New words, here you go.
They didn't leave the bed for the rest of Saturday night. When Kara woke up the next morning, she was pleasantly sore, but that didn't stop her from crawling out of bed and heading to the kitchen to start on food for the both of them. She woke up Lena twenty minutes later with a gentle kiss to the forehead and coaxed her from the sheets with a steaming mug of coffee.
They scarfed down the pancakes Kara had prepared, both needing to refuel after the physical exertion from the night before. They'd made love several more times after the first, well into the early hours of the morning until exhaustion took them over, and they fell asleep tangled up in each other. By the end of it, Lena's throat had been raw from screaming Kara's name so much that she was surprised when she didn't wake up hoarse that Sunday.
But even with the numerous orgasms Lena'd had the night before, all it took was watching Kara suck excess syrup off her fingers for the actor's body to become flooded with heat again. She dragged Kara right back to bed and had her way with her. Afterwards Kara took her into the bathroom and started the shower. Once they got inside, Kara pressed Lena up against the tiled wall and returned the favor, not stopping until Lena climaxed twice and her knees began to buckle underneath her.
After the shower Kara gave Lena clothes to change into, Lena promising to wash them and return them the next weekend. But Kara didn't really care about getting the clothes back, or if they were clean when they were returned. All she heard was Lena saying she intended to come back the next weekend, and that was what she focused on.
Sadly, though, their weekend was coming to a close. Lena had to go back home so she could study her lines for Monday, and Kara had a little bit of shopping and paperwork to do as well. Lena kicked her acting skills into high gear in order to hide how sad she was to be leaving Kara. She knew she would see her again on set the next day, but it wouldn't be the same. They'd be working then, and pulling Kara aside for a heated make out session any time she wanted would be unprofessional.
She was going to have to be careful about the way she handled herself around the blonde. Any lingering looks, stolen brushes of fingers, or light flirtations could be seen or picked up on by someone else on set. She'd have to look at Kara and treat her like anyone else on crew.
It was going to be her greatest acting challenge yet, and certainly she could rise to the occasion. She'd been hiding her true feelings her whole life, concealing who she was from the world. Hiding a relationship with Kara should have been a piece of cake. Yet as she glanced at Kara from the passenger seat of her Jeep, she knew it was going to be difficult to treat her like she wasn't anything special.
And unfortunately, the drive across the city wasn't very long. Lena almost wished they lived in a city with more traffic like Los Angeles or Metropolis. Most of the time she loved the fact that National City's traffic was mostly the typical rush hour in the morning and afternoon as people went to and from work. But that Sunday traffic was incredibly light, and Kara was pulling into the parking structure of Lena's building not even ten minutes after leaving her house.
Lena hesitated as Kara put the vehicle in park, not wanting to leave the blonde just yet. She knew it was inevitable, their separation. But expecting it didn't make it any easier, and she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye just yet.
"Thanks for driving me home," Lena said, casting a shy smile at her chauffeur.
"Of course," Kara said, returning an anxious smile of her own. "Besides, it gave me an excuse to spend more time with you."
Lena bit her lip, her stomach doing a somersault. At least she wasn't alone in wanting to prolong their time together. "I wish I could invite you in, but you'd be a certain distraction to my work, and I know you have your own work to do as well."
"Yeah, I do," Kara said with a sigh and ducked her head.
There were a couple of things to grab from the store, and she had receipts to enter. She'd gotten most of it done the week before, and she'd probably have time to do paperwork the next day. But their budget was stretched so thin that she wanted to turn receipts in as quickly as possible in order to get accounting to reimburse them.
"Maybe some other time," Lena said, reaching across the center console and placing a hand on Kara's thigh.
Kara placed her hand atop Lena's and looked back up, locking blue eyes onto green. "Counting on it."
Lena stared at her for a moment, eyes drifting down to pink, plump lips she still remembered so clearly on her own. She knew it was risky—that even though they were in the parking garage instead of on the street that didn't mean they were in complete privacy. Anyone could come walking to or from the building at any moment and see them sitting there, idling in Kara's SUV. Yet if this was the last chance she had to be alone with Kara for another week, she didn't want to waste any opportunity to make the most of their final seconds.
She leaned over slowly, brushing her nose against Kara's as her eyes closed. She felt the blonde tense slightly beneath her, felt her breath coming in quick gasps against her lips. Kara was about to question what she was doing, even if it was perfectly clear. But they were in semi-public, and Lena was the one who was worried about her secrecy. Yet her lips were inching towards her own, and if Lena didn't care, then Kara couldn't find a reason to.
