago. He couldn't stop thinking about Chloe. She
dominated most of his thoughts even though he hadn't seen her in weeks.
The Club Zero incident had shaken him. What if Amanda's brother had
picked up on his attraction to Chloe and had decided to use her in his
revenge scheme? The possibility was repulsive. Lex had decided then
to keep his distance from Chloe. He would still help her with her
story on Rothman - he doubted that he could order her to give it up and
he didn't want to even think about what would happen to her if she went
after the bastard alone - but there would be no more intimate
encounters in storage closets or intense liaisons in hospital rooms or
not so innocent offers to give her a ride home. He wouldn't be alone
with her again.
"Hi, Lex." Chloe walked into his office with a smile. She flopped
down into a chair in front of his desk. "How's it going?"
"Fine." Lex blinked at her. She was really there, sitting in his
office like there wasn't all sorts of sexual tension between them.
"What brings you by?"
"Dad's working late and his truck is in the shop, so I'm here to pick
him up. I came a bit early to see how you are." Chloe's eyes filled
with concern as she looked over the visible bruises and scrapes on
Lex's face and hands.
It wasn't going change his mind. Once a Luthor made a decision, it was
made and not even soft blue eyes and the small quiver of feminine lips
could inspire second thoughts. "Well, I'm not under the influence of
a mind altering drug. The old man must have had second thoughts." Lex
looked down dismissively at the open file on his computer screen. If
he looked any longer at Chloe all his resolve would be gone. If he
didn't see her eyes and her lips, then he could pretend that her only
interest in him was how he could help her get her story. "Sorry."
"You can't push me away, Lex, so just cut it out." Chloe grinned and
stood up. She crossed over to Lex's side and perched on the desk.
Her finger traced along a bruise on his cheek. "I was really scared
when you disappeared."
Those words made Lex unreasonably happy and that scared him. He tried
to rationalize it as being far too long since anyone had cared about
him, but he knew that it was because Chloe had said it and not the
simple sentiment that stopped his heart and made him catch his breath.
He wanted to kiss her senseless with gratitude. "You should have been
relieved he hadn't used you to get to me." Lex backed his chair up to
distance himself. "We spend too much time together."
Chloe's chin came up as her back stiffened in stubborn defiance. Her
blue eyes glinted with an irresistible determination. "I like spending
time with you."
"I don't care if you like it, the price is too high." Lex frowned even
though he felt lightheaded with a giddiness he had never felt before.
He had known women who liked spending his money - a few had even
admitted it - but none had ever just liked spending time with him.
The only problem was that Chloe was a girl, not a woman. She didn't
know the danger she was putting herself in. She was too innocent to
recognize the enemies power made. "Dammit, Chloe, you mean too much to
me. I can't let you be naive about this situation."
"How much?" Chloe's razor sharp instincts zeroed in on Lex's slip.
"How much do I mean to you?"
There was no way he could answer that question and not leave himself
vulnerable. He had already said too much. Lex cursed to himself.
"You are Clark's best friend. He would never forgive me if anything
happened to you because of me."
"I know what I mean to Clark. I asked about your feelings, Lex."
Chloe frowned now, her brows creasing in frustration. She didn't want
to think about how much his answer meant to her.
"Clark stopped by today." Lex ignored her insistence and carried on
with his own agenda. He swivelled his chair to look out the window.
"He wanted to know if I had a romantic interest in you."
"What?" Chloe stared at the back of Lex's head in disbelief. It was
incredible that Clark had picked up on this thing between her and Lex,
especially since she couldn't figure it out herself. She knew the fact
that she was still in highschool was a problem for Lex. What Chloe
couldn't figure out was why she felt so connected to him. They had
nothing in common besides a sarcastic intelligence and Clark. She and
Lex lived in different worlds that were separated by so much more than
their ages. It didn't matter though, for some reason Chloe wanted to
be more than a friend, more than a verbal sparring partner, more than
a potential lover to Lex. "What did you say?"
