ruafair
19th April 2003, 00:33
Deepest Desires
Author: RuaFair (AKA Fiona)
Email: redwitchire@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: R
Spoilers: Nicodemus
Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters all belong to someone else. (Sigh)
Feedback: Please, please and please.
*****
Chapter One – Door Number Two
Lex looked around the lab for Hamilton but there was no sign of him. Out of the corner of his eye an unusual flower caught his attention. He leaded over to it and as he bent down to give it closer inspection the flower *sneezed*. Lex took a step back as his face was engulfed in a yellow mist. He blinked a couple of times and sneezed himself. And when he looked back at the flower it seemed to have died.
“Strange,” he uttered, and headed out the door. As he started his car to head back to the mansion a strange sensation washed over him. And for the first time Lex Luthor felt free.
Discarding the idea of heading back, he revved the engine of his Porsche and headed in the direction of town. “Time for a little fun”, he said and left a cloud of dust in his wake.
*****
Lex parked his car near the Talon and sat in it for a moment. ‘Decisions, decisions’ he thought. ‘Door number one, do I go to the Talon and tell Lana that the only reason I agreed to her so-called plan was as a favor to Clark and that she really had the business sense of a gnat, and…’
He trailed off as he saw Chloe Sullivan heading in the direction of the Smallville Library.
‘Or door number two, do I go for the *much* more pleasurable option.’ He got out of his car and smirked to himself as he headed in Chloe’s direction. “Door number two it is,” he said.
*****
Chloe headed to one of the small study rooms at the back of the library, and armed with her laptop and some books she found sat down to try and figure out what was going on.
Lexes watched as she went into the room and close the door over slightly. ‘Better and better’, he thought and made his way after her. He stood in the doorway and saw her hunched over some book. He closed the door with a bang; she jumped up and turned to face him.
“Mr. Luthor.” She said. “Chloe,” he replied drawing out her name, “how have you been?”
“Fine,” she replied looking at him strangely. “Are *you* ok Mr. Luthor, you’re acting a little weird.”
“I’ve never felt better,” Lex said as he moved towards her.
“Well ok then, I’ll leave you to whatever you’re here to do,” said Chloe feeling a little freaked out by a very un-Lex Lex.
As she made an attempt to move he was right in front of her and she took a step back and he took one forward. This little *dance* continued until Chloe found herself backed against the wall and Lex almost pressed up against her.
“Now Chloe,” Lex said as he played with her hair, “what if I’m here to *do* you?”
“Mr. Luthor, Lex did you get a bang on the head or trip out on drugs?” she replied sounding a lot braver than she felt. Having him this close to her was playing havoc with her senses.
Lex totally ignored her question and ran his finger down her cheek. “Do you dream about me Chloe?” he asked leaning in closer. Chloe shook her head no, unsure of her voice.
“Liar, liar your panties will soon be on fire,” he whispered in her ear. “I dream about you, hot sweaty erotic dreams about you Chloe. I dream about us writhing naked in my bed, of us wrapped around each other in a hot shower. Of how you would look under me as I thrust hard and deep inside you,” he placed a kiss on her pulse point, “and how you would look on top of me. Of the noises you’d make when you come, how you would scream my name over and over.”
Chloe closed her eyes and tried to block out what he was saying, but his words were causing sensations to course through her and settle between her legs. And his voice, his sexy voice was pushing her control to the limit.
She snapped her eyes open when she felt his hand slide under her shirt and caress her stomach.
“Mr., Mr. Luthor please, please stop,” she stuttered.
Again he just ignored her, “call me Lex, Chloe” as his kissed her neck. He kissed her lips gently, flicking his tongue against her bottom lip.
He put her hands on his chest, intending to push him away, but when she opened her mouth again to speak Lex covered it with his own. He teased her tongue in to his mouth, where he sucked on it gently. Chloe’s hands kneaded his chest gently as he kissed her.
He pulled back and smirked at her, his hand still making small patterns on her stomach. She looked at him and noticed how his eyes seemed a little glazed over.
“Chloe, Chloe have you any idea how much I want you?” He said his hand moving higher till it cupped her breast. Her breathing became ragged and her hands moved up his chest and rested on his shoulders. He nuzzled her neck placing small kisses. “I have wanted to tell you, but something always stopped me,” he continued “but now I feel *free*. You want me as well Chloe don’t you?”
“Lex you are not….” She began, but Lex kissed her again and this time she couldn’t help but kiss him back. His hand gently squeezed her breast while the other drew small circles on her back. When they parted he said, “yes or no Chloe.”
“Yes Lex,” she said and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He returned her kiss greedily and Chloe noticed that he felt unusually warm. But his hand had traveled down to her ass and when he squeezed it gently all thoughts flew out of her mind.
Oxygen became an issue and reluctantly they pulled apart.
Lex suddenly felt light-headed and fainted, falling to the ground. Chloe knelt beside him and tried to rouse him but to no avail. She grabbed her cell phone and rang for an ambulance.
“Please Lex, please be all right,” she whispered as she cradled his head in her lap.
****************
Chapter Two – Denial Thy Name Is Chloe
Chloe sat outside Lex’s room as doctors and nurses ferried in and out of the room. Down the hallway Clark’s dad was lying in a similar state.
And although Chloe liked Mr. Kent all her thoughts at the moment where focused on Lex. She hadn’t really thought about what had happened in the library on the way to the hospital. All she could think about then was Lex lying there, unmoving, looking almost *dead*. The way her heart was beating a mile a minute, and the shudder of fear that crawled down her back at the thought of him dying.
But now sitting here she couldn’t help but let the ‘library incident’ as she dubbed it fill her mind. Chloe closed her eyes as she remembered the almost hungry look in his eyes before they glazed over. The things he had said, the dreams he had about *her*. She had lied when she denied having dreams about him. Most of Chloe’s sleeping hours where filled with Lex.
And that voice of his that low sexy voice, the sound of that alone was more then enough to arouse her. ‘What the fuck am I going to do?’ she thought. ‘LEX LUTHOR under the influence of God-knows what confessed to wanting ME, having dreams about ME, X-Rated dreams at that, and now he’s lying in a hospital bed and might never wake up. It had to be a joke, whatever drug he was on caused him to go mad.’
She stood up and looked in at him lying in the bed. When the doctor left she slipped into room, and went over to him. Chloe took his hand in hers and bent down to whisper in his ear.
“I don’t know if you’re going to get out of this, but I hope more than anything you do, also you probably aren’t going to remember anything that happened which is probably for the best since I doubt it was true, but I just want you to know that I think I’m falling in love with you and no one has *ever* made me feel the way you did in that room.” She kissed his lips gently and left the room all the while convincing herself that he felt nothing.
*****
Lex woke up in the hospital, his head thumping. He turned his head slightly and saw Clark.
“Hey, welcome back,” said Clark.
“What the hell happened?” Lex replied.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” asked Clark.
Lex closed his eyes, “I was out at Dr. Hamilton’s place, there was this flower and then things are really hazy, I have sort of cloudy flashbacks but nothing concrete.” He opened his eyes and asked Clark, “How did I get here?”
