First, before I do anything else, please let me apologise for being a bad author. Not only did this chapter sit half done for a month, but I have seriously been slacking on replying to reviews and messages. I am so sorry.
But here it is. See, i finished it. :D
Also, it's obviously important to thank everyone that has reviewed so far, i do adore you SO very much, and I shall wish you all a happy xmas and a shiny new year filled with everything you wanted from life. But, if that isn't going to happen for you pessimists, please feel free to accept an invisible none existant chocolate supreme dessert created by your imagination. I hear they are super yummy :D
Alright, enough from me. Please enjoy.
(I'll address commented issues at the bottom.) Xx
Chapter Four; Fights
'Shouldn't wound what you can't kill' – Lex Luthor (Season 4, Episode Crusade)
Chloe yawned, playing with her newly bandaged arm after her shower as she waited for the internet page to load. It was being slow tonight, really annoying her. There was this article about the jewellery Jolly Green had stolen and as boring as it was reading about posh people's gem's, she had promised herself to know everything and anything about the case.
She had left Lex an hour ago watching Oliver Queen leave his office on his big brother camera. In that reasoning, she was dressed in something that showed that little bit more and was suited for needing that little bit less. Soft green in colour, lace in material. She found it in her dresser, so clearly he would like it. She supposed wearing it would give Lex that extra 'thank you' for the iPod, which was just finishing syncing with her ever loved laptop. Smiling, she unplugged and shuffled from the bed. 11:12pm. Lex should be ready for bedroom activities by now. There was no way he could work that late when he'd woken so early.
Two dressing gowns hung in her dresser. One thick white and fluffy with an attached hood for the extra chilly winter night, the other black, see-through and without a tie in sight. She put her hands over the latter, with full intention of showing Lex his purchases up close. As her hand hit the silk material the power went out, the lights failed, darkening the room except for the dull glow from her laptop of the still loading page on the stolen gems.
Power cut, she presumed, but a sickening feeling sunk deep in her gut when her ears suddenly weren't filled with Lex's curses and shouts of ordering people to get it fixed. Sure, there weren't a lot of people around at night, but that wouldn't stop Lex's shouting. Sensing a dangerously sharp spike in her heart rate she tugged on the fluffier of dressing gowns, pulling the tie tight around her, and flipping her laptop to the security screens. The lights may be off, but the cameras were still showing. Their choice of film was not to her tastes; the silhouette of a man stood tall and proud with Lex at gun point.
Her pulse kicked and automatically her hand slipped under the desk, finding the handgun Lex had taught her to fire a few years ago. Lex had become more protective after he took her agreement from Lionel. Where Lionel had wanted the playing ground dominated by his strength, he taught no guns, no knives, no weapons at all. Nothing that could give her an upper hand. Lex had corrected that with speed.
Sure, pyjamas would have been better chosen for a brawl but she hadn't dressed with destruction in mind, the dressing gown and hidden lingerie would have to do.
With the gun by her side, she slithered silently from her door, and speed tiptoed across the top floor, taking the stairs silently and coming face to face with the door to Lex's area. She pressed her ears closer, but there was nothing to hear. Would Lex be dead?
She crept closer, the gun held tight; fingers squeezing; ready to fire; the safety off. Her free hand touched the door handle, ever thankful for the silent hinges and she stepped in.
Lex lay unconscious on the floor.
The Green Arrow was rummaging through Lex's files, computer and paper, a bright blue flash drive downloading content with every second.
His back was to her, and that was a mistake.
"Stop what you're doing and drop the bow!" she ordered from across the room, her voice edged with raw confidence and success. Tonight would be the night, her brain said. The leather clad form tensed. "Drop them to the floor," she repeated and the arrows clattered down, the crossbow following. "Turn around slowly." The green giant turned, but with him came a flirty smirk.
"Nice to see you again Mary. How's the arm?"
"Shut up!" she hissed. Her eyes made a quick run of his body. "Take off the other weapons."
"Would if I had any." he replied cockily.
"Then the knife at your calf is just for decoration?"
"I like to look pretty." he chuckled back, the voice changed by the distorter to sound deeper and darker, stirring something in her blood she couldn't understand.
