Measures-NC17

[zelda]

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or any of its characters, this is for purely entertainment purposes.

NC17 for smut in later chapters.

Spoilers: Up till current eps in US. This takes place after Chloe's senior year. Obviously I have no idea yet what will happen during the second half of fourth season

Lex was shown to his booth in the private gentleman’s club. It was in the heart of Edge City, and one of the more reputable establishments. The club, Silver spoon, had memberships dating back a few generations. It had members from some of the most prominent families, and branches all over the country. There were differences in many of them, but a few staples remained. There was always a gaming room, a restaurant, a selection of rooms to rent on a nightly basis, and a lounge with plenty of liquor and dancing ladies.

Lex was currently in the lounge; it was a Wednesday afternoon so the crowd was light, and there were only a few girls scattered around the room. The lounge itself was large; holding the bar itself in the center with several small, discreet platforms where the girls gyrated slowly to various music. The more prominent dancers, the girls with the most experience, were closer to the middle, and the newer ones in more complimentary positions. It was a hierarchy explained to him by a dancer a few years back when he’d asked. The best positions made the best tips and you had to earn your way to the middle.

Lex ordered his drink, scotch on the rocks, and slowly scanned the room, looking for his intended companion. His eyes drifted over the leggy redhead on the center stage, she was twisting and slithering around her pole in a dangerous pair of shoes. She was pretty good for working on a Wednesday afternoon. Usually the best dancers were brought out on the weekends when the crowds were bigger. There was a sensuously curved, ebony skinned woman in a black bikini who was working opposite the bar, and a girl with short, black hair in the far corner to his left. Since his view of the blonde was unobstructed, he took his drink from the waitress and watched her with a little boredom.

The girl wore a sparkly version of a grass mini-skirt, and silver coconuts with tassles for a bra. The outfit was a little silly, but it covered more than what the others were wearing. The girl was obviously new, her movements were far from awkward, but she didn’t curve her back with the same outrageous angles as the others. She also had her eyes closed, he noticed. And there was self-consciousness to her movements that drew his attention. Her makeup was as garish as the rest of the girls, too-red lips, false eyelashes, and body glitter. There was something about her that seemed oddly familiar. He leaned forward and squinted at her face, which remained partially hidden by a curtain of black hair that he guessed was a wig.

“Mr. Luthor.” Lex was startled, he hadn’t seen Braun approach. He stood up and offered his hand, which the larger man shook.

“Michael, good to see you again.” Michael Braun was not one of Lex’s friends, he was more of a business associate. This wasn’t Metropolis either, it was Edge City, and the citizens reflected the nature of the place. Braun was a fitting name for the bear of a man standing before Lex, he was six-foot-four and a retired wrestler who worked as muscle for hire. He also had a brain in his head, which was why Lex had contacted him several times for assistance. This was the preferred meeting place of the big man. He was a skirt-chaser and not very discreet about it.

The waitress returned and Braun gave her his drink order and a pat on the bottom. She ignored the hand but when she returned, she made a good effort to stay out of reach. Braun didn’t sit opposite Lex, but with his back to the wall, a little farther over on the same bench. Lex didn’t take it personally, they guy just wanted to watch the dancers.

“Too bad we couldn’t do this on a Saturday,” the man said with a grin. “Today they’ve got the new girls and what looks like the hostess filling in for Tanya.” He shrugged, “Not like the weekends.” Lex agreed. “According to Jake, a couple of the girls were riding a bus when it crashed, no one died, but a couple of them are out of commission for a few weeks.”

Lex’s eyes were drawn back to the coconut girl whom Braun had
pointed out as the hostess. She had her back to them and held her pole while wiggling her hips in a slow hula.

“Well, I’m glad you could make it on short notice,” Lex said, bringing the man’s attention away from the dancer and back to business.

“Yeah, so what kind of work did you have in mind for me?”

“No muscle, buddy, just your ears.” He patted the large bicep that was within reach and smiled as the dancer bent over backwards, and stretched a hand out to pick up a bill, carelessly tossed by a passing patron. Suddenly, she froze and Lex could’ve sworn that she’d been looking straight at him. She yanked herself upward and started dancing again, despite the break between songs, but it didn’t seem to bother Braun who was staring appreciatively at her substantial….coconuts. The man whistled loudly and the girl looked a little nervous. She didn’t look in their direction again, in fact, she seemed determined to keep her back to them.

“Who do you want me to listen to?”

“An associate of your boss’s,” Lex answered, signaling for the waitress. “I think Mr. Francis has business with a guy called Benjamin O’Toole.”

“Benny the tool?” Braun barked with laughter. “That idiot? Sure, I can
keep an eye and an ear out around him. Mr. Francis don’t do too much business with him, but I’ll be sure to pay attention if he does.” He downed his drink and eyed the dancer in front of them. The waitress took the opportunity to address Lex.

“Sir, can I get you another drink?”

“Sure, Honey,” he said, looking at her nametag, which read: ’Honey’. “And who’s the new dancer?”

“That’s Dani, she’s the hostess, she’s been filling in for Gina. Poor girl.” She shook her head. “Got stuck with the coconuts.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s kinda like a hazing gag for the new dancers, we’ve all been stuck with the coconuts at one point or another. But eventually you earn the right to pick your outfits.” She shrugged. “For her own good. I mean, you can make it through the coconut week, you can make it through anything.” She took his empty glass. “You looking for a private session? Donna’s a little more experienced. Just let me know.” He thanked the waitress and returned to his discussion with Braun. They agreed on a weekly meeting, same time, same booth, and Lex gave the man his beeper number for emergencies.

“You gonna stick around?” Braun asked. “I think the waitress had a good idea. I’m gonna request Donna,” he said, pointing to the redhead. Lex shook his head, dropped a fifty on the table to pay for his drinks and tip, then he walked past the nearest stage. As he swung by, the dancer glanced up at him for a second, one smoky-rimmed green eye peeked out from the curtain of false hair. The eye widened and she nearly gave herself whiplash turning around.

Lex managed not to slow his stride, but approached the bar in the center of the room. The bartender, who had just motioned for the redhead to come down off the stage, attended him immediately.

“What can I get you?”

“How about a session with Dani?” The man blinked twice and nodded.

“The one in the coconuts, right?” Apparently, she wasn’t one of the more popular dancers. Lex nodded. “Sure, she’s a little new, though, but she knows the rules, and in case you’re new here too, no hands, no fingers, no tongues.”

“Got it.” He knew the rules. He walked over into a different corner of the nearly deserted room. There wasn’t anyone within earshot to hear the conversation he was about to have, but he still wanted as much privacy as possible. He heard the bartender’s voice as he went to the small stage where “Dani” was dancing. He spoke to her and she looked in Lex’s direction. She was balking, but the bartender looked insistent. He crossed one ankle over his knee and waited, placing his palms on his thighs. She tripped on the carpet, tottering over in her high-heels and stopped in front of him.

“I swear, if you tell anyone about this, Lex Luthor, I will kill you.”

“Nice to see you again, Chloe.”

[Rae]

Ooohhhh, delicious. I love your fics, they're amazing! Can't wait for more. :worship2: :worship2: :worship2:

[kitten]

:biggrin:

The Dirty Hula Girl versus the Dirty Billionaire Playboy. Wonderful! :applause:

[Fuschia]

More please :blinkkiss: :worship2:

[lexchloe]

:yay: :yay: hee hee loving this already. more please.

[Zannie]

Great start. Eager to see how Lex reacts to Chloe's "coconuts." More please.

[gina]

Ooh, intriguing beginning! I definitely can't wait to see where this goes! :)

[June]

Whoa, very interesting start. Ready and waiting patiently for more. Ah, I *heart* you Zelda, Power Play hasn't even been finished a day and your starting on a new one... made my day. :worship2:

June

[crankychick]

“Nice to see you again, Chloe.”
Yes, and I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing 'more' of her, right? :blinkkiss:
Great story, zelda. I love your writing style!

[hfce]

:lol: Oh My Lord I can tell this will be a great story. :clap:


Hope ;)

[Blaire023]

encore, encore!

just one question, is this in the present time? or the future?

very well done so far, loving it!

[sydsvaughn]

A treat! A fun, smutty, lovely treat to read today!

I so can't wait to see what happens next ... :)

SaraC

[ldydee81]

awe this is hilarious :lol:
:yay2: please hurry and update again soon :yay2:
:yay2: PLEASE :yay2:

[autumngold]

Chloe must be dying of humiliation since Lex recognized her!! I really hope he doesn't leave her there!! Update again soon please!! Great new story!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[buddyfozzy]

YAY!! A new zelda fic!! :yay: :yay: :yay: I love this one already! :wub: Why is Chloe working there and what is Lex going to do? I can't wait for the next update! :yay2: :worship2: :yay2:

[randa]

that was a great beginning!
more soon!



randa

[bogusbabe]

OMG!!! Undercover Chloe! Seems to me she's doing some investigative journalism.

Good to know Lex' around to see her best moves. :biggrin:


More please....



:chlexsign4:

[tiger04]

please more. can't wait for more

AT

[sara_noele]

Oh, oh! Can't wait to see what happens next.

More. :yay:

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: Apsolutly fantastic!!!! MORE! :chlexsign2:

[zelda]

Lex's tone was beyond condescending. He stared openly at her 'ensemble' and the skin that it left bare. She'd grown up over the course of her senior year and the following two months. Her limbs were smooth, and she'd grown into her curves for a more complete and 'finished' look that all high school girls lacked without surgical help.

"Stop staring at my tits." her voice was tense and edgy. She was standing with her weight balanced on one hip and her other foot stretched out. An unmistakable pose, most likely meant for the bartender who was watching from across the room.

"I can't see your tits," Lex replied, slipping in her own term. "They're covered by those ridiculous coconuts. I can't even see any clevage." Chloe tossed her fake hair and glanced surepetously over her shoulder. She didn't have time for this.

"I'm not going to do this right now," she said. "Just ask for one of the other girls."

"No." He uncrossed his leg and leaned forward. "I want to know what you're doing here."

"Isn't it obvious?" Chloe's voice was getting dangerously loud. "I'm dancing."

"No," Lex corrected. "She's dancing." He pointed to Donna who was currently giving Braun his show. "And she's dancing." he pointed to the other dancer in the room. "You are standing there scowling at me and not giving me what I want."

"You want a lap dance from me?" Her tone was incredulous and he wondered if her scorn was effortless when it came to him. "You must be really hard up these days."

"I want to know why you're here."

"That's none of your business." She looked nervous. "I can't do this." She started to turn away but Lex held up one finger to get her to wait. Then he reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a money clip.

Lex watched Chloe's gaze fasten on the cash that he was unfolding and he laid out a stack of $100 bills. She chewed her lip, nervously, marring her white teeth with smudges of lipstick. He thought he had his answer.

"I think you can do this, Chloe."

"It's Dani when I'm working."
"It'll never be 'Dani'." He fixed her with a hard look. "I'm willing to pay top dollar for an amateur, so save your comments and commence the dancing." He slid back and folded the bills so they made long, narrow tents on the tabletop. The gauntlet had been thrown. He was going to treat her like any other stripper and make her work for every penny.

Chloe closed her eyes and began her routine with her arms over her head, elbows slightly bent, and hands relaxed with fingers slightly curled, as she'd been taught. She let the beat of the music wash over her and mentally went to her 'happy place'. She wasn't in a strip club in Edge City, she was playing dress-up with Lana and Lois. They were goofing around and pretending to be strippers. If she really pretended, she could almost smell the popcorn and taste sticky ice cream on her teeth.

Chloe opened her eyes, It was lipstick on her teeth, and she was moving her hips to the rhythm of the music, and she was dancing for Lex Luthor's money. Reality wouldn't slip away so easily, so she tried harder. She gyrated her hips and took a careful step forward, pivoting and making a full turn. Then she felt herself relax. It was a game. She was with Lois at the apartment in Metropolis again, and she was danging in front of the window. Lois was beside her, and they were giving a show for the guy across the street who always left his shades up. She moved forward, rolling her hips and just keeping her eyes open enough to keep herself from bumping into anything. She approached the seat and placed her foot between Lex's legs. Then she leaned forward in a lunge, keeping herself from wincing as the straps to her shoes cut into her flesh.

Lex held up the first bill, asking permission, she leaned her knee forward and he was presented with a smooth thigh and a garter into which he could place the bill. He lifted the edge and tucked it in, neatly. Chloe turned and did a little shimmy, causing the skirt to rustle and a fair amount of body glitter to land on his black pants. She bent at the waist and then moved into a squat before sliding up his shin. She paused and he tucked the next bill into the waistband of the skirt.
Chloe was playing truth or dare and she had to do a strip tease in front of her friends. She moved her knees on either side of Lex's leag and rolled her belly back, unable to stop blushing at him being so close to her pelvis. She did another roll, this time a little closer, and he tucked another bill in her waistband. With each additional payment, she felt worse, and better. She was taking money from Lex, but was getting ever closer to her goal, the end of the dance. The tempo sped up and she placed her hands on the padded back of the seat, on either side of his head. She placed a foot on the cushion and gyrated till her sparly-skirted crotch was nearly in his face. She hated moves like that. Lex reached underneath her and she paused, allowing him to tuck another bill into the back of her thong.

Chloe glanced at his face. His lips held the slightest curve, as if he were enjoying himself. His eyes were on her navel ring, a professional choice, and the charm she had covering the intentation of her belly utton. His eyebrowsmoved together when he realized what it was. A tiny martini glass, with a miniscule olive, hung from the top of the barbell. He raised an eyebrow and looked back up at her face.

"Cute."

"Stop talking." He shrugged. She kept dancing, or, at least, grinding in his face. He kept putting bills into every available elastic band.

Chloe placed a knee on either side of his legs and ran her hands down his chest. Then she reached behind her and pulled the loop on the tie that held on the coconuts. She let them fall into his lap, revealing a miniscule, silver bikini that barely covered her nipples. She arched her back, pressing her breasts close to Lex's face and he calmly slipped the remaining bills, folded together, into her clevage.

"I just want to watch till the end." Lex placed his hands back onto his knees, and leaned back keeping his eyes on her face.

Chloe couldn't pretend when he was that close. She could feel his muscles under his clothes, smell his aftershave, see his gaze upon her. She stroked her fingers over his bare scalp, rose up and arched her back, pressing her hips against his abdomen. Lex kept his hands on his knees but pressed his arms inward, his forearms putting pressure on her thighs. He bent his head slightly and leaned close. "Why do you do this?" He waited and she didn't answer. "Is it the money?" Her rhythm faltered for a second, and her wide eyes darted to his, but she didn't answer. "Talk to me Chloe."

"I can't be Chloe," she whispered. "Not here." Then she ground her pelvis against him, not hard, but hard enough for his body to respond. He didn't bother to hide it. Then the dance was done. She kissed his cheek briefly, leaving a smear of lipstick. She pasted on a smile and got up, walking to the bar and not looking back. She gave the bartender his money immediately, dancers always gave the bar a tip for setting up the dances. It was too close to pimping for her liking, but Jake, the guy working today, was pretty good about weeding out the weirdos and keeping the guys in line.

"Not bad for your first time, Darlin'." Jake's voice was soothing. He was a good guy...for a meat pirate. 'And yu got a good one who paid pretty well." She nodded and accepted a bottle of water from him. "Go change, no one's here, you can leave early."

"Thanks." She went back to the dressing room, Donna joined her a moment later.

"Hey, Kid."

"Hey."

"You did okay for a hostess." Praise was very careful in the entertainment industry. Donna laid a hand on her shoulder. "really you looked good, despite the coconuts." Donna was a lesbian, but Chloe didn't take the compliment as a come-on.

"Thanks."

"Looks like you had a captive audience."

"Good tipper, can't complain." Chloe tried to brush it off. Donna wouldn't let her. The older woman sat down next to Chloe and took a few pins out of the wig and helped her to remove it. She combed it with her fingers and set it on a styrofoam head. Then she placed two fingers under Chloe's chin.

"I know it isn't easy to go from the stage where you have power, to their laps where you feel vilnerable. It's my least favorite part of the job, but just remember that Jake can be over that bar and across the room in about three seconds if you need him, and as much as we raz you here, we all like you."

Donna had an amazing vocabulary for a stripper, but then, few of the women here had planned to make their careers this way. Donna had been a teacher down in Georgia before her sexual orientation had been revealed. She'd been fired and blacklisted and unable to find other work. "We appreciate you filling in till the other girls are back on their stilts." She patted Chloe's shoulder and went back onto the floor.


When she was alone, Chloe went to the mirror and carefully began to remove her makeup and costume. She had a frumpy robe with her to keep warm in the cold dressing room. She felt better once she took off her shoes, or stilts, as the girls called them. Cold cream got most of the heavy makeup off her face, she never left the building with it on, it was too easily recognizable on the street as perfomance makeup. A warm washcloth got the majority of the body glitter off and she dabbed a littel ointment on her feet where the straps of the borrowed shoes had dug into her flesh. After slapping on a couple of band-aids, Chloe put on her jeans, long-sleeved, baggy shirt, socks and sneakers. She checked her watch, the next shift would be coming in soon and she wanted to catch the subway home. Only after she brushed the tangles out of her blonde hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, did she count the money.

Lex had given her Seven Hundred dollars. She'd handed Jake one of the bills and he probably thought she'd over-tipped him. She tucked the money in a belt she wore under her clothes and decided to treat herself to a cab ride so she could deposit the money in the bank. Chloe shuffled out the back of the dressing room and through the kitchen where she was greeted by the busy staff. She opened the fridge at the back of the kitchen where the chef usually left some sandwiches and bottled water. She grabbed a wraped sandwich and stuffed it in her bag. Then the only thing to do was to let security know that she was leaving. All girls were accounted for when they arrived and left.

Chloe took the train back to Metropolis, it was only an hour if you made it before the rush, and got off at her stop. Then she took the subway to her block and walked to her apartment building. The long black car that waited at the curb shouldn't have surprised her. She ignored it and walked to her door, taking out her keys and shuffling up the front steps. She heard the car's door open and her hands began to tremble.

"Ms. Sullivan." The arrogant voice made her skin crawl.

"How did you find me?"

"You weren't actually hiding were you?" Lionel's voice was condescending as usual.

"Okay, then. Why did you find me?" She unlocked the door and paused with her hand on the latch. She faced him. "I'm tired and I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Rough day at the office?"

"Goodbye." She walked through the door and shut it behind her, then she headed for the elevator, knowing it was stupid to antagonize the man, but somehow feeling pleased that she'd walked away from him, leaving him without a target. She let herself into the tiny apartment that she shared with her cousin when Lois was in town. Over the summer, she wasn't in town much. Chloe closed and locked the door behind her and ignored the phone that was ringing. She knew who it was and didn't want to talk. She also knew that she was delaying the inevitable. It had been a really long shift. She'd pulled a double from 3AM till 9Am she'd hostessed, then from 9am till 3pm she'd danced. The money she'd brought home was good, but she didn't usually get large sums from a single source.

There was a soft knock at Chloe's door and she froze, he wouldn't be happy if she ignored him, but she wasn't going to let him in. She reached for a cold bottle of beer but dropped it when the door crashed in, breaking the chain lock and deadbolt, or rather, the frame to the door that it had been anchored to.

Lionel thanked his driver and thug, then stepped through the open doorway, still with the polite expression on his handsome face.

"You didn't pick up the phone, Ms. Sullivan," he said. "I was worried about you."

[Thessaly]

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, there they are, all standing in a row... Heh.

