Surprise – Chapter 7

The two looked at the young bald man and laughed. "Chloe, there's no one here by that..."

Chloe sat up and stared at Lex in awe. He was actually standing there in front of her. She had dared him to come visit, to give up work and he was actually there. She was stunned beyond words.

She glanced over in Don's direction and apologized. "I"m Chloe," she stated shyly hoping that the two didn't bad mouth her to the rest of her island friends. Lex knew her pseudonym and still blew her cover.

Dom and Safina both sat and stared at each other before glancing back in Chloe and Lex's direction. They could see the look of concern on her face as Lex casually slid his hands into his pants, not concerned with her cover. "Chloe," Safina lightly giggled at her, "most of this island is made up of people trying to get away whether it be for a weekend or forever. Honey, you have done nothing wrong except for not introducing us to your friend."

Chloe jumped off her chair almost flying into Lex's arms now that her worry of what her friends would think was past her. Composing herself, she took Lex's hand and pulled him over to Don and Safina's table. "This is Lex Luthor."

Don smiled, stood, and offered Lex his hand without hesitation. "Well our little Chloe knows a billionaire." Leaning over closer to Lex, he whispered man to man, "any chance you could buy this bar out from under me - perhaps wait for a hurricane and collect the insurance?"

Lex looked at Chloe and wondered if Don could actually be serious. Lex wrapped his arm around her as he felt her hand start wrapping around his arm. She looked up at him and watched curiously. "That would definitely turn my accountant's eye if I bought a sand bar." He extended his hand as they shook hands. "Can I steal her away? I know happy hour is probably going to pick up, but for your trouble."

Lex let Chloe go and tugged at his wallet. Pulling out several hundred dollar bills, he laid the money in front of Don and waited for an answer. Don watched in amusement and laughed, handing a couple of the hundreds back to him. "You overestimated." Looking over at Chloe, he smiled, "Yeah, take her. She's no use to me when she's all mopey and sad anyway."

Chloe glared at Don as Lex shook his hand and took the money back. Safina patted her on the back and smiled. "Go have fun with your friend," she whispered before grinning at her.

Lex wrapped his arm around Chloe again and walked out the same way he came in. "So," he started as they trudged through the sand together. "Where's a good place to shop around here. I'm feeling a little out of place." Chloe laughed and followed Lex back to the car he had parked in the little beach lot.

"You got a car?" She asked puzzling. It was nice nonetheless, but he didn't need a car. No one needed a car.

"I thought it would be easier."

"But it defeats the purpose of being free on the island. Look, I know you probably are still living in this weird fast paced, make the most of the time lifestyle, but you're on my time now. So, let's take the car back. Then I'll take you shopping."

Lex stared at her as he hit the button on the car. She was incredibly tan and sexy in the shorts that barely covered her ass. The pictures he could get of her were not doing her justice. He shut her door and then slowly walked around the back of the car wondering if he had made the right decision. He probably should have continued the emails and the phone calls. He wondered how long he could keep up the charade of being her friend.

The two dropped off the car and caught a cab back into town from the airport, continuing the never ending spat over the reason not to have a car if you have to use one to get around. "Look, as soon as we get to the shopping center and downtown, you won't need one again. You might need a bike though." Chloe bit her lip and smirked in his direction.

"What?" Lex canned blandly.

"I have a bike to go from my place on Water Island to the ferry. It just makes the travel a little faster. You may just want one unless you plan on jogging next to me in your Armani shirt and pants." Chloe pointed over at a building and had the man stop the taxi.

Lex paid the man, and the driver nearly choked at the tip he received. Leaning over into the window of the cab, he whispered, "For your trouble."

"No problem sir." The man cautiously touched Lex's arm and handed him a card. "Just in case you would like to have a car for later," he whispered and rolled his eyes in Chloe's direction.

Lex had to let out a mild chuckle and shoved the card into his wallet before the driver took off. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," he smirked as Chloe grabbed him around the arm and started into the mall with names of stores that Lex had actually heard of. "I think while we're here, we should also pick up something for you for tonight." That caught her attention.

Chloe was somewhere between happiness and incredible stress. She felt nerves coil up inside her like she hadn't since her conflicted feelings about Clark years ago. Lex was there with her, his hand now locked in her hand. His intense stare in the cab and the purposed walk was the same old Lex. The emails and the phone calls would have been easier to hide her growing desire to have more. But he was Lex Luthor above all else, and untouchable.

