The Deal (strong R - Chloe/Bruce Chloe/Lex UST) - Complete
Just so you know, I'm super hesitant to post this here since the Chlex is only UST. If you all want it removed, then feel free.
Title: The Deal
Author: scifichick774
Rating: strong R
Category: Drama/Angst/UST
Spoilers: No specific eppies that I can think of, but anything through the end of the second season is fair game.
Summary: Chloe runs into Bruce Wayne at a Luthor company function and something interesting happens. Chloe/Bruce Chloe/Lex UST
Disclaimer: Not mine, no infringement intended, please don’t sue.
Feedback: YES!! REVIEW!! Geez, that sounded incredibly needy.
Archival: Sure – just let me know where.
Author’s Note: Many thanks to Catheryne, who is the only other true Chloe multi-shipper I know. This is for you. Also, I’m only going to be posting this at my archive, but if you want it – just ask. *smile*
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Nothing like a charity ball to make rich people feel good about themselves,” Chloe said under her breath as she eyed the entryway to the ballroom. Lex had given her dad two tickets as part of a ‘rewards’ package, and rather than turn them down, Gabe decided to go. Lex had been pleased to hear that Gabe was going to make use of them. Not only would it be good for the company to have his plant manager making contacts, but Lex theorized that it would allow Gabe to have a little bit of a social life too. He had no way of knowing that Gabe’s date would get called out of town at the last minute, or that Gabe would still insist on going but bringing Chloe as his ‘date’ for the evening. Gabe pulled his daughter closer as they started walking toward the door.
“Remember what I told you,” he said in a quiet voice. “I want you to behave yourself in there.”
“I’m not two, Dad.”
“You know what I meant. No hounding people for interviews, no insinuating illegal activities, no ---” Gabe was cut off by the sound of Chloe’s laughter.
“Why did you even bother to bring me then?”
Gabe stopped walking and turned to face her with a sad smile.
“I just feel bad, Chloe. It’s one thing to be my age and never get out, but you’re young and ---”
“It’s okay, I know what you’re saying,” she said as she forced a small smile onto her face. ‘A pity date from my own father. I *really* need to get a boyfriend.’
“You look great sweetheart,” Gabe said. “And you never know – you might meet somebody here tonight.” Chloe watched as an older wealthy couple went walking by them and then she let out a sour, yet amused chuckle and slapped her dad on the back.
“Ye-ah,” she strung out. “I don’t think so.”
Within a few minutes of being inside the event, Gabe ran into someone he knew and they started talking about --- something. Chloe lost interest almost immediately and politely excused herself so she could wander around without having to plaster a fake smile on her face and nod at every insipid story she had to hear while in her dad’s presence.
As she looked around at all of the people in their formal attire, she unconsciously smoothed out the line of her own dress with one hand. It had been a little expensive, but Chloe rationalized it by saying that she hadn’t spent the money on prom dresses or anything like that for the last two years.
‘Not that I wouldn’t have,’ she thought a little bitterly to herself. But, the one boy she wanted was never emotionally available and Pete and Lana had started going out, leaving her without even a backup guy. She looked down at the dress she was wearing now. It was long and had spaghetti straps, but the sparkling silver blue material hugged her curves like no other she had tried on. Her dad had even been a little apprehensive about letting her wear it, but he knew that she would get attention in it, and inwardly he just wanted her to be happy.
She heard a distinctive woman’s cackle and couldn’t help the cringe that overtook her body. Millicent Pelton – a tall, beautiful brunette who had recently been spotted by several papers with Lex Luthor recently. She had even met Millicent a couple of times, when Lex brought her into the Talon. She seemed nice enough, albeit a little vapid, but her laugh made Chloe want to run as far away from her as she could with her hands pressed firmly over her ears.
Chloe didn’t notice the handsome man, who had been silently observing her since she came in, but he watched her cringe with the sound of Millicent’s cackle and he saw his opportunity. Acting quickly, he darted over to where she was and stood behind her.
“It’s rather --- unique,” he said. Chloe turned her body slightly and looked up at the man. Tall, dark, handsome, and impeccably dressed. She recognized him immediately. There were few people in the country – or even possibly the world – who didn’t know who Bruce Wayne was. Chloe’s mouth dropped open a little before she smiled and gave him a suspicious look. He held out a flute of champagne for her and although Chloe had no intention of drinking it, she accepted it anyway. He motioned with his head in Millicent’s direction to explain his previous statement. “Her laugh, it’s kind of like ---”
“A homing beacon?” Chloe finished somewhat snidely. Bruce smiled.
“I was going to say car alarm, but I think homing beacon works too,” he said. Chloe laughed and shook her head lightly. “Bruce Wayne.” He stuck out his hand and Chloe did the same.
“Chloe Sullivan,” she said. She was going to shake his hand, but instead, he brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a chaste kiss. Chloe felt color spread across her cheeks and hoped that she hadn’t turned completely red. She quickly ducked her head and then looked back in Millicent’s direction so she could try to save a little bit of her dignity. She wasn’t surprised to see Lex standing next to the brunette, but she was surprised to see him looking so bored. “Huh.” Bruce arched a questioning eyebrow as he brought his own champagne up to his lips. “And here I thought she was destined to become wife number four,” she said. Bruce choked a little on the liquid he just sipped. “Are you okay?” Chloe asked with concern and Bruce tried to return to looking like his normal, stoic self.