Yaaay, zelda! This fic looks fantastic and I'm eagerly anticipating Lex's reaction. Although I'm also hoping for a companion piece where Lex shakes his booty down at the "Miss KittyCat Bang Bang Saloon".

Thessaly *humming to herself, "I'm a private dancer, a dancer for money, I'll do what you want me to do..."*

Ok, just read the second part that you posted seconds before my feedback and wow. My expectations as to why she was dancing at the club took a nosedive. I thought it would be some undercover thing but frankly, after Lionel and Lex both treating her like meat, it seems more like desperation. And what the hell is Lionel doing chasing her? And does Lex normally carry $700 in cash? I thought he'd be like the Queen and not carry cash at all.

In conclusion, I would very much like you to post lots more quite quickly so that I can find out what the hell's going on.

Thessaly

[asharnanae]

:ohmy: :devil: :drool: hot dance!! but icky freaky lionel! man, I cant wait for the next bit! :blinkkiss:

[lexchloe]

:yay: :yay: Great update, loved the lap dance. What's the deal with Chloe and :devil: MB though? More soon please.

[ldydee81]

:huh: holy crap what is going on? :huh:

why is the :devil: devil :devil: harassing chole and breaking into her apartment?

:yay2: please hurry and update again soon :yay2:

[buddyfozzy]

Lionel, that bastard, what does he want?! Great lap dance, I hope Lex will help her out of whatever situation she's in. :yay: :yay2: :yay: :yay2: :yay:

Wonderful update!! :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2:

[autumngold]

Poor, poor Chloe!! Now she has to deal with Lionel!! I hope that Lex will be able to protect her!! Thank you for the update!! Can't wait for your next chapter!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[randa]

very interesting...

more soon


rada

[kitten]

:huh:

Lionel better not get a lapdance . . . he sucks.

[sydsvaughn]

Lap dances and Chlex. It doesn't get any better than that!

SaraC

[hfce]

That was fun but Lionel needs to die. :tease:

[zelda]

A/N: This fic is plot-driven with smut coming later. There will also be disturbing scenes later that will have warnings before the chapters. This is not a fluffly fic.

"You're going to pay for that door." Chloe grabbed a handful of paper towels and began mopping up the beer and broken glass on the kitchen floor. She saw Lionel's expensive shoes appear in front of her. A tiny sliver of glass slid under the skin of her index finger and she winced. Holding that finger away from the others, she dumped the beer and glass into the garbage. She turned away from Lionel and tried to pick the glass out of her finger in the poorly lit kitchen.

"You've injured yourself." Lionel's voice dripped with concern. He put a manacled grip on her wrist and brought her hand over to his face. She gritted her teeth but didn't make a sound at the pain from the way he bent her hand. He squeezed the tip of her finger until a tiny drop of blood appeared. "See, in order to find the problem, you have to let it bleed a little," he said with a smile. Locating the source of the glass, he plucked it out with his perfectly manicured nails and the blood oozed into a large bead on the tip of her finger. "See, all better now." He kissed the tip of her finger, casually. Chloe was more than a little squicked when he licked her blood from his lip.

"Why are you here?'' Chloe jerked her hand out of his grip. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to inquire about your well-being." He practically cooed at her. "I know how hard it is for a child to lose a parent, so I wanted to give my condolences on your loss." Chloe's blood ran cold. Her father had died in a car accident shortly after graduation, leaving her little money after their debt was taken care of. She'd had more than suspicions about the nature of the crash, but Lionel’s presence made her feel ill.

"I'm getting along just fine."

"So I hear. How do you like working in Edge City?" Lex must have told him as soon as he'd left.

"Did you just drop everything to come and ask me that?" Chloe found her spine buried in her anger. "Really Mr. Luthor, I didn't know you spent so much time thinking about me." She took another beer out of the fridge and twisted off the top. Keeping her hand steady, she offered it to him, he declined so she took a swig of the cheap brew.

"I make it a point not to lose touch with acquaintances just because their...circumstances have changed." He looked around the apartment with distaste. It really was a hovel, but Chloe was saving her money for other things.

"Don't expect me to return the favor, I've moved on from Smallville and prefer not to dwell on old mistakes." Lionel smiled at her, then gently brushed his knuckles across her cheek before walking out the door.

As soon as the sound of Lionel's footsteps stopped echoing down the stairs, Chloe went to the door and shut it, leaning against it, willing herself not to cry. It didn't work. The tears poured out of her like a river, and she had to bite her fist in order to keep from sobbing aloud. Her stomach muscled clenched painfully as they contained her grief and fear. She wanted her father. She needed her Daddy. He was gone, and she was alone. Well, not completely. Chloe gulped back her tears and picked up the telephone, dialing her uncle's office number. She told him that she'd had a break-in and that her door was wrecked.

General Sam Lane was not the most sensitive man on the planet, but he loved his niece and wanted her safe. Within an hour, two young men in jeans and Metropolis University sweatshirts were standing in her doorway. Their crew cuts gave them away as her uncle's boys. They were polite and efficient but not exactly warm. Still, Chloe missed their presence when they left, having fixed her door and installed a new, stronger lock.

Chloe called Lois on her cell phone to check in and Lois informed her cousin that she was going to be out of town for a few more days. The gnawing feeling in her stomach grew tighter and Chloe had to choke back tears. The emptiness ate at her body, making her lose weight, hollowing out her eyes and cheeks, and stealing color from her face. After checking and re-checking the door, she crawled into bed and pulled the covers tight over her.

Chloe was too tired to stay up, no matter how scared or upset she was. It was one of the reasons she worked herself so hard. In sleep she could usually escape. Usually.

The voice whispered in her ear again, mocking, vicious. Hissing like a snake that was just waiting to strike. Chloe was blind in the dream, unable to see or speak. But she could hear and she could feel. Fingers on her skin, touches so light they felt like moth wings, then a grip so tight it pained. Filth, the feeling of it covering her body and her insides.

“Swallow you whole.” The voice always hissed the same thing. “I want to swallow you whole.” Sometimes it did. In her dreams, sometimes she was swallowed by blackness, depriving her senses of anything and she would wake in a cold sweat. Today it was worse. Today her father was there. Holding her and brushing away her tears.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Daddy’s here.” She held him tightly, knowing he’d be leaving soon. “Daddy’s here.”

“Daddy.” Chloe woke at the sound of her own ragged voice. She was sweating and shaking. It was always worse when her father was there. He offered comfort in his arms. Safety, security. But that made it so much harder to wake up and remember. It was like losing him all over again. She pushed down the covers. It was still light out, and when she looked at her clock, she saw that only four hours had passed. She started crying again, just from the sheer misery of being unable to stay asleep, no matter how tired she was and no matter how hard she worked. She thought about taking a sleeping pill, but then she wouldn’t be able to get up for work.

Chloe cleaned up the kitchen instead. She mopped the floor and made sure to get any tiny glass shards that she’d missed earlier. After making a sandwich that she didn’t feel like eating, she turned on the television. Movies, news, movies, talk shows, daytime dramas. Nothing that interested her. When the phone rang, she picked it up and was surprised by the voice at the other end.

“Dani, it’s Mitch.” Mitch was the owner of the Edge City branch of the Silver Spoon. “I hope I didn’t wake you.” He probably didn’t care.

“I was just watching television.”

“Think you can come in early? I can let you go early for your day off tomorrow if you can.”

“Sure,” she said, automatically. “When do you need me?”

“ASAP,” he replied. “And it’s for a private party. I’m really short handed tonight. I don’t usually get groups in during the week.” She didn’t answer right away. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to wear the coconuts at this one.”

“Sure, I’ll be there as soon as the traffic gets me there.”

“Great.” Mitch hung up the phone and turned to his guest. “You’re sure you want Dani?” he asked the man in his office. “She doesn’t do any of the extras, she’s usually just a hostess.”

“I’m sure,” the man replied. “She’s exactly what I want.”

[autumngold]

I have a feeling that this story is going to break my heart!! How I wish that Lex could at least keep Lionel away from Chloe if he's not going to help her get away from the club!! I'm really glad that you updated!! Post again soon please!! :wub: :chlexsign4: :wub:

[ldydee81]

:biggrin: was getting ready to go to bed and decided to check for updates, and i got one :biggrin:

:worship2: this fic is fantastic :worship2:

i know i am going to sound greedy but...

:yay2: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE hurry and update again soon :yay2:

[bogusbabe]

I have a feeling that this story is going to break my heart!!

Me too. I thought Chloe was there because she was going undercover for a story! Poor Chloe! Not only did her father died but the MB is still harassing her!!! I hope Lex can make it all better! :blush:



“I’m sure,” the man replied. “She’s exactly what I want.”

I wonder which Luthor said that. Or is another interested in our Chloe?
I can't wait to find out more.

Great story!!! :yay2: :yay2: :yay2:



:chlexsign4:

[lexchloe]

Gabe died????? why do people keep killing Gabe??? :cryblue: Great update, really felt bad for Chloe. Why isn't the :devil: MB dead? I don't like him tormenting Chloe.


“I’m sure,” the man replied. “She’s exactly what I want.”

Please, please, please let this be Lex. more soon please.

[LaLa]

Gabe died????? why do people keep killing Gabe??? Great update, really felt bad for Chloe.

yeah! what she said! stop killing gabe you people! :tease:

...does anyone else will look at coconuts differently from now on, or is it just me? :biggrin:

xoxoLaLa

[kitten]

:ohmy:

You know, you could bring Gabe back . . . It would be easy, he could just be a hostage for Lionel and Lex could find him. Please?

Sad, but great, and who am I judge for making horrible things happen to the Sullivans . . .

[Zannie]

Fascinating set-up. Great updates.

More soon please.

[buddyfozzy]

I can't believe Gabe died. :ohmy: Poor Chloe. Your description of her feelings almost made me cry. :crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen: Lionel is such a bastard, what can he possibly still want with her. Lex will help her though.....the private party's for him right? :yay: :yay2: :yay:

Wonderful update, I love this story! :worship2: :worship2:

[Béatrice]

I'm so loving this fic. :biggrin: Poor Chloe. :crygreen: :crygreen: She's all alone since Gabe's death and Lionel is persecuting her.

[hfce]

Gab dead :crygreen: please make it Lex asking. I dont want Lionel near her again.



Hope :cryblue:

[Nadia_]

Oh I already love this story! I have the feling that I'm going to cry reading it, but still is impossible to stop reading! Agreeing with the chorus: Please let it be Lex!!! And update soon! :biggrin:

[scifichick774]

Okay, so I've been off SV for a while, but I'm so glad I took the time to read this. What a wonderful play of desperation and angst you've got building here. Looking forward to more.

[sydsvaughn]

Oooh.... I'm waiting for more!

SaraC

[zelda]

A/N: Okay I've heard people upset at the killing of Gabe Sullivan, but let me assure you that it was not done gratuitously, or just to make Chloe alone.

Chloe walked into the dressing room and found Mitch there, with the girls. In his club, there was no such thing as privacy from the owner. On the other hand, he didn’t gawk or leer, he was a business man, plain and simple. As bosses went, he wasn’t too bad either. He treated the girls as employees and not like hookers. When Chloe walked in he handed her a garment bag.

“You’ll be traveling tonight, Dani.” The other dancers looked as surprised as she was. “You can change here, then take Big Mike and he’ll drive you in the limo.”

“Where am I going?”

“A hotel suite, a couple of guys traveling on business, want to impress some foreign clients so they asked for something special.”

“And you want me to do it?” She exchanged looks with the other girls. Amateurs didn’t work offsite.

“You seemed to be what they had in mind.” He shrugged and left the room. Chloe stared after him stupidly.

“Do foreigners usually ask for hostesses?” She looked at June, a petite, Korean girl who shook her head.

“Nope, they usually want the girls who give a little extra.”

“Mitch knows that I don’t offer anything extra.” Chloe said coldly.

“I ain’t the one who assigned you. So don’t get snippy, just be glad that your luck seems to be changing.” She took in Chloe’s jeans and sneakers with a glance. “I heard about the dance you gave earlier, Jake said you tipped him a hundred.”

“Yeah, the guy must have been drunk,” snickered Belle, a girl who looked so much like the Disney character that she’d taken to wearing shiny gold gowns and adopting the stage name.

“Bite me.” Chloe went into the back to change and when she opened the garment bag, she was more than a little surprised at the contents, but she got ready. She applied her makeup with a less lavish hand than for the stage, and curling her hair in Shirly Temple style and pinning it away from her face. She hadn’t seen the outfit that Mitch had given her on anyone else before, and the shoes were a little different too. But she guessed that this was someone’s idea of a fantasy, maybe that’s why she’d been picked. She wasn’t as perfect as some of the other girls, she had all her own moving parts.

Chloe joined Big Mike, the security guard in the alley behind the club. She was dressed in chocolate brown, fitted trousers, a sheer, white shirt with wide brown stripes, and a single-button blazer that nipped in at the waist. She’d even been lent a long strand of pearls that she looped around her neck twice and let hang down to her sternum. She had brown, high-heeled pumps that looked like Mary-Janes. Her undergarments were regulation stripper gear, brown bra and panties with garters and cream-colored stockings.

Mike gave her a friendly whistle and opened the back door for her. Chloe smiled and got in. They drove through the city and stopped outside The Edge City Towers, the finest hotel in the whole city. When Mike opened the door for her, she stepped out and spotted a familiar face.

“Lex?” Her earlier benefactor was walking down the front steps. He was dressed in a sharp business suit and gave her a small smile when he met her at the curb.

“You know this guy, Dani?” Mike shifted closer, seeing the look of shock on Chloe’s face.

“Yeah, I know him.” Lex approached and lifted Chloe’s hand, kissing the back of it briefly.

“Just stay in character for a little while.” He whispered, then gave a significant look over his shoulder to the group of gentleman standing at the doorway of the hotel. Mike didn’t look pleased. “I needed a date for dinner, and I knew that Dani has a brain,” he explained. Mike nodded cautiously. “She’ll be joining me for dinner here, then I’ll have her beep you when we’re ready.” Mike nodded again and got back in the car.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

“I just want you to be your usual, charming self.”

“Don’t tell them my real name.” She took the elbow he offered her and she walked up the stairs beside him. The men looked vaguely European, and curious. They didn’t appear to be overly lascivious when she was introduced to them.

“Chloe Sullivan, this is Hans Grube, from Germany and his associates.” Lex introduced them in turn and she shook each hand that was held out to her. “Chloe is a good friend of mine and a very gifted journalist.” Chloe’s smile nearly dropped. He’d called her a journalist in front of these men. Were they playing some kind of kinky game where she’d interview them while dancing later?

Lex led them all into the restaurant in the hotel where they were seated immediately at the best table. Lex ordered for Chloe and began conversation. Hans spoke excellent English, but his colleagues did not. This was where she came in. Chloe’s mother’s side of the family was German, and although she didn’t have any contact with them, she did learn to speak some German. She was rusty, but able to hold up the end of a conversation with the men. They weren’t talking business at dinner anyway, just politely curious about her and Smallville.

“I worked for the newspaper in my High school,” she said to one man, wondering how much of the conversation Lex understood. “I guess I’ve always been interested in finding the truth.”

“Chloe’s being modest,” Lex cut in, in better German than she herself spoke. “She ran the newspaper and its staff, she also found time to write for the Daily Planet in Metropolis.”

“Just for a little while,” she said stiffly. Lex’s father had taken care of her budding journalistic career.

Dinner went fairly smoothly for Chloe, despite the feeling that she was on a different planet. After dessert, the gentleman all took turns bidding her goodnight and left the restaurant.

“Did you enjoy your dinner?”

“Nicest meal I’ve had in a long time.” Chloe wasn’t lying, the food had been fabulous.

“Very well, why don’t you beep Mike and tell him to join us in the penthouse.” Lex had obviously been informed that bodyguards accompanied the dancers when they made “House calls”.

Lex placed his hand at the small of Chloe’s back and guided her to the elevators. She dialed Mike’s phone and sent a message to his beeper with the suite number.

“I shouldn’t have agreed to go with you to dinner,” Chloe said, standing stiffly beside Lex. “After all, you’re only paying for my body, I should charge you extra for the use of my brain.”

“Maybe your brain is all I’m interested in tonight.” Lex was suddenly cold. When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out and walked down the hall, not waiting to see if Chloe was following. She walked after him slowly, wondering how long it would take Mike to get upstairs.

“Come in, make yourself comfortable.”

“Not likely.”

“Watch it,” he warned. “I’m still paying for your time.” He opened the door to a sumptuous suite with thick carpeting and a killer view. He shed his jacket and walked to the bar. Chloe stood in the open doorway, waiting for Mike. “By the way, Mike won’t be joining us. I paid Mitch a lot of money to have you all to myself tonight.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Chloe turned and walked back down the hall to the elevator. A hand closed on her elbow and Lex spun her around. “I don’t do the extras Lex, and I don’t like being here without security.”

“We need to talk, and we can do it here, in private, or I can start showing up at work and talking to your friends.”

“What do I care if you talk to a bunch of strippers?”

“I’m not talking about the Silver Spoon.” He smiled when he saw her eyes widen slightly. “I know about your other job.”

Chloe followed him back to the suite. She knew when she was out maneuvered. She was just disappointed that it seemed to happen so often now.

“I still don’t do extras.” Lex didn’t reply. He just led her into the suite and closed the door behind them. She decided to just keep her mind on her work and went to the stereo that took up an obscene amount of space against one wall.

“I prefer slow music.” Lex said, sitting on the couch, drink in hand. Chloe flipped through the selections on the satellite radio till she found something she could work with. The station was entitles “Soft Blues” and it was currently playing some Etta James. She rolled her shoulders, trying to relax them and closed her eyes, the song came to an end and Little Richard’s version of “Goodnight Irene” came on. She didn’t have a routine for slow music, so she just improvised.

Lex watched as Chloe’s body took on a more relaxed stance, then she turned and walked over to him slowly. She stood in front of him and unbuttoned the jacket, sliding it off her shoulders, swaying slightly in a sensuous way. She tossed the jacket at him and smiled when it landed on his head, He didn’t move as it slid down over his face and landed in his lap. He raised an eyebrow at her, she ignored him and turned her back, unzipping the trousers and letting them fall to the floor. The shoes were sleek enough to be able to kick the pants at Lex without getting caught. This time, he reached out and snagged the pants in the air, before they hit him in the face.

Chloe rolled her hips and unbuttoned the shirt, slowly revealing the bra, when she got to the last three, she just ripped it open, enjoying the way his head snapped back before he could control it. She let the garment slide off her arms and fall to the floor behind her. Then she took a step forward and pivoted, bending at the waist with her feet planted apart and trailed the shirt back up her legs with one hand. She did a quick spin and whipped the shirt at the couch. It missed and flew over. He smiled a little and sipped his drink.

Chloe was pretty good for an amateur, Lex noted. She seemed a little more at ease here than in the club, but she’d been ambushed by his presence. He had some questions for her and would have preferred her to be a little more on her guard. Tense people let things slip when it came to body language.

She approached the couch in just the undergarments he’d picked for her and knelt on his lap as she had earlier. She moved against him and he responded, pushing his hips up a little, but sipping his drink calmly. He rested his arms on the back of the couch and just let her move.

Chloe reached behind her to unsnap her bra, she saw his eyebrows go up. This was the part she was dreading. Holding her breath, she slipped it down her shoulders and tossed it behind her. Then she leaned back, raising her hands over her head as the song ended. Now that he’d seen the grand finale, she could leave.

Chloe made to get up, but Lex clamped his hands around her upper arms. She fought down a wave of panic. Mike wasn’t here; she was alone.

