Chapter 3 – Plans in action

He made his way down the stairs, to see Clark and Lana just inside the door watching him. He was actually glad for all the years of trying to hide his feelings from his father, because in moments like these, the "Luthor mask" was quite handy. It would not do for the cute little couple to know what very un-cute thoughts he was having about their best friend. 'Although in some of the positions she looks quite cute' he thought as he turned his attention on the young blonde that was turning slowing in his direction. A smirk crept up onto the side of his mouth just as she turned her head up and met his gaze.

'God', Chloe though 'I think I could actually melt into the floor right now.' That smirk always did it, as if he had some inner secret that he was just about to tell but then decided against it. "So, what has brightened your evening so, Mr. Luthor", her sweet voice going up slightly at the end as she turned her head to the side holding her grin firmly in place.

"Well the sight of the birthday girl finally making her appearance I suppose is a good sign. And it's Lex, I don't throw birthday parties for people I am not on a first name basis with."

"Aaahh, but Clark threw the party, he simply chose this as the venue" she flung her hand around in the air to indicate the room they were occupying. The sarcasm was heavy in her voice but so was a warmth that seemed to drench the space around her. Then she added, "but I am grateful for your gesture." As the words dripped from her mouth quieter than the ones before as if they were meant only for him, she took her fingers and dragged them down his chest for only a second then pulled them back. Her eyes never left his, and she saw the desire flash across his eyes at her touch, at least she prayed that's what it was.

His flesh burned beneath his shirt where she had touched him. She had surprised him and it took a split second to tamp down the surge it sent through his body. He reached out to where her hand still hung in the air and wrapped her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers. His eyes holding hers as the air around them seemed to noticeably thicken.

She almost moaned at the feel of his hands and then his lips on her fingers. But when she felt his tongue wet the top of her finger beneath his lips she almost fell into him right there. A small sigh escaped her lips before the bubble around them was broken by a huge weight hitting her shoulder. She was knocked forward slightly and Lex caught her around the waist as she tried to steady herself on the three-inch heels she was wearing. She turned around to see a slightly drunk Pete eyeing her with a bottle of Tequila in one hand and two glasses in the other.

She was trying to think but was having trouble focusing on anything but Lex's hand that still rested on her hip. "Ummm, Pete I would ask how you are but, you seem to have gotten a head start on the rest of us." She didn't even try to keep the slight annoyance out of her voice; it was the best 45 seconds she had ever had with Lex and he had to go and ruin it.

Unfortunately Pete misinterpreted the origin of her displeasure and drawled "Well, then it is time you come with me and catch up." He then put the bottle of Tequila under the arm with the glasses and grabbed Chloe by the arm and pulled her from the room. "Lana, Clark, come on, the party is this way," he yelled as he and Chloe exited the room.

Clark and Lana moved past Lex, and Clark shrugged as if to indicate 'sorry you weren't included, but you know Pete', and moved to follow his friends. Lex stood for only a moment, relishing the feel of her and knowing from the look in her eye when he had kissed her hand that she was right there with him. No more hesitation, he was ready to make his move.

Chloe sat for the next hour with Pete and drank and talked and laughed. Lana was still trying to finish her first glass and Clark didn't seem to have a sip from the glass he had been holding for whole evening. Chloe checked around the room every once in a while to see if Lex was there, sometimes he wasn't, then the next time she would find him either in a corner or by the door and most of the time she could have sworn he was looking at her. She realized she was getting drunk. And while she had been practicing with Lois for a couple of months, she still wasn't great at telling that fine line between intoxicated and just plain drunk. She needed to keep enough of her wits to be able to direct the next part of her plan or all this damn Tequila she had managed to swallow and keep down was for nothing. She took one more drink Pete offered and noticed the bottle was empty.