"I assured him that no such interest exists." Lex closed his eyes. He
waited for her to challenge him. She had been in that storage closet
with him and Chloe was smart enough to know he was lying. He just
hoped that he could convince her that it was best if they both lied to
themselves.
"Oh," was all Chloe could manage. She licked her lips and tried to
think of what else to say, but her mind was curiously blank. She felt
frozen, like a mannequin in a store display. She was so stupid. She
had mistaken concern for her for deeper feelings and it was obvious
that the storage closet had been just a fluke. She should leave before
she embarrassed herself further. "Okay."
No, it wasn't okay. She was supposed to be Chloe and fight it. Lex
whirled around. She wasn't supposed to just accept his lie, because if
he didn't have to convince her, how was he going to convince himself
that it was best that they ignore their growing feelings? He saw it
though, the belief in his lie slid like a shadow across her eyes and
then she was gone. She still sat on his desk, but there was a distance
separating them that was more than the foot or so that separated the
desk from the chair. Lex didn't like it. "I lied," he blurted out,
desperate to have her back. "It was a lie." Lex scooted closer and
reached out to grip Chloe's waist. "I lied to Clark."
"Why?" Chloe leaned down and kissed Lex. She didn't care if he
answered her question, she was just glad it had been a lie. She was
getting dangerously attached to Lex Luthor.
"I thought I could keep you safe," Lex answered between kisses. "I
couldn't stand it if someone hurt you because of me. Because I...care
for you."
"Things get risky when you...care for someone." Chloe moved off the
desk and settled in Lex's lap. "Are you okay with that? Because I
care for you, Lex. A lot."
"Yeah, I'm okay with it." Lex pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll
have to be because I really care for you, Chloe. I shouldn't, but I
do." Lex sighed. He had always scoffed at the notion that simply
saying something out loud to another person made you feel better, but
admitting to Chloe that he cared and was afraid did help. It didn't
fix anything, they couldn't go on like this - illicit make out sessions
whenever they found themselves alone - and they certainly couldn't
date - Lex was pretty sure the line to kick his ass would stretch for
miles - but hey would figure something out eventually. The important
thing was that he hadn't lost her. "Your father is going to start to
miss you. I'll walk you to his office."
"Okay." Chloe jumped off his lap. She didn't seem at all perturbed
about what her father's reaction to where she had been sitting would
be. "So, did Clark believe you?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry you had to lie to him." Chloe hugged Lex before he opened
the door and they were out in the world again. Who knew when she would
get the chance to touch him again? She loved her father and Clark
dearly, but they would never understand her feelings for Lex and they
would definitely misunderstand Lex's feelings for her. Any
relationship she had with Lex would not be a part of the rest of her
world. They would never hold hands walking down the street, exchange
kisses while having coffee at the Talon, or even go to the movies with
Pete, Lana, and Clark. Chloe stepped back from Lex and pasted a bright
smile to her face. "Don't think I've forgotten about the Rothman
story. It's obvious your father had second thoughts - which is a good
thing - and we have to figure out another way to get a sample of
Green Persuasion." Chloe's smile became more genuine when Lex rolled
his eyes at her. Everything would be fine, they would figure something
out. The important thing was that Lex cared.
*****
Lana found Clark where she usually found him, up in the barn loft.
Before Lana had really gotten to know Clark, she had never thought of
him as a 'pondering the universe' type of guy, but she always seemed to
catch him up here looking at the stars and thinking about things he
rarely confided to others. "Hey, Clark."
"Oh, hi, Lana." Clark turned and greeted her with that brilliant smile
of his. Whitney never smiled at her like that.