“Why did my father go to see you today?” Lex kept his eyes trained mostly on Chloe’s face, he was human though and they sneaked downward a few times while he waited for her answer. She tried to get up instead. He tightened his grip and sat up straighter. “What is your current relationship with him, Chloe?” She struggled to get away, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed her front to his. “No one’s coming to save you tonight. It took almost no effort to arrange, and probably less money than you’d think.”

“Let me go.”

“Not until I get some answers.”

“There are no answers.” Chloe felt panic start to rise in her. The words whispered in her head again. ‘Swallow you whole.’ She struggled in earnest, but only succeeded in getting herself dumped onto the floor. Lex still had one of her arms and jerked her to her feet. She covered her naked breasts with one arm. He tossed her at the couch and spoke to her with annoyance.

“For Christ’s sake, Chloe, I’m not a rapist. Get dressed and calm down. He didn’t turn his back on her but watched as she gathered up her garments and put them back on. “You’re in this line of work, you should be prepared for more trouble.”

“Well, I don’t usually dance, Lex, and I was assured that I’d be guarded.”

“Are you that stupid?” he snapped. “This business is about profit. Your boss thinks he can profit from this, and you’re disposable as an amateur dancer. Nobody cares about you.”

“I’m well aware of that.” Dressed, though not as neatly as before, Chloe wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes. “Why this elaborate charade just to ask me questions about your father?”

“I wanted to prove a point.”

“You Luthors and your fucking points!” She shouted. “Every time you want to prove a point to someone, or each other, someone I love gets hurt. You can keep your money, I know Mitch will, I’m leaving.”

“Don’t make me drag you back here again, Chloe, I swear I’ll tie you up to keep you here if I have to.”

“I didn’t invite your father over for tea if that’s what you think.” She crossed her arms over herself. “He broke down my door when I wouldn’t talk to him.”

“Why is he so interested in you again?”

“He never lost interest, Lex, you just haven’t been paying attention.” There was accusation in her words.

“You used to trust me.” He said it softly. “You came to me for help.”

“More than once,” she replied. “But you were only able to protect me about half the time, those odds aren’t very good in my book.” She turned away. “And I didn’t trust you, I just had no other options at the time. I couldn’t trust the FBI, and you think I’d trust you?” Her voice was bitter. “I just knew that I was worth more to your agenda alive than dead.”

“You think that’s what this was about?”

“You got a lot of control when I sent your father to prison, even if it was for only a little while. Control that he’s been slowly taking back from you.” She turned to him again. “But that’s nothing compared to what he’s taken from me.”

Lex walked around the couch and stood directly in front of her. Her expression wasn’t just pained. It was pure agony and despair.

“What did he do to you?”

“He-” she choked on the word. “He killed my father.”

“The car accident?” She rolled her eyes and a few more tears escaped. “Right, the car ‘accident’.” His voice was quiet again. “Why?”

“I guess you could say it was revenge, maybe a little self preservation.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“No. Can I go now? I can probably make the late train.”

“You can’t go back to the Silver Spoon.” Lex walked to where he’d tossed his jacket. “That place is going to get you hurt.”

“In my experience, no place is truly safe.” She shrugged. “At least there, people aren’t pretending to be anything but scumbags and bitches. And besides, I can’t make as good money anywhere else.”

“This is about money then?”

“Did you think it was about anything else?”

“I wondered if maybe you were working on a story or something.”

“Sorry to dash your hopes, but it’s just the money. Besides, your father saw to it that I can’t get a good job anywhere in Metropolis, and I can’t get a journalism job anywhere under my own name.”

“I can help you.”

“I don’t have anything to offer as collateral, I think it just amuses him to hurt me.” She didn’t say any more than that. Lex took out his wallet and handed her a stack of bills.

“For your work tonight.” She took it and put it in her pocket. “I’ll take you home.”

“No, if your father is having me watched, which he most likely is, it’ll only make things worse for me.”

“You used to stand up to him.” Lex’s barb hit home.

“And look where it got me.”

After Chloe left, Lex spent most of the night thinking about her. She wasn’t the same girl he remembered. Only a year had passed since she’d put his father in prison, not that it had lasted, but she was completely different. There was a deadness behind her eyes. He only caught faint glimpses of the girl she used to be. There was something going on. His father didn’t leave loose ends and Chloe most definitely qualified. She had to have something on him or she’d be in a grave. Like her father.

[kitten]

:hammer:

Great chapter, though I'm rather displeased with both Lex and Chloe at the moment. She's showing remarkable disregard for her own safety. He's being an ass.

And the Magnificent Bastard, as much as I love to hate him, really needs to be in a prison cell with a large trucker whose nickname is Horse.

[autumngold]

Originally posted by nonky@Jan 9 2005, 08:48 AM


And the Magnificent Bastard, as much as I love to hate him, really needs to be in a prison cell with a large trucker whose nickname is Horse.
As in "hung like a"? :biggrin: What a sad, sad chapter!! I really think Lex should have tied Chloe up and made her stay with him!! If Lionel knows she's dancing for Lex she's going to be in big trouble!! Thanks for updating!! :yay2: :chlexsign4: :yay2:

[Blu_FireFly81]

More please!! :goof:

[lexchloe]

Ok am I the only one who wants to :hammer: Lex? Hellloooo you're meant to be helping her not getting a lap dance. no wonder she won't let him help her. What does Chloe have on the :devil: MB ??? More soon please.

[Zannie]

Very interesting developments.


Originally posted by lexchloe@Jan 9 2005, 02:17 PM
Ok am I the only one who wants to :hammer: Lex? Hellloooo you're meant to be helping her not getting a lap dance. no wonder she won't let him help her.

Like lexchloe, I wanted to slam Lex into the wall for objectifying Chloe in that "naked" attempt to control her and make her vulnerable before he started questioning her. Asshole.

More soon please.

[hfce]

Both of them need to be slapped and Lionel needs to die. :tease:

[buddyfozzy]

Dammit Lex, stop acting like an ass! :hammer: She needs your help! So help her! :mad: :mad:

[June]

Amazing chapter. I'm loving this story.

Lex needs to get his head out of his ass, Chloe needs to let him help her, and Lionel... well, as much as I love to hate him too... he needs to be dead or behind bars. He's awful and you portray him perfectly.

Anxiously awaiting the next update.

[zelda]

A/N: For those who hate the Bastard, you'll hate him even more after this chapter. Warning: the next chapter will contain scenes of sexual violence. I'll make the chapter short in case you want to skip it.


Lionel Luthor sat in his office. It wasn’t the same one he’d occupied before prison; his son held that room now. He looked at the file in front of him and studied it with interest. There were photographs of Chloe in it dating from the beginning of her High School career. The most recent ones revealed the strain that her life had brought her. She was still pretty, just not the vibrant girl that she used to be. He’d admired her spirit. She used to shine like the sun, especially when she was angry.

The file included a list of all the jobs she’d applied for in the past few months. And copies of each and every rejection letter they’d sent. Because of him. He smiled. It was good to feel powerful again. Besides his son, there were few people who had ever made him feel less than immortal, but she’d done it. More than once, the girl with no wealth, no power, and only small town connections had gotten the better of him. For that, she had to pay. And she would. He smiled as he remembered the coppery flavor of her blood in his mouth. Both times he’d tasted it.

*

Michael Braun worked as a lower level enforcer for one of Edge City’s up and coming crime lords. After Morgan Edge’s murder, there were many jockeying for position. His own boss, Jack Ciraco , wasn’t one of the top contenders. It made Braun eager to provide him with an opportunity. Despite Lex Luthor’s request that they keep things quiet. He mentioned their meeting to Jack. The man was interested to know why a billionaire suddenly showed interest in a loser like Benny “the tool” O’Toole. The kid wasn’t going places, and he didn’t have the protection of any one family or boss. He flitted around as a kind of odd jobs man, but he was inexpensive and would do pretty much anything he was paid to do. Benny just became a little more interesting to Ciraco.

*

The phone rang on Lex Luthor’s desk on Monday morning. It had been several days since he’d seen Chloe, but from what his sources told him, she went right back to the Silver Spoon. He’d made it a point to tell Mitch that he’d been pleased with ‘Dani’s’ work and that he’d be asking for her again soon.

“Luthor,” he said, answering the phone.

“It’s Braun.”

“Where are you?”

“Outside the club.”

“Okay, give me the number of the phone where you are and I’ll call you back in ten minutes.”

Lex understood the need for privacy when working in organized crime. He walked out of his office and down to the street to a payphone. He dialed the number that Braun had given him and waited till the man picked up.

“You wanted to know about Benny, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’ve had my ear to the ground and he’s not real easy to get information out of, but I think he’s been hired for a hit on a heavy player.”

“You mean one of your guys?”

“No, that’s just it. He’s been hired for someone corporate.”

Lex cursed and hung up. He’d heard that there might be a contract put out on him, but now he was fairly certain. His own seedy contacts had led him to Benny with the news that his name had been mentioned in conjunction with the transfer of a large sum of money. All he needed to know now, was the identity of the person doing the hiring. He needed to speak to Chloe again.

*

“No way.” Chloe’s answer was firm, and he guessed she’d been about to hang up on him.

“I’ll pay you for your time, and you can keep your clothes on.” He hated himself for sounding less than controlled, but he needed her; as usual.

“How much, and when?”

“Now, my penthouse, and a thousand dollars.”

“Just for talking?”

“Well, if you want to take off your clothes, I certainly won’t stop you, but I just want information.”

“What if I can’t give you what you’re looking for.”

“As long as you’re honest, I think you’ll have what I need.”

“Lex,” her voice sounded tired. “You can’t protect me, you can’t stop your father from thinking about me, but still you ask me to help you.” She sighed, and he could picture her rubbing her forehead. “I’m really sick of these little games you two play. Especially when neither of you will actually end up dead.”

“Do you really want me dead?”

“Do you think I want you alive?” Her voice had become even more harsh than usual. “I’ll be over shortly.”


Lex greeted Chloe at the door personally. She walked in and sat down on his couch.

“Thanks for coming.”

“You’re the one paying me to do it.”

“Chloe, you didn’t used to be so cold.”

“Lex, you have absolutely no idea about who I am today. You washed your hands of me after the trial. I ended up with nothing because you couldn’t manage to keep your father in jail. You were over your head and you used me in yet another step in your little chess game.” She threw her hands up in disgust. “You had to know that your father wouldn’t stay in prison for long, but you let me make myself a target anyway and you didn’t even try to protect me.”

“Chloe I didn’t know.” This was the wrong thing to say. She exploded off the couch and practically tackled him.

“You had resources!” She was shouting in his face, her hands gripped in his shirt. “You had billions of dollars, countless employees at your disposal, you were friends with politicians and influential people.” Tears were pouring down her cheeks as she spoke. “I was a Junior in high school when you showed me a murdered man’s body. You warned me that it would happen to me if I didn’t trust you to protect me. I did, I gave you almost everything I had and your father fried your brain.” She shook him. “You couldn’t protect yourself and you left me even more vulnerable than before because your father knew I was onto him, but I didn’t have proof anymore.”

“You got proof, Chloe, and you put him behind bars.” Lex put his hands around her automatically, trying to soothe her.

“And he came out after a few months, bigger, meaner, and angrier. But he couldn’t get to you so he came for me instead.” Her voice broke and her knees sagged. Lex caught her and lifted her slight form in his arms. She was still clutching at his shirt, now with her face buried in his chest. He carried her to the bedroom and shut the door behind them. He set her down gently and eased her grip off his clothes.

Chloe stayed curled in a ball on her side. She wrapped her arms around her torso, squeezing herself so tightly that her knuckles were white. "I haven't had enough time to grieve my father, and he still won't leave me alone."

“Tell me what happened.” He scooted next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Chloe, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it now,” she said, bitterly.

“I can listen,” he said. “I need to understand why you’re a target. And why you’re still alive if he hates you so much.” When she let out another sob, he pulled her into his lap. Not used to being a nurturer, he stroked her back awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but I didn’t think he’d gone after you since he’d been out of prison.” He pressed his lips against her fragrant hair. “You’re not alone, Chloe.” He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes and face with it, sniffling loudly. “I know what it’s like to feel like you have no allies,” he prodded. “I’ve been fighting him longer than you have, and I didn’t trust anyone till I came to Smallville and some goofy farm boy pulled me out of a river.

“Stupid-fucking-Samaritan.”

“Didn’t he save you from being buried alive?”

“Didn’t he save you from the invisible man?”

“Didn’t he fight off two of your ex-boyfriends who were going all homicidal on you?”

“Three if you count Sean Kelvin, but I wasn’t serious about him.” She chuckled. “Didn’t he save you from your wife?”

“Okay, but I think Lana has us both beat.” Lex was smiling at her now. She smiled back.

“Yeah, she can rack up the stalkers better than anyone. Guys and girls.” Lex caught her chin in his fingers.

“Why is my father angry?”

“You mean, why am I still breathing? Cause if it was just the prison thing, I’d be dead already.”

“I didn’t want to be that blunt.”

“He might not actually want me dead, Lex. But I know he wants me to remain in a constant state of paranoia and panic. I think he wants to drive me insane with fear.”

“What are you talking about?”

Chloe took a deep breath to calm herself and her voice.

“You were out of town, and your father was staying at the mansion just after he’d gotten out of prison.” Lex nodded and she continued. “All summer at the safe house, I had nothing but time on my hands so I went looking for everything, anything I could find on him.” Lex refrained from asking what she’d found and just let her talk.

*

Three months earlier:

“I was in the middle of a movie, Mr. Luthor,” Chloe snapped, tapping her foot impatiently on the wet tile floor of the pool room. Lionel’s bodyguard, and apparently his gofer, stood directly behind her. The man had entered the theater where she’d been watching a movie and practically dragged her to his car with just the briefest comment.

“Mr. Luthor wants to see you.”

So Chloe was led through the mansion to the private swimming pool where Lionel had been taking an evening dip. She tossed her coat over the back of a chair and sat down while the older man finished a few more laps. She glanced at her watch.

“I don’t have time for this,” she said, getting up and turning to go to the door. The brick wall of a man stood in her way. “Free country, get out of my way.” He didn’t move so she shrugged and reached into her purse. “Fine, you don’t want to get out of my way, then I’ll just have to walk over you.”

“Ms. Sullivan.” Lionel had decided to stop ignoring her. He was climbing up the ladder on the side of the pool. He wore regular swim trunks, for which Chloe was grateful. Not that he was unattractive, but anyone besides Olympic competitors looked odd in speedos. “I’ll be right with you.”

“You’ve interrupted my evening, Mr. Luthor, it had better be very important.” She knew she sounded waspish, but she refused to be intimidated by the man. He stepped behind a changing screen and emerged in a bathrobe moments later. She shuddered to think that he might be naked underneath.

“You may leave us, Charles.” The gorilla left, not sparing her a glance before walking out. “I’m pleased that you’re here.”

“You say that like I have a choice.”

“You could’ve made a scene, I assure you that Charles wouldn’t have dragged you out of your seat and away from that hideous display of recycled drama with gratuitous sex and violence that you were watching.”

“What do you want?” She folded her arms across her chest. He always made her nervous, but tonight was the first time she’d been alone with him since he’d gotten out of prison.

“For us to be friends, Chloe.” Lionel stalked toward her, smiling and holding out his hands as if to embrace her.

“I think that the loss of blood from your schivving in prison might have addled your brains.” She backed away until one of the chairs was between them. “You’ve tried to kill me twice, and you’ve done countless other things to try and make me miserable.”

“All of those things have proven to be counter-productive to winning your loyalty.”

“Loyalty is inspired, Mr. Luthor, not won.” She felt a little of her confidence returning. She could hold her own with any asshole when it came to a war of words. It was just a matter of time before he told her what he really wanted. “And you can block my dad all you want from getting a job, but the harder you push, the more likely I am to push back."

"You think that when push comes to shove that you can hold your footing with me?" He was amused. "That's one of those things that I admire so much about you, Ms. Sullivan." He got an odd look in his eye and reached up to brush the back of his knuckles over her cheek and rested them on her bottom lip. "One of many things." To her credit, Chloe managed not to recoil.

"Now that you don't have to worry about being somebody's sugar," she said with a glint of malice in her eye, "you've become way overconfident and overstepped your boundaries." She brushed his hand away.

"That icy disdain, Ms. Sullivan." He placed his hand over his heart. "Come now, no reason to recoil like the coy little maid." When she gave him a quick look, he laughed loud. "Oh, that's too rich. You mean to tell me that neither your friend, the strapping Clark Kent, nor any other fumbling cretin from your highschool has managed to...penetrate your icy demeanor and find the blazing, passionate woman beneath?" He was making fun of her. "How intriguing." He'd started to do that circling thing he liked so much. She stood her ground, despite her dislike of him being out of her line of sight. "How very, very intriguing." She felt his long fingers brush the back of her neck and spun around. She pasted on her best smirk.

"Don't tell me that you're another one of those older men who thinks that he's going to conquest the shrew and unlock the inner Bonobo beneath the mask of indifference that the woman shows." His eyebrows went up. "I assure you Mr. Luthor," she said, sweeping his robe-clad body with scorn, "it won't be you." Then her grin widened as a bubbly feeling came up with her victory. "It would never be you." He frowned at her. "So just tell me why you asked me to come here tonight."

"I was going to present you with a gift." His words surprised her. "You have been a surprising adversary. one worthy of appreciation." He walked past her and to a linen cabinet. He removed a large, velvet box. Chloe had been preparing for him to pull a gun on her. She'd even unzipped her purse and slipped her hand inside. Her curiosity was piqued, but she remained wary. He smiled at her and walked back toward her. She forced herself not to flinch when he opened the box. The contents surprised her.

Lying against pristine white satin was a string of large, black pearls and a set of matching earrings. Chloe narrowed her eyes and looked back up at Lionel.

"The jewelry is lovely, and I can't fault you your taste, but I don't think I can-" She stopped and looked closer at them. "Where have I seen these before?"

"Excellent eye, Chloe. They were a gift from your father to your mother to wear at their wedding." Chloe felt the blood drain from her face. "She gave them to me on my last visit to her. She enjoys company so much. She tried to give her engagement ring to one of the nurses, but I forbid the staff from accepting anything from her."

"You've been to see her?"

"Several times, I even met her before her unfortunate... breakdown and institutionalization." He smiled at the paleness of Chloe's cheeks. "Lovely woman, I think she'd have wanted you to have these, even if she didn't talk about you much, before or after."

"You put her in there."

"Why would I do that?"

"I'll get her out."

"Then what?" He looked sympathetic. "She didn't ask about you, not even when I said I knew you." His words twisted painfully, but she fought them back.

"I stopped worrying about the people who can't be bothered with me a long time ago," she said. "But that doesn't mean I'll allow her to stay there."

"You're welcome to try and find her if you can." He smiled at her and handed her the box. She took it with shaking fingers, then looked him straight in the eye.

"Why do you bother smiling at me?" She straightened her shoulders and tucked the box into her purse. "You make your little attempts at charm and you use your fancy manners and smooth vocabulary around me, but we both know what you really want to do it chew me up and spit me out." Her voice remained low. "So why the charade?"

Lionel clucked his tongue at her and shook his head. "You've got me all wrong, Chloe." He moved forward and his hand snaked out and siezed her jaw in a painful grip. "I don't want to chew you up and spit you out." He stroked his other hand over her forehead and cheek. "I want to swallow you whole."

A/N 2: Bonobos are a race of miniature chimpanzees who live in the congo and are world reknown for their sexual activities. Their whole society revolves around uninhibited sex in all concievable combinations. I kid you not. Chloe would know this.