“Fine,” he said. Few people outside of Lex’s inner circle knew about all three of his previous marriages, and since Bruce hadn’t seen Chloe with Lex or his friends before, he now wondered how she knew that information. He quickly glanced around the room, searching for the man he had seen her come in with. He looked too old for her, but that wasn’t at all uncommon in that part of society. Older, richer husbands with their younger trophy wives and a couple older, richer women with their younger boyfriends. Still, Bruce didn’t fancy the idea of getting in a fight with her husband. He casually glanced down at her ring finger and saw no ring there. ‘Boyfriend then,’ he thought to himself, ‘or maybe I’ll get lucky and he’s just her date.’ Since Chloe seemed as smart as she was lovely, Bruce didn’t rule out the last possibility. He smiled again when he didn’t see the man and took the champagne out of her hand without asking, and then placed both glasses on the table next to them. “Would you like to dance?”
“I ---” Chloe paused and smiled. She should really say no. If her dad caught her dancing with Bruce Wayne, he was liable to jump to the conclusion that she was hassling the poor man. She narrowed her eyes just slightly in a questioning manner. “I thought you were supposed to be coming to this thing with Veronica Heyworth?” Bruce got a somewhat childlike grin on his face and leaned toward her, allowing his fingers to skim on her upper arm.
“Can you keep a secret?” He asked in a hushed, husky voice. Chloe almost started laughing, but instead she smiled up at him mischievously.
“Sometimes,” she replied with a quirky smile. Both of Bruce’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Honesty,” he mused, “interesting.”
“Does that make you more or less likely to share your secret with me?” She asked with a teasing quality to her voice. Chloe had no idea why she was suddenly acting a little flirtatious with Bruce Wayne of all people, but she shrugged it off. It was time to make the most of this ‘pity date’. Bruce observed her thoughtfully and then nodded once.
“More, I think,” he said. There was a slight lapse in the conversation as they just stared at each other, the air between them almost electric. He stepped closer and leaned down so he could speak directly into her ear. This wasn’t information that he wanted the general public, even if they were high society, to know. “There is no Veronica Heyworth,” he finally said in almost a whisper. She pulled back slightly and looked at him with an expression that Bruce couldn’t quite place. Unfortunately, she only intrigued him more with the fact that he couldn’t read her like a book. She finally nodded a couple of times as if she accepted the information he had given her.
“That would explain the complete lack of photographs,” she said in an almost amused voice. “I’m guessing ---” she nibbled on her bottom lip a little while she contemplated what to say and Bruce had to restrain himself from replacing her teeth with his own. “---Publicist’s angle?” Bruce felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Good guess,” he said. Chloe shot a blinding smile at him, part of it because she was proud of herself for the educated guess and part of it because she was genuinely enjoying his company. He motioned toward the dance floor and held out his hand. He led her to the dance floor and took her into his arms as they started to sway back and forth to the mellow music. “You don’t seem angry with me,” he observed. Chloe looked up at him.
“Was I supposed to be?”
“Most women would take the fact that I lied about someone’s existence as a sign that they shouldn’t get involved with me,” he said. Chloe nodded understandingly.
“Dishonesty,” she said and then gave a little shrug of her shoulders. “Well, everyone has secrets I guess.”
“Everyone?” He asked and spun her around. Chloe laughed at the movement and then smiled at him. “Like you for instance? You’re probably thinking of what to say to your boyfriend when he asks you where you’ve been all this time.”
“Hmm, well, that could be difficult seeing as how I don’t have one,” she said. Bruce grinned.
‘Good. He’s just her date,’ he thought. ‘Or she’s married and doesn’t wear a ring.’ His grin fell with the latter thought.
“But, I suppose I could always make one up,” she said with a teasing smile and a gleam in her eyes. Bruce half-smiled at her and then he cocked an eyebrow.
“What about the man you came in with? I don’t think I’ve seen him before. What’s his name?”
Chloe laughed and Bruce reveled in the feeling of her body shaking beneath his hands. His mind drifted to a completely different context in which that would be happening, and he had to force down the blush he felt starting to rise to his face when he caught Chloe staring at him. Chloe decided not to make a big deal out of obviously catching Bruce in some sort of daydream. God knew that she did it enough. And, it was kind of enduring to see Bruce Wayne, a man normally associated with the words ‘dark’ and ‘broody’ acting like a normal person.
“The man I came in with is my dad,” she said. “You probably haven’t ever seen him before, because he doesn’t usually come to things like this. And his name is Gabe Sullivan.” Bruce was shocked, and he blinked a couple of times before speaking.
“Your d---”
“He’s a little protective,” Chloe said, hoping that would explain it rather than having to tell him that she wouldn’t have been able to find another date even if he had just given her both tickets. Bruce let his eyes wander down Chloe’s body, and although he tried to make it not look obvious, he found Chloe smiling and tilting her head to the side knowingly when he got back up to her face. He cleared his throat.