"Floor!" she commanded. He didn't comply. She walked forward, her arms no longer prey to shakes of confidence, the gun was trained on him. She wouldn't miss.
"Cute outfit." he noted, nodding to the dressing gown. If only he saw underneath, cute would be wiped clean from his mind. "Did I disturb your sleep?"
"Keep talking. I can shoot you right now. I really don't care. Leg, head or groin is your choice, but I suggest you don't test me." she hissed back, trying to sort out her emotions of whatever she was feeling. Dare she say excitement?
"Why are you staying with Lex?" he shot a curve ball at her, no care for the gun pointed at his chest.
"Because he makes a mean fruit flan." she deadpanned and kneeled slowly, the gun and eyes still on him as she slid her hand up his calf, ignoring the muscular firmness. Her hand grasped the knife and she threw it away, sliding it across the floor from both of them.
"And the real reason?" he breathed. She stood back up, taking a step back, retaining the giggle that dared to breathe free.
"Who says that's not the real reason?"
"Lex can't cook more than trouble." he stated. Clearly he knew Lex on a more personal level. Maybe an old enemy. That was a list she didn't care to compile.
"Says the man stealing from him." she countered.
"Borrowing." he corrected with a chuckle. "I'll bring it back."
"What exactly do you plan to borrow? Because we're fresh out of sugar."
"I don't know… you're still here." Her grin was lost at his comment; not finding the shades much use in concealing the eye fuck.
"Seriously Leather Fetish. I'm not interested in the criminal type."
"Yet you're living with Lex." he offered as she took a step toward the computer, the gun still locked on him. He moved with her, keeping them opposite each other in equal pacing.
"What can I say?" she breathed. "The bald thing makes me all gooey on the inside."
"Really? It just freaks me out." She took another step, his head dropping slightly, no doubt his eyes on the freshly shaven bare leg sticking from the parting in her dressing gown. She rocked back and it covered herself again.
"Listen." she hissed, already fed up with the buzz in her brain and blood from him. "We're not social buddies. I will shoot you."
"No. You won't." She rose an eyebrow, the grip on the gun tightening, almost ready to shoot to prove him wrong. "You would have done it already." he summarised logically.
"Sure you want to be taunting me like that?"
"Yeah. I'll take my chances." She shook her head minutely, time to get back on track.
"What did you do to Lex?"
"He's just unconscious. He'll be coming around soon. Speaking of… I'm on a timer Goldilocks. If you wouldn't mind giving me a few seconds to finish what I came to do." She lowered the gun slightly, aimed directly at his manhood. Her daring grin rose up, just begging him to try her. That froze him in his place.
"You aren't doing anything, but what I say. Now take off the hood and glasses."
"It's really only our second date. I usually like to work with a little more time before I start shedding clothes." he replied comically, the buzz of laughter in the words.
"Yes, well. I don't. Off. Now."
"Demanding. I like it. I bet you're a real tiger in the bedroom." he quipped.
"Too bad for you, you'll never find out."
"Now I feel disheartened…" He faked sadness, a hand flying to over his heart.
"Why do you wear the distorter?" she asked, changing the subject.
"It makes me sound more manly." he laughed
"And the real reason?" she probed again.
"Who says that's not the real reason?" he fired her words back at her.
"Fine." she breathed. "I suppose it evens out the tights."
"Been checking me out?" His voice said he was impressed. "Can't say I haven't been doing the same." Her teasing smile dropped and the anger flew back full steam.
Emerald Archer took the opportunity to take the gun from her hands. He made quick work of pulling out the cartridge, dropping the bullets and following with the empty useless gun. Chloe ducked left, hoping to pull the other gun from under Lex's desk, if he hadn't already. At the very least she could steal his bow from the floor and turn back the tables. She was stopped by an arm around her waist. She didn't give in, thrashing her body side to side and swaying him with the motion. Her elbow hit into his side but he still kept a hold on her.
"Jesus Blondie. Settle down." She bucked against him, feeling the anger bubble through her body, feeling the tie loosening on her robe, but she didn't care. She wasn't letting this opportunity go.
"Put me down!" she hissed.
"Not quite yet." The cold leather of his gloved hands made to steady her, but found placement settling across her bare stomach and sending pleasing whispers up her spine.
