Want, Take, Have (NC-17) (complete)

[Not An Addict]

Title: Want, Take, Have
Author: Not An Addict
Rating: NC-17
Category: Why isn’t smut a category? Ah well. General/Romance, I suppose, along with some angst, and a whooooole lot of smut. ^_~
Pairing: Chloe/Lex
Spoilers: Nicodemus, Rush
Summary: Kris’ challenge. A trip to Cadmus Labs brings a return of Bad!Chloe, with interesting consequences for Lex.
Disclaimer: If I owned ‘Smallville’ or its characters, things like this would happen all the time and they’d have to switch stations to HBO. You just can’t show this kind of thing on network television. ^_~ Which brings us to our WARNING: my characterization of Bad!Chloe called for an upped rating. If you are offended by sexual content or strong language, you really ought to turn around and forget you ever saw this fic. If you don’t . . . well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Author’s Note: Well, I have to say I’m flattered that Kris gave me a smut challenge instead of keeping it for herself. ^_~ I hope I’ve done you proud, Kris. And I'm caving to your demands and, against my better judgement, posting the first chapter even though the story isn't finished. OK, in case anyone’s wondering, the elements were:
1. Must have the lyrics to Take Me to the Backseat by The Donnas
2. the words: purple, butterfinger, and stupid
3. and a mention of clark in context with comic books (some kind of reference to the comics)





A beam of light cut through the darkened lab, sweeping over luminous jars and stark white cabinets. A moment later Chloe lowered her flashlight, remembering to keep the light low to avoid detection. ‘Wow, déjà vu,’ she thought as she poked around. Her mind flitted back to a couple of years ago, when she had broken in to Dr. Hamilton’s lab. Of course, Pete had been with her then. And Cadmus Labs was a far cry from the run-down barn that the good doctor had been working out of. And the jars this time weren’t containing living specimens of previously extinct plants, but flesh-colored worms floating in discolored formaldehyde, composing a macabre collection that Chloe would rather not examine too closely. Every time she thought of one of those things inside of her she felt a wave of nausea pass through her and she had to fight against the irrational urge to claw at her skin, trying to dislodge something that was long gone.

A flicker of movement had her whipping around, swinging her flashlight in haphazard arcs as she tried to locate the source of the movement. She caught herself a moment later and as she laughed at herself, tried to calm her pounding heart. She was making herself nervous, something she was prone to do with her wild imagination.

‘There’s nothing there,’ she assured herself. ‘This place has a massive security system, and you only disabled it long enough for you to get inside. Just relax, get what you came here to get, and get out again.’ With this mantra running through her head, Chloe swept her eyes over the array of lab equipment, trying to find something of interest to photograph. A year after she had been infected, it was rumored that Cadmus Labs had made a breakthrough in studying the parasitic worms. The scientists at the lab had been willing to grant her an interview—after all, she was one of the only two people infected to have survived—but had refused to actually let her into the lab. Consequently, she was unable to get any pictures to accompany her article. That was why she was there—she was bound and determined to get some kind of photographic evidence.

The beam of her flashlight passed over a large glass tank; a second later she swept it back, her eyes caught on the sign posted nearby.

::CAUTION! LIVE SPECIMINES::

“Live . . .” Swallowing down an instinctive fear, Chloe edged closer to the tank. It was filled with large clusters of rocks, presumably the parasite’s preferred habitat. Chloe angled her light and stepped closer still, trying to detect any trace of movement from within the rocks. A picture of a preserved parasite would be adequate, but one of the living parasites was something no other reporter had; it might even get her article into the Daily Planet. She took another step closer . . . closer . . . she was about to circle around the tank to look in from a different angle when a noise behind her had her jumping out of her skin.

A glance at the floor revealed the source of the noise—when she had leaned forward, her bag had brushed against a stack of file folders and sent the top one tumbling to the ground. Chloe stooped down next to the lab station to retrieve the scattered papers. Inches from where her flashlight beam had been the small hole in the glass of the tank remained unnoticed.

“Tests inconclusive . . . unknown origin . . . well, this is supremely useless,” she grumbled as she stuffed papers back into the folder. She stood, and the skittering feeling on the back of her neck barely had time to register before a sharp, familiar pain pierced her skin.

Chloe took a stumbling step and the world seemed to spin around her as the first flood of adrenaline hit her system. The dizziness abated quickly, and with each deep breath she took the rush grew, until her blood was fairly singing with it. ‘Oh God, yes.’ How could she have forgotten this feeling? How could she have denied herself this overwhelming sense of freedom? Her life before was a hazy, out of focus chore that had suddenly sharpened into crystalline clarity.

She was powerful. She was invulnerable. She was alive.

Overwhelmed by the need to go out and do, she was insensible of the other person in the room with her until a hand on her shoulder made her scream and spin around. When she saw who was standing there she began to laugh, reveling in the fresh stream of adrenaline pumping through her body.

“God, you scared me to death.” Lex raised an eyebrow.

“And do you always laugh so much after a near-death experience, Miss Sullivan?”

“Only when they’re that much fun,” she grinned. Her gaze traveled over the length of his body, absorbing the impact of Lex Luthor standing before her in all his glory. Black dress pants, deep purple silk shirt, black trench coat—practically the Lex Luthor uniform. It suited him, though, and Chloe would be the first to admit it. Chloe felt a familiar rush of attraction and wondered briefly why she had never acted on it before. Just imagining those long-fingered, elegant hands on her was already making her hot. She wanted him; there was no denying that. And Chloe was tired of not getting what she wanted.

“So formal, Lex. Miss Sullivan? You haven’t called me that since we first met.”

“I’m generally more formal with people I find breaking and entering,” Lex smirked, doing his best to ignore the way she had said his name, the way she had rolled it around on her tongue as though savoring the taste of it. “What are you doing here?” An enigmatic smile tugged at Chloe’s lips.

“Picking out a Prom dress. I was thinking something in blue; think they’ll have my size here?”

“Not pink this time? Won’t Clark be disappointed?” Lex was slightly taken aback when Chloe’s eyes hardened at his words.

“Who said anything about Clark?” she snapped. As her temper continued to simmer at a slow boil, she shrugged off her shoulder bag. Tossing it onto the lab station’s counter along with the file she still held, she hopped up next to it and fought to train her features into a look of calm disdain. “My feelings for him are so over.”

“Is that right?” He skimmed a glance over her body as she sat perched on the countertop, his eyes snagging only briefly on the cleavage revealed as she leaned forward. “And what happened to the girl who dreamed that Clark would forget his infatuation with a certain fairy princess and notice what was right in front of him?”

“She grew up.” Despite her better intentions, Chloe’s eyes snapped with suppressed irritation. “Clark Kent is too busy burying his head in the sand to make up his mind about anything, and I’m sick of waiting.” Chloe slid to her feet in one lithe movement, moving closer to Lex and regarding him through her lashes as a secret smile played along her lips. “I prefer a man who’s decisive about what he wants. One who’ll do whatever it takes to get it.” When she was a step away from him she veered aside, her tone turning breezy. “Besides, I need someone who’s as interested in finding the truth as I am, and let’s face it, Clark just doesn’t fit the bill.”

“Last I heard he was considering journalism as a career,” Lex mentioned. The look Chloe had been giving him had sent his blood rushing to places it had no business being where Chloe Sullivan was concerned. Clark Kent was the safest topic he could think of to keep his mind off of some of the more inappropriate dreams he had been having about her lately.

“Clark? A reporter?” Amused disbelief laced Chloe’s voice as she turned back to Lex, her expression revealing just how ridiculous she found the suggestion. “Journalism takes passion. Clark’s way too blasé about the whole thing. I mean, who ever heard of a mild-mannered reporter?” Lex grinned at that, and Chloe couldn’t help but notice how sexy he looked when he grinned. She started to advance on him once again, secretly pleased when the grin left his face to be replaced by a wary look. “But why are we talking about Clark? I mean, here we are, alone . . . in the dark . . .” Chloe stopped in front of him, tilting her head as she ran her gaze over his body once more. “Don’t you think there are better things we could be doing?”

“Chloe, are you feeling all right?” Damn, his voice had come out much hoarser than he’d expected. He couldn’t let her see the effect she was having on him, no matter how many “better things” his mind was willing to come up with. She met his question with a slow, seductive smile, obviously not fooled by his efforts to hide his arousal.

“Me? I feel fantastic.” Her voice was practically a purr as she spoke, lingering over the words as if she were savoring the taste. “I love the city. It’s so freeing, so liberating. Small-town life isn’t for us, Lex.” She began to circle him, slowly, a predator deciding whether to toy with its prey or simply swallow it whole. “You must’ve felt it there. All those eyes constantly watching you, judging you. No real privacy. It’s stifling. You have your role that you’re expected to fill, and if you don’t play along then God help you.” She was back in front of him now, closer than before, and her eyes were locked onto his with a kind of hypnotic intensity. “But here, in the city . . . Even you could probably disappear into a crowd for at least a few minutes. Such incredible anonymity.” Her gaze dropped to his lips, and without conscious thought he allowed his to do the same, saw as her pink tongue flicked out to moisten the soft flesh. Her voice was lower now, husky as she slowly leaned towards him. “You can really be yourself . . . you can do . . . the things you’ve always wanted to . . .”

She pressed her lips to his, a small moan escaping her. God, he tasted better than she had expected. She felt him standing rigid, knew that soon he would back away, tell her that it was wrong. Well, she couldn’t have that. One quick, subtle movement had her pressed up against him, soft curves against the hard planes of his body as her mouth worked on his, nibbling and licking until she felt him responding despite himself. Her movements grew bolder; small hands crept up his chest and her kiss grew deeper, more demanding. Without conscious thought Lex’s hands came to rest on her hips, his fingers softly kneading the flesh there. Sharp teeth nipped his bottom lip before she sucked it into her mouth, and a stifled groan escaped him at the sensation. Chloe took the opportunity to slip between his lips, and it was the first touch of her tongue against his that snapped Lex back to reality. He stepped back, breaking the kiss and her hold on him. Hazel eyes, hazy with lust and frustration, snapped open to stare at him.

“Chloe, this isn’t right.” She rolled her eyes; he really had been hanging out with Clark too much. “I don’t know what’s wrong, what happened,” Lex continued, “but this isn’t you.”

“Weren’t you listening, Lex?” Chloe snapped out. “This is me. The me that gets stifled every day in that stupid little cow town. You know what they say—character is how you behave when you think no one’s watching.” She let her gaze slide over him, her eyes filled with disdain. “But if you don’t think you’re man enough to handle it, I’ll just be on my way. I have better things to do than waste my time here.” She shrugged on her shoulder bag and retrieved the file from where she tossed it, more out of habit than anything else. As she was breezing past Lex she felt his hand grip her arm, halting her steps. She turned to look at him, saw his eyes staring into hers.

“Chloe,” he said, his voice low and slightly rough. Her gaze remained locked with his, waiting for his touch, needing to feel his mouth on hers again; she felt her body shifting slightly towards him, willing him to continue. “The file.”

Chloe blinked once, twice, before his words registered. Heat blazed in her eyes and she jerked her arm from his grip, taking a step backwards as her eyes glared daggers at him. Then her eyes lightened, sparkling with a mischievous light. She smoothly extended her hand, offering him the file without a word. Lex glanced from her face to the file and back again, his eyes suspicious. Sure enough, just before his fingers closed around the file Chloe let her grip loosen and the folder tumbled to the floor, spilling papers across the slickly waxed linoleum.

“Oops,” Chloe smiled sweetly, lifting her shoulders in an apologetic shrug. “Butterfingers.”

With one last irritated glance Lex stooped to gather the papers back into the folder. Even without bothering to replace them in any kind of order, it still took almost a minute to gather all of the papers from where they had slid across the floor. By the time he stood again Chloe was no longer standing where she had been when he had started; in fact, he learned as he turned in a quick circle, scanning the room around him, she was no longer anywhere in sight. Suspicion grew again in his mind, and he glanced through a few of the papers he had gathered. Scanning the information he saw that there was nothing there that was even potentially useful or interesting.

“Shit,” he bit off. He had just been played.

Lex tossed the file back on the counter and strode out of the room, his irritation rising with every step, and at least half of it directed at himself. He was angry that he had let her get away before she told him how she had gotten in; angry that he had fallen for such an obvious ploy; and mostly angry that he had been stupid enough to stop that kiss.

Even if it had only been a diversionary tactic, the result had been the same. Chloe had finally been in his arms, a sensation he had never hoped to feel outside of his fevered imagination. She had been molded against him, hot and pliant and willing. He should’ve kept her there, kissed her for all he was worth instead of pushing her away. Why in God’s name had he done that?

‘Because you know the kiss was wrong,’ his conscience spoke up.

Yeah, well being wrong felt pretty damn good. It sure as hell felt better than pushing her away.

‘It was the right thing to do,’ it insisted. ‘She wasn’t kissing you because she wanted you—she was kissing you to throw your mind off of finding her there.’

So? Why should he care if she were only kissing him to stay out of trouble? It wasn’t as if he had ever had a problem in the past with women not only wanting him for his own sake.

‘She’s different. Chloe deserves better than that, better than to have a panicked decision taken advantage of. She should be with someone who cares about her.’

I care about her.

The revelation stopped Lex short for a moment. He did care about her; of course he did. Over the years, Chloe had become his friend. It was only natural to care about your friends. And he might not be used to caring about the women he was attracted to, but it was certainly no cause for the cold clenching in his stomach that the revelation caused. He shrugged away the feeling and turned the corner, realizing that while he had been absorbed in his inner monologue he had managed to work his way farther into the building instead of following Chloe towards the exit. There was no way he would be able to catch up with Chloe now; he would have to wait until morning to track her down. Her summer internship at the Planet had ended several weeks ago—not that he was keeping tabs on her—so she was likely only in Metropolis for the weekend. If he couldn’t find her in the next two days he could always wait and confront her back in Smallville.

Feeling slightly more confident, Lex began to navigate the twisting hallways back towards the exit. He was halfway there before he reached into his pocket for his car keys—and stopped short. His eyes narrowed and he began to search throughout his other pockets. It was no use; his keys were gone, along with his wallet.

“Damn it!” His shout echoed through the empty halls as he spun in a useless circle, his breathing heavy as he glared around for something to take his frustration out on. That little thief had stolen his wallet, his keys, and unless she was much dimmer than he gave her credit for, most likely his car as well. Lex began to run towards the front doors, his long legs eating up the ground as he nurtured the slim hope that perhaps she hadn’t left quite yet. Luck wasn’t on his side, however; bursting through the front door that Chloe had been kind enough to leave unlocked, Lex found only bare black asphalt in the space where his car used to be.

His jaw clenched as he rode out the surge of anger that hit him; and he had thought those anger management classes wouldn’t do him any good. The need to pound on something past, Lex found himself almost chuckling with admiration. It took a hell of a lot of guts to steal from him, and Chloe had pulled it off flawlessly. Well, his plans to track her down in the morning would have to be pushed up. Pulling out his cell phone—Lex gave a quick thanks that she had at least left him with that—he quickly dialed the number for one of Metropolis’ many cab companies. That done, Lex leaned back against the wall to wait, the gears of his mind turning as he worked out his plan to find the diminutive blonde. He remembered Chloe had a cousin here in the city and figured she was probably staying with her; it wouldn’t take long to find out where this cousin lived and track her down. And when he finally caught up with Chloe . . .

A wicked grin curled up his mouth. It was time to show Chloe Sullivan that teasing Lex Luthor was not something you just walked away from.

TBC . . .

[dsapiro]

Ooo, this looks like a great story. Lex'll show her... :devil:

[AlwaysPretending]

Alright! Great start - I can't wait to see what happens when Lex catchs up with Chloe :)

Kerry

[scifichick774]

Yeah baby! I know I already reviewed, but this is such a fantastic start, I had to review again. ;)
Loving it! Please, please post more soon!

[NightGlow]

That was awesome! I am soooooo intrigued. I hope you update soon because the suspense is going to drive me nuts!

[hfce]

please please more :biggrin:


Hope ;)

[Gemini]

Write more- pleeeaaase!

*dies of curiosity*

*comes back to life and asks for an update*

[petriebird18]

MORE!!!!!!!! :biggrin: (ahem) i hope this fic will be updated again soon, like as soon as you read this ;) so i can have lot's more chlexy goodness! Hmmm, i wonder what will happen next.......
~Deidre~
:chlexsign3:

[Tandy]

I can't wait till Lex gets her! LOL Update soon please! :biggrin:
Tandy

[sydsvaughn]

Love it, love it, love it! Unleash Lex... I can't wait! I'm so loving this story!

Sara

[Catheryne]

Ohhh this is so amazing! Just what I needed. I am craving smut now. lol

I can't wait to see how Lex deals with this exciting Chloe.

Love your narrative btw. Once again, amazing sentence construction. Everything shows the scene without telling straight out. ... And dammit why am I talking like this?

[Sway]

i've said it once, i'll say it again, I LOVE BAD CHLOE. she's awesome.

great chappy, please update soon... like now??

:blinkkiss: Sway

[Carina]

What a great beginning. :biggrin: I already adore this story and can't wait to see what Lex does to get his revenge.

[Not An Addict]

For disclaimer, etc. see Ch. 1


A/N: This chapter goes out to Sabby, who requested that Lex’s car be neither a Porsche nor a Ferrari. Since the Aston Martin is pretty much sex on wheels, I figured I’d have it make a guest appearance. Plus, I kind of like the idea of a Bond Chloe. ^_~ Also a warning, the language gets harsher in this chapter, so if you’re offended by bad language . . . what are you doing reading this? Honestly, people. Just turn around and leave. Now, ok, I know y’all are expecting Lex to bring it here, but . . . well . . . you know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? ^_~




Chapter Two: How to Get a Guy’s Attention





‘Idiot!’ Chloe seethed, angry steps taking her quickly out of the building. What the hell was he thinking, pushing her away like that? They were there, they were alone, they were attracted to each other. So what the fuck was the problem? Clark’s Boy Scout personality was apparently rubbing off on Lex. She had to admit, it was kind of endearing; just not when she was hoping that he would show her exactly what kinds of things he did to deserve his playboy reputation. As simple as their kiss had been, it was still enough to melt a good portion of her brain, and damn it, she wanted more. She wanted his hands on her, wanted his mouth back on hers. Damn, now she was getting all hot and bothered again.

Still fuming, Chloe stopped short when she saw Lex’s silvery Aston Martin parked directly in front of the building. Her lips curled up in a wicked smile as she fondled the keys she had lifted from Lex’s pocket. She hadn’t really intended to do anything with them when she had taken them, had simply gotten a thrill pick pocketing Lex Luthor. But now . . . now she had different ideas.

Subtle was out. She had tried being subtle for years, first with Clark and then with the handful of others she had dated since. When you were subtle, you got ignored. Chloe was fucking tired of subtle. Lex Luthor was going to notice her, and he was going to notice her now.

She bit her lip as she opened the driver’s side door. Maybe this was too much. As she slipped behind the wheel, however, she was rewarded with a flood of adrenaline; her heart sped up and her body tightened in anticipation. No, this was good. Screw her inhibitions, screw the consequences. Nothing could touch her now.

Chloe turned the key and the engine roared to life; it was like being inside a living thing, surrounded by power and the heady scent of Lex. God, just the smell of him was enough to turn her on, and she was suddenly bombarded with images of Lex pounding mercilessly into her as she screamed out his name again and again. She did her best to steady herself with a shaky breath. All in good time. First, it was time for a little game of hide and seek.

The car eased into the street, and Chloe was amazed at how responsive it was. She allowed herself a brief moment to wonder if Lex would be as responsive to her attentions, visualized the way his muscles would move under her hands, under her mouth. No, if she didn’t stop this now she was going to end up turning the car around and simply pouncing on Lex. While that idea certainly had its appeal, she wanted to draw out the anticipation just a little while longer.

Her mood vastly improved, she smiled to herself. Honestly, she hadn’t expected Lex to actually fall for such a pathetically simple ruse. She chuckled to herself as she sped through the city, weaving in and out of traffic with abandon. ‘Butterfingers,’ she chuckled again. ‘Mmm, Butterfingers . . . that sounds really good, actually . . .’ Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the large neon sign of a BP gas station, complete with “Quik Convenience Mart.” Turning sharply to the right Chloe dodged through two lanes, swinging the car to a sharp halt as the sound of screeching brakes echoed behind her. Ignoring the sound with a practiced ease, Chloe hopped out of the car and headed inside.

The cashier, a young man chewing steadily on a large wad of gum, barely glanced up as she made her way to the candy aisle. ‘Mmm, candy.’ No sooner than the treat was in her hand, however, than Chloe was hit with a sinking feeling that threatened to destroy her delicious high. “Damn,” she muttered, reaching into her bag for her wallet. A quick look confirmed what she had feared—she was dead broke. “Damn it!” she muttered again, louder this time, earning her a quick glance from the cashier. One glare from Chloe had the acne-faced young man quickly averting his gaze again, and Chloe angrily shoved the wallet back into her bag. As she did, the backs of her fingers brushed against a bit of soft leather; her fingers ran over it for a moment more before her face lit up with an ear-to-ear grin and she pulled Lex’s wallet out of her bag.

‘Looks like I’m not so broke after all,’ she gloated. Hell, if he was going to leave her sexually frustrated, the least he could do was buy her some chocolate to take the edge off. Rifling through the bills she saw that the smallest he had was a twenty and shrugged. After all, she was incredibly frustrated; she picked up the box of Butterfingers and walked to the counter. The young man seemed ready to say something but, apparently deciding against, it simply popped his gum and rang her up without question.

Chloe hauled her prize out of the store and slipped back into the car, tossing the box on the seat beside her. As she peeled back one of the bright yellow wrappers she let her mind wander, toying with plans before discarding them. ‘What to do next?’ she wondered, enjoying the way the taste of chocolate and peanut butter mixed on her tongue. When the idea hit it hit hard, and left no room for argument.

Dancing. Chloe wanted to go dancing.

Just the thought of dancing with Lex, pressed together on a crowded dance floor, wrapped around each other as music throbbed in the background was enough to make her moan into the still air of the car. Yes, it had to be dancing.

A glance down at her clothes had her wincing. She certainly wasn’t going to be very tempting in her current worn jeans and plain, if slightly low cut, black T-shirt. Sadly, even the clothes she had brought to go clubbing with Lois were far too subtle for her current tastes. She frowned. What she needed was a new wardrobe. But how the fuck was she supposed to pay . . . for . . .

Her hands found Lex’s wallet once more as a wicked smile stole over her face. She sat there for a moment more, stroking the supple Italian leather as she considered what she was about to do. Opening the wallet her smile grew at the sight of the neat row of gold and platinum credit cards spread out before her like Aladdin’s treasure. Surely Lex wouldn’t mind if she took a small portion of his dragon’s horde of wealth. And if he did . . . a shiver passed through her before settling between her legs in an aching throb. If he did, she would just have to make it up to him.

Chloe started up the car again and let the electric hum of excitement buzz through her veins. She had always wondered what it would be like to get everything she wanted. Tonight she was going to find out.


***********************************


It had taken longer than he had expected, but after a bit of searching Lex had managed to track down Chloe’s cousin and was currently standing outside of her apartment door. When he had discovered more about Lois Lane he had groaned—was everyone in that family a reporter? He glanced at his undercover outfit once more and tugged the baseball cap down a bit farther, hoping that it would be enough to keep Ms. Lane from recognizing him from any pictures she might have seen. Satisfied that he was as disguised as he was going to get, Lex knocked swiftly on the door; a moment later it swung open to reveal a pretty brunette with a vaguely irritated expression.

“Can I help you?” Lex flashed the girl his best winning smile.

“Lois, right? I’m a friend of Chloe’s. Is she here?” Lois crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to focus a little bit better. She had already taken her contacts out and the man’s features were slightly fuzzy.