"So, what did Lex say when you talked to him about Chloe?" Lana walked
over and sat down beside Clark. She tried to ignore the fluttery
feeling in her stomach. Whitney was her boyfriend. Sometimes she
wished she was the type of person who could defy all of her Aunt Nell's
expectations of her and do what she wanted, but quitting the
cheerleading squad had been enough of a rebellion. Besides there was a
lot of history between her aunt and Clark's parents, Nell would really
throw a fit if Lana decided she wanted to date Clark instead of
Whitney. It was best to just ignore any butterflies that Clark sent
flitting around inside of her. "Are they dating?" Chloe would be
brave. If she really liked Lex, Lana couldn't see how anyone's
opinions would sway Chloe's feelings.
Clark laughed. "No, we got it all wrong. Lex was just worried about
Chloe because she's my friend and Mr. Sullivan works for him so he
feels responsible about what happened at the mansion during the
break-in."
"Oh." Lana raised her eyebrows. She had seen the way Lex had looked
at Chloe when she had interrupted them in the Torch office - well
before Chloe had been thrown from a window at Luthor mansion - and she
doubted very much that Lex had been thinking about Clark or Mr.
Sullivan.
"I know, that's how Pete looked at me when I told him the same thing."
Clark's good natured smile was replaced by a slight frown. "But Lex
is my friend and I trust him. He told me that he has no romantic
interest in Chloe and I have to believe him."
"Okay." Lana nodded and smiled, deciding to let it go for now. She
would talk to Chloe about it instead, she probably needed another girl
to confide in anyway. The two of them settled into an easy silence as
they looked up at the stars and got lost in their thoughts. After a
few minutes, Lana turned to Clark, "Would it have bothered you if Lex
had said he was interested in Chloe?"
"But he's not." Clark shifted nervously. He didn't know why Lana was
so persistent with this idea. He sure hoped wasn't matchmaking. "And
it would bother me, but only because Lex and Chloe are do different."
"Really? I don't think they're that different at all. They both
moved from Metropolis to Smallville, they've both lost their mothers,
they're both smart and they both like that banter thing that they do."
Lana wasn't quite sure why she was pushing like this, she had thought
she was going to let it go. She had stared out at the stars like Clark
did so often and they didn't hold any answers for her. She really
wanted to know how Clark would react to Lex and Chloe as a couple and
if he couldn't even contemplate the possibility, then why? Did Clark
have feelings for Chloe that went beyond friendship? "I actually
think they would make a great couple."
"Uh, Lana, you were the one who was worried that Lex would hurt Chloe.
That's why you wanted me to talk to him," Clark reminded her
cautiously.
"I know. I'm sorry, Clark." Lana shook her head and smiled at Clark.
It was foolish to be jealous of any negative reaction Clark would have
about a relationship between two of his friends. Whitney was her
boyfriend.
*****
His son was becoming more of a problem every day. Lionel Luthor
frowned at the report laying on his desk and wished for the days Lex
had been a reckless ne'er-do-well, going out to clubs, picking up
women, and indulging in designer drugs. At least then his private
investigator would have found him something to use against his
bullheaded and very ambitious son. Instead all they had found was that
Lex went to work - where he was respected by his employees - and hung
out with the Kent boy and his highschool friends. Lex wasn't even
corrupting the minors, he had helped one of them start a business and
revitalize the town. Lionel pushed the report away with disgust. He
needed a drink.
"But first I'll see what my recalcitrant son has been up to all day,"
Lionel mused to himself. He clicked on a camera icon on his computer
screen and keyed in the password. CUSTOS. A window opened that was
filled with folders marked the names of cities, towns, and companies.
Lionel chose the one named Smallville and typed in another password.
FILIUS. Inside there was video files and he chose the one with that
day's date. It took a moment and then Lex's office at the Smallville
plant appeared. Lex was hard at work at his desk already and the timer
read six am. Lionel fast forwarded as Lex made phone calls and met
with his assistant and the plant manager. The one drawback to the
spycam Lionel had Dominic install in Lex's office behind that horrid
seascape painting Lillian had loved so much was that it didn't have
audio. Lex wisely had his office at the plant routinely swept for
bugs, so Lionel had to settle for video only. This camera was
undetectable to the technology Lex used in his sweeps.