Trying to gain her composure, she saw a mannequin in the window and pulled on his hand, "Look, that is still somewhat debonair and yet looks comfortable and you're going to need something for your head."

Lex looked over the window of the store. "Ok, but if you even suggest something with one flower on it, I get on the next plane." Chloe giggled and slapped him in the chest.

Quickly removing her hand, she realized that she may have crossed the line. She glanced quickly up in Lex's direction and tried to laugh off a smile.

"Deal," she tried to cover, but Lex watched her face get flushed as his heart beat faster. Taking a long exhale, he let go of Chloe's hand and placed it at the small of her back as she entered the store.

He watched her immediately walk to the pants and stare and at the different colors. "How about I look and you tell me yes or no. Then at least I get something I picked out." Chloe nodded as he gazed quickly across the entire store and then back at the rack they were in front of. Holding up three different pairs of pants, Chloe rubbed her chin and tried to play stupid.

"Well…"

"I'm getting all three," he stated flatly and hung them over his arm before starting to the wall of shirts before Chloe could finish play her joke. She wasn't being funny. Lex knew she was trying to hide something because her actual snark was not straight forward and yet her softer side was failing miserably too. Slowly, he wondered if he had made mistake as he walked through the store.

"How about this one?" Chloe held up a nice white long sleeve button down, striped with tints of violet, gray, and blue. It was truly a shirt for him. Lex took it from her and held it to the slate color pants.

"Good choice." He stared at the other shirts in the same area before choosing several others. She knew him well enough to have bypassed all the short sleeve island wear and still keep it classy. He smiled at her as she nodded in agreement to the other choices.

"I'm going to go look around now. I was honestly concerned that you would have no idea how to shop, but you seem to be capable." Chloe started to walk off and felt his hand tug at her. Trying to keep her composure, she pictured him swinging her around and kissing her. Shaking her head, she turned to him.

"Something nice. We're going out somewhere special for my first night here. And just so you know, I have been shopping before." He let go of her hand and started flipping through the racks again. Chloe stared blankly at the man before wandering off for another hour.

"I'm finished. Enough damage is done." Chloe stated throwing her clothes up on the counter on top of Lex's. Her eyes grew at his pile he had accumulated, pants, shirts, belts, shoes, socks, sunglasses, and the all important hat. Looking back up at him as he laid a light knit jacket on the pile, she crinkled up her face questioningly, "Did you pack?"

Lex chuckled as the woman behind the counter started to ring them up. He noticed the two different outfits and secretly chose one in his mind that he had to see her in. "Actually no. I was coming direct from another overseas call and had some time in my schedule. So, where I was is still cold and I have nothing for here." He handed the young lady behind the counter his credit card.

"May I see some ID?" Lex looked directly at the woman in awe. Was she serious? She pasted a polite smile on her face and waited patiently as Lex looked for his license. Chloe covered her mouth and giggled, knowing how odd it was for Lex to not be noticed. "Thank you Mr. Luthor." The woman finished in polite silence and handed the two bags to Lex.

Walking out of the mall area, Chloe couldn't hold it in anymore. Busting out in a full laugh, she leaned over holding her stomach, "Your face was freaking priceless!"

Lex leaned over and touched her in the small of the back as she continued to laugh. He whispered in her ear, "Not as good as your face was after you slapped me in the chest. If you wanted to know what my abs felt like, you could just ask." As casually as he delivered the line, he stood up and summoned the driver of the same taxi as before to take them to the hotel. He was not giving up the knowledge of his home there yet. That fight could wait.

Chloe felt her heart race at his obvious catch of her actual action. Stopping her mind from racing, she thought, he's flirting with me. Trying to desperately not look shocked, she followed Lex to the car. "Where are we off to?"

"The hotel to change." He glanced over at her. "I figure it is easier than a trip to home and back in one evening. Besides, you followed my lead and bought an entire outfit or two." He watched her eyes as they deceived her and trailed down to his chest again. His worries about how she would take his impromptu appearance quickly faded when she didn't remove her hand from under his.