“How do you know Chloe?”

“I’m a friend of hers from Smallville. She said I should drop by if I could make it up this weekend,” Lex lied smoothly.

Lois took in the man’s appearance in a quick appraisal. Slightly baggy jeans; tight white T-shirt under a smooth leather jacket; baseball cap; glasses. Casual but clean-cut, and he seemed harmless enough. She shrugged; Chloe could probably handle him, and if she couldn’t she knew Sam would never let anything happen to her.

“Well, she’s not here tonight,” Lois told him. “She’s staying with her friend Sam.” Lex’s jaw tightened imperceptibly at the words ‘staying with’ and a man’s name in the same sentence but stood by silently as Lois grabbed a piece of paper from the table by the door and handed it to him. “There’s the address and phone number; if you came all the way from Smallville you ought to at least see her,” she grinned.

“Thanks,” Lex said, folding the paper and tucking it into his pocket. “Have a good night.” He half turned, stopped and faced her again. “If she comes back, would you tell her that . . . Alex was looking for her?”

“Sure thing. Good luck.”

Lex heard the door close behind him as he walked back down the hall, removing the fake glasses as he went. His jaw remained clenched as he tried to fight back a surge of jealousy. ‘So she’s staying with a friend. That’s no big deal.’

Yeah, right, he scoffed. Friend. Because any man in his right mind could have a woman like that sleeping in the same house and not make a move.

‘Clark could. It’s possible.’ Lex snorted.

I said any man in his right mind. Chloe’s right—Clark’s too much of an idiot to see what’s right in front of him.

‘Chloe has every right to have male friends. Besides, it’s not as if you have any claim on her.’

The hell I don’t.

Lex slipped into the Spyder he had driven there and wrenched the engine on with a satisfying roar.

‘So what the hell are you planning to do if you do find her? Grab her by the hair and haul her back to your cave?’

An image blasted into his mind of Chloe’s naked body, arched and dripping with sweat as he hammered into her, her screams of pleasure ringing in his ears. He waited a beat, then smirked. Well, that seemed to have shut up his better judgement. Turning the volume up as high as it would go, Lex let himself drown in the throbbing bass and guitar pouring out of his speakers and set off for the address written on the sheet of paper Ms. Lane had given him.

Chloe didn’t belong with anyone else. And by the end of the night, she would know it.


************************************


Chloe couldn’t help but grin as she strolled into the small boutique near the club district. God, she had missed the city, missed being in a place where the sidewalks weren’t rolled up at eight, where you could still go shopping for the perfect outfit at nine-thirty. She perused the clothes arranged artfully in the small space, drawing the buyer in and tempting them to slip into something a little less comfortable. She was fingering a bright red tube top when she heard a voice at her elbow.

“Can I help you?”

She turned to find an attractive man, probably in his mid-twenties, she was guessing, offering her a charmingly innocent smile. Her body turned towards his and she met his deep brown eyes with a sly smile of her own.

“Well I certainly hope so . . . Trent,” she practically purred, glancing at the nametag clipped to his shirt. “I’m going dancing with my boyfriend tonight, and I just don’t have a thing to wear.” She could see his eyes glaze slightly as they dipped down to take in her body; knowing what he was imagining, she let her lips curve in a slight smirk.

“Um . . .” Trent cleared his throat quickly. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“I need something to get a guy’s attention,” she breathed, moving just a touch closer to him. “Something that will make his eyes pop out and get his blood rushing to all the right places. Something that will make sure his only thoughts are of things it’s illegal to do in public.” She tilted her head slightly, exposing a bit more of her neck. “Do you know the kind of outfit I’m talking about, Trent?”

“Yeah, I . . .” Poor Trent cleared his throat again. “I think we can help you with that.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Chloe grabbed several items off of a nearby table and handed them to him. “Be a doll and start a dressing room for me?” He took the items she offered and moved off quickly, glancing back at her and nearly running into a mannequin along the way.

With a shrewd eye Chloe moved through the store, picking up clothing meant to entice, to tease, to bring a healthy heterosexual male to the brink of death and make him beg for more. Soon she had an armload of clothing and slipped into the tiny dressing room, shimmying out of her jeans and slithering into a pair of pants that fit like a second skin, changing her plain black shirt for the red tube top she had been admiring earlier.

Exiting the room she moved immediately to the three-way mirror, noticing Trent in the reflection. Under pretence of testing her freedom of movement, Chloe began to move her hips to the beat in her head, letting the action ripple up her body in seductive, sinuous movements. Satisfied that she had caught his eye, she dipped down and rose slowly back up, her back arched and her eyes half-closed. When she turned around every male in the store was watching her; she smiled directly at Trent and ran her hands slowly over her hips, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle.

“So what do you think? Will this do it?”

Trent swallowed hard once, twice, before simply nodding. Chloe gave a small smile.

“Even so, it would probably be better to have a backup or two. I’ll just go try on a few more things.”

For the next half-hour Chloe modeled the most provocative outfits she could find, earning her withering stares from the other women in the store and appreciative ones from the men. When she finally decided that his brain had been sufficiently fried, she handed her selections to Trent to be rung up. As he scanned the tags she leaned on the counter, smiling at him each time he managed to tear his gaze from her cleavage and glance at her face. When she handed him the credit card she felt her pulse begin to race and almost shivered at the new surge of adrenaline that whipped through her. If her plan hadn’t worked she was going to be seriously screwed.

“Um,” Trent frowned, his face going a shade paler when he saw the name on the card. “I’m sorry, but we can’t honor this without permission from the cardholder.” Chloe rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

“You see? I told Lex this would happen. But no, ‘It won’t be a problem,’ he tells me. And after I’ve spent so much time shopping, too. I’m supposed to meet him at home in,” she glanced at her watch and let her shoulders fall, “twenty minutes. Now we’re going to have to come back, and I know he’s going to be upset. He had meetings all day today and told me how much he was going to need to unwinding tonight.” She glanced at Trent’s nervous expression and offered him a compensatory smile. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure he won’t be upset with you, Trent. I mean, you’re just doing your job. And I’m sure he’ll be grateful to you for helping me pick out my outfits.” She paused for a moment and let that sink in, seeing the exact moment that the realization of what Lex Luthor would do when he found out he had been ogling his girlfriend for the past half-hour finally sunk in. She held her hand out for the card. “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll tell Lex what happened and we’ll probably be back tonight to straighten everything out.”

“Well, I think that this once,” Trent said hurriedly, swiping the card through the machine, “we can go ahead and run it through. I wouldn’t want to cause Mr. Luthor any inconvenience.”

“Are you sure?” Chloe asked, forcing a note of concern into her voice while trying to tamp down the thrill that was dancing up and down her spine.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” he assured. “Just sign there,” he instructed, pointing to the line on the credit card receipt. He walked around the counter to hand her the bag and she gave him a brilliant smile, leaning up to kiss his flushed cheek.

“You’re an angel,” she whispered in his ear before stepping back, throwing him a quick wink and walking out of the store.

Tossing the bags in the back of the car, Chloe slipped in and started it up with a wide grin. Just a few more stops and then to the penthouse. Lex was never going to know what hit him.


************************************


“Man, even the parking garage is upscale,” Chloe muttered as she pulled into one of the parking spaces reserved for the penthouse. Gathering up her various bags she exited the car, pressing a kiss to her hand and touching it to the car. She had never felt so free, so fucking untouchable. And riding on that confidence she had no trouble getting the elevator operator to take her directly to the penthouse.

“Honey, I’m home!” she called out as she opened the door, and a grin slowly crept across her face. For a moment she was so busy taking in the sights that she barely noticed that no one had answered. When she finally did a small frown replaced her grin.

“Lex?” Still no answer. She wandered inside and immediately caught sight of the papers scattered across the gleaming coffee table sitting in front of a huge leather sofa. Bending over them she saw that they contained information on Lois—where she went to school, what she did for a living, and finally, circled in red, where she lived. Chloe smirked and straightened, shaking her head. “Oh, Lex, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

Kicking off her shoes she buried her toes in the thick carpeting, letting it caress her feet as she moved around the apartment. A small remote sat beside the papers and, curious, Chloe picked it up and pushed one of the buttons; drapes covering one wall swept aside with a mechanical hum, revealing huge windows looking out on the glittering Metropolis skyline. Chloe smiled to herself and moved farther into the penthouse.

The third door she tried revealed a massive bedroom, and the scent of Lex hit her full force. A small, keening moan came from her throat as she gripped the doorframe for support, arousal sweeping like fire through her body. She tossed her bags on the floor and moved to the bed, peeling back the spread to reveal smooth satin sheets. Her breathing was heavy now, and images of her and Lex on that bed, satin sheets slipping over heated skin, flooded her mind. She sat for a moment and simply let them wash over her, imagining how his skin would taste, how he would feel hot and hard inside of her.

With a groan Chloe wrenched herself from her fantasies. A quick shower and then she would get dressed. Lex would probably get back from Lois’ by the time she was finished, and she was fully prepared to do whatever it took to convince him to take her dancing.

‘Of course, if I can’t convince him,’ she mused, glancing at the bed with a satisfied smile, ‘I’m sure we can find something to do.’ And with that satisfying thought Chloe started stripping as she walked to the bathroom, heart racing at finally being so close to what she wanted.


******************************


Lex stood outside of the old brick building, checking the address yet again. There was no mistaking it—this was the place. His jaw clenched as he opened the front door and began to climb the dilapidated staircase. This was no place for Chloe to be. Any number of things could happen to her in a place like this; he doubted any of these doors had a decent lock, and even if they did the wood was so old they’d probably shatter under a few swift kicks. He felt his anger begin to rise when he thought of her staying with someone here, twined around some faceless man who wasn’t nearly good enough for her. Before he realized it he was in front of apartment 4D, his fist pounding over the flaking paint.

The door swung open and a guy probably a few years older than Chloe stood in the doorway looking fairly pissed. Lex sized him up immediately—he had a couple of inches on him, but the other man was broader. Still, in his anger that this man could have touched Chloe, Lex was less than concerned about being able to take him.

“What do you want? Christ, man, do you know what time it is? Some of us have to work on Saturdays, y’know.” Sam’s gaze traveled quickly over Lex’s frame, taking in his designer jeans and expensive leather coat. A corner of his mouth lifted in a sneer. “No, I don’t suppose you do.”

“I’m looking for Chloe,” Lex gritted out. As soon as he said her name he saw the other man tense, took in the subtle shift in stance of someone preparing to fight. Despite that, he managed to keep his tone admirably even.

“I don’t know any Chloe.” Lex sighed. He needed to rein in his hostility if he wanted to get an honest answer from this guy. With a skill born of years of living with his father, Lex smoothed his features into a calm, emotionless mask.

Sam watched as the anger on the other man’s face disappeared, leaving behind a kind of calm void. He shuddered. It was creepy; it also reminded him of something, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

“Look,” Lex said. “I’m a friend of hers from Smallville, and I just wanted to talk to her. If she’s here, will you just tell her that Alex wants to see her?”

“Alex?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “Chloe’s never said anything about an Alex . . .” Something clicked in his mind, and he realized why the man’s sudden lack of emotion seemed so familiar. “Are you Lex?” Lex blinked, his brain trying to process the fact that his cover had been blown so easily. Sam chuckled as he watched him try to suppress his bewildered reaction. “Chloe’s mentioned you,” he said, relaxing now against the doorframe. Lex blinked again.

“She has?”

“Oh yeah, talks about you all the time.” He noticed the pleasure that flared in Lex’s eyes at his words, and he stuck out his hand. “I’m Sam Robbins. Chloe and I used to go to school together.” Lex eyed the hand for a moment before he took it, shook.

“Lex Luthor.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Sam grinned. “So what are you doin’ here lookin’ for Chloe?”

“I went by her cousin’s apartment and she told me that Chloe was staying here.” Sam chuckled again.

“I’m Chloe’s cover for when she’s out on a hot lead and doesn’t want Lois to worry about her—or horn in on her story,” he grinned. “But she usually doesn’t stay here; I won’t let her unless she’s really hard up. Bad neighborhood, y’know?” he confided. Lex nodded.

“So if she’s not here, where would she be?” At Sam’s raised eyebrow Lex continued. “I really need to talk to her tonight.”

“Why?” The protective note was back in Sam’s voice. “Is she in some kind of trouble?”

“No, it’s just that . . .” Lex let out a frustrated breath and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “She stole my wallet.” Sam’s eyes widened, and Lex continued almost sheepishly. “And my keys.” A bark of laughter escaped the other man and Lex’s eyes narrowed warningly. Still grinning, Sam shook his head.

“Sorry, man. It’s just that I hadn’t heard about her stealing anything since she was in about fourth grade.”

“Chloe used to steal things?” Fascinated, Lex crossed his arms and shifted slightly closer.

“Just once,” Sam clarified. “And it was really only because I was stupid enough to tell her that girls weren’t as good at stealing stuff as boys.” He shook his head again, grinning at the memory. “She went into this corner store, came out with about ten bucks worth of candy bars. Guy at the counter never noticed a thing, either. Then as soon as she showed me what she took, she went right back in and put everything back, the guy none the wiser. Man, that girl was something else.” He glanced back up at Lex and shrugged. “Never took anything unless she was trying to get something done. Just took that candy to prove me wrong.”

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t challenge her to steal my wallet,” Lex smirked. Sam fought not to roll his eyes. This guy obviously didn’t know how bad Chloe had it for him.

“No, but I’m thinking she still got what she wanted.” At Lex’s confused look Sam shot him a smirk of his own. “You’re out lookin’ for her, aren’t you? Would you be spending this much time on her if she hadn’t taken anything?”

Lex honestly didn’t know what to say to that. It was true that he had never spent a lot of time with Chloe before, out of self-preservation more than anything else. But could Chloe have taken his things just to get him to chase after her? He tried to imagine what he would have done if Chloe hadn’t taken anything, if she had just disappeared after that kiss earlier that night. Finally he had to admit that probably wouldn’t have done anything—he’d have pretended it had never happened, maybe avoided her a bit more, if anything.

“Look,” Sam offered, seeing realization dawn over Lex. “If she took your keys—I’m guessing she probably took your car, too?” Lex nodded. “You have a house key on that set?” Lex nodded again, and Sam shrugged. “I’m guessing that’s probably where she is. I’d get movin’, though. Chloe’s not the most patient girl you’ll ever meet.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that,” Lex muttered. “Thanks.”

“No problem. You tell Chloe to come by and see me when you find her.”

Lex walked off down the hallway at a slightly slower pace than he had arrived, hearing the door close behind him. If what Sam had said about Chloe was true, he was going to have to rethink his plans. He had to find out what it was that Chloe was really after. He would figure out where to go from there.


**************************************


The loud, upbeat sound of The Donnas filled the penthouse as Chloe put the finishing touches on her makeup, and despite the mood the music set she found herself sighing in irritation as she glanced at the clock set in the wall. She had been there for forty-five minutes already without any sign of Lex, and she was beginning to get impatient. She was there, she was ready, and she was damn well sick of waiting around for him.

“That’s it, Lex, you’re officially out of time,” she grumbled, tossing her mascara back into her bag. But how was she going to get him to follow her? He was obviously having trouble tracking her down even this far.

The next song switched on, and inspiration struck. Chloe laughed with delight, almost unable to believe her luck. She practically skipped over to the stereo, pressing a careful selection of buttons to keep the song in place. As her eyes cast around the room she grinned evilly; this place was a bit too tidy for her tastes. Wrenching up the volume as high as it would go, Chloe set about making the room ready for Lex’s arrival.


TBC . . .

[Tandy]

Wonderful chapter! I'm dying of anticipation though! I wonder what chloe has in store for Lex ! Hurry up and write some more please!

Tandy :blinkkiss:

[dsapiro]

What is Chloe gonna do? Will Lex get there soon? Ahh, you have to update soon!

[AlwaysPretending]

LMAO What is Chloe up to now?? Oohhh when Lex catchs up with her!

Kerry

[sydsvaughn]

Oh joy, I LOVE this Chloe. I love your Lex. I simply adore this story and I need something to make me smile at the moment. UPDATE soon!! I love it!!

Sara

[hfce]

I already reviewed you somewhere esle. But I had to tell you . I loved it. It was GREAT!!!!!!! More please...


Hope :blinkkiss:

[bluemoongirl23]

Originally posted by Not An Addict@Apr 11 2003, 12:22 AM
They were there, they were alone, they were attracted to each other. So what the fuck was the problem?


We need to ask the writers that same, damn question. This is just wonderful. Though, of course, you would end it there and leave us all begging for more. Which, I'll do right now, please more. I love Chloe's internal monologue. Can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve for when he returns home.

Blue

[NightGlow]

Yay! You updated! I could just about squeeze you to death. (You're lucky the internet is virtual.) ;)

[beanie1816]

Go home Lex! you have a present and im sure you want to open it. Please tell me he eventually goes home! It would be pure torture if he didnt.

[xmag]

You need to update this soon, and i mean it !!

I have a question : when is this story supposed to take place ? when Chloe is in college or after college ?

[Not An Addict]

Originally posted by xmag@Apr 14 2003, 01:24 PM
You need to update this soon, and i mean it !!

I have a question : when is this story supposed to take place ? when Chloe is in college or after college ?
The timeframe for this is kind of hazy--late high school early college is the best I can do for you. As for updating . . . well . . . yeah, I need to finish the fourth chapter before I post the third, for reasons that will be apparent when you read it. But I'm almost there, so never fear. :biggrin:

[Not An Addict]

Disclaimer, etc., in Chapter One.




A/N: *collapses, panting* It’s . . . finally . . . done. The chapter, not the story. ^_~ And after all that buildup for what was originally intended to be a PWP, I finally wrote some smut . . .

**********************************



Chapter Three: Catch Me If You Can




The elevator doors slid open, breaking Lex’s frowning reflection in two and pulling him from his thoughts. The Aston Martin hadn’t been in the garage when he arrived, and he had the sinking feeling that he had missed Chloe yet again. If she wasn’t in the penthouse he had no idea where she could be, or how he was going to find her. He slid his spare key into the lock and opened the door, peering around the fully lit apartment.

“Chloe?” he called out in a futile attempt to convince himself that she might still be there. Missing car aside, if Chloe were there somewhere he would know it; he would be able to feel her there. Instead, the apartment simply felt empty.

Lex let out a frustrated sigh and sank down into the leather sofa, noticing with a wry grin that Chloe had stacked the papers covered with her cousin’s name neatly in the corner of the coffee table. He leaned forward and saw the note she had scrawled on the top sheet. {Nice try, Lex. And I hope Sam wasn’t too rough on you.} The underlying message was clear—Chloe was still one step ahead of him, and she wanted to make sure he knew it.

Suddenly, a frown crossed his face and he tilted his head, listening. The faint noise he had heard and assumed was just his imagination before was still there, and as he sat he thought he could pick out notes of music. Puzzled, he stood and began to walk farther into the apartment. As he walked the sound grew louder, louder, until it was clearly distinguishable as he stepped in front of his bedroom door. His hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, unsure, before he swung the door open. The music hit him like a tangible thing, nearly knocking him back when he stepped into the room. The quick, steady beat underscored the guitar chords ringing in his ears as his bewildered gaze took in the sight before him.

Don’t wanna be your friend. Don’t try to take me home. This won’t happen again, just take me to the backseat.

His bed was a shambles, the cover flung back to reveal his sheets, twisted in a flood of tangled satin. The floor and furniture was strewn with pieces of clothes, most of them stretchy and slinky, and all of them provocative. Lex absently fingered a pair of pants draped across the dresser, his breath hitching at the thought of Chloe decked out in the form-fitting leather. Dropping the material as if it had burned him, he found his gaze drawn to the bed where bits of bright yellow peeked out from among the clothes. Lex moved closer, an irritated smirk turning up his lips.

Do you need a map? Let's skip the nightcap. I'll make it sticky sweet, just take me to the backseat.

“Butterfingers. Cute,” he muttered. A flash of white caught his eye next and he lifted the small sheet of paper, merely rolling his eyes at the evidence that confirmed what he already suspected—that Chloe had furnished her new wardrobe using his credit cards. He winced slightly at the amount when he realized that there were several other receipts sitting on the bed as well, but the idea of having Chloe model her new acquisitions had him swiftly deciding that it was well worth the price.

‘Of course,’ he thought, ‘you’ll never get anywhere near that mental image if you can’t even manage to find her.’ He sighed and ran his hand over his head before he noticed another note written on the back of the receipt he held.

{Getting warmer, Lex. Come and catch me if you can.}

“Damn it,” he muttered. Where the hell was she? There was a pause in the music, the sudden silence deafening after the previous noise before it started again.

Don't wanna go to the mall. Don't wanna go to the movies. I think we've done it all, just take me to the backseat. Don't wanna hear you talkin'. Don't wanna play your game. Let's get this baby rockin', just take me to the backseat.

Lex blinked once, slowly turning his head towards the stereo. Did the song just start over? His eardrums protesting the entire time, he moved closer to see the display. Yes, the song was set to repeat. He finally tuned in to the lyrics. What was it Chloe wanted him to hear?

You don't wanna get high. I don't wanna get low. So c'mon let's go and get on it yeah, honey please, just take me to the backseat. Just take me to the backseat. Where no one else can see; I know you're into me. Just take me to the backseat, and get ready for me honey please.

“Oh shit,” Lex breathed. She couldn’t possibly be serious. He glanced around at the clothes again and knew that she was. Lex pulled off his jacket—he was going to have to change again.

“Shit.”


**********************************


Chloe breathed in deeply, pleased beyond the telling of it when the sound was completely lost in the din of the club. She grinned, still glowing over the clue she had left for Lex. He’d better figure it out soon; she didn’t want to go much longer without being pressed up against him on the dance floor. Weaving her way through the sea of bodies Chloe made her way to the bar. She still had cash to burn since the bouncer had taken one look at her outfit and let her in without a cover charge. Her adrenaline was still going strong, and it was urging her to push a little further, take another risk.

“Hey there,” she smiled at the bartender, leaning against the bar in a move that was provocative and innocent at the same time. He grinned back at her, blue eyes sparkling as he took in the low scoop of her neckline with an appreciative glance.

“Hey yourself. What can I get for you?”

“Whatever it is, put it on my bill.” The voice behind her had Chloe glancing around, taking in the tall blonde grinning down at her. “I’m Tom.” He was tanned and had the lean body of a swimmer; he was hot, but his eyes were just a bit too cocky, his teeth just a bit too perfect.

‘Caps,’ Chloe thought dismissively. ‘But, if it’ll score me a free drink . . .’ She smiled appreciatively at him.

“Chloe,” she replied, shouting over the throbbing music. “A shot of tequila, since you’re being so generous.” Both men’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but after a moment Tom’s grin widened.

“Make that two, Dave.” The shots were set and poured, salt and lime administered. Chloe noticed Tom’s gaze fixated on her as she licked the salt from her hand and downed the shot. “Wanna dance, Chloe?”

She considered for a moment, then shrugged. Dancing with some random handsome guy was something she never would have had the guts for before. So she’d damn well do it now. Without saying a word she set the empty shot glass on the bar and grabbed his hand, letting him lead her to the edge of the dance floor. Almost immediately he pulled her against him, a hand on the bare small of her back as he swiveled their hips together in time to the beat. Chloe’s blood started pumping faster; Tom knew what he was doing, that was certain, and she began to grind slightly against him in response. She needed some attention, damn it, and she didn’t even know if Lex was going to show up. Meanwhile, she had an attractive, interested man here for the taking. When he leaned down and touched his lips to hers she leaned into the kiss, determined to enjoy what she had now.


*********************************


The cab pulled up in front of the club and Lex unfolded himself from the backseat, tossing a large stack of bills at the driver as he did so. He stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking up at the neon sign hanging above the entrance.