[kitten]

:tease:
Oh, I do hate that dirty old man, and never for a second did I believe he was reformed by his time in prison or in Clark's body (EW, I'm sorry, but there's no non icky way to say it).

But why did Lex just assume Chloe was safe? He must have had a reason if he let her disappear after graduation. He might have been busy defending himself but he wouldn't just forget she exists.

Great chapter and an exciting twist, though I'm worried about Chloe.

[asharnanae]

:biggrin: great chappy!! loved the bonobo referance, they are damn freaky monkeys!!

and lionel is EWWWWWWW!!!


More soon! :blinkkiss:

[June]

Just when I though I could begin to feel sorry for the MB (from the show, not your story) you make me realize how much he deserves to be loathed. Great update, this is such a fantastic beginning.

[autumngold]

I really hate Lionel in this story!! I wish that Lex had been able to protect her from Lionel!! He had better make it up to her now!! Thanks for the update!! :yay2: :chlexsign4: :yay2:

[bogusbabe]

And here i was thinking that Lionel could sink no lower.

Great update!!!

More please... :chlexsign1:



:chlexsign4:

[scifichick774]

Ouch. Well, we know where the nightmares came from. Asshole. And that applies to both Luthors. While Lex may be trying to make up for his past mistakes now, Chloe was right about everything she said. He used her to gain control over his father and then he forgot about her. He needs to let the implications of that sink in.

[zelda]

A/N: WARNING!!! This chapter contains very violent images of a sexual nature. If you think you may be offended or upset, skip this. The plot will resume in the next chapter with enough gloss over to cover the events without much detail.




Chloe didn't freeze, she shoved him backwards and sprinted for the door. When she reached for the latch, Lionel's hand clamped onto the back of her neck like a vice. She yelled in pain when he lifted her, fingers biting into tendon and muscle, and slammed her face into the heavy door. Chloe's front tooth cut through her lip where it hit the door and pain blossomed through her cheekbone and up to her eye from the impact. She dropped to her knees, clutching her eye and struck out blindly behind her, swinging her purse. It connected with Lionel's shin and he stumbled. She rolled and kicked out with a sneakered foot, catching him behind the knee.

Lionel fell with a snarl to the tiled floor. Chloe scrambled away on her hands and knees but didn't get far. A strong hand closed over her ankle and Lionel jerked her back, she slid on the wet floor, feeling the water soak through the knees of her jeans, or maybe it was blood, she couldn't tell. He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back painfully while placing a knee in the middle of her shoulder blades.

"We've been dancing around this for months, Ms. Sullivan," he hissed in her ear. "I've tried everything, but you won't stay down where I put you. Not even when I put you underground." His voice held frustration and fury. "I haven't had to resort to methods like this since my days living in the tenement." He wrenched her shoulder around so her torso was half turned. His mouth landed on the corner of her lips. She braced her weight on her battered knee and lunged upward, dragging her nails across his cheek.

Lionel didn't make a sound indicating that he'd been injured, but he rose to his feet and took her shirt by its front, lifting her and slamming her back onto the floor. Chloe's head banged and she saw stars. The Lionel who usually spoke to her was gone. In his place was a street animal. He back-handed her, making her eyes tear up automatically when his wedding ring caught the edge of her nostril and it began to bleed. Then he ripped her shirt down the front. It hadn't had buttons, he'd just rended the fabric with his clawed fingers. Chloe grasped his wrists and kicked at his knee. He fell on top of her and she rolled out from under him. She reached out for her purse, but he caught the back of her jeans and reached under her to pull the button free.

"No!' She shrieked, fumbling with his hands automatically.

"Yes, Chloe." He had worked them down over hips along with her underwear. "I'll let my dick do the talking now you fucking bitch!" The street slang that he'd worked so hard to keep out of his voice came back. His robe had parted and she could feel the hair from his stomach brush against her back and the top of her buttocks. "You won't take my warnings so I'll just fuck the fear into you." His hand fastened around her throat and he bent her face up and to the side, closing his mouth over hers again. it wasn't a kiss, instead, he bit into her lip where it was split. Then, he ran his tongue over it, licking up the blood.

Chloe moved her scraped elbow up and waited. As soon as he closed his hand over her breast, she swung backwards and her elbow connected with his ear. The blow startled him and he relaxed his hand on her neck. She jerked her head back and struck him in the mouth with her skull. She ignored the pain of his teeth cutting into her scalp. She was enraged now, and her adrenalin was making the fight or flight instinct tell her to fight. He was biting the back of her neck now and she could feel his hands on her buttocks, squeezing her in a bruising grip.

"Will. Not. Let. You." She gritted through her bleeding mouth. She had to stop using her hands to fight if she was to reach her purse. With tears streaming down her face, she stretched both arms out in front of her till her fingers brushed the strap.

"You'll let me, Chloe," he snarled. "Anytime I want. In my office." He jerked her pants down further and she felt his erection against her hip. "on your desk at the newspaper." He reached forward and tore the front cup of her bra. The tile was icy against her nipple and she winced when he twisted it painfully. "You'll even suck me off during conference calls if I want you to." She had the strap in her hands and pulled it closer, trying to ignore the urge to hit him. He was too strong. She couldn't fight on his terms. "You're my fucking whore now, Chloe."

Lionel pulled her onto her side and reached down the front of her pants. Chloe's hand was in her purse now, she felt only the velvet box at first, then her fingers closed over solid plastic. His fingers were in her panties and probing her roughly.

"Lionel!" She screamed through her bleeding lips. She jerked her arm around and jabbed two metal prongs against the side of his neck. "He froze in surprise and started to pull back from her. But it was too late. "It's Ms. Sullivan to you, Asshole." Then she pressed the button that sent a strong enough jolt of electricity through him to stun him. She nearly dropped the stun gun when she got a little bit of the shock herself from where his bare skin touched hers. But she kicked him off her and jabbed into his chest, hitting him with another jolt.

Lionel Luthor lay unconscious at Chloe's feet. She pulled up her jeans and zipped them hurriedly. She probably had less than no time, but he would wake up shortly. His bathrobe had fallen over his crotch and she was glad that she didn't have to look at the weapon he'd been about to use to break her. Instead she yanked the belt free and kicked him over onto his stomach. Then she tied his wrists behind his back. He started to moan and she stunned him twice more before grabbing her purse and jacket and limping toward the door.

Chloe practically cried with relief that it hadn't been locked. When she opened it, she saw the gorilla come barrelling down the hall at her. She waited until he was reaching out before stepping to the side and hitting him with a jolt in the arm. His own momentum carried him past her and he slid to a stop beside the edge of the pool.

Chloe pulled the doors shut and wrestled a sword out of a suit of armor, then she put it through the door handles to slow down any persuers. She saw only a few of Lex's servants who just looked startled but offered neither assistance nor resistance to her exit. She raced to her car and drove off the Luthor property. When her adrenaline wore off, she pulled over to the side of the road and began to sob hysterically. She couldn't find her cell phone, it had probably fallen out of her purse and she wasn't going to go after it. Her first thought was to find Clark. She would be safe with him. But she was halfway to the Kents before she remembered that they were out of town. Her father was on a job hunt a few towns over and he wouldn't be home for hours which left one haven. The Talon.

When she pulled up outside she began to cry again. It was closed. Everyone was gone, she had no one to turn to. She thought about calling the police, but if the FBI could be bought, she doubted she could trust them. She went to the hospital in the next town; too many people knew her in Smallville. The nurse had fussed over her lip and bruises, and very gently qustioned her story about being mugged. Chloe had almost broken down, but then she'd noticed placque beside the door that read: The Lillian Luthor Memorial Wing. Donated in loving memory.

Chloe knew she wasn't safe anywhere.

[ldydee81]

:ohmy: oh god you can't leave off there :ohmy:
:crygreen: it's not fair :crygreen:
:yay2: come back, come back now and finish :yay2:
:puppyeyes: please please please :puppyeyes:

[bogusbabe]

Oh. My. God. :ohmy:

Lionel is... Lionel is just... so... EVIL!!!



:chlexsign4:

[asharnanae]

:rage: BASTARD!!!!! KILL HIM LEX, KILL HIM NOW!!!

grrrr..... lionel just heard is wendigo call.


Fantastic update!!!! :blinkkiss:

[hfce]

LIONEL NEEDS!! TO F---ING DIE!!!!!!! :evilbat: AND LEX NEEDS TO GET HIS BALLS BACK OUT OF HIS DADDY"S MOUTH AND FINALLY F----ING!! HELP CHLOE!!


Hope :mad:

[sydsvaughn]

oh boy. Lex is NOT going to be happy. I hope he seriously kills Lionel. Slowly and painfully.

difficult material to write, but you handled it very well.

SaraC

[buddyfozzy]

OH MY GOD!! That Bastard!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: I hope Lex kills him! Poor Chloe, I hope Lex starts taking really good care of her. :crygreen: :crygreen: :crygreen: I'm happy he knows the whole story now too.

[June]

I have faith that Lex is going to fix this. Am I right? Am I?!?!?!?!

This is getting really, really good.

So good in fact, I'm just going to wait until you update. I'm just going to wait... 'cause it'll be soon right?

[zelda]

Okay, I know this is short, but I wanted to lead into something more positive afte the last chapter.

Lex had listened as Chloe had repeated, in an emotionless voice, the events that had taken place at the mansion in Smallville. He'd felt bile rise in his throat at the thought of his father's hands on her, drawing blood and trying to violate a teenager. He was glad, selfishly glad, that she'd been able to get away from him. Not just for her sake, but because he would have had too much guilt if his father had succeeded in taking Chloe against her will.

"And the jewelry?"

"The necklace and earrings he gave me were definitely Mom's. I tried to reach her at the institution where she'd been held before, but they said she'd been transferred to a private hospital and I was stonewalled whenever I tried to get information."

"What about your father?" Lex kept his voice soft.

"I never saw him alive again. His car accident happened when he was coming back from Topeka." Her face wrinkled up again and tears squeezed out of her eyes. "I went home and there was a message from him. He was frantic and begging me to call him."

"You think my father already got to him?"

"His car was found in the river about a mile from your house. He wasn't headed home. I think he was going to find Lionel."

"What do you think my father told him?"

"I don't know. Maybe he tricked him, or maybe he offered him something. maybe he just said i was there, having car trouble. Either way, Daddy would have been upset."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe." Lex wrapped his arms around her. "I was so preoccupied with my own problems that I wasn't keeping a close enough eye on you."

"He won't even give me time to hurt." Her voice broke and with it Lex's resolve to remain impassive. "It's only been a couple of months. A matter of weeks, really. I don't have parents, and I don't have my friends around me either."

"I can't imagine that Clark would turn against you."

"I can't let anyone else get involved, they'll only get hurt too."

"Clark has proven to be pretty resilient."

"You have no idea," Chloe said, bitterly. "But he can be hurt, and Lionel would love to use me to get to him. I have to handle him on my own."

"You need help."

"No I don't."

"You're living in a crappy apartment, stripping for strangers for a living and writing a gossip column for the Inquisitor under a false name."

"How did you find out about that, anyway?" She looked up at his face. Her watery eyes looked greener than usual.

"You think I wouldn't recognize your wise ass, even in print?" She laughed wetly and sniffled, wiping her nose on his handkerchief.

"I guess I didn't realize how well you know me."

Lex brushed away the wetness that remained on her reddened cheeks and kissed her forehead. "I do know you." He kissed her on each cheek. Then very gently on her lips. He hugged her again and tucked her head under his chin. "I'm so sorry I didn't realize my father's feelings for you were so strong."

"You mean his hatred," she said. "He may have had a little bit of lust beforehand, but that night was about pushing me down, making me feel powerless, and expressing anger. It wasn't about sex, or even lust. Just hate."

"You're right. And I shudder to think about the comment he made about resorting to tactics he hadn't used since the tenements."

"You think he's..he's done it before."

"It wouldn't surprise me. And the way my mother acted around him, I always wondered if Julien was concieved that way. Mom had been shutting him out before she became pregnant with him. Maybe that's what..." He stopped talking. "Anyway, I can get you a counselor or someone who can talk to you about this kind of thing." He was uncomfortable saying the word to her. "Maybe a trauma specialist."

"I can't talk about it to someone yet, Lex." She placed her hands on his cheeks and lifted her gaze to his. "I have to get over it on my own terms." Then she kissed him.

To say that Lex hadn't been expecting it would be an understatement. He'd been expecting her to lash out at him for the pressure he'd been putting on her, and the lack of support he'd given her. He was a selfish man and, as usual, had only been looking for the next way to nail his father, forgetting the man's penchant for multi-tasking. Business before breakfast, revenge after dessert. Chloe had possessed a maturity that belied her years when she'd been in high school. Now, as a stripper and probably the sole survivor of any direct attack Lionel Luthor made on anyone besides himself, she seemed so...vulnerable.

The kiss itself drew him in because of its innocence and desperation. Lex could feel Chloe's need. A need for the closeness that she'd lacked the past few months. She'd pushed everyone away to keep them safe and was probably dying inside from loneliness. She needed comfort, she needed him.

Lex didn't make any token protests or silly gestures. He understood Chloe. He kissed her back, gently, firmly, but without agenda. he waited for her to break it and when she did, she spoke.

"Can you show me?"

"Show you what?"

"What it's supposed to be like?"

[June]

*stares dumbly at the screen*

You left it there? Right there? with that line? God, you're evil, pure evil.

Great chapter.

[hfce]

This is my mouth going :ohmy: more please..



Hope :chlexsign4:

[autumngold]

You're an absolute angel!! I'm so glad that Chloe was able to get away from Lionel!! Now Lex just needs to keep her safe!! Thanks for the update!! I can't wait for more!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[kitten]

:ohmy:

That is one magnificent bastard, minus all the things I love to hate about him. On one hand I'm intrigued by a Lionel who feels so desperate to keep Chloe under wraps that he resorts to physical violence, but it's also sickening and so disturbingly written. Poor Chloe.

Two wonderful chapters, as usual, but so powerful. Amazing. :worship2:

[tiger04]

That was great. I hope that you will update with more. Will lex show chloe?

AT

[Tehzo]

Wow...this story is amazing. At first it seemed like it was going to go in one direction, but when it indulged into Lionel's more malicious side it made a different turn and it was...just wow.

"I want to swallow you whole."
This line is my all time favorite. Even though I have a horrible memory, I think I will remember this part for a very long time. That scene had a strong impact.

Your writing is really wonderful and enjoyable. I love the way you write all your characters. Can't wait for your next update!! :)

[lexchloe]

:worship2: :worship2: Just read the last three updates. Excellent stuff. The :devil: MB is a truly vile and loathsome creature. Thank God Chloe got away (that's our girl, plenty of fight in her). Love that Lex has stopped being an ass and is trying to be there for her, hope he can help.



"Can you show me?"

"Show you what?"

"What it's supposed to be like?"

This just made me :ohmy: . You can sense how much she needs someone to care for her. Can't wait for more.

[scifichick774]

So amazing. Lionel is a bastard, but at least Lex is finally paying attention and listening to her.

[eurydices falling]

this story is amazing :worship2:

[Zannie]

Chloe, hon, I'm worried about you. You've had some serious trauma, and I don't think you should rush into anything with Lex. You need some healing time first. Lex might be finally stepping up and trying to help, but I'm not sure either of you is ready to be in a healthy relationship. You've got me worried, Chloe--please don't jump into the sack with Lex. Even though I can totally understand the desire to jump into the sack with Lex.

Plus, I still haven't forgiven him for making you dance for him in that demeaning, objectifying way. Asshole.

That's what I have to say to Chloe.

To zelda, I'll simply say . . . more please.

[Nadia_]

Ohh how I want to kill MB... he is just a... bastard!!!!!
You ou are evil, leave a chapter like that, like THAT! Although I think I agree with Zannie ( I will not quote it all again) about everything, but mainly with the "more please"...

[AlabamaWorley]

Wow, why have I not been reading this? Excellent story, I dig the dark stuff. I just read too much to give a specific comment, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it and looking forward to more. I have to agree with Zannie, though, I hope Lex makes her wait for the smut. Some good cuddling would do her a world of good right now.

[zelda]

A/N: Okay here comes the smut! Sorry for you guys who wanted me to hold out a bit longer.

"Chloe, I don't know why you want me to-"

"I don't have anyone else." She ran her hands down the front of his chest. "I know you want me, Lex. I can dance for you if that'll-"

"Chloe I don't want you to dance for me. And I'd have to be dead not to be attracted to you." He didn't push her away, but kept his hands at her waist. She moved and straddled his lap, pressing insistently against him.

"Then why can't you just do this for me?" She kissed his neck and moved her hands down his stomach. He caught them and forced her face up to look at him.

"Chloe, I do want you, and if you keep doing that, I'll lose all of my noble intentions." He pressed his lips to hers briefly. "And there aren't many; but I don't want to do something you're not ready for."

"I wasn't ready to be assaulted by your father," she said, pulling her hands from his. She yanked open the front of his shirt roughly. "I wasn't ready to lose my dad." She ran her short nails down his chest, causing him to shiver slightly. "I wasn't ready to have to make a living in a sleazy bar in Edge City or have to give up the right to see my name in print." She kissed him hard on the mouth. "I want this to be something over which I have a little control, before your father takes it away too."

"I won't let that happen."

"I can't trust that you'll be able to stop him. I just want one night that I can call mine. One night where it's my choice and I don't have to think about what anyone else wants."

"Do you want me?" She didn't answer, so Lex pressed. "Or am I just the only option?" He didn't know why it mattered. But it did.

"Both, I guess." She'd stopped aggressing and sat back on his thighs. "I've been attracted to you for a while, and I guess I trust you in this as much as I'd trust any man." She looked away. "Besides, I hear you're good at it and I don't want an amateur." She locked her gaze with his. "Are you good at it? Can you make it good for me?" He hesitated long enough for doubt to creep across her features. And he waited until he felt her tense, as if to get off his lap. Then he tightened his hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I'm good at it. And yeah, I can make it good for you."

"Alright, then I'll be right back." She slid off his lap.

"Where are you going?" She was headed for the bathroom.

"I have to blow my nose and wash my face." If Lex hadn't been so tense, he'd have laughed. But he was tense. This was the first time he'd been under pressure like this. To erase bad memories was one thing, but to erase the memory of his father and put memories of himself in their place was something else. He took off his shoes and socks and pulled back the covers of the bed. Then he sat in the same place as before and waited. After a few minutes, Chloe emerged, looking a little more composed, and a little pale. She'd taken off her shoes as well.

"Come here." Lex stood up and she went to him, standing with her hands at her sides. Lex didn't hear the voice of reason in the back of his head. There was no little angel on his shoulder telling him that he was doing this for the wrong reasons, he was just glad that he could put his hands on her now. He lowered his mouth to hers and teased her lips open. Then he slid his tongue into her mouth. She tasted like toothpaste. "Did you use my toothbrush?"

"Um, yeah."

"Oh." He kissed her deeper and put his hands at her waist, pulling her hips against him. He'd been hard from the moment she'd kissed him. So far, she wasn't balking, but he didn't want to startle her. He moved his hands up her ribcage to cup her breasts through her shirt. With slow, gentle strokes, he moved his thumbs over her nipples, they popped against his palm obediently and she made a small sound in her throat. He moved his mouth to her neck and ran his fingers through her hair. He felt her tense and left his lips where they were, not removing his hands from her hair, but just combing gently until she relaxed. Then he tugged her shirt up and she raised her arms over her head, allowing him to pull the garment off.

Chloe wore a sheer, white bra, no lace, no satin, just mesh. She was still beautiful and he told her so. "I've always admired the way you look."