It wasn't until later in the day that things got interesting. The Kent
boy showed up and he and Lex seemed to be having a very intense
discussion. Lionel frowned. His son had been spending an awful lot of
time with the pretty farm boy and was unduly influenced by the youth's
opinions....No, if Lex had those tendencies, he would have switched
teams when he had attended all-male private schools. Besides, his son
had just recently enjoyed playing games with Victoria Hardwick. The
Kent boy finally left, looking relieved by whatever Lex had told him.
Whatever it was, Lex had lied. He could tell by the way Lex had
smiled. His son was going to have to work on that tell. Lionel
fast forwarded a bit more as his son went back to work.
A blonde girl showed up. She looked familiar. She looked young,
obviously Lex's association with her was due to the Kent boy. Lex's
reaction to her was fascinating. He drank her in in small doses when
she wasn't looking at him - which wasn't often - and he looked at her
with that soft look in his eyes that had disappeared when his mother
had died and Pamela had left. This girl meant something to his son.
Lionel watched them with growing satisfaction. He watched his son
touch her, kiss her, hold her, and Lionel strongly suspected love her.
His lips parted in a wolfish grin as Lex escorted the girl out of his
office. He needed to find out who she was - which shouldn't be
difficult in Smallville - and then he needed to find her weaknesses.
Lionel shut down the computer and moved to the bar to fix himself a
celebratory drink. He wasn't gong to need Green Persuasion to control
Lex. Not when he had blonde.
To be continued....
Clark tapped his fingers nervously on the gleaming dark wood arm of the
chair he was sitting in. It earned him a sharp look from the
receptionist. She was new and apparently she thought Lex Luthor had
better things to do with his time than hang out with a guy still in
highschool. Clark glanced at the clock behind her. He had been
waiting for over an hour and it was getting late. He should leave, he
had chores to do at home. Clark started to stand, but then settled
back down into his seat again. He had put this off long enough - he
had to talk to Lex about Chloe. It's not like he thought that anything
was going on between his two best friends, he just wanted to put
everyone's minds at ease. Clark shifted uncomfortably. What the hell
was he going to say to Lex?
"Mandy, do you know where Helen...." Lex looked up from his paperwork
as he exited his office. His face was still pretty beat up from the
Club Zero incident and it made Clark wince. He was sure that Lex would
never intentionally hurt Chloe - if there was something between them -
but he couldn't ensure that any Luthor enemies wouldn't. "Clark, have
you been here long?"
"Oh, uh, no." Clark shook his head and stood up quickly. "I probably
should have called first since you're at work."
"Nonsense, I'm the boss remember." Lex showed Clark into his office.
Before he shut the door he stepped out to talk quietly to the
receptionist. "Mandy, just for future reference, I like to be
informed of any visitors so that I may decide whether or not I want to
see them."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor. I'm sorry," the girl gulped as Lex shut the
door.
"I'm sorry about that, Clark, Mandy's a temp replacing Helen while
she's on vacation." Lex sat down as Clark shrugged. "What brings you
by?"
"Well, uh, it's about Chloe." Clark scratched his head and looked
down at his beaten up old sneakers. How was he going to do this? He
wasn't good at making small talk and steering the conversation toward
the topic that he wanted to discuss.
"What about Chloe? The cast was removed a few weeks ago, is her arm
giving her trouble? Is she in pain?" Lex frowned and picked up the
phone. "I told Gabe to let me know if she needed any further medical
attention."
"Chloe's fine," Clark assured Lex quickly. "Her arm is fine. It's
something else." Clark shoved his hands in his pockets and took a
deep breath. He met Lex's perplexed gaze briefly before glancing away
and focusing on the blue cloudless sky in the window behind his friend.
"Chloe is...uh...she's my friend and...uh...I've known her forever
and...well, she's nice and, um, pretty...."