“In terms of getting here it was Chloe who called the ambulance,” began Clark.
“Chloe” interrupted Lex.
“Yeah,” said Clark, “she was at the library, she had been there a couple of minutes when you came. She didn’t say much about what happened other than you started acting a little weird and after awhile you fainted. She called the ambulance when she couldn’t wake you up. She stayed with you for quite some time when you were brought in.”
Lex closed his eyes again and wondered why the mention of Chloe and library seemed familiar to him but he still couldn’t actually pin point why.
“Is she still here?” he asked. “No” replied Clark “she left a couple of hours ago, but I rang her to say that my dad and you were out of danger, so she’s on her way.”
Lex started feeling tired again and he was finding it difficult to keep he eyes open. Clark noticed this, “I’ll leave you alone to get some rest, I want to check on my dad anyway,” he said “I’ll call by later.” And with that he left the room.
Lex lay there trying to fight off the urge to sleep as he attempted to fill in the gaps in his memory. ‘Chloe, library, Chloe, library,’ kept running through his mind. He hated not knowing. But he could no longer keep his eyes open a within a few moments was fast asleep again.
*****
He was pressed up against a soft warm body that smelt faintly of strawberries. Chloe. His hand felt the soft silken skin of her stomach, while his tongue tasted her mouth.
Oh how he wanted this. His dreams where getting too hot to handle. But this was the real thing. She felt so good against him. “Chloe,” Lex moaned.
“Yes I’m here,” came the reply. Lex’s eyes shot open and he found a concerned looking Chloe Sullivan staring down at him.
****************
Chapter Three – Skirting Around The Truth
“Are you alright? Can I get you anything?” she said as she hovered over him.
Lex closed his eyes briefly and tried to clear the remaining fog of the dream from his head, ‘just another fucking dream’, he thought
“Mr. - Mr. Luthor.”
His eyes opened at the sound of her voice. “I’m fine Miss Sullivan,” he said harsher than he intended.
A brief look of pain flickered across her face at his tone, “well that’s good, ok then I’ll be going I just wanted to see if you were ok.” And with that she turned to leave.
Lex sighed. “Wait, I didn’t mean that to come out the way it sounded. Don’t leave.”
Chloe moved back over to the bed and sat in the chair Clark had vacated earlier. An uncomfortable silence settled over them. She glanced at Lex out of the corner of her eye. He looked paler than usual, one arm lay outside the sheet of the bed; she looked at his hand and remembered how it had caressed her stomach. The silence was starting to get to her.
“Did the doctors discover what was wrong?” her voice sounded loud and echoed around the room.
“Not exactly,” he replied, “and I believe I have you to thank for getting me here.”
She smiled shyly, “it’s ok, I’m just glad you’re better.”
Again both grew silent. Lex cleared his throat, “can you tell me what actually happened?”
‘I don’t think so’, thought Chloe. “I was in one of the library’s study rooms when you came in. We, em, sort of chatted for a bit and well then you fainted,” she said, “I called the ambulance and here you are.”
“Is that all? Because Clark said you told him I was acting a little weird.”
‘Damn Clark’, she thought. “When I said *weird* I meant weird for you.” The look on this face told her to continue. “Well you and I chatting for one and you seemed kind of happy, smiling instead of smirking.”
‘She hiding something,’ thought Lex, ‘and refuses to look me in the eye.’ “And that’s it.”
“Yes,” she nodded, “that’s it.”
“Chloe I didn’t hurt you did I?” asked Lex wondering why she was lying.
“Hurt me, oh no nothing like that.” ‘Well except maybe my heart,’ she thought ruefully.
He sighed again and reached for the glass of water on the cabinet beside him.
“Let me get that for you,” said Chloe as she jumped up and leaned over him. He caught a faint whiff of strawberry as she leaned over and the dream he was having earlier came back. Visions of pressing her against a wall and kissing her soundly flooded his mind.
‘Not again,’ he thought.
“Here you go,” Chloe’s voice broke through his thoughts and she headed him his water. And for a third time silence settled over them.
After a minute Lex was about to speak again when the door to his room swung open and in walked Clark.
Lex could have sworn he heard Chloe breath a sigh of relief as Clark entered the room. “Well I’ll leave the two of you to talk,” she said and got up from the chair.
“Bye Mr. Luthor, and again I’m glad you’re better. I’ll see you later Clark,” and with that she was gone.
“Bye Chloe,” whispered Lex, knowing there was a lot she wasn’t telling him about what happened.
*****
Chloe didn’t stop till she got outside the hospital; she got into her car and rested her head on the steering wheel. “He doesn’t remember at thing,” she said softly. And as she started her car, part of her was happy he didn’t, but the rest of her was upset and she didn’t want to dwell on why she felt that way.
****************
Chapter Four – Back to The Scene Of the Crime!
It had been a week since Lex was released from the hospital and he had yet to see Chloe. Oh she was there in his dreams all right, dreams that seemed *so* real. They were more frequent than ever before. Also every time he passed the library he felt a vague recollection but couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly it was.
He sighed at the computer screen in front of him, trying to concentrate on his work. But it was no use; last night’s dream was still far too fresh in his mind. ‘I’m going mad,’ he thought, ‘I need to get out of here.’
Lex switched off the computer, grabbed his jacket and car keys and left.
-------------
“Ok I’m done here, I need to head over to the library and do some research to finish my history paper,” said Chloe as she finished her coffee.
Clark and Pete both just grunted, neither paying any real attention to her, both were engrossed in some sports section or probably more so the pictures of the near-naked women. “Or maybe I’ll take off all my clothes and dance naked on the table instead.”
“Sure Chloe that’s great,” said Pete. “Yes that sounds good,” said Clark. Neither of them looked at her.
Chloe groaned and left the Beanery. ‘Boy I must be invisible,’ she thought, ‘no one notices me, except Lex but he was under the influence of some drug.’ Chloe thought back to the *library incident* and sighed.
She remembered everything so clearly. Every touch. Every kiss. Every word. The feel of his hands and lips, how his tongue dominated hers. He said he wanted her, she had admitted to wanting him. And now he doesn’t remember a *damn* thing.
She got into her car, “what would of happened if he hadn’t of fainted,” she whispered to herself, “how far would it of went, how far would he have gone, and how far would I of let him?”
When she dreamt about it he didn’t faint, things got very hot and they usually ended up naked and entwined on the floor.
Chloe felt the heat flood her cheeks as her imagination ran riot again. She started her car and headed towards the library. ‘Probably not the best place to go,’ she thought, ‘but I do need to finish my history paper.’
-------------
Lex parked in front of the Beanery and spied Clark and Pete. ‘Maybe Chloe is there as well’, he thought.
He entered the coffee shop and headed straight over to where Clark was sitting.
“Hey Lex,” said Clark, while Pete barely nodded.
“Clark, *Mr.* Ross,” replied Lex as he sat down.
“So how have you been? Any side-effects?” asked Clark.
