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Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Title: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (or why making charts isn't condusive to matchmaking)
Disclaimer: We still have not acquired the WB in our numerous possessions. Therefore, we don't any of the characters within the story either. But, we think you knew that already.
Challenge Requirements:
The Father Knows Best challenge. (Inspired by Fiona's A Clean Pair of Eyes)
Simply put, Lionel and Gabe play matchmaker for their kids. I only have two requirements. 1) Chloe and Lex can't already have feelings for each other. and 2) Gabe and Lionel should refer to each other by thier first names. Any rating.
STUFF TO KNOW!!!: This is AU for two reasons, namely 1) It's set in the future. We're 8 years down the line from now time (season 4) and 2) Some stuff never happened: Lionel didn't kill his parents, therefore never tried to kill Lex, or Chloe or Gabe and never went to prison either. This is Lionel-Light.
A/N:Sabby: We couldn't help ourselves and started another fic. It just happened, really. This is the answer to Imps Father Knows Best Challenge. WIP people, no regular updates ahead of you. Enjoy
A/N: Blue: Welcome to BHT&MMOWMCICTMM. The idea of Gabe and Lionel joining forces was too good to pass up. And look, we've got a bitching title, too! And no, we were not high when we came up with it. Just tired. Happy reading!
Prologue
The huge mahogany table was covered from one end to the other with all of the data that Lionel Luthor had collected in the past few weeks. The data had been acquired swiftly but quietly. There were those around him that could not be privy to what he was researching. Or else, the merger that he was trying to rig would fall apart.
But, he was determined that he would have the upper hand in this matter and that the end result would be one that he had determined. He wasn’t getting any younger and that thought was driving him to press on where others had told him to temper his vigor.
Perhaps ‘others’ was not the appropriate word. There was only one other man with whom he was engineering this with. However, at this particular point in time, Gabe Sullivan did not appear to be on board with the pathway that Lionel had set up for them.
Yes, it was aggressive. But that was the way that you got something that you wanted. One didn’t sit idly by and pray to a god that most likely didn’t exist and then expect to get what was desired. A man had to go out and get it. Lionel was used to getting what he wanted. And, this merger was the most important of his career.
Gabe shook his head, looking at yet another of the multiple charts on the table. He'd agreed to work with Lionel, combine their forces and minds to get the end result. If someone had told him about a year ago they'd work towards the same goal, he'd have had them committed instantaneously. As it was, they were sitting here, in Lionel's office, planning a union that would change both their lives and influence that of others, inevitably throwing them together for better or for worse.
“Lionel, I know that waiting is not the way to go, but don't you think that this,” he threw the chart onto the desk, “Is a little too extreme? I mean, this is not a corporate buyout, where you don't leave the participants a choice,” he stated carefully.
Lionel leaned back in his chair and regarded the man that was standing before him. Clearly, Gabe didn’t fully comprehend what they were doing. “Gabe, we need to go after this with all that we’ve got.”
He rose out of his chair and picked up the chart that had just been unceremoniously heaved onto the table. The chart was well put together, color coordinated and had cost a great deal of money. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that it would work. It had to work because Lionel would not accept defeat.
“This,” he said, waving the bound papers around, “dictates our battle plan. The people that we are dealing with are not just going to roll over and do what we advise them to do, we both know that.” He gave Gabe a pointed look, almost daring the man to disagree with him.
“Everything that we do must be extreme.” He threw the chart back on the table and then circled the table, taking in all of the information that they now had at their fingertips. “Besides, the involved parties have already had years to make their choices. They are just clearly incapable of making the correct choices. Which is where we come in.”
Lionel smirked at his partner in crime. Gabe needed to realize that this would not be an easy road to tread and that they would have to play dirty and cheat in order to win.
Gabe heaved a sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose and got up of his chair. He took the few paces towards the wet bar and turned over a glass.
Turning back to Lionel, he got a shake of the head, then turned back towards the bar, pouring himself a generous helping of scotch. After the first sip, the pressure behind his eyes eased up a little. It galled him to say it, but Lionel did have a good point. The task at hand was far from the usual business deal, and there was much more at stake. The people involved were all stubborn to distraction and almost incapable of being budged. Lionel and he were pretty much the irresistible force trying to bring together two immovable objects. Something had to give.
”I just don't feel comfortable with this. We're trying to force something together. What if it ends up breaking instead of melding together like it's supposed to?”
This was why the plan would work. Between the two of them, they would think of everything. All possible outcomes, obstacles and details that separated would have eluded them.
“If you didn’t feel comfortable with this, some part of you at least, you would not have agreed to it.” Gabe needed to get over feeling as if he was doing something wrong. They might not know it, but both parties should thank both he and Gabe for getting involved in the scheme.
Lionel shrugged at his last question. “They have broken apart numerous times in the past with various skirmishes, threats and general irritability that they both seem to display. But some force keeps them coming back to one another. We’ve both seen it happen time and time again.” Gabe continued to sip on his scotch. He was rather proud of himself for introducing the man to a good bottle of the alcohol. He had finally broken Gabe of his beer preference almost altogether, too.
“If some catastrophe befalls the two parties, and I’m almost sure it will at least once, we will deal with it and move on.” Lionel looked at his watch, he had another meeting in ten minutes. Which meant that he and Gabe needed to leave in five in order to get back to the main part of the building.
The room that they were now in was in the basement of the building and guarded twenty four hours. Another fact that Gabe thought was too much but it comforted Lionel to know that no one other than himself or Gabe could gain access to their command center. Plus, if one were going to have a surreptitious command center, it should be in the basement away from prying eyes.
Looking again at Gabe, he said, “You know that this will cause us migraines and a great deal of discomfort before we reap any direct benefits.”
Gabe couldn't help snorting, then downed the drink in one go. “You better buy stock in Advil, as far as I'm concerned,” he muttered.
This didn't sit well with him, but he knew that there really was no choice. They'd have to get through this, come hell or high water, and make it work. It was for the best of all parties involved. There would be no going back once it officially started and, according to the general index of the plan it would take months before they succeeded, and that was the most positive calculation.
With a sigh he placed the glass back on the bar and nodded towards Lionel. “Ok, let's get this show on the road.”
Lionel grinned over at Gabe. He was certain that once the wheels began to turn that the other man would see that he was right.
As they walked towards the door, Lionel clapped the other man on the back in encouragement. “Don’t worry, Gabe. I’m sure that once Chloe is in love with Lex, and vice versa that all of this will have been worth it.”
Lionel spared one last glance into the room as the door closed. The table was covered with personality reports, compatibility charts and, perhaps most importantly, gullibility scales. Yes, this was a job that only a madman would tackle. Or, perhaps, two.
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:yay: :yay: New fic !! new fic!!! Very interesting start. Love the idea of Gabe and Lionel working to bring Chloe and Lex together. Can't wait for more.
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Yayyy!!!!! New fic \o/ And a great one as far as I can see! Lionel and Glabe playing matchmaker, it's just too funny! There's no doubt I would not be able to drink readind this ... :hehe:
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Cool idea! This fic takes me back to the time when I actually liked Lionel. Sure he's ruthless, but I think the Smallville writers went too far when they had him try to *kill* Lex and Chloe. So, y'know, thanks for pretending that never happened. :)
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:lol: First of all I cant believe you guys are starting another one. And second Lionel and Gab matchmakers to their kids. Their two stubborn, minds of their own kids. Good luck. :lol:
Hope :)
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hahaha that's so awesome~! :D Lionel and Gabe - mad matchmakers~!!!!!
Ooooh I can't wait to see where this goes~!
Brava~!
BB
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Chloe and Lex don't stand a chance with both Lionel and Gabe working toward their union!! :biggrin: This story makes me so happy!! I can't wait to find out how Lionel and Gabe's plan is going to work!! Will Lex and Chloe fight them every step of the way? Hope you update soon!! :yay: :chlexsign3: :yay:
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:yay2: squeee....!
Can I say how excited I am that y'all took this challenge?.... :yay:
Fab start my darlings. I so can't wait to read more.
Oh and I like the title.
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:yay: hee love the start
can't wait for more!
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I'm so glad y'all are taking up that challenge--I thought it was one of the most intriguing concepts I've seen.
And how much do I love Lionel treating this like a business deal: with all of his charts, and files, and research, and business jargon.
But what is this about no regular updates? *mutters obscenities under her breath.* Hmph!
More soon please?
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Looks like this is going to be another great fic u 2... I also have the feeling i'm going to be after u 2 for updates.... I can't wait to read more....
CC
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this one is gonna be fun, i can tell already :biggrin:
ill be watching for those random updates!
randa
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:biggrin: this looks to be another classic in the makeing!!! :blinkkiss:
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I can't wait to see where this goes. I hope that you will update with more soon.
AT
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Well it's from the two of you, so of course it's gonna rock... And the first chapter has got me hooked already.... Plus extra points for the title :D
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I love that this is Lionel Light. As much as I hate Lionel, it's just one of those love-hate situations.
Quote:
The room that they were now in was in the basement of the building and guarded twenty four hours. Another fact that Gabe thought was too much but it comforted Lionel to know that no one other than himself or Gabe could gain access to their command center.
It's like mission impossible... Gabe and Lionel style.
I am so looking foward to seeing more of this story.
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Yay, a new story from you guys! Very interesting premise. I am excited to see what it entails. :chlexsign2:
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I love the fics where Lionel isnt the MB he is, but a scheming chlexer. Its awesome. So, naturally, I love the fic, and I can't wait to read another chapter.
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*squeeing madly* A new Bluesabby fic!!! *squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*
*clears throat* Ummm I am quite pleased at the prospect of reading another creation by the two talented authors of this story. Do please continue.
*runs away squeeeeeeeeeeing wildly and spinning - yes lots of spinning, spinning and dancing ...and clapping, and maybe just a little bit of jumping. Maybe. And squeeeeeeing, did I mention squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeing?*
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Wait a minute, a Gabe-Lionel working together to bring chlex together, what a great plot, and it is written by BlueSabby?!? This must be my day, I am so exited.
Great start, I love how Lionel is treating it like a business merger, thats too funny, I can totally see him doing it.
I love the part where Lionel changed Gabes taste in alcohol too, great stuff BlueSabby. I can't wait for more, you ladies are the best.
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Bluesabby strikes again! :clap:
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Great beginning, I can't wait for the scheming to begin!
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Love the story can't wait to see what Lionel and Gabe have instore for Lex and Chloe!
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Gabe-Lionel... Mmm... There is a lethal combination if I ever saw one!
Don't you dare stop, Sabby... And you too Blue! Or I'll... hunt you down and force you to finish. And just cause I'm petit don't think that I can't! (Tries looking menacing and random passer-by laughs).
Oh, well, I tried. Now you finish it and all's better.
:chlexsign1:
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:yay: :yay: :yay:
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAY!
get ready for a wild ride!!! :huh: :huh:
I can't wait-- *can't wait*-- for you guys to update. I'm looking forward to meeting your chlex in this! I'm already loving the complicity betw. Gabe and Lionel ...
Soon please??!
:chlexsign4:
PLEASE?
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Quote:
Lionel spared one last glance into the room as the door closed. The table was covered with personality reports, compatibility charts and, perhaps most importantly, gullibility scales. Yes, this was a job that only a madman would tackle. Or, perhaps, two.
I don't know why, but I absolutely love the idea of there being gullibility scales.
That was a great start and I'm looking forward to your next update.
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:biggrin: I love this fic so far - Lionel and Gabe are too funny. Update soon please.
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A/N: Sabby: Ok here be an update. Some hatching and lots of Gabe and Lionel and, yeah enjoy!
A/N: Blue: And on with the show....... You got yourself some Lex, but no Chloe yet. However, that's not important right now. You've got scheming Lionel. Enjoy!
Two months ago:
Keeping his face impassive was a talent that Lionel had honed years ago. However, his son always seemed to be the one to test it the most. Yet, he was able to remain looking aloof when he heard of his son’s plan to marry again. The man in question sat across the desk from Lionel. As he digested the unhappy news, Lionel wondered if it was some sort of plan that Lex had hatched in order to induce him into having a heart attack.
“Her name is Skylar? Charming, Lex. And, which of the finer establishments with a pole did you find her in?” As soon as his son was out the door he would run a check on this woman, both of them knew it, but he found that it was best to get as much information out of Lex sooner rather than later.
Lex's eyes narrowed dangerously at his father. What was his problem, anyway? It wasn't like Lex was looking for true love or anything. He just wanted to get the hell over the damn marrying business and get on with his life. It wasn't his fault that the women he ended up with didn't manage to cope with him. He'd tried. The reason he went for the lower end of the food chain was that he didn't trust a smart woman not to try to kill him for his money.
So he'd gotten married 5 times within the last 4 years, subsequently to Candie, Bunnie, Fyre, Daisy, and Angel. None of the marriages had worked out and the alimony bills would be killing him if three of the five hadn't decided to marry again. Ironically enough two of the three had gone for business partners of Lex's.
“I met her at the Metropolis art gallery, dad. She happens to have a very sweet personality and seems not to mind the fact that I have various important obligations.”