The Backseat. The name itself said something about the kind of place this was. Lex fought down his discomfort at Chloe being here without someone to watch out for her. The Backseat was the playground of Metropolis’ more reckless youth with money to burn. The kind of place that Lex had frequented in his younger days when he was feeling especially self-destructive, this club was loose even by his jaded standards. Anyone with the cash could get a drink at the bar; drugs of all kind were dealt and used openly; and unless you made a lot of noise you were as likely to run across a couple in the throes of passion as not. People came here for one reason and one reason only—to get a high. Booze, heroin, sex; whatever your drug of choice, you could indulge in it here.

The bouncer recognized him—even years later, Lex was still well known in the clubbing district. A couple of bills to keep things working smoothly and Lex was ushered inside. His gaze scanned the pulsing mass of people, eyes peeled for Chloe’s blonde head. He had to get to her before something happened to her. He wasn’t going to let her get hurt if he could help it.


************************************


The table pressed into Chloe’s side as she sat in Tom’s lap, their mouths moving in an easy rhythm as his hands stroked the skin of her back left bare beneath the thin straps of her shirt. They had left the dance floor almost five minutes ago for one of the tables set up around the perimeter, a much more comfortable position for their current activities. Even so, Chloe was getting more and more restless by the second. Damn it, why hadn’t Lex shown up yet? And after she had gone to all this trouble to look nice for him, too.

“Tom.” The two ignored the voice, but it grew more insistent. “Tom! Come on, man, I gotta show you something!”

“God damn it, Darren!” Tom yelled, breaking the kiss. “What the hell do you want?”

Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes. Obviously Tom was less interested in her than she could hope. Oh well. He was starting to bore her, anyway. She hopped down from his lap and began to walk away, but she didn’t get more than three steps when she felt his hand on her arm, spinning her back around.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Chloe glanced down at the hand still on her arm and back up to Tom’s leering grin. She rolled her eyes again, this time making no attempt to hide it.

“Away from you.” She tried to walk away but his hand still held her in place.

“But we were just gettin' started.” With that he moved a bit closer, pushing their bodies together again.

“Listen, braindead,” Chloe snapped, “I’m through. So get your ill-bred moronic hands off of me before I shove them up your ass.”

“You listen to me you little bitch—” His snarl was cut off by a sharp, angry voice from behind Chloe.

“I believe the lady said to get your hands off of her.”

Chloe had felt Lex’s presence an instant before he spoke, and she felt a tingle run through her at the well-masked but barely-leashed rage in his voice, clearly reflected in Tom’s rapidly paling face.

“Hey, I didn’t know . . . I mean . . . sorry.” He barely risked a glance at Chloe before he started backing away. “Sorry.”

Chloe turned around to face her rescuer and was ready to tear into him for assuming she couldn’t take care of herself when she saw the fierce, possessive fire in his stare. Before she knew it she felt herself grabbed for the second time that night. This time, however, the hands yanking her forward were Lex’s, as was the mouth that slammed down to devour hers.

He had seen her as he made his way into the club, curled up in another man’s lap as they kissed each other with abandon. A swift wave of jealousy and possessiveness had swept through him, but it wasn’t until he saw the other man yank her back as she tried to leave that he saw red, every bone in his body screaming with the urge to protect her from that lumbering jackass.

Kissing her had not been a part of the plan. But then . . . then he had gotten a good look at her. Her red, shimmering shirt scooped low over her chest and tied around her neck and beneath her breasts, exposing the creamy skin of her back and shoulders as the fluttering veil of fabric below gave tantalizing glimpses of her smooth stomach when she moved. A sinfully short black latex skirt and tall black heels did mind-numbing things to her legs; legs that he could suddenly almost feel wrapped around him as he plunged himself into her. One look at her had destroyed any rational part of his brain, and all he could think about was erasing the taste of another man from her mouth.

Now he had her back in his arms, and the part of his mind that was kicking himself for letting her go earlier was determined not to waste this opportunity. The silken skin of her back was hot beneath his hand as he fed himself on the taste of her mouth. One hand lifted to fist in her hair, drawing back her head to deepen the kiss; she opened for him at the first touch of his tongue, meeting him eagerly with her own. The feel of her tongue dueling with his was nearly enough to undo him, and with a groan he plunged deeper into her mouth, feeling her lips swell beneath his as her hands clutched at his shoulders. Finally the basic human need for air forced him to break the kiss, his breathing heavy as he stared down at Chloe, waiting for a reaction, any reaction.

“Well,” she rasped, the breathy hitch of her voice shooting straight to his groin. “You certainly took your own sweet time finding me, didn’t you?”

“You’re damn lucky I found you when I did. And I would’ve gotten to you sooner if you hadn’t decided to go on a shopping spree with my credit cards. Which reminds me.” His hands drifted down to her hips, skimming the skirt for pockets that weren’t there and greatly enjoying the way Chloe pressed herself into his hands. “I want my wallet back.”

“I left it in the car,” she grinned, pressing her hips harder into his hands and leaning up to nip gently at his jaw. “No pockets. Made it hard to transport.”

“If you hadn’t taken it in the first place you wouldn’t have had that problem.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Not to mention you wouldn’t have emptied half of my bank accounts.”

“Now Lex,” Chloe chided. “I had to go shopping. I simply didn’t have a thing to wear. Besides.” She stepped back, smiling slyly at the look on his face when she broke contact between them. Still smiling she twirled for him in a slow circle. “Don’t you like what I got?” Lex raked his eyes over her again before he noticed that every male in the vicinity was doing the same.

“No.” Chloe’s own eyes glanced down at the front of his pants and her smile grew as she stepped closer, standing on tiptoe to whisper in his ear.

“Liar. And after I picked it out especially for you, too.” She moved back slightly until their lips were once more inches away from each other. “Come on, Lex. You know you wanna dance.”

God, yes, he did; although the dancing he was thinking of involved far fewer clothes and a more private space. He didn’t like the way the other men in the club were eyeing Chloe, especially since he knew more than one of them and was aware of the direction their tastes ran in. His blood boiled at the thought of what could have happened to her if he hadn’t shown up, of the danger she was still in just from being in the club. His arm snaked around her waist again, pulling her closer and sending a less than subtle message that the girl he was holding was off-limits.

“Let’s go, Chloe.” He started to pull her towards the exit only to have her stop in her tracks, forcing him to do the same, dropping the arm he had around her.

“No. I don’t want to leave yet.” Chloe’s mouth set stubbornly. “I came here to dance, Lex.” Her hand reached out to trace patterns on his chest and she smiled up at him through her lashes. “I came here to dance with you.”

“Chloe, I don’t think—”

“Good. Don’t think. Just dance with me.” Seeing the look on Lex’s face, Chloe’s eyes began to snap with irritation. “Fine. But I’m not leaving. If you don’t want to dance, I’m sure Tom’s still around here somewhere.”

She started to turn away before Lex’s arm whipped around her again, a sound that was suspiciously close to a growl coming from his throat as he pulled her back. Her eyes met his and her heart began to race at the warning she saw there. Without another word he grabbed her hand and led her onto the dance floor, weaving a path among the other dancers. When they finally stopped he spun her around and yanked her hips back into his, grinding himself into her. Chloe gasped and reached above her head to grab the back of his neck, using her grip to push herself harder against him. Lex bent his head down until his mouth was by her ear, barely managing to speak when he felt Chloe pressing herself firmly against his erection.

“Was this what you had in mind?”

Chloe gave a wordless sound of approval, turning her head until his lips brushed against her ear. Responding to her silent request Lex let his lips trace over her ear once more, barely a whisper against her skin. His tongue lightly traced the delicate ridges, and he absorbed her shudder before sucking lightly on the lobe. He felt more than heard the whimper she gave and his hands left her hips to slip under the loose fabric of her shirt, gently stroking the soft skin there as he continued to lick and nibble on her ear. His mouth moved down to her neck, nipping her sharply before soothing away the sting with his tongue.

With a strangled moan Chloe began to move her hips harder and her fingers reached up from their grip to brush against the sensitive skin of his scalp. The combined sensation was too much for Lex and in one quick move he whipped her around, pulling her into him as he crushed her lips to his. Still moving to the pounding rhythm of the music they let their mouths feed on each other, pressed together in a desperate need to be closer, to touch more, feel more. Chloe’s arms wound around his neck, pulling Lex to her as her fingers continued to dance over his smooth head. His brain melting a bit more with every sweep of her fingers, Lex moved one leg between Chloe’s knees and let his hands travel down to grip her ass, pulling her closer until she was practically straddling his leg. She began to move against him, her broken moans matched by his groans when her leg rubbed against him until he was almost painfully hard.

The warmth of Chloe’s mouth was abruptly gone, and Lex’s eyes flew open in shock an instant before he felt her lips on his jaw, trailing a path down to his neck and sucking on the racing pulse there. He closed his eyes again, and without conscious thought his hand traveled down to her thigh; knowing his intention before even he did Chloe raised her leg, letting his hand hold her there half-wrapped around his waist. She groaned against his neck at the sensations this new position created, and her lips wrapped around his Adam’s apple, sucking gently.

Lex’s eyes shot open again and his hands dug harder into her flesh. His breath was coming in ragged pants that had little to do with dancing and everything to do with the way Chloe was twined around him with her hot, wet mouth fixed on his throat. Struggling against the urge to simply take her where they stood, their surroundings finally filtered through to his senses. The unending music, the blue and purple lights intermixed with strobing white, the crushing mass of bodies around them. His eyes closed again as he felt Chloe’s hand slip between the buttons of his shirt and he sucked in a breath at the feeling of her stroking his chest, moving his own hand over the skin of her back to encourage her to continue.

‘So you’re going to have her right here on the dance floor. Yes, I can see how much you care about her.’ The stray thought had him snapping back to reality and he reluctantly let go of Chloe, pulling her hand from inside his shirt and her head away from his neck.

“Chloe.” She looked up at him, eyes glazed with lust even as her leg dropped from around his waist. “Chloe, we have to stop this.” She blinked, confusion joining the desire on her face before she smiled seductively and moved her hips, drawing a shudder of need from him.

“But I don’t want to stop. It feels too good to stop. I’ve wanted you for so long, Lex.” Her hands started creeping up his chest again, loving the way his breathing sped at her touch. She looked up at him again and saw the shock in his eyes. “I’ve wanted a lot of things, and I always thought that if I was good and waited that I’d get those good things they always say will come to you. But you know what I learned, Lex?” Her eyes were bright, burning into him with the strength of her desire. “Being good and doing what’s expected of you doesn’t get you anything. If you want something, you have to take it yourself.”

“Want.” Her arms finally wound back around his neck.

“Take.” Her leg raised again to rest against his hip, smoothly pulling her back into him as she raised her mouth to his.

“Have,” she whispered before she took his mouth again, kissing him with all of the pent-up frustration and lust that had been building within her since their very first meeting. For a moment he let himself drown in the kiss, in the flood of need coming off of the girl in his arms and the one raging in his own body. But their surroundings soon came back to him and he pulled away, breathing hard and aching to simply fall into her arms. But she deserved better. Better than this club; better, he realized, than him.

“Chloe, we can’t. This isn’t right.” Chloe stared at him in disbelief for a moment before her eyes snapped with white-hot anger.

“Who the hell do you think you are? I have news for you. You don’t get to decide what’s right for me—I do. You want to waste more time trying to deny that you want me, fine. I’ve already made up my mind. I want you, Lex. But I'm sick of waiting.” And with that she untangled herself from him there on the dance floor and stalked away, hips swinging with her angry strides, and all Lex could do was watch her go.


TBC . . .


*************************

A/N: . . . but then I took it out. Ow! Hey, that hurt! I’m not as mean as I seem, I swear—this chapter was just going to be insanely long if I left it in. To prove that I’m not completely evil, I’ll be posting the smut fairly soonish. Just think of it as a two-part chapter. ^_~

[drina]

getting really hot... can't wait for the infernal to start.. :yay:

:chlexsign4:

[Not An Addict]

A/N: Now see? Everything’s fine. Here’s the smut. Just warning you: if you’re expecting any buildup . . . um, don’t. We’re just jumpin’ right in here. ^_^ To make up for the last chapter, this is pretty much entirely smut. Also, I’ll be giving out a prize to the person who can spot all of this fic’s references to ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. (Sorry, Sabby, but you don’t get to play. ^_~) I don’t know what I’ll give you yet though . . . if anyone has any suggestions, send ‘em my way. ^_^





Chapter Four: Gotcha



Lex simply stood there for a moment, stunned. One minute Chloe had been wrapped around him, her soft, hot body pressed against his, and the next he was watching her walk away as every male she passed turned to watch her. 'Fuck no,' he thought, clenching his jaw against the urge to smash his fist into the face of every guy checking her out.

She had a head start, but he had longer legs; he caught up with her at the edge of the dance floor, grabbing her arm and jerking her around to face him. Her eyes glittered as she ripped her arm out of his grip, and the music now seemed a living thing, fueling the fire in her eyes even as it magnified the tension between them. Chloe turned again, and again Lex followed her, this time into the deep blackness where the lights of the dance floor didn't reach. Just as he was about to stop her again she whirled around, and grabbing his shirt yanked his lips down to hers, pulling him deeper into the shadows.

Chloe moved backwards until her back hit the wall, devouring his mouth as she moved. Their tongues moved together, sliding off of each other and tangling in a frantic explosion of need. That tiny voice in Lex's head was struggling to be heard, a nagging presence saying that this was wrong, that he should stop. It continued on with its annoying little admonitions as he pulled Chloe harder against him, groaning when she sharply nipped his lower lip before she sucked it into her mouth. Then one of her small, hot hands drifted down and rubbed him where he strained against the material of his pants. His hips bucked involuntarily.

‘To hell with it,’ he thought. ‘She's legal, she's obviously willing, and she—oh God.’ The sound of his zipper opening was lost in the hard pulse of the music, which itself was being drowned out by the deafening pounding of blood in his ears. Lex's hips bucked again when Chloe's fingers wrapped around him and he felt her smile against his mouth when he thrust into her hand. He moved his lips to her neck, suckling and biting and drawing small moans from the back of her throat. Her hand began to move, stroking lightly at first; as his breathing grew more and more ragged her movements grew faster, her grip tighter. A low, rough groan was muffled against the skin of her neck when she let go of him and pushed against his shoulders, shoving him back.

Lex's disappointment only lasted a second before he felt the soft, wet heat of her mouth wrapping around him. Another guttural groan ripped from his chest and he braced a hand against the wall, his other hand moving to the back of her head, tangling in her soft hair. One of her hands returned to stroke his base as she focused her attention on the head, sucking lightly and swirling her tongue around him in quick, light movements. Just when Lex thought he would die from her teasing, she took him deeper into her mouth, bobbing her head up and down as she sucked harder. It was becoming more and more difficult for Lex to remain quiet; he had to focus all of his attention on his breathing, each new gulp of air burning in his lungs. Chloe’s blood hummed with the power she had found, to make this powerful man quake with pleasure. She gave him a long, slow lick along the underside of his shaft and moved her unoccupied hand up to rub and squeeze at his sac.

Encouraged by his stifled moan, her mouth returned to the tip, sucking and pulling with increased enthusiasm. She found the slit, tasted the first salty drops that leaked out as she teased it with the tip of her tongue. The sensation was more than Lex could handle and he began to thrust into her. Chloe's mouth enveloped him again, sucking faster and harder, taking him deeper with each stroke until finally, in one quick movement, she drew him in completely, her lips brushing against the skin at his base. She drew back until her lips just barely grazed the tip and pulled him completely in again. It was too much; Lex could feel himself tighten and tugged at her hair, trying to pull her away. Her response was to pull him deeper, and before he could stop himself he exploded in her mouth. Her throat muscles worked as she swallowed, milking him for all that he could give; when there was nothing left she slowly drew back, licking him clean before she pressed a gentle kiss to his softening flesh. Chloe stood and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nuzzling at his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist.

“Do I even want to know where you learned to do that?” Lex's voice was slightly dazed, and Chloe smirked as she leaned up to whisper huskily in his ear.

“The Internet is a wonderful tool, don't you think?”

“That it is,” Lex agreed. He dipped his head to nibble along her jawline, and one of his hands moved to cover her breast, delighted at her gasp when he brushed over her already hard nipple. “But I’ve found that nothing can substitute for experience.” Almost before she realized what was happening Lex had her leg wrapped around his waist again, opening her wide as he pressed her back into the wall. Her eyes flew to his, and even in the darkness she could see the wicked promise burning there.

“My turn.”

Lex's mouth slammed into hers with a bruising force, his tongue thrusting past her lips and sweeping like fire into every corner of her mouth. She clung to him, unable to take control and uncaring as his kiss ravaged her senses. Then his hand was on her breast again, massaging and teasing through her shirt. She arched into his hand, letting out a whimper when he removed it. A second later, though, it had slipped beneath the shimmering material, and his long, smooth fingers were caressing her bare skin. Another whimper tore from her throat when those fingers found her nipple, already tightened to the point of pain. He rolled the hardened flesh between thumb and forefinger as he kneaded her breast, each squeeze sending a sharp bolt of pleasure shooting straight to her core. She was aching for his touch there, and as if he read her mind his hand abandoned her breast and moved to her leg, stroking along her inner thigh. He moved slowly across her soft skin, each stroke forwards bringing him just a bit closer. Chloe tightened her leg around his waist trying to pull him closer; finally he let his fingers brush over her folds, just a light touch.

‘Oh God,’ he thought, his heartrate skyrocketing again when he realized that Chloe wasn’t wearing any underwear. Though it nearly killed him to do so, he ran his fingers lightly over her again, and again, teasing her as she had teased him. Her whimpers and moans into his mouth were heating his blood once more, and finally he slipped a finger into her. She was already soaking wet, and his finger slid easily inside. Chloe tore her mouth away from his, her back arching as her inner muscles twitched around him.

“You're already so wet for me,” he rasped in her ear. He stroked her once, and a whimpering word dropped from her lips. “What is it, Chloe? Do you want me to stop?” God he hoped she would say no. If he had to stop now he honestly thought he might die; the feel of her, hot and wet and tight around his finger, was making him impossibly hard. He leaned back to look in her face; her eyes were closed, and she licked her lips once as she tried again to speak. Her eyes, cloudy and heavy-lidded, opened to stare into his.

“More.”

Heat leapt in Lex's body, and without hesitation he added another finger, moving slowly in and out. Chloe threw back her head as her body arched, and her hips began to move in time with his hand, lifting herself up and down as she rode his fingers. Lex was quickly growing hard again and added a third finger, filling her, stretching her. Chloe bit her lip as she began to move faster, her hips slamming her into his hand as she neared release.

“Please, Lex,” she begged. “Please make me come.” The raw pleading in her voice made Lex stiffen even more, and his thumb moved swiftly to her clit, rubbing hard circles as he continued to thrust with his fingers. Without warning Chloe began to clench around him, her muscles squeezing his fingers tightly as wave after wave of her orgasm hit. A vision of her tightening like that when he was buried inside of her flashed through his mind, and it took all of his willpower not to lose control right then. Chloe's breathing gradually slowed, and Lex removed his hand. When her eyes met his again, however, the fire in them was still burning, and the look of pleading had taken on a hard, desperate edge.

“I want you inside of me. Now. I need you inside of me, Lex. I need you to fuck me.”

With a low growl Lex crushed his lips to hers again, pushing his tongue into her mouth almost immediately. Chloe met him eagerly with every ounce of passion in her body; when Lex lifted her up her legs automatically wrapped around his waist, pulling him as close to her as she could. He began to move his hips slowly, sliding back and forth along her folds, letting his tip graze her entrance and torturing both of them as her juices soaked him. Small hands dug into his back and he swallowed Chloe’s moan when her own hips moved against him, desperately seeking more.

“Lex,” she panted into his mouth. “Now.” Her breathless demand all the encouragement he needed, Lex finally had begun to push into her when the first feel of her wet heat around him made something in his brain click into place, and he stopped with a frustrated groan. As he started to pull back Chloe’s legs tightened around him and she gave a confused, protesting whimper.

“Chloe,” Lex gasped out when she squeezed her inner muscles around him, trying to pull him deeper. “I don’t have anything.” Chloe tightened her arms around his neck and captured his mouth in a hot kiss before speaking against his lips.

“I have it covered.” And then in one quick move she raised herself up and slid fully onto him. Lex didn’t feel the tearing until it was too late; his eyes shot wide open as Chloe leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, biting her lip to keep back a cry at the sharp pain.

“God . . . Chloe, I . . .” Guilt at what he had done washed over him and he started to pull back when Chloe spoke up, her legs tightening around him.

“I swear to God, Lex, if you stop now I’m going to kill you.”

Surprised, Lex let himself slip back inside of her and her eyes flew open with a gasp when she felt him move in her. Lex rested his forehead against hers, guilt buried in the pleasure of feeling Chloe so tight around him. If he couldn’t take back what had happened he could at least make sure that Chloe enjoyed her first time.

“Alright. Hold onto my shoulders. That’s it. Good girl.” When he was sure of her grip on him Lex brought his mouth back to hers, drawing her into a warm, languorous kiss. With the same slow, easy rhythm, he began to move his hips, swallowing her moans as she began to rock against him. Fighting with every fiber of his being to keep his movements gentle he ran a trail of kisses over her jaw to her ear, nipping and sucking at the tender flesh there.

“Lex,” Chloe moaned softly, and her hot breath on his ear had him biting down on her neck more roughly than he had intended. She gave a strangled cry against his neck and clutched his shoulders tighter, using them for leverage as she started to raise herself up and down as he thrust inside of her. “Lex,” she gasped again, her mouth returning to his to nip sharply at his lip. “Harder.”

His eyes flew back up to hers, searching, wanting to be sure. At the smoldering heat he saw there he caught her mouth again, his kiss hotter this time, hungrier, plundering her mouth as Chloe matched him with equal enthusiasm. He let his control slip just a fraction and his thrusts grew quicker, meeting her with greater force as she continued to ride him. Her tongue tangling with his and the feel of her surrounding him was pushing him dangerously close to the edge, and without realizing it he started driving harder into her.

“Oh God.” She pulled her mouth away from his, her back arching and her lungs straining for air. “Oh God,” she whispered again. “So close . . . please . . .”

Blood leaping in his veins, Lex moved one hand between her thighs, shuddering slightly when his fingers slid over where they were joined. With a skill born of experience he swiftly found her clit and began to rub hard circles with his thumb, still thrusting deep into her. Seconds later her body bucked hard as she came with an almost violent force, a whimper escaping when she bit down on her lip to stifle her scream. The feel of her muscles clenching around him was all it took for Lex to find his own release, and with only a few more short, hard thrusts he emptied himself into her, her name coming out in a harsh cry muffled against her neck.

The stars slowly cleared from Chloe’s eyes as she and Lex collapsed against the wall, their lungs straining in deep, panting breaths. Slowly, reluctantly, Chloe unwrapped her legs from around Lex’s waist, both of them groaning softly when he slipped from her. She let him lower her down until her feet found the ground and she stood on unsteady legs; Lex’s hands left her briefly and she vaguely saw him close his pants again before his arms were back around her, pulling her close and holding her against his chest.

Lex had never in all his experience felt anything as incredible as what had just happened. The way Chloe had felt on him, around him, the intensity of her response, had rocked him to his core. Now, standing there and holding her in his arms, her head buried in his shirt, he wasn’t sure if he was physically capable of ever letting her go. What’s more, he wasn’t sure if he cared. It had been the most intense moment of his life to feel her coming around him, knowing that he had brought her there. As he placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, a part of his mind was already coming up with a dozen ways to do it again.

“Lex?” Chloe's voice was quiet against his chest.

“Mmm?” She looked up at him, and a mischievous glint shown through her languorous, satisfied expression.

“I don't want to be quiet anymore.”

Lex felt his blood start to stir again, recent satisfaction or not. His hands began to dance over her back again and somehow he managed to smirk down at her.