“I – um; I can see why,” he said. Chloe’s smile grew a little wider and she leaned toward him.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she said. “You don’t tell anyone that I was forced to come to this thing with my dad, and I won’t tell anyone that your publicist invented good old Veronica.” Bruce nodded once, enjoying Chloe’s proximity to him as she leaned in. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear as he spoke.
“Deal.”
The sensation of his warm breath in her ear sent a shiver of delight down Chloe’s spine. She found herself closing her eyes as Bruce was just about to reach her lips with his own. Someone clearing their throat loudly interrupted the couple and both Chloe and Bruce looked over to see who it was.
“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
--------------
Ch. 2
--------------
A/N: I’m so sorry if I insulted all of you other Chloe multi-shippers out there. Hopefully it wasn’t enough to turn you away from reading the story. *smile*
~*~*~*~*~*~
Bruce forced a fake half-grin to his lips and curtly nodded, but didn’t extend his hand to the man in front of them.
“Luthor,” he greeted. Lex mimicked Bruce’s demeanor almost exactly.
“Wayne,” Lex said. He let his eyes glance over at Chloe and the corners of his mouth started to lift when she gave him a little wave.
“Hey Lex.”
“Chloe. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I’d say the same, but seeing as how it’s your company that’s hosting the event ---” she trailed off when Lex’s grin grew wider. Bruce looked back and for the between them questioningly, trying to figure out what kind of relationship they had exactly.
“I didn’t realize that you two knew each other,” Bruce said, interrupting what seemed to have turned into a staring contest between Chloe and Lex.
“Life is full of surprises,” Lex responded dryly.
“It is,” Chloe agreed. “Like the fact that you’re standing in the same room being civil to me.” Lex smirked and brought his glass to his lips.
“You got rid of my primary competition for me, Chloe. I should be throwing you a parade,” he said. Now Bruce was really intrigued. He would have never associated Chloe with any sort of business takedown.
“Please don’t.”
“Are you sure?”
Chloe held back the roll of her eyes by allowing her gaze to drift out over the crowd of people. Unconsciously, she took a couple of steps closer to Bruce when she saw the woman who was headed in their direction.
“Chl-oe!” Millicent squealed as she strung out her name. Lex cringed ever so slightly and Bruce barely held in his snicker. Millicent outstretched her arms to envelop Chloe in a large, friendly hug even though the two barely knew each other. Chloe pulled back and flashed Millicent a bright, albeit fake smile. “How have you been?”
“Good. How have you been, Millicent?” Chloe asked. Millicent nodded and smiled as she looped her arm through Lex’s.
“Millie,” she corrected, as if the two were best friends. “Not bad at all, although I’d be better if those damn photographers would get off their asses and do their jobs,” she answered. Chloe sucked in a breath to keep the forced smile on her mouth. Millicent Pelton was spoiled, rich, and generally used to being the center of attention. Chloe suspected that was one of the main reasons that the girl was dating Lex; it secured her position in the limelight. Her fake smile turned into a genuine, mischievous one.
“I could call them over if you’d like,” Chloe joked. Millicent threw her head back and laughed, causing Chloe to immediately regret saying anything. Bruce placed his hand on the small of her back, giving her a sympathetic look as he did so. Millicent calmed herself down and grabbed a glass of champagne off of a passing waiter’s tray. She raised the glass to her lips and took a long sip, reminding Chloe of all of those parties her friends had talked her into going to where the jocks would have ‘chugging’ contests.
“The truth is, they’d probably come over if you told them who you were,” Millicent said. “Roger has been complaining to me that you haven’t been returning his calls. Seriously, every paper in the country has been trying to get in touch with you since you wrote that article on Lex’s dad – which, basically put him away for good, but still ---” she paused and kissed Lex on the cheek, not noticing that he wiped the remaining saliva off almost immediately.
A few months earlier, Chloe had gotten lucky and come across some documents while investigating a new company in Metropolis. She wanted one last substantial article to go out on a bang from the Torch with and Principal Reynolds had not so kindly suggested that it not be something meteor-related. The material implicated Lionel in several illegal business dealings with them, and naturally, additional snooping came up with even more companies and illegal business transactions. She wrote an article about it that was picked up by the Ledger, and amazingly enough by the Associated Press. She turned her research over to the police and Lionel had ended up actually being convicted. His lawyers were currently appealing, but he wasn’t even up for parole anytime soon because he had been convicted in a few murder for hire charges.
Several papers had been calling her to offer her jobs, or at the very least interviews, since then; but Chloe hadn’t taken any of them up on it. God knew she wanted to, but she didn’t feel right accepting a position just because she got lucky with one story. It’s not like she would be able to come up with stuff like that all the time. And the ‘Roger’ that Millicent had been talking about was incredibly persistent. He was in charge of hiring for the Gotham Times – and although it was a reputable newspaper, Chloe got a bad feeling in her gut any time she heard the guy’s voice. She had learned enough from being in Smallville that she should always listen to those ‘gut feelings’.
“My point is, you should be taking advantage of these opportunities. I mean, how many people just out of high school do you know get offered positions at the Daily Planet, the Gotham Gazette, or the Gotham Times? None!” Millicent flailed her arms around and spilled a little of the champagne from her glass onto her dress. “Oops.”