“She’s sweet,” Lionel queried incredulously, his rancor right on the surface. Sweet was not something that Lex would be able to abide by. Also, if that was the primary word that his son chose to describe her, it was actually code for ‘dumb as a post.’
While Lex’s life was his own, or Lionel tried to pretend so every now and again, it was also tied up with his own. Putting aside what Lionel knew what was best for Lex, there was also the prestige of the Luthor name to think of.
It had already taken numerous hits with the cut-throat business deals, the fact that Lex seemed to marry indiscriminately and the constant malarkey that Lucas partook in. Lionel was worried about the name carrying on. Or, more specifically, what the next generation of Luthors would be like.
He was not about to have imbeciles for grandchildren, he simply would not abide by it. Lionel had worked far too hard, both inside and outside the lines of the law, to have his empire torpedoed by the progeny of his son and some simpleton with the name of Skylar.
After Lex’s thirtieth birthday, he had hoped that his son would straighten out and fly right. However, he had subsequently gotten married to women with stripper names that were not even spelled properly. It was time for the boy to grow up whether he was ready for it or not.
“Did she enjoy all of the pretty colors that she saw?’ Lex would do what he wished so Lionel would get in the digs while he could. He knew that it only made Lex more resolute in his decisions, but the compulsion was too great to resist.
Lionel rose from his desk and poured a hefty helping of scotch into his glass. “Your obligations are of no concern to her because she cannot comprehend them. She will only view your job as something that will give her more time to shop and fuck whatever various members of the help that she can find.”
The liquid burned its way down his throat. That should be enough for Lex to storm out of the office with a biting comment on his lips. After that, Lionel would be forced to come up with a plan to stop his son. Both of their futures were dwindling away before Lionel’s eyes.
Thankfully, Lex’s past few wives hadn’t been homicidal so Lionel didn’t think he had that to worry about. Just the weak, dim genes that would be passed on to his grandchildren.
Then there was the fact that Lionel fully believed that powerful men needed a formidable woman to keep them on their toes. The stupidity that Lex surrounded himself would eventually catch up with him.
Bottom line: this cycle needed to be put a stop to. And, if Lex was unable or unwilling to do it himself then Lionel would step in himself.
Lex's jaw clenched involuntarily at his father's dig. Of course Skylar hadn't shown any particular knowledge about any paintings or sculptures, but that wasn't the point. If he wanted intelligent conversation, he'd look for a person who shared an interest, not a wife.
Frankly, he'd had enough of this conversation, and even more of the constant meddling of his father's where his personal life was concerned. It was tiresome and annoying. “Interesting you should bring that up, dad. Considering your loose definition of matrimonial fidelity. What makes you think I care?”
Getting up from his own chair, he made his way towards the door. “This discussion is over. Since you didn't bother showing up the last four times, I'll see you after we get back from Bahli.”
He made his way out of the office at a normal pace, closing the door behind him in a polite manner. Five years ago, he might have slammed it shut, but he was not a child anymore.
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Lionel walked aimlessly around the offices of LuthorCorp. He could see that it unsettled his employees but he paid them no mind. When tasked with a puzzle, he had to keep in constant motion in order to figure out the best course of action.
Lex was going to continue to get married until he got himself killed or bankrupted his personal fortune with all of the alimony he was forced to pay. The solution was to get Lex a wife that that would neither make an attempt on his life nor leave him. Not an easy bill to fill.
He turned a corner and nodded at various employees as he made his way through the hallways. There was a constant chatter in the air that he enjoyed a great deal. People going about their business ensuring the stability of the company…and of his own wallet. If only Lex could do the same for him.
So, he had to find his son a suitable wife. One that wouldn’t be offput by the fact that Lex had been married seven, now going on eight, times. She would have to be intelligent and able to put up with Lex.
A brief frown marred his face as he continued on his stroll. These attributes would be difficult, if not impossible, to find. He also was not in the mood to deal with a vapid twenty year old as a daughter-in-law so he ruled out women that were young and impressionable who could be molded into what Lionel needed for Lex.
The somewhat familiar voice, full of a tone akin with what he had been using with his son in the beginning of their conversation, wafting over to him from the opened door of an office caused Lionel to pause in his stride.
“Teddy?” Gabe paused to take a deep breath and resign himself to the situation, again. “And which bar did you pick that specimen up in?” Heaving a heavy sigh, he shook his head, pushing away the papers in front of him with disgust. “He's cute,” he couldn't help sneering at that. God, if that was the only qualification needed these days to be fit to date his daughter, the world was coming to an end. “Yes, I'm sure it's not a problem for him to go along with your schedule considering he's likely sleeping the entire day while you do your work.”
Impossible. Just downright unacceptable. He'd never gotten too involved with the dating habits of his daughter, but the vast array of men she had been through within the last four years was slowly but surely pushing Gabe to the brink of his resolve, and sanity. Something would have to be done.
“No, honestly, I am not happy about this, Chloe. You deserve better than a bartender at a run down shack at the seedier side of town.” He closed his eyes as the voice of his daughters reprimand washed over him in a fit of temper. “No, it's not my life and yes, you are an adult, but I wish you'd act accordingly and actually make some adult choices for a change.” Another flurry of words and then the dial-tone.
“Great,” he mumbled to himself.
They'd talk about it again, in the evening, when both their tempers had cooled down and they could talk about it level-headed and reasonable. That didn't do anything about the fact that Gabe wanted to take something and throw it against the wall though. “God, dammit!”
“Why do I get the distinct feeling that you were talking to your daughter, Gabe?” Lionel had stood in his employee’s doorway for the tail end of the conversation and the other man hadn’t noticed.
If Gabe was anything like himself when he was arguing with the stubborn ass that was his son, everything else seemed to fade into the background. That could be the only explanation for why Gabe hadn’t noticed him lurking about. Lionel regarded the other man and thought about the words that he had gritted into the receiver of the phone.
“Has she decided to pursue another relationship that you don’t approve of?” Lionel was truly interested in Gabe’s predicament. The two of them had spent numerous hours in meetings together. Afterwards, they would sometimes complain to each other about their children’s ineptitude in the romantic realm of their lives, never getting into specifics. It was a sort of competition between them. Though, with Lex’s marrying tic, Lionel always won.
Now, Lionel realized that the answer to the Luthors’ problems had been right in front of him the whole time.
Chloe Sullivan had always been stubborn, head strong and infuriating. She was also terribly quick witted, intelligent and had grown into an incredibly attractive young woman. These attributes would suit Lex very well. Which is probably why his son had never made any overtures in that direction.
Gabe jerked up in his chair, surprised to find his boss ambling into his office, a smirk pasted on his face. “Teddy,” he grit out the name. “She met him in a bar and he's cute, they plan to move in together.” He shuddered.
Why Chloe never had managed to find a man in her own league was frankly, beyond Gabe. She dragged in the most horrible candidates and it never lasted longer than a couple of months. He'd seen each and every one of them and his reactions had ranged from simple disgust to pure astounded incredulity.
“Lex?” He dared to ask, having heard a rumor from his own secretary and knowing for a fact that the younger Luthor had had a meeting with his father that morning.
Lionel walked over and parked himself in the chair across Gabe’s desk, crossing one leg over the other. “Her name is Skylar. Apparently, she’s sweet.” The word came out sounding like ‘bitch.’ Lionel ran a hand over his face. “My grandchildren will most likely take three years to discover their own feet what with the rocket scientists that Lex marries.”
Trying to give Gabe some hope, he said, “At least your Chloe only lives with them.” He paused and tilted his head to the side, as if considering something, “Perhaps we should introduce Teddy to Skylar. I think that they’d be perfect together.”
Lionel looked at his watch and then asked, “Is ten thirty in the morning too early to start drinking?”
Gabe had winced in sympathy at the description of Lex's newest acquisition. The man had a point, though. So far, at least Chloe hadn't even considered marrying any of the turds she dragged in. The last question threw him off a little, making him wonder what the right answer would be. On the one hand, the man in front of him was his boss and drinking during office hours was not in any way legit. On the other hand. Teddy and Skylar.
“Can I offer you a beer?” He got up from his chair and crossed to the small fridge next to the door that led into the small en-suite bathroom.
It was just incomprehensible that both their children would be so blind as to hook up with people that were clearly not of their own league. The handful of women Lex had married in the last few years had been so far below, it hurt. The younger Luthor was a passionate, ruthless business man who thrived on challenges and spoke his mind, not afraid to venture into risky territory if there could be benefits to it.
A small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth as he thought of another person with quite similar attitude. It was a shame that she wouldn't look in the direction of someone like Lex instead of the mostly brainless, lazy couch potatoes without any potential ambitions.
Lionel rose out of his chair, his mind made up now on the issue. Lex and Chloe’s poor choices had driven both himself and Gabe to drink at work. This was unacceptable. If they could not make the proper choices on their own, well, it was a parent’s job to correct their children’s behavior.
“Gabe, how many times do I have to tell you that that swill is beneath you?” Gabe stopped in his motion to open the mini-fridge. “Much like Chloe’s choice in men, if you’d allow me to draw an over the top parallel.”
He stole a glance at the man’s desk and saw that it was littered with work. But this took precedence over anything. “I have an excellent bottle of scotch in the office. I just received it as a gift. I’d like you to join me for a drink.” He paused and then said, “There is a certain delicate matter that I’d like to discuss with you.”
Lionel couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his face. It was brought about by imagining the reactions of both of their children’s faces if they knew what he was up to.
Gabe closed the door to the fridge and turned around. Seeing the expression on Lionel Luthor's face just then, a cold shudder slithered down his spine. This was not good, in any way shape or form. And the worst was, he couldn't even begin to fathom what the man was up to now, but he had this nervous inkling that it had something to do with what they'd just been talking about, and that he was going to be involved, like it or not.
“Alright,” he answered slowly, looking at the taller man with as much suspicion as he dared, “I'll just sort out the reports and close the file.” Walking over to his desk, he did just that, avoiding the other man's gaze for a moment, trying to figure out what the devious bastard could be up to now.
On the upside, he'd be treated to scotch, which was never a bad thing. Usually he favored beer, but that was because familiarity made habit and since he couldn't often afford a good scotch and was in no way inclined to put up with the cheap stuff, just to have any.
~~~~
Instead of sitting across from Gabe, Lionel had chosen to take the one of the chairs next to him in his office. He knew that the other man was wary of what was going on because of his body language and expression.
It would only go downhill from there once he explained what he wanted to happen. However, Lionel had a feeling that it would only take a little cajoling to get the man on his side. He decided to use the name ‘Teddy’ as much as he had to.
Once they were both seated and Gabe had taken a few sips from the drink, Lionel spoke. The most direct way was best.
“I would like for Lex and Chloe to marry.” He paused. “Each other, that is. What are your feelings on that?” Lionel made sure to deliver the line once Gabe had swallowed his last gulp of the liquid.
Gabe was thankful he had swallowed already, so he only choked on his own intake of air. He couldn't help stare at Lionel incredulously, sure he must've heard wrong there, because there was no way Lionel Luther had just said what Gabe thought he'd said.
“Come again?”
Lex and Chloe? The two had hardly met after both of them had left Smallville and went separate ways, Chloe to college in New York and Lex to Metropolis to start business. And Lionel honestly wanted them to get married? Proposed it like it was just a matter of signing a contract between himself and Gabe. Like they were two emperors somewhere in the Dark Ages drawing up a marriage contract for the benefits of two countries.
“With all due respect, Mr. Luthor,” he shook his head, “Have you lost your mind?”
“Gabe, this is the last time that I’m going to tell you to call me Lionel. Consider it an order if it makes it easier on you.” They had to get formality out of the way between them, it was a first step to working together on this.
He took another sip of the scotch. It really was an excellent bottle and he made a note to get some more. “And, while Lex’s escapades have caused me more than a few gray hairs, I can assure you that my mind is still in tact.” Lionel placed his glass back on his desk.
“Think about it. Our children keep finding their Teddys and Skylars. Their relationships never work out because the people that they are choosing to let into their lives can’t even begin to understand them.” He spoke forcefully, allowing just the slightest emotion to color his voice.
“They both find people who are lesser than they are. All of the ex-Mrs. Luthors are idiots while Chloe keeps dating troglodytes. If we allow them to continue on in this way,” he shrugged, “we both may lose our minds.”
He studied the man, who appeared to still be speechless. “I know what you’re thinking. That Chloe is an obvious step up for Lex but the same may not hold true for your daughter. Lex respects her, that much I know. And, for Lex, that is very unique. I think that we can help them to build on what they have to get to something that they could both prosper from and enjoy immensely.”
Gabe shook his head. In theory it all sounded good, but in life? That was a whole different matter entirely. It just didn't seem feasible that there was a way to play matchmaker. Not with these two. Downright impossible. And work on what they have? He took a deep gulp of his drink, relishing the burn and the warmth settling in his stomach.
“Build on what they have? They don't have anything, Lionel. I don't even remember the last time they met face to face, do you?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Gabe leaned back in his seat. “Don't get me wrong, in theory it sounds good. Hell I'd be all for it to have Chloe finally get with someone who is worth her time and effort, but this is just impossible!”
