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"Why does my birthday warrant expensive liquor when I..." She inhaled suddenly. "Hate you," she breathed. She could feel it now. A sort of warmth that spread from her stomach to her throat. "Wow."
"Nice, isn't it?"
LOL! Despite the fact that she chugged the expensive scotch down… it’s still good to see that she can still enjoy it, LOL!
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She looked up. He was smirking again. "Maybe the liquor. I can't say the same for the company."
He nodded. "Ah, but what other option do you have?" He moved closer and she leaned away. He was only reaching above her, though. She watched, dumbfounded, as he took another glass from the cabinet, gathering his with it. "For the record, I'm not too fond of you. But how do you want to remember this birthday, Chloe?" He took the bottle from her hands. "The night you sat alone in your cramped, little place or..." He moved to the table and placed the bottle and glasses down. "The night you shared a bottle of rare scotch whiskey with your worst enemy?" He turned back to her, a half-smile on his lips. "It's at least a talking point."
Heh, Only LEX could make a possibility like this sound so enticing, seductive and tempting. You HAVE to admire his charisma and powers of persuasion. VERY nicely done, Lex! LOL!
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He took the seat opposite her, that ever-present smirk there. "I thought you might..."
She slapped a hand on the table. "Just shut up and pour, Luthor."
LOL! Lex might have scored a ‘little’ point over here, but that does’t mean that Chloe is going to let him gloat about it. ROTFLMAO, I’m REALLY enjoying how every comment between them is a sharp, cutting, unsheated statement… designed to either cut, or to probe for weakness. I LOVE this banter, and it’s barely gotten started.
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Lex pushed the glass across the table toward her. "Sip slowly this time. Something like this should be appreciated."
"Why? Because it's expensive? Isn't ten thousand to you just a twenty to me?"
"Because it's rare," he corrected.
She smiled rather smugly. "I bet you paid more than it's worth."
"I didn't pay anything for it." He sipped, letting the scotch just trickle down his throat. "It was a gift from an investor."
She sipped her own, grimacing slightly. "An Investor or a co-conspirator on one of your little..."
Oh WOW! The banter whipping back and forth between them. It’s like watching Champion Game at Wimbledon… both of them striking words back and forth towards each other, without hesitating… and making each hit as hard as possible. Stunning, mesmerizing! Riveting!
Heh, and I really can’t tell who’s winning, ROTFL!
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She shrugged and sipped again. "Personal experience. There is not one thing you do that doesn't have a nefarious little scheme behind it." She leaned forward. "Take tonight. Let's just say that I have nothing better to do than sit here with you." She glanced down. "I'm not saying that's true, but suppose it is."
He found himself smiling. "Because it is."
Her eyes snapped up to his. "What's the draw for you?"
Heh, this WAS an earlier point to Luthor, but Sullivan is getting ready for a returning volley. He should have expected her to return the question back at him… especially since HE is the one who approached her, so he’s better have a better explanation than her.
Besides, Chloe knows he came here for a reason other than ‘niceness’, and she’s determined to find out what.
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He gulped down the rest of his drink. It was better than answering. To be honest, he wasn't sure what the draw was. He'd hardly looked at his PDA until after nine. He'd been about to open this same bottle when he'd seen it on the side table. That was when he saw the flashing message. "Don't forget Chloe's birthday. Love, Lana." He remembered the day she'd done that, screwing around with his things. It was before the wedding and that time was as close to a honeymoon as they got. Her putting little touches everywhere. He'd been giddy with it at the time, even as annoying as it was. It felt so nearly like she'd truly loved him.
This was just… pitiful! Even if he’s a bastard, Lex didn’t deserve this kind of treatment from Lana. I can see he was truly in love with her (stupid, moronic idiot!)… He was actually ‘giddy’ with love for her. And the whole time, she encouraged his infatuation by pretending to return his feelings… until she felt it was time to just… turn them off? No wonder he went crazy trying to ‘fix it’ so his mood-swinging fiancé would never leave him.
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Of course, she hadn't been. All through his relationship with Lana, every time he'd seen her, she'd had a suspicious eye on him. And any happiness with Lana had disappeared after the wedding. He'd known it had to do with Clark. Everything did. She'd never loved him, not really.
When that message had flashed, he'd found himself thinking of Chloe. A Kent had swooped in on her, too. Or maybe that was Lana. It was no secret that Chloe would drop anything for Clark Kent, even her child of a boyfriend. If there was anyone who was as pathetic as he tonight, it was her.
Hmmm, interesting! I’m starting to get an inkling of an idea on why Lex came here tonight. He came to reassure himself that there WAS someone more pathetic than him in the world…
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"Everything? You mean rambling around empty rooms, playing pool with myself, late supper for one? That kind of everything?"
She sighed. "So you're playing the lonely billionaire card? Am I supposed to buy that? Should I feel sorry for you?”
Heh, this might have been ‘part’ of the truth, but I’m glad to see that Chloe didn’t accept it as the end-all reason that Lex decided to spend tonight sharing a bottle of scotch with her.
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He picked up his glass. "Of course not. You have no room to feel sorry for anyone."
