Title: Breaking Chloe Sullivan

Summary: Her strength is intriguing him, her fire captivating him, but can she survive his interest? Lex decides it's time to find out, what exactly will it take to break Chloe Sullivan?

Shipping: Chlark Chlex mostly Chlark

Major Characters: Chloe Clark Lex

Author's Note: WARNING this chapter is rated mature! I'm getting them done fast now! I finished this one a day after I posted the last one! Inspiration makes me happy! Knock on wood…

Reviews: Umm where were you? I kept waiting and waiting and no reviews… it was sad. I have Ch 17 almost finished but if you guys don't review I don't have a lot of motivation to post…

Previously:

Chloe

Maybe it was because Lex's touch was so different than his. Lex had grabbed her, he had wanted her badly enough that he had lost control, nothing about his touch indicated that he was toying with her. Everything he had done was direct and forceful, no games, no teasing, just simple physical need. When he was touching her like that she couldn't think about anything else except what he was doing and what she wanted him to do next. It had been nice in a way, at the time. Simple. Easy. But it was never like that with Lex. Everything was a means to an end. That's what she was. A slut. A whore. How could she have done that?

Clark

It was because of her face. It wasn't broken, that he could have handled, that he had seen before. But this expression… he had no idea what to do with this. It wasn't broken. Broken can be fixed, the pieces can be put back together. She wasn't crying, but this was even worse. It was like all her tears had been drained out of her, and she had no energy left to make more or to let them out. It was almost as if she was about to hurtle into an abyss that he wouldn't be able to pull her back out of. If he touched her she might fall… What had happened?

Lex

He had wanted her to enter into the dark with him and not be terrified of it, but instead find a home in it with him. For her to be repulsed by it still had triggered this response he had never felt before. Lex wanted to have her approval. He wanted her to trust him again. He had to control her, he had to make her need him again. If he could make her want him like he wanted her, if he could bring her to where he was, then she would have no choice but to stay with him. Once she was with him in the dark by her choice, even if only for a moment, her own self-sacrificing tendencies would prevent her from returning to the light and contaminating it. She would never be able to go back to Clark.

Ch. 15 The Dark

It only took two days for her to realize it. Chloe was in bed, staring at the ceiling, and noticing it was dark. She never slept with the light off, not ever. But right now it wasn't bothering her at all. Shaking her head, Chloe dismissed it as a side effect of Clark spending the night last night. The lights hadn't been on then either, and she hadn't thought anything of it. It took less time than usual for her to fall asleep, maybe because their movie-marathon had lasted until four A.M. the night before.

The next morning, as she was getting dressed, Chloe stopped. It had just occurred to her that she had slept through the whole night peacefully, without a nightmare waking her up. Thinking back to the night before Chloe recalled what she'd been thinking about right before she went to bed. It hadn't been him. It hadn't been the feel of his hands on her and the sound of his whisper calling her, "Sweetheart."

Had it been Clark? No. She'd thought about him but he hadn't been the last thing on her mind before sleep took her. It was Lex. She had been remembering Lex. Remembering how his hands had held her so tightly and his mouth had been so forceful. He had made her feel wanted, made her want to lose control with him, made her not care for once, about the consequences. But it was more than that.

He had made her forget.

Lex had made her forget him.

She lasted three more days. One more night of sleeping in the dark, one more night without nightmares. Two nights of having to turn the lights on to be able to sleep, of waking up wanting to scrub her skin off, wanting to crawl into a hole and never come out. Three days of telling Clark she was fine. Three days of making up excuses to keep him out of her apartment. Three days of fighting with herself, telling herself she was crazy, telling herself she was wrong.

And now, it was ten o'clock, and she was sitting in the kitchen staring at the door. Clark had just called, and she had told him she was going to bed. But she couldn't. Because all the lights in the house were blazing to keep away the dark, and she was so tired of being afraid. Lex was at his penthouse. It was four blocks away. If she walked, she could be there in half an hour. If she took a cab, she could be there in five minutes. He would let her in, she knew he would.

