Eve didn't hear from Lex for another week, but finally, she saw Philip waiting for her outside the club.
"Wow, Miss Teschmacher, you look so pretty!"
"Thanks, Philip" she beamed and kissed him on the cheek before walking with him to the car. "Does Lex wanna see me tonight?"
"Yeah. Gosh, you looked so nice onstage! How did you get your—you know, things to do the twirly thing?"
"Lotta practice!" She sank into the deep seat of the car as Philip started driving.
"You know, you're my favorite of all the girls Mr. Luthor's friends with."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. I think you're his favorite, too. I dunno, maybe you'll get married."
She laughed, but was comforted by his confidence. "You think so?"
"Well, you should. I dunno. I think he likes girls, but… no, yeah I think he likes everyone. You know?"
"Really?" It wasn't exactly a surprising revelation, considering how well he dressed, but it was something to think about.
Philip nodded. "I mean that's just what I'm guessing. But I still think you're his favorite girl."
That was something, at least.
As they drove, the neighborhoods became fancier and fancier, until they reached Wilmer Street, where people actually lived in houses instead of apartments. They pulled up to a townhouse, and Philip leapt up and opened the door for her.
The house was like nothing she had ever seen. While it was huge, it was completely crowded with books, papers, and objects of every kind. Lex emerged from another room, idly fixing his hair.
"Hello, Miss Teschmacher."
"Hi Lex! Got another job for me?"
He nodded "You're going to love this one."
"Really?"
"It won't be easy, but for some insane reason, I think you're capable of doing it."
"Okay, shoot." She moved some papers from a couch and spread her legs just enough so that he could see she wasn't wearing underwear.
"You're getting a job as a secretary at The Hendricks Corporation. You're going to learn everything you can about how they do business and relay the information back to me. I'm thinking the whole thing will take two to three months. I'm prepared to supply you with clothes and typing lessons, and when it's all over, you're getting five thousand dollars. Plus, whatever you legitimately earn"
"Oh my god." She stared, "five thousand?"
"If you give me what I want."
"I will, Lex, of course I will. How am I gonna get the job, though?"
"You're going to get a glowing recommendation from Senator Vauxhall, in which he says you're the best secretary he's ever had. And Mr. Hendricks' current secretary is…about to retire in a few weeks."
"That's perfect!" she giggled. "I'm gonna be a real secretary!"
"I thought you'd appreciate that. I'll fill you in on the details during the next few weeks."
"You know, Lex, I really like you sometimes."
"Glad to hear it, Miss Teschmacher. Though if you want to pass as a real secretary, I'd suggest crossing your legs."
She complied with a roll of her eyes, then nodded towards the large piano in the room. "You play?"
"Of course, Miss Teschmacher." He paused and smiled slightly. "Do you want me to play you something?"
"Yeah."
She sat on the bench and he joined her.
"You like Cole Porter?"
She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder, as he started running his well-manicured fingers over the keys.
"Oh, sing it for me!" She pleaded.
He sighed, but obliged her, softly going on about how easy to love she was.
" Lex" she murmured when he was done, "How come you're so good to me?"
"You remind me of my grandmother."
"What?"
"Yeah," he lightly tweaked her earlobes, "especially around the ears."
"Oh, come on, Lex, why can't you-"
He quelled any admonishments by kissing her forcefully on the lips and sliding a hand up her dress. Just before he reached anything exciting, Philip burst into the room.
"Hey, Mr. Luthor. Oh, wow, I'm really sorry to bother you and Miss Teschmacher, but, uh, Mr. Meli's been killed."
"What?" Eve couldn't help shout. She hadn't known anyone was going to die because of her. She looked to Lex for some comfort or at least horror to match hers, but he kept his usual sardonic smile.
"Yeah." Philip nodded. "Yeah, in the shower. I think. Or maybe it was the bathtub. No, it was definitely the shower, because when I heard it, I thought of this really crazy…"
"Yes, thank you, Philip" Lex interjected. "Has my name been brought up at all?"
"Uh-uh. I mean, they obviously meant it to look like an accident, so no one knows about the tapes even. Let alone that they got them from you."
Eve tuned out the rest of the conversation, as she contemplated what had happened, and told herself that she wasn't responsible. After her initial horror, she was even able to tell herself that Lex wasn't responsible, not really. Besides, Meli had been so rough with her, did it really matter to her that he was dead? She tried to shut the thought out as soon as it occurred to her, but couldn't help but come back to it. Anything to alleviate the guilt.
Finally, Philip left and Lex turned back to her.
"Miss Teschmacher, typing lessons begin tomorrow. Nine in the morning. Philip will pick you up."
She hesitated, then picked up her purse. "I'll be there."