"Yes," Lex agreed slowly and set the receiver back down with sharp
click. This wasn't happening. Clark had not picked now to realize
that Chloe was a girl - a smart, intelligent, beautiful girl - and ask
his wise older friend's advice on these new budding feelings. A cold
vice squeezed Lex's heart, tightening with the rising red tide of
Clark's blush. He wasn't sure what he would do if Clark started
rhapsodizing about Chloe the way he had about Lana. He certainly
couldn't listen to it, not sober anyway. He stood up and walked over
to the bar to fix himself a drink.
"Yeah...." Clark looked down at Lex's desk. He could here the ice
clink into a glass and the brief slosh of alcohol being poured. "Chloe
is my best friend...."
"We've covered that already," Lex interrupted and grimaced at the
very apparent hostility in his voice. He belted back the drink.
"Right." Clark frowned. Lex's mood had changed quickly. If he was
this stressed about work, it might be better to bring this up at
another time. Or he could do it quickly and get it over with and then
Lex could yell at him or laugh at him, but the matter would be put to
rest. "Okay, this is probably a stupid question....Do you like Chloe?"
Lex turned to face Clark. "Excuse me?" He was surprised. He would
have bet LuthorCorp stock that Clark would have been the last person
to pick up on the sexual tension between he and Chloe.
"Well, I know you like Chloe, but do you like like her - I mean as a
potential girlfriend kind of like?"
"I get your meaning, Clark, I just don't understand what brought about
the question." Lex strolled back to his desk, but stood in front of it
beside Clark. He didn't want it to look like he was hiding anything
when he lied to his friend.
"You went to Metropolis together and then after what happened at the
mansion - your reaction to Chloe getting hurt was a bit extreme."
Clark tentatively met Lex's eyes. He didn't look mad.
"We didn't go to Metropolis together, I just gave her a ride because I
happened to be going to the city as well." Lex smiled as if amused by
Clark's suspicions. "And I will admit that I have been overly
solicitous toward Chloe after those thugs pushed her out of one of
my windows at my house, but as you said - she is your best friend -
and she is the daughter of one of my most valuable employees. I like
Chloe, Clark, but I have no romantic interest in her."
"Okay." Clark smiled with relief. Now he could go back to Lana and
Pete and tell them there was nothing to worry about. "I'm sorry I
asked, but...." Clark shrugged.
"She's your friend. I understand completely." Which is exactly why
he had to lie. Lex squelched the errant feelings of guilt that tried
to take root in his conscience. It was for the best. Clark didn't
need to know the truth because nothing was going to come of his
feelings for Chloe. Nothing.
*****
It was almost six o'clock. Lex hadn't gotten any work done since Clark
had left an hour ago. He couldn't stop thinking about Chloe. She
dominated most of his thoughts even though he hadn't seen her in weeks.
The Club Zero incident had shaken him. What if Amanda's brother had
picked up on his attraction to Chloe and had decided to use her in his
revenge scheme? The possibility was repulsive. Lex had decided then
to keep his distance from Chloe. He would still help her with her
story on Rothman - he doubted that he could order her to give it up and
he didn't want to even think about what would happen to her if she went
after the bastard alone - but there would be no more intimate
encounters in storage closets or intense liaisons in hospital rooms or
not so innocent offers to give her a ride home. He wouldn't be alone
with her again.
"Hi, Lex." Chloe walked into his office with a smile. She flopped
down into a chair in front of his desk. "How's it going?"
"Fine." Lex blinked at her. She was really there, sitting in his
office like there wasn't all sorts of sexual tension between them.
"What brings you by?"
"Dad's working late and his truck is in the shop, so I'm here to pick
him up. I came a bit early to see how you are." Chloe's eyes filled
with concern as she looked over the visible bruises and scrapes on
Lex's face and hands.
It wasn't going change his mind. Once a Luthor made a decision, it was
made and not even soft blue eyes and the small quiver of feminine lips
could inspire second thoughts. "Well, I'm not under the influence of
a mind altering drug. The old man must have had second thoughts." Lex
looked down dismissively at the open file on his computer screen. If
he looked any longer at Chloe all his resolve would be gone. If he
didn't see her eyes and her lips, then he could pretend that her only
interest in him was how he could help her get her story. "Sorry."
