Chloe had watched as the Clark and Lex were escorted from the party. She managed a mild distraction with yet another waiter collision in order to slip behind a curtain against the wall and skirt out the door. She didn't think it would be too long before someone noticed her missing so she had to make sure she acted quickly.
She stayed some distance back from Clark and Lex as she followed the group through the hallways of the mansion. She had to dart behind a tapestry that hung on the wall when the group stopped and disappeared behind a door.
The guards outside prevented Chloe from being able to leave her hiding spot so she stayed where she was praying they wouldn't see her feet sticking out the bottom. She strained her ears to try and hear anything that may be being said but all she heard was the extraordinarily loud beating of her own heart. She seriously wondered how the guards couldn't hear it.
Suddenly Joshua came out of the room and Chloe watched him as he locked the door with a key and slide the key into his pocket. Joshua and his guards approached her and she held her breath in prayer again. She was thankful when the trio pasted her by without so much as an inkling that she was there.
Once it seemed that all was quiet in the hall Chloe ran to the door that held Clark and Lex. She looked the lock over for someway to open it. She was frustrated to realize that it could only be unlocked with the key that Joshua had slid into his pocket. She didn't dare bang on the door or call out for Clark or Lex for fear of attracting attention.
She felt defeat creep into her spirit as she quietly gave up any further efforts for the time being. She turned and quietly (thankful for no shoes) made her way back to the ballroom. 'At least they were safe and she knew where they were for now anyway' she reasoned as she rounded the last corner.
"There you are! Where the hell have you been?" Karema called to her as she marched quickly towards Chloe. "This type of behaviors will never do. Joshua has called you on and he is not the sort to sit around waiting. Where were you?" She continued scolding as she pulled at Chloe's elbow and led her down the hallway.
"I had to find the bathroom and I got lost. This place is huge." She offered feebly.
"Yes well, we must hurry so as not to anger him more than he already is."
"More than he is?"
"I suspect he wants to discuss your accident earlier this evening." Karema informed as she quickened her pace.
"My acid- ohh right my accident." Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. What kind of a man made such a big deal out of a simple accident? Then she remembered it was the same kind of man who kidnapped people.
She followed Karema down the long hallway to the door to Joshua's room. She had to admit (to herself at least) that she was terrified. How angry was he?
The door opened and the room remained silent as they approached Joshua who was sitting at his desk watching them enter.
"Here she is sir. I will wait outside for her if you wish." Karema addressed him.
"Thank you. We will only be a moment as I have other matters to attend to this evening." He nodded at Karema.
Chloe watched as her only saving grace as she left the room. When she returned her attention back to Joshua he was standing a few feet in front of her.
"You're the new girl." He noted in a way that didn't imply a question.
Chloe stared wide-eyed at him as he reached up and pulled the scarf away from her face. She gasped when he roughly grabbed a handful of the scarf covering her head taking some hair with it.
Before she knew what was happening he had pulled her into his chest, turned her around and slammed her chest down on the desk. She lost any of the air remaining in her lungs with the force of her body slamming into the desk.
"When you dance, you must dance with grace. I will not tolerate imperfections in front of my guests!" He shouted in her ear, pulling her hair for emphasis.
She struggled to regain her breath as he leaned his body into hers.
"You have some time to practice. Use it wisely. Don't let another accident happen on my time! Do you understand?"
Chloe's face was still looking away from him and he was breathing against her ear. She managed through her tears to nod in understanding.
"I can't hear you!"
"Yes." She muttered weakly.
Just as suddenly as she was driven into the desk she was hauled back onto her feet. He never let go of her hair and she felt the pain of the pressure on her scalp. He forcefully pressed his face against hers and she fought the kiss.
"Ah ah ah." Joshua breathed a warning.
He kissed her again and she kissed him back suddenly realizing her opportunity. She gathered her wits about her and gently caressed her fingers up his covered chest. She managed to maintain the kiss long enough to remove the key from the pocket of his shirt, thankful for the baggy nature of his attire.
She carefully slipped the key into the folds of her shirts as he pulled away. He softly wiped the tears off her cheek and admired her face for a moment.
"Go. Do not disappoint me again. Tell Karema that I will call for you later this evening."
Chloe didn't respond. She didn't dare tempt ruining her luck with words. She turned quickly and willed her feet to remain at a paced walk as she exited the room. Every part of her wanted to run but she forced herself not to.
Once outside the door she was dismayed to find Karema waiting for her. She had been lucky enough to get the key and she knew she only had a limited time before Joshua noticed it was missing. She had to ditch her chaperone and get back to that room.
"Are you okay?"
"Hmm?"
"Joshua has a temper but he is a good man. He only wants great things for all his girls."
"Are you kidding me?" Chloe snorted.
"Come we must return to our rooms."
Chloe followed, searching her mind for how to rid herself of Karema. She followed slightly behind and thought about ducking around a corner and just disappearing but she knew it would only be moments before Karema noticed. She knew what she had to do but hated having to do it.
When they entered a wing that was quiet and secluded Chloe lunged forward and wrapped her forearm around the older woman's throat.