“So you think you could handle another round so soon, do you?” An unfamiliar gleam came into her eyes and her body subtly changed in his arms, the relaxation melting away to reveal an energy he hadn’t thought possible.

“Believe me, Lex,” she purred. “I’m just getting started.” She saw the heat pooling in his eyes at her words and didn’t even try to stop the smug smile that curled up her lips.

“Is that so.”

Though it came out as more of a statement than a question, Chloe nodded her head slowly, never breaking eye contact. Without another word Lex pulled her away from the wall, tucking her tight against his side as he walked swiftly to the exit. Chloe laughed at his hurry; his hand flexed on her waist and the laugh turned to an appreciative hum. They stepped out of the air-conditioned club and into the hot, sticky air of a Kansas late-summer night. Chloe reached into her shirt and pulled out the ticket to hand to the valet, thankful that the slip of paper hadn’t been disturbed during their earlier activities. Lex caught the look on her face and, smirking, stepped behind her and pulled her to him, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“I guess we’ll just have to try harder next time.” An answering smirk curled up Chloe’s lips as she pressed back into him, a bolt of arousal shooting through her when she felt him already hard and ready.

“I don’t know, Lex. I think we tried pretty hard this time.”

Lex hissed in a breath at her actions and started moving his hips in a slow circle, his hands finding their way back under the veil of her shirt. His fingers rubbed and brushed over her skin in a tantalizing rhythm as her head fell back against his chest. His smirk returned at her reaction and never stopping his ministrations he leaned his head down next to her ear.

“Chloe,” he whispered, grinding slightly harder against her, his hands drifting farther and farther up her body.

“Hmm?” Her breathing was ragged and shallow as she anticipated what Lex was about to do. Then, suddenly, his hands clamped over her hips, stilling her movement.

“The car’s here.”

Chloe stood shocked for a moment, her body reeling from the sudden loss of his touch. She heard Lex give a short chuckle and felt him step away from her before he took her hand to lead her to the waiting car. Still dazed, she slipped into the car. It was his laughter at her puzzled look that finally snapped her back to herself, and she shot a glare at him as he slid behind the wheel. They pulled out into the street and an idea began to form in Chloe’s mind. It was time for a little revenge.

“That was a cruel thing to do, you know.”

Lex glanced over and saw the slight pout gracing Chloe’s lips. Before he could say a word, however, the pout was replaced with a sly look and she began moving closer to him, making him wary and aroused all at once.

“But I suppose I can forgive you.” His eyes shot down and then quickly back to the road when he felt her hand on his thigh, stroking and rubbing higher and higher. “If you’ll grant me just one tiny little favor.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see her glance down at his lap, could hear the smirk in her voice. “Hmm. I think ‘tiny’ might not be in the cards. But will you, Lex? Will you give me what I want?”

“What do you want, Chloe?” his voice rasped out. She leaned closer and he felt her hot breath in his ear, a shudder racking his body when she spoke.

“I want you to be rough with me, Lex.”

Lex sucked in a breath as dozens of images assailed him, and he felt her finally begin to rub his aching length. Her fingers brushed once, twice over the head and he let out a groan, his hands gripping tighter on the steering wheel. The sound of his zipper opening was deafening in the silent car.

“Jesus,” he hissed, closing his eyes when her hot hand wrapped around him. The blare of a car horn jerked him back to awareness and he swerved quickly back into the proper lane. “Chloe, you have to stop. I’m driving.” He felt her grin against his ear and fought for control as she began to stroke him, doing miraculous things with her hand.

“You never answered my question,” she whispered. “Are you going to give me what I want? Or do you think you can’t handle it?” She tightened her grip and whispered in his ear again. “I could ride you at a gallop until your knees buckled and your eyes rolled up. I could make you pop like warm champagne and you’d beg me to hurt you just a little . . . bit . . . more.” She gave his neck a sharp nip and sped up her motions. “But before I do, there’s something you should know.”

A strangled noise was Lex’s only reply. With an intense satisfaction, Chloe sucked his earlobe into her mouth just before she released him, leaving him gasping in frustration as she leaned back in her seat again, shooting him a smug look.

“We’re here.”

Lex snapped back to himself just in time to make the turn into the parking garage. It was his turn to stare, still dazed that she had stopped when she had, as he pulled into the parking space Chloe had left earlier that night. He moved on autopilot parking the car; as soon as the engine quieted Chloe was out the door, footsteps echoing off of concrete walls as she walked to the elevator. When he finally came back to himself Lex closed his pants again as quickly as he could—no easy task since he was still as hard as marble after Chloe’s teasing—and, grabbing his wallet from the floor, followed after her. By the time he caught up with her she had already reached the elevator; he ignored her smug expression and simply grabbed her, pulling her mouth to his.

The feel of Lex’s lips on hers was intoxicating, infinitely better than anything she had been able to come up with in any of her dreams. The way he somehow knew just when to brush and when to press, how he seemed to be able to bring every single nerve to humming awareness. The way she could feel her lips swelling under his attentions. And—oh god, yes—the feeling of his tongue sweeping over that swollen flesh like hot velvet, the taste of him when she opened her mouth to meet his tongue with her own. When he let her go she didn’t even try to stop her whimper of protest. The smirk he gave her was belied by the fire she could see blazing in his eyes as he drew out a keycard to call the private elevator. The doors slid open almost immediately and he led her into the empty car, the attendant long since gone home.

When the doors slid closed Chloe felt another surge of adrenaline pump through her and grabbed Lex, all but flinging him against the wall of the elevator. Smirking at his look of total shock, she pressed herself against him and attacked his mouth, taking advantage of his dropped jaw to push her tongue past his parted lips almost immediately. Her hands fisted in his shirt and she rubbed herself against him, fighting to be as close to him as possible. Lex’s arms wrapped around her waist to crush her against him; they remained that way, pressed together in the elevator, until the small chime of the opening doors filtered through the haze they were wrapped in.

Without breaking the kiss or his hold on her, Lex backed Chloe out of the elevator and up to the penthouse door. His body pinned her there as he feasted on her mouth, one hand keeping a firm grip on her waist while his other hand drew out keys and unlocked the door. They half-stumbled into the apartment and Lex kicked the door shut behind him as they moved farther inside, Chloe’s hand on the back of his neck to pull him along with her. When they reached the bedroom she gave his shirt one last, hard yank and drew him in after her.

His mouth finally left hers to place hot kisses along the column of her neck. She gave a small moan when he ran his tongue over the mark he had left earlier; Lex smirked at her reaction and repeated the action again and again, drawing a long string of cries from the back of her throat. Each noise she made echoed in his blood, making his heart leap, as did her fingers running over his scalp as she pressed his head harder to her neck. His hands began to travel, skimming over smooth skin and shimmering fabric and drawing sounds from her so erotic, he thought he might die simply hearing them.

With her free hand Chloe reached down, fumbling behind her for her raised foot, trying to free herself from her shoes. Lex noticed and drew back, pressed a short kiss to her lips to stifle her protest and pressed on her shoulders until she sat on the bed. Still without a word he knelt in front of her and lifted her foot to unclasp the shoe. The smile he sent her was pure seduction and Chloe leaned back on her arms, eyes half-closing when she felt him draw off the shoe and place a soft kiss to the inside of her ankle. His lips continued up, breathing kisses over her skin until suddenly, halfway up her calf he stopped, turning his attention to the other foot and repeating his actions. Chloe was unsure how such a simple touch could be so incredibly arousing, but when Lex stood again and held out his hands to her, she found herself not caring. She took his hands and let him draw her up again, only to stand confused as she watched his eyes soften.

Lex stood, caught a bit off-guard when Chloe stood before him. He had forgotten how small she was, really; her ability to fill a room with her presence made it easy to forget her diminutive stature, and especially tonight, her personality had overshadowed physical reality. But now, standing before him with her feet bare, her head tipped back to look at him, Lex could see a whisper of the girl he had known back in Smallville. His gaze ran over her—her swollen lips and flushed cheeks, the heavy rise and fall of her chest, all the skin he knew now was so soft to the touch. She was here now, where he had wanted her to be so many times, and he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

His lips lowered to hers slowly, softly. He felt himself drowning in the feel of her lips, drinking from her mouth in long, slow sips. His tongue brushed over her lips and Chloe opened immediately for him, eager to deepen the kiss. She met him eagerly but still he kept the kiss slow, stroking and tasting with a patience that surprised even him, but could not be denied. This kiss was gentle, warm as he savored her. This was a kiss to last him through the longest night.

“Lex,” she whispered when they parted, eyes drifting closed against her will as he feathered kisses over her jaw. Arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer. “I thought—” Her words cut off when he reached her ear and pressed his lips just below the shell of her ear and drew a shiver from her.

“Later,” he whispered back, his voice husky in her ear. “Your way later; this way now.”

With that he continued to trail kisses down her neck until he reached her shoulders, tasting the soft skin there. Chloe’s hands were moving over his back, stroking him through his silk shirt while his hands moved to the ties of her top. His movements still excruciatingly slow, he pulled on the strings until they slipped loose. The shirt slid off of her body to pool at her feet; Lex finally lifted his head and looked down at her, his eyes darkening until they were nearly black.

“Jesus, Chloe.”

His low, harsh voice sent a shudder through her and she sucked in a breath when she felt his hands cup her bare breasts. Her fingers were shaking slightly with want as she reached out to unbutton Lex’s shirt, his hands still driving her mad as he gently stroked and squeezed. What seemed like an eternity later she finally released the last button, and his hands left her to shrug the shirt off. Her own hands went immediately to his chest, smoothing over the muscles coiled beneath the skin before her head dipped to taste him. She let out a hum of pleasure and continued to move her mouth over his skin growing more addicted with every taste. As she moved higher their bare chests came into contact, and the feel of Chloe’s nipples pressed up against him was too much for Lex to take; he wove a hand into her hair and drew her mouth back up to claim it in another long, deep kiss. His hands returned to her breasts and he felt her chest hitch as she swallowed her reaction. The kiss broke and he moved his mouth to her ear again.

“It’s ok, Chloe. Just let it go.” As he spoke his fingers found her hardened nipples; a low moan tore from her throat and her head fell back slightly. She looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes as she arched into his hands, her body blindly seeking more contact. Her tongue darted out to lick at her lips, and with a low groan Lex brought his mouth back to hers.

The rest of their clothing was quickly discarded and Chloe found herself suddenly on the bed, Lex’s weight pressing down on her and his mouth blazing a hot trail down her body. Her breasts were aching under his touch, each stroke sending a new pang of need through her. When his mouth finally fastened over one nipple she moaned out his name and began to writhe beneath him, hips moving in time with his mouth. The feeling of her hips arching against him was tearing at Lex’s control, but his actions remained unhurried as he lavished attention on her other breast, unable to believe how her moans and gasps were affecting him.

One hand slipped down, urging her to open her legs a bit more so that he could move between them. He slid one finger into her, testing, and found her already wet. Her hips lifted towards him and he couldn’t deny either of them what they needed any longer. His lips found hers and drew her into another kiss as he slipped into her.

Chloe’s hands stroked and slipped, slick over the sweat-dampened skin of his back as they rocked together. Lex was hot and hard inside of her, filling her completely though she hadn’t even known she was empty. With each stroke she felt the agonizing pleasure build, could hear her gasps and moans and wordless pleading mingled with the groans and encouraging demands that spilled from Lex’s mouth. Then his mouth was at her neck, nibbling and sucking in the same rhythm as his thrusts. When one of his hands began to rub and pinch at her clit the stimulation was too much, and the world went white as she clenched around him, his name spilling from her lips in a breathless cry. As her orgasm rocked her she felt Lex swell inside of her; a new round of pleasure drenched her when she felt him lose himself inside of her, calling out her name as he did.

Lex’s weight was delicious on top of her, pressing her into the satin-covered softness of the bed. Her hands continued to dance over his skin in light, contented touches. When his head finally lifted to look down at her and she gave him a soft, satisfied smile, he chuckled and pressed an equally soft kiss to her lips. Wrapping his arms around her he rolled them both over so that she was nestled against his side, tucked under one arm with the other wrapped around her waist. Chloe brushed a soft kiss over his heart and smoothed her hands over his skin until she soothed him into sleep. She watched him for a moment, then nestled her head onto his chest. Though she was satisfied, she wasn’t sleepy; but for now, she was content to simply rest, wrapped in Lex’s arms.


TBC . . .

***********************************

A/N: Everybody happy now?

[Gemini]

You. Rock.

That's pretty much all I can say right now... you deserve a cakehttp://users.telenet.be/eforum/emoticons4u/party/fest33.gif

[sydsvaughn]

YES! (does the happy, happy, joy, joy dance) Lovely wonderful Chlex smut. Exactly what I needed to read tonight. And more, more, more!! (Lex must of course cater to Chloe's earlier 'request')

Sara

[xmag]

Yeah, two parts, aren't we lucky ? and my, was it hot !!! But Chloe has the parasite, hasn't she ? will Lex realise that ? what will happen in the morning, will Chloe fall into a coma ? will she remember making love with Lex ?

[Sway]

oooooooooooooooh wow. yeah thats all i got for you. wow. that was unbelievable... and now for that shower...

:blinkkiss:

[hfce]

Oh WOW WOW WOW need MORE MORE MORE :goof: :ohmy:
That was so fricking HOT!!!!!!!!!!


Hope :blush:

[ladymichelle]

That was incredible! :yay: :ohmy:

[bluemoongirl23]

Originally posted by Not An Addict@Apr 16 2003, 08:21 PM
You know you wanna dance.”




Great line from a great show used in a great fic! And, I see that there is another chapter that I must read. It had best have some smut, else I hunt you down.

Blue

[beanie1816]

WOW! :drool: You are AMAZING! you have such talent. im so jealous. The last chapter was just incrediable. i too wonder how the parasite is going to effect all this. Is chloe going to remember anything? update soon please!

:read:

:wub:
Megs

[mina murray]

Oh, yeah. Gonna have a smoke now. :drool:

[bluemoongirl23]

Wow. That was, yeah, wow. Pop like warm champagne, he? That sounds vaguely familiar.....though badass Chloe vs Faith would be an excellent fight. Next chaper now, please.

Blue

[xmag]

bump, bump, just waiting for an update.

[Gemini]

Originally posted by xmag@Apr 19 2003, 06:41 PM
bump, bump, just waiting for an update.
No kidding!!! Pleeeeaaasse update this one? I want to see what happens when she comes out of the adrenalin-rush stage...??

[mina murray]

Oh yeah!! Is she going to forget all about it again? Because, well, that´d be a crime. :ohmy:

[Not An Addict]

No worries--haven't forgotten, just taking me a while to write it. :blinkkiss: More should be up . . . um . . . sooner rather than later. *scurries off to write*

[Not An Addict]

A/N: It's here! It's here! All questions will be answered in due time. Just be patient. Again, this chapter is 90% smut, but the plot insisted on making an appearance at the end. Enjoy ^_^




Chapter Five: All Good Things



Lex woke in a tangle of satin sheets, a familiar languor settled in his body. He glanced at the clock and smirked; he had never felt this rested after only an hour of sleep. Of course, he had never gone to sleep with Chloe curled up beside him. The thought of her had him reaching out to her, wanting to feel her pressed up against him again. His hand, however, didn’t encounter a single one of her soft curves, and he sat up abruptly, the last vestiges of sleep deserting him when he saw the empty space staring back up at him. After a brief moment of panic he forced his brain to act logically. The sheets were still warm—she couldn’t have been gone long. It was then that he finally noticed the light coming from the partially open bathroom door. His heart slowly returned to a normal rhythm.

“Chloe?” he called out softly, his voice still heavy with sleep. The door opened a bit more and Chloe stepped out, wrapped in a short black silk robe, her seductive smile quickly heating his blood. He leaned back on his forearms and let his gaze roam over her silk-draped form—was she wearing stockings?—smirking when he caught the slight movement of her chest as her breath hitched.

“Nice robe. New?” A mischievous glint joined the heat in her eyes and she nodded, walking slowly towards where he was reclined on the bed.

“I bought a lot of new things,” she told him, delighted when his eyes shifted to watch the movements of her hips as she sauntered towards him. “I was in the last store when I realized how remiss I had been. After all, we are,” she paused, licking her lips, “friends, and here I had almost forgotten.” She had reached the side of the bed now; her eyes flitted to the small bedside clock then back to him, her mouth curling again in that seductively mischievous smile. She leaned towards him and he willed her closer. “It’s after midnight,” she whispered, right before her lips met his. His head spun at the gentle pressure, her intoxicating taste. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, however, she pulled away, her lips moving instead to his ear.

“Happy Birthday, Lex.”

Lex just blinked in response. Chloe had known it was his birthday? He had almost forgotten himself, but she had remembered. He felt his heart constrict, but contentment soon changed to disappointment as she started backing away again. Before he could say anything, however, Chloe’s words caught his attention.

“And since you’ve been such a good boy,” she smirked, her fingers slowly untying the tie of her robe, “I think you deserve a special treat.” With that she let the material fall from her body, pooling around her feet. Lex’s breath caught somewhere between his chest and his throat, but he was too busy absorbing the sight in front of him to care.

Chloe’s pale skin seemed to shimmer in the light purple material, a color she had chosen specifically for Lex. The bra cupped her breasts like a pair of strong hands, the rose of her nipples a vague shadow just visible beneath the lace. Her underwear was more of the same, lace and satin in the same pale purple, and Lex felt himself growing hard when he spied the darker spot where the material had grown wet. It was the garters that did him in, however, lace again and holding up the sheer lilac stockings. Chloe shifted her weight slightly and Lex sucked in a breath, throbbing with reaction to how her body moved in her sinfully enticing underwear.

“Tell me what you want, Lex.” Chloe’s voice snapped him back to the present situation, and he looked up to see her eyes heavy and hot as they regarded him. “Anything at all--all you have to do is say the word.”

Lex’s heart stopped for a split second before it started up again at three times its normal rate. He had the urge to pinch himself; it had to be one of his better dreams, Chloe standing in front of him clothed in pure sin, offering to do anything he told her to do. A second later he smirked, his eyes darkening with desire. If this was a dream, he sure as hell wasn’t going to be stupid enough to stop it.

Chloe’s breath caught again when Lex threw aside the sheet and rose, prowling towards her. Her eyes traveled down his body to the obvious evidence of his arousal, and her heart began to race. He stopped in front of her, close enough for her to feel his heat. Though her fingers ached to touch him she stood her ground. She had started this game, and she would play by the rules if it killed her. So she stood still as Lex circled around her, stopping behind her and tracing his fingers almost lazily over her shoulders.

“I think I like my present,” he whispered.

“I’m glad,” she managed to say. His hands were drifting down her arms now, leaving a trail sensitized skin behind them. Then they were suddenly, roughly on her hips, pulling her back into him as he ground slowly against her bottom. Chloe let out a moan and dropped her head back against Lex’s shoulder. One hand moved swiftly to her underwear and with one quick tug ripped the delicate fabric off of her. Her head shot up with a gasp and Lex smirked against her ear.

“I’ll buy you more.” Chloe couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“You bought me these,” she teased.

“I have exceptional taste, then,” he replied. His hand returned to her hip, moving her against him again. The feeling of his bare skin against hers when she still wore the rest of the lingerie was almost too much, and her head fell back against him again with a groan. She felt him harden even more and moved her hips a bit harder, rewarded by his fingers tightening over her hips.

“Tell me, Chloe,” he rasped in her ear. “Do you think about me? Late at night in your bed, when the lights are out?” Chloe’s breathing grew harsher and she nodded her head. “All alone there, do your hands find yourself in the dark? Do you touch yourself and pretend that it’s me? Say it, Chloe. Tell me.”

“Yes,” she moaned, shifting against him. “Every time, Lex. I always think of you.”

“Good.” He nipped sharply at her earlobe and she shuddered at the flash of exquisite pain. “Show me.”

The air was suddenly cold against her skin as Lex stepped back, and she moved in a daze as he led her to a plush chair facing the foot of the bed and sat, pulling her into his lap. She turned her head and was about to protest when she caught the look of challenge in Lex’s eyes and kept silent. Sinking down into his lap, Chloe sucked in a breath as she leaned back against Lex’s chest, letting her body mold to his.

Strong hands found her stocking-covered thighs and slowly, deliberately spread her legs and hooked them over the arms of the chair. Lex glanced down and his breathing hitched at the moisture he could see clinging to her curls as she sat spread for him, the bra, garters and stockings heightening the feeling of forbidden behavior. Chloe began to run her hands slowly along her legs, shivering as she moved from the material of her stockings to the bare skin at the tops of her thighs. Her eyes drifted closed and Lex swallowed hard, trying to wet his dry throat.

“Tell me what you’re imagining, Chloe.” She shuddered at his voice as it rumbled from his chest and into her ear, at the rough, barely leashed passion that only increased her feeling of vulnerability.

“I’m in my room, getting ready for bed,” she started, her hands moving slowly north, over her stomach.

“Tell me what you’re wearing.”

“I’m not wearing anything. It’s summer, and when it’s hot I never wear anything to bed.” Lex sucked in a breath at the thought of Chloe lying naked in her bed, getting herself off as she moaned his name. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the arms of the chair, knowing that if he didn’t this would be over before it began, and this was one experience he fully intended to enjoy.

“Go on.”

“I hear a noise behind me, but I don’t turn around. Then your hands . . .” She licked her lips as her hands drift up to cover her lace-clad breasts, her back arching slightly at the touch. “Your hands are on my breasts. I can’t see you, and I’m so turned on by the thought that it could be anyone. But I know it’s you. It’s always you.” Lex’s eyes were fixed on her hands as they rubbed in slow circles, then started suiting actions to the words she spoke. “You’re kneading them, moving slowly. I want more, please, more, but you know how wet this makes me and you just keep squeezing and rubbing. You find my nipples,” and as her fingers brushed over the hardened points her back arched harder, pushing herself into her hands. “And you’re pinching them, rolling them under your fingers, flicking them, teasing them.” Her voice broke over the small cry she gave, and her hips started moving in time with her hands on her breasts, torturing him where he was pressed hard against the small of her back. Lex didn’t know how much more of this he could take, but he couldn’t bring himself stop her.

“One of your hands is moving down,” she panted as her own hand snaked down her stomach, hesitating before resting lightly over her curls. Her hips lifted, blindly seeking more contact as she teased herself. “I need you to touch me, Lex; and then one finger is inside me, stroking me.” She slipped her longest finger inside herself and her hips immediately began to move, riding her hand. Her movements were slow at first, gradually building up speed as she added another finger. “You’re filling me even more now, and God, Lex, it feels so good, but it’s not enough.” Her breathing was even faster now, more ragged. “You lay me down on the bed, and you’re touching me again, teasing. I can’t take it, please, I need more.” Lex was close to losing it, watching her as she lost herself in her fantasy and begged him for more.

“I’m tearing at your clothes, I need them gone, I need to feel you against me. And then,” she added another finger and her hips thrust up hard, driving her fingers deeper. “You’re in me, finally, moving h-hard, pounding into me, and it feels so damn good, it feels so good to have you fucking me, Lex. Please, please, let me come, please. Harder.” And she moved faster, slamming into herself at a furious pace, her hand glistening and coated with her own juice. “Oh god, oh god, Lex, please,” she whimpered, closer and closer to the edge, and right as she was about to go over she heard his voice.

“Stop.”

One of his hands grasped hers to halt her movements and, panting, she let out a harsh whimper of confusion and desperate pleading. Lex lifted her hand and brought it to his mouth, slowly licking it clean. Then in one swift movement he lifted her and turned her in his lap, sliding deeply into her. Chloe gave a small cry at the sensation and lifted her eyes to his as she continued to pant for breath, held in place by his intense stare.