But should she do it? No Chloe! Are you insane! You want to give him one more thing to hold over your head? Of course she didn't. She didn't want to crawl back to him for comfort, she didn't want him to become her drug because then she would depend on him. But it was getting harder and harder. Even as she sat there she could feel shivers race up her spine, and she was resisting the urge to turn around and see if he was there. If he was there with his smile and his hands and his soft voice in her ear, "Scream for me baby."

As she walked out the door she told herself to turn around. At the ground floor she told herself to turn around. As she walked to his building she told herself to call Clark. As his building came into view she told herself she was a whore. She told herself it was an experiment and she had to see if she could replicate the results. As she walked into the lobby and into the elevator she told herself to go back. When she reached the top floor, as she pressed the intercom button for the penthouse she told herself she was making one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

"Lex Luthor." He answered himself. That was a surprise.

"It's me." Chloe's voice was shaking, her insides were twisting and turning around and around until she thought they would never become untangled. She heard the door unlock, but it didn't open. As she grabbed the handle she told herself to get back in the elevator. As it opened she told herself to slam it shut and run out of there.

He was standing across the room, leaning against the wall, his hands comfortably in his pockets. Watching her. Just watching her, with no expression on his face. It was dark, the lamp illuminating his desk was the only light. Shutting the door behind her Chloe walked across the room on shaking legs but with determined steps. When she stopped in front of him she didn't know what to say. He was enjoying her uncertainty, the way he was making her uncomfortable, she could see it in his eyes.

"What are you doing here Chloe?" His voice held no emotion and she wasn't sure if she should hate him or thank him for it.

"Why do you think I'm here Lex?" This she could do, she could play this game with him, it was something familiar. Nothing like the feeling of wanting him to touch her. That was still new to her.

"For me."

"You think very highly of yourself don't you Lex?"

"You're here aren't you?" It felt like a useless conversation, to be standing here playing games when they both knew exactly why she was here. She only needed to know what he wanted from her first, why he hadn't taken her the moment she walked in the door.

"Yes I am. But it has nothing to do with you." It was a half lie.

"It has everything to do with me."

"Is omniscience your latest acquisition?"

"No." You are. She heard it in his tone, and saw it in his smirk, even though he didn't say it out loud.

"So why am I here then Lex? If you know me so well?"

"You're here because you know I understand you."

"You don't know anything."

"I know more than you think." He turned and walked to his desk, expecting her to follow. After a second of hesitation she did, curious despite herself. He was talking like he knew something she didn't.

"What do you know?" Chloe positioned herself between him and the desk, there was no way she was allowing him to start doing work and ignore her.

"What do you want Chloe?" And then suddenly she was aware of him. Aware of the sweet smell of his expensive cologne, the warmth of his body, and the nearness of his hands and his mouth.

Suddenly she was nervous again, and she tried to distract herself. Sitting on the desk, Chloe crossed her legs and put her purse down on top of his papers. "What do you want Lex?"

"Don't you remember?" His eyes traveled down the length of her body and she felt herself warm beneath his gaze. She remembered. Suddenly her throat was dry and Chloe found she wanted to pull him to her as he stood there looking down. God did she remember.

"Yes."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Because you're still talking to me."

He smirked at her, "Smart girl Chloe." She found she was annoyed with herself with herself for earning his approval and furious with the part of her that wanted it. She waited for him to continue, looking at him expectantly.

"I want you to ask me."

"Ask you what?" He leaned in, placing his hands on the desk on either side of hers but still not touching her. His mouth was so close to hers, she would only have to move an inch to kiss him. But as much as she wanted to, she couldn't. It had to be him. He had to make the first move.

"Chloe. Ask me."

For a second a fire flared up inside of her. "Ask or beg Lex?" Her voice was full of scorn but she wasn't sure if it was directed at him or at herself. Because she knew the answer. He leaned in farther, his body almost against hers, but she refused to move away.

