Chapter 6 – Special friends
Wednesday seemed to come quickly and now Lana and Gabe were busy in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the birthday dinner. Chloe was trying desperately to see what her father was putting in the sauce and to get a taste. Lana was trying to bat her away with an oven mitt, when she heard the doorbell.
Lana flung the door open to see Lex standing there with a box tucked under his arm. Immaculate black pants and dark violet silk shirt with a black suit jacket clung to him as if they were made just for him.
'God does this man ever dress down,' Lana thought. "Thank God, get in here," she spat out as she reached out and grabbed him by the lapel of his jacket and dragged him into the house. "Put the box down, kitchen now." She was talking rapidly, and he was curious where the fire was, she seemed entirely exasperated. As they approached the kitchen he saw Chloe squirming around behind her father trying desperately to get around him. Her skirt was cut short on one side and swooped down to below the knee on the other side. Every time she leaned up and moved the skirt swished back and forth giving a nice view of her bare legs and her ass was swinging around so much he almost had to clear his throat.
"All right, YOU, are on Chloe duty," Lana announced in a tone that seemed to allow for no rebuttal, while poking Lex in the chest with her finger.
"What?" was all that Lex could manage.
"Clark is running late, big surprise," Lana began in rapid fire as she tossed her head. "Then he has to pick up Pete, 'cause his brother took his car, so they are like 30 to 45 minutes out." She took a breath then motioned to where Chloe and her dad still seemed to be trying to out maneuver one another. "SHE is driving us nuts, and dinner is never going to be done. So take her away. Far. Far. Away." She added at the end, the fatigue and annoyance showing on her face as well as in her words. Lana then grabbed Chloe's arm and swung her around and shoved her toward Lex, hard. Lex caught her as she slammed into his chest, although he wouldn't have said it was an unpleasant experience. "Out, get her OUT!" Lana flung her arm out and pointed to fully accentuate her words.
"But Lana, Dad…" Chloe began, but Lex was already pulling her out of the room.
"Come on Chloe, entertain me." The lilt and sensual tone of the words was not lost on her. She smiled up at him, seeing him almost for the first time and was honestly at a complete loss for words. He was smiling down at her, his blue-gray eyes were sparkling and the smirk that turned up his lips was nothing short of mesmerizing. 'How am I supposed to get anywhere with this guy if I keep turning into a bumbling fool around him?' Chloe silently berated herself while trying to get a handle on the emotions that were racing through her mind and body. His close proximity was certainly not helping the situation.
'Just breathe girl, you have spent hours in the man's company, you can do it for another twenty minutes'. "So, why don't we have a seat and you can tell me what you got me for my birthday," Chloe said laughing. It lit up her entire face, and as far as Lex could tell the rest of the room as well.
"Now, Chloe, it wouldn't be a surprise if I just told you." He smiled, one of the real ones that made her knees weak, and suddenly the world dissolved away and it was just the two of them.
Gabe could hear them laughing occasionally and shook his head at how strange it was. He was fairly certain that his daughter seemed to be the only one that could make the man laugh, especially more than once. That was slightly more than unnerving, but what could he do. She was eighteen, and even if she wasn't he hadn't been able to get her to stop doing anything she didn't want to since taking away her easy bake oven when she was eleven for smoking up the house. Gabe sighed, and Lana looked at his strange expression.
"Don't worry I think everything turned out great," she said smiling as she surveyed the dinner that was now ready for the table.
Gabe returned her smile and nodded, "Yes I hope everything turns out okay," knowing he had no control over the predicament that was much more in his mind than dinner.
Just then the doorbell rang. Clark and Pete had arrived.
Dinner was loud with lots of storytelling and embarrassing stories so much so that Chloe thought her new permanent color was somewhere between a mauve and beet red. Making it all the worse of course was the man sitting to her right. She cringed every time someone would go into another, "Oh my god and then Chloe…" story. She never imagined she had done so many stupid and humiliating things in her life. And it was so great when everyone wanted to tell them back to back to back. Her dad was now relating a wonderful childhood story complete with her being naked. She dropped her face into her hands and whispered. "I am never, never having another birthday party again".
"I actually like your parties quite a lot," Lex breathed out so low that if he wouldn't have been leaning in close she wouldn't have heard him. His words were punctuated by his hand that was stroking her leg through the thin material of her skirt. "And I find thoughts of you naked even more to my liking." His tone was deep and the huskiness of his voice was unmistakable. Her eyes flew up but he had already shifted, moving his hand after a small squeeze to her knee that made her jump, his gaze concentrated on Gabe and his story. It appeared that no one had noticed the exchange, as all were smiling and listening intently to Gabe's storytelling.