It only lasted for a moment before she began to move, hesitantly at first, then with increased force when he made no move to stop her. She had been so close when he had stopped her that it only took a few seconds before she came around him, her body shuddering as she clung to him. Through her haze she felt him stand with her wrapped around him; two quick steps to the bed and then he was sitting on the edge, still hard as granite inside of her.

“This,” he gritted out, drawing another gasp from her as he moved, stroking her still-sensitive flesh, “this is how it’s supposed to be. Not some figment of your imagination and your own touch.” He moved again and she moaned; his hands traveled up and removed her bra, exposing her breasts to rub against his chest. Her stocking-covered legs rubbed against him and the feeling was driving him out of his mind. “The next time you get wet, it’s going to be my cock in you instead of your fingers. It’s going to be me that you’re riding instead of yourself.”

“Yes, God,” Chloe moaned beginning to do just that. She began to slide up and down, letting him fill her again and again. Her head fell back and she felt Lex’s mouth searing over her collarbone; the feeling had her moving faster, clinging to his shoulders as she ground herself against him. Lex’s hand lifted her head forward and slammed her mouth into his, his tongue sweeping possessively into her mouth and melting what little was left of her brain. Close again, so close, and then her hips slammed into his and she shattered, quaking around him as he swallowed her cry of release before returning it with his own.

Slowly, Lex lay back on the bed, taking Chloe with him until she was lying on top of him, her head cradled against his chest. He stroked a hand over her hair, her back, feeling her relax into languid softness above him. A smile settled over his face as he felt her breathing deepen, and his arms held her close as he followed her into sleep.


**************************************


The next time Lex woke, Chloe was still curled around him, her hot little body nestled firmly against his. His arms tightened around her and pulled her closer; a low hum echoed from her throat and she placed a lingering kiss on his skin before looking up at him. When her eyes met his they were wide-awake and sparkling with her smile. Lex grinned lazily as his hand began to stroke the soft skin at her waist. He glanced at the clock and back at her, one eyebrow raised.

“You didn’t sleep for very long,” he observed. Chloe’s breathing grew shallower at the sleepy rasp of his voice and she moved herself closer to him, grinning when Lex sucked in a breath as she rubbed against him.

“Wasn’t very sleepy.” Her head lowered back down to his chest and she began to feather kisses across it. “Better things to do,” she murmured between kisses.

Lex’s hands were now roaming over her skin, his eyes half-closed as he watched her blonde head move over his chest. A groan escaped him and one hand tangled in her hair when her lips fastened over his nipple. Chloe lifted her head and grinned at him again, then swiftly swung one leg up and over until she was straddling him, gazing down at his look of surprise. Her hands smoothed over his skin with her gaze following their movements, watching as his muscles twitched in response to her touch. She spread her fingers wide and traced his body as if to memorize him by touch alone.

“God, you’re amazing,” she whispered before her head dipped down.

Her lips found his neck and Lex moaned at her single-minded attentions. As she nuzzled and sucked there, his hands started to move over her back, encouraging her actions with every stroke. He felt like he could lie like that forever, his arms around Chloe as she did whatever amazing thing it was that she was doing to his neck to wipe out all of his higher brain functions. Then she began moving lower, back to his chest, exploring every bit of him that her lips and hands could reach, and Lex let his eyes drift closed as his breathing grew heavier. Chloe’s mouth reached his stomach and she ran her tongue over his tight abdominal muscles, making them jump.

She moved lower still, and Lex’s eyes shot open when he felt her fingers brush over his erection that was straining, hard and ready, for her touch. With light, teasing motions that were slowly driving him insane, she explored him inch by inch before her touch grew firmer, her grip tighter. Her lips found him again then, and he found himself being slowly enveloped by the soft, wet heat of her mouth. Lex’s head fell back as Chloe began to suck lightly, her tongue swirling around him and pushing him just that much further towards madness. He savored the feeling for a few seconds before he gripped her shoulders and pulled her mouth back up to his. Their tongues intertwined quickly, and Lex rolled them over until he was above her, settled between her legs. The kiss deepened even more, Lex’s tongue seeking every hidden corner of her mouth with a practiced ease that left her breathless. Chloe’s hands moved up his back to grasp his head; she trailed her fingernails over his scalp and Lex let out a loud groan, his lower body thrusting once hard against hers. His hands came up to seize her wrists and lowered her hands down to the bed beside her.

“No touching until I’m finished.”

With those words, whispered against her lips, Lex began his exploration of Chloe’s body. His mouth moved first to her neck, nipping and licking at her skin. The frantic beat of her pulse proved too much temptation, and without conscious thought Lex began to suck at the skin there. Encouraged by the loud moan that Chloe gave, Lex let his hands leave hers where they were fisted in the sheets to drift over the curves of her body. They traveled up from her hips, taking in the dip of her waist before brushing lightly against the sides of her breasts. Chloe immediately arched into his touch and was rewarded by his mouth moving lower to nibble at the skin over her collarbone. His fingers, meanwhile, were traveling lightly over her breasts, kneading and pressing exactly the way she wanted him to, all the while being careful to avoid her hardened nipples. When Chloe squirmed, trying to guide his touch there, Lex simply grinned against her skin and continued to tease her. Chloe felt herself getting wetter and her mouth quirked up in a wry smile.

‘Well, someone was certainly paying attention earlier. Now if I could just get him to—oh GOD!’ Chloe’s train of thought cut off when Lex’s fingers finally found her nipples, pinching and rolling them between his fingers; her back arched hard off the bed and her hands fisted tighter in the sheets as she tried to control the urge to touch him. Lex kissed his way over the freckles on Chloe’s chest, constantly licking and sucking until his mouth finally joined his hands in their torment. Like his fingers had before, Lex’s lips drifted all around her breasts, his tongue darting out to tease the area around her nipple but never going where she wanted him to.

Just when she thought se would scream if he teased her any longer, his teeth clamped over one nipple as he sucked hard—and she screamed anyway. The combination of pleasure and pain was almost too much and Chloe was vaguely aware that she had begun to whimper out pleas, writhing beneath him as they poured from her throat. But Lex continued to take his time, and if Chloe hadn’t been able to feel the hard length of him pressing against her thigh she might almost have thought him unaffected by what he was doing to her.

He finally abandoned her breasts, drifting lower over her stomach. When his tongue dipped into her navel her stomach muscles twitched at the sensation. Skilled hands worked swiftly over the garter belt she still wore, peeling it off along with the stockings. Hot kisses rained over her hipbones, and her breath caught in her throat as he moved still lower, then escaped in a frustrated rush when she felt his lips on her knees. He hooked her knees over his shoulders and his mouth began to move up again, burning a path over the soft skin of her inner thighs. At the first touch of his tongue to her lower lips Chloe felt her hips buck, a part of her mind oddly detached as her body reacted to the pleasure Lex was giving her. Then his lips wrapped around her clit and she came crashing into herself, too immersed in feeling to manage anything else. Everything began to blur together; Lex’s tongue in her, then his fingers, pumping as his mouth returned to sucking at her clit—each sensation blended into the next until suddenly, without warning, it all stopped.

Lex moved back over her body with her knees still hooked over his shoulders, opening her more than ever before. Their mouths crushed together immediately with a hunger that threatened to consume them both as Chloe’s tongue snaked around Lex’s. She tasted herself on him and moaned loudly into his mouth; he took the opportunity to drive his tongue deeper, wanting to taste as much of her as he could. At the same time, Chloe felt him pressed firmly between her legs.

‘That’s it, we’re calling him finished NOW.’ And her hands lifted from the mattress, moving immediately to rub and stroke at Lex’s scalp.

When Chloe began to find pleasure centers Lex had barely even known existed, the last hold on his control broke with an almost audible snap. One swift, hard thrust had him completely buried in her and with a cry Chloe tore her mouth away from Lex’s, staring into his eyes as he started to pound roughly into her. Chloe let out a loud moan and her eyes drifted closed; immediately she felt him thrust into her with an almost jarring force. Her eyes flew open again and saw him staring down at her, his own eyes wild and so dark as to be nearly black.

“Look at me,” he commanded, and all Chloe could do was nod, her gaze locked on his as she panted for breath.

Lex was thrusting even harder, but Chloe still wanted, needed more. Her hands reached blindly behind her until they grasped the headboard, and she braced herself there as she started thrusting her own hips down to meet him. He was moving deeper inside of her than he had ever been inside a woman, and the pleasure was nearly overwhelming. All he could focus on was the blinding, driving need for more, to go faster, harder, deeper. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her towards him, slamming into her hard enough to jar the normally unmovable bed. Moaning her name Lex leaned forward until each thrust had him grinding against Chloe’s clit. Her own moans changed to groans of pleasure, then to harsh cries. She was almost there, and with one final thrust she shattered, arching hard off of the bed as her head fell back with an almost primal scream.

The feeling of Chloe clamping so tightly around him had Lex following her over the edge, hips still pumping as he emptied himself into her. Completely spent, Lex collapsed on top of her and her legs slid from his shoulders, completely limp.

He had no idea how long he laid there—a minute, an hour, he couldn’t tell. With a great deal of effort he managed to raise his head and rule out the possibility of paralysis; Chloe’s eyes fluttered open with a small smile, and she gave a hum of complete and total satisfaction. Though he swelled with male pride at having rendered her literally speechless, Lex himself could only manage a smirk before he rolled off of her and pulled her against his side once again. She nestled against him, her limbs limp with exhaustion. Lex felt her breathing slow and breathed out a contented sigh.

“I love you, Chloe.”

And hearing those words, Chloe finally let herself drift off to sleep.


*****************************


Lex’s internal clock woke him at six that morning, long years at the plant in Smallville ensuring that he almost always woke at dawn. He glanced down at the weight settled over his chest and saw Chloe curled against him, soft lips parted in sleep. It was difficult to reconcile his memories of the wanton woman in his bed last night with the angelic creature asleep beside him; and though he was surprised to admit it, he found that he actually preferred this version of her. Not that there was anything wrong with her behavior last night, he thought with a smirk. But this was the Chloe he was familiar with--the Chloe he could now admit that he had fallen in love with.

His hand stroked over her hair as he watched her, trying to figure out exactly when it had happened, but the answer continued to elude him. All he could figure out was that somewhere in between the failed interviews and coffee, meteor mutants and banter, his feelings for Chloe Sullivan had grown while he wasn’t looking. What had started as a simple attraction and enjoyment of the battle of wits they constantly engaged in, had grown to a craving before he realized it. He had gone to the Talon when he knew she would be there, purposely picked fights for the thrill of seeing the light of battle blazing in her eyes. The mention of her with other men had set him on edge, a reaction he had been able to write off as a concern for her safety after yet another one of her dates had turned out to be less than stable. When that happened Lex had quite literally worn a path in the carpet with his pacing and called in half of the favors he had owed to him in an effort to get her back safely. It was the one time he had been the one to save her instead of Clark; to this day he still didn’t know how she had figured out it was him when he had done his best to cover it up. She hadn’t made a big deal out of thanking him, but he still carried the memory of the silent, lengthy hug that she had given him.

Lex gave her hair one last stroke and carefully eased out from under her, making his way to the bathroom. When he realized that the clothes, previously strewn about the room, were now piled neatly in a corner, he wondered for a moment how he hadn’t noticed it earlier. His mind quickly provided him with an image of Chloe standing before him in whispers of lace and satin that had effectively distracted him at the time. He thought of the things that they could do today as he splashed cool water over his face and scalp, the whole day outlined in his head before it occurred to him that he didn’t even know how long she was staying in Metropolis. That concern was quickly shrugged off; after all, there was nothing pressing to keep him in Metropolis if Chloe were heading back to Smallville. He grinned. For the first time in a long while, Lex felt the urge to be spontaneous instead of planning everything down to the last detail.

‘You don’t even know how she feels about you. Don’t you think you might be rushing this just a little bit?’

Rubbing a towel over his face, Lex felt his euphoric mood drop slightly as that thought sunk in. His gaze fell on Chloe’s sleeping form nestled in his bed and he walked towards her, his jaw squaring. It was entirely possible that all she felt was the undeniably incredible sexual chemistry between them. If that were the case . . . Lex shook his head. If that were the case, he would just have to build on it from there. He refused to believe that Chloe felt nothing other than lust for him, although he had to admit that building up a sexual relationship with her was a thoroughly enjoyable prospect.

He sank down onto the bed, his eyes drinking in the sight of Chloe’s body in his bed. She had turned, and now the gentle slope of her back was facing him, exposed where the sheet had slipped down to drape over her hip. It occurred to him that he should be terrified by what he was feeling, the dizzying rush of emotions that were swamping him. He had always fought against love, against the vulnerability that came with it. But now that it was here he felt as if he couldn’t be afraid if he tried.

Unable to resist the lure any longer, Lex reached out and trailed his fingertips over Chloe’s back. Her skin was so soft, so warm beneath his touch. He didn’t want to wake her, but his addiction to her demanded to be fed, and he lightly traced the line of her spine, from the small of her back to the nape of her neck and back again. When his fingers brushed against her hair it fell aside, and Lex stilled at what was suddenly revealed.

‘Oh, no. No, this is no good at all.’

His eyes remained locked on the small hole in the back of Chloe’s neck, the skin a painful, bruised purple around the wound. For a moment, what he was seeing refused to process; when it finally did Lex jumped from the bed, still unable to tear his eyes away. Things that had been nagging at him began to click into place—Chloe’s strange behavior; the way she seemed to be acting on impulse; the force with which she had thrown him against the wall of the elevator; the lab . . . the lab. Lex’s eyes closed against a sudden wave of sickness. He had found her at the lab where the parasites were being kept. She had acted strangely and, like an idiot, he had believed her line that it was the city that had her acting this way. Suddenly unsure of his ability to stand, Lex sank into a chair, only to leap up as if it had burned him. That was the chair where he . . . where they . . . his body started to shake when he realized what he had done. Though he had never been opposed to extreme measures to get what he wanted, the idea of taking advantage of a drugged woman had always been abhorrent to him. That he had effectively done that with Chloe had him feeling almost violently ill.

Lex ran a shaking hand over his head, trying to rein in his runaway thoughts. He had to get her to the hospital. If they didn’t get the parasite out of her soon, there was no telling what she might end up doing. The memory of her throwing him against the wall echoed again in his mind--as long as she was hyped up on adrenaline there was no way he was going to be able to get her to the hospital if she didn’t want to go. Lex was sure that Chloe wouldn’t relish the thought of being brought down from her high; so how the hell was he supposed to get her there?








TBC . . .



***************************************

[Gemini]

OMG, OMG, OMG!!! Ahhhh! This was the best chapter yet! It was hot, and fluffy and angsty and... wow.

*I stand in awe*

Or you know, sit in awe, seeing as how I have a chair and everything. Eep! Anyway, brilliant job.

[hfce]

Ths chapter was :drool: :smut: :drool: :smut: filled. I want more :smut:



Hope :chlexsign2:

[mina murray]

Oh poor Lex! He feels bad thinking he took advantage of her. And what´s gonna happen once Chloe is healed? Will she remember everything or not? yes, I already asked this but I need to know, how sad would Lex be if she wakes up and remembers nothing? :ohmy:
Go update and put me out of my misery!!

ETA: yey! I´m a Chlex Fan now! :applause:

[beanie1816]

WOW!!!! :worship: That was brillant. How the heck did you do it. You had :smut: and :crygreen: and self :hammer: I :applause: you.

Ps. can you tell i :wub: the new emotions!

update update update update!!!!


:wub: u
Megs

[drina]

What happen next? I wanna know soon! :yay2: :yay2: :yay2:

Great :smut: scenes. they're :worship: -worthy.

:chlexsign4:

[bluemoongirl23]

That was smuteriffic! Hot hot hot. And love how you've got to work in a bit of the angst. Oh, Lex, sweetie, It'll be alright, trust me.

Blue

[Sway]

wow. wow. :yay: :yay: yeah. omg that was awesome. i can't wait to see what he does about it. it was... good god i'm speechless.

:blinkkiss: Sway

[NightGlow]

OMG OMG OMG! That was SOOOOO incredibly good. I can't wait to read what happens next. :drool:

[Not An Addict]

A/N: And so the plot noses its way in despite my best attempts to keep it out. Damn angst muse. She’s getting a little too pushy. So, in short . . . sorry. It had to happen. And let’s keep in mind, people, that when there’s not specific information on something, I get to make it up. ^_^





Chapter Six: Reality Sucks



The sun was warm against her skin when Chloe woke, her exhausted body having fought off the adrenaline for as long as it could. Now it was back, and she was completely awake before she even opened her eyes.

‘Better than a caffeine IV,” she mused.

When her eyes did finally open, she saw Lex sitting on the bed next to her, his lower body now clad in a pair of silk pajama pants. She shot him a sultry smile and stretched languorously, deciding that she wasn’t at all opposed to spending her morning in bed. And if the way Lex’s eyes darkened when the sheet slipped down to expose her breasts were any indication, she wouldn’t have a hard time convincing him to join her.

“Morning.” Her voice was still rough with sleep, and she saw Lex shudder at her tone. She lifted a hand to trace over his bare chest; after only a moment Lex caught her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the palm. Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Is that all the good-morning kiss I’m going to get?”

Lex smirked and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss had Chloe’s head spinning within seconds, the feeling somehow different than it had ever been before. Something about this kiss was different. Love, she supposed, and pressed her lips more firmly against his. When Lex pulled away, he grinned down at her, tracing his fingertips over the pout that was forming on her lips.

“Good morning.” His grin grew slightly. “Are you feeling adventurous today, Chloe?” Chloe’s eyes lit up at the question, and her breath caught when Lex began dragging the end of a silk tie over her bare breasts. She glanced down at the tie and then back up at Lex, her mouth curving up in a sly smile.

“What did you have in mind?” Lex turned away to pick something up off of the nightstand, and when he looked back at her there was challenge in his eyes. Chloe raised her eyebrows at the syringe he now held, her blood rushing with curiosity and excitement. “What’s that?”

“A party favor,” Lex smirked. “It heightens the senses.” His voice was a husky whisper as he traced a finger around her nipple, his smirk growing when it tightened at his touch. “Makes everything seem clearer.” Despite the arousal that had gripped her body, Chloe let out a delighted laugh.

“So the stories about your youth are more fact than fiction, I guess.” She grinned up at him. “Drugs and women, late-night parties.” One last glance at the syringe and she shrugged. “I’ll try anything once. Which reminds me.” She sat up and leaned towards him, toying with the silk in his hand. “I saw more of these in your closet earlier. So later,” she nipped at his ear, “would you rather tie or be tied?” Lex sucked in a sharp breath and shot her a hot look.

“Let’s just focus on one thing at a time.” He stretched her arm out in front of him and knotted the tie tight around her arm just above her elbow. With a cotton ball and the bottle of alcohol sitting on the table he wiped down her skin. Chloe’s breathing sped up as Lex squirted a thin stream of the golden liquid through the needle to be sure there was no air in the tube. He glanced back up at her with a questioning look. “Ready?”

Chloe grinned and nodded, and watched, fascinated, as Lex slid the needle into her vein. There was a slight burning when the liquid entered her, but overall not a completely unpleasant experience. When the syringe was empty Lex removed it from her arm and pressed another wad of cotton to the spot, letting Chloe hold it there while he loosened the tie from around her arm. He rose and walked to the bathroom to dispose of the needle; when he came back, Chloe was still sitting on the bed, gazing at her arm. She glanced up and grinned at him.

“So how long until this stuff kicks in?”

“Not long.”

One of his hands lifted to her hair as he settled himself back down on the bed. His eyes drank in her features, and with a small smile he placed his lips on hers in a breathtakingly soft kiss. Chloe felt the world start to spin ever so slightly, a feeling she had come to associate with Lex’s kisses. When he pulled away, however, the world didn’t right itself like it normally did. Instead, her body grew suddenly heavy, and she had to fight to keep her eyes from closing.

“Lex?” Her voice was weak as Lex continued to hold her. His face was the only thing staying still while the rest of the world was moving faster and faster, and Chloe wondered if the rushing wind she could hear was causing the moisture she could see in his eyes.

“It’s all right, Chloe. It’s going to be all right.”

Lex’s reassuring voice was the last thing Chloe heard before the world went suddenly black.


****************************


The waiting room was cold, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Lex wondered why they always seemed to keep hospitals so frigid. The flight there had been hellish—the pounding of his heart had drowned out the thump of the helicopter rotor as he watched Chloe slumped over the straps that held her to her seat. He had barely noticed the strange look on the pilot’s face when the man took in the sight of Lex, dressed in a suit as usual, carrying the small blonde dressed only in a short black silk robe. There had been more strange looks when he had arrived at the hospital, but he had ignored them in favor of the doctor who had been there to meet them. He glanced up now to see Dr. Kriegel again walking towards him, and he stood up from his uncomfortable chair to meet him.

“Mr. Luthor.” Lex shook the hand that the small, mousy-looking man offered as he continued. “We were all a little surprised to get your phone call. Are you absolutely certain that she’s been infected again?”

“Yes. The wound on the back of her neck is the same, and her behavior . . .” Lex squared his jaw to retain his composure. “She wasn’t behaving like herself.”

“Yes . . . well . . . yes.” Dr. Kriegel glanced down at the chart he carried and pushed his small, round glasses back up his nose. “Now, there are just a . . . a few questions we need to ask before we can get Miss Sullivan into surgery. If you don’t know the answer, don’t . . . don’t worry about it; we can probably find it in her records. It’s just easier . . . easier this way. Do you know if she has any allergies?”

“No, I . . . I don’t think so. I don’t know.”

“Is she on any kind of medication?”

Lex thought it over, trying to remember the insurance forms he’d had to approve for the Sullivans.

“I don’t think so. Just the sedative I gave her.”

“Has she had any minor or major surgeries within the past six months?”

‘Gabe would have taken time off of work.’ Lex shook his head.

“No.”

The doctor nodded and jotted a quick note on the chart.

“Is she pregnant or nursing?”

“No, she—” Lex cut off suddenly as realization struck. “She could be. Last night, we . . .she said she was using protection, but she might not . . . she might have lied.” Kriegel nodded again, jotted down another note.

“Anesthesia can be harmful to a fetus—even more so to an embryo. I’ll have them adjust the dose. Thank you for . . . for all your help, Mr. Luthor. Someone will be out periodically to inform you . . . inform you of the progress.”

Lex barely heard a word the man said—he was too dazed by his new realization. Chloe could, even now, be carrying his child. A baby, part of him and part of her, a concrete, physical representation of what they’d shared. Of an act that . . . Lex’s previously soaring heart plummeted again as reality hit. An act that Chloe would not even remember. She would have to live with the consequences of what he had done. As happy as the thought of a child with Chloe made him, he cared too much about her to think that this decision could be anyone’s but hers.

“Dr. Kriegel. She won’t remember anything, will she?”

“No. Removal of the parasite causes a . . . a flood of chemicals that wipe out the patient’s memory.” Lex took a steadying breath.

“If she wasn’t using protection . . . she’s not going to remember what we did.” He fought against a wave of illness at what he was about to say. “You might want to offer her the morning-after pill.”

The doctor looked at him for a moment, then nodded and turned to go. Lex sat again with his head in his hands, and prepared to wait.


********************************


Chloe seemed so pale and fragile against the stark white hospital sheets, her chest rising and falling in the steady breaths fed to her by the oxygen tube that curved under her nose. Her blonde hair lay in scattered disarray across her pillow and fell into her face. Brushing back the strands, Lex’s heart ached at how beautiful she was. For a short time, she had been his.

But no more.

Green eyes fluttered open and fixed on him with a hazy, confused gaze. Another wave of guilt swept through him when their eyes met, and he could feel his features harden into an emotionless mask. Lex found himself wishing that he could let himself go, that he could show her how he was sorry for what he had done. But years of hiding his emotions had ingrained the instinct into him, and he found that he could not remove the impassive blankness from his face. Emotion leaked into his voice, however, and Lex supposed that would have to do.