She froze her kicking. "Looks like I disturbed more than just your sleep." he purred in the darkness, a chuckle in his throat.
His arms spun her and she came chest to chest with him. Her jaw was set solid, not giving him anything. Freely his eyes roamed her chest, her cleavage wrapped in green lace in perfect sight for him. "You're even wearing my colour." She brought up her knee, missing her target but breaking his hold to get all of three centimetres away before he had her again. Her breasts were pressing against his solid leather covered chest. His shade covered eyes made no attempt to look elsewhere.
"What are you here for?" she asked, the question laced with as much venom physically possible.
"Your name."
"Rose." she hissed in a lie again, her chest grazing his again with the tempered drag of air.
"Because you smell so divine?" he guessed.
"Because despite how I may look, touch me and you'll regret it." He chuckled at her comment, tightening his hold on her, his smirk telling her how little he regretted the feel of her skin.
"I feel a lot of things princess, but clearly your thorns are cut. Because regret isn't one of them."
"What are you doing here?" she repeated.
"I told you." His finger lifted her chin up. "Borrowing."
Before she could reply, his lips swooped down, stealing hers and sparking a million different feelings through her. Her eyes fluttered closer, her arms stopped fighting. She'd had one night stands before, she'd had long term (sort of) with Lex. But nothing. Nothing, could compare with the rush she got from kissing this man. Her chest pressed to his was more delightful that anything she'd felt with Lex.
Oh god, Lex!
What was she doing?
She snapped her head to the side, her heavy breathing rising her chest against his, her nipples peaked and grazing delightfully against the leather. Oh god! She had feelings for a criminal. In the back of her mind, she heard the light groan of a man behind her. Lex was coming back to. "Sorry Blondie." Her head clicked back in time to meet the full force of a gun butt to her temple. She was lost to darkness.
Oliver paced the apartment again, Victor had only just taken the flash drive from his hand, and without it he was feeling a little lost. It was one thing to break into someone's home and steal, but an entirely different issue to lay a hand to a woman. It was necessary he told himself again. Lex was waking up, if he didn't get out of there he'd have more trouble than was worth.
"What's up with green bean?" Bart asked, nudging Victor as went to plug in the USB stick. Vic dead eyed the kid and drove the drive home, opening the access port on the computer. As the files came into view he turned, seeing the distant mind and the ingrained habit of pacing slam over his friend.
"Not my turn." Vic replied. Bart flashed his eyes up to Ac who was leaning against the window.
"Don't even ask, I got it last time."
"I'll owe you." Bart pleaded. Ac rose an eyebrow, knowing the kid broke promises more often than he kept them.
"Not. My. Turn." Ac spoke slowly and clearly.
"Vic. Com'on…" But the plea fell to deaf ears. Bart sighed and turned to the pacing archer. Oliver only ever paced when he was stressed about something, or really angry. Despite knowing this, the boys were too curious to let him seethe alone, but the cost of being nosy was to get your head bit off. This time, it was Bart's head up to the block. "Ollie, wh…"
Oliver spun again and stepped up the pacing, completely oblivious to the conversation. What was she doing with Lex? Why was she dressed like that? With Lex?
His feet hit harder and he caught the blur of red colouring that was Bart backing away from him. He didn't know why, but it didn't matter. He'd go back and see her, he'd have to. If she was working with Lex… no, she was too good, he could see it in her eyes.
But, her stance, her body language, her defence of Lex… all of these things mounted the pile higher against all hope he had for her. She had to be working with Lex, why else would she be there?
Unless… That outfit wasn't exactly the correct dress for workmates or slumber parties. What if she was with Lex? Romantically.
Why did it even matter to him? Sure, he felt remorse for knocking her unconscious so violently, he could understand why she was on his mind. But why was he ripping apart every second he spent with her. Why was she kissing him like that if she was with Lex? Why did he enjoy it so much? Why did he kiss her in the first place?
Why? That last question he knew the answer to at least. He had to, he simply had to. To know how she tasted, to feel the fire bubbling in her lips. He could feel the pull of her since she stepped in the room with that gun aimed at him. He could have taken it from her at any point, but he was glad he waited, glad he played around with her, glad he's felt the luxury of such a kiss. He ached to touch his fingers to his lips, to feel what had felt her, to check his sanity… was she so much to him already?
