CALLING A SPADE A SPADE
Chloe watched the silver moonbeam playing on her fingers as she moved her hand. She was fascinated by that light. It was such soft sunlight without the burn, the heat, the pain. She loved the moonlight especially tonight. She held her hand palm up to the light and felt the warmth of the body spooned behind hers. Lex's hand covered hers, entwining his fingers with hers. She looked fondly at the moonbeam as it settled on his skin.
Lex's lips touched the back of her shoulder. "Hey," he whispered into her ear, sending a thrill down her spine. "Can't sleep?"
She smiled at the husky voice. "And I can't understand why not. We certainly had a very exhausting activity."
"We did," he agreed. She felt his answering grin against her nape. He breathed in the scent of her hair.
"You should know, huh, sleepyhead?"
Chloe squealed when Lex caught her by the shoulders and pressed her back to him. "Are you in any way," he challenged playfully, "insinuating that I am weak compared to you?"
She giggled when he rolled onto his back, taking her along with him. She lay fully on top of him. "I said no such thing!"
Lex laughed fully, and rolled onto his opposite side, causing her to lie on her back. Chloe chuckled and grinned, eyes sparkling and playful. He placed a kiss on her forehead.
She had expected more from a frisky Lex. A tad frustrated, she muttered, "Grandpa."
He looked shocked at first, then shook his head. Lex kissed each of her eyelids, then the tip of her nose. He teased the sides of her lips. "Unbelievable! Was I so stupid before to think that I have a modicum of control over you?"
She gave him a very pleased smile, like a sated cat. "Not stupid, no," she assured him. "You just could not resist my allure."
"Your allure, huh?"
"Agree with me or I'll strangle you in your own bed."
Lex grinned. "Your allure was part of it. Mostly, I think, it's just because I was amazingly in love with you."
Chloe blushed and caught the face above hers with both hands. "Well isn't that a coincidence?"
"What is?" he asked, although he had a pretty good idea. It never hurt to hear it for the hundredth time in a day.
"I'm amazingly fabulously in love with you too." She pulled his face down so she could press her lips to his. "Difference is that I don't let you push me around."
"Aha!" Lex gasped. "You admit to pushing me around."
"I wouldn't have been able to if you didn't let me."
Lex nodded, as if he believed it himself. "Although you are the only person I allow to do that. Other women would not even think that."
Chloe almost choked on her snort. "Lex, have you forgotten Desiree?"
"I was under a spell... or mutant freak effect," was his convenient answer.
"Victoria?"
"She was a convincing actress."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Either way, you're done with all those conniving harlots. You're sticking with me."
"Didn't know I could feel so comfortable with the thought of tying myself down forever. Desiree again not included for the obvious reasons." He settled down beside her on the bed. "I hope everything goes by without a hitch."
She nodded. "God, I cannot believe we were lucky enough to have found someone who's genuinely willing to help us with this sham."
He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple. "Are you sure you're not coming, Chloe? We know it's not legal. Maybe it will comfort you to watch it happen, and to know that with each step, we're getting closer to escaping my father."
Chloe shook her head. "I don't want to see," she said softly.
"All right. All right, Chloe." He kissed her on the lips. "Right after the wedding, I'm taking Helen back to Boston. And then I will meet you at the LexCorp helipad. Pack your bags, okay?"
~~
"Is everything prepared?"
Helen looked around the hospital to see if anyone was within earshot. Seeing some of the nurses glancing her way, most likely curious about the soon-to-be-Mrs. Luthor, Helen stepped into her office.
"You'd better make sure of it. I want this to be grand," she said into the phone.
She grinned. "And the minister has been replaced with the real thing? Good. No, he won't suspect a thing. The summa cum laude is so in love with a schoolgirl that I doubt he would notice a thing. And the girl is the same thing. Such a pity that two obviously smart people have their judgments so clouded."
Helen sat behind her desk and pulled open the drawer. She picked out a folder and browsed through the list of assets. She hummed in delight. "To think that all of this would be mine." Helen kissed the figure at the bottom, numbers that told her everything she would be worth.