The kiss was sweet, soft at first, then deepening as Kara melted into it. Lena's hand came up and cupped Kara's cheek as her tongue prodded gently into the blonde's mouth. Kara felt like her whole body was buzzing, and she could feel herself shuddering in her seat. There was heat starting between her legs, and she was almost embarrassed at how worked up she was getting over a simple kiss.
She pulled away first, knowing if they kept it up, she would be unable to control her want for more. Lena's eyes flashed open, irises wide and a trace of disappointment on her face. But she blinked a few times and shook her head as if to clear it, leaning away from Kara and back into her seat.
"I'm sorry," Lena muttered, lifting a hand to cover her mouth and the ghost of Kara's lips.
"I'm not," Kara said, glancing at Lena coyly. "I just knew if I kept kissing you, I'd lose my will to leave you. And it's already pretty weak."
Lena stared at the blonde, almost at a loss for words. It was unusual, to have someone so ready to admit they enjoyed her company. Someone that wasn't just a fan, that was. Sure, any time she encountered a fan they always wanted to talk to her for as long as possible. She was used to that. But the romantic partners she'd had in the past weren't like that. They were like her—cold and distant and would rather die than admit that someone meant something to them. And most often she couldn't wait to get away from these people. Lena wasn't used to this, to someone expressing their desire for her company—or to have someone she realized she was capable of missing.
"I suppose I should go inside and stop tempting you, then," Lena said when she recovered, quirking an eyebrow at the woman next to her.
Kara nodded slowly. "I suppose," she said, though she didn't think the whole out of sight, out of mind concept would apply to Lena. She was certain she would see flashes of green eyes, dark hair, and that dazzling smile in the back of her mind constantly throughout the day. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Yes," Lena said, hand going slowly to the door handle. "See you tomorrow."
Kara stared at her for a moment, then leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Lena's cheek. When she pulled away, she smiled sweetly and whispered, "Bye, Lena."
Lena returned the smile and brushed her fingers across Kara's cheek briefly. "Goodbye, Kara."
She watched Kara drive away, her heart sinking to her stomach as she went. She knew it wasn't going to be the last time she saw her, that they would be in the same location again in not even twenty-four hours. Yet everything would be different then. And it would be another week before they could be together in the way she wanted again.
But there was nothing she could do about it. She'd been the one to want to keep their relationship a secret. She was the one who needed boundaries. Still, she knew even if they were public about their romantic relationship, work would still be off-limits for exploring that. Yet if they were public, she wouldn't have to be as careful about spending time with the blonde in the open. However, just thinking about going public about her relationship with a woman and thus outing herself made her body feel hot all over, and she was thankful when she got inside the building and into the air conditioning.
She just wanted to get upstairs and into her apartment, to get to learning her lines so she could focus on anything but Kara's absence. The walk to the lobby and elevators from the parking garage wasn't long, thankfully, and the front desk came into view quickly.
Sitting behind it was Roy, a young man with a chiseled jaw and short brown hair. He'd started working the front desk a few months after Lena moved in. They hadn't spoken much, Lena never stopping at the front desk much. But he always greeted her when he saw her, and never bothered her to talk like some of the other desk clerks who were obvious fans and a little too interested in her life.
"Good afternoon, Miss Luthor," Roy said when she approached.
"Good afternoon, Roy," she said with a small smile as she made a beeline for the elevator.
"Uh, Miss Luthor?" he said, surprising Lena.
She turned to look at him expectantly. "Yes?"
"Your, uh—Your mother was here yesterday and this morning," Roy said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "She was looking for you, said she was worried you hadn't been answering her calls or texts."
Lena stiffened at this. She hadn't thought about her mother since seeing all the aforementioned missed attempts at communication before her phone died. And she'd never bothered to ask Kara for a charger. Her phone was still lifeless, sitting in the pocket of the pair of jeans Kara had loaned her.
"Did you let her into my penthouse?" Lena asked, eyeing Roy carefully.
His face went red, and he pulled awkwardly at the collar of his white uniform shirt. "I didn't want to, but I didn't have a choice." He sighed and leaned forward across the desk, lowering his voice as he said, "I tried to tell her she didn't have a right to enter your home since you're the sole owner of the property, but she got my boss out here and raised hell. He made me give her the key."