What poison did she feed him when they first met?
"We've got an issue." Victor's voice came through in a patch of silence his brain allowed and he found himself back in the room, a worn path familiar to his feet where he'd clearly been pacing. Damn woman.
"What?" Ollie asked, a hand to the back of the computer chair as he inspected the view before him.
"Nice to have you back…" Vic muttered, then spoke normally again. "Encrypted, filled with little bugs. High security. We're dealing with professional grade here. This isn't just Lex."
"Who else would it be? Santa?" Bart supplied, annoyed he'd almost been trampled by Oliver while he was ignoring him.
"Yes Bart. Santa came and encrypted Lex's files." Vic replied, just as annoyed.
"Don't encourage him." Ac reprimanded.
"Don't speak about me like I'm a kid, fish stick." Bart shot back.
"Yeah, well, at least I'm not-"
"Shut it. All of you." Dinah came from the kitchen and ended the boys verbal fighting. With a wash of quiet she turned back on her heels, muttering about the need for more oestrogen.
"You heard her girls." Oliver broke the silence. "Now get me a reason to smile from those files." Nods dropped from all the boys, and the silence brought back the question that had plagued Oliver since he saw her tonight.
What was she doing with Lex?
"Chloe?" A voice pierced her black. "Chloe?" She came back to with Lex filling her vision, his hands resting on her head, a cold cloth beneath it. She knocked off his hand, sitting up.
"Ow…" She reached up her hand, her head was throbbing, and according to the red on her fingers, it was still bleeding.
The bastard!
She expressed such a dislike as she shucked off Lex and stood to her feet, ignoring the way the colours wobbled in her vision. She paced between the two guards who were each trying to get her to sit back down. "The bastard knocked me unconscious!" she spat. "He hit me with my own fucking gun!" Lex chuckled and sat back on the couch she had rose from, his eyes watching her rage. "Not only that, but he still got the files." She was more thinking aloud than actually talking to anyone, but it didn't stop the guards flinching in terror as her voice rose with the increasing temper. "Yeah, well good luck to the little fucker to get in them." She heaved out a sigh through clenched teeth. "Bastard!" she repeated. Lex chuckled again, rising and putting his hands on her tense shoulders.
"Language Chloe. Everything's safe, and you're alright, which is all that matters."
"Alright?" she hissed, adding a curse under her breath in Spanish. Lex smiled at her way around swearing, letting her shrug him off and start her pacing again. "I have a gash across my head, a splitting headache and a cut across my arm from that bastard. Everything is not alright. My face is meant to be forgettable. No-one forgets the chic that's been bust up." Another stream of Spanish flew sickly sweet from her lips. "That bastard ruined my career!" she hissed, turning back to Lex. She was vaguely aware she was only half dressed before 3 men, but really, her care was with her anger, not her amount of clothing.
"I've already called my doctor and he'll be over here as soon as possible. I assume you had a chance to plant a tracking software in my files."
Like she'd suddenly been struck by a viciously dark great idea she sped off to fetch her laptop then flew back down, stealing his computer chair and hooking the two computer systems together. Lex had already watched the surveillance video so he knew how it had gone down, every… last… piece. He understood Chloe's anger. But what he didn't understand was why Green Arrow, a.k.a, 'the bastard' as Chloe now insisted upon referring to him, had lifted her unconscious form and settled it on the couch while Lex had been left where he fell. Maybe the bastard had feelings for his woman, feelings more than just in his sex drive… Arrow would soon get his due though, probably more from Chloe than he intended. Next time it would be shoot to kill, no chit chat. She was right that he'd pay… no-one scarred his Chloe. She was his. Those files he could forgive, but he had his assassin one speed dial away for when the location came to him.
Chloe was muttering in Spanish again, then flipped back to English for a few words. "…Thinks he's so smart, stealing with his leather and green and bows." More Spanish, then suddenly. "Who doesn't like guns?" she hissed to herself much to Lex's delight. Maybe he should let Chloe free with a knife on her assailant when he was captured. "He's dead when I find his location. So very dead." she continued to mutter.