"You can't push me away, Lex, so just cut it out." Chloe grinned and
stood up. She crossed over to Lex's side and perched on the desk.
Her finger traced along a bruise on his cheek. "I was really scared
when you disappeared."
Those words made Lex unreasonably happy and that scared him. He tried
to rationalize it as being far too long since anyone had cared about
him, but he knew that it was because Chloe had said it and not the
simple sentiment that stopped his heart and made him catch his breath.
He wanted to kiss her senseless with gratitude. "You should have been
relieved he hadn't used you to get to me." Lex backed his chair up to
distance himself. "We spend too much time together."
Chloe's chin came up as her back stiffened in stubborn defiance. Her
blue eyes glinted with an irresistible determination. "I like spending
time with you."
"I don't care if you like it, the price is too high." Lex frowned even
though he felt lightheaded with a giddiness he had never felt before.
He had known women who liked spending his money - a few had even
admitted it - but none had ever just liked spending time with him.
The only problem was that Chloe was a girl, not a woman. She didn't
know the danger she was putting herself in. She was too innocent to
recognize the enemies power made. "Dammit, Chloe, you mean too much to
me. I can't let you be naive about this situation."
"How much?" Chloe's razor sharp instincts zeroed in on Lex's slip.
"How much do I mean to you?"
There was no way he could answer that question and not leave himself
vulnerable. He had already said too much. Lex cursed to himself.
"You are Clark's best friend. He would never forgive me if anything
happened to you because of me."
"I know what I mean to Clark. I asked about your feelings, Lex."
Chloe frowned now, her brows creasing in frustration. She didn't want
to think about how much his answer meant to her.
"Clark stopped by today." Lex ignored her insistence and carried on
with his own agenda. He swivelled his chair to look out the window.
"He wanted to know if I had a romantic interest in you."
"What?" Chloe stared at the back of Lex's head in disbelief. It was
incredible that Clark had picked up on this thing between her and Lex,
especially since she couldn't figure it out herself. She knew the fact
that she was still in highschool was a problem for Lex. What Chloe
couldn't figure out was why she felt so connected to him. They had
nothing in common besides a sarcastic intelligence and Clark. She and
Lex lived in different worlds that were separated by so much more than
their ages. It didn't matter though, for some reason Chloe wanted to
be more than a friend, more than a verbal sparring partner, more than
a potential lover to Lex. "What did you say?"
"I assured him that no such interest exists." Lex closed his eyes. He
waited for her to challenge him. She had been in that storage closet
with him and Chloe was smart enough to know he was lying. He just
hoped that he could convince her that it was best if they both lied to
themselves.
"Oh," was all Chloe could manage. She licked her lips and tried to
think of what else to say, but her mind was curiously blank. She felt
frozen, like a mannequin in a store display. She was so stupid. She
had mistaken concern for her for deeper feelings and it was obvious
that the storage closet had been just a fluke. She should leave before
she embarrassed herself further. "Okay."
No, it wasn't okay. She was supposed to be Chloe and fight it. Lex
whirled around. She wasn't supposed to just accept his lie, because if
he didn't have to convince her, how was he going to convince himself
that it was best that they ignore their growing feelings? He saw it
though, the belief in his lie slid like a shadow across her eyes and
then she was gone. She still sat on his desk, but there was a distance
separating them that was more than the foot or so that separated the
desk from the chair. Lex didn't like it. "I lied," he blurted out,
desperate to have her back. "It was a lie." Lex scooted closer and
reached out to grip Chloe's waist. "I lied to Clark."
"Why?" Chloe leaned down and kissed Lex. She didn't care if he
answered her question, she was just glad it had been a lie. She was
getting dangerously attached to Lex Luthor.
"I thought I could keep you safe," Lex answered between kisses. "I
couldn't stand it if someone hurt you because of me. Because I...care
for you."