It was only now that Chloe, Bruce, and Lex noticed that Millicent had started slurring her words. Chloe thought quickly and took hold of Millicent’s arm with one hand and taking her glass away from her with the other. She handed off the glass to Bruce, who put it on another waiter’s tray.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” Chloe said. Millicent smiled half-drunkenly at her.
“Wow, you’re so nice,” she said. Chloe grimaced as Millicent slung her arm around her shoulders and put more of her weight on her. Millicent shook her head and forced herself to stand up straight, although she was still wobbling a little bit. “No, no. It’s just a little champagne. It’ll come out. Right now I want to hear about Bruce Wayne and his mystery girl,” she said as she poked him in the chest. Bruce looked down at her finger and then back up at her face. “I’ll have you know that I am *very* well connected, and I can’t find out a damned thing on this Veronica person you were supposed to be coming here with tonight. So, what gives?” Bruce and Chloe exchanged an expression and Lex narrowed his eyes somewhat suspiciously. He didn’t generally keep up with the society pages, but he knew Millicent did – and if she said that Bruce was supposed to be here with someone named Veronica, then why had he been about to kiss Chloe?
“Yes, do tell *Bruce*,” Lex said. Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when Chloe gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.
“It’s okay,” she told him with a small grin. She turned to face Lex and Millicent again and drew in a deep breath to give her the confidence to lie straight in the face to them. “Veronica Heyworth was just a name that his publicist came up with,” Chloe said quietly. “You know how I am about privacy, and ---” Millicent’s mouth dropped open and she looked back and forth between Chloe and Bruce.
“Y-you ---? Oh my God! Why the hell didn’t I see it before?! I mean, you’re gorgeous, you’re blonde, you’re completely his type! And you were standing close to each other and ---” Millicent trailed off, shaking her head lightly before smiling impishly at Chloe. “Well, that settles it. You’re my new project.”
“What?” Chloe face paled and she looked horrified at any prospect that included her, Millicent, and some sort of ‘project’.
“Ooh!” Millicent said, clapping her hands excitedly. “I’ll bet we can get those papers to up their offers by at least another zero by the time I’m done with you.” Chloe looked to Lex for an explanation and narrowed her eyes at the smirk on his face.
“Didn’t you know? Millicent’s an aspiring publicist,” Lex said. If that information didn’t make Bruce Wayne want to run away from Chloe at full speed, then he didn’t know what would.
“Oh,” Chloe said, her face contorted in a mixture of confusion and panic. “Listen, *Millie*, I don’t think you’re grasping the whole ‘I value my privacy’ thing.” Millicent sloughed off the comment with a wave of her hand.
“Calm down. It’s not like you’ll have to do a lot. Hell! Even a nice sized picture of the two of you together tonight should get people more interested in you than they are already,” she said.
“I don’t want ---” Chloe was cut off by Bruce wrapping his arm around her waist almost protectively. She followed his gaze to the photographer weaving his way over toward them and she looked up at Bruce with a pleading look on her face.
“You look like you could use some air,” he said. She nodded thankfully.
“Air is good,” she agreed. Millicent’s mouth dropped open a little in surprise that the couple just left her and Lex standing there.
“I can’t believe she’s dating *Bruce Wayne* and she doesn’t want to advertise it,” Millicent said with a pouty expression.
“Persistence pays off, Millicent,” Lex said before turning on his heel and walking away from her.
He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of Chloe dating Bruce. Maybe it was because after Chloe had written the article, he had felt some sort of odd kinship toward her; or maybe it was because Chloe had that annoying yet enduring quality of true loyalty and he had a bad feeling that if she and Bruce became close that he might very well never see her again. That last thought made Lex inwardly frown. He refused to believe that he didn’t want Chloe to be with Bruce simply because he was a little jealous. He shrugged off the thought and took another glass of champagne. If Millicent took his advice, then he wouldn’t have anything to worry about.
-------------
Ch. 3
-------------
“I didn’t realize you were *that* Chloe Sullivan,” Bruce said as they stepped outside. Chloe stared straight in front of her as she leaned against the balcony.
“And now you want to run away,” Chloe said in an understanding voice. Bruce arched an eyebrow, but was silent as he came up behind her. “I ---” Chloe turned around as she started talking again and found her face almost right up against Bruce’s chest. She looked up at him with a confused expression on her face to find him staring down at her.
“Why would I run away from you?”
“Well, you know, because I’m a reporter – or used to be anyway – and ---”
“Chloe, you helped bring down *Lionel Luthor*,” he said in a somewhat impressed tone. “And you’re still alive.” Chloe let out a nervous chuckle.
“Yeah, for now anyway.”
“I doubt he’ll try anything for a while,” Bruce said reassuringly, tentatively placing one hand on her hip. Chloe didn’t push him away, so he rested his other hand on her other side. “The trial went by in an unbelievable amount of time and he’s under the magnifying glass a little too much right now. Of course, there’s nothing stopping him from trying something in another six months or so.” Chloe nodded and gave him a shaky smile. His closeness was unexpected and it was setting the nerves in her body on alert.