Here was her chance, she glanced up and saw Lex leaning on the door frame across the room. She smiled, he nodded. She looked back at Pete and said, "Hey, you should really get another one of those, I mean this is my birthday, and I won't have a half-ass try at getting drunk." She smiled at him and he smiled back. Of course that smile had been permanently affixed to his face for the entire night. He stumbled getting up, then made his way toward the door and disappeared down the hall. She turned and saw Clark and Lana talking so close together they might as well have been kissing. She rose and moved toward the glass door that she knew opened onto the balcony. When she reached it she turned to see Lex still in the same place, but he wasn't leaning now, he was standing and openly watching her. She smiled and inclined her head to indicate the outside and his smirk turned into a slight smile and he nodded slightly and began to move toward her. She slid out the door, leaving it slightly ajar. She moved to the far left, past all the windows to the corner of the balcony just around the corner so that they would be out of sight. Then she placed her drink down and her hands flat on the cold stone of the ledge and tried to steady her thoughts. Her head was swimming and she hoped that she could hold on long enough to get what she came for. She heard the door close and his shoes on the stone.

He saw her standing there, like an angel, as the moonlight danced on her bare shoulder and made her hair glisten. He moved behind her, not quite touching, not wanting to scare her. Then he leaned his hands on either side of hers and whispered in her ear. "You look beautiful tonight". The sound of his voice was low and heavy, like nothing she had ever heard from him before.

"Thank you Lex, I believe that you are the first one to notice" she breathed a little more airy than she intended.

"Well I have always had my doubts about there being any intelligent life here in Smallville; I guess now I have my answer." She could feel his breath on her neck now. With her head still spinning from the alcohol and the greater intoxication of having him so close to her, she leaned back into him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Uuumm. Maybe that is why I gave up on finding anyone for a good conversation besides you," she purred. His arms came up around her and held her to him. One hand rested just below her right hip and the other just beneath her left breast. She could barely hear the sound of her own voice as the pounding in her ears was increasing. She was in heaven, and she was determined to never move again. "Lex" she drew out his name, not intentionally but because she seemed to be losing the ability to form words.

"Yes" he answered into her ear, the same voice as before but thicker now, with what, she did not know.

"I … I mean I …." She started but the words were having trouble making sense. She drew in a deep breath and then spoke the lines as she had rehearsed them. "I never told you what I wanted for my birthday."

He heard the words and he tightened his grasp on her. For a split second he was wary, would she want jewelry, a new computer, a car. It didn't matter he would get it for her. He had already bought two out of three, but he hoped it would be something else. Then he reminded himself that this was Chloe and she had never asked him for anything more than a cup of coffee. He took his own deep breath then and replied in a tone that seemed to be laced with something sexual, enunciating every syllable. "What would you like, from me, for your birthday, Chloe"

She sighed when she heard her name fall from his lips. She wanted to hear it screaming from him as he came. To hear him say it breathy in the middle of the night as he kissed her neck, or first thing in the morning as the first word out of his mouth. Now it was upon her, the moment she had waited for, and suddenly she was afraid. Then she realized she still had the half glass of Tequila in front of her, she looked down and saw the moonlight bounce off the liquid and raised the glass to her lips and drank deeply, until her head leaned back into his shoulder. It seemed to be the liquid courage she needed. She returned the glass to the stone and turned around in his arms. She placed her palms on his chest and then slowly turned up to look into his eyes. The blue orbs were fixed on her and she felt herself flush under his gaze. He looked almost predatory, but she wasn't afraid, in her best fantasies she had never quite captured what the look he now presented her with gave off. She took a breath and said almost too quietly. "A kiss."

She didn't have to wait long, he smiled, a true smile, one she had only ever seen a few times and then before she knew it he leaned in and his lips were on hers. One of his hands was now on the back of her neck and moving her slightly to the side to give him better access. She sighed at the contact of his lips on hers and when her lips parted he moved his tongue into her mouth and captured it fully. She was lost in a sea of heat and passion. Her blood seemed to have turned to liquid fire. Her hands moved up to encircle his neck, and one hand pressed against the back of his head. She tried to keep up with him, to give back as much as she could. The adrenaline was pumping through her and there were so many levels of intoxication praying on her system she swayed and felt her knees give slightly. He simply pulled her tighter to him and pressed her back against the stone wall to steady them both.