After dinner it was time for presents. Clark got her a CD, Five for Fighting. Lana, free coffee for a month, which she assured Lex she would keep track of and pay for herself. Lex merely smiled, he would have paid for Chloe's coffee every day if he thought she would let him, although he almost laughed knowing Lana did not really realize how expensive Chloe's coffee habit really was. Pete got her a new book bag, the kind she had raved about during a tour of Met U a month ago. Her dad got her a new Laser color printer; she was stunned. She could practically print money on that thing. Her dad was rewarded by a choking hug, before she remembered there was one last present to go.
Then it was Lex's turn. She eyed the box, crossing her fingers and biting her lower lip hoping it was what she thought it was. She glanced up at him and smiled then tore through the paper. She let out a jubilant cry when she saw the brand new laptop, a new PowerBook G4 with a 17-inch monitor. She threw her arms around him and squeaked her thanks. She took a deep breath as if to draw him in hoping to store up his scent for later, and then stepped back. There was one last box on the table; Chloe frowned slightly as she had already gotten something from everyone.
Lex saw her confusion, and said "It's from me, I remember you telling me not to get you something that was just expensive with no thought in it, or you'd deck me. I believe those were your words." His smirk was in full force as Clark and Lana both started to laugh. Clark got a smack, he was closer. Then Chloe looked back at Lex. "So I got you that, the computer was just so you'd have something to go with the nice printer your dad got you."
She wanted to laugh, leave it to Lex to think a brand new laptop was just a ridiculous afterthought gift. She shook her head and took up the box on the table. She unwrapped the paper, only in doing so to realize how exquisitely wrapped it was. Of course it was from Lex; it was so obvious now. She then got to the small black velvet box and her breath caught slightly, as did that of most of the people in the room. She wanted to tell him if it was some extravagant necklace then she would throw it back in his face, she would not be bought she told herself. But at that moment she just wanted to see what was inside.
She opened the box cautiously and she saw the simple gold heart that lay there. The etchings on the front were beautiful and she knew instantly why he had bought it. She had told him the story of her grandmother's locket, her father gave it to her when she was five right after her mom left. It had been his mother's and he put a picture of father and daughter inside and said she would never be alone. There were words engraved on the back of the heart in French that said "All of my love". Her father had told her that he would always love her, no matter what. She had lost it in the move from Metropolis and had cried for days.
Chloe traced her finger over the locket and gently turned it over, seeing the engraving but not recognizing it. 'Semper Adamo Puella' Lex spoke then, his tone even, belying the emotions racking him in the hopes she would understand and appreciate the gift. "It's in Latin; it means "Always my love," although, a more appropriate translation was closer to, 'always with you my young love (or wife)'. But now was not the time to tell her that part.
She remembered telling him the story one night, she couldn't even remember now why. She really couldn't believe he remembered. She opened the locket to see a picture of her and her father, a more recent one but they both looked so happy. The tears came then; she could no more have held them back than stop the world from spinning. Only Gabe appeared to understand the significance of the gift as he lifted his eyes from his daughter to the expressionless man who appeared to be studying her closely. Gabe then fully understood that whatever happened, Lex would take care of his daughter. Then Chloe turned and threw herself at him. Her arms wrapping tightly around his neck her face buried in his chest her tears soaking into the silk of his shirt. She held the box tightly in her hand and cried trying to manage something profound to say that would communicate the enormity of what he had given her. All that came out was "Thank you" it was small and soft, but it was there, and he tightened his hold on her and whispered "You're welcome" into her hair, his eyes closing and relishing the feel of her in his arms. He knew that he should let her go, knew that her father was watching, and Pete and Clark and Lana, but he just couldn't seem to gather the will to care.
Gabe broke the spell at last, "Can I see it Chloe?" He spoke softly, knowing that she didn't realize she had been standing in her living room in front of four other people, one of whom being her father, holding onto Lex Luthor for all she was worth for the better part of a minute. Chloe heard her father's voice and then remembered the necklace. She sniffled and leaned back and looked up into Lex's eyes. "Thank you, it means so much." She was trying to smile and he returned it and brushed away a tear with his thumb, before turning her slightly toward her father. His entire body was aching and he wanted nothing more than to capture her lips with his, but knew that now was not the time.
Chloe turned trying to ignore the looks on the other faces in the room and showed the locket to her father and the picture. Gabe smiled and looked up at Lex, "I wonder just where you came by this picture."
Lex winced for a second then heard the mirth with which the words were spoken and visibly relaxed. Gabe laughed then proceeded to tell the rest of the group the story of the locket and how it had been lost. Chloe was still having trouble speaking and simply sat by her father and traced the heart shape with her fingers, occasionally looking up at the man that continued to astound her.
Finally the night was at an end and there were hugs and well wishes all around. Chloe thanked Lex again for the gift and as he left he whispered, "Until Friday then, Ms. Sullivan." The easy smirk and fire behind his eyes made her almost jump. "Until then," she replied in a breath heavy with anticipation.
As Lex drove home that night all he could think was, 'How the hell do I make it through the next 42 hours?' With a sigh he shifted the Ferrari into sixth and the odometer hit 125. Sleep would not come easy tonight.