"I'll make sure." Lex spoke behind her, making her jump slightly. "Which files did he take?"
"All of them." She smiled triumphantly. Clearly Lex had missed something, she explained when she saw his expression. "There's no way he could have disabled all the trackers in each of those tiny cells by now. Hang on… how long was I out?"
"Around half an hour." She switched to Spanish again for a curse then came back.
"Okay, so assuming he's got above average intelligence he'll have probably worked out there's something else in there, which means some might have been disabled. Even then he could be too busy celebrating not to think to disarm my little surprises." She breathed out a laugh, loosing Lex again.
"Chloe… care to share?"
"Okay, so you know you told me to put in a few extra's to make sure we could track any thief copying the files. Well, me being so superb, I went above and beyond the call of duty. Not only can we activate a trace, but the system they upload them too will be crawling with incurable viruses if they even attempt to delete the tracking software without disabling it first. So with the amount of files and necessary time to wipe them clean, there should be a few million bites loaded with juice for us." Chloe grinned and translated. "Basically, there's no way to read the files, or any files if they try to outsmart us. We've won as long as nothing happens to me within the next hour." she added with a grin.
"I love it when you get smart on me." he praised.
"It's a burden to love me so much isn't it?" She smiled wittily.
"Get me a location and maybe you'll find something to make it worth your while."
"Oh Lex. Being in your presence is more than enough for my reward." she teased and flashed her finger across the keyboard. Her fingertips were tingling from so much contact with the keys at such speed. "Satellite is looking for current location." she updated him. "It'll find us first, then next jump to them." Lex watched as the globe on the screen kept zooming closer and closer. Finally it sat on his mansion. Keys tapped again and it flew back to space. Lex poured himself some bourbon and watched Chloe from the cabinet. His eyebrow rose in interest as her curses flew from English to Spanish then back again, her fingers busy again, hammering like mad. "Whoever he's got working for him knows what he's doing. He's not only re-routing the tracer but he's trying to attack back at our end."
"Can you fix it?" Chloe didn't laugh at his anti-technology terminology, like she normally would. Instead she clenched and unclenched her fingers before letting them fly again.
"I can do more than that. I can piggyback his leads, jump onto a flowing viral and get a location." More tense seconds passed. Chloe was getting agitated, ignorant of the blood slowly trickling down from the cut. Lex held up a hand to stop the advance of the doctor who had arrived and desperately wanted to treat her. He wanted the location before anything else happened. His fingers touched across the mobile in his pocket, ready to dial. "Here we go." she spoke finally. "10 seconds before we find out where these bastards live." Lex made his way to her, his hand on the back of the computer chair. She was dancing in her seat, watching the files fly past and narrow down the grid of search to find her location.
"Fuck!" She shot up from the chair, a red alert box on the screen. The progress died.
"Chloe?"
"He unplugged." she hissed. "The bastards gave in and unplugged." It should have been a high that they saw her as that much of a threat to physically yank the plug from the socket, but she was severely disappointed, she had failed. Her head turned dizzy, the colours blurring. Lex caught her with one arm to stabilize her. With the other he dialled his security team giving them the search radius Chloe had narrowed. It was a long shot, but he was somewhere in that area.
Oliver just turned around, hearing the whirr die, the tapping of the keyboard stop suddenly. Victor had the plug in his hand, yanked from the wall, his body strewn across the floor in a sweat.
Oliver rose an eyebrow.
"Any reason you just ripped the cable out?" Oliver asked, trying to catch up.
"Yeah." Vic breathed and dropped to the floor exhausted. "Whoever is working for Lex knows what he's doing with computers. We were 2 seconds from being busted. It was either a complete wipe, or emergency shutdown. I chose the latter, but in my own way. I believe I just saved our asses. Again."
"You couldn't just fling his computer voodoo back at him again like before?" Bart asked.
"You know nothing to do with computers do you?"
"I know you shouldn't drink lemonade while sitting on one. Especially if it's likely you're going to get a shock and spill it all over…" Bart trailed off. It was still a sour spot with the boys. It wasn't his fault… he didn't expect to be scared by the movie. It was a PG for god's sake. In his further defence, that woman shouldn't have been earwigging and hiding behind that door, it was just wrong.