**********

Chloe appeared from the modest size bathroom at the hotel in her lime green tube top dress and light sweater. Lex watched as she took a clip to her hair when she looked in the mirror. She hadn't quite counted on not having the ability to refresh her make up beyond what she carried in her purse and not have her brush with her.

Lex sat in the chair across the room and wondered why no one had ever seen what he had seen. She was something to be reckoned with whether she was breaking into his plants or just observing. She was a strange breath of fresh air that added to the sea breeze that he hadn't expected. He had missed her.

"So?" she turned and asked him as she pinched her cheeks a little to fake the color of her already tan face. Lex stared at her and sighed. Rubbing his chin, he looked a little puzzled and it worried Chloe. She thought the dress was perfect casual and yet dressy enough for anywhere on the island. "What?" she remarked snidely.

Lex walked across the room and dug into the drawer that he had already arranged all his clothes in. Chloe eyed the result of Lex's anal behavior and almost laughed. Biting her lip, she wondered what he would have to say to the massive pile of clothes that are just heaped in the middle of the bathroom floor.

Pulling out a white box, he laid it on the bed and removed something from it without her seeing. "Come on, let me see," she jokingly whined as she tried to come around his side. He maneuvered his arms to keep her eyes from sight.

"Be still Miss Impatient." That stopped her. She wiggled up her nose and sat on the edge of the dresser in front of the mirror as he fisted what he was getting and put the box back in the drawer. "Ok, come here pokey. You know I thought with all your new experiences that you could have at least given up on the whole sleuth thing. Guess bad habits die hard."

As she stood up, she could sling it back. "Yeah, and I would love to see Lex Luthor NOT drink scotch this weekend either" as she smelled the glass that was sitting on the counter. Lex stopped and smirked at her, rethinking the gesture he was about to make.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll drink only drinks with little obnoxious umbrellas while I'm here and you guarantee me you have not done any snooping while you've been here and will be able to resist asking a thousand questions. Deal?" Chloe smirked and shook her head. She and Lex had always been as close as to the same playing field in intelligence when it came to the two in Smallville.

"How would you know if I was just lying to you?" Lex tilted his head and stared at her before rolling his eyes. "Ok, you would know."

"Come here and turn around." Chloe stood in the front of the mirror and pulled on a couple of strands of hair to make her face match. She watched Lex's hands disappear into his pockets again and wondered what he had gotten her. Her heart beat faster where she could see the cloth of the tube top actually move. She hoped Lex couldn't eye the same effect he was having on her. He was just her friend, her only friend from her past. Nothing more.

Drawing out the small beaded necklace, he gently swung it around her neck and let it drape down in between her small bit of cleavage and caught the other side of the clasp before putting it together. Touching the back of her neck, he wanted to smooth out the necklace over her collarbone and shoulder, just to feel her under his fingers. The closest he had ever been was hugging her after her father's passing.

"Lex, how did you know?" Chloe put her hand over the necklace and tried to calm her heart at the same time. The simple jade necklace complimented her outfit completely.

"I was observant as you shopped. I noticed that you had no accessories. Here." He placed the matching earrings and anklet in her hand and sat back on the edge of the bed. She caught a sneak peek at the man behind her while putting on her earrings. He actually was letting his OCD go on the trip. The light gray pants and the shirt she picked out went well together. He hadn't tucked it in but just rolled up the sleeves a bit.

"You look nice tonight. Comfortable."

"I feel like I'm wearing pajamas, but it is light." Standing up, he held out his hand as she finished with the anklet that made her leg look so damn sexy. "Shall we?"

"Where are we going?" Lex glanced down at Chloe next to him in the hallway and nodded his head.

"I knew you couldn't keep that bargain." Lex chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and wished she would lose the damn sweater.

*********

"I'm really surprised that you took my advice. But it's nice to see a familiar face," Chloe commented as the two made their way down the stairs to the sand of one of the more empty beach spots. She marveled that she had lived there for several months, Lex just did his homework. Stopping at the bottom stair, she removed her shoes and watched Lex pull his off too. "My my Mr. Luthor, are you going to get your feet sandy?"

Picking up both pairs of shoes, he heard her try to protest him carrying hers as well but gave up quickly. "As long as I have no delusions of strange people and bonfires like my honeymoon alone on a deserted island, I'll be ok." He glanced over and saw Chloe process the information and look concerned. Putting his other empty arm around her, he guided her toward the water. "Really, don't worry. I think you'll protect me."