“Chloe . . . I know you don’t remember what happened, but I’m sure you’ll figure some of it out when the doctors talk to you. I want you to know that what happened . . .” He swallowed harshly. “God, I wish I could be sorrier that it happened. I should’ve realized what was going on; I should have stopped it, gotten you help sooner. But there’s a part of me that’s glad I didn’t. I f you hate me because of that, I can’t blame you. I’ve called someone I know you can trust.” His jaw clenched, and his voice was pained when he spoke again. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.”

And with that, Lex walked from the room, never daring to look back.


*****************************


When Chloe felt her eyes finally open, Lex’s face was the first thing she saw. Even as her heart leapt in recognition, she felt confusion settle in at her strange surroundings. Still groggy from the medication she had been given, Chloe’s muddled brain managed to identify the room as one at Metropolis General; her confusion mounted when Lex’s lips began to move, his voice drowned out by the humming in her ears.

As he spoke, a growing sense of foreboding ran through her at his cold expression. He turned to go; Chloe opened her mouth, but her throat was too dry to allow her to speak. She felt her eyes begin to drift shut and she struggled to stay awake, but the more she fought, the stronger the sedatives’ pull was. The last thing she saw was Lex’s back as he walked away from her, never even looking back.


*****************************


“Hey there, gorgeous.” Relief was clear on Sam’s face when Chloe’s eyes finally opened again. “Here. Drink this. The doctors said you might have some drymouth from the anesthesia.”

Chloe lifted her hand and gratefully took the cup Sam was offering, careful not to snag the IV she saw stuck in her hand. The water was gone quickly, and to her relief she felt the dryness in her throat begin to dissipate. As soon as she could speak again, Chloe voiced the first thought on her mind.

“Where’s Lex?” Oblivious to the anger tightening her friend’s jaw, Chloe continued as she glanced towards the door. “He was here earlier. Where did he—”

“He’s gone, Chloe.” Sam’s harsh tone had Chloe’s eyes snapping back to him, finally noticing the restrained hostility on his face. Doing his best to fight it back, Sam took a deep breath and schooled his features into a relatively calm expression, forcing himself to focus only on his concern for Chloe. “Chloe, the doctors said you wouldn’t remember anything—”

“I remember.” This time it was Chloe’s turn to interrupt. “I . . . I remember everything.” The confusion was back in her eyes as the events of the previous night came back in full Technicolor glory. “Sam, why do I remember?”

“I don’t know, babe. We’ll get the doctors in here, they’ll run some tests. We’ll figure it out.” Sam figured now was as good a time as ever to broach the subject; he took another deep breath and his eyes locked with Chloe’s. “Since you remember . . . you can tell us whether or not they should give you the morning-after pill.” At Chloe’s shocked look, Sam explained, “Lex said you told him that you were on birth control before you two . . . y’know.”

Under any different circumstances, Chloe would have laughed at the bright-red flush that overtook her usually unflappable friend’s face. As it was, however, she felt an answering blush creep across her own cheeks at the realization that this man, practically a brother to her, knew what she had done with Lex the night before. Sam continued, though his voice was slightly unsteady.

“But he wasn’t sure if you really were using protection. So . . . should I tell the doctor you’re gonna be needing that pill?”

“No.” Chloe shook her head, a far away look in her eyes. “No, I’m on the pill.”

Lex had told the doctors to offer her the morning-after pill. Her vision was suddenly swamped with images of Lex, staring down at her with cold, expressionless eyes. He had left. Called someone else to deal with her, and left. Chloe’s heart gave a single, painful lurch, and her gaze returned to Sam’s. His own heart broke at the pain he saw in her eyes, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to run out and make that bastard pay for hurting his friend.

“Let’s get those tests done. I want to know—” Chloe broke off, closing her eyes until she was sure she had regained her composure. “I want to know why I remember” Her eyes opened again to fix him with a look of raw pleading. “And then . . . will you take me home?”

“Of course, gorgeous.” Sam placed a soft kiss to her forehead as he stood up. “We’ll get you back home in no time.”

But as he left, Chloe couldn’t help thinking that she would never truly be home again.


*****************************


“Thanks for understanding, Lois. I just . . . I really needed to get home.”

“Hey, no problem.” Her cousin’s voice sounded tinny coming out of the cell phone Chloe held. She had to strain to hear Lois’ next words over the sounds of the heavy traffic and Sam’s angry mutterings from behind the wheel. “I’m just so sorry I couldn’t go see you in the hospital. Perry’s insisting I do this stupid stake-out; and I can’t believe I already used the ‘my cousin’s in the hospital’ excuse on him.” Chloe let out a laugh.

“You know Lois, your life really would be a lot simpler if you just took a partner like Mr. White wants you to.”

“Chloe Sullivan, bite your tongue!” Lois’ tone was joking, but the underlying irritation was very real. “I do not, nor will I ever, want, need, or have a partner. I mean come on. Would you ever work with a partner?” When Chloe didn’t respond to Lois’ pointed question, her tone turned smug. “That’s what I thought. But enough about that. Tell me what the doctors said. Do they know why you remember everything this time?”

“Well, Dr. Kriegel wasn’t very informative.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “He just said that whatever chemicals were released the first time I was infected had never left my brain. Apparently when the parasite was removed this time, my brain chemistry had already adapted to the chemicals that were released, so there was no memory loss. Honestly, I think they were making it up as they went along.” Lois’ laugh sounded over the phone.

“Well, inexplicable memory retention aside, it sounds like you got off pretty easy. I take it Alex was able to find you before you did anything you’d regret?”

“Alex?” Chloe’s brow furrowed. “Who?”

“Your friend Alex, from Smallville,” Lois prompted. “He came by looking for you that night, and he was the one who called me to tell me you were in the hospital. He said he was the one who found you.” Chloe was still looking at Sam, whose jaw had clenched as soon as she had said the name ‘Alex’.

“Lex? Lex called you?”

“No, Al—Lex? As in Lex Luthor?” Chloe fought down a grin as her cousin’s voice rose with every word. “Are you telling me that I had Lex Luthor in my apartment? And I didn’t even get an interview??” Unable to help it, Chloe let out a laugh.

“I’m afraid so. Guess you’ll have to keep up the grunt-work that Mr. White assigns you.”

“It’s not funny, Chloe.” Chloe had to work not to laugh again at Lois’ pouting tone. “I could’ve gotten the interview of a lifetime, and what do I do? Nothing.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, Lex probably wouldn’t have given you an interview anyway. He’s not exactly a big fan of the press.” The pain in her heart at the though of him was only magnified by Lois’ next words.

“Present company excluded, it would seem. Come on, Chlo, ‘fess up. How did you get an in with Lex Luthor?”

“Um . . .” Chloe closed her eyes briefly against the vivid images that the words brought to mind. “Clark. He’s a friend of Clark’s.”

“Smallville?” The disbelief was clear in Lois’ voice. “You’re telling me that Smallville is friends with one of the most powerful men in America?”

“Yeah. Clark saved his life one of the very first days Lex was in town. Over time, I guess we all started hanging out every now and then, and Lex and I . . .” Chloe paused again and faked a smile, although she knew her cousin wouldn’t be able to see it. “We became friends.” Lois carried on, oblivious to the undertones in Chloe’s words.

“Well, you’re lucky you had a friend here in Metropolis to keep an eye on you. And don’t think you dodged my question, either. Did he get to you in time? Before you did anything you’d regret?”

Chloe thought of the club, of dancing with Lex. She thought of his hands on her, in her, of the things their bodies had done to each other. She remembered the way he had gazed down at her in his apartment. A small, sad smile crossed her face, and she knew that she had to tell her cousin the truth.

“Don’t worry, Lois. I don’t have any regrets.”


TBC . . .


*********************************

A/N: Short chapter, I know. Sorry. But at least it’s out now. ^_^

[petriebird18]

So Chloe didn't hear what Lex said after she woke up? DAMMIT, figures. I am soooooo loving this, and i can't wait to find out what happens next, how with this whole misunderstanding be resolved?
~Deidre~
:chlexsign3:

[arianaisis]

Omygod, please get them back together and do it soon. please :chlexsign4:

[drina]

:crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen: that was so sad....

[bluemoongirl23]

Ok, I am not the only evil one here. You're evil too! The hell! Fix it dammit!

Blue

ps good chapter

[hfce]

:crygreen: fix it please....



Hope :crygreen:

[sydsvaughn]

Wonderful chapter, but please end my misery soon and fix them! I have to suffer months without a good answer to the "Alias" season finale please don't make it too long before you update! This is a wonderful story, in case I haven't mentioned it yet!

Sara

[Sway]

wooooohooooooo. an update. that was awesome. loved every word. poor lex, how is it that poor guy can get misunderstood so many times...

pllllllease update again... really really soon??

:blinkkiss: Sway

[Gemini]

Ah! This is just so cruel! I can't believe you stopped there! I have to say that this chapter is waaaay cooler that I ever thought possible. I can't wait to see how you resolve it all! :yay:

[Blaire023]

fix it please....

<I&#39;m with you, Hope>

Smacks Lex upside the head repeatedly...someone better update this or I&#39;m going on strike&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

B

[alexajones22]

I&#39;ve been reading all the parts and really enjoying this&#33;

I was gonna leave a post about how unbelievably horny those two are, but then I read about the parasite&#33; I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever seen so much wonderful smut in one place&#33; It&#39;s great&#33;

[A-u-r-o-r-a]

oooooh...Chloe you nonce YOU HAD HIM&#33;

YOU SCREWED HIM SENSELESS YOU FOOL&#33;

...gawd...

*sulk* -I- would remember something like that ;)

fantastic work&#33;

[Not An Addict]

Ok, so . . . um . . . here&#39;s the deal.

I&#39;m currently going through the evil week of death (a.k.a. finals week). I have a final today, two finals tomorrow, and I have to pack to move out by Thursday night. I&#39;m also sick, and SO NOT EMOTIONALLY READY for the end of &#39;Buffy the Vampire Slayer&#39;. So, until all of this is resolved, I&#39;m taking a short, tiny little break from working on this fic. I&#39;ll start up again next week, I promise.


*ducks thrown things*

[dsapiro]

Its ok, I understand, I&#39;ll stick to throwing pillows and stuffed animals. After all, I know that you are gonna come back with many good updates, right?

[Gemini]

Originally posted by Not An Addict@May 14 2003, 06:12 PM
Ok, so . . . um . . . here&#39;s the deal.

I&#39;m currently going through the evil week of death (a.k.a. finals week). I have a final today, two finals tomorrow, and I have to pack to move out by Thursday night. I&#39;m also sick, and SO NOT EMOTIONALLY READY for the end of &#39;Buffy the Vampire Slayer&#39;. So, until all of this is resolved, I&#39;m taking a short, tiny little break from working on this fic. I&#39;ll start up again next week, I promise.


*ducks thrown things*
I wish we could clone you, then lock your clone away in a room somewhere with nothing but chocolate cake, coffee and a computer- then we could have all the updates we wanted&#33; Of course, seeing as how that&#39;s probably illegal, I&#39;ll stick to wishing you good luck for finals and hoping that the week goes by quickly.

Don&#39;t get me started on Buffy&#33; :crygreen:

[sydsvaughn]

I refuse to think of next Tuesday. I won&#39;t do it. I just won&#39;t. The emotional trauma will be too much, I agree.

Feel better, good luck on finals and all I can say is I&#39;ll be with you there for the Buffy finale.

Sara

[crazygirl]

...Update...please, I&#39;m dying here. I love the story and I really can&#39;t wait for a happy (and smutty) ending. *hint*
:chlexsign3:

[Gemini]

I second that&#33; I really really really want an update on this ficcy :goof: It&#39;s too good to just leave hanging *begs*

[Blaire023]

Okay, A, let me know if you need help with it, cuz I am desperate to get another damn chapter out of this. You CAN NOT just leave it there after all the hot sex they had.

Blaire

[Not An Addict]

Ok. Most of the things holding me back are cleared up. I&#39;m no longer taking finals, I&#39;m back home, and the computer is even working again. Yay&#33; But . . . the &#39;Buffy&#39; finale . . . and I&#39;ve been listening to the musical soundtrack . . . :crygreen: *sniffle* But I&#39;m doing my best to pull through. I have part of the next chapter written out already, in a notebook that&#39;s around here . . . somewhere . . . *digs through boxes* . . . damn, I really need to unpack. As soon as I find it I&#39;ll get to work on this fic again, and have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for being so patient, guys&#33; :wub:

[Gemini]

Originally posted by Not An Addict@May 25 2003, 05:21 AM
Ok. Most of the things holding me back are cleared up. I&#39;m no longer taking finals, I&#39;m back home, and the computer is even working again. Yay&#33; But . . . the &#39;Buffy&#39; finale . . . and I&#39;ve been listening to the musical soundtrack . . . :crygreen: *sniffle* But I&#39;m doing my best to pull through. I have part of the next chapter written out already, in a notebook that&#39;s around here . . . somewhere . . . *digs through boxes* . . . damn, I really need to unpack. As soon as I find it I&#39;ll get to work on this fic again, and have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for being so patient, guys&#33; :wub:
OMG- I&#39;ve been listening to the soundtrack too&#33; I listened to it like five times today&#33; Anya and Xander&#39;s song make&#39;s me so sad... sigh... and &#39;I&#39;m under your spell&#39; makes me even *more* sad. I don&#39;t think my brain believes that it&#39;s actually all over.

Anyway, I guess I understand how life gets in the way of fic writing :lol:

[sydsvaughn]

I&#39;m still in Spike shock. **sniff** But glad things are better and anxiously awaiting the next chapter&#33;

Sara

[A-u-r-o-r-a]

pfft...buffy...


*dodges stampede of buffy minions*


but i love the story&#33;

[Calliope]

I understand about Buffy and all, but the mourning period has passed. Once you update, you can again cry for Spike and Anya. :devil:

[creativegirl]

Originally posted by Calliope@May 27 2003, 02:40 PM
I understand about Buffy and all, but the mourning period has passed. Once you update, you can again cry for Spike and Anya. :devil:
I&#39;m still sad dude :( I can&#39;t even look at my DVDs without getting weepy :(

I too love this story&#33; Can&#39;t wait for the next update :)

Bexter

SIGNITURE REMOVED

[crazygirl]

So, not to pressure you or anything, but can we expect another update soon?&#33;

[Sunny]

Originally posted by Calliope@May 27 2003, 02:40 PM
I understand about Buffy and all, but the mourning period has passed. Once you update, you can again cry for Spike and Anya. :devil:
For Anya, yes you can... for Spike, no&#33;
James Marsters/Spike will be regular in Angel&#39;s season 5&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;
So... :yay2: :yay2: :yay2:


:chlexsign3:

[crazygirl]

Come on, finals have to be finally over and moving can&#39;t take *that* long, so *update*. Please&#33; :worship2:

[Blaire023]

<nudges Adey>

Yea A, come on, update a little dammit.

B

And what happened on Buffy that was so horrible?

[xmag]

damn, what do we have to do to get an update ? hmm, do you want chocolate ? i can send you some really good chocolate, i live not far away Switzerland, country of the best chocolate in the world &#33;&#33;

[sabby]

Maybe A will bite my head off for doing this, but then again maybe she won&#39;t. I mailed her a couple days ago and she told me she was pretty much in stress with real life now and that her comp has finally lost it, so the only thing she gets to do is checking her mail basically.

She says she misses us all and she&#39;ll be back as soon as possible.

hugs,
Sabby

[xmag]

Come on, please, this fic just needs one final part and an epilogue, that&#39;s all, don&#39;t leave it like this &#33;&#33;

[vardaquareien]

Seeing as everyone else is hasseling you for updates I&#39;m not going to add to your stress, I&#39;ll just say that I adore this fic and while I want more I&#39;ll take what I can get when you can give it....just make it damn soon&#33;&#33;&#33; :lol: only joking&#33;&#33;&#33; Real life sucks, that&#39;s why I choose to avoid it&#33;

[lunaluthor]

hi dear hope your real life is getting better soon, I love your story is so much fun to read and the smut was awsome hugs :biggrin:

[Arin]

[FONT=Courier]Damn&#33; I really want an update&#33; Please, just get over Buffy--it&#39;s not real...

*gets savagely beaten by Buffy fans*

Ow...

[Slackeruk]

I would just like to say a big thank you for this fabulous fic&#33; I&#39;ve been listening to &#39;Take Me to the Backseat&#39; loads over the past few days and I&#39;m looking forward to whatever you&#39;ve got instore for us&#33;

[xmag]

just a little update, please &#33;&#33;

[Blaire023]

That&#39;s it A, update right now....NOW

okay how about NOW?

what&#39;s that? check back later? great, thought you&#39;d see it my way.

:blinkkiss:

B

[Brittany]

:biggrin: This fic is so great, it&#39;s definately one of my favorites&#33; Hope you find the time to update soon. MORE PLEASE&#33;&#33;&#33; :worship2:

[jem]

if u dont update soon, the update mafia will be on ur back.....

j.k well, sorta, kinda maybe???

please???????????????????????????

[xmag]

Originally posted by jem@Jul 16 2003, 01:43 PM
if u dont update soon, the update mafia will be on ur back.....

j.k well, sorta, kinda maybe???

please???????????????????????????
the update mafia, that&#39;s a good one, i never heard of it. Yep, that&#39;s it, we&#39;re the update mafia, come on, come on, come on, a little update, please.

[crazygirl]

I agree, and it&#39;s not that it will have to be a huge update, even a tiny one would be welcome. :biggrin:

[jem]

hey update mafia idea aint mine, someone else (sorry cant member who).... on these forums said it about another fic.. i just thought id bring em back up...

UPDATE&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

[fighterangel]

:crygreen: Update&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; Please even just a lil bit, just fix it.

Update mafia?&#33;?&#33; sounds evil.... you should update cause you never know what that could lead to.

[petriebird18]

Ok, this hasn&#39;t been updated since MAY&#33;&#33;&#33; Please update, Please? :blush: Please?????????????????
~Deidre~
:chlexsign3:

[vardaquareien]

*sigh* Just thought I&#39;d bring this one back to the front page coz it&#39;s absolutely brilliant. *sigh* Hasn&#39;t been updated since May *sniffle* so Not An Adict, if your out there....*flings herself at ur feet and starts bawling* Please&#33;&#33;&#33; PLEASE update this fic&#33; It&#39;s too good not to be finished&#33; :crygreen:

[scifichick774]

*coos*

Ad-ey-lan...oh Ad-ey-lan...

You know you want to update this one instead of working on your other fics. Come on. Just do it.

[SexInStilettos]

“I could ride you at a gallop until your knees buckled and your eyes rolled up. I could make you pop like warm champagne and you’d beg me to hurt you just a little . . . bit . . . more.”

someone watches buffy...that is my favorite line i use it all the time ;)

[Sab_Luthor]

want take have
umm good politic
so where is my update?

[Not An Addict]

Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Hey eveyone. I&#39;m really, really, REALLY incredibly sorry for abandoning this for so long. On the up side, I didn&#39;t actually die, and I now have a completed story. So if anyone&#39;s still interested in the conclusion for this, I&#39;ll be posting the final two chapters after Sabby&#39;s email stops being evil and lets her beta the final chapter. :blush:

[scifichick774]

I think I speak for everyone here when I say WOOOT&#33; Yes, the third &#39;o&#39; is there on purpose. Very happy to hear that you&#39;ve got it completed and will be posting soon. :biggrin:

[Not An Addict]

A/N: And we finally continue&#33; I hope the update mafia is at least slightly appeased. And Sabby, as promised, I give you the gift of Sam. You play nice now. ^_~ As for the backstory I give here . . . uh . . . let’s just pretend that the second half of Season Two didn’t happen, shall we? We’ll all be much happier that way, anyway. Also, Helen Bryce never existed, because I hate her. And uh . . . you might want to go back and reread chapter five, or else part of this is going to seem like it&#39;s coming completely out of left field.



Chapter Seven: Because Clark Just Can’t Keep a Secret





“Sam, the doctors wouldn’t have let me out of the hospital if I weren’t capable of moving around on my own. There’s really no need for all of this.”

Chloe’s exasperated voice carried into the kitchen of the Sullivan home. Whether this was due to the house’s natural acoustics, or to the fact that an impatient Chloe was a loud Chloe, Sam wouldn’t venture to guess. He glanced over at where he had packed Chloe into the couch, completely surrounded by blankets and pillows. All in all it made a rather comical picture, though he was wise enough not to tell her so.

“Capable or not, you had surgery a few days ago, and you’ve just gotten back from a long car trip from Metropolis.” He pointed at her emphatically with the large wooden spoon he held in his hand. “Keep your ass on that couch.” Chloe let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Fine. Fucking Nurse Rached,” she muttered, and threw the spoon a suspicious glance. “What exactly are you doing in there, anyway? What all did you get at the store?”

“I’m making you some of my lasagna. But hey, if you don’t want me to take care of you anymore, I can just—”

“Don’t even THINK about it&#33; You promise me lasagna, you damn well deliver. I’ll just be here,” she grumbled, snatching up the remote. “Watching cheesy sitcoms and resting.”

“Good girl,” Sam smirked, and ducked the pillow that came flying at him from the living room.

Chuckling, he started to boil water for the noodles and stirred the beginnings of his sauce. As he added more spices, his mood sobered and his mind thought back over everything that had happened back in Metropolis. Chloe had been completely closemouthed about what had happened between her and Lex. He heard the laughter from a live television audience drift through the house, mixed with Chloe’s muttered curses and not-so-muttered mocking of the characters on the screen, and couldn’t help but smirk at the brilliance of his plan. The only way he would ever get her to talk to him was if he buttered her up first; and the only way he’d be able to butter her up was if he disguised it as over-concerned attention. He gave the sauce one last stir and turned aside to start browning the meat, the smirk still playing around his mouth. His goal was to get Chloe to talk to him by the end of the night, and Sam Robbins had never failed to reach a goal yet.


*********************************


“You are the best friend ever,” Chloe groaned, finally pushing away her empty plate. Sam chuckled as his friend reclined in her seat, eyes closed in bliss. “I mean it,” she said without opening her eyes. “They’ll write songs about you some day. Build a town square just so that they can put a statue of you in it, for truly you are a god among men.”

“I’ll be reminding you of that the next time you’re pissed at me,” Sam grinned. “How you heaped praise on me after scarfing down so much of my lasagna that there wasn’t even enough left over for Max.”

“You know your cooking upsets his little puppy tummy anyway. Hey.” Struck with a sudden thought, Chloe lifted her head and fixed Sam with a quizzical look. “Where is Max, anyway?”

Ah, the perfect segue into his topic. And the perfect time to bring up something else he wanted to talk to her about. Tucking his tongue in his cheek, Sam shot Chloe a pointed glance.

“Mareike’s watching him.” He saw Chloe’s eyes widen slightly before she slipped into her best poker face.

“Oh yeah? That’s nice of her.” Sam nodded, his eyes never leaving Chloe’s face.

“Yeah, well, she was at the apartment when I got the call anyway, so it was the most convenient.” At this news Chloe merely nodded and made a small humming noise, then pretended to turn her attention back to the muted television. “So, you said that you remember everything that happened since you were infected?” Chloe’s eyes, filled with a wary light, flickered back to Sam’s face.

“Maybe.”

“You know Mareike lives all the way across town. Aren’t you going to ask what she was doing in my apartment so early in the morning?”

Chloe made that same humming noise again.

“Seems she got a very strange phone call in the middle of the night before,” Sam continued, his slightly narrowed eyes taking in the flush that was slowly creeping across Chloe’s face. “Now what do you suppose that phone call was about, Chloe?”