Lena fumed silently at Lillian's audacity. "Raised hell how?" she asked, her jaw tight.
Roy opened his mouth to answer, then suddenly thought better of it. He shook his head quickly. "I shouldn't even be telling you this. It's inappropriate. I'm sorry. This isn't your problem."
"It is my problem, though," Lena answered. "You're right—my mother has no right to enter my home without my permission. I don't want her to. She's done it time and time again, and frankly, I'm sick of it. I've even expressed to other front desks clerks that she's not allowed to be here without my knowledge or to have access to my keys." Lena let out a deep sigh and dropped her clutch and keys on the desk. "Roy, please tell me what happened."
Roy hesitated, seeming to weigh his options. Then he muttered, "She complained to my manager, and got me put on probation with a pay cut." He glanced down at the desktop, balling his fists on its top. "I really need this job, so there wasn't much I could do about it. I was just happy not to be fired."
Lena stared at him, aghast. This poor guy had just been doing his job, better than any of the other desk clerks who handed over her keys to Lillian without even questioning whether or not she legally had a right to them. Yet he'd paid a price for it. And all because she'd refused to jump at Lillian's beck and call. She couldn't help feeling partially responsible, but somewhere deep down she knew that this hadn't been her fault. Lillian was an adult, and her actions were on her and her alone. But that didn't mean Lena couldn't do something about them.
"Roy, is your boss here right now?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, in the office," Roy said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder to the door behind the desk that Lena guessed was to the office.
"Can you let him know I'd like to speak with him, please?"
Roy's eyes went wide. "I—Um, okay."
He nervously stood up, tucking the tail of his shirt back into his pants as he crossed to the door. He knocked hesitantly, and was answered with a muffled, "What?"
"Sir, Lena Luthor wants to speak with you," he said loudly to be heard through the door, which opened almost an instant later.
The man who walked out was dressed in a sleek suit, his brown hair was slicked back, and he instantly put on a fake smile to replace the scowl he'd been wearing when he first opened the door. Lena remembered him giving her a tour of the building when she was considering moving in, and then again when she signed the papers and got the keys. She hadn't seen him again since.
"Miss Luthor, hello," he said, extending his hand. "It's good to see you again."
"You too," Lena lied, shaking his hand limply. "I'm sorry, remind me of your name again."
His smile faltered, obviously insulted she didn't remember. "Adrian Chase." He cleared his throat as he took his hand back and then stuck both of them in his pockets. "What can I do for you?"
"I understand my mother was here yesterday," Lena said, narrowing her eyes at the overly confident man. "And she had you reprimand Roy for not letting her into my penthouse."
Adrian glanced down at Roy quickly, his face hardening for a moment before he looked back to Lena with another fake smile. "Well, Mrs. Luthor was concerned for your safety—"
"That's bullshit," Lena said, cutting off the man and causing him to stare at her with wide eyes. "I can assure you—she was not worried about me. She was angry I didn't want to talk to her and came down here to force herself into my home in retaliation. Which she has done on numerous occasions before." She glared at Mr. Chase now, anger bubbling to the surface. "And each time I've expressed to the staff that I'm not okay with this. To emphasize that, I've changed the locks after every one of these visits. Yet somehow your staff keeps giving her copies of the keys against my wishes. I believe Roy here is the first one to actually honor those wishes. And for that you've put him on probation and cut his pay."
Adrian ogled at her for a moment, his jaw slack before he recovered and put on yet another shit-eating grin. "Well, your mother—"
"Is not on the deed to my penthouse and has no legal right to enter it without my permission," Lena finished for him. "Every time she does, she is breaking the law. When you and your staff allow her in, you're breaking it as well. Roy has been the only exception to this."
"Miss Luthor, I—"
"Owe me and Roy an apology? I couldn't agree more," Lena said, smirking triumphantly when that dumb smile fell from Mr. Chase's face.
"I'm…sorry," he said slowly, all light leaving his eyes.
"Good. Now, a couple of things are going to happen," Lena said, crossing her arms over her chest. "First, I'd like for you to send someone up to change my locks again. This new key is never, ever to be put into the hands of Lillian Luthor. If it does, I will hold you personally responsible, Mr. Chase." She quirked an eyebrow and nodded her head towards the poor, young desk clerk caught up in the middle of this. "Roy isn't on probation any longer, either. And not only are you going to raise his pay back up, it better be damn well better pay than before."