Lex was startled for a moment still not quite use to the fact that people were actually concerned for his well-being. But his stay in hospital had proven that at least Clark and Chloe did. Hell even his father hadn’t checked on him.
“Much better Clark, and thankfully no side-effects,” he replied. ‘Except much more frequent dreams of your best friend,’ he thought.
They chatted briefly for a while before Lex brought up Chloe’s name. “Is Miss Sullivan not around? I wanted to thank her again.”
“She was here earlier but left,” said Clark, “not sure where she went though.”
“Some other time then,” said Lex, masking his disappointment. “I’d better get back to work,” and with that said his goodbyes and left.
He was driving past the library when he spotted her car. He parked beside it and headed towards the main doors of the building. As he walked through them a wave of déjà vu swept over him. He moved silently through the halls looking for Chloe.
-------------
Chloe sat huddled over a large encyclopedia making notes on the legal pad beside her. She was in the same study room as before, she had nearly left when she realized that this was the only room free, but the need to get an ‘A’ on her paper took precedent.
Lex stood outside the door looking in at her. The feeling of déjà vu was so much stronger now. He had to learn what really happened and the only person who could tell him was Chloe Sullivan.
He strode into the room, shutting the door closed behind him.
Chloe jumped and turned in her seat. When she saw who it was Lex couldn’t miss the look of shock on her face or the glimmer of fear in her eyes.
‘What is she afraid of?’ he thought.
“Mr.-Mr. Luthor,” she stammered out.
“We need to talk Chloe about what happened,” he began as he moved towards her, “and we need to talk *now*.
****************
Chapter Five – Filling In The Blanks
“There’s nothing to talk about Mr. Luthor,” said Chloe nervously as she got up from her chair and began to back away from him. “I told you what happened.”
“You didn’t tell me everything,” his voice rising slightly as he continued to move towards her. “For starters you told me I didn’t hurt you, and yet here you are, scared of me.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” she said, her voice trembling slightly, “but you *are* starting to scare me now.”
Lex took a deep breath and ran a hand over his head; the last thing he ever wanted was for Chloe to be frightened of him. “I’m sorry Chloe, I just *need* to know what happened. I know you haven’t told me the truth and I want you to tell me why you lied. Because the only reason I can come up with is that I hurt you in some way.”
Chloe had never seen the normally so self-assured and confident Lex Luthor so *lost* and her heart sank. But how could she tell him what really happened, he would never believe her. ‘Well Lex you and I probably would have ended up doing the Wild Thing on the table there had you not fainted,’ didn’t seem the best thing to say.
“I-I told you, you came in, we talked for a bit, and then you fainted. That’s it and you didn’t hurt me.” Chloe was impressed with herself that she managed to get the sentence out with a steady voice, because inside she was shaking like a leaf.
“And I say you’re *lying*,” said Lex as he came closer.
“I don’t have to stay here and listen to this,” said Chloe, her voice taking on a defiant tone as she felt herself getting angry. She moved to grab her bag from the table, but Lex stood in front of her blocking the way. And each time she tried to pass him, he would block her again.
“Get out of my way,” she spat out, anger evident in her voice.
“NO,” he said, the word ringing around the room.
She started backing away from him as he moved towards her, “you are *not* leaving until you tell me what really happened in this room.” His voice was low and commanding and suddenly Chloe felt afraid of him.
And within a minute Chloe found herself, once again, backed up against the wall of the small study room with Lex Luthor. But instead of him pressed against her in passion and desire like before, he was now barely keeping his temper in check.
“For the *last* time Chloe, what happened?”
“Or what,” she shot back, “what are you going to do? Let me leave Lex *right* now or I’ll start screaming.”
He smirked at her words, and gave her a look that almost said, *I dare you*.
Chloe was about to take him up on his dare and opened her mouth to scream.
Suddenly Lex reached out a hand and brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek and jaw. Chloe’s breath caught in her throat and her mouth closed. He leaned forward, his lips beside her ear; she could feel his warm breath fan over the delicate and sensitive shell of her ear. She trembled.
She was frightened, he could tell and even though it shouldn’t have, it *excited* him.
Lex was bombarded with sensations from being so close to her, the feel of Chloe’s skin, the sound of her breathing, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath. He moved his nose to her neck, brushed her hair away and inhaled deeply; vanilla and strawberry filled his senses. ‘So better than the dreams,’ he thought.
Lex was all at once, content, angry for scaring her, aroused and frightened. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, eyes that held fear, anger and just a hint of desire.
“Please Chloe,” he said softly, wincing slightly at the tremor in his voice, “please tell me.”
Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her heart thumping wildly and when she opened them she stared down at the floor.
“You came in,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper, “and like now we ended up pressed against this wall. You kept telling me you had dreams about me.” She felt Lex move away from her a little as she spoke.
“You kissed me,” she continued, “and…and then you fainted. That’s everything.”
Chloe dared to look at Lex. He was shaking his head; his face pale and a look of pure shock graced his features. Her eyes began to tear up and she pushed passed him, grabbed her bag and ran out of the room and did not stop running until she reached her car.
Lex turned as he heard her run away and slumped into the chair. He buried his head in hands, ‘it was real,’ he thought, ‘the dream in the hospital had really happened.’ He believed what she had said and understood why she had refused to tell him.
“She must hate me,” he whispered.
He got up quickly to try and catch her. As soon as her got outside he saw Chloe’s car driving off.
“Now what the fuck am I going to do?” He murmured, and for the first time in his life Lex Luthor didn’t have an answer.
****************
Chapter Six – Avoidance Therapy
Chloe woke with a groan to the shrill ring of her alarm clock; she smacked the offending item with her hand switching it off in the process. She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. It hadn’t been a restful night; the events with Lex yesterday in the library had plagued her mind all night, making sleep almost impossible.
The look of shock on his face as she told him the truth, her heart almost broke at that sight. Deep down inside herself, Chloe kept all the feelings she had for Lex Luthor, feelings she would never admit to anyone. ‘I’ll never be able to face him again,’ she thought sadly.
Sighing deeply she got out of bed and went over to the mirror of her dresser, grimacing at her appearance. “At least it’s Friday,” she said to her reflection, “and school is finishing at 1.00pm today.”
Thirty minutes later she was showered, dressed and sipping coffee at the kitchen table. “Hi sweetheart,” said her dad as he entered the kitchen.
Chloe smiled at her dad. “Honey,” he began, “you know I’m off to Metropolis and won’t be back till Monday afternoon.”
“I know dad, you’ve only told me like a hundred times,” she said rolling her eyes. “I’ll be *fine*.”
“I know, I know,” he said, “but I’m your dad, I’m allowed to worry.” They both smiled.
Suddenly a car horn sounded. “That’s my ride,” said Gabe gathering his stuff together. “You have the number of the hotel and conference center,” he babbled as they moved towards the front door, “and the Kents are there if you…”
“Dad. Go. Enjoy,” said Chloe laughing as she pushed him out the door. “Take care sweetheart, I’ll call you tonight.” Gabe hugged her and kissed her cheek, “bye dad,” she said hugging him back. She waited at the door till the car was gone.