"I'm so sorry." She said out loud as she continued to apply pressure as they struggled together.
What felt like an eternity later Karema slipped into unconsciousness and Chloe, fearful that she had choked her for too long, checked her pulse. She was relieved to find there was one and she dragged Karema into one of the dark recesses of the hallway.
She hurried down the hallway praying that she could get to Clark and Lex before Karema woke or someone found her and made the connection. She slowed to a walk as she rounded corners and whenever she had the misfortune to pass anyone. She was surprised that no one stopped her but she reckoned that it was a common occurrence for the women to wonder the hallways on their way back from Joshua's room.
Lex sat on the side of the bed and waited for Clark to emerge from the bathroom. He had been prepping himself mentally for this moment all evening. He knew what he had to do and he knew that he had to remain confident and firm with Clark.
If Clark saw any weakness in his resolve to carryout the required task it could spell disaster for both of them.
He was the more experience one, he was the hardened one, and he had been here before. Clark had not. He tried to think back to a time when he had been that innocent and was saddened by his inability to recall that far back.
"Hey." Clark emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel.
"Hey." Lex lamely responded not sure of what else to say.
Clark moved to the bed, "Is it- is it time yet?"
"Pretty much. We have a few minutes to get set up."
"I don't think I can do this Lex."
"I'm sorry Clark, but there is no other way out of this."
"How do we-" He stopped as he glanced over at the pillows.
"This is fucked up." Lex ran his hand over his scalp and took a deep breath. "Remember you promised not to fight or resist Clark. You need to try and stay as relaxed as you can."
A loud bang on the glass window brought them back to reality.
"Here we go." Lex sighed with the realization that Joshua and his guests were there.
"Lay on the bed Clark." Lex directed as softly as he could given the circumstances.
Clark was resigned to his role. He knew Lex was right; there was nothing they could do to stop this. He could handle anything that was dealt out as punishment for not complying unless it was focused on Lex. He couldn't handle the thought of Lex suffering because he was too afraid to carry this into fruition.
He moved slowly onto the bed and was shivering uncontrollably with the fear of what would come next.
"Relax Clark, please relax." Lex whispered as he moved to lean over Clark's hips.
His hands were trembling as he reached forward and slowly lifted the towel off Clark's hips. He looked into Clark's eyes and watched him turn red from embarrassment.
They both jumped when a voice sounded loudly over a speaker from somewhere within the room. Neither had noticed that it had been installed but Lex wasn't overly surprised.
"Let's go boys. A little more passion. Let's see some kissing, some fondling."
It was Joshua's voice and it grated on Lex's every nerve.
"Now!" Joshua's voice filled the room again.
Lex complied leaning in and slowly kissing Clark's chest and neck. He avoided kissing his lips hoping to spare that intimacy for someone else, someone like Lana. Lex would take this from Clark but the least he could do was spare him the intimacy of a kiss on the lips.
Clark still lay shivering and looking utterly miserable. He clearly wasn't interested in helping create a mood. He was more interested in separating himself from the here and now.
Lex slid down between Clark's legs and licked gently at the insides of his thighs, He moved one hand up and cupped Clark's balls as he moved his lips up and circled them around Clark's penis.
"Lex." Clark's voice wasn't a sigh of pleasure. It was a cry of desperation for this to end.
Lex didn't respond he just continued to work the slowly hardening penis.
"Please don't." Clark whined but true to his word he didn't physically resist or fight it.
Lex cringed at the tone more than the words as he moved his mouth off the now hard penis. His one hand continued to work up and down the shaft twisting slightly at the head. He wet the fingers on his other hand and moved them down to Clark's anus. He slowly circled the hole with one wet finger, massaging it, willing it to relax for him.
He tried to block out the misery in Clark's varied sounds as he focused on his work. If he had to do this he wanted it to be as painless as possible for Clark.
Clark couldn't help but vocalize his displeasure at the touching even though his body seemed to respond favorably to it. He stared at the ceiling when his eyes weren't tightly closed. He tried to breath, tried to relax. He couldn't stop shaking and was quickly becoming exhausted from the tension.
He was brought back to the here and now when he felt Lex's finger slid into him. He tried to pull away but Lex reached up and placed a palm tightly on his stomach. He had managed to squirm his way up to the headboard. His head was craned to one side and his shoulders were pressed against the headboard. He effectively had nowhere else to go.
Lex worked the tight hole with the first finger for a good while before he slid the second and eventually the third finger in. He tried to use as much saliva as he could given that they were not given any lubrication.
"Clark." Lex whispered as he moved his upper body to rest against Clark's. "Clark, I'm going to take my fingers away now. Are you okay?"
Clark shook his head no as he stared into Lex's eyes as if pleading with him to make all this just go away.
He groaned slightly when Lex removed his fingers. To his surprise it didn't hurt really, it felt more like the discomfort of pressure. It felt oddly empty. He jumped with a serge of panic when he felt the head of Lex's penis tapping against his hole.
"Clark! Lex! What the hell!" A female voice called from behind them.
The two boys jumped at the voice. Both had been so engrossed in what they were doing they hadn't heard the kitchen door or the bedroom door open for that matter.