Not to mention the fact that when Chloe got wind of it, and she would get wind of it if there was anything going on, there'd be hell to pay. Gabe was sure that the same held true for Lex.
So, Gabe wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. It was a pleasant surprise. Now all he would have to do was convince him that it was a brilliant idea.
“They build on what they had when they were both in Smallville. As I’ve told you, I know that he respected her. And, if you’ll forgive me for saying so, I know that my son wasn’t blind to her physical attractiveness.” Lionel knew that he had to be careful here. Fathers were very protective of their daughter’s virtues and he knew that Gabe would be no exception.
Moving on quickly, Lionel said, “I do know that their dealings were usually amicable…until one of them was too obstinate to listen to the other one. Then things quickly went down hill.” Lionel said the last part almost to himself. He had studied up on all of the people that Lex came into contact with in Smallville and Chloe had been no exception.
He shook his head. “I think that it can be done. It may take some doing but I do believe if they would just open their eyes to the possibility then half of the battle will be over. And,” a certain devious sparkle appeared in his eyes, “if both of us were to come down hard against it,” he shrugged, “I believe that we both know what will happen.”
Gabe's brow arched as he regarded Lionel carefully. Again, the man did have a point, the two had gotten along in the brief time that they had interacted in Smallville. Still, it seemed highly unlikely. He didn't give Lionel's comment about the physical attraction a second thought. He wasn't naive by a long shot and whatever virtue Chloe might have had at some point was surely long gone and buried.
He could see though, that a plan was already taking shape in Lionel's mind and from the effort the other man put into convincing him, Gabe was sure he wouldn't let it go until he'd gotten his will. It was somewhere between ridiculous and downright horrifying. “So you want to convince our children to start a relationship, using reverse psychology? First pushing them together, then forbidding them to see each other just to make sure they go through with it?”
Yepp, definitely ridiculous and downright horrifying.
Lionel chuckled. “Not exactly. I think that we both know that if either of our children catch a whiff of us having a hand in it then the plan will be over before it really begins.” Lionel grabbed his drink and downed it and then motioned for Gabe to do the same. He took the two empty glasses back over to refill them.
“I propose that we just make sure that they interact with one another and let nature take its course. With a little help from us, that is.” He poured two more drinks and then sat back down next to Gabe, handing him his glass.
“We’ll play it by ear and see how much encouragement either or both of them will need. I don’t expect it to happen overnight or easily but I do believe that they got their tenacity from somewhere. I assure you that I can be just as stubborn as my son, Gabe. And, I see some of Chloe’s bull headedness in you, as well.”
He took a sip of his drink. “If we join forces, I am sure that we will come out the victors in this. And, therefore, our children will as well.”
Gabe took a healthy swig of his drink, contemplating his options. Either, he could sit by and watch his daughter make her way through an endless array of Teddies, Tobies, Markies and other various -ies. Or, he could go along with Lionel's plan and at least have a shot at finally seeing his daughter with a man worthy of her. Looking at things from that angle, there really was no question. Consequences be damned.
“I believe you got yourself a deal, Lionel.” He raised his glass towards the other man and finalized the deal, hoping that the end-result wasn't apocalyptic in effect.
A true smile broke over Lionel’s face. “Excellent. I promise you won’t regret it, Gabe.” Reconsidering his words he said, “Well, you may and at many points in the next few months, but I’m certain that we’ll get the desired result.”
Lionel clinked his glass against Gabe’s. “To the happy couple.”
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:biggrin: WONDERFULLL!!!! man oh man, I have never in my life seen such a great convo between the two, and this premis is just fab! please post more as soon as ya can! :blinkkiss:
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:worship2: :worship2: that was a totally excellent update. Bring on the matchmaking
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Go Lionel and Gabe!! Chloe and Lex don't stand a chance!! Excellent update to your wonderful story!! I can't wait to find out about the first part of the plan!! :yay: :chlexsign1: :yay:
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Oh I so love this. Why cant this happen on the show? :crygreen: :crygreen:
Hope :chlexsign4: :chlexsign4:
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This is just so great. The whole idea is just so amusing and I love the interactions between lionel and gabe. I can't wait to see how they go about actually putting their plans into action.
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Ahh I LOVE this chapter! There isn't enough of Gabe and Lionel on the show and to see a story where they're the main characters alongside Lex and Chloe is a real treat. I love the dry, witty tone you have both parents taking on, and the premise is brilliant. Update soon please!!
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Lionel and Gabe are too funny! I thought that the whole chapter was hilarious, especially all of Lionel's scheming but this by far was my favorite line...
Quote:
“Her name is Skylar? Charming, Lex. And, which of the finer establishments with a pole did you find her in?”
It tickled me, LOL. Anyway, loved the update!!!
Steph*
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scheming Lionel and scheming Gabe. fab my dears. This whole story is just fab so far. need more soon.
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Wow! This is just a cute, AMAZING idea, and now that it's out there, I don't know how I lived without it.
Pure awesomeness. :worship2:
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wow this fic is so great. hummmmmmmmmmmmm and the only thing that could possibly make it better is?????????? :chlexsign1: of course. so please hurry and update again soon. and implement that genius plan of lionel and gabe's. i'll be waiting
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Whoohoo luvin' the Gabe 'n the MB interaction. Luv the idea of their respective progenies driving them both to drink together in the middle of the day at work! :hehe: I can imagine being the sole parent of either Lex or Chloe would be driven to drink fairly regularly.
Can't wait to see what plan they come up with to get the two together. I liked Lionel's observation that Teddy & Skylar sound perfect for one another. ;)
Lovin' this fic & can't wait for more!
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Quote:
“To the happy couple.”
LOL. :devil: MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
You guys are fabulous. I'm so amazed that you're making a Chlex story out of the interaction of two other characters!! hehehehe. I cannot wait to see what it is Lionel and Gabe have planned. Should we give those two conspirers a name? Gabonel. Lionabe. lol. I like Lionabe. hehehehe sounds... ferocious!
Lex and Chloe won't know what hit them!!! :wub:
:chlexsign4:
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:yay2: :yay2:
Wonderful chapter and now I can't wait for another update.
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Chloe and Lex don't stand a chance with Lionel and Gabe teamed up against them!
This is great, I love this story! Bring on the next chapter :worship2: :worship2:
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
This is great! I loved the interaction between Gabe and Lionel. I can't wait to see what happens when they start putting the plot into action. I also think Chloe and Lex need to figure it out and give them all sorts of grief before finally ending up together.
Susan S
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
Okay, this story intrigues and terrifies me at the same time. I am scared of the combined forces of Gabe and Lionel. Truly frightened. Yet hoping for soem Chlex , so I will conquer my fear. ;)
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
I really enjoying this fic. I can't wait to see Gabe and Lionel in action - I agree that Chloe and Lex don't have a chance.
Can't wait for the next part and to see what happens
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
woohooo
more more more
love lea
xxx
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
I love the deviousness of Lionel here... makes him somehow endearing. Please, ma'am, I want more?!?
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
Lionel and Gabe.....this will be very interesting....
Update please asap.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
Like Gaia said the combo of Lionel and Gabe will be very interesting. Totally hilarious so far.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
I absolutely adore Lionel in this fic and I can't wait to see how he and Gabe go about getting their way. Great chapter!!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueSabby
A true smile broke over Lionel’s face. “Excellent. I promise you won’t regret it, Gabe.” Reconsidering his words he said, “Well, you may and at many points in the next few months, but I’m certain that we’ll get the desired result.”
Lionel clinked his glass against Gabe’s. “To the happy couple.”
can I just tell you both how much I adore this fic. Lionel and Gabe coming together to get their children hitched. I love it. Bring on the next update.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
*Grinning* I'm loving scheming Lionel and Gabe! I was like: GO!MB! GO\o/
Quote:
He was not about to have imbeciles for grandchildren, he simply would not abide by it. Lionel had worked far too hard, both inside and outside the lines of the law, to have his empire torpedoed by the progeny of his son and some simpleton with the name of Skylar.
I Love that line! I can totally see MB saying something like that!
I _almost_ take pitty on Lex and Chloe, but nahhh is going to be too funny!
Please guys, keem the chapters coming!!!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
reverse psycology is a wonder.
loved this new addition and im so cant wait for the next part
randa
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
Wow- Lionel and Gabe working together as matchmakers for Chloe and Lex.... I never even imagined something like this before. It's very creative! :) I really enjoy the approach Lionel seems to be taking, and of course the 2 fathers interacting is highly amusing. I love the story so far! Hope you can update soon!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE UPDATE THIS!
It's so great! I can't wait to see where this matchmaking goes.
Much strategizing and organization must be occuring!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (R)
The first two chapters are great. Can´t wait to read more....
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
*bounces* New BlueSabby Fic, new BlueSabby fic!!!!!!!!!! WOOT! Love it so far! Gabe and Lionel conspiring with each other to bring Chloe and Lex together? Priceless. Perfect. So damn funny. I can't wait to see how all this is going to play out!!!
More soon!
~Manda
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
AH! so long without an update! too long!
I want to see Lionabe strategizing and plotting!! ;) ;) ;)
PS> lets get to the CHLEX R-rated sections ASAP!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
UPDATE!!!!!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaia
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl ease
UPDATE!!!!!!
what gaia said!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
A/N: Sabby: So here be the next chapter with extensive appearance of the significant others. Be warned *G* Enjoy!
i
A/N: Blue: Another update for you utterly demanding addicts...but you know we love the begging so keep it coming. Some new characters for you...I'm sure you'll *love* them. *G*
Still frustrated from his little 'chat' with Lionel, Lex made his way through the morning traffic and towards the outskirts of the city. Every time he got stuck waiting in front of a red traffic light, he wondered why he'd chosen to move into a house on the outskirts of town instead of living in the city center. At night, when the silence fell over said house and he actually found a good five hours of undisturbed sleep, he'd usually remember.
About an hour after leaving, he finally pulled into the driveway of his simple two-storey home, leaving the Aston in front of the garage. Barely inside the front door, he was greeted by a yapping, slobbering bundle of nerves, jumping up and down in front of him, happy to see her new master.
Skylar must be still in bed. Narrowing his eyes he shook the small oversized rat that claimed to be a dog from his ankle and made his way through to the kitchen, intent on a cup of coffee, the little pest fast on his heels until he kicked her out into the back yard. He hated that creature. If Skylar insisted on keeping it, Lex would make sure to accidentally leave the front door open one evening.
Stuffing the powder into the filter, adding just enough water to make the outcome liquid, he flipped on the switch of the coffee maker and sat down on the counter, flipping through mail and the business section of the newspaper. Checking his watch, he surmised he had about twenty minutes, or well as long as the coffee aroma took to permeate the air before his fiancée got up.
His assumptions were proven correct. He'd barely gotten to poor the first cup of coffee when her voice drifted over to him from the open doorway leading into the kitchen.
Skylar had distantly heard Lex come in. She had just woken up but wasn’t ready to actually get up. She didn’t mind that he had to leave at the god awful hour of eight in the morning as long as he didn’t disturb her.
When she smelled the coffee her stomach rumbled and she begrudgingly kicked the blankets off of the bed. The maid would take care of that later. She walked over to the chair that held some of Lex’s clothes from the day before and slipped one of his shirts on.
In their first month together he had been practically insatiable but now she felt that he had lost interest. That was fine by her, she already had the rock, but she thought that she should at least make an attempt to get him back into bed. For appearance’s sake.
Also, it might help her to convince Lex that they should move out of this house, if one could even call it that, and back to the city. She was used to the night life and society parties and was beginning to become bored with the domesticity that she felt creeping up on her.
The suffocating feeling had deepened last night when Lex mentioned that he needed to have children sooner rather than later. Children were a lot of work, even with the team of nannies that she assumed that they would have, and would severely put a crimp in the way that she led her life. While she was pleased that she wouldn’t have to be step mother to any little brats from Lex’s first few marriages it would have taken the pressure off of her.
But, she wouldn’t think about that now. There was another art opening this evening, the artist was an old fling of hers, and she had to persuade Lex to take her.
She made sure the first few buttons of the shirt were undone and then leaned against the kitchen doorway. She didn’t clear her throat before speaking, she thought it sounded sexier when it was deeper like it usually was first thing in the morning.
“Morning, honey. How’s your father?” She knew that it was a sore subject but she didn’t really know what else to say to him. She rarely did now that she stopped to think about it.
Before he could answer, she looked around the kitchen and then asked, “Where’s Shim Shim?” The puppy loved Lex and Skylar found it odd that she was nowhere to be seen.
Lex suppressed the sneer of disgust at the endearment, and even ignored the lack of tact when she once again asked him the one thing he did not want to talk about. But when she mentioned that damn annoying creature, he couldn't help the sneer and a low growl. “Good morning. Your dog,” and he was using that term very widely, “Is in the backyard doing her business.” 'And hopefully getting maimed by the neighbors cat,' he didn't add. “Sleep well?”