“I guess I need to rethink this whole ---”
Bruce leaned his head down and kissed her. It was soft and gentle and first, as if he were testing the waters, but Chloe reciprocated and the simple kiss turned into something much more passionate. Chloe couldn’t believe this was happening. Sure, she felt a little bit of a connection with him when he had originally come over to her, but she had never expected anything like this to be happening.
They kept kissing, arms entwined around each other, completely oblivious to the rest of the world around them. The reverse was not true though and a small crowd of onlookers had gathered at the window to peek at the couple. Bruce Wayne with a one time date who he was likely to take home after the evening was one thing; Bruce Wayne locked in a passionate embrace with a woman who no one knew anything about, and at a social function no less, was another thing entirely.
Millicent drug one of the photographers over and pointed at the couple. And of course, one photographer attracts others. Soon, a few others were over at the window taking several shots before Chloe and Bruce pulled apart and got a flash of light in their eyes. Chloe shielded her eyes with her arm and Bruce quickly turned his back on the people to block their view of her.
“Are you alright?”
“Fine,” she answered. “I’m sure I’ll regain my vision eventually.” Bruce let out a low chuckle and she smiled apologetically up at him. “I’m sorry about this. I had no idea that Lex’s girlfriend would go this far.”
“It’s okay – or it will be if you don’t mind a little more dishonesty on my part,” he said in a hushed voice. Chloe raised a questioning eyebrow and Bruce took her hand in his and turned back around to face the crowd. He gave them a small grin and then proceeded to walk through them, pulling Chloe along beside him. The people buzzed and murmured about what had just happened, but only a couple of straggling photographers and journalists had the nerve to follow them.
“Bruce – is this the mysterious Veronica Heyworth?”
“Mr. Wayne – does this mean you’re off the market?”
“Miss – is it true that you used to date Lex Luthor as well?”
“What?! No!” Chloe stopped and spun around at the last question. She shook her head and looked up at Bruce, who just looked as calm as he could be. She wondered how he did that and made a mental note to ask him later. Bruce placed his hand on her back again and stared down the reporters.
“What was the question again?” He asked. He had heard everything they said, but he may as well make them repeat it if he was going to bother addressing them.
“Is this beautiful young woman Veronica Heyworth?” The first reporter asked.
“No. Next question.”
“Weren’t you supposed to come here with Veronica Heyworth?” Another reporter questioned. Bruce glanced down at Chloe as if he were asking for permission to tell them as well. She tightened her grip on his arm ever so slightly and he nodded once at her before turning his attention back to the members of the media.
“This is a little embarrassing to admit, but there is no Veronica Heyworth. That was just a name my publicist came up with to protect our privacy,” he said. For a split second in time, the journalists looked completely stunned. “Now, if there’s nothing else ---”
“Wait! What *is* her name?”
“If I told you that, it would defeat the purpose of lying to you in the first place,” Bruce said dryly. Chloe snickered and Bruce grinned down at her, neither one of them noticing that a now very drunk Millicent Pelton was headed their way. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we really must be going,” Bruce said. They made it as far as turning around to face the doors before Millicent’s voice carried through the crowd.
“Oh, no you don’t! You’re not going anywhere, Chloe Sullivan! I still need to talk to you about --- oh, God,” Millicent made a nauseated face and Chloe could have sworn that the girl’s skin turned a light shade of green before she vomited all over the floor and parts of the journalists’ legs. The photographers happily started taking pictures of the fallen debutant and the situation she was in. Bruce tugged on Chloe’s arm and the two made their escape from the ballroom while the members of the media were otherwise occupied.
“I don’t suppose you know why Lex is dating her?” Chloe asked. Bruce leaned his head to the side and arched an eyebrow. He was probably interpreting her innocent question incorrectly, but he needed to make sure. He had certainly seen how unhappy Lex had been with their lie that they had planned to come together, and the last thing he needed was to date another woman who was really interested in someone else.
“You’d know better than I would,” he said. “I rarely talk to Luthor outside of business.” Chloe shrugged.
“I rarely talk to him at all, so I think you have me beat there,” she said. “Of course, despite what he says, I don’t think it helped that I wrote that article.”
“What kind of a relationship did you have before the article?” Bruce asked, trying to keep his tone casual. Chloe gave a half-chuckle and shook her head.
“The non-existent kind. He’s really just a friend of a friend. So, I guess nothing’s changed,” she answered. He nodded once and grinned. He could tell that Chloe was being honest and he was pleased with the information. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” Bruce said. “Not many friends of friends care what people do with their lives. I just think it’s interesting.”
“Ah. Well, you’re not exposed to every society bimbo or gold-digging bimbo he brings back to Smallville with him,” Chloe said. “If anything, I’m more concerned about having to be around them myself. I’d like to see him meet someone who’s nice and doesn’t want him just for his money, but it’s really more for my sake than his. And – wow – that just made me sound *really* bad.” Bruce threw back his head in a low laugh and Chloe smiled brightly. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said, reaching out a hand to tuck some hair behind her ear. “You manage to be concerned about others while maintaining your survival instinct. It’s an admirable quality.” He let his fingers linger a little longer than necessary and Chloe felt the color rise to her cheeks. He was about to lean in to kiss her when the chauffer pulled his limousine to a stop in front of them. Chloe bit her lip as she looked back to the entrance of the building.