She went back to the kitchen and cleared up, afterwards went upstairs to brush her teeth and get her stuff for school. A few moments later as she left and got into her car Chloe decided to make it her life’s mission to *avoid* thinking, speaking and definitely seeing Lex Luthor.
-------------
The sound of the alarm clock smashing against the wall made his already painful headache throb even more.
“Fuck,” groaned Lex as he felt his hangover really kick in.
He managed to get out of bed and crawl to his bathroom. He stripped off the clothes he had fallen asleep in and stood under the water. As the water pounded over his body, Lex thought back to the previous day’s events. After the disastrous meeting with Chloe in the library, Lex had come back to the mansion. He sat in the library going over every word and action that had transpired.
He couldn’t believe he had told Chloe he had been dreaming about her, hell he’d kissed her, part of him extremely disappointed that he couldn’t remember that part. Unable to forget the look of fear on her face as he pushed her into confessing what really happened or her words or the way she ran from him, Lex had proceeded to drink himself into a stupor.
He turned off the water and groaned again in pain as both his stomach and head protested to the amount of alcohol he’d consumed yesterday. Stepping out of the shower Lex wrapped a towel around his waist and stood in front of the mirror. His eyes were a little bloodshot and his face paler than usual. He braced his hands on the washbasin and leaned forward resting his head against the mirror and sighed.
‘How am I ever going to face her,’ he thought, ‘even the famous Luthor mask might not be enough this time?’
Chloe Sullivan had done the impossible; she had gotten under his skin. From their first meeting Lex had been intrigued. Her intelligence, beauty, snarky attitude had attracted him. It was after he had seen the spark in her eyes and the excitement on her beautiful face as she told him about Kyle Tippet that the dreams had started.
And now, now he had fucked up big time, and probably ruined any chance of a real friendship with her, let alone anything else in the process.
-------------
Chloe flopped into the seat opposite Clark in the Beanery, who just grinned at her. “Thank God school is over till Monday,” she said, a bright smile on her face.
“I’ll second that,” he said, “so what are your plans?”
“Absolutely nothing, and all weekend to do it,” she said, “I’m looking forward to watching TV, lounging in my sweats, playing music real loud and not having to worry about my dad telling me to turn it down.”
“Oh yes, house to yourself this weekend.”
Chloe grinned at him.
-------------
Lex parked outside the Beanery and went in. He scanned the room and spotted Clark and *Chloe*, his breath caught when he saw her. She was sitting with her back to him, talking to Clark, who hadn’t seen him yet. Taking a deep breath to compose himself he made his way over.
Chloe noticed Clark look up and smile at someone behind her. ‘Please be Lana,’ she prayed.
And then felt her world crash as Clark said, “Hey Lex.”
Lex’s heart ached as he saw Chloe visibly tense up when Clark said his name.
He sat down beside Clark, gave a short greeting and turned to say hello to Chloe. She muttered a hello and refused to look at him. Clark didn’t notice the tension that suddenly descended and starting talking to Lex.
Chloe couldn’t stand it anymore; she jumped up and grabbed her bag. “I have to go Clark, I just remembered my dad was going to call and I need to get home.” She turned and left, muttered a “bye Lex.”
As Clark continued to babble on, Lex watched as Chloe disappeared from his sight, his heart actually paining him, wishing he could banish her from his heart.
****************
Chapter Seven – Night Calls
After leaving the Beanery Chloe went home. She showered and changed out of her clothes into a comfortable pair of gray sweats and a white vest t-shirt.
Sitting in front of the TV, cradling a mug of coffee between her hands she let her mind drift back to earlier.
“I couldn’t even *look* at him,” she whispered. “I mean how pathetic must he think I am, running out of the Beanery like a frightened rabbit. And as usual Clark was his completely oblivious self.”
She sighed deeply and rested her head on the back of the couch, closing her eyes. And as usual visions of Lex appeared. She saw them against the wall wrapped around each other or him pushing her back against the table, lifting her skirt...
“STOP IT,” she said to herself getting up, “he was drugged or whatever, he didn’t know what he was doing, it meant nothing to him. Get your mind out of the gutter Sullivan.”
“Damn him for making me feel like this, damn him for making me still care about him, damn him for making me love him.” She said as she began pacing in front of the television. Because deep down Chloe knew she’d fall right back into his arms in a heartbeat, despite everything that had happened or been said, and that scared the hell out of her.
Matters of the heart where alien to Chloe. She had very limited experience with members of the opposite sex. Her crush on Clark was a first for her, but it was safe. Deep down Chloe never really believed her heart was in any danger from having feelings for her best friend.
But then she met Lex Luthor and almost immediately Chloe knew he was a real danger to her emotions. A mere look or smirk from him sent sensations coursing through her. At night the dreams of him became more explicit. Every time she met or even just saw him, she felt happy, sad, embarrassed, aroused, confused and frightened.
Chloe sat back down on the couch and sighed again. She wondered how the hell she was going to get some semblance of order to her jumbled thoughts and emotions.
-------------
Lex Luthor prided himself on always being in control of everything, his life, his business, and most importantly his emotions. The face he showed the world was one of masked indifference. He would never let the mask slip.
The *adventure* with the Nicodemus plant had left him very unsettled. Not only had he lost control, but he had been completely *honest* with the one person he never wanted to reveal the truth to.
The feelings he had for Chloe Sullivan scared him. Each time he saw her all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let her go. But until the Nicodemus incident the mask he always wore covered up his true feelings.
“I will conquer this,” he said, his words ringing around the interior of his car as he turned up the driveway.
-------------
Chloe hung up the phone and smiled a little. Her dad could be such a dork sometimes but he always knew if she was upset, even over the phone. He may not always know the cause, and most of the time never asked but he never failed to find a way to cheer her up.
Feeling slightly happier she cleaned and put away her coffee mug and settled herself into a comfortable position on the couch for a night in front of the television.
-------------
Lex continued to sit in his car after he had switched off the engine. “I need to go and get very drunk,” he said softly. He checked his watch and realized he had been sitting in it for over an hour. He got out, locked the car and headed up to the front door.
-------------
Chloe had dozed off on the couch when she was awakened by a noise. She jumped up and made her way to the door. Opening it cautiously she gasped in surprise. Pulling the door wide open she took a deep breath.
“*Lex*.”
“I’m sorry about the late hour Chloe, but I was wondering if I could talk to you.”
Chloe blinked a couple of times and shook her head, making sure she was actually awake and not still asleep on the couch.
Despite all that had happened between them lately, Lex couldn’t help but smirk at the confused look on her face.
“Chloe?”
“What…what?”
“I was wondering if we could talk.”
Chloe stood back from the door, “sure Lex, would you like to come in.”
Lex brushed past her and she closed the door, taking a deep breath before turning to face him.
“We can talk in here,” she said as she led him to the living room.
Lex took in the homely look and sighed. He sat on the couch when Chloe asked him to sit.
“Would you like anything to drink Lex, water, coffee?”
“No thanks Chloe I’m fine.”
He sighed again, a little louder when she took the chair and not the couch.
He leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees, looked Chloe in the eye and opened his mouth to speak.
****************
Author: RuaFair (AKA Fiona)
Email: redwitchire@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: R
Spoilers: Nicodemus
Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters all belong to someone else. (Sigh)
Feedback: Please, please and please.
*****
Chapter One – Door Number Two
Lex looked around the lab for Hamilton but there was no sign of him. Out of the corner of his eye an unusual flower caught his attention. He leaded over to it and as he bent down to give it closer inspection the flower *sneezed*. Lex took a step back as his face was engulfed in a yellow mist. He blinked a couple of times and sneezed himself. And when he looked back at the flower it seemed to have died.
“Strange,” he uttered, and headed out the door. As he started his car to head back to the mansion a strange sensation washed over him. And for the first time Lex Luthor felt free.
Discarding the idea of heading back, he revved the engine of his Porsche and headed in the direction of town. “Time for a little fun”, he said and left a cloud of dust in his wake.
*****
Lex parked his car near the Talon and sat in it for a moment. ‘Decisions, decisions’ he thought. ‘Door number one, do I go to the Talon and tell Lana that the only reason I agreed to her so-called plan was as a favor to Clark and that she really had the business sense of a gnat, and…’
He trailed off as he saw Chloe Sullivan heading in the direction of the Smallville Library.
‘Or door number two, do I go for the *much* more pleasurable option.’ He got out of his car and smirked to himself as he headed in Chloe’s direction. “Door number two it is,” he said.
*****
Chloe headed to one of the small study rooms at the back of the library, and armed with her laptop and some books she found sat down to try and figure out what was going on.
Lexes watched as she went into the room and close the door over slightly. ‘Better and better’, he thought and made his way after her. He stood in the doorway and saw her hunched over some book. He closed the door with a bang; she jumped up and turned to face him.
“Mr. Luthor.” She said. “Chloe,” he replied drawing out her name, “how have you been?”
“Fine,” she replied looking at him strangely. “Are *you* ok Mr. Luthor, you’re acting a little weird.”
“I’ve never felt better,” Lex said as he moved towards her.
“Well ok then, I’ll leave you to whatever you’re here to do,” said Chloe feeling a little freaked out by a very un-Lex Lex.
As she made an attempt to move he was right in front of her and she took a step back and he took one forward. This little *dance* continued until Chloe found herself backed against the wall and Lex almost pressed up against her.
“Now Chloe,” Lex said as he played with her hair, “what if I’m here to *do* you?”
“Mr. Luthor, Lex did you get a bang on the head or trip out on drugs?” she replied sounding a lot braver than she felt. Having him this close to her was playing havoc with her senses.
Lex totally ignored her question and ran his finger down her cheek. “Do you dream about me Chloe?” he asked leaning in closer. Chloe shook her head no, unsure of her voice.
“Liar, liar your panties will soon be on fire,” he whispered in her ear. “I dream about you, hot sweaty erotic dreams about you Chloe. I dream about us writhing naked in my bed, of us wrapped around each other in a hot shower. Of how you would look under me as I thrust hard and deep inside you,” he placed a kiss on her pulse point, “and how you would look on top of me. Of the noises you’d make when you come, how you would scream my name over and over.”
Chloe closed her eyes and tried to block out what he was saying, but his words were causing sensations to course through her and settle between her legs. And his voice, his sexy voice was pushing her control to the limit.
She snapped her eyes open when she felt his hand slide under her shirt and caress her stomach.
“Mr., Mr. Luthor please, please stop,” she stuttered.
Again he just ignored her, “call me Lex, Chloe” as his kissed her neck. He kissed her lips gently, flicking his tongue against her bottom lip.
He put her hands on his chest, intending to push him away, but when she opened her mouth again to speak Lex covered it with his own. He teased her tongue in to his mouth, where he sucked on it gently. Chloe’s hands kneaded his chest gently as he kissed her.
He pulled back and smirked at her, his hand still making small patterns on her stomach. She looked at him and noticed how his eyes seemed a little glazed over.
“Chloe, Chloe have you any idea how much I want you?” He said his hand moving higher till it cupped her breast. Her breathing became ragged and her hands moved up his chest and rested on his shoulders. He nuzzled her neck placing small kisses. “I have wanted to tell you, but something always stopped me,” he continued “but now I feel *free*. You want me as well Chloe don’t you?”
“Lex you are not….” She began, but Lex kissed her again and this time she couldn’t help but kiss him back. His hand gently squeezed her breast while the other drew small circles on her back. When they parted he said, “yes or no Chloe.”
“Yes Lex,” she said and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He returned her kiss greedily and Chloe noticed that he felt unusually warm. But his hand had traveled down to her ass and when he squeezed it gently all thoughts flew out of her mind.
Oxygen became an issue and reluctantly they pulled apart.
Lex suddenly felt light-headed and fainted, falling to the ground. Chloe knelt beside him and tried to rouse him but to no avail. She grabbed her cell phone and rang for an ambulance.
“Please Lex, please be all right,” she whispered as she cradled his head in her lap.
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Chapter Two – Denial Thy Name Is Chloe
Chloe sat outside Lex’s room as doctors and nurses ferried in and out of the room. Down the hallway Clark’s dad was lying in a similar state.
And although Chloe liked Mr. Kent all her thoughts at the moment where focused on Lex. She hadn’t really thought about what had happened in the library on the way to the hospital. All she could think about then was Lex lying there, unmoving, looking almost *dead*. The way her heart was beating a mile a minute, and the shudder of fear that crawled down her back at the thought of him dying.
But now sitting here she couldn’t help but let the ‘library incident’ as she dubbed it fill her mind. Chloe closed her eyes as she remembered the almost hungry look in his eyes before they glazed over. The things he had said, the dreams he had about *her*. She had lied when she denied having dreams about him. Most of Chloe’s sleeping hours where filled with Lex.
And that voice of his that low sexy voice, the sound of that alone was more then enough to arouse her. ‘What the fuck am I going to do?’ she thought. ‘LEX LUTHOR under the influence of God-knows what confessed to wanting ME, having dreams about ME, X-Rated dreams at that, and now he’s lying in a hospital bed and might never wake up. It had to be a joke, whatever drug he was on caused him to go mad.’
She stood up and looked in at him lying in the bed. When the doctor left she slipped into room, and went over to him. Chloe took his hand in hers and bent down to whisper in his ear.
“I don’t know if you’re going to get out of this, but I hope more than anything you do, also you probably aren’t going to remember anything that happened which is probably for the best since I doubt it was true, but I just want you to know that I think I’m falling in love with you and no one has *ever* made me feel the way you did in that room.” She kissed his lips gently and left the room all the while convincing herself that he felt nothing.
*****
Lex woke up in the hospital, his head thumping. He turned his head slightly and saw Clark.
“Hey, welcome back,” said Clark.
“What the hell happened?” Lex replied.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” asked Clark.
Lex closed his eyes, “I was out at Dr. Hamilton’s place, there was this flower and then things are really hazy, I have sort of cloudy flashbacks but nothing concrete.” He opened his eyes and asked Clark, “How did I get here?”