"Things get risky when you...care for someone." Chloe moved off the
desk and settled in Lex's lap. "Are you okay with that? Because I
care for you, Lex. A lot."
"Yeah, I'm okay with it." Lex pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll
have to be because I really care for you, Chloe. I shouldn't, but I
do." Lex sighed. He had always scoffed at the notion that simply
saying something out loud to another person made you feel better, but
admitting to Chloe that he cared and was afraid did help. It didn't
fix anything, they couldn't go on like this - illicit make out sessions
whenever they found themselves alone - and they certainly couldn't
date - Lex was pretty sure the line to kick his ass would stretch for
miles - but hey would figure something out eventually. The important
thing was that he hadn't lost her. "Your father is going to start to
miss you. I'll walk you to his office."
"Okay." Chloe jumped off his lap. She didn't seem at all perturbed
about what her father's reaction to where she had been sitting would
be. "So, did Clark believe you?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry you had to lie to him." Chloe hugged Lex before he opened
the door and they were out in the world again. Who knew when she would
get the chance to touch him again? She loved her father and Clark
dearly, but they would never understand her feelings for Lex and they
would definitely misunderstand Lex's feelings for her. Any
relationship she had with Lex would not be a part of the rest of her
world. They would never hold hands walking down the street, exchange
kisses while having coffee at the Talon, or even go to the movies with
Pete, Lana, and Clark. Chloe stepped back from Lex and pasted a bright
smile to her face. "Don't think I've forgotten about the Rothman
story. It's obvious your father had second thoughts - which is a good
thing - and we have to figure out another way to get a sample of
Green Persuasion." Chloe's smile became more genuine when Lex rolled
his eyes at her. Everything would be fine, they would figure something
out. The important thing was that Lex cared.
*****
Lana found Clark where she usually found him, up in the barn loft.
Before Lana had really gotten to know Clark, she had never thought of
him as a 'pondering the universe' type of guy, but she always seemed to
catch him up here looking at the stars and thinking about things he
rarely confided to others. "Hey, Clark."
"Oh, hi, Lana." Clark turned and greeted her with that brilliant smile
of his. Whitney never smiled at her like that.
"So, what did Lex say when you talked to him about Chloe?" Lana walked
over and sat down beside Clark. She tried to ignore the fluttery
feeling in her stomach. Whitney was her boyfriend. Sometimes she
wished she was the type of person who could defy all of her Aunt Nell's
expectations of her and do what she wanted, but quitting the
cheerleading squad had been enough of a rebellion. Besides there was a
lot of history between her aunt and Clark's parents, Nell would really
throw a fit if Lana decided she wanted to date Clark instead of
Whitney. It was best to just ignore any butterflies that Clark sent
flitting around inside of her. "Are they dating?" Chloe would be
brave. If she really liked Lex, Lana couldn't see how anyone's
opinions would sway Chloe's feelings.
Clark laughed. "No, we got it all wrong. Lex was just worried about
Chloe because she's my friend and Mr. Sullivan works for him so he
feels responsible about what happened at the mansion during the
break-in."
"Oh." Lana raised her eyebrows. She had seen the way Lex had looked
at Chloe when she had interrupted them in the Torch office - well
before Chloe had been thrown from a window at Luthor mansion - and she
doubted very much that Lex had been thinking about Clark or Mr.
Sullivan.
"I know, that's how Pete looked at me when I told him the same thing."
Clark's good natured smile was replaced by a slight frown. "But Lex
is my friend and I trust him. He told me that he has no romantic
interest in Chloe and I have to believe him."
"Okay." Lana nodded and smiled, deciding to let it go for now. She
would talk to Chloe about it instead, she probably needed another girl
to confide in anyway. The two of them settled into an easy silence as
they looked up at the stars and got lost in their thoughts. After a
few minutes, Lana turned to Clark, "Would it have bothered you if Lex
had said he was interested in Chloe?"