“My dad is going to kill me.”
“Does he have his cell phone with him?”
“Probably. He usually does.”
“Call him from the car,” Bruce suggested. Chloe laughed.
“And tell him *what* exactly? ‘Hey Dad, I’m just going to let Bruce Wayne give me a ride back to the hotel. You don’t mind do you?’”
“*Would* he mind? I remember you saying he was protective, but you’ll be safer back at your hotel than you would be if you stayed here,” he said.
“I agree,” Chloe mumbled. She took a large breath of air and then nodded. “You’re right. I’ll just call him from the car.”
-----------------
Ch. 4
-----------------
Chloe settled into the limousine’s comfortable leather interior while she took her cell phone out of her small purse. She pushed the memory key for her dad’s cell phone and smiled at Bruce as she lifted the phone to her ear.
She still couldn’t believe that she was sitting in Bruce Wayne’s limousine. Granted, it probably wasn’t his personal one seeing as how he lived in Gotham, but it was still nice and he was in there with her. She frowned when the phone rang a few times and there was no answer.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s not picking up,” Chloe responded.
“Maybe he didn’t bring it with him.”
“Maybe,” she said, unconvinced.
“Sullivan,” her dad finally picked up.
“Dad,” she said, “I was starting to get worried about you.” She heard her father make a displeased noise into the phone. ‘Okay, that didn’t sound good,’ she thought to herself.
“Lex tells me that you left the party with Bruce Wayne,” Gabe said. Chloe winced.
“Um – well – sort of,” she said. “But it’s not what you think.” Bruce lifted an amused eyebrow, but Chloe couldn’t see it because he was looking down as he opened a bottle of champagne.
“And what do I think?”
“Look Dad, he’s just giving me a ride back to the hotel. The press in there started wigging out and ---”
“Yeah, about that ---”
“What’s that Dad? You’re breaking up,” she said as she held the phone further away from her. Bruce was barely able to contain his laughter with what she was doing. “I’m hanging up now. I’ll talk to you later.” She reached her other hand out and clicked the power button so the phone turned off. Bruce let out a low chuckle and handed her one of the glasses after she shoved the phone back in her purse. Chloe lightly shook her head at the situation and then took a sip of the champagne.
It was good. Much better than the times she had tried champagne before at various wedding receptions and the occasional slumber party, which she insisted she was too old for but Lana drug her to anyway. Chloe didn’t know why she was surprised. Of course, this was Bruce Wayne, billionaire. He could afford something better than they had sprung for at those other events. He grinned at her over the rim of his glass and she arched an eyebrow at him.
“What?”
Bruce took a sip and then lowered his glass as he leaned back into the seat.
“I was just thinking that you haven’t asked me any personal questions,” he said.
“Were you expecting me to?”
“Not until I found out who you were,” he admitted.
“Oh,” Chloe said, raising the glass to her lips again. “Well, I suppose I *could*, but I wouldn’t have anywhere to print it.”
“You’ve had several job offers,” he pointed out. Chloe made a disgruntled sound and Bruce leaned toward her. “Even a couple in Gotham.” Chloe blushed at the suggestion, but forced it down quickly. Bruce reached out and tucked some hair behind her ear sweetly.
“Do you like living there?” she asked. Bruce’s expression was neutral as he shrugged.
“It’s dark, it’s wet, it’s cold ---”
“Wow. Way to sell the place,” she said with a joking sarcasm. Bruce smiled.
“It has its moments,” he said. Chloe nodded and took another sip of her champagne.
“I guess every place does,” she mused. Bruce let his smile fall just slightly as he motioned to her glass.
“Here,” he said, holding out his hand so he could refill it. Chloe’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when she realized she had sipped away the entire glass.
“Oh, my God. I didn’t even realize,” she said and then shook her head. “No, thanks. I shouldn’t have even had that.”
“Why? Are you a mean drunk?” he teased. Chloe laughed.
“Are you implying that I could get drunk off of one glass of champagne?” she retorted with a smile. He nodded.
“It’s possible. You don’t weigh a lot and you don’t generally drink so your tolerance ---”
“How do you know I don’t generally drink?” she asked with suspicion. Bruce gave her a lopsided grin.
“You didn’t drink anything at the party,” he said observantly.
“I didn’t drink anything when I was with *you*,” she said. “How do you know that I didn’t just finish off a couple of glasses before that?”
“Oh. Well, for a couple of reasons,” Bruce said, leaning toward her again. He rested his arm around the back of her seat as he started talking again. “First of all, I would have smelled it on your breath.”
“Ok-ay, I’ll take that one,” she said. “And second?”
“And second,” Bruce said, ducking his head a little bit in embarrassment, “I had been watching you since you first came in.”
Chloe blinked her eyes in surprise.
“What?”
“You didn’t wonder how I knew about the man you came in with?”
“I – I didn’t think about it,” Chloe admitted.
“You – uh – never answered my question, by the way,” he said.