“In terms of getting here it was Chloe who called the ambulance,” began Clark.
“Chloe” interrupted Lex.
“Yeah,” said Clark, “she was at the library, she had been there a couple of minutes when you came. She didn’t say much about what happened other than you started acting a little weird and after awhile you fainted. She called the ambulance when she couldn’t wake you up. She stayed with you for quite some time when you were brought in.”
Lex closed his eyes again and wondered why the mention of Chloe and library seemed familiar to him but he still couldn’t actually pin point why.
“Is she still here?” he asked. “No” replied Clark “she left a couple of hours ago, but I rang her to say that my dad and you were out of danger, so she’s on her way.”
Lex started feeling tired again and he was finding it difficult to keep he eyes open. Clark noticed this, “I’ll leave you alone to get some rest, I want to check on my dad anyway,” he said “I’ll call by later.” And with that he left the room.
Lex lay there trying to fight off the urge to sleep as he attempted to fill in the gaps in his memory. ‘Chloe, library, Chloe, library,’ kept running through his mind. He hated not knowing. But he could no longer keep his eyes open a within a few moments was fast asleep again.
*****
He was pressed up against a soft warm body that smelt faintly of strawberries. Chloe. His hand felt the soft silken skin of her stomach, while his tongue tasted her mouth.
Oh how he wanted this. His dreams where getting too hot to handle. But this was the real thing. She felt so good against him. “Chloe,” Lex moaned.
“Yes I’m here,” came the reply. Lex’s eyes shot open and he found a concerned looking Chloe Sullivan staring down at him.
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Chapter Three – Skirting Around The Truth
“Are you alright? Can I get you anything?” she said as she hovered over him.
Lex closed his eyes briefly and tried to clear the remaining fog of the dream from his head, ‘just another fucking dream’, he thought
“Mr. - Mr. Luthor.”
His eyes opened at the sound of her voice. “I’m fine Miss Sullivan,” he said harsher than he intended.
A brief look of pain flickered across her face at his tone, “well that’s good, ok then I’ll be going I just wanted to see if you were ok.” And with that she turned to leave.
Lex sighed. “Wait, I didn’t mean that to come out the way it sounded. Don’t leave.”
Chloe moved back over to the bed and sat in the chair Clark had vacated earlier. An uncomfortable silence settled over them. She glanced at Lex out of the corner of her eye. He looked paler than usual, one arm lay outside the sheet of the bed; she looked at his hand and remembered how it had caressed her stomach. The silence was starting to get to her.
“Did the doctors discover what was wrong?” her voice sounded loud and echoed around the room.
“Not exactly,” he replied, “and I believe I have you to thank for getting me here.”
She smiled shyly, “it’s ok, I’m just glad you’re better.”
Again both grew silent. Lex cleared his throat, “can you tell me what actually happened?”
‘I don’t think so’, thought Chloe. “I was in one of the library’s study rooms when you came in. We, em, sort of chatted for a bit and well then you fainted,” she said, “I called the ambulance and here you are.”
“Is that all? Because Clark said you told him I was acting a little weird.”
‘Damn Clark’, she thought. “When I said *weird* I meant weird for you.” The look on this face told her to continue. “Well you and I chatting for one and you seemed kind of happy, smiling instead of smirking.”
‘She hiding something,’ thought Lex, ‘and refuses to look me in the eye.’ “And that’s it.”
“Yes,” she nodded, “that’s it.”
“Chloe I didn’t hurt you did I?” asked Lex wondering why she was lying.
“Hurt me, oh no nothing like that.” ‘Well except maybe my heart,’ she thought ruefully.
He sighed again and reached for the glass of water on the cabinet beside him.
“Let me get that for you,” said Chloe as she jumped up and leaned over him. He caught a faint whiff of strawberry as she leaned over and the dream he was having earlier came back. Visions of pressing her against a wall and kissing her soundly flooded his mind.
‘Not again,’ he thought.
“Here you go,” Chloe’s voice broke through his thoughts and she headed him his water. And for a third time silence settled over them.
After a minute Lex was about to speak again when the door to his room swung open and in walked Clark.
Lex could have sworn he heard Chloe breath a sigh of relief as Clark entered the room. “Well I’ll leave the two of you to talk,” she said and got up from the chair.
“Bye Mr. Luthor, and again I’m glad you’re better. I’ll see you later Clark,” and with that she was gone.
“Bye Chloe,” whispered Lex, knowing there was a lot she wasn’t telling him about what happened.
*****
Chloe didn’t stop till she got outside the hospital; she got into her car and rested her head on the steering wheel. “He doesn’t remember at thing,” she said softly. And as she started her car, part of her was happy he didn’t, but the rest of her was upset and she didn’t want to dwell on why she felt that way.
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Chapter Four – Back to The Scene Of the Crime!
It had been a week since Lex was released from the hospital and he had yet to see Chloe. Oh she was there in his dreams all right, dreams that seemed *so* real. They were more frequent than ever before. Also every time he passed the library he felt a vague recollection but couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly it was.
He sighed at the computer screen in front of him, trying to concentrate on his work. But it was no use; last night’s dream was still far too fresh in his mind. ‘I’m going mad,’ he thought, ‘I need to get out of here.’
Lex switched off the computer, grabbed his jacket and car keys and left.
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“Ok I’m done here, I need to head over to the library and do some research to finish my history paper,” said Chloe as she finished her coffee.
Clark and Pete both just grunted, neither paying any real attention to her, both were engrossed in some sports section or probably more so the pictures of the near-naked women. “Or maybe I’ll take off all my clothes and dance naked on the table instead.”
“Sure Chloe that’s great,” said Pete. “Yes that sounds good,” said Clark. Neither of them looked at her.
Chloe groaned and left the Beanery. ‘Boy I must be invisible,’ she thought, ‘no one notices me, except Lex but he was under the influence of some drug.’ Chloe thought back to the *library incident* and sighed.
She remembered everything so clearly. Every touch. Every kiss. Every word. The feel of his hands and lips, how his tongue dominated hers. He said he wanted her, she had admitted to wanting him. And now he doesn’t remember a *damn* thing.
She got into her car, “what would of happened if he hadn’t of fainted,” she whispered to herself, “how far would it of went, how far would he have gone, and how far would I of let him?”
When she dreamt about it he didn’t faint, things got very hot and they usually ended up naked and entwined on the floor.
Chloe felt the heat flood her cheeks as her imagination ran riot again. She started her car and headed towards the library. ‘Probably not the best place to go,’ she thought, ‘but I do need to finish my history paper.’
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Lex parked in front of the Beanery and spied Clark and Pete. ‘Maybe Chloe is there as well’, he thought.
He entered the coffee shop and headed straight over to where Clark was sitting.
“Hey Lex,” said Clark, while Pete barely nodded.
“Clark, *Mr.* Ross,” replied Lex as he sat down.
“So how have you been? Any side-effects?” asked Clark.