"Clearly Lex has an inside guy working technology for him. Fast fingered and got a wild temper with what he pulled on me." Vic continued like Bart hadn't just massively pissed him off.
"I wouldn't go so far to say it was a guy." Oliver replied, suddenly piecing her presence with Lex. "There's a feisty blonde camping out in the Luthor Mansion that was a little more than peeved at me jacking the computer."
"We got our asses handed to us and an entire computer system fried by a feisty blonde?" Bart fell to the sofa. "We suck." he concluded.
Time passed as it would have naturally, but in Chloe's world everything was much slower.
Days were boring, hours were tedious, minutes were slow and aching, seconds were just torturously mocking her.
Lex had taken to giving her what she'd like to think of as 'the silent treatment'. But, it wasn't the silence that annoyed her, silence with Lex was mostly comfortable, and he wasn't exactly silent… he would answer her questions and set her small tasks. But it was the insultingly small tasks that annoyed her, it was the short answers as replies to her. It was the yes or no response to everything she could need. Lex passed her from guard to guard to be kept busy, he made her jobs so tedious it could only be considered punishment to be kept as far from him as he desired. They'd eat separately, they'd barely see each other unless by accident, and it bothered her something fierce.
But she knew she deserved it, she failed him.
She knew from the very second after Arrow had pulled the plug. She knew from the one handed stabilizing of her swaying world. She knew from the hand off to his doctor, the way he nodded and ordered her care to be done in her own room, the way his fingers tightened around the mobile before it was set solidly on the desk in anger.
But she deserved his anger, she deserved the brush off, deserved the pissed glare hitting the deepest core of her dark soul. If only she was faster, if only she had been stronger, if only she hadn't tasted the lips of that… that… Her brain supplied the word 'Prince', the anger spoke only 'Bastard'. If only she had put a bullet in him when she had the chance, it would all be over, she'd be a few million richer and a few billion smiles happier living far away from Lex and his sullen silence.
In memory of the event her fingers traced the smooth skin where the scar once sat. She stared at the tired eyes in the mirror, she looked exactly as she did when she started working with Lex; pathetic, out of luck and out of life. But there was her beauty still, the shitty tablets had been cooked up in Lex's lab and apart from some funky tasting side effects they had done the job better than she expected, her face would be forgettable again, it would be flirtatiously inviting, it would be anything she wanted, but yet she didn't seem to care. Her arm had healed as well, making her 100% workable. Lex had, of course , put her through her paces with sparring training again, making sure to instruct her fighters to grab her from behind like Arrow had done. It had become a silent agreement to not speak about that night. Lex mentioned nothing of the kiss, and she forgot all about her research into the jewellery. She couldn't even look at the internet page without remembering the 'event', so she concluded it a dead end and moved on.
But as much as she could file away the research, her mind would not let go of that kiss. What was it that held so tight? Was it the criminal side that had her hooked? Was it the risk, the danger, the flow of adrenaline racing her body? Was it the mask? The thrill of kissing a stranger?
But more importantly, why did this masked bastard give her more tingles up her spine with a whisper to her ear than the thought of spending the day in bed with a man like Lex?
It didn't matter, she berated herself. He would be un-masked, he would be delivered to Lex. Arrow was her ticket to freedom. Criminals deserved to be locked up and off the streets, and he was nothing but a criminal. Breaking and entry could start his list, assault was another party favour. Lex had told her about his bombs in his labs, his attacks on the city, his petty crimes on the street, and clearly he enjoyed stealing. He stole lab equipment, he stole computer data, he stole files… he stole kisses…
No, she should not be thinking about that! Again she corrected her own behaviour, shaping it how Lex wanted, and how she wanted to be. She couldn't be lip locked with the enemy, it was bad enough she shared a bed with Lex's dark secrets, at least Lex came out a knight and not a convict. She should focus on Lex, the faster she solved this issue with Arrow the faster she could leave her life behind here.
With mental determination she pushed to her feet and straightened out her clothing. She was going to see progress today. Firstly, you must know your target. She ignored the secret thrill of studying Arrow in depth and put her head high to make her way to the second level of Lex's study where he kept his sporting books. Archery was just a hobby after all.