"Beg me Chloe." Her resolve was weakening. All she wanted was to forget again. All she wanted was for him to make her. But she would have to degrade and weaken herself for it. She would have to admit that she wanted him. Wanted Lex. This terrible and dark man. She knew what he was but right now that was a good thing, because he knew. He understood.

"Lex…" She wasn't sure how to say it, didn't know how to phrase this desire that was so unfamiliar to her. Why was he making her do this? Why did he need her to admit that she wanted him? Any other time she would have thought about it, figured it out, and thrown it back in his face. But right now his closeness and his eyes… they were wreaking havoc with her mind. All she could think about was wanting him to touch her.

"Lex please…" The self-hatred for the trembling in her voice lasted for only a second.

Because his mouth was moving again. " Please what?"

"Please… touch me." Chloe lifted her hands to his face but he caught her wrists and stopped her.

"That's not enough," he said. But she heard the tension in his voice, and his fingers were digging into her skin. He wanted her.

"I want you Lex. I need you. Please… I ne-" A look of satisfaction crossed his features but Chloe barely saw it.

Because then his mouth cut her off and his hands were everywhere. His things were swept to the floor, and her shirt was suddenly off and her jeans were undone and coming off and she was almost falling off the desk. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. And when she had it open Chloe ran her hands over his chest, feeling his muscles move and shift as he pressed her down into the desk.

Her legs were wrapped around his waist, clinging to him as he pushed and split her open. She leaned back, closing her eyes, her fingers clenched and white, holding on to the edge of the desk.

"No!" He stopped, and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her up to him. His eyes were so wild and dark that she felt a bolt of fear shoot through her. "Look at me Chloe! Look at me." She nodded, not knowing what else to do, not able to control her mouth enough to speak.

And so she watched him. Watched his eyes and his face change with each thrust of his hips. Watched the moonlight dance on his skin. She watched him take possession of her. And when he was finished with her and they were both panting and slick with sweat, she looked into his eyes and whispered his name.

For a second she thought he was going to kiss her. But he just stood there, not moving.

"Lex?" He didn't answer her, just looked at her with an expression she didn't recognize. Hesitantly, Chloe reached a hand up to touch his face. For a second she saw something like hope glimmer in his eyes.

And then her phone rang.

Lex winced as he pulled out of her, as if it hurt. It was something akin to physical pain, but to him it was far worse. She got off the desk and walked over to the floor where her purse had been thrown by him in his hurry. He watched her walk. Watched her naked body move in the moonlight. She looked at the caller ID and paused before answering.

"Clark?" Immediately his mood darkened. He began fixing his clothes, buttoning his shirt, tucking it in and buckling his belt.

"I told you I was going to sleep." Of course she hadn't told him, Lex hadn't expected her to. But still a part of him wanted her to, so Clark would know that he had lost. It still irked him that Clark had figured out who she was but that was unavoidable. Chloe walked around to the other side of the desk, not meeting his eyes. Reaching for the black thong he had almost torn to shreds taking off, she tried to put it on one handed. Lex couldn't help but chuckle softly as she hopped up and down on one leg.

Chloe glared at him, and that only made him laugh more. "Yeah… yeah, I think that Perry wants that by the end of the week." Lex leaned back against the wall, trying to decide if he liked her better completely naked or partially clothed.

"Clark if you come over I'm never going to get to sleep." She was still picking up her discarded clothing, her shirt, pants, shoes, and bra. Putting them on the desk she turned away from him. Her dark hair fell gracefully over her bare shoulders and part of him missed her bright blonde hair. This suited her new persona better though. He watched her stand there, his eyes following the lines of her body. His hands wanted to trace those curves again.

'Yeah Clark I'm fine." He watched the muscles in her legs move beneath her skin as she shifted her weight to one side.

"I promise Clark. Look I'm really tired can I just talk to you tomorrow? Yeah okay… okay… bye."

When she started to put her clothes on, Lex had to stop himself from grabbing her again. He had to control himself, she was the one who was losing control. But all he wanted was to take her into the bedroom and throw her on the bed. He wanted her to stay, but it was obvious she wanted to leave. In time, that would change.

She saw him looking.