Lex was startled for a moment still not quite use to the fact that people were actually concerned for his well-being. But his stay in hospital had proven that at least Clark and Chloe did. Hell even his father hadn’t checked on him.
“Much better Clark, and thankfully no side-effects,” he replied. ‘Except much more frequent dreams of your best friend,’ he thought.
They chatted briefly for a while before Lex brought up Chloe’s name. “Is Miss Sullivan not around? I wanted to thank her again.”
“She was here earlier but left,” said Clark, “not sure where she went though.”
“Some other time then,” said Lex, masking his disappointment. “I’d better get back to work,” and with that said his goodbyes and left.
He was driving past the library when he spotted her car. He parked beside it and headed towards the main doors of the building. As he walked through them a wave of déjà vu swept over him. He moved silently through the halls looking for Chloe.
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Chloe sat huddled over a large encyclopedia making notes on the legal pad beside her. She was in the same study room as before, she had nearly left when she realized that this was the only room free, but the need to get an ‘A’ on her paper took precedent.
Lex stood outside the door looking in at her. The feeling of déjà vu was so much stronger now. He had to learn what really happened and the only person who could tell him was Chloe Sullivan.
He strode into the room, shutting the door closed behind him.
Chloe jumped and turned in her seat. When she saw who it was Lex couldn’t miss the look of shock on her face or the glimmer of fear in her eyes.
‘What is she afraid of?’ he thought.
“Mr.-Mr. Luthor,” she stammered out.
“We need to talk Chloe about what happened,” he began as he moved towards her, “and we need to talk *now*.
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Chapter Five – Filling In The Blanks
“There’s nothing to talk about Mr. Luthor,” said Chloe nervously as she got up from her chair and began to back away from him. “I told you what happened.”
“You didn’t tell me everything,” his voice rising slightly as he continued to move towards her. “For starters you told me I didn’t hurt you, and yet here you are, scared of me.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” she said, her voice trembling slightly, “but you *are* starting to scare me now.”
Lex took a deep breath and ran a hand over his head; the last thing he ever wanted was for Chloe to be frightened of him. “I’m sorry Chloe, I just *need* to know what happened. I know you haven’t told me the truth and I want you to tell me why you lied. Because the only reason I can come up with is that I hurt you in some way.”
Chloe had never seen the normally so self-assured and confident Lex Luthor so *lost* and her heart sank. But how could she tell him what really happened, he would never believe her. ‘Well Lex you and I probably would have ended up doing the Wild Thing on the table there had you not fainted,’ didn’t seem the best thing to say.
“I-I told you, you came in, we talked for a bit, and then you fainted. That’s it and you didn’t hurt me.” Chloe was impressed with herself that she managed to get the sentence out with a steady voice, because inside she was shaking like a leaf.
“And I say you’re *lying*,” said Lex as he came closer.
“I don’t have to stay here and listen to this,” said Chloe, her voice taking on a defiant tone as she felt herself getting angry. She moved to grab her bag from the table, but Lex stood in front of her blocking the way. And each time she tried to pass him, he would block her again.
“Get out of my way,” she spat out, anger evident in her voice.
“NO,” he said, the word ringing around the room.
She started backing away from him as he moved towards her, “you are *not* leaving until you tell me what really happened in this room.” His voice was low and commanding and suddenly Chloe felt afraid of him.
And within a minute Chloe found herself, once again, backed up against the wall of the small study room with Lex Luthor. But instead of him pressed against her in passion and desire like before, he was now barely keeping his temper in check.
“For the *last* time Chloe, what happened?”
“Or what,” she shot back, “what are you going to do? Let me leave Lex *right* now or I’ll start screaming.”
He smirked at her words, and gave her a look that almost said, *I dare you*.
Chloe was about to take him up on his dare and opened her mouth to scream.
Suddenly Lex reached out a hand and brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek and jaw. Chloe’s breath caught in her throat and her mouth closed. He leaned forward, his lips beside her ear; she could feel his warm breath fan over the delicate and sensitive shell of her ear. She trembled.
She was frightened, he could tell and even though it shouldn’t have, it *excited* him.
Lex was bombarded with sensations from being so close to her, the feel of Chloe’s skin, the sound of her breathing, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath. He moved his nose to her neck, brushed her hair away and inhaled deeply; vanilla and strawberry filled his senses. ‘So better than the dreams,’ he thought.
Lex was all at once, content, angry for scaring her, aroused and frightened. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, eyes that held fear, anger and just a hint of desire.
“Please Chloe,” he said softly, wincing slightly at the tremor in his voice, “please tell me.”
Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her heart thumping wildly and when she opened them she stared down at the floor.
“You came in,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper, “and like now we ended up pressed against this wall. You kept telling me you had dreams about me.” She felt Lex move away from her a little as she spoke.
“You kissed me,” she continued, “and…and then you fainted. That’s everything.”
Chloe dared to look at Lex. He was shaking his head; his face pale and a look of pure shock graced his features. Her eyes began to tear up and she pushed passed him, grabbed her bag and ran out of the room and did not stop running until she reached her car.
Lex turned as he heard her run away and slumped into the chair. He buried his head in hands, ‘it was real,’ he thought, ‘the dream in the hospital had really happened.’ He believed what she had said and understood why she had refused to tell him.
“She must hate me,” he whispered.
He got up quickly to try and catch her. As soon as her got outside he saw Chloe’s car driving off.
“Now what the fuck am I going to do?” He murmured, and for the first time in his life Lex Luthor didn’t have an answer.
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Chapter Six – Avoidance Therapy
Chloe woke with a groan to the shrill ring of her alarm clock; she smacked the offending item with her hand switching it off in the process. She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. It hadn’t been a restful night; the events with Lex yesterday in the library had plagued her mind all night, making sleep almost impossible.
The look of shock on his face as she told him the truth, her heart almost broke at that sight. Deep down inside herself, Chloe kept all the feelings she had for Lex Luthor, feelings she would never admit to anyone. ‘I’ll never be able to face him again,’ she thought sadly.
Sighing deeply she got out of bed and went over to the mirror of her dresser, grimacing at her appearance. “At least it’s Friday,” she said to her reflection, “and school is finishing at 1.00pm today.”
Thirty minutes later she was showered, dressed and sipping coffee at the kitchen table. “Hi sweetheart,” said her dad as he entered the kitchen.
Chloe smiled at her dad. “Honey,” he began, “you know I’m off to Metropolis and won’t be back till Monday afternoon.”
“I know dad, you’ve only told me like a hundred times,” she said rolling her eyes. “I’ll be *fine*.”
“I know, I know,” he said, “but I’m your dad, I’m allowed to worry.” They both smiled.
Suddenly a car horn sounded. “That’s my ride,” said Gabe gathering his stuff together. “You have the number of the hotel and conference center,” he babbled as they moved towards the front door, “and the Kents are there if you…”
“Dad. Go. Enjoy,” said Chloe laughing as she pushed him out the door. “Take care sweetheart, I’ll call you tonight.” Gabe hugged her and kissed her cheek, “bye dad,” she said hugging him back. She waited at the door till the car was gone.