So there she was, 8am with hair piled atop her head in a mess with books all around her in Lex's empty study. Unaware of the danger around the corner.
"No. I don't care for your excuses." Chloe's muscles locked at the sound of Lex's angry tone. If he was in a bad mood, he wouldn't really want to see her, especially not with such a mess in his area. "I don't pay you for failure!" The door beneath her slammed open and Lex stormed through.
On instinct Chloe hid, her back against the bookcase, her breathing silent, her brain in panic. "If I wanted to know what- No. I don't. I expect more." Lex paced a few more steps.
She could hardly get up and walk out, he'd know she'd already been listening. Her only option as to stay silent until he left again, she didn't want to test his temper when he was already screaming down the mobile. "I hired you because you said this process was entirely possible. I hired you because you swore you'd be able to correct the mistakes my last researcher found,"
Chloe closed her eyes, silently praying he wouldn't see her and turn his anger onto her. "Let me remind you doctor, your daughters' education can be memorable either way. Good or bad, it means nothing to me. Get me results." Her eyes opened as the mobile hit the desk, silence vibrated around the room, shredding her with a cold chill.
Lex sighed heavily and threw himself into his office chair. No, she was stuck here, there was no way she could leave now. She watched silently, trying to work herself a plan out.
Suddenly Lex's eyes clicked up. Had he seen her? Heard her? How mad was he? "Yes?" he voiced with anger.
Her heart thundered in her chest.
What could she say?
Quick, think!
"Mr Queen is on his way in." A breath rushed out of her as she recognised the voice of one of his security team.
"Is he?"
"Apologies sir, he insisted it was important." Lex waved off the guard and logged off his computer system speedily. Mr Queen: the billionaire? What business would he have with Lex? Her curiosity let her lean forwards, closer to the banister.
"Lex!" The door beneath her burst open and a blonde male flooded from it. She stayed out of sight, her eyes peering around curiously to watch the scene play.
"Oliver." Lex replied with a practiced calm, and stood, but offered no comfort drink or seat to his visitor. "I can't say I was expecting the visit."
"Cut the crap." Oliver Queen ordered and paced heavily across the floor, slamming objects from his closed fist onto the glass table. Chloe shuddered at the thought of Lex's temper if the glass would have broken. "What's this?" Naturally, Chloe leaned forward, but the objects were far past her field of vision.
"Honestly Oliver, if your optometrist isn't dealing properly, I can reco-"
"I don't have patience to play your games Lex." Queen's shoulders were strong and tense. Possibly he was as angry as Lex.
Lex sighed and picked up one of the parts for examination.
"It looks like a microphone." he spoke calmly. Chloe felt guilt and shame drown her again. This was the second time she'd failed Lex. How could it get worse? Would she be kicked out of the mansion? Moved downstairs to where Lionel had kept her? She hoped not.
"Really? Because I see corporate espionage." Through her worry something struck her; why was the voice so familiar? She knew nothing of Oliver Queen except his office plant desperately needed better care before it gave in with life.
"And naturally, you come charging in to see me. You're sourly mistaken to think I'd need to steal ideas from you. Now if I'd found one in my office, I'd have probable cause to assume you were behind it."
"Damn it Lex. I've got footage of your company car." Chloe felt her face grow red. Could this get any worse for her?
"My car went past your building and you presume I'm spying on you."
"I know you are."
"Circumstantial." Lex actually looked like he was enjoying the verbal sparring.
"I've seen people jailed with less." Oliver back lashed. The trust fund kid had backbone; she could appreciate that… and admire it.
"You're more than welcome to challenge my lawyers if you wish. But if I was you I'd be less rash with my finances." There was a pause, a small slight break where you could see the 'and what's that supposed to mean?' float in the air. Neither seemed to avoid it, yet it wasn't answered.
"This isn't some school prank Lex. I have important confidential conversations stolen."
"And I have important time wasted the longer you stay here with your false accusations. You need better security checks, possibly a private detective. There's nothing I can do." Lex circled Oliver like a predatory shark finding a source of blood. Slowly Oliver turned as well, his face revealed to her.