Casting a quick glance at her, he noted that she was wearing his discarded shirt from the day before. He'd been sure all her clothes had been moved here already, considering they'd been living together for over a month, or was it? However, he thought it wise not to comment.
Taking another sip of coffee, he waited for her to join him at the counter, going back to perusing the morning paper.
Skylar made a noncommittal noise and wrapped her arms around Lex’s waist. She pressed a kiss to his neck before resting her forehead against his back. “Yes, but I missed you this morning.” She ran her hands along his sides.
She hoped that this wasn’t the wrong move. Lex’s moods were difficult, if not impossible, to read and she always found herself apologizing for what she had said or done. But, she would put up with his eccentricities.
This relationship was the best that she had ever had. Her parents were over the moon that she had landed Lex. Being born Penelope Skylar Schultz meant that she had a certain pressure placed upon her as to whom she could and could not marry.
Lex was mostly good to her and wasn’t into the hardcore drugs that her last few boyfriends had inhaled almost daily. She attributed it to the fact that Lex was almost a decade older than she was. They made good companions and were a good match, in her opinion.
Lex tolerated the clinging and incessant nuzzling while still going through the finances section, his mind only half listening to whatever Skylar was saying. When her fingers started to unbutton his shirt, however, he covered her hands with one of his, halting the motion.
“You know how it is, Skylar. When business calls, you can't just say 'excuse me, but my fiancée requires my presence',” he soothed his words with a quick peck to her temple, then went back to reading the newspaper.
It wasn't like she wasn’t attractive, or that she didn't know exactly what to do with her mouth and hands, but somehow Lex had lost interest somewhere around the moment she'd made the mistake to call him Lexie-pooh. A one time slip that would not occur again. He'd made sure of that.
It also irked him that she was still not agreeing on the subject of children, even though he had been sure she would be amenable to the idea when she'd told him all he never wanted to know about her little cousin Jim, or was it Jackie? Something that was the name brand of a whiskey.
It was not like he was gagging at the thought of having to take the responsibility for an offspring, but he had to face facts. He was 32, his father had expectations and while he usually did pretty much anything to antagonize Lionel Luthor, he did see the sense in continuing the Luthor line, with his very own twist to it, of course.
“So, have you decided yet what to do with your day? I'm only stopping by for a while, since I've got business in town in about 2 hours and probably won't be back before tonight.”
Skylar could feel the pout form on her face out of habit. It had worked with every other man in her life, but Lex seemed to be immune to it. Plus, he hated it when she tried to manipulate him. She thought it was a holdover from his other wives.
Quickly, she wiped the look off of her face. “Well, I’m going to Yoga and Pilates as usual. My mother also wants me to stop by so we can go over what flowers I want for the big day.” She smiled up at Lex as she stole his cup of coffee and took a sip from it.
“Though, knowing my mother, it will turn into a whole day argument.” Felicity Schultz was almost as scary as Lex’s dad was. Almost. “But, after that I was hoping that you’d go with me to an art opening.” She started to rush her words.
“It starts at nine and we’d only have to make a quick appearance. The artist is an old friend of mine.” Neither of them discussed it, but both she and Lex knew what ‘old friend’ was code for.
The way that their social circle worked both she and Lex had run into more than their fair share of old friends that they each had.
Lex's eyes narrowed as he took the cup back from Skylar. “Haven't we talked about that?” He slammed the newspaper shut and got up, finishing the cup in one long pull before getting himself a new cup.
Another opening, this time the 'old friend' was hers. Lex didn't particularly care for the incommodity of yet another jealous ex making thinly veiled threats and throwing around ill-advised barbs lacking in creativity and effect. It was quite bothersome. Not to mention the fact that he'd seen just enough 'art' to last him for a life time. One more yogurt cup plastered against a canvas with finger paint and he'd lose all interest in the entire subject permanently.
“I told you I'd be working late today. I'm afraid you'll have to go on your own. You can invite your mother on a shopping trip, distract her from the flower arrangements and I'll make sure my limousine will get you there and pick you up whenever you want.”
And that was his final opinion on the matter. If she had one smart bone in her body, she'd accept it and move on. Maybe they should have a talk about this, figure out an arrangement or something, but at the moment, Lex wasn't interested in compromises, he simply wanted to be left in peace after dealing with his father yet again. Shouldn't the bastard be happy Lex was actively trying to fulfill his wishes and settle down? Instead he got harped on for his choices in women.
Dammit, it wasn't easy to find a woman that was smart, ambitious, attractive, had a sense of humor and on top of all that wasn't actively going for his money or trying to kill him. Lex had to make concessions, so he did.
The tone of Lex’s voice told Skylar more than his words did. He was in no mood to argue or even discuss the matter any further. She would be attending the art opening alone or with her mother.
Sighing and not bothering to hide it she sat down at the kitchen table. This was one of the times that she almost felt compelled to ask Lex if he actually even liked her all that much. It wasn’t a subject that would get them anywhere so she retasked her mind to something else.
“You don’t need to bother,” she said, sure to smile at Lex so he didn’t think she was cross with him, “I’m sure that my mother’s driver will be able to take me and pick me up. It makes more sense that way.”
Besides, she was certain that once her mother caught wind of the fact that Lex had refused to come with her, she would get an earful. And, even though Lex assured her to the contrary, she wasn’t positive that Lex’s limos weren’t bugged. It was just better to use a family car.
“Hmm, alright,” Lex was inhaling his coffee deeply, glad that he didn't have to bother with Skylar more than necessary.
A scowl flickered over his face at the thought, but he quickly suppressed it. This was not how he had imagined his life turning out when he was younger and still holding a glimmer of hope that maybe he didn't have to become a carbon copy of his father. Alas, it seemed it wasn't meant to be, so he'd have to deal. Judging for himself, he didn't do too badly. Skylar had no reason to complain and he treated her with as much respect and politeness as possible at any given time.
Putting his empty mug aside, he crossed the kitchen, briefly pulling his fiancée in with his hands around her waist and catching her lips in a kiss, his exploration of her mouth thorough, if devoid of any further intentions.
Pulling back, he gave her a small smirk when she looked up at him with slightly glazed eyes. “I have to go now. I'll see you later tonight, have a good day and give your mother my regards.”
With another peck to her forehead, he made his way out of the kitchen, mentally getting ready for another hour of traffic, back into the heart of the city to play the scion of LuthorCorp.
~~~~
After fighting briefly with her door, Chloe threw her keys into a ceramic bowl on the coffee table as she slouched into the couch. The phone call with her father was still on her mind. She had slammed down the phone a few times for good measure after hanging up on him. The ruckus didn’t seem to bother Teddy, he was still passed out in her bedroom. They’d had another one of their all night marathon fuckfests so she really couldn’t blame him.
Still needing to work out some of her violent energy, Chloe had gone to the gym. She had been taking kickboxing for the past year and she found that it calmed her down. Usually.
She was just so sick of her father trying to control who she went out with. Yes, he was allowed to have an opinion. Yes, he was allowed to express it to her. But, who was he to judge who she dated? His track record wasn’t the best.
Shoving down the guilt that the thought brought up Chloe went into the kitchen and pulled the door to the fridge open. She grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down.
Her father just didn’t understand that when you were the way that she was and a woman that the right kind of men didn’t exactly come flocking to you. There were the arrogant asses that wanted to ‘tame’ someone like her. The ones that were scared off by her. The ones that thought that they could fix her and make her more docile. It drove her insane.
So Teddy wasn’t exactly Forbes’ man of the year. He had other attributes. But, it wasn’t as if she was going to discuss them with her father. She didn’t want to give the man a heart attack.
Chloe could take care of herself. Sure, she missed having an actual conversation or debate with someone, but that’s what her work colleagues were for. Some part of her knew that her choices in men was an overcompensation for not getting the hot guys when she was in high school, but it was her own life dammit and she would do what, and who, she pleased.
Tossing the bottle of water in the recycling bin, she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. It was Teddy, finally awake at noon. Sure, he was slothful but his abs more than made up for it. “Good morning.”
Teddy ambled into the kitchen, stretching his well worked muscles and scratching his belly before he spotted Chloe at the fridge. “Hey babe, had a nice work out?”
He sauntered over and pressed a kiss to her cheek then immersed himself with the contents of the fridge, looking for some OJ. He wasn't sure why Chloe insisted on doing this fancy kick boxing thing, instead of just going to some aerobics, but since it gave her buns of steel, he really couldn't complain. And damn she was extremely limber and bendy.
Finally finding what he was looking for, he poured himself a glass before leaning back against the fridge, ignoring the chill of the cold metal on his bare skin.
See, this was what her dad didn’t get. The men that actually had a brain often didn’t care what was up with her. And, while Teddy wasn’t the most eloquent of men, he did listen to her when she spoke.
The fact that you could bounce all sorts of change off of his body was a definite bonus. “Yeah,” she said, hopping up onto the counter. “I needed to get some of my aggression out some way. You were still asleep.” She shot him a devious grin.
The joke of who had more stamina was a running thing with them and they both enjoyed ribbing each other. “I think that pretty soon I’ll be able to move up to the next class. Ben was very impressed with my performance.” She smiled remembering the look that was akin to fear that had crossed his face with her last roundhouse.
Teddy grinned as he made his way over to the counter and positioned himself between Chloe's bouncing legs, placing his hands on either side of her butt on the surface. “Really? What'd you do to him, break a rib? Knock him out,” he teased as he leaned closer to her lips.
The guy had to be a wimp if it was either of the two. He could admit that Chloe definitely had some muscle strength going, but the idea that she'd hold up in a serious fight was still a tad ridiculous in his opinion. The five foot two power bundle might get a good punch in, but a Stallone, she was not.
Still, it definitely was a turn on to watch her get down and dirty with the sandbag she kept in the bedroom. Her breasts bouncing with every move, a trail of sweat slowly running down the center of her spine, eyes glowing with malice. Teddy was already feeling his cock sit up and take notice, so he brought his lips down to Chloe's at the same time as his hands closed on her ass and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter.
When his erection was pressed tight against her lap, he groaned and eased out of the kiss long enough to murmur suggestively, “Wanna take a shower?”
Chloe hummed as she guided Teddy’s head to her neck. She gasped when he started to nip at her neck. “I think that I can be persuaded to join you, yes.” She closed her eyes and moved closer so she could feel him better.
She never got sick of feeling how aroused she could make him within a matter of minutes. Chloe ran her hands up and down his back and then let out a rather undignified squeak as she felt herself being dragged off of the counter. She wrapped her legs around Teddy as he carried her. Not to the bathroom, but to the bedroom.
He laid her down on the bed and, as Chloe pulled off her shirt she asked, “Did you get lost?”
Teddy grinned as he shoved his hands under her rear and hooked them into the waistband of her sweat pants, pulling them down. “Not bloody likely,” he muttered as his eyes fixated on a tasty inch of smooth, tanned belly peeked out from under the shirt. Diving down, he nipped at the soft flesh, teasing the little belly button with his tongue before blowing a raspberry straight into the sensitive skin.
After Chloe had calmed down from her squeeing giggle fit, he grinned sharply up at her, “Just a change of plans. Fuck first, shower, later.”
With that he hooked his teeth into the waistline of her panties, tugging harshly. When the stubborn material wouldn't budge, he decided to cheat and engaged his hands to help.
Chloe leaned back and let Teddy take charge. Sex with him was always a good time and he attended very well to her needs. As soon as she was ready, he plunged into her and Chloe clutched onto his shoulders. They moved against each other gasping and teasing until they each found their release.
Teddy’s plan of a shower was thwarted when he fell asleep soon after they were done. Chloe turned on her side and looked at him. He made her happy for now and she wasn’t about to let anyone’s opinion of him sidetrack her.
She got up out of the bed and went to the shower. At least this way she’d actually get clean instead of having awkward sex against the tiles. The bed was much better, in her opinion.
Grabbing the shampoo she thought about her last few boyfriends. In college, she had actually tried dating men that were up to her level. But it never worked out once they realized that she was smarter than they were and not afraid to show it. None of them could take up the gauntlet that she had thrown down.
After a few relationships like that, she had had a fling with a rugby player. Chloe had found it very enjoyable and not taxing at all. She thought that she would grow out of it after college, but it hadn’t happened. Much to her father’s displeasure.
Putting the argument with her dad out of her mind, Chloe instead focused on what she had to do today. She had a freelance project that she had to bang out and then she’d go into the office and see what new asinine assignment had been thrown on her desk. She knew that she had to pay her dues but if she had to go to one more mindless charity event, she couldn’t be held accountable for her actions.
She’d leave a note for Teddy and call him later at the gym to see what his schedule for the day was like.
Her life may not be turning out the way that she had imagined it but she was content for now. And, it was enough.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Quote:
It wasn't like she wasn’t attractive, or that she didn't know exactly what to do with her mouth and hands, but somehow Lex had lost interest somewhere around the moment she'd made the mistake to call him Lexie-pooh. A one time slip that would not occur again. He'd made sure of that.
That was just hilarious... Lexie-pooh. Oh my god. Just... too funny.