“Which question was that?” she asked, tilting her head as she leaned her shoulders back against his arm. His face drew ever nearer and Chloe, despite the fact that she had only had one glass of champagne, was feeling a little tipsy. She leaned toward him and their lips lightly brushed against each other’s. She let out a small moan as Bruce’s hand wove into her hair and the kiss started to deepen. His tongue darted out, running along the crease between her lips, begging for entry. Chloe’s hands rested on his shoulders, but slowly crept to the back of his neck and head as she opened her mouth for him. Their tongues slid against each other passionately and Bruce’s hands caressed her body as they started to lie back against the seat.
Then a familiar ringing sound came from his jacket. Bruce groaned and Chloe chuckled as they both sat back up.
“I’m sorry. I have to get this,” he said. She shrugged it off.
“No problem,” she said. He pushed the button to answer the cell phone and then held it up to his ear.
“Wayne,” he greeted.
Chloe snickered. That was the way Lex always answered his phone too – last name only. Come to think of it, her dad did that too.
‘So why was the Lex the first one to come to mind?’ she wondered.
“Bruce, it’s Lex,” Lex said from the other end of the phone.
“Ah. My own personal snitch,” Bruce joked.
“You didn’t expect me to not inform Gabe, did you? He’s one of my most valued employees,” Lex said smugly.
“Hmm,” Bruce said and rubbed his eyes a couple of times. “Why are you calling?”
“Is she with you?”
“Does it matter?”
“Wayne, listen to me.”
Bruce took note that Lex’s voice was no longer teasing and suddenly very serious and stern.
“You can’t go out with her,” Lex continued.
“Why?”
“She’s a friend of a friend,” Lex said. “And this particular friend will kill you if she gets hurt in any way. Trust me on this. It’s one of the only reasons I didn’t go after her myself.” He mumbled the last part, but Bruce caught it.
“Thanks for the warning,” Bruce said nonchalantly.
“Are you going to heed it?”
Bruce looked over at Chloe and a smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
“No, but thank you anyway.”
He clicked his phone off and then turned the power completely off.
“Won’t you miss some important business calls if you do that?” Chloe asked. Bruce leaned toward her again with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“I think I’m willing to risk it.”
--------------
Ch. 5
--------------
The chauffer opened the car door for them and Bruce stepped out first, offering his hand to help Chloe after he did so. He briefly glanced up at the hotel in front of them as he kept his hold on her hand.
“This is where you’re staying?” he asked, a slight tinge of disbelief and snobbery mixing into his tone. Chloe gave him a wry grin.
“It’s not that bad,” she said.
“It’s not that good either,” he replied. Chloe shrugged.
“It’s decent, it’s clean, it’s not in a bad part of town, and it’s got a bed with freshly laundered sheets on it,” she said. “That’s all you really need when staying at a hotel.” Bruce didn’t look convinced and Chloe noticed that he hadn’t started walking her toward the hotel’s front doors yet.
“I think you should stay at my hotel,” he said after a moment of not speaking. He gave her a hint of a smile and tilted his head to the side. “It’s nicer,” he said in an almost pleading voice.
“I’ll bet,” Chloe said wryly and then smiled. She let go of his hand and took a few steps away from the limousine. She turned around for a split second to beam another smile at him. “But this one is already paid for.” She started walking toward the hotel’s front doors, making no move to turn around again or to bother saying goodnight to Bruce. Bruce frowned and held up his hand to the driver to indicate that he should stay there. He quickly closed the space between them and placed his hand on the small of her back. She arched a questioning eyebrow and Bruce gave a light shrug of his shoulders.
“It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me to not walk you to your door,” he explained in an almost teasing tone. Chloe laughed and shook her head.
“No, I guess not,” she said.
They walked through the hotel lobby to the elevators, barely even catching the attention of the one person in the room who was standing behind the desk. The young man gave them a polite grin and a nod of his head as a greeting. The elevator came and Chloe and Bruce stepped onto it. He turned to her after the doors closed and made an unsatisfied face.
“They don’t even have proper security here, Chloe,” he said. Another smile spread across Chloe’s lips.
“They don’t have security here at all,” she pointed out. “Well, unless you count the security cameras in the lobby and hallways.”
“It doesn’t sound like you care.”
“I don’t,” she said. “I’m a big girl; I can take care of myself. Besides, it’s not like anyone is coming after me anyway. If I was in your position, I might be more concerned.” Bruce quelled the urge to remind her that she was currently with him, and therefore subjected to any danger that he might be in. Chloe was independent and obviously stubborn. Arguing semantics with her wasn’t going to do any good. Chloe saw right through him though and the amusement on her face faded. “Are you always this protective?”
“Generally speaking?” he asked. Chloe nodded. “Yes.” Chloe smiled. At least he was honest.
The elevator doors slid open and Chloe and Bruce made their way to her room. She took the key card out of her small handbag and unlocked the door, turning to face Bruce as she did so.
“I’d invite you in, but I wouldn’t want you to be in danger by staying with me,” she quipped. Bruce gave her a mock frown.
“I knew I shouldn’t have said anything,” he half-mumbled teasingly. Chloe laughed and Bruce smiled at her. “Can I see you tomorrow?” Chloe’s smile fell.