Chloe felt her expression drop, then slowly everything clicked. She had seen that pixelated man before. She had seen those shoulders before. She'd heard that voice before. Jonas. Looks like she wasn't the only one with a secret identity.
"This isn't the last you'll hear of this Lex."
"I hope not." he agreed. "If someone's coming after your business, it'll only be a matter of time before they realise it's not worth it and turn to mine. Thank you for the heads up." Lex opened the door and waited as Oliver met his stare, then stormed past him.
Chloe waited patiently, a hand over her heart, listening to the clicks of the doors. Waiting until after Lex had led Oliver far enough away, she sprang into action to leave. Just as her feet touched the wooden floors the doors opened again and Lex stepped back through. He rose an eyebrow at her. But she covered quickly.
"I was just looking for you." Before she could make up a reason why, he took her elbow and led her to the sofa none too gently.
"I have new work." he started hard and controlled. Once he saw her settle into the cushions he made his way over to pour himself a drink. A strong one. One sip taken and he wasn't dying. Another and he kept breathing. No-one had poisoned it. Yet. He came back over and sat opposite her. "You'll be keeping Queen distracted for the next few months."
"I'm doing what?" She would have spit out her drink if she had one.
"Keep him busy, whatever your mind conjures. I really don't care. Just don't give him so much as a second to sit and think." Her smile tugged alive. Payback for Queen's little lie. Sure she'd lied worse, but she was paying every day of her life.
"Pray tell… why am I doing this?" Not that it mattered, but she wanted to know. Besides, she was back on safe footing with Lex. He was giving her something worth while, she could tell from the desperation hiding in his face.
"There's a pharmaceutical industries that's going bust and will be available-"
"And you want Queen busy so you can swoop in and steal it out from under him?" she finished for him. Lex grinned his evil grin. It was the type of grin you'd find in a Disney movie as the villain twirls his moustache ends. The type of grin that made mothers lock away their daughters and arm their sons. The type of grin that could never mean anything good.
"No." He took another sip of the poison, still refusing to fall over dead. "Quite the opposite. It seems if you dig deep enough and do thorough research you'll find a few too many lawsuits in the woodwork that make it beyond worthless. I need Queen's research to be enough so he buys it-"
"But not enough so he finds creepy crawlies." She tried again to finish, this time successfully. "I don't even want to know your need for this, but if I get to mess around with a billionaire's life for a while you can count me in."
Her smile was back. Lex wanted her again, she could prove redemption for her earlier failings. "When do I start?"
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I'm REALLY liking Chloe/Arrow banter, it makes me so happy. I'm guessing you'll be quite excited about Chloe/Oliver too, but that will be more of a slow burn, whereas GA/Chloe will be fast and fierce. Maybe the fast and fierce calls more to me, I don't know, we'll see how it goes when I type it up.
Okay, so question time:
Q: Do people from Chloe's past know anything?
A: Lionel gave her the option of either faking her death, or telling everyone she was bouncing around the world on employment. She chose the latter, however, no-one's been able to find her and ofc Clark and Lois will never give in looking for her.
Q:Did Chloe tell Lex she'd met GA in the alley?
A:Not exactly, you can make up what happened, but the way I see it, he was too angry at the security failing to pick up the full story other than words like GA and Arm, or knife. He wasn't really paying attention to her when she told him as his first priority was to discipline rather than soothe and listen to a woman's pain. (Basically, Lex is a jackass who pretends to value Chloe when he really doesn't.)
Q: Write more please
(yes, i know it's not exactly a question)
A: It will be coming but i cannot make promises of time. On the positive side i've taken the first semester exams so i'm alot less stressed. I also have the xmas hols at home with nothing to do but watch movies and prat around on my laptop (i LOVE my laptop, it's SO much better than my computer) so maybe some more work will be done to steam ahead. I DO have the rest of the story all planned out (all except the conclusion) and it looks like it will be another long-ish one. If you want a quick thrill i'll refer you to my previous short story 'A hero's work' which is also Chloe/Oliver, or i recommend you have a browse at the other amazing authors on here :D
Thank you for reading. I look forward to hearing your comments.
Xx.