"But he's not." Clark shifted nervously. He didn't know why Lana was
so persistent with this idea. He sure hoped wasn't matchmaking. "And
it would bother me, but only because Lex and Chloe are do different."
"Really? I don't think they're that different at all. They both
moved from Metropolis to Smallville, they've both lost their mothers,
they're both smart and they both like that banter thing that they do."
Lana wasn't quite sure why she was pushing like this, she had thought
she was going to let it go. She had stared out at the stars like Clark
did so often and they didn't hold any answers for her. She really
wanted to know how Clark would react to Lex and Chloe as a couple and
if he couldn't even contemplate the possibility, then why? Did Clark
have feelings for Chloe that went beyond friendship? "I actually
think they would make a great couple."
"Uh, Lana, you were the one who was worried that Lex would hurt Chloe.
That's why you wanted me to talk to him," Clark reminded her
cautiously.
"I know. I'm sorry, Clark." Lana shook her head and smiled at Clark.
It was foolish to be jealous of any negative reaction Clark would have
about a relationship between two of his friends. Whitney was her
boyfriend.
*****
His son was becoming more of a problem every day. Lionel Luthor
frowned at the report laying on his desk and wished for the days Lex
had been a reckless ne'er-do-well, going out to clubs, picking up
women, and indulging in designer drugs. At least then his private
investigator would have found him something to use against his
bullheaded and very ambitious son. Instead all they had found was that
Lex went to work - where he was respected by his employees - and hung
out with the Kent boy and his highschool friends. Lex wasn't even
corrupting the minors, he had helped one of them start a business and
revitalize the town. Lionel pushed the report away with disgust. He
needed a drink.
"But first I'll see what my recalcitrant son has been up to all day,"
Lionel mused to himself. He clicked on a camera icon on his computer
screen and keyed in the password. CUSTOS. A window opened that was
filled with folders marked the names of cities, towns, and companies.
Lionel chose the one named Smallville and typed in another password.
FILIUS. Inside there was video files and he chose the one with that
day's date. It took a moment and then Lex's office at the Smallville
plant appeared. Lex was hard at work at his desk already and the timer
read six am. Lionel fast forwarded as Lex made phone calls and met
with his assistant and the plant manager. The one drawback to the
spycam Lionel had Dominic install in Lex's office behind that horrid
seascape painting Lillian had loved so much was that it didn't have
audio. Lex wisely had his office at the plant routinely swept for
bugs, so Lionel had to settle for video only. This camera was
undetectable to the technology Lex used in his sweeps.
It wasn't until later in the day that things got interesting. The Kent
boy showed up and he and Lex seemed to be having a very intense
discussion. Lionel frowned. His son had been spending an awful lot of
time with the pretty farm boy and was unduly influenced by the youth's
opinions....No, if Lex had those tendencies, he would have switched
teams when he had attended all-male private schools. Besides, his son
had just recently enjoyed playing games with Victoria Hardwick. The
Kent boy finally left, looking relieved by whatever Lex had told him.
Whatever it was, Lex had lied. He could tell by the way Lex had
smiled. His son was going to have to work on that tell. Lionel
fast forwarded a bit more as his son went back to work.
A blonde girl showed up. She looked familiar. She looked young,
obviously Lex's association with her was due to the Kent boy. Lex's
reaction to her was fascinating. He drank her in in small doses when
she wasn't looking at him - which wasn't often - and he looked at her
with that soft look in his eyes that had disappeared when his mother
had died and Pamela had left. This girl meant something to his son.
Lionel watched them with growing satisfaction. He watched his son
touch her, kiss her, hold her, and Lionel strongly suspected love her.
His lips parted in a wolfish grin as Lex escorted the girl out of his
office. He needed to find out who she was - which shouldn't be
difficult in Smallville - and then he needed to find her weaknesses.
Lionel shut down the computer and moved to the bar to fix himself a
celebratory drink. He wasn't gong to need Green Persuasion to control
Lex. Not when he had blonde.
To be continued....