Loved the looks into Lex and Chloe's lives with their significant others. How they're happy, but the could be happier... and in enter Gabe and Lionel (my two favorite men right now) to make it better.
Ah, this just keeps getting better and better.
Love it.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
I didnt care for the other two people. But I did enjoy why Chloe and Lex are so called content with their lives. I can't wait to see what the father's have up their sleeves. :D
Hope ;)
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
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Some part of her knew that her choices in men was an overcompensation for not getting the hot guys when she was in high school, but it was her own life dammit and she would do what, and who, she pleased.
This bit strikes me as so real.
I really like how this story is progressing, and you all did a great job setting the situations up with Chloe's and Lex's significant others. Great update.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Not loving the significant other's much expecially Skylar. Can't wait for Gabe and Lionel to work their magic.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Geez, they're with some real winners aren't they? So glad you updated but what a mess!! Lionel and Gabe's plan needs to go into action NOW :) Can't wait to read more!
Steph*
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
I definitely think it's time for Lionel and Gabe to step in and work their magic!! At least Chloe realizes her relationship isn't serious, but Lex needs to stop giving his airhead bimbos rocks!! Thanks so much for the excellent update!! Can't wait til you wonders post more!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
oh yeah baby
lexie-pooh? i think not my friend/fuck buddy/fiancee...whatever
love lea
xxx
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Oh whats that I see flying there - are there goes Lex's image of a tough business man.
I introduce to you the son of the Devil himself - Lexie-pooh. I quiver with fear lol
Just brilliant.
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So Teddy wasn’t exactly Forbes’ man of the year. He had other attributes. But, it wasn’t as if she was going to discuss them with her father. She didn’t want to give the man a heart attack.
:) I don't see any daughter having that convesation with a father.
Quote:
He could admit that Chloe definitely had some muscle strength going, but the idea that she'd hold up in a serious fight was still a tad ridiculous in his opinion. The five foot two power bundle might get a good punch in, but a Stallone, she was not
I think Teddy need's to feel how much Chloe's punch can pack.
I can't wait to see the impact on their lives when Gabe and Lionel get started. Excellent chapter. Can't wait for more.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
you know, I like the fact that at least somewhere they acknowledge they are missing something. and while the Chlexer in me shudders at the thought of them with other people, I enjoyed the glimpse into their respective lives. Great work my dears. More soon.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
magnificent. even if it wasnt chlex, seeing chloe and lex in there own lives was still great!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
OH! an update! an update! an update! Oh, oh my.
:( with clingy snobby bimbo who's going to (hopefully not) marry our Lex
and
:( with non-Chlex smut involving horny Teddy.... EEEEEeeew. :P
But, i shan't (!) complain, for an update is an update, regardless!
I loved it loved it, you guys always write Chlo and Lex so well. I like how they both realize that what they have isn't really what they truly want or had hoped for. hopefully they will (with the help of lionabe!) find it in each other.
FANTASTIC WORK!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
A/N: Sabby: So here you go fiends! An update! And Chlex interaction! And no significant others anywhere! And I swear it's the coke that causes all the exclamation point abuse! Enjoy! Oh and! Feedback!
A/N: Blue: So we actually have some Chlex interaction in this one. But, don't worry, the Lionabe isn't going anywhere. By the way, I *love* that name. Props to mimi71884.
Chloe had been putting this off for the past week but she knew that she would eventually have to face her father. He had invited her to lunch to catch up, as he put it. She really knew that it would be an inquisition about her life, that she was throwing it away and how long did she really think she could go on doing this with these men. It was the same conversation with every boyfriend. Her father got progressively more blunt with her. He wasn’t the pushover that he used to be.
She smiled at his secretary, Jane, and she motioned for Chloe to go right on in. Her father was on the phone but he smiled at her and waved, indicating that he wanted her to sit down. She did so and watched as her father discussed some important matter on the phone. The past few years had been good to him. He had advanced in LuthorCorp, seemed to be happy with his work and hadn’t gotten soft looking like so many other middle-aged men.
Maybe she’d try to convince him that he should focus on his own romantic life instead of butting in on hers. The subways had been running slowly today and her father’s office was on the other side of town. She’d been so busy at work that she hadn’t really had the chance to munch on anything. Hence, she was famished. Hence, her father needed to speed up his phone call.
Gabe watched his daughter on the other side of his desk, fidgeting a little in her seat and pressing a hand to her stomach. His brows arched up in question as he answered yet another yes or no question to the person on the other end of the line.
“Excuse me, if you could hold on for one minute,” he spoke into the phone when there was a short pause in conversation.
“Sweetie, this might take a while, why don't you go to the break room and get yourself a snack, I'll be with you as soon as I can,” he told her quickly before returning to the conversation.
This was just like him. Invite her to lunch and then get sidetracked by a project. But, that was one of the traits that Chloe found endearing about him. To others, she would hem and haw that it was annoying, god forbid her father found that out. He’d never stop working.
She nodded and proceeded to the break room. This was something that she was used to. Poking around the tricked out small kitchen cubicle while her father tried to get off the phone with people who didn’t care that he needed sustenance in order to continue answering their annoying questions.
Even this room looked expensive. Lionel Luthor’s decorators did a good job of making every space in the building look imposing. The fridge gleamed and there was a top of the line small stove and a microwave as well. The fridge was stocked every morning and Chloe opened it, looking for something to tide her over until her father was done.
As soon as Chloe had closed the door behind her and Gabe had counted to ten, a wide grin came to his face. This might actually work and he couldn't wait to see the outcome of this first little stunt.
“Lionel, she's on her way to the break room now. Time to send Lex on his way,” he spoke into the phone.
“I understand,” Lionel said, smoothly. Lex was sitting across from him, not even bothering to hide his annoyance. He couldn’t blame his son. He had called him in telling him it was an emergency but still had yet to speak with him.
When Lex had arrived, Lionel had already been on the phone with Gabe. But Lex would never leave the office, admitting defeat to Lionel that he had been played.
“I will ensure that what you need will arrive within the next five minutes. I fully comprehend the delicacy of the matter, yes.” He paused again as Gabe made up some other covert talk just to keep him on the line. “Would you mind holding for a moment?”
He pressed the hold button on the phone and then addressed Lex. “Son, why don’t you go and get some coffee? I’m sure that your time would be better spent doing that then just watching me carry out my business. Unless you think that it might help you with your own work?”
Lex's face stayed smooth, even as he envisioned several gruesome and gory scenarios of bringing his father's life to an end with his bare hands. “I was under the impression that you needed my assistance in an emergency, but since that is obviously not the case,” he left the sentence dangle in the air, knowing there would be no answer forthcoming.
“I'll see you later, dad,” he sneered on his way out, cursing his birthname for the umpteenth time this week.
What was it with those ridiculous ploys, just to keep him on his toes? He had more important things to do than run to his father's heels every time the old coot snapped his fingers and asked for his attention. But still, he ran non the less and it was getting tiresome. Like so many other things.
Irritatingly, coffee sounded like a good idea. At least it would help him get a bit of energy back from the boring drone of his father having a business conversation with some lackey. Mind made up, he made his way to the break room, since he couldn't be bothered to go all the way down to the ground floor and across the street, just for some Starbucks flavor.
He swung around the corner into the doorway to come to a complete stop as he saw a familiar face sitting at the table inside. “Hello.”
He hadn't seen her in years, but she hadn't changed all that much since her days in Smallville. Her hair was a bit longer, her clothes a little less loud and, he cocked his head to the side, she'd obviously lost a few pounds. He briefly wondered if he'd ever seen her after her high school days, but he couldn't remember for the life of him if that had been the case. Surely he'd remember, wouldn't he?
Chloe looked up from the paper that she had been reading when she heard someone address her. Giving him a little smile, she had never had anything against the man standing before her like so many of her friends and the inhabitants of Smallville, she replied, “Hello Lex. Come here often?”
It was a poor attempt at banter, but she was woefully out of practice so it would have to do for now. Knowing that he wouldn’t be put off by it, Chloe took stock of Lex Luthor. She hadn’t seen him, in person that was, in ages. Couldn’t even remember the last time she’d spoken to him.
He looked better in the flesh, as was not always the case with those that were spread across the society pages. A little put out by the tense set of his jaw, but otherwise he was still the attractive older man that Chloe remembered.
Lex's brow quirked at the clichéd pick up line as he made his way to the counter where a fresh coffee pot was already made. He opened and closed some cabinet doors on the hunt for a mug as he answered.
“Obviously, not often enough, considering the pleasant surprise,” he opened yet another cabinet, finally finding and taking out a mug with the LuthorCorp logo. “And the fact that the last time I was up here, the mugs were over there.” He pointed to the cabinet on the other end of the row he'd just gone through, then made his way back to the pot and filled up the mug to just under the brim.
Taking a sip, his lips curled up in a smirk. Strong enough to grow hair on your chest. “Perfect,” he commented absently.
“So what brings you here? Visiting with your father,” he asked in his normal tone, settling down at the table across from Chloe.
Chloe had watched Lex’s smooth movements as he hunted for a cup to put his coffee in. Whenever the man moved, it always seemed without effort and graceful. She remembered thinking that when they both lived in Smallville as well.
She nodded before pushing the paper a little further away from her. She had the terribly rude habit of only half listening to someone if the printed word was in front of her. She honestly wanted to know how Lex was, not that he would tell her, and didn’t want any distractions.
“We’re supposed to go out to lunch,” she said by way of explanation. “But my father finds it, shall we say, difficult to not answer the phone if he’s in the office. Even if he knows that whatever twit is on the end of the line will cut into our time.”
Chloe leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “I’m assuming from your demeanor that you’re also here to see the male half of your gene pool?” Lionel had always been one of the few, if not only, people that could crawl under Lex’s skin and cause him to have actual expressions on his face.
Lex's lip curled in disgust and he took another sip of the coffee. Then it actually registered with him how she'd phrased her sentence. “Interesting assumption, but what makes you think that this is anything but my usual demeanor?”
It was a bit unsettling that someone who hadn't seen him in years could apparently read his face and actions and know exactly what was bothering him. Definitely not good, his mask must be slipping. “I'm merely here for a cup of coffee before a meeting that will probably take several hours with no break in between.”
Ok so that was a lie, but he'd made sure his expression was neutral and would look into whatever had given him away in the first place. It couldn't have been his hunt for a cup. He'd not been hurried in any way, had he?
~~
Lionel grinned at the laptop that both he and Gabe were currently hunched over. They were watching the security feed from the room, looking for anything that they could use in their fight to do what was best for their moronic progeny.
“She certainly has his number, Gabe. And,” he leaned closer to the screen, “it’s driving him insane. I’m sure he’s now working over what movement he didn’t execute properly that would lead her to make such a statement.”
He felt downright gleeful at the prospect of that little slip of a girl getting to his son in such short order. He clapped Gabe on the back, “Damn fine job of raising her.”
~~
Chloe ducked her head and bit her lips to make sure that she didn’t smile or worse, bust out laughing. It wouldn’t be polite. But, damn if Lex’s tone and defensive words weren’t amusing to her.
She knew that Lex had to know what she was doing but she still cleared her throat before speaking. While she didn’t doubt that most people wouldn’t be able to tell that something was up with Lex, he seemed to have forgotten what she was trained in.
When one was out for the truth, you had to look for small tells. Most people had some common ones but everyone had their own little tics that would alert you to the fact that they were lying, nervous etc. The tone of Lex’s voice told her all she needed to know.
His movements had been smooth but he had closed the cabinet a little too forcefully than was absolutely necessary and when he spoke to her, the first words were tight. He had to relax after what had just happened with who she assumed was his father.
Clearing her throat she said, “Sorry if I stepped on any toes. I just assumed that if you were here and a little annoyed, which the vigor with which you shut the cabinets communicated to me, that only your father would be the cause of it.”
She shrugged her shoulders and then paused. Her thirst for knowledge always got her into trouble and could see that happening but couldn’t stop it. She leaned forward a little and asked in a conspiratorially tone, “Was I right?”
Lex contemplated her for a minute, head cocked to the side. A small smirk twitching at the corners of his lips, he leaned in as well, bringing their heads even closer. He could see she was waiting for an answer the moment her eyes lit up and for some reason the table was rocking slightly under his elbows.
“No comment,” he said smoothly, then flashed her a grin, all teeth and sharp edges before he leaned back in his chair.
“You bastard,” Chloe said. Though, she supposed that the malice usually associated with the words was not conveyed due to the fact that she was laughing. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“You had fun doing that, didn’t you? You know,” her voice took on a lecturing tone, “it’s not very nice to lead a girl on.” Chloe noticed that her knee, that was bouncing up and down from her energy, kept hitting the table, causing it to bop up and down. She ceased her motion and looked back up at Lex.
That damn smirk was still affixed to his face. If anything, it had gotten even wider. “Shut up, just shut up.” She wasn’t even sure of what Lex would say to her, but she didn’t want to hear it.