"Chloe!" Clark cried.
"Chloe?" Lex's echoed in question, "What are you doing here?"
"Listen there is no time to explain, although I do want an explanation." She noted as she gestured at the two of them naked. "Get dressed. We have to go."
Lex glanced quickly over at the glass and his heart dropped. Joshua would see her and Lex knew it wouldn't be long before she was caught. "Chloe, go now! Get out of here!" Lex shouted at her.
"What? Are you crazy! I'm not leaving here without the two of you."
Lex moved off the bed and Clark followed right behind him. "We have to move fast then." Lex informed the group.
Clark and Lex grabbed their pants, slid them on and ran from the room. They rounded the corner just as Joshua and his men entered the kitchen door.
"My, my, my what do we have here?" Joshua questioned as the guards circled them. He had in fact seen Chloe's entrance and had reacted promptly. He dismissed his guests with a quick apology and the promise of a future viewing and then made his way to the apartment.
He took the few steps necessary to cross the room and grab hold of Chloe's arm, roughly pulling her to him. "Give me the key!"
Chloe didn't respond. He slapped her hard with his free hand. "Thanks to you I had to send my guests home early. Key now!" He shouted into her face.
"Leave her alone!" Clark cried out as he lunged forward.
"Clark!" Lex shouted.
Clark's efforts were rewarded with the hard butt plate of a machine gun being slammed into his stomach. He fell to his knees and gasped for air.
"Clark!" Chloe screamed.
"Key now!" Joshua repeated.
She slowly handed over the key to the room.
He turned his attention to one of the guards, "Go and see if Amir has left the party yet."
"Yes sir." The guard complied as he quickly left the room.
Clark was hauled to his feet by one of the other guards.
"Let her go." Lex commanded.
"You shout your mouth." Joshua pointed an angry finger in Lex's face. "And wipe that smug look off your face. Don't think this is over. I will have this night. You will pick up where you left off at a later date." Lex shook his head in amazement at Joshua's insanity.
Joshua turned his attention back to Chloe, "And you, you're in for a treat. Amir may want your friend over there but I am sure he will be delighted to take out some of his frustrations on you in the mean time."
"No don't-" Clark started but was quieted by the threat of another slam to the stomach.
"BE QUIET!" Joshua shouted at Clark, his anger causing him to shake Chloe even harder. She winced in pain from the bruising that was already forming on her upper arm.
"I am growing tired of your little surprises." He turned his attention back to Lex. "First him," He waved a hand at Clark, "and now this one. Your would be saviors are coming out of the woodwork. Anyone else you can think of that might want to come to your rescue."
Joshua was so angry his face was red and spit was forming in the corners of his mouth. "Consider yourself lucky for the reprieve. Rest assured I will be rescheduling your little show."
The whole thing was confusing the hell out of Chloe. How had he known she was there? Who were his guests? What was he going to reschedule? Given the circumstances she didn't dare ask any questions.
"You can spend the rest of the evening thinking about your young friend's fate. I'm sure Amir will have disposed of her body before the evening is out. That is if she is lucky enough to find death so quickly. I'll be sure to have him send over some pictures of her body before it is unceremoniously dumped in the desert."
With that he pulled Chloe roughly from the room. She struggled in vain and cried out for Clark. Clark and Lex attempted to get to her but were quickly defeated in their struggles by the guards who remained in the room until Joshua was clear of the door.
Once he left the guards proceeded to beat Clark and Lex into submission. The two boys lay crumpled and covered in blood on the floor before the guards left the room. They locked the door behind them as they hurried to catch up with their employer.
Lex struggled to sit up and leaned against the couch. He blotted the blood running from his nose with the back of his hand. Clark lay on the floor in anguish over Chloe's fate. Lex felt sick, he liked Chloe. Out of all Clark's friends Chloe was the one he liked the most, probably because besides Pete she was the one who hated him the most. He admired her in many ways.
He didn't see anyway to stop what was going to happen to her and he didn't know how to even start to console Clark.
Joshua dragged the screaming and struggling Chloe down the hallway and seemed to take pleasure in hurting her as he did it. The guard that he dispatched met them part way down the hall to the ballroom.
"Well is Amir still here or not." He snapped pulling Chloe forcefully against the length of his body.
"I'm sorry sir but he has already left for the evening."
"What to do with you, hmm." Joshua seethed as his eyes seared into hers. "Take her to Amir's home. Tell him she is a gift from me for the use of the other one, Clark, for the remainder of the week. She should appease his appetite for now at least."
Joshua roughly tossed Chloe into the arms of the waiting guard. He smelled her hair as he held her against him. She was instantly concerned about his intentions.
Joshua laughed at the guard's blatant interest in her. "I don't think Amir would be overly upset if she was slightly used upon her arrival."
He smiled at Chloe as he turned to leave, "Good bye my dear."
"You bastard! You bastard! Let me go!" Chloe's cries rang out through the empty halls as she was dragged from the building and tossed into a parked car.
"Sit still!" The guard commanded as he roared the engine. Chloe fought to straighten herself and her cloths in the seat beside him as they speed past the main gates towards the city limits.