"Thanks." She obviously wasn't comfortable with praise yet. He kissed her shoulders when he moved the straps down her arms, and then he took her hand and moved it to the front of his pants. She seemed hesitant to touch him at first, but then gained confidence when he pushed against her shy caresses.

"I want to look at you,' he whispered against her throat. He unbuckled her belt and pushed her jeans down along with her panties. She stepped out of them but when he backed up to look at her, she moved with him.

"Uh, do you have to look?" He smiled at her.

"I don't have to look, but it might help to see where I'm going." She blushed again. "I really want to see you, Chloe."

"Okay, but can you get undressed too?"

"Fair enough." Lex dropped his open shirt to the floor and watched her face as she looked him over. Then he unbuckled his trousers and dropped them. He didn't wear underwear and his erection jutted out eagerly. She stared down at it, and he could see the mixture of trepidation and curiosity. "It's not going anywhere." She started when he spoke, bringing her eyes up to his face again. "You can look all you like, I've never been the shy type." He kept his tone mild but his fingers itched to touch her. He gently rubbed her shoulders with his thumbs and leaned down to lift her up as before. Her arm brushed against him and she put her hands around his shoulders quickly. He kissed her again and held her until she relaxed. Then he placed her against the sheets and sat on the edge of the mattress, waiting for her to let go of him.

Chloe's arms slowly fell to her sides and she lay, fidgeting nervously, with her knee, slightly bent, as if attempting to obscure his view. Lex reached for the dimmer beside the bed and lowered the lights. Then he trailed his hand over her shoulder, down her torso and to her hip. "Can I touch you?"

"Sure."

"Do you want to touch me?"

"Eventually."

Chloe was obviously not comfortable with the talking, so Lex just slid into bed beside her and tugged the covers up. He slid his hand down her belly and nudged her thighs apart, placing his mouth on her sternum and trailing it up to her breasts. She was warm and just a little moist. She tensed under his touch, but didn't move away.

"It'll be easier if you just relax, I'll stop if you ask, and don't hesitate to tell me if there's something you don't like."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me, Chloe. I want this very much." He fastened his lips onto her nipple and rolled his tongue around it. She let out a startled gasp and forgot to squeeze her legs together. He took the opportunity to begin stroking her with short movements. Just running up and down the silky skin of her slit. She rolled her hips slightly and he took it as encouragement. He left her breast and kissed down to her belly.

"Wait, are you sure you want to..." She trailed off.

"Trust me." He moved down under the covers, and instead of moving completely between her legs, he remained off to one side. He felt her hands fist in the blankets, and he pressed light kisses to her pubic mound. He stayed there, in the safe zone while his fingers continued to play with her. Then when the hood began to retract on her clitoris, he closed his lips over the tiny bud and gave a gentle suck. Chloe's hips arched upward and he slid his middle finger inside her, she was wetter now but he just let her feel the penetration of the digit and didn't move, continuing to lave his tongue over her delicious body.

"Lex." The word was whispered, but he heard it, under the covers. He began to move his finger, sliding it in and out, feeling the moisture begin to run down his hand. Her hips were moving and he bent his finger, finding the little patch of rough skin that made her jerk with a muffled cry. He lifted his head and peeked at her. She was holding a pillow over her face.

"Oh, no," he said, moving between her thighs and reaching up with his free hand to tug the pillow away. "Bring in the noise." His voice was rough. "I want to hear you." He added a second finger and went back under the covers, he listened to her soft moans and moved his mouth and tongue in rhythm with her thrusting hips. She was close. He could smell it. He sucked harder on her clit and rubbed her G-spot, the unexpected dual sensation sent tremors through her body and she arched her back, clamping her thighs around his shoulders.

Lex continued to stroke her down off the first orgasm. He moved his fingers slowly until she relaxed. He hadn't made her wait, so this one had been small, but he didn't want her to relax completely. He moved up and positioned himself between her legs, then he reached for the nightstand drawer. He removed the condom wrapper with his teeth and rolled the protection down his aching cock. Then he took Chloe's hand and guided it down to wrap around him. "I want you to invite me in when you're ready. He braced his elbows on either side of her shoulders and looked down at her flushed face. Her small, inexperienced hands on him were shaking.

Lex hoped he hadn't made a promise that he couldn't keep, but she was seriously trying his control. She squeezed him experimentally and brushed the sheathed tip across her opening and Lex fought the urge to push forward. She moved him around clumsily, then tilted her hips and positioned him right. He moved forwrd an inch, just nudging in the right direction and she moved her knees up on either side of his hips. She arched slightly, causing him to go deeper and caught his face in her hands.

"I'm okay." Lex slid in slowly and felt the resistance he'd been dreading. Rather than stop and discuss it, he just pushed through quickly and moved in deep. Her nails bit into the back of his neck. "Shit!" Chloe hissed. he stopped his forward momentum. Sweat was running down his spine and his buttocks were tense from holding still. His body knew what it was supposed to be doing, it didn't like being commanded to wait.

"Just give it a minute, and try to relax." His gruff voice sounded more like an order. "Just don't move or I'll lose it." He had his eyes tightly shut and didn't dare to look at Chloe's face. She let go of his neck and moved her hands to his ribcage.

"I think I'm okay now." Then she moved her hips a little, adjusting herself slightly. Lex moved out then back in deeper. He knew from her tightness that she was probably uncomfortable, so he kept his pace slow. After a few thrusts, he was in her as deeply as he could get in this position. She was starting to arch against him and he reached a hand between them to stoke her clit. He didn't know if she could come a second time, but he was going to give it a shot.

"Tell me what you need," he whispered, catching her earlobe in his teeth. "Tell me what you want." He thrust a little harder and she moaned in response. "Can I go deeper?"

"Yes." Her voice was breathless. Lex moved his arm under her knee and brought her leg slowly up to his shoulder. He knew she was flexible, but he didn't want to risk injuring her during her first time. She moaned when he went deep, and her hands went to his shoulders, pulling him down for a kiss. He slid his tongue in and out of her mouth to the rhythm he was establishing with his body. He felt her little cries and sped up, returning his hand to the spot where they joined. His hand and tongue were matching his thrusts and he increased the pace.

"I can't hold out much-" he began, but the feeling of her internal muscles clenching around him answered his plea. The was so tight around him that he lust pulled her other leg up on his shoulder and drove deep, only able to make a few more thrusts before he came with a shout, collapsing on top of her. His vision went black, and when it cleared, he could feel Chloe's breath on his shoulder, and her slippery arms around him. he rolled off her, disposing of the condom and rejoining her in the bed. They both automatically moved to the other side of the huge bed, and onto non-sticky sheets. He cautiously wrapped his arms around her and she didn't protest.

"Thank you."

"It was my pleasure." He kissed her damp cheek and held her against him, he waited until he was certain that she'd drifted off before allowing himself to sleep.

[AlabamaWorley]

You did an excellent job with it - it didn't feel rushed or anything the way you wrote it. Very nice work!!


"Yeah, I'm good at it. And yeah, I can make it good for you."


I had to stop and hear MR say it in my head. It made me happy! :blinkkiss:

[bogusbabe]

That was HOT!!! :biggrin:


"Yeah, I'm good at it. And yeah, I can make it good for you."


I love a man a with talent. :biggrin:


:chlexsign4:

[crankychick]

"Did you use my toothbrush?"

Sexy and with good breath. Damn, that Chloe's hot! :biggrin: Lovely update!

[autumngold]

I'm so glad that Lex made it good for Chloe!! Now I only hope that he keeps his father away!! Excellent chapter!! Thanks for the update!! :worship2: :chlexsign4: :worship2:

[asharnanae]

:drool: :biggrin: you make me so happy! :blinkkiss:

[hfce]

I think I need a cigarette after that. I think I will have one now. :smoker:

[buddyfozzy]

That was hot :smoker: and sweet too, I'm glad he made it good for her. :wub: :wub:


"Yeah, I'm good at it. And yeah, I can make it good for you."


:drool: :drool: Mmmmmm *drool* :drool: :drool:

[lexchloe]

Very hot stuff. Liked that he took the time to make it a good experience for her. Hope that now they can work towards trusting eachother and taking the :devil: MB down for good.



He lowered his mouth to hers and teased her lips open. Then he slid his tongue into her mouth. She tasted like toothpaste. "Did you use my toothbrush?"

"Um, yeah."

"Oh."

For some random reason this made me feel all :wub: and squishy inside. Can't wait for more.

[Thessaly]

Guh. I've just caught up with the updates and the only thing I can think of to say is "More!" (With the cuddling and the toothpaste and the reassurance and the.. ahem, "goodness" and the MB going to a very special circle of Hell where they wax him all over and make him wear special pants made out of jalapeno peppers.)

Thessaly

[kitten]

Awww, hot, sexy and sweet Lex.

Beautiful, realistic and touching. I'm very happy for Chloe right now.

[Ainur]

Awwww! Lex was so sweet and good to Chloe. I loved that. Update soon. :wub:

[trenchtown]

I like the idea behind your story so I have been lurking especially since I also like your style. I do have a nitpick in this story I quite like.

In last two chapters the Chloe and Lex seemed a little OOC or their motivations were probably too rushed. I understand this is NC-17 hence the necessary smut but it didn't seem to flow with the story you are drawing.

You have set Chloe in an environment and background where she is extremely wary of most people, Luthors in particular. She just finished telling Lex of her horrific, almost rape by Lionel and I cannot imagine this being a precursor to sex. Lex acknowledged her vulnurability and even suggested that she seek counseling. Him sleeping with her after that confession seems to me that he too is taking advantage of her in a 'weakened' state. Given the concern he had shown earlier in the story, it seems to me to be out of place.

[lexodus]

Originally posted by zelda@Jan 10 2005, 07:20 PM
"Bring in the noise."
For some reason, that line made me laugh.

I love this fic. When I first started reading it, I thought it was going to be another "Chloe's a stripper and Lex has to save her from that life a la Nikki and Victor on the Young and the Restless" kind of thing, but it is so much more. I feel so bad for Chloe, more so because Lex just left her to be hurt than because of what Lionel did. Although, that was horrible. So much more true to character than what they are doing on the show, I think. The last chapter was just great. It's obvious that Lex cares about Chloe and feels responsible for what happened to her. I can't wait to see what he does to Lionel.

[sydsvaughn]

Now that was well done.. perfectly in character and a lovely read! More soon please!

SaraC

[randa]

that was great and perfect for those two here!

more soon


randa

[zelda]

A/N: Okay, now moving on to more plot

Chloe sat in front of her laptop in her apartment and tried to keep her mind on her article. It wasn’t much as far as subject matter was concerned. Little more than gossip and rumors, but like her father had always told her, she was going to be the best-damned gossip columnist she could be. No matter how demeaning a job was, it was always worse when done poorly. Today, Chloe felt like she was doing it poorly.

The events of the previous night kept nudging into her head. The sound of Lex’s breathing when he had entered her body. The taste of his mouth, the feel of his hands as they’d done an expert job of pleasing her body. An expert. He’d done everything right. Correctly, accurately, thoroughly, gently. She’d been a fool in the moment when she’d gone from accepting his comfort and assurances to her pleas to make new memories for her.

Lex had shown sensitivity and compassion that had surprised Chloe. With his gentle kisses on her face, she’d felt the warmth of human contact that had driven away her despair. Then she had found herself clinging to him and throwing herself at him. Lex wasn’t a noble creature by nature, and though he’d asked her if she was certain about what she wanted, she wasn’t sure that he’d have refused her even if she’d had doubts. She’d pulled a trump card and challenged his ego. He’d responded appropriately.

Lex had been right, he was good. Chloe had been so distracted by what he was doing to her body that she’d forgotten everything else. She’d even slept through the night without drugs or alcohol. Waking in his bed had been a little frightening for her. The paranoia that Lionel had been drilling into her bubbled up as she’d lain in Lex’s arms. She kept looking at the door, just waiting for Lionel to burst in and catch her.

Chloe had left early, accepting fumbling, warm, morning caresses and mumbled greetings from her sleeping bedmate, but she didn’t think they’d had much to discuss. Now he was all she could think about.

The telephone rang on her desk and she answered it, prepared to hang up and leave the apartment if it was Lionel.

“Hey, it’s me.” The gruff voice said in her ear.
“Hey, yourself.”
“You comin’ in tonight?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “Gotta hostess, you gonna be there?”
“I’ll come find you around midnight.”
“See you then, Honey.”

Chloe hung up the phone and gritted her teeth. She’d made too many plans to let them fall through now. She went to her room and tucked herself under her blankets. Drifting off, she thought about Lex, and was almost happy.
*

Lex went to his father’s office without calling. He hated to warn the old man about his visits. Especially today. He’d made a decision about Chloe Sullivan, and the sooner he addressed it, the better. He walked into the outer office and glanced at the secretary who jumped up out of her seat. She was new, but had obviously been warned about him.

“Mr. Luthor is on a conference call and can’t be disturbed.” She fluttered around him and actually stood with her back to the office door, trying to physically block him. Lex approached her and smiled pleasantly standing as close to her as possible without actually touching her. His mouth was on level with her forehead and his breath disturbed her bangs when he spoke.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t expect you to be able to stop me, and I’ll try to make you look good.” He reached around her hip and found the door latch, turning it, he pushed the door open and virtually walked over the secretary who was sent sprawling onto the floor.

Lionel, who was not on the phone to anyone, looked up from his desk with amusement but little concern for the woman who stumbled to her feet.

“Mr. Luthor, I tried-“

“They all try,” Lionel said, in a bored tone. “And they all fail. The only ones who get fired for allowing my son in are the ones who stop making the effort.” His tone was bored but he smiled at her. “Very valiant effort, Julie, better start carrying a cattle prod.”

“Or packing heat,” the girl mumbled under her breath as she smoothed her skirt and went back to her desk. She shut the door behind her and Lex approached his father’s desk. The piece of furniture was a monstrous work of contemporary art that was all steel and glass. Lex hadn’t been to the office since his father had had it made.

“That’s quite a desk you have there, Dad.” He looked it over critically. “Do you need all of that space or are you just compensating for something?” Lionel’s eyebrows went up with surprise, and his mouth quirked.

“Are you here to ask me advice about a mid-life crisis, Lex, or did you have something important to talk about.”

“Oh, I just heard a rather amusing story from an old friend and wanted to share it.” He sat down in the chair across from his father. “It happened a few months ago, right after you got out of prison. You remember,” he prodded. “I came home from a business trip only to find you squatting in my house like you owned it.”

“I did own it.”

“Actually, most of your assets changed hands while you were a guest of the government, so I was well within my rights to send you packing.”

“Is this what you wanted to rehash?” Lionel returned his gaze to the papers on his desk. “Because I’m rather busy.”

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something.” He leaned forward. “When I arrived, you were sporting a couple of scratches on your cheek, and a slight limp. When I asked you about it, you said it was a parting gift from a fellow inmate.”

“So?”

“I heard another version.” He watched carefully as Lionel cocked his head to the side and looked curious.

“I’d love to hear it, Son. By all means, don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I heard that you had a guest that evening. A young lady we both know who shot down your white flag and left you, stunned, tied and trapped in the pool room.” The next few moments would be crucial. If Lionel was going to give anything away, Lex would have to catch him off guard and watch his reactions closely.

“If I’d been attacked in the house, I assure you, I’d have called the police and reported the incident.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid your Ms. Sullivan has you jumping to the worng conclusions.”

“I never said who she was, Dad.” Lex watched at his father’s smile faltered for a split second and made his move. “But since you already know, do you mind telling me why you tried to rape her in my house?”

[bogusbabe]

HA! Yes, answer the question Lionel!

Great update!!! :biggrin:

[lexchloe]

:yay: Lex I love you more now than you'll ever know!!! Love that he's standing up to :devil: MB for her. I also really love the fact that sh can't stop thinking about him. Who was on the phone though and what plans has she's been working on? More soon please.

[sylvia]

I love the beginning of the Lex v. Lionel showdown you have going there. Can't wait for more!

[hfce]

Oh now this is getting good. I cant wait to see how Lex tries to trap the fly in the honey. :D


Hope :goof:

[Kit Merlot]

I just started reading this story, and it is FABULOUS! :biggrin:

I'm glad that Chloe has Lex to confide in and that they are leaning on each other. I also can't wait for Lex to rip Lionel's thrat out :devil:

EXCELLENT!

[kitten]

:cool:

I've never been able to tell quite how the differences in father and son come through when they're both being ruthless, but you've definitely covered it here. Lionel is sleazy ruthless and Lex is noble ruthless. *shivers*

I love the stand off but I'm also wondering if we'll find out what Lex is thinking about Chloe.

[Queen Of Tact]

OMG!!!!! I just read this fic from the start... wow I can't even come up with the right workds for it... Please post more soon, cause i really need to read more, and i hope this time that Lex is able to keep Chloe safe from the fing bastered..


CC

[autumngold]

Great trap Lex!! I hope he makes the devil :devil: pay!! Excellent update!! Can't wait for more!! Update soon please!! :worship2: :chlexsign4: :worship2:

[buddyfozzy]

Originally posted by zelda@Jan 13 2005, 10:25 AM
“I never said who she was, Dad.” Lex watched at his father’s smile faltered for a split second and made his move. “But since you already know, do you mind telling me why you tried to rape her in my house?”
Yes Lionel, why? :biggrin:

[AlabamaWorley]

I love Luthor fights. And, I'm all intrigued about who Chloe's plotting with.

[lexodus]

There is nothing better than Lex standing up to Lionel... well, almost nothing :smut: :blinkkiss:

Great update. I can't wait to see what Lionel does next.

[June]

Luthor vs. Luthor face off, it doesn't get much better than that. Can't wait to see MB's answer. I love Lex standing up for Chloe against his father, I love Lex period... but that's a whole other story. Can't wait for more.

[sydsvaughn]

There's always fun and intrigue afoot when Luthor takes on Luthor. And I want to hear about those plans Chloe's got!

SaraC

[zelda]

A/N: Okay, there will be several short chapters coming up. Just to keep the action separate.

“Don’t be crass, Lex.” Lionel had barely twitched an eye, which told the younger man that the accusation wasn’t a surprise. “There’s no need to use terms like that in here.”

“My mistake,” Lex said. “I’ll rephrase the question. Why did you ask Chloe to the house and then proceed to threaten her family then assault her?”

“Why would I do something like that? She’s just a teenager.”

“It’s just me here, Dad. I’m not wearing a wire, I just want to know what it is about Chloe Sullivan that fascinates you so much.”

“I’m not worried about any listening devices, Lex,” Lionel said, standing up from his seat. “I took measures long ago to ensure that any conversations in this room cannot be picked up by any surveillance equipment.” He patted his son on the shoulder. “I wonder why this question is coming up now.”

“Well, you haven’t seen her dance yet.”

“Yes I have.” Lionel said, casually.

“And I’ll just bet you watch from someplace she can’t see you. I think that deep down, you’re a little bit afraid of her. After all the things you did to try and shut her down, she put you in jail. Then you had her mother committed and hidden in order to have something to hold over her head, and she still wouldn’t play with you like a good little girl.” He smiled at the twitch in his father’s cheek. “If you followed the old Sicillian proverb, you might have had better luck getting Chloe back under your thumb.”

“Which proverb is that?”

“Don’t ask for what you can’t take.” Then Lex laughed. “You’ve got to be losing your touch. What on earth made you think you could convince Chloe to let you touch her? More threats? She’s smart enough to know that if you’ve found something to exploit, that cooperation won’t ensure safety.”

“She was a silly girl then, she made some serious mistakes.”

“She’s what…Five feet-two inches? Maybe a hundred twenty pounds? And you couldn’t handle her?” Lex laughed again. “You need to work out more.”