Chloe slightly giggled as they continued down the beach until she felt Lex tug on her arm a little. One single cabana top had not been removed from the beach. "Come on," he almost whispered as he pulled on her in the direction of the beach lounger. Sitting back in the lounger, he eyed another couple that passed by them on the beach in the surf screaming when something in the water brushed against the woman's foot.

"Silly, it's water," Chloe shook her head disapprovingly at the screech. Sitting on the edge of the lounger, she balanced out the weight on the lounger as Lex leaned back and placed his feet on either side of her. "This is why I haven't left," she stated as she looked at the sun turning the sky pink and orange.

"It's nice. I didn't quite appreciate it the first time seeing I was going out of my mind." Lex laughed as Chloe turned around and tried not to giggle. "It's ok, it's funny as hell now." He watched her shiver even with the small sweater on. Her skin glowed in the place between sun and moonlight. Taking her arm, he pulled her gently back toward him. "You're chilly."

Chloe's breath caught in her throat by the surprise touch. At dinner, the little innuendos from the hotel room had stopped completely in exchange for discussion of his last business trip and her jobs on the island. Now, his hand barely grazed her upper arm and shoulder and pulled her body into his. Taking a chance, she scooted in the seat back into him, leaning her head into his chest. "This is your first beach trip since then?"

"First vacation since then," he answered flatly, but felt nothing remotely like how he spoke. Closing his eyes, he could smell the faint orchid and salt of her hair. He ran his fingers up and down her arm as she turned slightly on her side away from the breeze. "Thank you Chloe," he whispered.

The two laid in silence for the longest time, concentrating on the warmth of each other and the sound of waves lapping quietly against the shore. Chloe closed her eyes and could feel his breath on her shoulder and his fingers never stopped trailing her arm. She had never asked how long he would stay; she didn't want to know. She didn't want things to go back to what they were; she was beyond emails and phone calls now. She felt a large lump almost painfully tug at her stomach as she found herself returning the small gesture of rubbing his bare arm with her fingers.

Lex shifted in the seat trying to free up some of his chest to breath. She didn't weigh anything and yet his airways seemed to constrict every time her fingers lingered on his arm. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing and realized that three days was not going to last. Leaning his head down he eyed her bare skin and felt a warmth envelope him. It wasn't the same sensation as with other women he had been with. He had never spent so much time with a woman like this, so silent and yet not needing anything. He thought about his last words. Chloe was a woman now. It had been easier when he pictured the teenager at the other end of the computer or phone line.

Leaning his head over, he couldn't resist. Placing three kisses down the bare part of her neck, he nuzzled briefly in her ear, "There was something there." Leaning back against the chair again, he felt her fingers stop and briefly start up again on his arm. He could feel her shudder underneath him.

Chloe bit her lip and popped her eyes open when he leaned back. We're friends, she thought to herself as she continued running her hand over his arm. It's just the island and the alcohol, and the sunset, and the fact we both need something else to occupy us. She couldn't think straight as his hand left her arm and finally ran along her hip.

Feeling her body stiffen, he sighed silently to himself. He was overstepping. "We should go," he whispered in her ear. Chloe closed her eyes and hoped he would kiss her skin again. She had never pictured the man more than a good romp and womanizer. And yet…leave? Go? He just said they should leave and go back to their own places and… She couldn't do it; she didn't want to leave his arms. It had been too long; they had been through too much together for so long.

He had never even touched her as a teenager, even through the months of her hiding. She was just a kid, a kid he just kissed three times. But his body language seemed to change underneath her. She had stiffened up at his touch, but it wasn't like he was picturing. She wasn't a kid anymore and he was never a billionaire to her. She looked up at him and caught an exhale from his mouth as he glanced down at her.

She scooted up higher against his chest and smiled, "Why?"

"It's getting late." Lex tried to keep a straight face now knowing his intentions weren't being met at the same level. Trying to pull himself up against her, he came face to face with her in the chair.

Chloe stopped touching his arm and stared into his eyes. They matched the water with its cold dark blue color in the now increasing moonlight. She felt his arm stiffen to push out of the seat and couldn't let it end this way. Moving closer to his upright body, she closed her eyes and grazed his lips with hers.

TBC