Clark showed up right on time and was surprised to find the door was wide open. He walked through the kitchen and into the living room calling for Lex but received no answer. He briefly glanced down at his watch to confirm he wasn't late.
It wasn't like Lex to stand him. His heart started to beat a little faster when he scanned the living room and found blood on one of the couch cushions. There wasn't enough blood to account for a serious injury but still it was blood.
Clark called down the hallway and made his way to the bathroom, looking for more signs of injury. He didn't find any but he noted that the shower stall was still wet and some of Lex's cloths were in a heap on the bathroom floor.
Clark made his way back out to the living room and called the only other person he could think of that would appreciate such a mystery, Chloe. He briefly explained the situation to her on the phone and the presence of blood. As always she provided him with any number of scenarios that could have occurred, most likely of which was a bloody nose or a minor cut. She assured him that Lex had probably stepped out and that he would be back sooner or later.
Clark felt uneasy with the conclusion but sat to wait for his friend. The time dragged by slowly and he eventually drifted off to sleep on the very couch that Lex had been pinned over earlier in the evening.
He awoke later in the evening, well after the game would have ended, and still he found no Lex. Sure that something must have happened he headed back towards the elevator. As he stood waiting for the elevators arrival he looked around the dimly lit hallway. His attention was caught by a thin streak of burgundy on the wall. Upon closer examination he realized that it was also blood.
Convinced that something had happened to Lex his pulse began to beat in anger. He thought back to the last conversation he had with Lex regarding Lex's suspicions about his father. Lionel must know something Clark decided.
Clark wasn't sure what he was going to say to Lex's billionaire father. He had no proof that anything had happened to Lex and no proof that his father was to blame. He found Lionel at his office in Metropolis and decided against knocking on the door.
"Where's Lex?" Clark's voice took on a tone of accusation as he crossed the room.
Lionel glanced up briefly at the young man standing in front of him. "I have no idea."
Clark's eyes narrowed as he searched Lionel's face for some indication of the truth. Lionel's inability to feel guilt over the evening's events allowed his face to remain deadly unreadable.
"I don't believe you." Clark bluffed unsure whether or not Lionel was lying.
Lionel laughed as he again lifted his head from the paperwork. "I don't have any idea where my son's escapades would have taken him this evening young man but I am sure that he will return eventually." He returned his attention back to his work, " Good night Mr. Kent."
"I think you did something to him and I intend to find out what." Clark turned and walked away without further discussion. As he walked out the door he struggled internally with whether or not Lionel was telling the truth. Lionel stared up at the door in annoyance. Lex's friend was nothing if not tenacious and Lionel was sensing he was going to be a problem.
Clark tried Lex's cell phone one more time with still no response. Clark ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh of frustration.
Lex woke up face down on a cold cement floor. He groaned quietly as he tried to prop his body up onto his forearms. He was briefly surprised that his hands weren't tied until he tried to lift his head. He felt the chain around his neck as he tried to move. He blinked his eyes a few times and tried to focus on his surroundings as he reached up and fingered the chain around his neck.
He could feel the links of the chain encircling his neck and the three links running from the area near his Adam's apple to the bracket on the floor. Due to the short leash around his neck he was unable to lift his head high enough to even turn to face the other direction.
He slowly rested his face back down on the floor and reached around feeling with his fingertips. He found nothing but cold, hard floor. He could feel the cold air on his back and the cement on his stomach and new with instant unease that he was naked.
He stared blankly at the white, bare wall in front of his face. His thoughts trailed back to the last thing he remembered. He was lead from his apartment and into an awaiting car in front. Once in the vehicle Joshua had began explaining the bargain he had entered into with Lionel. Lex was in shock and had a difficult time processing a lot of the ridiculous things that the man in front of him was talking about.
A struggle had ensued in the vehicle when Lex had lashed out at his capture. The last thing he remembered was a sharp needle being jabbed into his neck and the burn of serum entering his body. He blinked as his vision lost focus and eventually faded to black.
He vaguely remembered stirring awake on what he was pretty sure was the cabin of a plane but drifted back into unconsciousness before he could grasp his surroundings.
'One man can't purchase another.' Lex thought to himself for what felt like the hundredth time. Yet here he was, naked and chained in a room, not sure of his location or anything else for that matter.
Anger over took him and he struggled to lift his head. He squirmed and struggled until he was finally able to get his knees under his body, ass high in the air. He let out a loud, long grunt as he pulled again against the chain on the floor. Breathless and defeated he rested his face on the floor again and cried out in frustration.
He was startled with the sound of clapping from behind him. "Very nice, very nice indeed." There was a pause, as the footfalls got closer. Lex was shocked when a hand suddenly grasped his one ass cheek and began to massage it. As quickly as his mind would process to his body, Lex forced his legs out behind himself so he was once again flat on the floor.
Laughter behind him did nothing but increase his level of discomfort. Suddenly he felt legs straddle his back and the warm, smooth feel of expensive trousers settling against him as the man sat on his lower back.
"Now this," there was a brief pause as Joshua reached behind his hips and slapped Lex hard on the ass causing Lex to buck in surprise. "This is what I paid for. Has anyone told you how magnificent you are?"
Lex snorted but did not respond. "How sad it is that the rest of the world will not share in your beauty." Joshua continued.
Lex didn't care what this lunatic was talking about he simple wanted him off. "Get the fuck off me!" Lex screamed in frustration.