“Ms. Sullivan’s life has been filled with tragedy lately, you might not want to get too close to her.” Lionel was watching now. “Too many noble intentions, and not enough control over your zipper can get you caught in the crossfire.”

“Well, at least she hasn’t used her stun gun on me yet,” Lex muttered. “But then, I didn’t have her father killed.”

“She has no one to blame but herself.” Lionel’s words were soft, and Lex fought to keep his features calm. “She should have weighed her options better, then she might not be alone.”

“Would you have offered her a place in your bed as some kind of reward for managing to put you in prison?” He raised his eyebrows. “Are your girlfriends that happy with you?”

“Lex, I try to refrain from giving you romantic advice, but my…girlfriends, have little to complain about, and many women would, and have, fought for that position.”

“Too bad you couldn’t get the one you wanted before someone else came along and snatched her right out from under you.”

Lionel looked confused for a second, but Lex’s smile as he rose from the other chair made his face harden. “Nice seeing you again, Dad.” He walked out the door and winked at the secretary.

Lionel waited until he heard the elevator door close before calling Julie into his office. The woman looked in the open doorway with trepidation.

“I’m extremely displeased with my son, Julie,” he said. “It makes me tense, and I have a meeting with some associates later today. I hate being tense for meetings.” Julie pressed her lips together and went back to the desk where she pressed a few buttons to forward calls to the second receptionist. Then she removed her glasses and set them on her desk before returning to Lionel’s office. “Crawl, please.” Julie nodded wordlessly and shut the office door. Then she got down on her hands and knees and crawled across the floor to her employer’s desk.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t have time for much, just use your mouth.” He was already looking at his desk and the papers he had spread over the top. The young woman might not be particularly fond of this part of their arrangement, but she was smart enough not to show it. Her hands unfastened his belt buckle and she was soon freeing him from his pants. The thought of Chloe giving herself to any other man was enraging, the fact that it was Lex who’d managed to conquer her made it worse.

Lionel was throbbing when Julie’s soft mouth closed on him, he glanced down at her head, bobbing up and down over his lap and closed his eyes, letting his tension flow away. Eventually, he caught her hair in his hand and shoved her face onto his stiff cock and she accepted it, allowing him to spurt into her throat when he was complete.
*

Lex called one of his investigators. When the man answered, Lex found it difficult to keep his voice steady.

“What have you found out?”

“Well, Mr. O’Toole doesn’t appear to be involved with any one particular family. He jumps around, doing a little larceny here, and assaults there.”

“What about murder?”

“It ain’t that he doesn’t appear to have done it, he just usually doesn’t do it in the city.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s not from around here, he comes from about two hours west. He still has ties out there and that’s where a lot of this is coming from. Like your friend told you earlier, he doesn’t brag a lot like some of the others, at least not to his friends.”

Lex asked the man to elaborate and got an interesting picture of the small-time crook. Benny didn’t appear to be as stupid as people thought. His lack of loyalty to one specific crime syndicate in the city benefited him because he got business from all of them. He was willing to travel and had no qualms about any of his work. He’d never balked at anything asked of him. One just needed to pay the price. He hung out with pimps and strippers, and spent most of what he took in. He didn’t gamble, and he didn’t do drugs, he just lived well.

“Can you get some pictures of the people he talks to?”

“I can try, but some of the places need memberships.”

Lex remembered what he’d intended to ask Chloe. He’d wanted to talk to her about Benny, and if she’d seen him. The Silver Spoon was just the kind of place that a wannabe like ‘The Tool’ would want to go. He needed to calm down before he spoke to her again.

“Any luck on that other matter?”

“Mrs. Sullivan? Not so much, I’ve tracked her as far as Canada, but I just know that she’s in the Toronto area.”

“Keep looking.”

Lex hung up and got into his car, he drove back to his penthouse and went to his bedroom. The housekeeper was in the kitchen and hadn’t had a chance to make his bed yet. He sat down on the rumpled sheets and ran a hand over them. He pulled back the bedspread and wasn’t surprised when he saw a few brownish smears. Chloe’s blood.

He really needed to get her out of the Silver Spoon. He doubted that she’d trust him enough to take a chance on moving somewhere he could provide. He knew that he’d let his guilt push him into deciding to help her. It was more than guilt, it was responsibility, and he had to accept his own role in her current situation. She wasn’t the same bright woman she’d been. There was a darkness and sadness that came from loss and trauma. She needed to heal, and she wasn’t going to do that in stilettos and coconuts.
*

[lexchloe]

Nice update. Love how Lex is able to hold his own against the :devil: MB. I'm a little worried though about what he'll do now he knows about Chloe and Lex. Are Benny and Chloe linked in a way that we don't know about yet??? More soon please.

[hfce]

I hope Lex didnt give to much away to Lionel. I dont want that ass to bother Chloe again.


H.

[kitten]

:hammer:

Lionel needs to be squished in the worst way possible, and all the women he's used should be there to watch. Perhaps a baseball stadium would be appropriate.

But I'm glad Lex is both savvy and sensitive. Hopefully Chloe will learn to trust him.

[Queen Of Tact]

Oh great update... Lionel is a sick and twisted old man... I really hope Lex is able to step up this time and keep Chloe safe, and yes he needs to get her out of the club...


CC

[buddyfozzy]

I love Lex's meeting with Lionel :devil: :devil: :devil: I hope this doesn't make things worse for Chloe though. I'm glad Lex is really going to help Chloe get out of the Silver Spoon. :wub: :wub: :wub:

[autumngold]

What an excellent update!! :worship2: I'm so glad that Lex was able to best Lionel, at least for now!! I hope that Chloe will listen to Lex and try to protect herself more!! Please, please post more soon!! :wub: :chlexsign2: :wub:

[randa]

exelente!!!
lionel is such a bastard to chloe...he really is kinda mental :huh:

more soon


randa

[sydsvaughn]

This story continues to intrigue me ... please, update soon! I can't wait to see what Lex has planned!

SaraC

[zelda]

A/N: Thanks to Dani for letting me use her name.

Chloe dressed differently for her hostess duties than for dancing. Since the lounge was only one part of the club, and not visited by all of its members so she wore low-heeled pumps, a slim, knee-length pencil skirt, and a rose-colored blouse. She worked primarily through the restaurant and gaming room, though when she was needed to direct other staff members she floated to other parts of the club. It ran itself pretty well with each department, or vice, going by its own rules. The host or hostess just buffered the relationships between all of them.

Tonight was a busy night; Chloe kept her smile in place and greeted some of the regulars warmly. The men knew better than to be too forward with the hostess, she was the acting manager and preferred this position to the dancing, though it didn’t usually tip as well. Tonight a group of Japanese businessmen were arriving as guests of a long-time member and she’d needed to arrange for extra help to provide the group with massages. They kept their own on staff, but not enough for a large group to be served at the same time. She was busy teaming up the temporary help with the head masseur when an unexpected voice spoke into her ear.

“So good to see you out and about, Chloe.” She managed not to cringe and turned around.

“Good evening Mr. Luthor,” she said to Lionel. “But the name is Ms. Brax when I’m working. Management will back me up on my decision to remain on formal speaking terms with a guest.”

“Danielle Brax,” he said, rolling the name around his mouth. “I can’t say that it suits you.”

“Then by all means say nothing at all.” She asked one of the waiters to escort him to his table, when she’d seen his name on the reservation list, she’d known that he’d cause trouble. Mitch was still on her shit list and had been very nice to her after the “incident” with her lack of security. Well-spoken, intelligent young women who were sought-after by billionaires were not people Mitch wanted to lose. Since it was common knowledge that Lex and his father did not get along, Mitch hadn’t been surprised to hear that she and Lionel were not on good terms. He’d agreed to try and keep the man out of her way, and vice-versa.

Chloe kept on with her duties and just avoided the areas where Lionel was carousing, and didn’t worry too much until she saw a familiar, bald, head in the entryway. The last thing she needed was a scene, so she made her way to his side immediately.

“Good evening.” Lex was dressed in casual slacks and shirt with a leather jacket over it. Tonight wasn’t about business so she couldn’t count on him behaving.

“Your father’s here, tonight,” she said, in a low voice. “Maybe this isn’t the best night for you to be here.” He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her into a corner.

“I’ll leave if you’ll come with me.” His gaze told her how serious he was. “I don’t want you here.”

“I don’t need you to pull me out of here, Lex. I don’t need a hero. I’m handling things on my own.”

“I can protect you better if you’re closer to me.” He held onto her elbow. It was a touch meant to comfort, there was no intimacy in his grip.

“Your father does what he wants, and he lives with the consequences, you can’t change that.” She glanced around them. “I know that you mean well, but the closer I am to you, the closer he looks at me.”

“Is this what your father would have wanted? Because that’s not the Gabe Sullivan I remember.”

Chloe’s lips tightened and he saw two spots of color stain her cheeks.

“The Gabe Sullivan you knew took risks for you when you needed someone to help with a buyout, he put our security on the line because he trusted you despite your reputation.” She poked her finger into the middle of his chest. “He ended up a pawn in a stupid pissing contest because your father accused me of feeding you information. He ended up dead, most likely because he was concerned about me.” Her voice remained low. “I’ll never know.”

“Let me help you.”

“No, just stay out of it, it’s safer for everyone.” She turned away from him and greeted a group of Asian men without hesitation. She spoke a few words of Japanese, just enough to welcome them to the club. Then they followed her upstairs to where the private rooms were.

Lex was about to move out of the corner when he saw a familiar face. Benny O’Toole had just walked in. Lex remained casually still, if his posture was frozen, it would draw attention, so he just waited while the man hired to kill him walked toward the lounge. He wondered if Benny had followed him and was planning to kill him tonight. He’d left his guards at home, deciding to confront Chloe on his own. Now was a good time for a tactical retreat, he decided and left.

Lex paged his investigator and told him to stop at the club and watch Benny. The man agreed and said he’d be there shortly and for Lex to get back to the penthouse. He told his employer that it made more sense for him to avoid the man who was trying to kill him than to stick around. Lex wholeheartedly agreed. His curiosity was piqued by his father being in the club the same night as O’Toole and figured that there was a good chance the two were connected. He didn’t believe in coincidence anymore.

*

Lionel watched for Chloe, catching glimpses of her as she passed the doorway to the dining room. In the fitted clothing she wore, it was more apparent that she’d lost weight in the last few months. He smiled a little; taking pleasure in it. He always loved the feeling of having a physical effect on a person, even when he wasn’t in contact with them. The way people sweated and trembled around him, the way women occasionally blushed under his intense gaze, and Chloe’s hollowed cheeks and pronounced collarbone might have looked normal to anyone else, but he’d remembered the softness that she’d possessed.

Not bony and emaciated like so many other girls her age; she’d had a curve that had appealed to him in a way that was both youthful and womanly at the same time. Having a woman’s breasts and hips while retaining the fullness of youth in her face had been one of the attractions. She was straddling the line between girl and adult. Now she had coldness in place of the enthusiasm. He liked being the cause, even if he missed the fire. Still, it wasn’t enough. No one could hurt him and get away with it. But she wasn’t as easy to reach now. The fact that her uncle was a powerful and crafty General had been more of an obstacle. Especially since the man had thwarted his attempts on her life in the past.

Sam Lane was something to be avoided, since he wasn’t exactly removable. Lionel snorted into his brandy. The tough old sonofabitch was nearly impossible to kill. He knew, he’d spoken to a few of the people who’d tried and failed. No, he was to be avoided if Lionel wanted to pursue Chloe. And if Lex’s implication that he’d already had the girl were true, it would make it that much sweeter to take her back. He cradled his brandy and narrowed his gaze as he saw a familiar face across the room.
*
Lex knew he was taking unnecessary chances, he should just have O’Toole whacked. But it wouldn’t solve the problem. Someone was out to kill him and he needed to follow the man to his employer. O’Toole would be replaceable, and he’d be back at square one. He didn’t like wasted efforts. He didn’t like distractions either, and Chloe Sullivan was a distraction. He shouldn’t be worrying about her yet. In just a short time, he’d have the identity of his would-be racketeer, and he could worry about her then.

Lex cursed himself. Thinking like that is what put her in danger in the first place. It’s what made her vulnerable to an attack by his father. He’d just waved a red flag in his father’s face, and the man was currently at the club where she worked. And here he was, sitting at his penthouse and keeping himself safe.

[Zannie]

Wow--I leave for a couple of days and miss about four updates. But now I'm caught back up. Very interesting plot developments. I'm fascinated about how you're planning to unravel everything.

I'm getting slightly less resentful toward Lex, but he still has a long way to go. I'm glad he was sweet to her in the smut, but they both should have made better decisions. Now everything is even more difficult and complicated.

Looking forward to seeing all of the consequences and repercussions from the various elements you have integrated into the plot.

By the way, if I was on my knees in front of Lionel (*shudders in horror*), I would do something quite different . . . and it would hopefully involve a sharp weapon.

[buddyfozzy]

Originally posted by zelda@Jan 15 2005, 12:11 PM
Lex cursed himself. Thinking like that is what put her in danger in the first place. It’s what made her vulnerable to an attack by his father. He’d just waved a red flag in his father’s face, and the man was currently at the club where she worked. And here he was, sitting at his penthouse and keeping himself safe.
I love this last paragraph.

Lionel is such a bastard for showing up at Chloe's club like that.....I knew when Lex told him that he and Chloe were together there was going to be trouble. :devil: :ohmy: :devil:

This Tool situation really needs to be dealt with....I hope Lex can find proof that Lionel's behind it. :yay2: :yay2:

Excellent chapter! :yay: :worship2: :yay:

[lexchloe]

Lex cursed himself. Thinking like that is what put her in danger in the first place. It’s what made her vulnerable to an attack by his father. He’d just waved a red flag in his father’s face, and the man was currently at the club where she worked. And here he was, sitting at his penthouse and keeping himself safe.*




Lex love you for standing up to the :devil: MB but you really should have thought about this before you dropped the hints about you and Chloe. All it's done is made him even more determined to get her which is :nobad: . The MB is really creeping me out, especially with how much enjoyment he's taking in making Chloe suffer. Really loving this story and can't wait for more.

[autumngold]

Great update!! Lionel is so creepy!! I can't believe that Lex left Chloe there with his father!! Please, please update again soon!! I can't wait for more!! But please keep Lex and Chloe safe!! :worship2: :chlexsign4: :worship2:

[zelda]

A/N: I've got the holiday off today, so there will probably be an additional update late tonight EST.

By the time Chloe finished her shift, she was exhausted. She gladly accepted Donna's offer to walk with her to the subway. Though some of the other dancers hadn't warmed to her yet, they'd eased off in their hostility. Chloe changed into her jeans and sneakers, wiggling her toes when she eased the pumps off her toes. The two women walked together to the subway station, and waited for their respective trains. They chatted lightly and Donna brought up the subject of her private dance.

"So I hear Mitch sold out your security to some guy at a hotel." Her face was sympathetic. "You okay?"

"He didn't do anything, just wanted to show me that he could have."

"Ex boyfriend?"

"No. Just someone I used to know." Donna's train arrived. Before getting on, she kissed Chloe briefly on the cheek.

"You can refuse to go. I know working here seems like a trap, but it doesn't weaken you. It makes you strong enough to take anything that comes your way."

"I never thought about the meat market philosophy." Chloe smiled.

"Not just here, I mean everything that you've gone through, Dani. Or Chloe, or whatever your name is." She stepped onto the train and it pulled away from the station. Chloe had a five minute wait for her own train, and at quarter of five in the morning, there wasn't much company. She thought about Donna's words. She was right, everything she'd gone through had brough her to this point and she wasn't weak. She might be a little unlucky and be victim to some bad timing, but she had learned from the past. She'd developed some instincts, and knew the second the man from the club stepped onto the platform.

"I know you carry a stun gun, Honey." He was standing about five feet behind her and to the left. "No reason to bring it out. I'm just here to talk to you." Chloe rolled her shoulders carefully, then turned to face the man. He'd been watching her at the club, the only question was his employer. She didn't carry a bag, usually leaving her work clothes to be cleaned with the rest of the costumes. Her money was in her pocket, her stun gun was attached to her belt at the small of her back, covered by a light jacket.

"What makes you think I need a stun gun for an old man like yourself?" She went for the bold approach. "Why use a stun gun when I've got my trusty size seven and a halfs." She planted her feet but shifted her weight to the side. "Now, who are you working for?"

"That's not important," he replied. "I need some answers."

"Then go watch Jeopardy."

"I need them from you, Ms. Sullivan." She stiffened at the use of the title.

"What does Mr. Luthor want?" The man smiled at her question.

"I'm here as much to protect you as to ask questions, Ms. Sullivan. Let me see you home." he looked like he was in his mid-forties. Probably a retired cop or something. She narrowed her eyes. "I can't express to you how important this is."

"I'll be fine." Her train was approaching, she backed toward the edge of the platform and felt the wind from the arrival blow her hair around. He started forward and she anticipated his movement.

"Please, I don't want to-" He started forward with his hands outstretched. His words were cut of by her foot connecting with his solar plexus. She snapped her foot back a dn he doubled over but didn't fall. He reached for her with both arms and she blocked him with her left hand then drove her fist hard into his groin. He let out a whoosh of breath and she landed her elbow square on the bridge of his nose. She didn't hesitate, she just walked onto the subway and left him lying on the concrete.

Chloe pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, her fingers were trembling from the adrenaline. She could call her uncle, or she could call Lois. She could even break down and call Clark. Clark could make it to the next stop before the train did. But then he'd want answers, and she couldn't give them to him.
*
Jack caught his breath, ignoring the odd looks he was getting from the handful of passengers who'd departed the subway. He held a handkerchief to his bleeding nose and pulled out his own phone.

"She bolted at the subway station before I could even tell her why I wanted to talk to her."

"Why didn't you follow her?" Lex's voice was frustrated.

"She's hardly helpless, Mr. Luthor, and I think she may have broken my nose." Silence on the other end of the line. Then his employer spoke.

"Go to a hospital, get cleaned up, and send me the bill. I'll get to her myself."

"Just a word of advice," he said. "The stun gun is the least of your problems."
*

Chloe stepped off the train, warily and looked around the Metropolis station. In the hour it had taken to get home, the early morning rush had begun. Everyone was getting to work as she was going home to sleep. She kept her pace casual and tried to blend in with the crowd; but when a hand fastened onto her elbow, she debated yelling 'Thief."

"It's just me, now relax." Lex's voice sounded in her ear and he propelled her through the crowd toward his car, a Mercedes parked illegally close to the subway. “You attacked an employee of mine and probably broke his nose.” He sounded amused rather than angry.

“Well, he should have known better than to approach me when I was alone. I get a little jumpy sometimes.” Chloe wasn’t feeling conciliatory. “Where are we going?”

“Just someplace we can talk.”

“Lex, I’m really tired, can this wait?”

“You can take a nap at my place, I promise I’ll leave you alone, now come on.”

Chloe sighed dramatically but allowed him to take her to the penthouse. When they arrived, he told her about the conversation he’d had with his father. She was upset and Lex understood.

“Lex, he was at the club last night, he’s obviously back to his pseudo-stalking. This is just fantastic.” She was pacing around nervously. “Why else would he be there?”

“I don’t know, but that’s why I had Jack out looking around.” Chloe gave him a sharp look. “He wasn’t just following you, you know.”

“I’m horribly offended.”

“How about that nap?”

Chloe was exhausted, and the idea of sleeping someplace safe appealed to her. Then she wondered when she’d started thinking of Lex as safe. She agreed and he led her to his bedroom.