"You don't have the authority to make those decisions," Adrian shot back, seemingly pleased that he thought he had the higher ground.
"Don't I?" Lena asked with a patronizing smile. "You may be his boss, but I'm sure there's someone over your head. How would your boss feel about you allowing someone to break into my penthouse?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "It won't happen again, Miss Luthor."
"It better not," Lena said. "Or it'll be your job, not Roy's." She picked up her clutch and keys from the desktop. "And if I find out you've fired Roy in retaliation, I'll make sure you no longer work here anymore, either. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," Mr. Chase said hollowly.
"Good." Lena turned from him and smiled down at Roy, who was sitting there dumbfounded at all he'd just witnessed. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Roy."
"I, uh—It's fine," he sputtered quickly. "Thank you, Miss Luthor."
"Call me Lena." She gave him a tiny wink before turning to finally head to the elevators.
"Have a good evening, Lena," Mr. Chase said to her retreating back.
Lena whirled around, glaring. "It's Miss Luthor to you."
Apparently her threats were taken seriously because a handyman was at her door not even five minutes after she'd gotten into her penthouse. He was quick about the work, giving Lena a copy of her new key before he headed out. It wasn't until she was finally alone that she went to find her phone charger and plugged in the dead device.
It took a few moments to boot up, but once it did, she got a flood of missed calls, texts, and voicemails. And just as expected, they were all from Lillian. She clenched her jaw as she read through a few of the texts, all demanding to know where she was and why she wasn't answering. It was ridiculous, and borderline stalking. Honestly, if this had been a lover or a friend, she would have gotten a restraining order. But this was Lillian, the woman who had raised her, even if she constantly went back and forth between being negligent and a helicopter mom.
She was about to bite the bullet and return one of the multiple phone calls when the cell started ringing right there in her hand, her mother's name flashing across the caller id. Lena sighed deeply before pressing answer and holding the phone to her ear.
"Hello, Lillian," Lena said coldly.
"Don't take that tone with me, Lena Kieran Luthor," Lillian shot back, making Lena's stomach knot unpleasantly at the use of her full name. "Where the hell have you been?"
Lena chuckled dryly. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Yes, I would. You disappear all weekend, don't answer a single one of my calls or texts," Lillian accused, her voice high and strained, "then you're not at your home. I thought something had happened, that you'd been kidnapped or murdered."
"I'm sure you were so concerned about me, Mother," Lena said as she hopped onto the counter top in her kitchen where she'd plugged in her phone. "After all, without me to keep getting projects and be the main source of your income, how would you ever manage to maintain the lavish life to which you've become accustomed?"
Lillian was silent for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice was softer, almost sickeningly sweet. "That's not true. You know I care about you, darling."
Lena noticed Lillian said she cared. Not that she loved Lena. That she cared about her. Lillian had never once uttered an admittance of love towards Lena. There was a difference between caring about someone's well-being because it benefited yours and loving that person.
"That's why I flew out to National City to see you when I couldn't get a hold of you," Lillian went on when Lena didn't say anything. "I thought you were missing."
"Yeah, and you were so concerned that you forced the front desk to let you in," Lena retorted. "Yet you stopped there. If you were really worried about me wouldn't you have contacted the police or something?" Not that it was necessary or that Lena wanted that kind of attention drawn to her life, but that seemed to be a logical step for a worried mother who thought her child was missing.
Lillian clicked her tongue. "I didn't want to create a media debacle for no reason."
"Right, because that would create a bad image," Lena said sarcastically. "And everything is about my image. I can't wear what I want because it's not stylish enough. I can't take the roles I want because they wouldn't generate enough star power. I can't even fucking date because you think it'll be the death of my career."
"I never said you couldn't date," Lillian responded.
"Oh, I forgot, it's just women you're opposed to me dating."
She heard Lillian give a deep sigh. "I'm just looking out for what's best for you."
"No, you're looking out for what's best for you," Lena argued. "Regardless of what or who I want."
There was a pause, and then Lillian asked in a low voice, "Is that where you were? With some woman all weekend?"
Lena's jaw tightened, and her heart hammered noisily in her chest. "That's none of your business."
"I think it is. I deserve to know where my daughter is when she goes missing—"
"Oh, stop," Lena interrupted. "I wasn't missing. I was simply ignoring you. And you did what you always do— came straight down here and invaded my home in retaliation."