She stiffened slightly. "Meaning?"
He took a slow sip. He was glad he'd been able to turn things back to her, but he still liked making her wait for it. Chloe craved answers the way he craved power. "You just plod on through life, don't you?" He smiled. "You work hard, stay loyal and you think it's all going to pay off eventually. But what do you have?" He tilted his head to the side, studying her tight expression. "You have a job where you just can't get ahead." He tried not to smile at that. He did, after all, play a role there. Not that she knew it... yet. "A failed relationship," he went on. "The man you want constantly out of your grasp."
I winced at this long, heartless speech. He’s been preparing this, hasn’t he? The b*stard! He determined to prove to Chloe (and himself) that SHE is definitely the more pitiful and and pathetic one between the two of them.
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She flushed. He didn't miss it, even as she tried to cover by picking up her glass and swallowing its contents in one gulp. He should probably warn her to slow down. But he didn't want to lose track of where they were going. Her misery was nearly palpable. Yes. Join me, he thought.
complete and utter ba*tard!!! Is THIS how Lex is planning on making himself feel better about his own ruined personal life?! He’s going to make himself feel big and better by making Chloe feel small and worthless?
Sadly, this is a very human reaction. You WANT people to be as miserable as yourself when you’re having a horrible time in your life. You want to know that other people are suffering alongside you. This is a very vile, but very human kind of weakness Lex is showing over here… and it fits into his character that he would set his sights on an enemy as strong, intelligent and challenging as Chloe.
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"Then what is the point?" She yelled the last, standing up, planting her hands wide on the table, nearly leaning over him. He was momentarily side-tracked by the view down her blouse. He'd give her one thing-- she could certainly fill out a blouse.
heh, it was a tiny flash, but it was a little satisfactory to see a moment where Lex got to see Chloe as a desirable woman besides ‘just’ a troublesome enemy.
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"The point," he said, happy to stay calm when she was so... not, "is that misery loves company."
oooh, NICE! I loved the way AmazingApe captured Lex’s personality, right down to how much he’s enjoying being in control of this conversation… not only by dominating the topic of discussion, but also because he’s controlling his reactions and emotions while his enemy is not.
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"Really?" He loosened his tie slightly, getting comfortable. He was never more comfortable than when everyone else was perturbed. "So your life is exactly where you want it to be. He shook his head again. "At least I can say I'm where I am because I f*cked up. But you... very sad."
oh dear GOD! THIS was a horrible hit, and it actually rings true. Chloe is one of the ‘good guys’ who has dedicated her life to helping others… prioritizing others. Lex has spent his life serving himself and placing HIS needs above all others. But between Chloe’s selflessness and Lex’s complete selfishness, he can point out that they’re both in the same position of neglect and loneliness.
He can actually take some satisfaction in the fact that CHLOE’S way of dedicating her life to humanity has NOT made her life any better than Lex’s.
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"No sadder than you," she shot back. She shook herself and sat back down. "Does it ever bother you that absolutely no one wants to be around you? The only company your misery could find is someone who detests you and everything you touch."
"Oh? And where are all of your friends? Obviously not ringing in the birthday with you..."
"If I called them, they'd be here." She lifted her chin. "Do you have anyone in your life you could say that for?" She smiled. "And let's not count the help."
He clenched his teeth. "B*tch."
ROTFLMAO! Oh YES, Chloe! You GO, baby!!! Just when I thought Lex had framed a winning argument, Chloe spun the tables right back at him. She’s alone tonight, but that’s only by her own mopey, self-pitying choice. If she WANTED a good time, she could have called anyone (the Kents, Lois, the Justice League), and they would have thrown a party for her… But Lex, no-one would have thrown a party for him unless he paid them for it. ROTFLMAO! Brilliant rebuttal, Chloe! Game set and match!!!
I LOVED how he couldn’t return her shot with anything better than his snarl ‘B*tch’, LOL! You can always tell Lex Luthor has lost an argument when his vocabulary is gone to low places, LOL!
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She smiled wider. "Oh, was that low? I'm sorry. My head must have been turned by all those lovely things you said to me." She raised an eyebrow. "What? You can dish it out, but you can't take it? Color me astonished."
ROTFLMAO! Of course, Chloe is not going to leave him a moment to recover. He’s reeling, and she’s going to keep hitting at this weak spot she just discovered, LOL! LOVE HER!
Heh, she’d better be careful though. Lex does NOT like losing, and he might end up resorting to physical force of a sort… I don’t think he’s going to try and strike her, but he ‘might’ decide to ‘shut her up’ with a brutal kiss.
And Lex… when he kisses, if he starts introducing sex into the equation to ‘win’ this altercation… Let’s just say he’s had a very long time to become VERY good at this kind of a game, and Chloe had better be careful not to get sucked in too deep.
hmmm, although... hate-sex between the Chlex couple can be pretty fun to watch. But I have ALWAYS loved seeing Lex finding himself bewildered when he realizes he's hopelessly and obsessively in love with the Ultimate Challenge of a partner, Chloe Sullivan, LOL!
happy endings? :D