“I’ll be getting some work done, so you can sleep undisturbed, just shout if you need anything.”

Chloe undressed and slipped between the sheets in her underwear. She tingled a little at the memory of the night Lex had made love to her. It had been more than pleasant, it had been amazing. She thought about Lex, just in the other room. She could hear the tapping of his fingers on the keyboard and for a moment, she felt a pang of loneliness. Not for her father or for her old life, but for him. She would miss him, just a little bit.

*
It was mid afternoon when Chloe woke up. Lex wasn’t in the other room, but his computer was still on. She took a shower and wrapped herself in his robe. When she came out of the bathroom, the fragrant smell of hot food greeted her.

“Have a nice rest?” Lex was back at his desk, but there was a covered plate nearby. “I had the chef make a little something before he left for the night.”

“What are you working on?” She glanced over his shoulder at the screen.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about something, Chloe. If you don’t mind helping me.” His eyes strayed over her form briefly, but he averted his eyes. He looked tired.

“What’s up?” Warning bells were going off in Chloe’s head, but she tried to remain calm. She leaned on the desk next to him, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Someone’s been hired to kill me, and I’ve been trying to figure out who it is for the past few weeks.”

“Really?” Her voice was weak. “Why is someone trying to kill you now?”

“No one’s tried yet, I just heard through my own sources that discreet inquiries had been made about a possible contract on me, and a man named Benny O’Toole had been contacted .”

“If you found the man, why not just talk to the authorities, or whomever you use to handle situations like that. I’m sure the guy would’ve talked eventually.” Chloe leaned casually against the desk. “If this O’Toole guy wants you dead, why wait around?”

“Because I want to make sure I know who he’s working for before I make a move. He could be hired by a courier or someone acting as a middle-man. I’ve asked an old acquaintance to keep an eye on him, but so far he hasn’t been able to get much.”

“So what do you want with me?”

“He hangs out in the Spoon. And if he talks to anyone, it’s girls.” He pulled up a digital photo of Benny. “This is the guy, have you seen him?”

“Yeah, he looks a little familiar. I think he hangs out in the lounge, but I’m not sure who he talks to.”

“Don’t do anything dangerous,” he warned. “But I know you’re good at listening so if you can think of anything, or think you know of one of the other girls who might, I’d be willing to pay for information.”

“I’ll see what I can find out at my next shift.”

“Have you thought about retirement?” Lex rested his hand on her wrist. “Seriously, I have very secure apartments across the country that I rarely use. I can put you in one-” Chloe’s finger touched his lips gently, silencing him.

“It’s really nice that you want to help me, but I can’t accept your offer.” Lex puckered his lips and kissed the end of her finger. The look on her face was one of tenderness, and a little regret. He stood up and cupped her face in his hands.

“I know I’m one of the last men you want to get involved with,” he said, staring into her green eyes. “I know you’re not fond of my family, but if you can trust me enough to let me make love to you, can you at least consider it?”

“Why me?” she asked. “Why now? Are you offering out of guilt?”

“There are so many things going on to complicate us, but the best explanation I can give is that you understand me, even without knowing me and I can’t imagine anyone else.” He kissed her forehead.

Chloe felt a twist of pain in her heart. Lex looked almost vulnerable. He had the same expression on his face that he’d worn when the truth about his desire for his father’s love had been unwillingly wrenched from him. She placed her hands on his chest, but instead of pushing him away like she’d planned, she leaned up instead and kissed him. Her mouth was gentle on his. She slipped her tongue between his lips and felt his hands grip her waist.

Lex felt his blood pumping quickly with lust, and the need to hold onto her tightly, he was suddenly afraid of losing her. He reminded himself, as he took over the kiss, that she wasn't his to keep or lose. But he was only half listeneing to himself.

Chloe pushed him back into his chair and leaned down over him. With impatient hands, Lex tugged at the belt of her robe and pulled her thigh over his lap. She sat down, straddling him, and he rocked his already blooming erection against her. He lifted her by her waist after parting the terry robe and held her above him while his mouth latched onto her nipple. Her arms were partially trapped by the robe which was pushed as far as her elbows, but he had enough freedom to rip his shirt open and push it off his shoulders. She felt a moment of insecurity at their precarious position, but Lex's strong hands on her ribcage were steady.

Chloe moved her own hips against him and he responded with his teeth, making her moan. Her hands fumbled with his zipper, frantic with the need to feel him inside her. Lex moved his own fingers down and began stroking her, fast and hard, trying to prepare her for him. She was moist already, but he wanted her slick. She didn't have the patience for that, however and once she'd taken him out of his pants, she was already hovering over him.

"Wait." he said, in a rough voice. "You're not ready."

"Can't," she panted. "Need you now."

Lex still didn't have the power to resist when he felt her sex above him. He gripped her bottom and lowered her slowly onto his throbbing shaft. It was a singularly torturous experience to wait while her body slowly gave way to him. He felt sweat break out on his upper lip when her pelvis finally met his. Then he moved his hands back to her waist and waited while she moved herself around, making herself comfortable. Then she began to rock and Lex couldn't help but move. Their pace didn't stay slow. Chloe was clinging to him and fastened her teeth onto his ear. He bucked upward, hard, and pushed her down onto him. She gripped his hips with her thighs and began riding him just as hard.

Lex closed his mouth onto her other breast and hooked an arm under her knee, bringing her leg up and giving him deeper access.

"Want to stay...inside you...always." His breath was goingin in harsh gasps and he felt her begin to quiver inside at his words. "So Fucking beautiful," he whispered against her neck. "So fucking perfect." She tightened on him and gave a small cry, driving her nails into his shoulders. The sound was more than an orgasm for her, his glance at her face told him that she was actually crying while she continued to rock her hips, riding out the spasms. Lex planted his feet firmly and tightened his arms where they were on her body, then he stood up and laid her back on his desk, on top of all his papers, and leaned over her.

"Lex." She was still crying and clinging to him. She wrapped the leg he wasn't holding around his back and arched, trying to pull him deeper inside. He started thrusting again, moving her leg up onto his shoulder and pushing as deep and hard as he could. He bit her neck and felt her nails again. He cursed under his breath when he felt his balls tighten and came with a shout, pumping himself into her. His whole body quaked with the intensity of his orgasm. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but be. There. With her.

When sensation began to return to Lex's extremeties, he lifted his chest off Chloe and brushed the tears from her cheeks with trembling fingers.

"What's wrong?" he said, still trying to catch his breath. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I couldn't slow down. Are you okay?" Chloe just nodded and he kissed her swollen lips, withdrawing from her slowly. He pulled her upright and she closed her robe with equally unsteady hands. He refastened his pants and removed his shirt, wiping the perspiration off his face and skull with it. Chloe stumbled past him and walked, unsteadily through the bedroom to the bathroom.

Lex was straightening his desk when his cell phone rang. he answered it.

"It's Braun." The man's voice sounded urgent. "I've got some news for you." Lex glanced over at the bedroom door. he could see Chloe moving around, getting dressed.

"What's up?"

"I found out something that might help you."

"Go ahead." Chloe came out of the bedroom dressed in jeans and one of his black t-shirts. He gestured for her to come closer and pointed to the phone.

"You know how I told you that Benny doesn't talk much? Well, I saw him talking to one of the girls, he was just hitting on one of the dancers, but he mentioned a name. Someone he was looking for about business." Lex felt Chloe come up against his side.

"Who was it?"

"Some girl named Dani Brax." Lex felt cool metal against his neck, followed by the initial jolt of electricity. Then he felt nothing at all.

[autumngold]

Why oh why does Chloe want Lex dead? I really wish that she wouldn't hurt Lex!! Please, please update soon!! I can't wait for more!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[lexchloe]

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!



........................... *whispers* or at least I think I know it. Is Chloe the one with the contract out on 'someone corporate' ?????? Great update. Can't wait for the next part.

[Kit Merlot]

Okay, this needs to be updated as soon as you can becasue

I NEED ANSWERS!

Excellent update by the way :biggrin:

[LaLa]

:ohmy: :goof: :huh: agahhhh aghaaaa agahhhhhh! --- that was me at the final

:crygreen: :worship2: --- that is me after the shock

MORE! xoxoLaLa

[June]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.. wait just a minute.... get back here right now missy. You can not just do that and then leave it.... or maybe you can... evil, pure evil.

[Thessaly]

What the fu...?

Um, zelda, you know I love you and your fic but frankly you're freaking me out. Has Lionel blackmailed her into this? Is it revenge? I don't understand. Lex gave her sweet, sweet lovin'. (Even if, as Zannie said, it was a little premature.)

If anyone deserves a damn good tasering, it's Lionel and his shrivelled little organs.

Come back and fix it so that my tiny brain understands what's going on.

Thessaly

[hfce]

So Chloe is the killer what bitch.,... :tease:

[sydsvaughn]

You can't say you didn't warn us ... (with the hints I just picked up on) ... but I'm hanging in there to see what happens next.

Intriguing plot you've got going here!

SaraC

[Reese]

ROFLMAO! Now *that's* some good shit! :hehe:

Whew. I wish I could say that I saw it coming but I was so focused on Chloe getting some Lex-Lovin' that I wasn't even paying attention to the whole there's-a-contract-out-on-Lex part. Kudos to those of you who even had a clue. That little revelation had me (literally) screaming "WTF? Are you SERIOUS?"

Now I hate to be one of those people who demand in their FB that you get back here ASAP, possibly threaten your life if you don't and so on and so forth but...

Well, you're safe...for now ;)

Reese

[zelda]

A/N: Okay, still a few surprises ahead. Sorry I didn't have spell-check available and it was really late so I couldn't have my roommie look it over.


Lex opened his eyes, He was on the floor, and his face was pushed into the carpet. Then hands, hands that pulled him by the shoulder till he was lying on his back. Chloe's face, above him. She was slightly out of breath.

"God, I'm so sorry, Lex." She looked upset. He could relate.

"You'll never get away with this." He knew it was a lame line being given by the guy tied up on the floor. He couldn't tell what was around his ankles, but he could feel the terrycloth robe tie around his wrists. The irony did not escape him.

"I will, get away with it, I've been planning for too long. I can't have you messing things up now for me."

"Braun's going to come here and find you."

"I'll be long gone. And it'll all be over." She looked at him with regret. "I'm so sorry it had to end up this way." She looked at her watch.

"Why did you fuck me?" His harsh words couldn't hide the edge of hurt he felt. "Is that some kinky little praying mantis thing? Mate, then kill?"

"Lex, you've been barking up the wrong tree for weeks now. And I don't have time to explain." Her cell phone rang and she answered it terseley, running a hand through her sweaty blonde hair. "I'll be there in about twenty minutes. I'll take care of that and just wait till you hear us. I'll only need a few minutes with him." Finally, it dawned on Lex. He watched her hang up the phone and look around.

"It wasn't me." She glanced his way. "It's my father, right?"

"I called him while I was getting dressed, he'll be waiting for me."

"Why?" She looked annoyed. "Okay, dumb question, how?"

"Sorry, no time to chat now." She stuffed a handkerchief in his mouth and secured it with a piece of duct tape. He knew he couldn't have been unconscious for that long. Stun guns were only temporary.

Chloe leaned down to him. "I'd kiss you goodbye, but that would be melodramatic." She rose to leave. "By the way, Benny was contacted by Lionel last night and he was planning to have you killed. Beleive me or don't but I'm sure you'll do the investigating yourself so you'll understand soon enough."

Chloe left the building and caught a cab. She headed to Lionel's apartment building. She didn't bother with any disguise except a ball cap. She knew that there were cameras everywhere, fortunately, she was prepared for it. When she buzzed Lionel's apartment, the door clicked open. She stuck a piece of tape over the latch, not bothering to look behind her to see if Benny was around. She knew he'd be right behind her. She fingeredthe thick envelope stuffed fat with all of the money she'd scraped together over the last three months.

Chloe took the stairs to the basement and the only corridor that wasn't being filmed. She made her way to the security room and knocked on the door. When the door opened she tried to look pathetic.

"I think someone's followed me here from the garage. Can you have someone walk me upstairs and check my apartment?" The security guard smiled. "It's just me tonight, Honey, but I'll walk you," he said with a kind smile. "Just let me lock up." He turned around and Chloe zapped him. He fell to his knees and she used duct tape to secure him. Then she removed the tapes from the machines that were hooked up to the surveilance cameras in the elevator, top floor, and lobby.

Chloe put tape over his mouth and eyes, then left the way she came. She took the elevator upstairs, tucking the tapes into her napsack. When she walked down the hallway, her sneakers made little noise, she lifted her fist to knock on Lionel's door but he opened it before she could strike.

"Ms. Sullivan. How delightful to see you." He opened the door graciously and allowed her inside. She walked in, careful not to touch anything on her way to the living room.

"I just want to get this overwith and be on my way."

"I must say I'm intrigued by your request," he said, walking up close behind her. "I was surprised when you called about my son."

"I know about your plans." She sipped the preamble and small talk. "And I don't care. I just want some answers or I take Benny to the cops with me."

"You think that Mr. O'Toole will help you?" Lionel laughed. "This is too ironic. I don't believe you understand my humor at this, Ms. Sullivan, I must enlighten you."

"That's where you're wrong, Lionel. About that and many things. I just have one question for you, then you can have the tape I made of Benny discussing his plans." Lionel frowned. "The night I left you trussed up by the pool. You called my father. i want to know what you said to him."

"Do you think I'm going to fall for that? You don't even have truth serum to get your answers."

"You can frisk me for a wire if you like?" Chloe put down her bag inside the door to his study and stepped inward. She spread her arms out and turned around slowly. "I told you that you could be armed, and that I wouldn't be, so why don't you check?"

Lionel grinned. Then he approached and Chloe held back her revulsion as her ran his hands slowly over her shoulders. He stood behind her, much too close, and ran his fingertips down her spine before splaying his hands around her waist and running them up her front. Chloe's stomach lurched when he ran his palms over her breasts, she could feel his breath on her ear and it was getting heavy. He moved down to her waist and then down each of her legs.

"Okay, so you're not wearing a wire."

"I just want to know what you and my father talked about." She let him hear the tears in her voice. "I never got a chance to talk to him."

"I called your father after you left, and told him that I'd given you a gift. I told him about the set of pearls and my visits with your mother." He came around the front of her and smiled. "Your father was very upset when he heard that you had injured yourself. I told him that you'd run into a door, and fallen on the floor, and that I certainly hoped you weren't too upset by the experience. I also told him how much I was looking forward to having you back again. And again. And again."

"So Daddy thought that you'd actually managed to force me."

"I suppose he could've drawn that conclusion. In fact, he was probably coming to confront me. But then, I had a feeling that might happen."

"You'd planned the accident before I even got to the mansion." It wasn't a question. Lionel just smiled.

"Too bad about that. His car going off the bridge like that." he shrugged. "Now, what about these tapes of yours?"

"Nope, no tapes. No evidence, just a little heresay." Che smiled back at him. "I just needed to get in here to talk to you." Lionel drew his pistol from the waistband of his designer trousers. "I wasn't lying when I said that I came unarmed." She stepped to the side of the doorway. I just lied about coming alone."

*

Lex heard the door crash inward and from his position on the floor, saw Braun and Jack run into the bedroom. Both of their guns were drawn and Jack came to him first. he removed the tape over his mouth and Lex spit out the handkerchief.

"Cut me loose, and get me a phone." As soon as he was free he picked up the phone and dialed his father's number.

*

The phone on the desk rang and it distracted Lionel for a moment. Chloe jumped to the side and heard the soft puff of the silenced pistol, simultaneously fired with the shot from Lionel's own gun. She stood up and looked around. The phone was still ringing and she let it.

Chloe gazed at Benny, lying prone on the floor, he had a bullethole in his chest and was lying very still. Across the floor, Lionel was staggering to the desk, clutching his stomach. Before he could reach the phone, however, Chloe kicked the back of his knee and sent him down to the floor. Then she stepped on the wrist that held his gun. Lionel was in pain and shock and she slid the weapon from his grasp easily. Blood was pouring from the wound in his stomach, exactly where she'd told Benny to shoot.

Lionel said nothing, he just panted as he fought for consciousness and life. Chloe watched as he went limp and waited a full sixty seconds before checking the pulse on his wrist. It slowed, then stopped. There were no snide remarks from him, no last jibe. He was just dead.

Chloe picked up her bag and walked out the door. She used the back stairs and exited through the basement. Then she walked out onto the street and hailed a cab. When she got in, she asked the man to take her to a parking garage four blocks away where the car she'd rented was waiting. She felt her cell phone buzz and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"Damn it, Chloe! What have you done?"

"Stay in touch now."

"I'll find you."

"I know you will." She hung up the phone and paid the cab driver, then she got out and walked to where the blue, ford sedan was parked. She'd rented it with a fake ID, Dani Brax's, and drove it directly out of the city. She knew not to expect police this early. Lex would go himself before calling anyone. She didn't head for Canada. The one sacrifice she had to make was her mother. She hadn't been able to find her, but then, the woman hadn't wanted to be found before, so she couldn't think about it yet.

Chloe crossed the border into Mexico with her cousin's passport and a brown wig. She checked into a hotel and called home.

Lois was in hysterics. Chloe didn't admit anything, she just said that she'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn't trust anyone in the city. She agreed to keep her cell phone for the time being, and asked Lois to not try and find her right away.

"I'll invite you down for margaritas and sunshine, darlin'," she said with more joviality than she felt. Lois asked her if she needed cash, Chloe said that she had enough for a little while, but that she might eventually.

"Just say the word, but if I don't hear from you at least once a week, I'm going to raise Holy Hell."

"I'd appreciate it if you would. Cause it'll mean I'm dead." Silence answered her. "Think positive, and keep Sam from trying to find me. He might lead Lex to me, and I just can't handle that right now."
*
November...

Chloe walked on the beach, feeling the breeze cool her skin. She'd developed a tan, and calluses on her feet from walking barefoot. She'd found a decent job that helped to augment her savings, and had rented a bungalo. For a girl not yet twenty, she felt like she'd accomplished a lot. Lois was visiting her. Lois had brought her a pile of money and didn't say where she'd gotten it. They'd talked about what had happened, or at least, Lois asked and Chloe changed the subject.

"I can't tell, you Lo'. I don't want you to have information that other people want."

"I can't stand this." Lois was upset. "You know Daddy's going to find you."

"He already did, three weeks ago," Chloe said, blandly. "Why do you think he didn't have you stopped at the border?" Lois shrugged. "Anyway, I'll come back when things cool down."

"Liar."

"I mean it," Chloe said, putting on her honest face. "If Lex decides to let things cool off, then I'll come back."

"That'll never happen." The older girl stroked her cousin's hair. it was past her shoulders now, and lightened by the sun. "In fact, I'm probably endangering you by being here. This money'd probably..." She stopped. Chloe grabbed her shoulder.

"It's probably what?" Lois bit her lip. "Where did you get the money?"

"From Lex." She winced as soon as she said it, and Chloe ran back to the bungalo where the bag was hidden under some floorboards. "He offered it to me to tell him what I knew. I just said that you called from time to time but I didn't know where you were. He gave me the money anyway."

"He probably knew you'd bring it here." Chloe dug out the bag and upended it. She went through all of the stacks of bills until she found it. A tinly little metal plug that pierced the center of a stack of bills.

"Shit, Chloe," Lois started grabbing random objects from the floor and bed. "I didn't know; I should have, but I didn't." She started stuffing things in her bag and plucked the tracker from her cousin's hands. I'll just keep driving down the coast till I find a nice place to toss it in the ocean. Then I'll call you when I'm on my way back." Chloe placed her hand over her cousin's. "If you come back, Sam can protect you, he's done it before."