~~
Gabe almost whooped when he watched his daughter’s reaction to Lex. Her knee was going 50 miles an hour and her whole demeanor was coiled and ready to pounce. Thankfully the way the two cameras were set up in the break room, he could clearly see the motion under the table from one angle.
“Oh, he's got her flustered, alright. She hasn't twitched that much since that time she was trying to make an impression on the interviewer from Princeton,” he turned to shoot a lopsided grin at Lionel, then quickly returned to watch the ongoings in the break room.
~~
Lex grinned and relaxed even further into his seat, taking a sip of his coffee to distract from the expression on his face. He didn't even remember the last time he'd had that much fun. Back in Smallville, the two of them hadn't gotten to talk very much or often, but their verbal judo had always managed to brighten a dull day. It made him wonder what had happened to the girl since those days. Where she'd gone with her life.
“So, where did you end up? Last I heard from you was right after graduation and you were planning to go to,” he paused, trying to remember the tidbit from the conversations he'd had with Gabe before his work had taken him back to Metropolis and he'd lost contact with his former plant manager aside from the occasional hello in passing, “Princeton, right?”
Chloe nodded. “Yup, the hallowed halls and ivied walls of pomp and circumstance. And of pompous asses, of course.” She bit down on the comment that he would have fit right in there. Somehow, from the look on his face she guessed that he knew what she was thinking.
It was unsettling but not in a bad way. It had just been way too long since she’d had a conversation with a man in a non work related situation who actually seemed to be able to keep up with her.
“It was a good time. I especially enjoyed the Rugby team.” Chloe managed not to cringe at the last sentence she had let slip. It was an accident, well, more of an instinct actually. It was what she always told people about her time there.
No one really wanted to hear about how hard it had been. All of the cramming she had to do, idiotic assignments to prove herself, being so far away from her father or anyone else that might actually care about her. Chloe’s first two years had been miserable. But, she had never complained about them. She made jokes as a defense mechanism and people usually accepted it.
But, she could see from the look in Lex’s eyes that she didn’t have him fooled. The silence continued between them but Chloe made no move to speak. It didn’t bother her that he continued to study her. Nope, didn’t bother her at all.
Lex wasn't sure how to react to her comment about the Ivy League university he himself had attended. True the major populace of the student folk had belonged in the category of spoiled and pompous, but it somehow rankled, because he got the feeling that she'd put him in that category, too. Yepp, the Luthor stigmata at work again. Well, it should be interesting to see how she'd deal with the comeback.
“I was more partial to the fencing team, being a member myself,” he commented dryly, holding her gaze, “Rugby just seemed a little too much brute strength and too little technique to me.”
He found himself wanting to ask which house she'd been in, and how it had been for someone who had to have went there on a scholarship to fit in with the crowd and make it through the strenuous experience without loads of money to back them up and grant them an acceptable status within the ranks of the students.
Instead he opted for a simpler question. “What was your major?”
~~
Gabe cocked his head to the side, watching the interaction on the screen and the myriad of facial expressions he'd never seen on the Luthor scion’s face before. Coupled with the comments Lex was making, and the tone of voice he was using...
“Is he hitting on her?” He wasn't sure, but it sure looked like it. Somewhat.
“We can only hope so,” Lionel said, dismissively. For a man that had agreed to persuade his daughter to date someone, Gabe was acting rather strange about what would have been a good turn of events. “Now, be quiet.”
~~
Chloe’s gaze didn’t waiver as Lex questioned her. She was surprised at his comment about the fencing team…which was most definitely not a comment about the fencing team. But, she tried not to let it show. Lex was famous for turning on the charm with women at the drop of the hat so why would she be any different?
“Journalism.” She stated it simply and then said, “I’m surprised that you forgot our numerous attempts at interviews.” Cocking her head to the side she added, “Then again, I suppose you could think that it was a passing phase with me. But, I made it through and am actually employed at a paper in town.”
She was proud of that. Numerous people either hadn’t made it out of the program or couldn’t find internships or jobs at any of the papers. True, she didn’t have a byline on the front page but she knew that she would have to be patient and just keep plugging away.
Lex shrugged a shoulder, casually. “I wasn't sure if the desire would last, since you tended to get in way over your head and had to have a certain farmboy with a hero complex get you out of trouble.” The certain farmboy being a person he did not want to dwell on, nor anything that went with it, thank you very much.
“In any case, I'm impressed. It's not easy these days to make it through University and get a job so soon after.” He didn't ask which paper, not wanting to offend the woman in front of him or get her into an uncomfortable position if it happened to be a mud-rag.
He remembered Chloe Sullivan as a very proud person, something she'd most surely inherited from her father, who wouldn't even consider society dirt as actual journalism. Always going for the big stories, the extravagant theories that still somehow might be provable. “So you're permanently in Metropolis now, that's good to know.”
Lex had no idea why he'd just said that, but it did ring true, even to himself. Maybe he'd run into her again, get a bit of interesting conversation in or something. “And outside of work? What's your choice of entertainment these days?”
Back in Smallville it had been meteor mutants and chasing down stories. Now that she actually made a living of chasing a story, and considering there weren't any mutants in sight in Metropolis, he wondered what she did with all the free time. Why he wondered, again he had no idea.
~~
“He’s intrigued by her.” Lionel whispered the words, wondering why he was doing so. He looked over at Gabe. “It’s been so long since he’s been around a woman with an actual head on her shoulders that he can’t stop himself from asking questions. He usually doesn’t do that.”
Lionel wondered what the grandchildren would look like. And, if Chloe would allow Lex to give them names that began with ‘L’. He frowned briefly when he considered the idea that Chloe wouldn’t go for that or, worse, not want them to be named Luthor.
“He’s showing his hand more than he usually does. Letting her know that’s he’s interested.” Lionel once again leaned closer and studied Chloe. “And, she’s picking up on it.”
~~
This was an unexpected turn of events. She and Lex had exchanged pleasantries all that they had needed to. But, it seemed as if he truly wanted to know what she was up to and what she did in the big, bad city after hours.
She paused before answering him. If she started talking about Teddy it might seem like she was telling him to back off….even though he wasn’t doing anything wrong. And, it might change their conversation.
~~
Gabe nodded silently along, listening to Lionel's comments. True, the younger Luthor was asking questions, keeping the conversation between them alive. Chloe looked like she actually had to think before she spoke, something that hadn't happened in a while. He wondered if she'd be telling him about her liaisons or if she'd gloss over the fact that she'd went out and dated her way through several dozen men in the last few years.
“She's thinking about her answer, and thinking hard,” he commented. “I guess she's trying to come up with an answer that won't make him back off right away. She likes this conversation.” Gabe was amazed and he briefly let himself entertain the thought of somewhere down the line.
With these two, it would be like watching the soccer endgame of the World Cup. Always on the edge of your seat and waiting for the next disaster or success. Their children would probably learn to debate before they learned to walk in a straight line. A small grin on his face, Gabe seriously hoped this would work out.
~~
“Well, after that trouble comment of yours, which I’m letting slide cause I’m so kind, I think that you’ll be glad to hear that I kickbox in some of my spare time.” She ran a hand through her hair. “And, based on the number of times you got roughed up, I do believe that I could kick your ass.”
Seeing the amused look on Lex’s face Chloe said, “Hey, I’m serious. I may not look it but I am fierce.” She glared at Lex. “Stop smiling at me like that.” When Lex continued to do so, Chloe sighed and then got to her feet.
“OK, come on.” She took her fighting stance and made a ‘bring it’ motion with her hands. “I can’t believe that you’re going to make me beat you up at your office, but so be it.”
Lex was seriously amused by the fact that a simple smile from him could rile her up like that, when she jumped to her feet and dropped into an, admittedly professional, fighting stance his brows rose. Was she serious?
“Now, I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I hit a woman, now would I?” He made no move to get up from his seat, yet, regarding her slowly.
Even though, he had to admit the idea of a little sparring was tempting. He'd never been one to underestimate a woman and her capability of kicking ass if need be. Sadly, most women were too concerned with the shape and perfection of their nails or outward appearance in general to even give something like self defense a shot. He watched appreciatively as Chloe's stance fortified and he got a glimpse of her shape outlined under the clothes.
Standing up, he purposely moved into her personal space, opening the button on his jacket before he leaned in, correcting the angle of her elbow, just slightly.
“And it would hardly be a fair fight, considering where we are and that I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion,” he added.
Both points were nothing but the truth. Fighting in a closely tailored dress suit fit for show, and in a kitchen with limited space no less. He'd lose simply for the fact that he couldn't move properly and that his opponent was small, and from the looks of it limber enough to use it as an advantage over him.
~~
“Kiss her,” Lionel hissed. He was surprised at how downright desperate his voice sounded. Then again, he would have had to be full of desperation to have actually hatched this scheme. This scheme that now didn’t seem so stupid.
Chloe had challenged Lex. Something that always raised his son’s hackles. ‘If not something else,’ his brain piped up. But that comment he would not voice. At least not with Chloe’s father at his elbow.
Lex was trying to intimidate Chloe, to show her that he was bigger and stronger than she was. He would never do that with one of his other weak willed and bodied women.
“Just do it, dammit.” Neither of the figures on the screen moved. He tried a different tactic. “Kiss him.”
Lionel's outburst made Gabe turn his head sharply, catching the other man in an unguarded moment with an actual expression other than derisive arrogance or imperious wrath on his face. 'Wow, Lionel Luthor anxious'. Then his eyes turned back to the screen where Lex was closing in on Chloe and his daughter was tightening her fist, pulling back.
“He'll be lucky if she doesn't punch him in the face. She's not far from it,” his face scrunched up, in preparation for the blow.
Lionel turned his attention to Gabe. “You really don’t see what’s going on, do you?” He waved his hand towards the screen. “This, no matter how odd it may seem to us, is foreplay to them.”
He looked back at the screen. “It’s a dance that they are doing, it’s only a matter of time until one of them cracks.” He considered the two people that they were discussing. “Hopefully one of them will before we’re both dead.”
~~
Chloe looked up at Lex because she found herself physically unable to look away. “Firstly, you’d be hitting an adversary, not a woman.” Though, it delighted her to know that Lex could see that she was a woman. Few people from Smallville would place her in that category. “Secondly, using fashion as a defense never got anyone off the hook with me.”
However, she did put her hands down. “If you’re scared of losing, just say so.” She knew that she was baiting him but she just couldn’t stop herself. It was too much fun to watch Lex’s reactions.
Lex's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew he was being baited and he knew he could come up with some good line to brush her down, or get out of this, but at the moment, he wanted to see how she'd react if he didn't. Wanted to see just how for the astute Miss Sullivan was willing to take this.
“Alright,” Grinning sharply at her, he turned around, closed the door to the break room and flicked the lock in place.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
oh ho ho!!!!! now this is just a fab piece of writeing!!! you had me bounceing in my seet and positively tripping overmyself in an effot to read more quickly!!!!
MAGNIFICENT!!!!!!!! :D
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
NO!!!!!!!!!!!! How can you end there. Just when we were getting to the good part. I want more. I want to see the fight. I want to see Chloe kick his ass. !!!!!!
Despite you guys being cruel in ending it. I really enjoyed the fire between those two. You can see that they are starving for it. The way Lex is flirting with her and how Chloe is eating it up. I love it.
Hope :)
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Thank you for the wonderful update!! I love how Chloe didn't mention Teddy and Lex hasn't even thought of Skylar!! Maybe they don't realize it but the sparks are flying!! I wish that they would listen to Lionel though, he has the right idea!! He and Gabe are the best in this story!! I can't wait for more!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Wow, great chapter. I can't believe you ended it there, though.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Wow! Lovely, lovely! Go write more... I don't care about "real life", it's not as entertaining so you don't need any time for it...
Lark
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Squeee!!! Awesome update. Really enjoying the flirtatious verbal judo between Chloe and Lex. Love that they can both read eachother so well. How cute are Gabe and Lionel being all concerned about their kids. I'm hoping though that Chloe and Lex don't end up getting too hot and heavy with them watching cos that would be very very wierd!! Can't wait for more.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
This fic is so much fun!!! You were ebil to stop there, but Im still happy and smilling... The banter btween them, Lionel reactions! I just love this!
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“Alright,” Grinning sharply at her, he turned around, closed the door to the break room and flicked the lock in place.
Can't wait to see how that goes...Update soon!!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
OMG OMG OMG that was so much fun to read, I WANT MORE
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
This is a very interesting and novel story so far. Even though it's impossible that Lionel and Gabe would ever be in this situation I can easily imagine them being like this by the way their written. The interaction between them is intriguing :D. I really love that they're written so well in character. And this is definitely one of the best verbal judos I have ever read. Chloe is still her spunky self but I can also see the maturity she's come to possess over the years since Smallville. Lex is his rightful self and I guess I could call it his...more-than-usual looseness, it helped convey his intrigue in Chloe. It was great that Lionel and Gabe could immediately pick up on what Lex and Chloe were feeling. It gave me more insight on Chloe and Lex and also showed that Lionel and Gabe really know what they're doing.