She went back to the kitchen and cleared up, afterwards went upstairs to brush her teeth and get her stuff for school. A few moments later as she left and got into her car Chloe decided to make it her life’s mission to *avoid* thinking, speaking and definitely seeing Lex Luthor.
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The sound of the alarm clock smashing against the wall made his already painful headache throb even more.
“Fuck,” groaned Lex as he felt his hangover really kick in.
He managed to get out of bed and crawl to his bathroom. He stripped off the clothes he had fallen asleep in and stood under the water. As the water pounded over his body, Lex thought back to the previous day’s events. After the disastrous meeting with Chloe in the library, Lex had come back to the mansion. He sat in the library going over every word and action that had transpired.
He couldn’t believe he had told Chloe he had been dreaming about her, hell he’d kissed her, part of him extremely disappointed that he couldn’t remember that part. Unable to forget the look of fear on her face as he pushed her into confessing what really happened or her words or the way she ran from him, Lex had proceeded to drink himself into a stupor.
He turned off the water and groaned again in pain as both his stomach and head protested to the amount of alcohol he’d consumed yesterday. Stepping out of the shower Lex wrapped a towel around his waist and stood in front of the mirror. His eyes were a little bloodshot and his face paler than usual. He braced his hands on the washbasin and leaned forward resting his head against the mirror and sighed.
‘How am I ever going to face her,’ he thought, ‘even the famous Luthor mask might not be enough this time?’
Chloe Sullivan had done the impossible; she had gotten under his skin. From their first meeting Lex had been intrigued. Her intelligence, beauty, snarky attitude had attracted him. It was after he had seen the spark in her eyes and the excitement on her beautiful face as she told him about Kyle Tippet that the dreams had started.
And now, now he had fucked up big time, and probably ruined any chance of a real friendship with her, let alone anything else in the process.
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Chloe flopped into the seat opposite Clark in the Beanery, who just grinned at her. “Thank God school is over till Monday,” she said, a bright smile on her face.
“I’ll second that,” he said, “so what are your plans?”
“Absolutely nothing, and all weekend to do it,” she said, “I’m looking forward to watching TV, lounging in my sweats, playing music real loud and not having to worry about my dad telling me to turn it down.”
“Oh yes, house to yourself this weekend.”
Chloe grinned at him.
-------------
Lex parked outside the Beanery and went in. He scanned the room and spotted Clark and *Chloe*, his breath caught when he saw her. She was sitting with her back to him, talking to Clark, who hadn’t seen him yet. Taking a deep breath to compose himself he made his way over.
Chloe noticed Clark look up and smile at someone behind her. ‘Please be Lana,’ she prayed.
And then felt her world crash as Clark said, “Hey Lex.”
Lex’s heart ached as he saw Chloe visibly tense up when Clark said his name.
He sat down beside Clark, gave a short greeting and turned to say hello to Chloe. She muttered a hello and refused to look at him. Clark didn’t notice the tension that suddenly descended and starting talking to Lex.
Chloe couldn’t stand it anymore; she jumped up and grabbed her bag. “I have to go Clark, I just remembered my dad was going to call and I need to get home.” She turned and left, muttered a “bye Lex.”
As Clark continued to babble on, Lex watched as Chloe disappeared from his sight, his heart actually paining him, wishing he could banish her from his heart.
****************
Chapter Seven – Night Calls
After leaving the Beanery Chloe went home. She showered and changed out of her clothes into a comfortable pair of gray sweats and a white vest t-shirt.
Sitting in front of the TV, cradling a mug of coffee between her hands she let her mind drift back to earlier.
“I couldn’t even *look* at him,” she whispered. “I mean how pathetic must he think I am, running out of the Beanery like a frightened rabbit. And as usual Clark was his completely oblivious self.”
She sighed deeply and rested her head on the back of the couch, closing her eyes. And as usual visions of Lex appeared. She saw them against the wall wrapped around each other or him pushing her back against the table, lifting her skirt...
“STOP IT,” she said to herself getting up, “he was drugged or whatever, he didn’t know what he was doing, it meant nothing to him. Get your mind out of the gutter Sullivan.”
“Damn him for making me feel like this, damn him for making me still care about him, damn him for making me love him.” She said as she began pacing in front of the television. Because deep down Chloe knew she’d fall right back into his arms in a heartbeat, despite everything that had happened or been said, and that scared the hell out of her.
Matters of the heart where alien to Chloe. She had very limited experience with members of the opposite sex. Her crush on Clark was a first for her, but it was safe. Deep down Chloe never really believed her heart was in any danger from having feelings for her best friend.
But then she met Lex Luthor and almost immediately Chloe knew he was a real danger to her emotions. A mere look or smirk from him sent sensations coursing through her. At night the dreams of him became more explicit. Every time she met or even just saw him, she felt happy, sad, embarrassed, aroused, confused and frightened.
Chloe sat back down on the couch and sighed again. She wondered how the hell she was going to get some semblance of order to her jumbled thoughts and emotions.
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Lex Luthor prided himself on always being in control of everything, his life, his business, and most importantly his emotions. The face he showed the world was one of masked indifference. He would never let the mask slip.
The *adventure* with the Nicodemus plant had left him very unsettled. Not only had he lost control, but he had been completely *honest* with the one person he never wanted to reveal the truth to.
The feelings he had for Chloe Sullivan scared him. Each time he saw her all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let her go. But until the Nicodemus incident the mask he always wore covered up his true feelings.
“I will conquer this,” he said, his words ringing around the interior of his car as he turned up the driveway.
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Chloe hung up the phone and smiled a little. Her dad could be such a dork sometimes but he always knew if she was upset, even over the phone. He may not always know the cause, and most of the time never asked but he never failed to find a way to cheer her up.
Feeling slightly happier she cleaned and put away her coffee mug and settled herself into a comfortable position on the couch for a night in front of the television.
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Lex continued to sit in his car after he had switched off the engine. “I need to go and get very drunk,” he said softly. He checked his watch and realized he had been sitting in it for over an hour. He got out, locked the car and headed up to the front door.
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Chloe had dozed off on the couch when she was awakened by a noise. She jumped up and made her way to the door. Opening it cautiously she gasped in surprise. Pulling the door wide open she took a deep breath.
“*Lex*.”
“I’m sorry about the late hour Chloe, but I was wondering if I could talk to you.”
Chloe blinked a couple of times and shook her head, making sure she was actually awake and not still asleep on the couch.
Despite all that had happened between them lately, Lex couldn’t help but smirk at the confused look on her face.
“Chloe?”
“What…what?”
“I was wondering if we could talk.”
Chloe stood back from the door, “sure Lex, would you like to come in.”
Lex brushed past her and she closed the door, taking a deep breath before turning to face him.
“We can talk in here,” she said as she led him to the living room.
Lex took in the homely look and sighed. He sat on the couch when Chloe asked him to sit.
“Would you like anything to drink Lex, water, coffee?”
“No thanks Chloe I’m fine.”
He sighed again, a little louder when she took the chair and not the couch.
He leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees, looked Chloe in the eye and opened his mouth to speak.
****************