"It's alright, Lois, just take it down the coast, at least a hundred miles, then toss it into the ocean. I'll call you in a few days."

After Lois took her leave, Chloe showered, changed and sat out on her porch, watching the sun set. Inside, she was calm. She knew when he came. The bugs stopped making noise when he approached. She didn't see him, but she spoke anyway.

"I know you're there, I'm unarmed, you can come out." Lex melted out of the shadows. He was dressed in black stealth gear. And he was armed; he had a pistol strapped to his waist. Chloe eyed the outfit. "Wher'd you get that? Army surplus?"

"You didn't run." Hearing his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She shook her head. "I thought you'd be down the coast and halfway across the ocean by now."

"No you didn't. You came here yourself to confront me." She was wearing a loose, cotton dress in a floral print. It wasn't her regular style, and her feet were bare. "So, tell me what you found out." She got up from her chair and opened the front door, she let him walk in and went to the old refrigerator. She tooka bottle of tequila out of the ice box and poured two shots. She pushed one towards him but he didn't drink it. She stood on the other side of the chipped counter and tossed down hers. Three months in Mexico could build up a tolerance for the bitter taste of tequila, but she still winced a little.

"Benny was the one who killed your father." Lex stood with his hands behind his back, his posture was tough, but his voice was gentler. Chloe nodded. "How did you find out?"

"Perseverance, and a little blind luck led me to Benny." She poured herself another and this time, Lex joined her in a shot. "He ran my father off the road but your father had hired him to do it long before his fallout with me." Her voice was tinged with the bitterness Lex could taste. "He'd planned to...break me that night by forcing me to have sex, then sending me home only to get the news that my father was dead."

"And don't forget about your mother."

"I couldn't find her, I tried, but I couldn't"

"I did." Lex put his glass back in front of the bottle. "She's out and living in Canada. I thought it might be safer there."

"Did she..."

"Ask about you?" Lex shook his head. "Sorry, she didn't want to get involved." Chloe shrugged it off, but poured two more shots. Lex took the bottle from her. "So you hired Benny to kill my father."

"He had no loyalty to anyone. He even took money from your father to kill you next. He laughed about it, how he made sure to get it up front."

"I know, Jack asked around till he found out that my father met with Benny the night before he died." He shook his head "I guess I was getting a little too powerful for him."

"Well, he probably figured you'd eventually kill him yourself."

"I might have."

"I guess I just saved you the trouble."

"Do you want a Thank you?"

"Nope." She shrugged. "But if you're not here to kill me, why are you here?"

"Maybe I am here to kill you," he said, drawing his pistol and examining it. "Maybe I'm about to avenge my father's murder and get some closure."

"Closure?" Chloe walked around the counter. "Yeah you came here for closure, alright. But you know damned well that you can't justify killing me." Her tone was harsh. "After what your father put me through, after what he did, can you blame me for it?"

"No, I can't," he replied. "But it doesn't mean I can let it go."

"I saved your life, but you're probably just jeaous that I managed, yet again, to accomplish what you've failed to do." She walked up to him, and stood close. "You can't thank me for it, even if you're relieved. You can't shoot me because you know I was right. You can't walk away because there's too much that needs resolution between us."

"There is no us."

"You wanted there to be an us," she said softly. Lex saw a little of the tenderness and sympathy that he'd once seen in her face. "We'd both said it. No one else understands." His hands clamped around her upper arms in a harsh grip.

"You don't know me at all." Then his mouth came down on hers, hard and unyielding.

[Reese]

First of all, thank you for coming through with another update as you mentioned you would in your last post. I've kept my computer on while I've read and cleaned since my last bit of FB on the off chance you'd come through. Good you. Well done :)

So now...where do we go from here? Is it going to be the obvious smutfest I'm sure that more than one of us is hoping for? Or will there be more twists and turns? Will Lex and Chloe actually end up together (happily ever after and all that jazz)? Or, and this might just be me, doesn't that seem a bit too simple in a story like this?

*sigh* Yeah, I was afraid of that...

Reese

[lexchloe]

:yay: :yay: I knew I knew it...... or at least I knew part of it. Kinda figured chloe had put a hit on :devil: MB. Liked the twist of her knowing that Benny killed her dad and her setting him up as well. Can't wait to see where Chloe and Lex go next. More please.

[autumngold]

I'm so glad that Chloe didn't hurt Lex, that she was only trying to protect him!! Excellent chapter!! I can't wait to see where they'll go from here!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[June]

God this is like a movie, an utterly fantastic movie! Great twists, great characterizations, great premise. I love this, I love this, I love this!

Please, Please, Please Update Soon.


*Stands up and cheers!* LIONEL'S DEAD!!!!!

[kitten]

:worship2:

Maybe I'm dense or overly smutified, but I noticed none of the unfolding events until they were actually happening, then I was reading with one hand over my mouth and my eyes alternately widening and squinting suspiciously.

My inner monologue for the last two chapters:

Wow, that's fabulous smut.

I wonder if Lex will make Chloe stay with him.

Holy Crap!

Chloe did that!?

I guess so, but she wouldn't kill Lex . . . I think.

She's changed a lot, though.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh! I knew she wasn't going to kill Lex.

She's going to kill LIONEL! That makes more sense.

Go Chloe! Die MB!

But if Chloe's in Mexico Lex can't have sex with her anymore.

Yay, smut!


So, clearly, I missed all the twists and was surprised every few paragraphs. It was wonderful.

[buddyfozzy]

Oh wow! I'm happy Chloe was really the one trying to kill Lex, and that Lionel is dead now. Get back here and post the next part missy! This fic is fantastic! :yay: :worship2: :worship2: :worship2: :yay:

[Blu_FireFly81]

Lionel is dead! Lionel is dead!

*does a happy dance*
:dance:

Chloe is safe and free and tanned and Lex is . . . dressed in military gear . . . what the . . . sounds like a new fic coming out, commando Lex sound really hot right about now?


Okay so onto the ending!
:smut:

[hfce]

EGADS!!! That was an amazing twist sheesh my head is still hurting. Good job :clap:



Hope :)

[sydsvaughn]

Twisty and turny ... and I love it!! Please update soon!

SaraC

[Kit Merlot]

Excellent twist, just excellent :biggrin:

This story is wonderful.

[Thessaly]

Um... Hello?

Where is our commando-garbed, tequila-induced smut? It's slightly unfair to leave us with images like that and without quality fic shagging. Snap out of it, woman, and update. The public have a right to know what Lex has got on under the stealth gear. Is it a guided missile (fnar, fnar)?

Thessaly

[randa]

that was a interesting ending....now where's the smut??? :biggrin:
this is fun and interesting so more soon!!!!



randa

[zelda]

Where is our commando-garbed, tequila-induced smut?

Thanks to that...I added one of the end lines just for you, sweetie.


Conclusion: contains smut!


I know you." Chloe broke the kiss and pushed him back; his hands stayed around her upper arms. "As well as anyone could, and I know you're angry about how this all went down."

"Did you kill Benny?" Lex pushed her back up against the refrigerator and held her there. "Did you shoot my father? How did it happen?" His teeth grazed her neck and he sucked the skin into his mouth. "Did he say anything?" He fumbled with her dress, popping some of the buttons that ran down the front. She wore a cotton chemise underneath that was damp and transparent with perspiration. Her dark nipples stood out underneath and he cupped her breasts in his hand. Pushing a knee between her thighs, he hitched the skirt of the dress up around her hips. She wasn't wearing panties and his fingers rubbed against her.

Chloe hissed, sucking air between her teeth as her hips moved against him. Her mind was a little afraid, but her body eagerly remembered its mate. It was happy that they were together.

"You don't want to hear about how your father died." Her voice was breathless between kisses. “That’s not the information a son wants.”

“What about a man who narrowly avoided death?” Lex’s hands became more insistent on her and her hips moved up to meet his fingers. “If you were tortured and imprisoned by someone for your entire life, wouldn’t you want to know how it ended?” Chloe didn’t answer. Lex moved his hands from under her clothed and scooped her roughly into his arms and kicked open the rickety door to the bedroom.

The room was tiny, like the bungalow, but it was clean. The bed was just a twin with plain sheets and a light blanket. There was a mosquito netting shrouding the bed that hung from the ceiling. Lex brushed it out of the way impatiently and set Chloe on her knees on the bed. He jerked the dress down her shoulders and kissed them, running his tongue and lips over her clean, dewy flesh.

“You don’t want the details.”

“Stop telling me what you think I want and just answer the question.” He pulled at one of her nipples through the material or her chemise. It popped obediently under his tongue and she arched against him. He noted the differences in their appearance. She in her white cotton slip, him in his black fatigues. Their roles seemed reversed, her the innocent, he the conqueror. But it was an illusion. She was a killer. A passionate, beautiful, justified, brilliant killer, but a killer nonetheless. He told himself that his response was as much to the danger as to the beauty. “You put a bullet in my father’s gut, I want to know what he said to you.”

Chloe pulled away from him, his words sunk in. She understood the need to know a father’s last words and actions. His state-of-mind and his feelings. Maybe even the hope of being mentioned.

“I owe you that.” She let him lay her back and slid her hands against the smooth scalp as he unbuckled his gun belt and let it fall to the floor. He stood back up and removed his shirt, revealing his lean chest to the dim light cast from a small lamp. His skin was so fair and smooth, she reached out and brushed her fingertips over the smooth muscle. “I didn’t shoot your father.” His hands stilled on the buttons of his pants. “And I didn’t shoot Benny. They shot each other and Benny was killed instantly.”

“How long did my father live?” He shucked his pants; commando was definitely the look he was going for since he wore nothing underneath. His penis stood out, partially erect, and Chloe slid to the side of the bed and touched him with her hands. The skin was soft and smooth, and the muscles swelled in a way that fascinated her. She parted her lips and could almost taste him when she felt a hand in her hair, stopping her. “How long did he live?”

Chloe came back to her self. “About Ninety seconds.” She brushed his hands away from her and stroked him with her fingers. She knew how much she needed to have this conversation with him. She also knew she needed the comfort that he could provide with his body. The truth would be upsetting, but she still had to tell him. “The phone was ringing.”

“That was me.”

“He reached for it but I kicked him down.” Lex’s weight covered her and his hands fastened at the top of her slip. “Right behind the knee. He went down on the floor and I took away his gun.” He didn’t tear her slip, but jerked one of the straps down and bared her plump breast to his view. “He didn’t say anything as he died, Lex. He couldn’t. He was in shock and bleeding to death. And I watched.” His teeth sank into her flesh, punishing it. And she didn’t protest at first. He needed to come to terms with all of his emotions. She felt the tears drip onto her skin before he could wipe them away.

Lex’s hands were trembling when he pushed her slip up again. His tough was harsher, this time, His grip bruising. Chloe was clutching at him, her heart pounded. She felt so much energy coming off him, anger, desperation and need being the most prominent. She held his face and kissed his lips, holding him there until he began to relax. "Lex," she said softly. "Don't take me in anger, I can't stand that." Lex saw the vulnerability and fear in her eyes. She may have appeared strong, but she wasn't over anything that had happened.

"I need to know." Lex loosened his grip and kissed her neck, gently. "Please, I need to know." He ran his hands down her sides and pressed his hips into hers. "I need...everything" He rested his forehead against hers and she placed her palms on his shoulders.

“I asked to meet him because I said I had information about you. He let me in and I told him he could be armed and that I wouldn’t have a weapon.” Lex positioned himself between her thighs and buried his face against her breasts. “I told him I knew he’d hired Benny to kill you and he laughed about the irony of me trying to get Benny to help me. He didn’t think I knew that Benny killed my dad.”

“How did you distract him enough to let Benny so close?” Lex’s voice was barely audible over the thrumming of their hearts. “Dad was never careless.”

“Except with me.” She felt his hands tighten on her ribs and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I told him he could frisk me for a wire because all I wanted in return for some evidence I told him I had was to find out about the last conversation he’d had with my father.”

“You let him touch you?”

“In order to see him dead, yes.” His hips were moving against hers of their own accord. She tilted her pelvis and felt him seeking entrance. He held off.

“What did he say?”

“Nothing I hadn’t guessed, just that he’d told my father, in his own words, that he’d hurt me and was looking forward to having me multiple times. He also admitted that he’d been ready with before any of it happened.”

“So your dad really was going to the house to confront my father?”

“If he was telling the truth.”

“Did he mention me?”

“Not really, he just wanted the evidence that I had against you. I told him that I didn’t care about what he did with you, just as long as I got my answers.” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry it came to that with the two of you. But I can’t apologize for his death and my part in it.”

Lex looked down at her. Her face held the same pain that his did. She grieved for a father who’d been taken from her. He grieved for the one who never existed and never would. He pushed forward into her body and felt her envelop him like a glove. She fit him perfectly and whatever else there was between them for baggage, this moment was right. The needed each other. There was no one else who could understand. He put his forehead against her collarbone and she squeezed his shoulder as he began to thrust, slowly at first, then faster.

He didn’t know if their combined anguish was a factor, and the need for relief that great. When he finally came, with Chloe quivering around him, a huge weight lifted from Lex’s shoulders. He let go of his burdens when he called out her name hoarsely and collapsed onto the tiny bed.

Mowning came too early and Chloe woke to find Lex still in her bed. He was awake when she looked at him. She glanced at the pile of clothes and the weapon on the floor. Deciding that humor was a good test of a man’s morning character she smiled.

“So that was stealth nookie?”

Lex smiled back.

FIN


A/N: Okay, that's it folks. hope you liked the intrigue as much as I did.

[Megs]

ooooh oooh let me try....

wheres the get back together chloe and lex drama and how clark reacts and oh yeah smut?

*closes eyes and waits*


lol anyways beautiful story, great characterization.
I felt there emotions the entire story.
Thanks you

[June]

Originally posted by zelda@Jan 21 2005, 08:08 AM
“So that was stealth nookie?”

Lex smiled back.


That made me smile.

Great way to end it. This story was terrific. It kept me guessing, kept me on my toes, and the Smut was HOT! I'm sad to see it end, but I know you'll be writing something else soon. Right?

Fantastic job.

[Zannie]

Great twists. Great smut. Great fic.

Looking forward to another story from you soon.

[sylvia]

Wow. I love how all the themes just kept coming off so well from their words and the situations. Great story throughout.

[hfce]

There are no words. The way she told him the truth and how responded was just so in character. Great job. :blinkkiss:




Hope :chlexsign4:

[sydsvaughn]

Give me more stealth nookie anytime my dear! I LOVED this one, all the way!

SaraC

[randa]

great ending

stealth nookie...that was hilarious


randa

[buddyfozzy]

Originally posted by zelda@Jan 21 2005, 08:08 AM
“So that was stealth nookie?”

Lex smiled back.
That was the perfect ending to this story. :yay2: :yay2:

Great job, I can't wait for your next fic. :worship2: :worship2: :yay: :worship2: :worship2:

[autumngold]

What a great ending to your story!! Thanks for having Lex go commando!! :biggrin: I really, really enjoyed reading this story!! Please write another Chlex soon!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:

[Thessaly]

Originally posted by zelda@Jan 21 2005, 07:08 AM
She glanced at the pile of clothes and the weapon on the floor. Deciding that humor was a good test of a man’s morning character she smiled.

“So that was stealth nookie?”
I'm guessing that she noticed something going on during the nookie so I think it's more tactical than stealthy. Also if I had a naked Lex in my bed, I wouldn't be looking at the weapon on the floor but then I have a mind like a blocked gutter. There's no shame in it.

Yet again, another fantastic fic, all twisty and turny with lashings of smut and exceptional original characters. And of course, the coconuts.

Thessaly

[lexchloe]

Yay for stealth nookie. Loved this story and I loved the ending.
Well done.

[kitten]

:devil:

Such an overall wonderful story requires far more praise than I can come up with, but suffice it to say there wasn't a single paragraph where I wasn't completely drawn in by what you were writing. I'm hoping you start a new story very soon. :worship2:

[Blaire023]

i just realized something

there was no clark or lana in this story

*grades fic*

and for that...you get an A+++++++

I really really enjoyed this fic and read it all at once. my emotions were on a roller coaster

and when chloe zapped lex i was all, "*gasp* nuh uh! dayum, don't fuck with the chloe-meister"

it was beautiful, hun

[starmoon]

i enjoyed this story. please write another chlex smut story.

[pipersmum]

This was a great story full of twists and turns and of course a little smut always good ;) I really enjoyed the ending so glad Lex and Chloe didn't hurt one another :P

[lj715]

Really good story. I got nervous there for a moment but always happy when Lex & Chloe end up together.

[SinnerSaint]

Hey, neat. Chloe was the strong devious plotter in this fic. She totally made everyone dance to her tune.

[JosiCuervo]

Kewl fic! Loved all the Chlexy twists and it's never a bad thing for the MB to bleed to death! Great job!

[arkakitty]

I really really love this story ^.^

[ggdoll18]

awesome fic....love the details!!!

[SianUrsula]

Fabulous. Loved the storyline, it would have made a great movie. Loved every part of it.

[darkangel]

Great smutty story.

[purpleant]

This story was simply awesome from beginning to end :grin3:. I love that Chloe took care of Lionel on her own. The interaction between Lex and Chloe was great also.

[katieandjason]

Wow. Incredible story. Absolutely amazing. And mind-blowing, b/c I did not pick up any of the hints that Chloe had been preparing to fight back the entire time and that the whole darn thing was a set-up.

Chloe could totally kick any Bond Girl's ass.

[txalb]

Now, I’ll admit that I had to walk away after that first chapter for a little while. There is something about that bone deep sense of humiliation that I just can’t stand feeling (even if it is only through fictional characters). But I got my thoughts in order and came back and let me just sat that I’m glad I did.

Well this story took an unexpected turn and I have to say that I didn’t see it coming. Kudos to you.

You have this amazing talent for making me feel the same thing as your characters (thus the reason I had to walk away for a little while after the first chapter). When Chloe had that dream when she imagined being swallowed whole. God that was painful.

I have to say that I really liked this story. Thank you so much for writing it, and keep up the good work.

txalb

[Thaís]

This was increadible!!!! So full of twists and the most important thing:
they stay together in the end!!!!

[Ainur]

That was intense. Poor Chloe, the humiliation, the pain was awful. Lionel was a pig on this. I'm glad he's dead. He deserve it! I'm happy that Chloe got the best of him. That she was planning and biding her time to make him pay. Lex/Chloe so many trust issues between them. I don't even know what else to say aboutt their relationship. It was amazing how complicated it was. This fic was wonderful with so many twists and turns. Well done!

[starmoon]

i have always loved this story and one of my favorit parts it in the begining when chloe theatens lex if he tells anyone where she works. it is just so funny that she still has the guts to do that even in her poshion. :respect:

[sadie kate]

This was dark and twisted and perfectly awesome.

[Esther25jm]

That was fantastic!! Great twists and wonderful storyline!! I loved it all.

Esther

[jedi]

One word. Fantastic!

[lilinny]

I don't know how I let this story slip past me. What an amazing story.

[juuicebox]

greeat fic :)

[Nonhalema]

God this is like a movie, an utterly fantastic movie! Great twists, great characterizations, great premise.



I definitely have to agree on that one, I could hear the music in the background...

anyway, great story!

[Yelena]

Excellent! Loved it!

[ermelindis]

For some reason I did no see this fic before. Only read the first chapter, but really love it.

[trckyrcky]

Wow, how did I miss this story before. I love it.

[Ami Rose]

Dark and twisted but amazing! Loved it! Thank you