Again because I just liked it so much :), I really enjoyed Chloe and Lex's verbal judo!! Eagerly waiting for the next chapter!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
That was great!! I can't decided whether I want Chloe to actually hit him or not, lol. But they've noticed each other again, yay! Update soon
Steph*
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
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“Kiss her,” Lionel hissed. He was surprised at how downright desperate his voice sounded. Then again, he would have had to be full of desperation to have actually hatched this scheme. This scheme that now didn’t seem so stupid.
...
“Just do it, dammit.” Neither of the figures on the screen moved. He tried a different tactic. “Kiss him.”
God that just cracked me up.
I loved the Chlex banter in this chapter, it was entertaining and very hot to say the least. I can't wait for more of this.
I think I love gabe and lionel just as much as I love chloe and Lex.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Poor Lex. If he beats her, it's bad for him. If he doesn't beat, it's bad for him.
Please more...
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
That was great! Cant wait to see what happens next, update soon please.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
you ended it just like that, in the middle of their sparring?! you both are so evil! loved it all. and gabe and lionel's spying was hilarious.
more soon
randa
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
You ended it there!!! Come Back!!!!
Oh Lex! What are you thinking?!
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no matter how odd it may seem to us, is foreplay to them.”
I would love to see this conversation between Gabe and Lionel. :)
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“It’s a dance that they are doing, it’s only a matter of time until one of them cracks.” He considered the two people that they were discussing. “Hopefully one of them will before we’re both dead.”
Oh my, with those two stubborn asses it might who knows how long it will be.
Brilliant part.
Can't wait for the next part and see how Gabe and Lionel react to this.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
:eek: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! you CAN'T leave it like this! PLEASE!!!! Come Back! Please?
*takes calming deep breath*
Ok, you DID say that you wouldn't have regular updates...... but this is too good to just leave it like this! I love the Lionel/Gabe! My favorite lines so far are:
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Gabe couldn't help snorting, then downed the drink in one go. “You better buy stock in Advil, as far as I'm concerned,” he muttered.
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Lionel turned his attention to Gabe. “You really don’t see what’s going on, do you?” He waved his hand towards the screen. “This, no matter how odd it may seem to us, is foreplay to them.”
Second to that, I love the introduction of Chlex. This is going to be one hell of a ride! But then this is a BlueSabby fic so of course it'll keep me on the edge of my seat! :D
Just don't wait too long to give us more! This is terrific!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
This is just brilliant, I hope there's going to be more
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
***snickering like a mad woman*** oh shit. that was too funny!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
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Originally Posted by BlueSabby
...but somehow Lex had lost interest somewhere around the moment she'd made the mistake to call him Lexie-pooh. A one time slip that would not occur again. He'd made sure of that.
call him every other endearment, but LEXIE-POOH???!!!
my. god. *cringe* good thing Lex made sure it didn't happen again. *shiver*
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So many fic to read, so little time to do so...but I definitely can't pass up on a Blue-Sabby collobration fic. Read up to the 2nd part so far, but it is great, as usual. Love the sardonic nature of this fanfic. heehee, Lex married 8 times, that just kills me.
That was fantastic! i can just imagine Lionel and Gabe huddling together to look at the screen. :rofl: Too funny for words!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
Sabby: A/N: We now return you to your regularly scheduled program as our infamous couple builds up some more tension to release it explosively (Without sex, mind out of the gutter, kids!)
Blue: Ding! Ding! Ding! In this corner, Chloe Sullivan....In this corner Lex Luthor. Ok, so the game is on. Enjoy!
Moving back to the table, he started pushing it out of the way as far as possible, against the cabinets, which gave them a room of about 6 by 13 feet, if he judged the length of the room correctly.
“I hope you're prepared for bruises, because this is going to be a seriously tight fit,” he smirked as he took of his jacket completely and threw it on top of the table to his right.
Pulling the shirt out of his pants, he slowly started to unbutton the cufflinks, waiting for her reaction.
~~
Lionel was on his feet now. “Will someone just grab someone for god’s sake?” His son was disrobing in front of Chloe and she hadn’t turned away from him. They were now alone in a locked room together. A locked room that no one was to get within twenty feet of. Lionel had spoken with a few security guards to ensure that.
“There’s a table right there!” He was already frustrated with the children and this had been going on for only twenty minutes. In his state, he had forgotten that Gabe was in the room.
Gabe was now dividing his attention between watching the children and Lionel. For a surreal moment, he wondered if Lionel might be a fan of soap operas or weekly dramas. He sure seemed to get thoroughly emotionally invested in the happenings. Or maybe it was just the fact that this was the future of his own family, happening there in that room.
“I think I'll get us a scotch,” he said slowly, as he got up from the chair, turning his face away from the screen where Lex was now in the process of removing his tie. “If this is foreplay, I seriously don't. Want. To know.” He shook his head as he poured scotch generously into two tumblers.
When he returned, he wondered if it was such a good idea that things seemed to be moving so fast. At this rate, Lex might end up just the next man on Chloe's list of 'have hads.'
~~
Chloe watched as Lex prepped the room, so to speak. She actually couldn’t believe that he was going to go through with this. But, she supposed that she should know by now that Luthors were full of surprises. That was driven home as she watched Lex start to unbutton his shirt. She was at least successful at not gulping at the action. Or the innuendo of his last comment.
She shrugged as she slipped out of her jacket and threw it on the table. “Trust me, I’m used to it after the past year of training.” If Lex was going to get comfy it only made sense that she’d do so, as well. Besides, she should strip down to an approximation of what actual fighting gear was. At least she hadn’t worn a skirt.
Not even hesitating, Chloe pulled her sweater over her head. She was wearing a white tight tank top underneath it but quickly got rid of that as well. She didn’t want anything even remotely binding on her body. In a perfect world, she would have worn a bra with more support but she hadn’t expected to be fighting Lex in a kitchen. So, she was wearing a red number that was more sex kitten than ass kicking.
Lex's brows rose when she actually went through with it; but he wasn't willing to back down. Her comment suggested that she had a little more than her mouth to back herself up, so he'd be careful to expect at least some training. Considering the mild flaws in her stance earlier, he was sure she was a worthy opponent, but not over the top.
When a sweater landed next to him on the table to which he had turned to discard his shirt, he turned back to find Chloe down to her jeans and 'Wow'. Lacy red number of a bra encasing a set of really nice breasts.
It took him a second to get with the program as he took in her appearance, this time without the distraction of a sweater or pretty much anything in the way. Definitely attractive. He shot her a smirk as he got into fighting stance opposite her, facing her from about 2 foot away. "Rules," he enquired blandly.
If Lionel hadn’t been watching his son so closely, he would have missed it. He didn’t know if Gabe was watching Lex or Chloe and wasn’t about to make a comment about it. But, his son had definitely checked out Chloe’s….attributes.
~~
It was very hard for Lionel not to make mention of that. However, he didn’t think Gabe would take kindly to him pointing out the fact that his son was checking out Chloe.
Gabe's eyes had widened as his daughter slammed her shirt on the table, leaving her in nothing but her pants and a red bra. “I can't believe she just took of her clothes!”
He didn't know how to feel about that other than outraged and trying to suppress the urge to storm down into the room, make her get dressed and take her home, grounding her until she hit thirty. Nevermind the fact that she was 26 and had lived in her own apartment for the last 7 years.
The urge didn't subside in the least when he caught Lex checking her out. He clamped his jaw shut, grinding his molars. A quick glance to the side showed him Lionel obviously satisfied with the development and he had to stamp down even harder on the urge to tell him to shut up. When Lionel opened his mouth to retort, he gave up. “Not. A word,” he ground through his teeth before retreating to the wet bar for yet another drink.
~~
“Well,” Chloe said, thinking. There wasn’t a lot of space in the room so they would have to be careful to not injure each other accidentally. “I’d say no hits to the face, neither of us can probably afford to have to explain away a shiner.”
Eating lunch with her father was already going to be a pain in the ass. What with the litany of questions about Teddy that she was destined to face. If he saw even a mark on her, he might get the wrong idea.
“Even though it’s not proper technique (and author has no idea what in the Christ she’s talking about here) I’d say try to stay away from backing either one of us into a corner.” She looked up at Lex, who had the gall to look regal in just a wifebeater and his dress slacks. “Cause, it wouldn’t be much of a fight once that happened.”
Chloe slipped off her shoes and pushed them under the table with her foot. This may not be as easy as she had first thought. She could see that Lex’s stance was proper and he had obviously been trained at some point in his life. She had thought that that was just a line he fed to Lana.
Well, she’d pay the price for her assumption if need be. But, she thought she could at least hold her own with Lex. True, he was much more muscular than she first thought. And, she didn’t doubt that he was quick, but she thought she was faster.
“Think that about covers it,” she asked as she pulled on the waist of her jeans. She hadn’t worn a belt and they were a little loose on her.
Lex got rid of his shoes and socks as well, after Chloe took off her own. There wouldn't be much space for extensive leg work. He'd be insane to try for a round-house inside the range they were given. Chloe's legs were shorter, but even she would risk knocking herself off balance if she tried.
When he straightened back up and got into position, Chloe was already in fighting stance and Lex smirked at the small hint of glee lurking in her eyes.
“Very well, then,” he nodded shortly and followed it immediately with the first punch, aiming low for the waist.
She had left herself open for that one. Chloe liked to feel out someone the first time she fought them. Some opponents started out aggressively hoping that she would fold under their blows while others would start slowly and then work their way up to full blows.
The force of the blow still surprised Chloe. Then again, she should have learned by now to never be surprised where Lex was concerned.
“Nice hit,” she acknowledged, unsure if Lex could even hear her. It was mostly for her, anyway. She couldn’t break the habit of talking when she fought.
As her feet shuffled back and Lex advanced Chloe tried to get him off balance. She threw a left that caused Lex to tilt his body away from her fist and then followed with a quick right.
Lex barely dodged the right with his arm, but it gave him the opportunity for a direct punch to the stomach when she left herself open for a split second too long. Her punches were forceful, not as much as a male opponent's would have been, but her forte was obviously speed. He'd learned not to underestimate that ability in a fight.
His assessment had cost him a second and left him open for a swift punch to the chest. Switching his stance he retaliated with a forward kick to the hip.
When Lex connected with her hip Chloe was glad that a woman’s center of gravity was lower than a man’s. Had she had some different equipment, she definitely would have gone down.
The hit rotated her body a little and she used it to her advantage. Continuing along in her motion, she was able to just eek by Lex as she spun in a full circle. She put her hands back up as Lex turned to face her. Chloe’s smile widened and she pumped her eyebrows up and down twice before throwing a punch to his solar plexus.
Lex caught the punch with both hands, using the force she put behind it in his favor to send her off balance again, catapulting her past him and following it through with a back kick to her ass. 'Correction, her very nice and firm ass,' he noticed as he turned fully to face her, their positions now reversed.
“Good form, Sullivan,” he commented.
Usually, Chloe was a very hot tempered person. That much was a well known fact. When she was fighting, however, she was able to distance herself from her emotions. That was what she found so freeing about it.
Besides, it only got in the way of thinking clearly when she fought. Yes, later she would probably be irate that Lex had literally kicked her ass. But, for now, she wanted to make sure that the ass kicking wasn’t total.
“Glad you approve,” she said in a clipped tone. Her eyes flitting around the room, she eyeballed the measurements. Her next move would be a dangerous one that might not work but if it did the payoff would be worth it.
Chloe advanced on Lex and attempted to hit him with a full roundhouse that would strike him directly in the chest.
Lex had watched her eyes flit over the room as he'd waited for her next advance. He had a very good idea what she was up to, but there was no way she was able to pull this off, the chance was practically nil.
A quick session of jabs sent him into a short retreat and he was sure.
“Chloe you might not wanna,” but he didn't get his sentence out completely before the blow came.
“Fuck!”
Chloe's body went into a graceful turn, her leg coming up to execute the round-house but the place between fridge and table was too small. The leg made it over the table but her elbow connected with the fridge, sending her off balance with a jerk and falling straight for the floor.
Lex didn't even think about what he did, but the moment she connected with the fridge, his left arm that had been up to dodge the blow grabbed her leg and he pulled, getting his other arm around her waist and catching her before she could land face first on the linoleum.
~~
Lionel saw that Gabe had recoiled from the laptop as Chloe executed her gutsy, if albeit semi-foolish, move. He winced as he was clearly waiting for the sound of his daughter’s body hitting the ground.
“Buck up, Gabe. Lex has her.” He elbowed the man standing next to him and gestured to the screen.
Gabe let go of the breath he'd been holding, looking at their children tangled up in a very awkward position that resembled a perverted version of the old movie-classic 'sweep and dip' “Good thing he caught her,” he said relieved. Then muttered darkly, “Because I'm gonna kill her for that stunt.”
When she'd told him she was going to learn self-defense and kick boxing, he'd been proud. Until the first time she'd showed up with a shiner. Now that he knew what had probably caused that and other injuries, he wanted to strangle her for being so reckless.
~~
Chloe’s elbow was throbbing. She had jobbed it pretty well on the fridge. But, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that her face was planted squarely in Lex’s chest. This was not supposed to happen.