“Um . . . telemarketing?” She risked another glance at Sam, saw he wasn’t buying it, and knew that she was busted. “Ok, ok, I called her, but come on, Sam, she’s been completely in love with you since like seventh grade, and it’s been making her so miserable, and besides, you know I can’t be held responsible for anything I did that night. I just thought that if she went for it that she’d feel better, the way I felt so much better when I wasn’t worrying about what everyone thought, and besides, she’d be so good for you, and if you weren’t such a total idiot you’d have seen that years ago and . . .” Chloe trailed off, finally registering the wide grin on Sam’s face. Her tone turned suspicious. “You aren’t upset about me calling her, are you Sam?”

“Nope,” he grinned.

“Argghh&#33;&#33; Why the hell did you let me ramble on like that, then?? Never mind that, tell me what happened&#33;” Sam’s face immediately became an endearing shade of magenta and he suddenly had trouble meeting her eyes.

“There are some things that are best left between the two people involved,” he replied primly, and in such a non-Samlike manner that Chloe couldn’t help the touched grin that crept over her face.

“Wow. I made Sam Robbins blush,” she teased. “Little old me. You know, maybe you should tell me the whole story. They say confession’s good for the soul.” She realized too late the danger of what she has said, and the intense gaze Sam had fixed her with let her know that he hadn’t missed the significance of it, either.

“Yeah, they do say that. So how about it, gorgeous? Ready to tell me what happened in Metropolis?”

Though she didn’t move a muscle, Chloe seemed to shrink into herself. “Look, Sam, I know you’re only trying to help, but—”

“But nothing. Look, I’ll tell you what. We’ll start with an easy question. When did you start having a thing for Lex Luthor?”

Chloe fidgeted with the fringe of her blanket and shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly have no idea. I mean, I’d had this mad crush on Clark for, well, forever. You know that.” Sam nodded but didn’t speak, encouraging her to go on. “Well, every now and then we’d be at the Talon, and Lex would show up to talk to Clark about something. Clark would inevitably disappear to go drool over Lana, and we’d sit there trying to make polite conversation.” She paused, a small grin taking over her face. “That never really worked out well at first. After about two minutes it would dissolve into banter, and then I’d try and convince him to give me an interview and he’d take off. But every time we talked we’d talk more and more about actual topics, until one day Clark came back to the table after half an hour and found us arguing about the economics of having an effective monopoly on town labor. Clark misunderstood, and said that Lex didn’t want to be interviewed, and I should just let it go. Then Lex said that actually he was perfectly willing to give me an interview, that we would just have to arrange a convenient time.” Chloe let out a short laugh. “You should’ve seen the look on Clark’s face—it was priceless.”

“But we never actually got to do an interview. He’d have a last-minute emergency at the plant, or else I’d have already planned a date that I’d already cancelled twice to follow up a lead.” She shivered, and Sam suddenly realized what date she must have been talking about.

“You never did tell me exactly what happened with that guy,” he urged her gently. Chloe took in a deep breath and nodded.

“Mike. We’d gone out a couple of times. He wanted to take me into Metropolis for this special re-screening of ‘The Exorcist’. He’d been acting kind of funny since we left Smallville, but I figured it was because he was upset about me canceling on him the past two times. Well, we got to the theater, and we were waiting in line when this guy started hitting on me.” Without realizing it, Chloe had wrapped her arms around herself. “I was trying to just ignore him, but Mike . . . he just kept getting angrier and angrier. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to the car. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going. We stopped in front of this big, empty office building; he pulled me out of the car; I tried to get away, but he hit me across the face, knocked me down. I was too dizzy to run, and by the time I could see anything clearly we were inside, and he was screaming at me. Saying that I was his, that he didn’t want me screwing around with other guys.”

“Eventually he started hitting me again. I tried to fight him off, but he was a lot bigger than I am. I don’t know how long I was there; it had to have been a couple of days, at least. He brought me food a couple of times. Then one night I had fallen asleep, and all of a sudden these guys in black were shaking me awake and taking me out of the building. At first I thought they were the police; but they didn’t take me to the police station—they took me to this battered women’s shelter instead. I told the women there what had happened and they called the cops, but by the time they got there Mike and the guys in black were long gone.” She let out a shuddering breath. “Anyway. After that Lex and I were around each other a lot more; it was like he was afraid to leave me alone. One day the thought rolled through my head, ‘I love Lex.’ And the strange thing was . . . it wasn’t a shock. I don’t know when it happened. It just did.”

Sam rose and walked to the kitchen. A moment later he was back with a glass of water; he passed it to Chloe and she drank it in long, thirsty gulps. Sam took the glass back and set it on the coffee table, then turned back to his friend.

“You haven’t talked about Mike before, have you?” he asked softly. When Chloe shook her head Sam let out a hissed breath, trying to tamp down his fury at everyone who had hurt his friend. “How do you feel?” Chloe breathed in and out slowly and cocked her head to the side.

“A little bit better,” she admitted. She let out a shaky laugh. “I guess confession really is good for the soul.”

Sam nodded. “Good. Because now you need to tell me what happened with Lex the night before you ended up in the hospital.”

“Sam—”

“Chloe, don’t even try it. You’re not going to get out of this. You kept that whole story with Mike bottled up inside for almost a year, and I’m not going to let you do that this time. You need to talk about it. Now you’re either gonna spill, or you’re gonna force me to get the story from the only other person who was there.”

Sam watched as the color slowly drained from Chloe’s face, and he almost regretted making the threat. Almost. There was silence for a moment, the ultimatum hanging heavy in the air between them. Chloe’s expression was one of melded horror and irritation, and when she spoke it was in clipped tones, thick with a forced calm.

“I’ve already spilled my soul once tonight. I don’t know why you insist on my talking about this.”

“Because I want to know if there’s a single good reason why I shouldn’t find that piece of shit and beat the living hell out of him,” Sam snarled, unable to keep his anger masked any longer.

Chloe blinked in surprise before letting her confusion overtake her face. “Huh?” Oh, great, very articulate Chloe. “What the hell are you talking about, Sam?”

“What am I talking about? What am I talking about?? The guy used you, Chloe.” Sam’s rage was growing stronger by the second, rage that had been simmering ever since he saw Chloe stretched out in a hospital bed. “In fact, you know what? Screw good reasons.” He jerked to his feet. “I’m gonna kick his ass.”

“Shit.” Chloe breathed out the word before grabbing Sam’s arm, managing to stop him before he took two steps. “You can’t just go storming off to Lex’s place. Come on, sit down.” It took quite a bit of tugging, but she finally got Sam to reluctantly lower himself onto the couch next to her. “Look, even if kicking the crap out of Lex were a good idea—which it’s not—you couldn’t just go marching in there. What about the guards? Do you really think they’re just going to let you in so you can beat up their boss?”

Sam quirked an eyebrow at her. “I thought you told me he doesn’t have any guards. In fact, I distinctly remember you ranting about it, wondering how many concussions he was going to have to get before he hired some basic security.”

Busted.

“Ok, you’re right, there’s no security. But,” she added hastily as Sam began to rise again, “that doesn’t mean that you should do anything stupid. Please, Sam, I don’t want you to hurt him.”

At the earnest look that Chloe had fixed him with, Sam’s anger deflated a bit. He took in the worry showing clearly in her eyes and shook his head. “I don’t get it,” he said finally. “You can’t tell me he didn’t hurt you when he left like that. Fuck, Chloe, you should want his balls on a sliver platter&#33;”

“I know,” she said softly. “Part of me does; part of me wants to just hit him over and over again until he hurts as much as I do. But the rest of me . . .” She trailed off and her eyes drifted to her lap; her voice lowered even more, until Sam had to lean forward to hear her. “Lex was the one who saved me when Mike went psycho, Sam. I was supposed to call him when I was back from my date to reschedule the interview. When I didn’t call he got concerned and tried to find out more about Mike; apparently Mike had served a couple of years for assault when he was younger, but because he was a juvenile his records were sealed. Susan was working in the Talon when Lex was talking to Clark about it, and she told me what had happened. Apparently Lex tracked down where Mike had taken me, and he sent in people to get me out. I owe Lex my life.”

She took a steadying breath. “And back in Metropolis . . . He said he loved me, Sam.” Her eyes lifted again to meet his. “He said he loved me, and . . . I believe it.”

“Chloe . . .” Sam tried to find a diplomatic way to say what he was thinking, decided there wasn’t one, and continued with his thought. “He could’ve just been saying that to get in your pants.” This time it was Chloe’s turn to blush, and her eyes darted away self-consciously.

“Um . . . my pants weren’t really an issue at that point,” she muttered. She shook her head, focusing on remembering exactly what had happened. “Look, it was after . . . everything, and I’m pretty sure he thought I was asleep when I said it. If you’re saying you love someone because you’re trying to get sex, you’re gonna say it when you’re sure they’re awake to hear it.” She shook her head again. “No, he had to have meant it. He had to.”

Chloe sighed and rose. She shot Sam a weak smile when he started to stand up and pressed a hand to his shoulder, gently holding him back down.

“I’m going to get some sleep. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?” Against his better judgement, Sam found himself nodding reluctantly.

“Ok. I promise.”

“Thanks. When you want to go to bed you can crash in the guest room; I think it’s still made up from when Lana was staying here.” She made it to the doorway before she turned back and gave him her best attempt at her usual sunny grin. “Don’t worry too much, Sam. I’m sure things will be clearer after a good night’s sleep.”


*********************************


But things weren’t clearer the next morning. Or the morning after that. Sam finally went back to Metropolis at Chloe’s urging; she was unwilling to let him use up all of his sick leave taking care of her, and though it took all of her formidable powers of persuasion, she ultimately convinced him that she was well enough to be on her own. Still, he hadn’t been satisfied until he had called Gabe and talked to him. Busy taking care of his father after the older man’s heart surgery, Gabe wouldn’t be able to get back to Smallville anytime soon, so he in turn had called the Kents and asked them to check in on Chloe every now and then. Chloe had already gotten the first call from Mrs. Kent, and from the worried tone in the woman’s voice Chloe was sure that it wouldn’t be the last time she would hear from the Kents that day.

Unable to come to any sort of conclusion about Lex, Chloe decided to get some work done, hoping that her brain would be able to come up with a solution while she was distracted. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before she found that she couldn’t do anything without thinking of Lex. When she sat down to work on the first edition of the Torch she realized that the only thing left to do was her article on the parasites; she tried reading, but the book she was in the middle of was one that Lex had recommended; she even gave cleaning her room a shot, but one glance at the clothing strewn about the room had her heart constricting with the memory of Lex’s apartment. She had thought that having the house to herself would help her think; instead, without the buffer of Sam’s presence Chloe found her thoughts increasingly muddled, until all she could do was wander aimlessly through the house.

It was in the middle of one of these pointless wanderings that she heard the knock on the door. Within seconds her heart had jumped into her throat, where it beat madly as she raced to the door. She gave a speedy thanks that she had actually gotten dressed instead of lingering in her pajamas as she had been half-inclined to do, smoothed her hair, and opened the door to find . . . Clark.

Chloe’s heart sank back into its normal position, and her brow furrowed. “Clark,” she said without thinking, “what are you doing here?”

Clark raised his eyebrows at the greeting, and Chloe winced. “Sorry Clark, I didn’t mean . . .” She sighed. “I just . . . wasn’t expecting you. Come on in.” Chloe moved back so that Clark could step inside; when she had closed the door again Clark held out a covered dish that Chloe had somehow missed before.

“Mom sent me over with some food. She also said that if you wanted to stay with us until your dad got back, the guestroom is all made up.”

“Thanks, Clark,” Chloe said, taking the dish from him and smiling faintly, “but I’ll be fine here.” She headed back towards the kitchen and heard Clark following behind her.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that. But if you change your mind . . .”

Chloe shot him another smile over her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator. The casserole went in and Chloe grabbed a pitcher of apple juice. Out of force of habit she filled up two glasses, only realizing what she had done when she turned around and saw Clark looking at her, a bemused smile on his face. Chloe glanced down at the juice in her hands and offered him a sheepish grin.

“Juice?’

Clark grinned at her and took a glass, and Chloe had a startling revelation. That same smile that had made her weak in the knees since the eighth grade now left her feeling . . . well, nothing. She had been lying through her teeth when she said she was completely over Clark, and the sudden utter absence of a three-year-long crush was unsettling, to say the least. But Clark, with his toothpaste-ad grin and puppy dog eyes, no longer made her heart race anywhere near as much as the mere thought of Lex’s cocky, arrogant smirk.

Fuck.

“I can’t believe you remembered this,” Clark was saying when Chloe snapped back to herself. She plastered on a grin of her own and offered up her glass in a mock toast.

“Every day after school for six months straight. You, me and Pete, apple juice and reruns of ‘Reboot.’” A chuckle escaped her as she seated herself at the table, lost in those earlier memories. “Those were good times.”

“Yeah, they were.” Clark sat down across from her with a reminiscent smile. “Things were a lot simpler then. The most we had to worry about was missing the bus or a pop quiz in history.”

“Huh. You’re right,” Chloe mused. “The weird stuff really didn’t start until freshman year, did it? Strange.” She pondered that for a moment before brushing the thought aside and offering up her first real smile in days. “At least high school hasn’t been boring.”

“Not so far,” Clark agreed. He looked like he was going to say something else, but took a drink of his juice instead. “So,” he said, his air overly casual, “I was up at the manor today.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and glanced at the clock on the oven. Small talk: six minutes, thirty-eight seconds. Well, at least he’s getting to the point faster than he used to, she thought. Out loud, however, she restricted herself to a simple, “Oh?”

“Yeah. Delivering produce, you know.” He chanced a glance up at Chloe’s face, making sure to keep his expression carefully innocent. “I talked to Lex for a while.”

No response but a politely interested hum from Chloe.

“He was asking about you.” Clark watched as Chloe’s gaze abruptly intensified. Gotcha. “He told me he hadn’t seen you since he took you to the hospital, and he wanted to know if you were all right.”

“Is that right.” It was more of a statement than a question, but Clark missed the dangerous softening of her voice and the hard, sharp glitter that was suddenly in her eyes.

“Yeah. I tried to ask him what happened, but he wouldn’t tell me anything specific. He just kept asking if you were ok, and he got really upset when I said I hadn’t seen you yet. He didn’t want me mentioning it to you, but, Chloe . . .” Clark paused, unsure of how to continue. “Did anything . . . bad happen to you when you were infected?”

“What do you mean, ‘bad’?”

“I don’t know,” Clark shrugged uncomfortably, his large hands slowly rotating the glass of juice on the table. “It’s just the way Lex was talking. Saying things like he should’ve realized that you weren’t yourself, that he should’ve put things together sooner. It’s like he feels guilty for whatever it was that happened to you.”

Chloe felt anger bubble up inside, and her smile was razor-sharp. “No, Clark. Nothing bad happened to me.” She stood, prompting Clark to do the same, and walked to the back door. “Tell your mom thanks for the food. I’ll see you later.”

Clark might have had a reputation for being slightly thick, but even he could get such an obvious hint. He turned to Chloe before he left and gave her a soft smile.

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re ok, Chloe.”

As soon as he was out the door, Chloe stormed through the house in search of her keys. Touched as she was by what Clark had said, a hot, boiling anger was quickly eradicating any of the more tender feelings she might have otherwise entertained. That anger had also burned off any lingering lethargy, leaving in its place only crystal-sharp thoughts. When Clark was telling her what Lex had said, pieces of the puzzle had started falling into place. Within no time, the whole picture was complete in her mind.

And it pissed her off royally.

So Lex was feeling guilty, was he? That was why he had left the hospital, why he hadn’t tried even once to see her since then?

‘Well maybe,’ she thought furiously, ‘just maybe if he had stuck around he would’ve realized that there was nothing for him to feel guilty about. But no. He had to go and leave me there, make me think he didn’t give a shit about what happened to me. Put me through my own personal hell because he was suffering under some misguided sense of responsibility. I swear, I’m cutting off his contact with Clark after this, as it’s obviously not good for him.’

After a frustrated search, Chloe finally found her keys on the table in the entryway. The fact that she hadn’t thought to look for them there first only irritated her further and she slammed her way out of the house, not even bothering to lock the door behind her. She climbed into her car and jerked the keys in the ignition, resulting in as mighty a roar as a four-cylinder engine could muster, and kicked the car into gear. Speeding down the roads towards the setting sun and Lex’s mansion, one thing was finally clear in her mind.

There was going to be a reckoning.






TBC . . .


*********************************





A/N: Almost to the resolution. Only one chapter left, guys&#33; ^_~

[tigerbaby]

Welcome back :wave: and you came with an update :yay:


I swear, I’m cutting off his contact with Clark after this, as it’s obviously not good for him.’

I so loved this line. Clark is a bad influence. I can&#39;t wait to see a good Chloe rant and some Luthor butt kicked before, it gets all soothed and we end on a smutty note.

[scifichick774]

*dances*

You updated&#33; And yay to Lex feeling bad - it always makes for a good storyline. Can&#39;t wait for more&#33; :wub:

[justicea]

I so love this story and I am definately glad that it&#39;s back. My life is now complete and I can die happily. :biggrin:
J

[Impress]

ooo an update. can&#39;t wait to see the reckoning.

[hfce]

Yeah you finaly updated after 50 years :yay: It was worth the wait great update. :clap:




Hope :biggrin:

[sydsvaughn]

I&#39;m chiming in too.. yes&#33; Lovely update and I can&#39;t wait to see Chloe lay into Lex... literally and figuratively&#33;

So glad you&#39;re back and update soon&#33;

Sara

[randa]

i love it when chloe is a pissed off chloe&#33;&#33; and i cant wait for the reckoning

randa

[buffiy18]

Thank you for the update :yay: :yay: :yay: :yay: :yay: :yay: :yay:

Great chapter. Perfect&#33;&#33;&#33; Looking forward to seeing the "Rath of Chloe".

Hope we don&#39;t have to wait as long for the next update. :chlexsign3:

[vardaquareien]

:worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2:
Thank you&#33; Thank you&#33; Thank you&#33; Thank you&#33;&#33;&#33;

*happy sigh* I luv this ficcy soooo much&#33;&#33;&#33; I&#39;m eccstatic that you&#39;re finnishing it&#33;

I can&#39;t wait to see CHloe get stuck into Lex&#33;&#33;&#33; *rubs hands together* This should be good&#33;&#33;&#33;

[Sab_Luthor]

AWWW GREAT JUST GREAT

[asharnanae]

:yay: :worship2: :yay2: :yay: :worship2: :yay2: :yay: :worship2: :yay2: :biggrin:

[Not An Addict]

A/N: The final chapter&#33; So exciting. ^_^ Thank you, everyone, for sticking with this all this time, even though I suck and didn’t update for four months. -_- You’re all wonderful people.





Chapter Eight: Conflict Resolution




The old castle was drafty, even in the summer, as though the stone walls sucked up the cold during the winter and let it out all year in short, sudden bursts. Lex sat working at his desk, his shoulders hunched against one particularly persistent breeze that was drifting periodically across the back of his neck. He gave a brief, perfunctory thought to moving the location of his desk before remembering that this was where he had been sitting while Chloe interviewed him the first year he knew her. Chloe . . .

He looked up as Chloe walked into the room. Her strides were long, confident; her eyes, intent and unblinking, held his gaze as she crossed the room to him. He leaned back from the desk and she moved slowly around it, her smooth movements never hesitating. With one fluid movement she was suddenly straddling his lap, her mouth sealed over his. Of their own accord his arms wrapped around her to press her closer. Everything about her was hot and soft; his tongue tangled with hers as her breasts pressed against his chest, her hands grasping at his back and neck. They were so close that they seemed to be melding into one, and the sounds of pleasure she made in her throat echoed throughout his body. His hands drifted to the hem of her shirt, slipping beneath to caress the smooth skin of her back—

Lex shoved back from his desk, jerking himself out of his daydream. His breath was coming hard, a combination of lust and self-loathing stealing his air. He ran slightly shaking hands over his head and worked to calm his racing heart. For the fifth time that day he closed his eyes in an effort to gain control of the guilt raging through his system. He had no business thinking of Chloe that way after what he had done; still, no matter how he tried, he constantly found himself lost in fantasies of her, memories of the night they had spent together. His thoughts alternated between Chloe gazing up at him on the dance floor; the soul-sickening sight of the entry wound on the back of her neck; Chloe arching beneath him, eyes half-closed in pleasure; the pallor of her skin as she lay in the hospital bed in Metropolis; her flashing, angry eyes as she stalked into the room . . .

“Is there anything you’d like to tell me, Lex?”

With a sudden start, Lex realized that the Chloe standing in front of him wasn’t one of his fevered daydreams, but the real, living, breathing thing. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, her foot tapping out a sharp, staccato rhythm on the floor as she waited for him to answer. Lex’s heart seemed to stall in his chest as he rose with slow, deliberate movements and rounded the desk to stand in front of her. She had finally come to see him. And though he had tried to prepare himself for it, actually seeing her in front of him had desire and shame rising as one within him.

“Well?”

“I was wondering when you’d come to see me.” Being this close to her was wreaking havoc on his senses, and it took a supreme effort of will to keep his voice even.

Chloe raised a single eyebrow. “Oh&#33; So it was my responsibility to seek you out, was it?”

“I didn’t want to force you to talk about this before you were ready; I thought you should do it in your own time.”

“Yes,” Chloe smiled sweetly. Too sweetly. “Because you feel guilty.” Her gentle tone began to change, her voice raising with every word. “Because you didn’t bother to stick around, so you never got to know that there’s nothing for you to feel guilty about, you IDIOT&#33;&#33;”

“Nothing to feel guilty about?” Her words, more than her tone, had thrown him. “Chloe, I don’t know how much Sam and the doctors told you, but there were things that happened between us—”

“I didn’t need to have anyone tell me what happened, Lex. I remember. The previous exposure to the parasite triggered some kind of a chemical reaction in my brain, so I didn’t lose any of my memories this time.” Chloe couldn’t help but smirk at the shocked look that had taken over Lex’s face. “Of course, if you’d bothered to stick around, you would have known that already.”

Lex’s head was spinning. This couldn’t really be happening. He found himself unable to think of anything to say, and his silence only seemed to be fueling Chloe’s anger. Still, he couldn’t speak as a flood of images came rushing into his head—the two of them dancing, kissing, making love. Chloe remembered all of it. But then . . .

“Why are you here?” The words slipped out before he thought better of them, and Chloe’s stare turned lethal.

“Why am I here?” she yelled. “Why am I here?”

“Why would you ever want to see me again after what I did to you?” he managed. “At the very least it seems like you should be showing up with a butcher knife and a pair of pliers.” Despite himself he shot a wary glance at her hands as though half expecting to see something sharp suddenly appear.

“God&#33;” She fisted her hands in her hair and paced away a couple of steps before whirling back and throwing her hands in the air. “Is this some kind of a conspiracy to make the situation as confusing as humanly possible?? What are you even talking about?”

His own self-disgust had Lex’s voice raising to an equal level. “What the hell do you mean, what am I talking about? I fucking RAPED you, Chloe&#33;”

Chloe’s mouth was already open to shout back a retort when the genuine feeling behind Lex’s shout made her lose her momentum, and she simply stood for a moment, blinking stupidly at him. When the meaning behind his words finally made its way through her brain she regarded him with a single arched eyebrow.

“Interesting. And where was I when this was happening?” she asked dryly.

“You weren’t in control of your own actions.” Lex shook his head, his eyes never leaving her. “If you had been yourself you never would have let anything happen.”

Chloe let out an involuntary laugh and covered her mouth with her hand. She shook her own head, staring at him as if she didn’t recognize him. “What are you, stupid?” When Lex’s expression didn’t change Chloe slowly lowered her hand, her brow creased in a frown. “Ok, how is it possible that it was your scientists studying the things and you don’t know about the effects they have?” She caught Lex’s eyes with her own. “Lex, I didn’t do anything that I hadn’t been wanting to do for a while.”