Instantly his face was slammed tighter into the ground and he felt the skin on his back tearing followed by the warmth of blood pooling around the newly made cut. Once Joshua withdrew the knife from the incision Lex screamed as fingers were dug deeply into it.
Lex panted in pain with his eyes tightly sealed shut. He opened them when he felt the fingers being shoved into his mouth and tasted the tangy copper taste of blood on his tongue.
"Watch your mouth." Joshua warned yet again. Lex was begrudgingly beginning to think that it wouldn't take too long to learn that lesson. His heart tightened at the thought of his own weakness. How could he even consider giving into even the slightest demands from this man?
"Would you like to ask me nicely?" Joshua purred into Lex' ear.
"Wha-what?"
"It is pardon me." Joshua corrected, "Try it again."
Lex took a moment to think of what was expected of him and decided to try it Joshua's way to see where that got him.
"Pardon me?" Lex asked quietly.
"Sir." Joshua added firmly. There was silence momentarily and Joshua leaned in to speak clearly into Lex's face, "Pardon me, SIR." He repeated.
Lex struggled internally again but was brought back to the moment by a hand striking his bare ass with a sharp sting. He closed his eyes tightly against the pain, so much for playing along, there was only so far he was willing to go.
"Say it!" The voice above him boomed as yet another slap landed on the already red handprint that surely must have formed.
"NO!" Lex shouted back.
"Say it now or you will never earn another link to the chain around your neck."
Lex was clearly confused by this and he thought about the words as another slap landed on bare skin. Deciding he wanted to see what Joshua was playing at and knowing this could get significantly worse for him from here he let out a deep breath and quietly asked, "Pardon me sir?" The words were like acid on his tongue as he spat them out. He had only spoken like that to his father before and even that was few and far between.
"That's better."
Lex could swear he felt the smile burning into his scalp from behind him.
"Now what is it you wanted exactly?"
Lex was dumbfounded; he honestly had no idea what it was that he had started out asking.
"I believe you were wanting me to get off your back, excuse the pun, and I suggested that you ask me nicely."
"Please get off." Lex asked in his most demure voice.
Instantly the weigh of Joshua's body was lifted from his back. Lex relaxed with a sigh.
"Would you like to know how to earn yourself a link to your leash today?"
"Pardon?"
"Pardon me sir?" Joshua corrected with the tone of a teacher correcting a student.
Lex was tired of this already and he had a feeling this was only the start. "Pardon me sir?" He repeated without emotion.
"Your collar and leash are attached to the floor. Each time you please me you will receive another link to the leash until you are ultimately able to stand up and move around your room. Once you can do that the links will be replaced as a reward and other items will take their place such as furniture, a tv, books etc."
"Each time I please you?" Lex asked fearful of the answer.
Joshua laughed, "By please me it doesn't always mean sexually. There are many ways to please me. Simply do as you are told, mind your manners and you will be up and moving around in no time. Let's start with something easy shall we?"
Lex didn't respond, he just wasn't sure what to say. This whole thing seemed so surreal to him at the moment.
"Why don't you tell me what your favorite meal is?"
Lex's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Why do you care?" He asked angrily.
"First of all your tone is not conducive to earning your reward. Secondly I care because eventually I would like it if we could sit and enjoy a meal together. I would like to know what your favorite meal is so that you may start to enjoy your new life with me."
"Roast." Lex answered shortly.
"Roast with-?"
The question hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.
"Potatoes and gravy." Lex added.
"That wasn't so hard now was it?" Joshua sounded pleased at the progress however small it may be. He reached forward, key in hand and undid the chain. The new link was added quickly and it was enough to allow Lex to turn his head to face the other direction.
He grimaced as the muscles in his neck strained with the new direction. Looking around the room on the other side he found nothing again but a blank white wall.
"Would you like to try to earn another link before I leave?"
"That depends." Lex answered suspiciously.
"Come now Lex you need to learn that I am not such a bad person. Of all the places for you to be, this place with me will allow you to live worry free and enjoy all the luxuries of my wealth."
"At what price?"
Joshua laughed lightly, "You are a smart one aren't you?" He paused for a second, "Why don't you tell me who your best friend is?"
"Why?" Lex sounded worried as his mind flashed to Clark.
"I am just trying to learn as much about you as I can that's all."
"No! You are trying to find stuff to use against me!"
"Do you want to lose the link you have just recently earned so early in the game?" Joshua said with a sigh of frustration.
Lex paused for a second in thought. He stood no chance of escape in his current position and he certainly didn't like how exposed he felt lying there on the floor. His mind searched for anyone else besides Clark to name as his best friend.
"Larry. Larry Mathews." He blurted out. If anything bad was to happen to his so called best friend Lex couldn't think of a nicer person to have it happen to.
"And who is this Larry Mathews to you?"
"Just a friend of mine that worked for my father. Him and his partner Sam Phalon used to bail me out of trouble and we became close." It wasn't entirely a lie, Lex thought to himself as he thought.
"Excellent." Lex could hear the sense of accomplishment dripping in Joshua's tone as he felt another link being added to his chains.
"Well I am afraid that's all we have time for today." Joshua leaned forward and gently kissed the back of Lex's scalp.
Lex started to feel a deep sense of panic at being left alone again in this room. He needed to keep this going so he could eventually sit up and start formulating a plan. He fought the urge to speak as he heard Joshua's footsteps heading towards the door.
As much as he wanted, -no needed- , to sit up and feel a sense of progress with his situation he wasn't able to bring himself to beg this man for his company. He listened as he heard the door click shut and the lock set into place.