Chloe watched the silver moonbeam playing on her fingers as she moved her hand. She was fascinated by that light. It was such soft sunlight without the burn, the heat, the pain. She loved the moonlight especially tonight. She held her hand palm up to the light and felt the warmth of the body spooned behind hers. Lex's hand covered hers, entwining his fingers with hers. She looked fondly at the moonbeam as it settled on his skin.
Lex's lips touched the back of her shoulder. "Hey," he whispered into her ear, sending a thrill down her spine. "Can't sleep?"
She smiled at the husky voice. "And I can't understand why not. We certainly had a very exhausting activity."
"We did," he agreed. She felt his answering grin against her nape. He breathed in the scent of her hair.
"You should know, huh, sleepyhead?"
Chloe squealed when Lex caught her by the shoulders and pressed her back to him. "Are you in any way," he challenged playfully, "insinuating that I am weak compared to you?"
She giggled when he rolled onto his back, taking her along with him. She lay fully on top of him. "I said no such thing!"
Lex laughed fully, and rolled onto his opposite side, causing her to lie on her back. Chloe chuckled and grinned, eyes sparkling and playful. He placed a kiss on her forehead.
She had expected more from a frisky Lex. A tad frustrated, she muttered, "Grandpa."
He looked shocked at first, then shook his head. Lex kissed each of her eyelids, then the tip of her nose. He teased the sides of her lips. "Unbelievable! Was I so stupid before to think that I have a modicum of control over you?"
She gave him a very pleased smile, like a sated cat. "Not stupid, no," she assured him. "You just could not resist my allure."
"Your allure, huh?"
"Agree with me or I'll strangle you in your own bed."
Lex grinned. "Your allure was part of it. Mostly, I think, it's just because I was amazingly in love with you."
Chloe blushed and caught the face above hers with both hands. "Well isn't that a coincidence?"
"What is?" he asked, although he had a pretty good idea. It never hurt to hear it for the hundredth time in a day.
"I'm amazingly fabulously in love with you too." She pulled his face down so she could press her lips to his. "Difference is that I don't let you push me around."
"Aha!" Lex gasped. "You admit to pushing me around."
"I wouldn't have been able to if you didn't let me."
Lex nodded, as if he believed it himself. "Although you are the only person I allow to do that. Other women would not even think that."
Chloe almost choked on her snort. "Lex, have you forgotten Desiree?"
"I was under a spell... or mutant freak effect," was his convenient answer.
"Victoria?"
"She was a convincing actress."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Either way, you're done with all those conniving harlots. You're sticking with me."
"Didn't know I could feel so comfortable with the thought of tying myself down forever. Desiree again not included for the obvious reasons." He settled down beside her on the bed. "I hope everything goes by without a hitch."
She nodded. "God, I cannot believe we were lucky enough to have found someone who's genuinely willing to help us with this sham."
He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple. "Are you sure you're not coming, Chloe? We know it's not legal. Maybe it will comfort you to watch it happen, and to know that with each step, we're getting closer to escaping my father."
Chloe shook her head. "I don't want to see," she said softly.
"All right. All right, Chloe." He kissed her on the lips. "Right after the wedding, I'm taking Helen back to Boston. And then I will meet you at the LexCorp helipad. Pack your bags, okay?"
~~
"Is everything prepared?"
Helen looked around the hospital to see if anyone was within earshot. Seeing some of the nurses glancing her way, most likely curious about the soon-to-be-Mrs. Luthor, Helen stepped into her office.
"You'd better make sure of it. I want this to be grand," she said into the phone.
She grinned. "And the minister has been replaced with the real thing? Good. No, he won't suspect a thing. The summa cum laude is so in love with a schoolgirl that I doubt he would notice a thing. And the girl is the same thing. Such a pity that two obviously smart people have their judgments so clouded."
Helen sat behind her desk and pulled open the drawer. She picked out a folder and browsed through the list of assets. She hummed in delight. "To think that all of this would be mine." Helen kissed the figure at the bottom, numbers that told her everything she would be worth.