“It’ll have to be early. My dad arranged for late check-out, but we’ll still be going back to Smallville at two.”
“Two,” he repeated thoughtfully. “So – lunch?” Chloe nodded.
“That would be great,” she said. Bruce grinned and leaned forward to kiss her. Their lips seemed to melt together and their mouths opened at the same time to deepen the kiss. Their tongues touched playfully and Bruce only pulled away when breathing became a very important issue. Chloe panted for breath as she held her hands against his shoulders.
“Will you do me a favor?” Bruce asked. She looked up to see him looking down at her.
“What?”
“Just *think about* taking one of the jobs in Gotham,” he said. Chloe’s mouth fell open a little and Bruce swept down to kiss her again, taking advantage of the fact that her mouth was already open for him. When he finally pulled back, both of their breathing was ragged; and when he tried to kiss her forehead, it ended up being just a brush of his wet lips against her skin. “Just think about it,” he repeated. Chloe nodded and Bruce smiled at her, giving her one last peck on the lips before saying goodnight.
Chloe shook her head as he walked away. Had she seriously just agreed to think about moving to Gotham? It was on the other side of the country! And for a man she had just met? She shook her head again in disbelief. When she turned on the door handle, the door to her room remained locked.
She frowned and realized that her kisses with Bruce had taken too much time and the light by the door handle was no longer green. She smiled to herself as she slid the card in again, thinking that kissing him could never last too long. He was definitely more experienced than the boys she had gone out with before, and it showed. He was an amazing kisser.
She opened the door and was immediately struck by the fragrance of her favorite flowers wafting through the air in her room. She furrowed her brow a little until she turned on the lights to the dimmest setting possible and saw the many vases of flowers littered throughout the room. Her eyes grew wide and she actually pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“What the ---?” she trailed off as she searched around for a card – some indication of who had done this. ‘Well, obviously Bruce did it,’ a little voice in her head spoke up. ‘Who else would be sending you flowers?’
“But I just met him,” Chloe argued with herself. ‘And he wasn’t out of my sight afterward. He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to arrange this, let alone know what my favorite flowers are.’
She finally found the card attached to one of the vases of flowers and without realizing it, nervously started chewing on her lower lip as she lifted it from its holder. Her hands were shaking lightly as she tore into the envelope. If it had been Bruce who sent them, then she may very well have to consider moving to Gotham. She had never met someone who was as good of a kisser as he was, let alone one who was apparently considerate, thoughtful, and liked her too. Chloe opened the card and her eyes started to scan over the contents.
‘Forgive me?’
“That’s it?” Chloe thought aloud, flipping the card over to make sure that more words weren’t scrawled on the back. ‘That doesn’t help at all!’ Then she caught the flashing red light on her phone out of the corner of her eye. “Maybe they left a message,” she mumbled to herself. She picked up the phone and followed the instructions on how to retrieve her voice mail.
<beep>
“Hi, sweetheart, it’s dad. I just wanted to let you know how sorry I was for lashing out at you earlier. I know that you’re an adult now and you’re perfectly capable of making your own decisions. Plus – if you end up getting involved with the guy, you could marry rich and I wouldn’t have to worry about supporting you anymore.”
Chloe snickered at her dad’s joke and listened as the first message ended and the next began.
<beep>
“Chloe, it’s Lex. I – I wanted to say I was sorry about this evening. Millicent’s behavior was unacceptable and *sigh* I guess I wasn’t entirely supportive of the idea of you being with Wayne…”
Chloe rolled her eyes at his statement. She could almost hear her dad in the background, telling Lex what to say so she wouldn’t think he was an ass anymore.
“So, anyway, I hope you accept the flowers as an apology, your dad said they’re you’re favorite,” his voice on the recording continued. “I have some engagements tomorrow, but why don’t we meet for breakfast so we can clear the air a little bit?”
Chloe sighed and started to reach around to the back to unzip her dress as the message ended. Lex had sent her the flowers. He wanted to clear the air between them. She wasn’t sure whether that was a good or a bad thing. He could be earnest in his apology and want to make things right, expecting her to do the same in regards to his father at breakfast the next morning. Or – he could be setting up a hit and when she showed up expecting eggs and toast then she could get a bullet to the back of her head instead. She inwardly chuckled at the thought. Lex would never do something like that. His father? Yes. Him? No.
It struck her that Lex hadn’t actually left instructions on where to meet him or what time. She rolled her eyes and let the dress slide down her body, pooling around her feet.
“Way to set the date,” she muttered under her breath, still not noticing the man leaning against the bathroom’s doorframe near the far side of the room.
“I thought it might be more effective if we came to an agreement on where to meet in person,” Lex said, smoothly stepping out of the shadows. Chloe screamed and tried to jump back, tripping and falling over the dress that had circled her feet. A smile spread across Lex’s lips and he let out a low chuckle. Chloe quickly scampered to a standing position again and brought the dress up with her, holding it in front of her for coverage. She glared angrily at the bald man in front of her.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“Like I said ---”
“And why didn’t you tell me you were here *before* I started taking my dress off?!”