"Don't assume anything Lex." He didn't say anything, just stood there smirking at her. "I can practically hear the wheels in your head turning Lex. You're thinking you have me now. But you don't."

"Don't I?"

"No."

"Why do you assume I want to have you?" Chloe paused, not knowing to say to this. Of course he was lying but she wouldn't know that. "You came to me, remember?"

"Not the first time!"

"Curiosity."

"You always were overly curious." She took another step towards him, crossing her arms over her chest. For a long moment she didn't say anything, and Lex found contentment just looking at her face, at the intelligent thoughts he could see behind her eyes.

"Why did you want me to beg?"

"It was simply a tool Chloe. I know you don't have much experience in that area but sometimes people say things just to set the right kind of mood."

She didn't even comment on his stab at her personal life, refusing to take the bait. He remembered this dog-with-a-bone attitude of hers. "No. No that's not it."

"Why do you think it was anything more?"

"Because I know you Lex, you seem to keep forgetting that fact." It was true, she did figure him out so much more easily than others.

"Then why don't you know my reasoning already?"

"It's the first time I've seen this side of you. What do you need from me Lex?"

"Nothing. What do you need from me?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying Chloe."

"So are you. If this was just sex, you wouldn't have been playing that game."

"How do you know? You've never had sex with me before." Lex took a step closer to her, deliberately raking his eyes over her body. "I've never touched you like that before."

She swallowed hard, and a rush of pleasure hit his senses because he had made her nervous, made her self-conscious. "I'm not letting this go Lex." He watched as she bit her lip and felt the urge to bite it for her.

"I don't expect you to."

"What's in this for you?"

"Sex."

"What else?"

"Nothing." She didn't believe him, he could see it in her eyes. But she didn't bring up the subject again.

"Well whatever you needed, you won't be getting it from me anymore Lex."

He didn't answer her, just watched as she picked up her purse and walked to the door. It took all of his will power not to call her back. He had to let her go, no matter how much he wanted her to stay. Because if she didn't view it as her choice, she could safely blame him for it, and that would allow her to forgive herself and go back to living her life with Clark. It had to be her choice to stay. Eventually it would be, eventually this would be the only place she would feel safe, the only place where she would feel that she belonged. Even if she hated herself for it, she would realize she belonged with him.

"I'm serious Lex." And then she walked out the door.

She didn't say she wouldn't be back. She couldn't make that claim. Because if she did, and then she came back, it would be a weakness, another thing for him to use against her. God he had missed her. He was missing her. Even though she had only just left the room felt emptier.

An image surfaced, one from ten years ago. She was in agony, and he standing there watching. Just watching. But he remembered what her screams had made him feel. He was feeling it now. This ripping, tearing feeling, in his gut. He'd seen the betrayal on her face and it had cut into him. How could he have done that to her? To the woman he lo- Get a grip Lex.

He shook his head, clearing away the picture, getting rid of the guilt. It wasn't important. What he'd done had served a greater purpose. Given time, he could justify anything. It was a talent he'd always possessed, one of his greatest strengths. What he'd done didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that his plan was working. She would come back to him, she wouldn't have a choice. Now that she was tainted by him she couldn't go running to Clark for comfort. It would be him now. He would be her first choice. She would be with him by choice. She would stay with him.

Unlike all the other people in his life that had left or been driven away by what he had done and what he was capable of. She was stronger than that. She would understand him. She would be able to look at him without judging him, without wanting something more from him. She would be able to take the cruelty his obsessive nature imposed on those closest to him. And she would stay.

She would stay with him.

Clark paced. He paced back and forth in front of the window of his hotel room. He wanted to go see Chloe. But she had said she was going to sleep. There had been something in her voice though, something that made him not believe her. He knew her well enough to know when she was keeping something from him. And even though he knew he should let it go, he couldn't help but want to go over there and demand she told him.

Had she found out something about the missing year? And what the hell had happened at the Pegasus opening? She still hadn't told him. Something had changed. Something had changed about her. He couldn't put his finger on it but something was different. It worried him. That something had so significantly affected her that he noticed a change but he didn't know what it was.

He sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. Why was he stressing so much? He kept a secret from her. A big one. But she was keeping one from him. She hadn't told him everything about what had happened to her. Something terrible had happened. Something that made her keep the lights on. Something that made her have nightmares. And now there was something else, something that was weighing on her. If only he could-

The ring of his phone broke into Clark's thoughts.

"Clark Kent."

"Hey Clark, it's me." For a second he thought it was Chloe, or at least his hope made the voice sound like hers. But it wasn't.

"Hey Lana."

"How've you been?"

"Good, I've been good." Clark did not feel like having this discussion right now, he didn't need anything more to think about.

"That's good to hear."

"Why are you calling me Lana." There was silence on the other end, and he softened his tone, guilt piercing through him. "I'm sorry."

"No, no it's okay. I just… I miss you." Why did she do this?

"You're the one who decided you wanted to break up."

"I know."

Now he felt like a jerk. "Lana I'm sorry. I'm just… work is just stressing me out right now. I know that I'm a hard person to live with. I'm sorry I can't always be there when you want me to be."

"Clark… It's not that you're gone, it's that you won't tell me where you were. I mean… if I didn't know you, I would probably think that you were cheating on me."

"Lana I would never do that! How can you-"

"Clark! Clark I know you wouldn't. But sometimes that's what it feels like. You might not be cheating on me with another woman, but whatever else is taking all your time… that's your mistress."

"Lana you know I would never spend all that time away from you if it wasn't important."

"I know Clark. I know that… but it doesn't help."

"Well Lana what do you want to do?" He was hearing something in the alley four blocks over and he needed to hang up the phone.

"I don't know."

"Well when you figure it out let me know and I swear I'm not blowing you off but something really important just came up and I have to go."

"Again?" He heard the resignation in her voice. "Okay Clark. Bye."

Why did everything have to be so difficult? Why couldn't she just accept his secret the way Chloe had? As he flew out the window he had the urge to go tell Chloe. He wanted to tell her everything. Maybe because he wanted to know what she was keeping from him, and he thought that if he opened up to her she would do the same.

Or maybe just because he was tired of keeping the secret from everyone. With his dad gone, his mom away all the time, and Pete in a different state, he really had no one to talk to. And she was always the one he could go to. She was always the one he thought of first when he had something he wanted to tell someone. Maybe she could handle it. If Pete could, why couldn't Chloe? Of course she could, she would probably only be mad at him for not telling her sooner. He could handle that.

Maybe he should tell Chloe his secret.

She sat on the floor of her apartment, resting her head against the door she had just shut. She wasn't sure if she wanted to move. The weight of what she had done was beginning to catch up to her, and she felt like she was trying to carry the world. Her phone rested open in her hand, her finger hovering over the call button. Clark would come. She knew he would.

But something was stopping her. Chloe realized she hadn't turned the lights on yet. When she shut her eyes she saw his face, his eyes burning into her. And she heard herself, "I want you Lex. I need you. Please."

How could she have gone back to him? In her mind she heard Lex answer, Because I understand you. It was true. Clark didn't know. He didn't know what it was like to have something dark and terrible clinging to your soul, slowly eating you alive. Sure he had his secret, but it was nothing like hers. Nothing like hers. And now there was something else to add to her list.

First there was Shaun, there was what she had done for him. Then there was him… she still couldn't give him a name, even after all this time he wasn't a name. He was an image, a feeling, the sound of his voice. And now there was Lex. She could never tell him. With his morals and his righteous judgment, Clark would never understand. God she could see him now, betrayal on his face and horror in his eyes as he asked her how she could do that. How she could sleep with an evil person.

But he wasn't evil. Lex wasn't evil. Some of the things he had done were evil. She knew that, she wasn't stupid. She hadn't gone to him not knowing who he was. She had gone knowing fully what he was capable of. But she knew him and he wasn't evil. He was broken. Like her.

And Clark would never understand.

So??? What do you think? Did you like it? Please review! I am begging lol.