But being good didn't get the desired result, Lana decided three days later. After not seeing more than an occasional glimpse of Lex since their interesting first encounter, she was bored and iritated with Lex for ignoring her. She now felt a lot more at home in the mansion, she rode each day in the park and she even gave a try to fencing, asking the instructor Lex had living on the Luthor estate to give her a few lessons to see if she liked it. She didn't like it as much as she'd though she would. Lana finally gave up and went back to riding horses.

Lex was no where to be seen even though she knew he was still there. It seemed as though he were deliberately avoiding her and she couldn't figure out why.

Determined to push him, Lana set about a plan to anger him into paying her attention. She didn't fully understand why it was so important to her that he notice her, she only knew that Lex was all she thought about since she'd met him.

Dinner each night was a quiet affair, with her dining alone in her room and Lex, so she'd been told, dining alone in the library. Well, that was about to change, Lana decided. Putting on a gown she had stolen from Nell's closet, she brushed her long hair until it crackled and applied light makeup to accentuate her eyes and lips. She bravely put on low heels and went to find Lex. She had informed the kitchen staff that she wished to dine with Lex and their shocked faces had not deterred her in the no one disobeyed Lex, but Lana didn't care. No one ignored her for days on end.

Nerves assulted her stomach as she walked bravely towards the library where she knew Lex spent most of his mornings and evenings. Her heels didn't make a sound on the soft carpet, the only sound was the drumming of her heart in her ears.

Reaching the forbidding embossed doors of the library, Lana paused for a moment and drew in a shuddering breath, her eyes closing for a moment as she braced herself for the fury she was sure would follow.

Not giving herself time to get cold feet, Lana knocked softly on the door and waited with bated breath.

There was an heavy pause.

"Come in." Lex said.

The sound of his voice made her stomach do a wild summersault and her insides quivver uncontrollably.

Taking another deep, fortifying breath she pushed open the door and entered.

The room was massive, books lining every wall from the floor to the vaulted ceiling far above their heads. Thousands of books graced those shelves, it would take a lifetime to read them all. Large windows showed magnificent views of the gardens and of the forest beyond. A fire burned in the grate of a fireplace which could have comfortably housed several grown men. Lana took it all in before raising her gaze to the man who's presence made the air tingle around her body.

His indomitable strength filled this room, his power was great and he carried himself with the ease of a man who knew that he was unbeatable. Shrewd, amused eyes rested on her flushed cheeks and shining, tumbled curls with a anilitical air of one observing an amusing child.

Suddenly Lana wondered if this had been such a good idea. She'd forgotten how intimidating he was. She felt out of her depth and painfully young and inexperienced.

Desperate to find an excuse as to why she was there, Lana blurted out the first thing which came to mind.

"I...I..needed your advice, Mr Luthor. I'm bored doing nothing during the school holidays so I wondered if you might find me a trainer to teach me...kickboxing."

Her eyes widened at her own words, surprised that she had voiced the one thing she had only ever dreamed about actually doing. She had always wanted to learn how to fight, ever since Billy Murdock had pushed her over and laughed at her pitiful attempts to hit him in the seventh grade. Nell had always dismissed her ideas to learn how to fight, saying that it wasn't a girls sport and so she had never done it.

But now Lex looked somewhat surprised at her choice of words, Lana had done what few others could achieve.

His careful avoidance of her and the reasons why he should stay well away from her, faded away as she stirred to life inside him something he hadn't felt for longer than he cared to admit; interest. Everything about her drew him in and now she had unknowingly touched on one of his passions without even trying.

Lex was a formidable fighter and he had studied all the many forms of martial arts from a very young age. Being a bald kid had made it nessesary for him to earn respect instead if it falling into his lap. He had been taught by a navy seal to begin with and several Japanese and Chinese masters thereafter.

Lana's very real interest in learning to fight made want to teach her himself.

He sat forward in his seat, his face intense as he stared at the gorgeous child- woman before him. "Firstly, my name is Lex, Mr Luthor is my father. Secondly, I will find you an instructor to teach you to kickbox. Anything you need or want, you only have to ask for. But I should warn you, Lana, that coming to me dressed like that could have serious consequences."

Lana glanced down nervously at her gown, fitted dark green fabric hugged her figure like a second skin and ended at her knees, leaving her arms and legs bare. "You don't like it?" She asked, hesitantly.

His cold pale blue eyes flickered over he body as a smile tugged at his lips. "I like it a little too much "

Becoming colour flooded her cheeks at that admission. "I'm sorry, I wanted to see you..." she began.

"Lana, you're too young to understand fully, but it's dangerous for you to be around me. I'm not a good man." Lex stated, rising from his seat with sleek, jungle like grace. "Fuck knows why I find myself in this situation at all, it's so messed up - as if I could be your guardian." He chuckled, the sound like dark chocolate.

He spoke softly as he advanced on her frozen figure until he was a scant inch behind her. His scent hit her like a ton of bricks, sending arousal curling through her body like mulled wine. He smelt like spicy, dacadent sex, tempting and heady, Lana almost moaned out loud at the feel of him so close to her.

"I've tried to stay away from you, Lana, for your own good. You're too young to know of the things I would teach you, I'd corrupt you completely," he whispered beside her ear, his breath making the tendrils of hair there dance gently. "I'd eat you alive, little girl." Lex leaned in more and inhale her sweet scent deeply, "you had better run while you still can, Lana."

Her blood thrumming in her veins, Lana, felt genuine fear slide along her limbs, mixing oddly with the desire already there.

His tone scared her, as well as the weakness she felt in her own body. She didn't want to run, but she forced herself to obey.

She ran.

The last thing she heard was Lex's soft laughter as she made her escape.