“Come on, Chloe. You’re really going to try to tell me that you’ve always wanted to have sex for the first time in that club?” He started walking towards her, half expecting her to flinch away, but she stood firm, never relinquishing the hold her eyes had on his. “I took your virginity up against a wall in the middle of a trashy nightclub. Is that how you’ve been imagining it all this time? Tell me.”

Chloe shook her head. Lex was standing inches away from her, and her senses were swimming. “No, it’s not how I’d imagined it. But it was exactly how I wanted it. Because it was you, Lex. That’s all I’ve really wanted for a long time.”

It was too good to be true. “The Chloe Sullivan I know would have said something instead of just keeping her feelings to herself.”

Chloe couldn’t suppress a snort. “You’re kidding, right? God, I had a crush on Clark for how long before I ever said anything? And you’re Lex Luthor. I’ve seen the kinds of women you’re interested in. What was I supposed to do, walk up to you and say, ‘Hey, Lex, I’d really like to jump your bones, do you mind?’ So I just sat there and didn’t say anything, and it was fucking torture. And then there was that thing with Mike . . . ” She shook her head. “I owed you everything. And I couldn’t stand the thought of saying something and making you so uncomfortable that you wouldn’t want to see me anymore, so I just kept silent.

“Then in Metropolis . . . I just didn’t care anymore. I wanted you, and all of a sudden all the excuses I’d come up with to stay away seemed like just that—excuses. For the second time in my life, I felt completely free. So I acted.” Her hands drifted up to his chest and he sucked in a shallow breath at the contact. “And it felt good. I was in control, Lex. Just like I’m in control now.”

With no more warning than that, her hands fisted in his sweater and pulled him down to her. When Lex’s mouth met hers she gave a little noise of pleasure and moved closer to him, her hands lifting to wind around the back of his neck. Lex felt his mind narrow its focus until everything was excluded outside of Chloe and this kiss. Her lips were moving softly beneath his, breaking down the barriers he had tried to put up; her body pressed into his and his stunned brain finally caught up with what was going on. His arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her closer as his lips parted at the first brush of her tongue against them. Their hands moved gently, almost tentatively over skin and clothing; the kiss deepened into something hotter, hungrier.

When they couldn’t hold out any longer without a proper breath they finally broke apart but stayed there for a moment, still holding on to each other. Chloe’s eyes found Lex’s; she reached around her back to release his hold on her but kept her grip on his hand. Without a word she began leading him from the room. They walked together, Lex pointing the way, their fingers twined together at their sides. The setting of the sun had left Lex’s bedroom dark when the door was closed; he led her to a small lamp beside the bed, moving by instinct in the dark, and in a moment the room was illuminated with a soft golden light.

Chloe’s heart was beating double-time in her chest as she looked at Lex, and she found herself unsure of exactly what to say. She settled for the truth.

“I want you Lex.” She could see desire flare in his eyes at her whispered words, and an answering fire began to build in her stomach. “I just . . . I don’t want you to be disappointed. I mean, I’ve never done this before without some kind of chemical aid in my system, and I know I was really . . . intense . . . before, but I don’t know if I’ll be that way this time and—” A few seconds after Lex’s mouth fastened over hers, Chloe decided that she had discovered a very pleasant method of cutting off her run-on sentences.

“All I want is you, Chloe,” Lex said when he finally released her. He smiled and ran a hand over her hair, brushing it back from her eyes. “The woman I fell in love with.”

Chloe’s heart made an odd little tripping motion in her chest. Despite a sudden lack of breath, it was suddenly much easier for her to say the words that she was thinking.

“I love you, Lex.” Saying it out loud felt like cutting lose a huge weight that she hadn’t even been aware that she was carrying. She suddenly felt feather light, despite her nervousness. With Lex’s look of stunned delight urging her on, Chloe took a deep breath. “This is a little bit harder to do without all that adrenaline.” Her hands gripped the hem of her shirt and she lifted it over her head, tossing it aside before she could psych herself out of it. The sudden heat in Lex’s gaze had a smile tilting up the corners of her mouth. “But I think I’ll be able to manage all right.”

A second later she was back in Lex’s arms and his mouth was fused to hers, with his tongue doing mind-numbing things to her mouth. Desire was quickly getting the best of any remaining nerves and Chloe found herself growing steadily bolder. Her hands traveled over the bare skin of his scalp; her chest pressed into his; her hips began to move in a slow rhythm against him. His mouth left hers to trail along her jaw to her neck; when he began to suck at the spot just over where her pulse was racing her body gave an involuntary little jerk of pleasure, and a low hum started in her throat.

“Lex,” she managed to rasp out, her hands tugging fruitlessly on the soft wool covering his shoulders. “I love this sweater on you.” She tilted her head until her mouth reached his ear and let her lips tug briefly at his earlobe. “But I want it off. Now.”

In barely the time it took to blink Lex was pulling the sweater off, tossing it to the floor where it joined Chloe’s shirt. Her eyes drank in the sight of all that newly exposed skin and she felt her hands itching to explore. They began to move over his chest, his arms, running over smooth cords of muscle that tensed and relaxed under her touch. Suddenly she felt Lex’s hands responding in kind; his fingers danced lightly over her sides and stomach before they drifted up, feather-light on her breasts through the satin and lace of her bra. The teasing touches had her breath coming in ragged spurts. Her eyes fluttered closed and her back arched slightly, seeking more contact as her own hands continued to roam over Lex, finding their way to his back and pulling him closer.

Lex’s mouth was on her again. Lips and tongue and teeth at her ear, then down the column of her throat and pausing at the hollow between her neck and shoulder. Of their own volition, Chloe’s hands drifted down between them until they found the waistband of Lex’s pants. While the fingers of one hand began to work at the button and zipper there, her other hand moved still lower to squeeze gently, rhythmically, over the bulge beneath. Lex’s hands tightened on her breasts in reaction, eliciting a sharp gasp from Chloe, followed quickly by a deep moan of delight. Long, clever fingers worked at the hook nestled between her breasts and peeled the freed piece of material from her body. Those fingers then moved to the waistband of her jeans, freeing the button and zipper in about half the time that she had taken with his slacks. Chloe shimmied out of the snug denim, Lex’s mouth still trailing over her neck and shoulders, and felt a mixture of jealousy and elation when the expensive fabric of his own clothes fell to pool gracefully on the floor.

Suddenly, Lex did something to her earlobe with his tongue that made her body wrack with shivers. Small hands grabbed his face and yanked his mouth to meet hers. Now it was Lex’s turn to tremble, this time with barely restrained desire as Chloe all but devoured him, pressing closer and closer as if she were trying to crawl into him. That seemed like a perfectly logical idea; his arms wrapped around her to pull her closer and his hands stroked over the smooth, hot skin of her back. With slow, careful movements Lex leaned her backwards, lowering them as one onto the bed behind her. He settled himself over her, careful to brace his weight to keep from crushing her. His mouth left hers, and Chloe gave a whimpering sound of protest that changed to a gasping little moan when he rocked his hips gently against hers. Chloe began to move her hips in response, trying to find a relief for the tension that was building in her. Her hands were slipping over his back now, over skin slick with a thin sheen of sweat.

Lex began to kiss his way down her body with slow, torturous thoroughness. Every inch of her was subject to his lips or hands—a slow, burning kiss here; a whispering touch there; slow, rhythmic caresses coupled with the wet heat of his mouth working on her until every part of her was aching with the need she felt. The hands that she had fantasized about so many times were molding and caressing her breasts while his lips and tongue teased her hardened nipples. He moved lower, breathing kisses over her stomach, over her hips, her thighs, slipping off her underwear as he went and removing the last barrier between them. When they were finally gone he moved back up just as slowly, his hands finding places on her that she hadn’t even known could be so sensitive. He passed over the part of her she most wanted to touch, already throbbing and wet and aching with anticipation. His breath skimmed over her folds and she arched her hips upward in reaction, sucking in a sharp breath at the sensation.

“Fuck,” she swore breathlessly. Lex chuckled and Chloe glanced down, saw him sitting back and fixing her with a devilish smirk.

“Only if you ask nicely,” he teased.

Chloe merely raised her eyebrows and let a small, secret smile tilt up one corner of her mouth. Staring at Lex with heavy, half-lidded eyes, she stretched slowly, languorously, letting her legs fall open a little bit more. Her smile widened at the way Lex’s eyes were drawn like magnets to that smooth, wet heat, and Chloe ran her hands lightly over her thighs in slow, sensual movements.

“Lex?” she breathed, her voice husky and sweetly innocent at the same time. A surge of triumph passed through her when she saw Lex’s cock twitch at her tone; his eyes lifted and she drew in a deep breath as she arched her back. “Do you think you could do me a favor?”

Within seconds Lex was on top of her again. This time his kiss was hard, demanding, dangerous; Chloe met it with equal fervor, her nails digging into the hard pads of muscle on either side of his spine. She could feel the full length of him pressed against her stomach, pulsing in a rhythm that echoed inside of her. One of her hands reached down and wrapped around him in a firm hold; she stroked him in hard, fast movements that ripped a harsh, guttural groan from his throat. His hand closed over hers, stilling it, and he shifted down until he was pressed against her entrance. He leaned up and Chloe watched, panting for breath, as he gazed at her, his eyes questioning.

In answer Chloe lifted her hips, and he slipped inside of her. Tight, wet heat surrounded him like liquid fire, and it was all he could do to cling to the last shreds of his self-control. He began to move, using the sighs and moans that slipped from Chloe’s mouth as a guide.

Long, slow strokes, burying himself in her before withdrawing almost completely, and all the time his eyes were on the woman beneath him. Chloe’s eyes were heavy and half-blind, her pleasure a gentle gleam behind a cloud of desire. A light gloss of sweat covered her skin, and she seemed to glow in the dim golden light. He watched her arch beneath him when he hit a spot deep within her; he adjusted his angle until every thrust touched that same spot. At the sudden barrage of sensation, Chloe’s mouth fell open in a soundless gasp that soon turned to small, broken sounds that went straight to Lex’s groin. As one they began to move faster, Chloe’s hips moving in counterpoint to Lex’s thrusts. Her hand moved up to the back of his neck and pulled him down to her. Their mouths met in a hungry clash, their tongues twining around each other in the same rhythm as their bodies. They broke the kiss, both panting, their foreheads pressed together as Lex drove into her.

“I love you.”

The whispered words echoed through Lex’s head, and the sound of them had his self-control slipping just a little bit more. His thrusts grew harder, even deeper than they had been before. Chloe matched his pace eagerly, her hands slipping over his back, trying to find purchase to move harder against him. Her breath was coming in harsh, panting gasps when her hips suddenly jerked, her back arching and her head thrown back. Lex watched as her eyes widened, then almost closed as pleasure crashed over her.

“Oh god.” It came out on an almost impossibly deep moan and her hips resumed their former rhythm, picking up speed as she rode out her climax. “Oh god. Lex. Yes. Fuck, yes.”

Lex was moving inside of her, hard, demanding thrusts that made each aftershock echo through her body until she swore she could feel them in her teeth. Her heartbeat was just beginning to return from the stratosphere when Lex shifted and lifted her legs to wrap around him. With this new angle he was grinding into her clit, while his cock hit that sweet spot deep inside of her with every thrust. That same delicious sensation began to build again, and Chloe’s eyes flew open in shock to meet Lex’s stormy blue-gray ones. Love and lust burned hot there, penetrating her and adding fuel to the fire he was building below. Need was raging within her again and she ground herself against him in a desperate search for release.

“Please, Lex. Please.” She was begging now, but she didn’t care. Couldn’t care. All that mattered was this incredible feeling that was close, so close, but she couldn’t reach it, couldn’t do anything but beg for it to come just a little bit closer. She felt Lex shudder, and he leaned down to press a hot, gentle kiss to her mouth.

“Now, Chloe. Now.”

The words breathed against her lips broke the last thread holding her back, and Chloe’s orgasm ripped through her with irresistible force. Her cry shattered the air and her legs tightened around Lex’s waist, her hips jerking as she contracted hard and fast around him. Lex finally lost his own control with a shuddering groan; he emptied himself into her, a white-gold heat spilling through her, filling her.

Lex’s weight felt delicious on top of her, was the only thought that Chloe’s muddled brain was able to produce for several long minutes. Her body felt as if it were made of gold; she was fairly certain that if she could just find the energy to open her eyes, she would be glowing in the dark. She felt Lex stir above her and another thought occurred to her. Not bothering to keep the amusement out of her voice, she spoke.

“Just so we’re clear. I am not on any kind of mood or behavior modifying chemicals. Everything I’ve done has been of my own free will; in fact, if you give me a few years to recuperate, I’d be more than willing to do it again.”

She felt Lex’s body shaking gently on top of her; he lifted his head and grinned down at her, his eyes filled with silent laughter. Chloe grinned right back up at him and leaned up to brush a kiss across his mouth. He leaned back and gazed down at her, his expression more solemn now.

“Are you sure about this, Chloe? I’m not exactly accepted by most of the people in this town. If we do try this . . . it’s not going to be easy.”

“I know,” she nodded softly. “But what is it they say?” A small smile curved up her lips and she reached up to cup his face in her hand. “‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’”

Lex smiled down at her and captured her mouth in a slow, warm kiss. Without releasing her he rolled onto his back and gathered her against him. Chloe leaned back and nestled down farther into his arms. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and rested her head over the spot.

“You’re really going to stay.” Lex’s voice was a mixture of surprise and relief, and Chloe wrapped an arm around his chest, squeezed comfortingly.

“I’m really going to stay. I wanted you, I took you, I have you.” She lifted her head, offered him a brilliant smile. “I’m keeping you.”



THE END

[tigerbaby]

I found this particular bit extremely funny and then it got really smutty, really fast. The best, the only way to end a fic.

This was fabulous. :worship2:

[SexInStilettos]

oh please update, i beg you&#33; see this is me begging&#33; :worship2:

[scifichick774]

WOOT&#33; Loved this fic&#33; :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for finishing it.

Now make with the fairy tale one. What are you waiting for? Go on. *shoos with hand*

[hfce]

That was so good :drool: and a great ending :clap:


Hope :biggrin:

[petriebird18]

:worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :yay: :yay:
~Deidre~
:chlexsign3:

[buffiy18]

:yay: Great story. Loved the begining of this chapter (Lex&#39;s daydream)... you through me off for a bit... I knew Chloe would give him at least a little bit of a hard time. I&#39;m glad they kissed and made up.

Looking forward to another fic from you.

[Impress]

thanks for finally finishing this one. And finishing it well. looking forward to your next story. :blinkkiss:

[justicea]

A great end or beginning to a great story. That was...well great&#33; :biggrin:
J

[Kit Merlot]

This was an awesome fic. Great smut and a happy ending--Life doesn&#39;t get any better than this :biggrin:

WELL DONE&#33;

[Lady Candy]

“I’m really going to stay. I wanted you, I took you, I have you.” She lifted her head, offered him a brilliant smile. “I’m keeping you.”
Me too me too :D
This ff is very hot, whoa I need...ice...ice please ;)

[autumngold]

Oh wow, your story is wonderful&#33; Such a great beginning and an excellent ending&#33; I&#39;m so glad that Chloe didn&#39;t lose her memories&#33; I would have hated it if she couldn&#39;t remember all of the fun Lex and her had together&#33; :worship2: I really, really enjoyed your story&#33; Can&#39;t wait to read you next piece of Chlex fluff&#33;&#33; :chlexsign3:

[georgee5]

I love it when I find a fic I never read before. All I want to say is when there&#39;s several feet of snow outside, I&#39;ll pull up this story and warm up reeeeeeeeal fast&#33; (ie. it was damned hot&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;)

:chlexsign4:

[happy bunny]

Wonderful fic&#33; I don&#39;t know whether I should be happy or sad that I found this one so late in the game. Happy, because I didn&#39;t have to wait at all for updates, or sad because I missed out on this for so long.

Either way, I loved it. Great ending&#33; :biggrin:

[gina]

What an awesome fic&#33; I :heart: it&#33;

I love the premise and of course all the incredibly hot smut&#33; :drool:

[gizelle]

OMG&#33; You watched ReBoot too&#33;&#33; :wub: I really love this story, especially since there&#39;s an explanation for Chloe OOC now. ;) So angsty, and no plot loops yet, but how will they get back together?? Please continue&#33;

[Blu_FireFly81]

Originally posted by Not An Addict@Oct 16 2003, 04:48 PM
“I’m really going to stay. I wanted you, I took you, I have you.” She lifted her head, offered him a brilliant smile. “I’m keeping you.”

THE END
:smut: :tongue: I love that last line.....believe me if I was her I’ll keep him too&#33;

I loved this fic I hope you have more up soon&#33;


Keep up the good work&#33; :chlexsign3:



:worship2: :worship2: :worship2:

[serenitysea]

Bweeeeee&#33;&#33;&#33; Finally&#33;

Loved it. :D

[becky]

:biggrin:

excellent&#33;&#33;&#33;

~Becky

[Ainur]

:chlexsign2: This fic was very cute and hot. Great job&#33;

[ptite_mily]

that was a GREAT fic&#33; :biggrin:

[Kandya]

I love the switch of pace in chapter 4...the transition was just awesome. :drool: The scene with "Trent..." Steller. :worship2: I love the whole story and you&#39;re just a terrific writer. :biggrin: &#092;&#092;

[Smallville_Sitton]

YAY&#33;&#33; That is great&#33; I loved the smut. Very good. Loved it. Really really good.

:chlexsign1: :chlexsign2: :chlexsign3: :chlexsign4:

[Mercscilla]

jumps up &#39;n&#39; down the funniest & sexiest story I&#39;ve ever read :worship2:

Excellent ending :yay: They&#39;re so cute together :wub:

[Luna]

Really liked this story. Especially the end:


“I’m really going to stay. I wanted you, I took you, I have you.” She lifted her head, offered him a brilliant smile. “I’m keeping you.”

Awww :wub:

You did a really great job.
Hope to read more from you :)

[Sidhe]

Everytime that I read this fic I can only say one thing, "Damn, that is hot&#33;"


:smut:

[starmoon]

Enjoyable keep writing I want to read more story's written by you.

[ggdoll18]

hahaha great story!

[red turtle]

:yeahbaby: I never get tired of re-reading this story. Looking forward to more of your fics. :respect:

[SianUrsula]

YAY! clap clap clap Loved it. You write particularly good smut scenes. Really really good. But bad too cause it only makes my own pitiful love/sex life become more apparent to me. Sigh... if only we could all have our own Lex's to have and hold.

[arkakitty]

Ohhhh I love this sooo much! I really enjoyed the whole chase, how he felt guilty, and how she got him to realize everything. Great story :)

[campbti]

I just read this for I think the 3rd or 4th time. Really such great work. Your smut scenes are mesmorizing.

[darkangel]

:grin: :drool: One of the hottest fics on this site.........good smut.

[kimmie]

That was a great fic and the smut was HOT!!!

Kimmie

[fluffyreigns]

great fic , read it in one sitting ( eyes are a bit sore now) but so HOT !!

[pipersmum]

That was great i enjoyed it so much i read it twice :respect:

[txalb]

And here we have it, another fic in connection to “Rush.”

I don’t think there are enough good things I can say about this fic. The sex scenes were great. The banter was great. The look into Lex’s guilt complex and Chloe’s anger over it in the end. The “Butterfinger” comments and candy. Not to mention the fact that she stole Lex’s car. I don’t know there is just something about uninhibited!Chloe that I love.

I also thought it was really clever to have Lex trick her like that in the end. It was also really heartbreaking to see his thought processes after he found out about the parasite.

This is a really great story (much like every other story of yours I have read). You really set the bar and other authors have their work cut out for them if they want to make it to your level. Thank you for writing this. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we really appreciate it.

txalb

[Ann]

“I’m really going to stay. I wanted you, I took you, I have you.” She lifted her head, offered him a brilliant smile. “I’m keeping you.”


I love that line! Excellent fic. I loved it! :)

[starmoon]

i love this story and i hope you write more like it and soon. :respect: the sex scenes were perfect and got me all hot!! :drool:

[Catvampcrazines]

A fun and hot fic hun, thanks for sharing it with us!

[LexGirl]

WOW!! Great beginning to this story! I can't wait to see where it goes from here!!! I'm going to chapter two as we speak so I can see for myself!!!

Angie

[Vampbabe20]

I'm completely speechless. This story had everything - every emotion known to man and, when you combine that with Chloe and Lex, this is one hell of a good read.

[ggdoll18]

LOVE it

[chexfan]

Oi! This is just...gah! Can't form a thought great.

[Esther25jm]

Wow! Wonderful story and I love all the BtVS references. Hee, even the title comes from the show.....and Faith's philosophy. Damn, so glad that you used it so well with Chlex.....they just melted my computer screen. Yum!

[zho9]

great story! Loved the last line.

[Rosered99]

Okay, it's official, this story is going on a favorites for life list. It was fantastic. I was a little worried there in the middle when they were...parted, but you fixed it.

*dances around*

Love it!

[~*~Tasha~*~]

Very erotic, passionate and steamy. The right amount of personal emotions and love as well. This is one heck of a fic. Loved it.

[April]

This story was so fun to read. Excellent work!

[coxco]

Wonderful story and wonderfully written

[Azulblade]

chloe and lex with no inhibitions....hmm...endless possibilities, lol.
great stuff

[Nimmie]

Really good fic very hot at times. Great reading,

Thanks

N

[elementia]

Hot...:devil:
Bothered...:omg:
Drooling...:drool2:
Faints from all the blood rushing to head and other regions...

OOhhh yeah!
:smoke:

[wdge]

Yummy and a happy ending!

[stampiej]

Oeh, very nice. I loved bad chloe. Sweet ending.

[donhisiewen]

Wow! I mean, Wow!

[LexGirl]

I want to give some feedback since I've been reading this for the past couple of days. Though I'm not finished reading it, I want to say how much I am enjoying it! I think it is so good!!!!!! I'm looking forward to reading the rest! :) Awesome fan fic!!!! :)

ETA: Excellent ending, imo! Yes, it had smut, but it also had a neat story, imo, of Lex and Chloe. I loved it! :)

[emms14]

What a steamy story with an adorable ending! I'm so impressed with the way your were able to put the characters in somewhat ridiculous scenarios while keeping them in character. Great job! :)

-emms14

[LEXSUPERFAN]

WOW JUST WOW
This story is incredible.
Excellent management between romance, humor, and hot scenes.Is definitely in my top 10.
Nothing like losing your inhibitions to really go for what you've always wanted
I love this “‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’”

[Emch]

First Chlex fic I ever read. Still love it. Who would have thought the role reversal (Bad Chloe, Good Lex, lol)

[sjww]

great job on this fic - loved it...

[skatiefan]

I just came across this story. This was steamy and I thought it was pretty well written. I liked the fact that Chloe's inner desires were fulfilled due to the parasite as well as Lex's and that she remembered everything. I really do wish it happened like this in the series. *sigh*

[jenwin23]

I grew up in a small town and this line makes me think you likely did too. It amuses me that my city born and raised friends have this idealized version of the country...

"“I love the city. It’s so freeing, so liberating. Small-town life isn’t for us, Lex.” She began to circle him, slowly, a predator deciding whether to toy with its prey or simply swallow it whole. “You must’ve felt it there. All those eyes constantly watching you, judging you. No real privacy. It’s stifling. You have your role that you’re expected to fill, and if you don’t play along then God help you.”"

[malugargula]

They're amazing together

[jstarr713]

if only I could get bitten with some results like that

[swirly268]

Hot story with a sweet ending, what else is there to ask for!

[Ami Rose]

Great fic absolutely love it!

[HotCrossedBunny]

Aww that was so lovely. Well done you!

[asarstar]

Ugh, so good. I'm having a hard time remembering why I haven't already read this one, since I was always a huge fan.

[cornelia]

I loved this fic. Its begging for a sequel!!!