"I'm your mother—"
"I'm an adult!" Lena screamed, her anger getting the better of her. "You have no right to force yourself into my life like this. It's inappropriate, and it's going to stop."
"Lena—"
"No." She jumped down from the counter, fuming as she clutched her cell phone a little too tightly. "These little unexpected trips to National City, they're done. The days of you coming into my home without my permission are over. I've changed the locks again, and you will not be getting a key this time."
"The front desk always gives me one," Lillian said, a hint of arrogance in her voice.
"I think you'll find if you try again, they'll be less inclined to do so," Lena informed her. "I've threatened the building manager with legal action and promised he will no longer have a job if he authorizes anyone to let you in."
"You can't do that. I'm family. I have a right to—"
"You have no rights. My name alone is on the deed. This is my home, and you coming in without my knowledge or consent is illegal," Lena told her, amazed at the rush she got from this new sense of power. "The front desk knows not to allow you in anymore. If you continue to come here uninvited, I will have you arrested."
Lillian hesitated for a moment. "You can't be serious."
"I'm dead serious," Lena said. "As soon as we hang up, I'm going to look into having a security system installed. You will not know any of the access codes. Even if you get a key somehow, you'll trigger the alarm on entry."
"Lena, you're being ridiculous," Lillian insisted.
"No, what's ridiculous is that I've waited this long to do this when it should have happened after the first time you barged in on me."
"How—How dare you?" her mother raged. "After everything I've done for you? You'd be nowhere and nothing without my guidance. I made you, you ungrateful—"
"Except you didn't, Lillian," Lena said, cutting off Lillian yet again. Sometimes that was the only way to get a word in edgewise with her.
"Didn't I?" the Luthor matriarch challenged. "I'm the one who has gotten you every single audition and role you've ever landed. Or have you forgotten?"
"Right, because that had nothing to do with my talent or who my father was," Lena said, nearly laughing bitterly.
"Those helped, but I was the main driving force trying to propel you into stardom," Lillian said.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe that wasn't what I wanted?" Lena questioned. "That maybe I just wanted a normal, regular life with parents who actually cared about me more than how many acting credits I had to my name?" She bristled as she questioned her mother, years of keeping her anger just below the surface finally starting to rear its ugly head. "Because every audition you dragged me to, you never once asked if it was what I wanted."
"Why would I have?" Lillian shot back. "Children don't know what they want. It's up to their parents to decide what is best for them."
"But what was best for me was never a concern of yours," Lena told her, her voice hollow even to her own ears.
"Nonsense," Lillian said. "Everything I did was in your best interest."
"No, it was in yours."
A deep, long sigh from her mother. "You're welcome to think whatever you want."
"Oh, good. As long as I'm welcome to," Lena said sarcastically. "And speaking of welcome, you are not welcome in my home. So once again, stay away, Lillian. Or else I will have you arrested."
"Lena, I'm your mother—"
"No, I'm firing you as my mother," Lena said boldly. "And you're damn lucky I'm still allowing you to be my agent and manager. But you're on thin fucking ice."
"Lena—"
"Our relationship going forward is purely business," Lena went on, enjoying the tipping in the scales. She almost wished they were having this conversation in person just so she could see the look on Lillian's face—so she could watch her squirm. "After this film I am taking a brief vacation from acting. Do not contact me with offers or auditions. I will reach out to you when I'm ready."
There was silence on Lillian's end for a moment, then she muttered darkly, "You're making a huge mistake."
"If I am, it's mine to make," Lena told her, a new hope springing to life in her chest for what felt like the first time in years. "Don't contact me. If I want to talk, I'll reach out to you."
"Lena, please be reasonable," her mother actually pleaded, and that brought a twisted smile to the brunette's face.
"This is me being reasonable." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a few seconds. "Bye, Lillian."
She heard more protests as she went to hang up the phone but did it anyway. Just as expected, her mother called her back right away. She hit ignore instantly. This happened three more times before Lillian apparently got the message and the device stayed silent and blank in her hand. She breathed a sigh of relief as she placed her phone back on the counter top.
But then it lit up and vibrated with a text a second later, and she jumped in surprise. Her jaw tightened with anticipation of the anger she was sure to feel if it was Lillian. However, when she picked up the phone again and looked at the name of the message's sender, her heart leaped into her throat and a smile spread across her face.
Kara: I miss you already…
Hope you enjoyed the words.