His mouth was devouring her; he had meant to be gentle but her tongue was wrapping around his and she was pressing into him for all she was worth and he couldn't hold back. He had imagined kissing her before, but nothing compared to what it actually felt like, she was pure energy pouring into him. He sucked in air through his nose, trying desperately to put off breaking the kiss as long as possible. Then just as he was ready to come up for air, he heard the door to the balcony open and then shut. He pulled back and quickly turned her around to face away from him then moved slightly to her left to appear as if they were merely standing beside each other. She was breathing hard, a little dazed, and not too happy. She let out a slight whimper as she felt the rejection take hold. He felt her tense and leaned into her ear and whispered, "Company". She looked up then and saw his smile and returned it with her own. The footsteps got closer and then the voice. "Chloe, there you are. Pete was wondering where you had gotten off to."

'Figures, first Pete, now Clark, is everyone trying to ruin my night', Chloe thought, "I just needed some air Clark", she didn't even turn around, but was happy with how steady her voice sounded, considering.

"Oh," Clark muttered as he suddenly registered Lex's presence beside Chloe, closely beside her actually. "Hey Lex," he offered with a shrug.

"Clark," Lex said and turned slightly to nod at him. He offered no explanation of why he was there. It was his house and by God he wasn't going to start explaining why he was standing on his own balcony.

Chloe laughed softly knowing what Lex wasn't saying, then turned to Clark, "Alright Clark, how is Petey doing?" She had started to call him Petey because he was really starting to be annoying about her friendship with Lex. She loved him, but God he was so damn judgmental and no one, but no one could harbor a grudge like Pete, who of course found the name endearing. She wasn't really surprised; her friends always seemed to misinterpret her annoyance for something cute.

Clark looked down then and shrugged, "He's alright, but I think he's pretty drunk, he found another bottle of Tequila and has been looking for you for the last five minutes. He said he's going to make sure you have something to remember about your birthday."

"Well actually I already do," she said in a voice that sounded like silk, then in a tone that screamed obligation to anyone paying attention, "but I suppose I owe Pete one more drink before he passes out."

Lex knew her first comment was directed at him and he chuckled slightly at the irritation in her next words. To show her he understood, he placed his hand on the small of her back and slowly worked his fingers up her spine, just out of Clark's line of sight. His face never changed and his gaze never moved, then again neither did Clark's. Her comment was lost on him as she knew it would be. She felt Lex's touch and knew he understood.

She smiled then and moved a step forward, then remembered her glass and spun around to retrieve it. The motion had been too much too quickly and she stumbled. Her hand sent the glass flying off the balcony and she could feel herself falling, but then she was abruptly caught against something hard and solid. She took a breath and tried to steady her feet, which she realized were twisted. She braced against the form in front of her and moved her left foot to the proper side of her right one, then tested them and found they would hold. She then looked up to find Lex's eyes shining down on her, the glass forgotten; Clark a distant memory, the world was only the two of them.

He smiled, "Easy Chloe, too much excitement?"

She heard the teasing in his voice and the innuendo was unmistakable. "Actually I was hoping for even more, the night is young you know."

His brow came up then and the smirk was instantly on his face. "We'll have to make sure you don't leave disappointed then." She shuddered at the promise in his voice, her eyes danced with excitement at the possibilities. He knew that Clark was watching them and turned back to face him while maneuvering Chloe in front of him.

"Lead on, Clark" she said, the happiness overwhelming the aggravation in her voice.

Clark turned and went back toward the door, followed by Chloe and even closer by Lex whose hand was still around her hip. 'This was definitely going to be a very good night.' Chloe thought.