She hadn’t been able to carry off the move, that was all well and good. She’d taken a chance and she’d lost. But, Lex had caught her. That was unacceptable.
After getting her footing back Chloe pushed away from him, perhaps a little too roughly. But, now that there was a respite in the fighting her emotions were coming back.
Angrily, she looked up at Lex. “Why’d you go and do that?” When you were a woman learning any sort of fight technique you were always treated differently and it grated on Chloe’s nerves. She wanted to be the best fighter that she could and would not stand for being coddled.
It got her ass kicked more times than she could count. But, she always felt better after a well earned ass kicking than when an opponent would go easy on her.
Lex cocked his head to the side, refusing to react outwardly to the ire she was displaying. “I seem to remember you saying something about 'no shiners',” he commented dryly.
Truth was, he had no clue why he'd done it. He'd just reacted on an instinctive level when she'd been about to smash face first into the floor and probably hit her leg on the way down.
Lex had no idea why she was getting so worked up about it, either. He'd given her a fair fight and this could have taken a lot longer if she hadn't made the mistake to try for a round-house. They were pretty evenly matched and he'd have loved to find out who came up victorious in the end. Winning because the other person beat themselves was stale and Lex was too used to that kind of victory.
“That’s true,” Chloe said, conceding his point. “However, the no shiner rule was applicable to either myself or yourself smacking the other person in the face.” She was more angry with herself than with Lex and tried to tame it down a few levels.
During the past few years, she had made a concerted effort to not let her anger get the better of her. Also, to not take it out on innocent bystanders as well.
Sometimes she was successful and others times….not so much. “It doesn’t apply if one of us made a move that didn’t work out. If I was some other person you were fighting you would have let me fall.” Chloe leaned against the table. “It’s only cause you felt bad about the whole thing that you caught me. I don’t need anyone to go easy on me, Lex.”
Okay, now Lex was confused, because Chloe was not making any sense at all. He set his jaw, taking a few steps closer to the obstinate girl.
“First of all, I don't think I would have gotten into an instantaneous fight with anyone other than you,” Because really, he'd outgrown that with his wild youth over a decade ago. “And second, what the hell should I be feeling bad about?”
He'd go home with a couple of bruises and a damn high adrenalin count, from his perspective, there was nothing to feel bad about there. Shit, he hadn't felt this good in months. Of course Chloe's attitude was slowly but surely irritating that high out of him. Go figure.
“Anyone other than me, what in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Chloe’s voice was now doing that whole high-pitched, indignant, girly thing that she hated.
~~
Lionel groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “And things were going so well.”
“And, secondly, you felt bad that poor little Chloe was going to hurt her girlself. And, even though it was supposed to be an equal fight, you couldn’t let that happen, could you?”
Gabe took a healthy drink from his scotch, then sighed into the glass. “Had to happen, she's doing the compare and judge thing,” has said, shaking his head. “Maybe if he gives her a thorough ass-whooping she'll be happy.”
In her teenage years, Chloe had always complained to him that she was seen as just 'one of the boys'. Now it was completely the other way around and she seemed to be hell-bent on earning that title. It was completely out of whack.
When Lex just glared at her and blinked Chloe took another step closer to him. She wasn’t going to let herself be intimidated by Lex. She’d given that up long ago. And, who cared if her shrink told her that this type of behavior was overcompensating for the fact that the whole Clark thing had messed her up so much that she had to always be strong….or at least pretend to be.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say? And, don’t give me a ‘Good day, Ms. Sullivan’ and then stalk out of here.”
Lex usually complimented himself on always having the right words to say without falling back into clichés or crude phrases. However, there were always exceptions and this was one.
“That is such a load of bullshit, I can't believe you actually think that,” he dead-panned.
When Chloe's head jerked back in shock, he continued. “There's nothing little about you and believe me, if I'd wanted to molly-coddle you I'd never have let it even come to a fight. This was a sparring match, we were pretty even there, you slipped and I reacted. Don't think for one minute I wouldn't have loved to see your ass hit the mat.”
His words were definitely having an effect so he kept right on going, the adrenaline resurfacing and it felt just too good to stop.
“Mat being the operative word. And since we're not in a fucking gym, and you could have been severely injured smashing into a hard floor face first, not to mention the edge of the table, I reacted,” he put an emphasize on the word as he repeated it. “The way you're going on, it could give the impression you want to have a pair of balls just to get them kicked thoroughly.”
It was pathetic, really. She was a very pretty woman with a very hard punch, but apparently, she was also fucked in the head. A shame that.
Realizing there was nothing more to say, he turned around and pulled his shirt back on, starting to button it up with every intention of leaving the room before he had to listen to more of this 'Treat me like a man, because I can't deal with being a woman' “Bullshit,” he muttered out loud again, snapping his cufflinks into place.
Chloe chuckled and shook her head at Lex. She wasn’t laughing at him, per se, just the situation. They had agreed to have a fight and now they were fighting. After not seeing each other for years, she had pissed him off within a matter of minutes.
It was also a little ironic that Lex didn’t understand the compulsion Chloe had to prove herself to people after all of the messes with his father. It was one thing that she had thought they had in common all those years ago back in Smallville.
Picking up her tank top and sweater Chloe said, “I’m sorry I made the wrong assumption about your motivations. I guess it’s just easy for me to lump you in with every other person I’ve fought that’s gone easy on me. Which infuriated me. I know it’s not fair that I did so but,” she shrugged, “I can’t help it sometimes.”
She sat down on the chair and bent over to retrieve her shoes. Apologizing was still a new concept to Chloe. But, she knew that when she was in the wrong she had to admit it. First step to recovery and all.
Whether Lex accepted it or not remained to be seen but when she didn’t hear him leave the room, she took it as a good sign.
Her elbow was screaming at her by now and it occurred to her that she should, and could, take care of it right away. After putting her shoes back on, she walked over to the fridge hoping that the ice trays would be full.
Lex turned back around, leaving the top button of his shirt undone and smoothing down the front of his jacket. He watched Chloe's backside as she rummaged through the fridge, shaking his head at himself. His outburst had been surprising, but dammit, it was just too irritating sometimes to deal with the 'fairer' sex.
He'd forgotten how much worse it could be with Chloe Sullivan. Even as a teenager she'd had a tendency to raise his hackles within a few minutes flat. He supposed that was a reason why he'd avoided her most of the time.
“Apology accepted,” he answered smoothly, then took a glance at his wristwatch. 'Damn,' “But I'm afraid I'll have to wish you a good day now anyway, since I have some business that needs attending to.”
He'd thoroughly ignored the time while in here and even though he'd just planned on a quick coffee, somehow more than an hour had passed.
He got his socks and shoes on as quickly as possible, then straightened back up and made his way to the door. “Say hello to your father for me,” he offered as he unlocked and opened it.
Why wouldn’t they have any ice in a fridge this big? It made no logical sense whatsoever. Then Chloe saw that some idiot had covered the ice trays with their frozen…well…it might have been chicken at some point in time.
Taking out the tray and cracking the ice loose Chloe turned back to Lex. “Will do. Hope your meeting with your dad,” she still stood by that assumption, “goes as well as can be expected.” She went over to a drawer and rooted around until she found a dishtowel.
Chloe bundled some ice up in it and then applied it to her elbow hissing when it made contact with her skin.
As Lex turned to leave Chloe said, “And, hey, if I don’t see you for another few years,” she smiled at him, “good luck with your new bride. If you get a gym mat that you didn’t register for, you know who it’s from.”
Lex chuckled under his breath, turning his face towards her with a half smile firmly in place. “Thank you, I'm sure we'd both find good use for that gift,” he answered.
Skylar would claim it for her Pilates exercises within five seconds flat. The woman had a strange obsession with that....was that even a sport?
“Bye, Chloe.”
Chloe said goodbye to his retreating back as she sat down at the table. Thankfully her sweater would cover the mark from her father but Teddy was another matter.
Her father. Crap, he was probably looking for her.
Chloe quickly set the furniture back to where it had been and then dashed out of the room. She refused to run but if her father had been looking for her he might be a tad annoyed at her disappearing act.
~~
Pressing the power button on the screen, Lionel thought about what they had both just witnessed. Their children were most definitely attracted to one another. But, that had never been a real concern. The problem was going to be to get them to have a conversation that didn’t end in some sort of fight. Well, that and getting rid of the people they were currently attached to.
“So, that went well.” Lionel injected some humor into his voice.
Gabe's jaw actually dropped for a second as he stared incredulously at his boss. Well? Well?! “Well?! They had about a ten minute talk before they started arguing, then they tried to beat the hell out of each other and to top it off, they parted ways without so much as exchanging a number or even trying to set up a date to meet again and my daughter just wished him luck with his fiancée without batting a lash.” He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose to rub the sting out of his eyes from watching the tiny screen too avidly for too long. “That most definitely did not go well, Lionel,” he voiced darkly.
Lionel picked up his own drink. “I’m not saying that they are set to run off to Yemen on their honeymoon, Gabe. It could have gone worse. There could have been no discernable spark between them.”
He walked over to his desk and sat behind it. “They got under each other’s skin. I promise you that that didn’t go unnoticed by Lex.” Lionel swirled around the alcohol in his glass. “This may just take a little time. Or,” he said fixing Gabe with a look, “we may have to take a stronger interest, shall we say, in their lives.”
'Yemen?' Gabe made a mental note to figure out what that was all about, but there were more important things at hand. “You're right, it could've been worse,” he followed Lionel to his desk, coming to a halt standing before it. “But not much,” he said, shaking his head and taking another sip of his drink. “I think we have to arrange a few more of these meetings, but we'll have to take it slow enough for it to seem coincidental. Maybe if they keep running into each other frequently enough, they'll believe it's destiny.” Gabe smirked as he remembered the younger Luthor was very wary of that term and all it's implications.
Lionel didn’t make another comment. He made an acquiescing noise but that was it. He had no intention of taking this slowly. He believed in striking when the iron was hot. And now that Lex had seen Chloe again it was best if they didn’t back off but took on the full court press way about this.
He’d make a few calls in the morning and get the ball rolling. When he noticed Gabe studying Lionel could see that the other man was a little scared at the look on his face. There was no need to be. Unless you were Chloe or Lex, that was.
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
HAHAHA!!!! OMG! damn this was fantastic! I loved the fight sequence!!! and the literal ass kick was a great touch!
But ouy of all of it, I think this has to be my fave bit! It so damn hard to choose who I like seeing best, Chloe and Lex, or Gabe and Lionel!
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Lionel was on his feet now. “Will someone just grab someone for god’s sake?” His son was disrobing in front of Chloe and she hadn’t turned away from him. They were now alone in a locked room together. A locked room that no one was to get within twenty feet of. Lionel had spoken with a few security guards to ensure that.
“There’s a table right there!” He was already frustrated with the children and this had been going on for only twenty minutes. In his state, he had forgotten that Gabe was in the room.
Gabe was now dividing his attention between watching the children and Lionel. For a surreal moment, he wondered if Lionel might be a fan of soap operas or weekly dramas. He sure seemed to get thoroughly emotionally invested in the happenings. Or maybe it was just the fact that this was the future of his own family, happening there in that room.
CLASSIC!!!!!
oh man, this is one of those all time great stories! :D
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
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“I think I'll get us a scotch,” he said slowly, as he got up from the chair, turning his face away from the screen where Lex was now in the process of removing his tie. “If this is foreplay, I seriously don't. Want. To know.” He shook his head as he poured scotch generously into two tumblers.
I think theres a very large chance that there won't be any scotch left in the US after Gabe and Lionel have gotten those two together.
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Gabe's eyes had widened as his daughter slammed her shirt on the table, leaving her in nothing but her pants and a red bra. “I can't believe she just took of her clothes!”
He didn't know how to feel about that other than outraged and trying to suppress the urge to storm down into the room, make her get dressed and take her home, grounding her until she hit thirty. Nevermind the fact that she was 26 and had lived in her own apartment for the last 7 years.
:ROFL: Loved Gabe in this, brilliant chapter.
Can't wait for more
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
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Lionel was on his feet now. “Will someone just grab someone for god’s sake?” His son was disrobing in front of Chloe and she hadn’t turned away from him. They were now alone in a locked room together. A locked room that no one was to get within twenty feet of. Lionel had spoken with a few security guards to ensure that.
“There’s a table right there!” He was already frustrated with the children and this had been going on for only twenty minutes. In his state, he had forgotten that Gabe was in the room.
So funny :). I loved Lionel's frustration with the kids. Wonderful update!!!
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
LIONEL LIKES SOAP OPERAS! :rofl:
Yemen? :P
Come back and update soon...:puppydoge :beg: :puppydoge
Lark
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
that was a great update. I can't wait to see waht Gabe and Lionel will do next. please update with more soon
AT
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Re: Buyouts, Hostile Takeovers & Matchmaking (PG-13/R)
I can't wait to find out more about Lionel's devious plans!! How will he and Gabe contrive somemore meetings? And how will they get rid of Teddy and Skylar? I guess murder is out of the question? :) I love your update!! Can't wait for more!!