I love it! I can't wait to see what Lex's game is - somehow I doubt he really knows what he's taking on!
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I love it! I can't wait to see what Lex's game is - somehow I doubt he really knows what he's taking on!
Great job!! :biggrin:
hope you'll update soon! can't wait for the next chapter.
Lex is such an idiot. A sexy idiot. But an idiot none the less.
Let the games begin.
~Manda :blinkkiss:
Please come back and update!! I really think I'm addicted to this story and I need my fix!! Please!! :biggrin: :chlexsign3: :biggrin:
Yes, please update again soon. I love this story! :chlexsign4:
Great story. Chloe and Lex are very much in character. I can't wait to see what Chloe does to Lex. I hope she makes him wonder if being alone might be a better choice before they get together. Can't wait to see how Lex makes it up to her.
Susan S
A/N: Reposting the 4 parts that got eaten in this round of board problems. Glad to have the boards back, though!!
~*~Part Three~*~
The guest room, for all that it was suitably lavish in accordance with the
rest of the penthouse, was nothing like Lex’s own room. The cotton sheets
were abrasive on skin used to silk, the bed too hard from lack of use. All
in all, the entire situation had not lent itself to be conducive to
sleeping.
Still, he had tried and had finally fallen into a fitful slumber in the
early hours of the morning. All things considered, he should have easily
slept until at least eight, with no true reason to wake up any earlier that
morning.
Which was why he was somewhat perplexed, laying there staring at the
ceiling, wondering what had –
There!
He sat up in bed as another cabinet door slammed shut, the noise coming from
the general direction of the kitchen. A soft groan escaped his lips as he
realized that the staff wouldn’t dare make so much noise whiloe he slept.
Which left only one source for the current racket.
Chloe.
The smile that flitted over his lips was brief, but genuine, as he began to
slide from the bed, feet sinking into the plush carpeting. She was actually
there – willingly. Even if apparently not very…happily.
Well, that was fine by him – happiness could always come later. Eventually
he’d win her over.
She’d loved him once – that had to still count for something, despite the
colossal error in judgment he’d made.
His silk robe slid easily over skin that had previously been nude save a
pair of equally silken boxers, and he cinched it tight before venturing out
of the guest room. Another slam echoed through the penthouse. From the end
of the hall a timid head peeked around the corner and Lex offered the maid a
half-smile of reassurance. No, he wasn’t mad at her for the noise. She wasn’
t the one making it – Chloe was. And he could hardly expect her to take on
the irate blonde; it could only lead to a workman’s comp claim when his new
fiancé took out her anger on the poor girl.
“Any idea what she’s looking for?” he murmured to the young woman, casting a
curious glance at the kitchen as a cabinet slammed yet again.
“No, sir,” she shook her head. “She made coffee, and some toast…and then…”
Lex smirked. “We’ll just have to get used to her eccentric ways, I suppose.”
“Sir?”
“She’s my fiancé.”
The maid’s face paled and Lex stifled a snort of amusement at her expense.
Why did he get the feeling that she’d met Chloe prior to the blonde’s
essential first cup of the day?
He offered her another almost-smile and stepped toward the kitchen doorway,
eyebrows raising at the sight that greeted him.
Chloe.
On the counter.
Drinking coffee and reading the paper.
While she opened and slammed one of the cabinets.
So her game was to drive him insane, then? He snorted. Funny, his father had
tried something similar to that once, too.
It hadn’t worked then, either.
He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “Good
morning, Chloe.”
She jumped, he had the pleasure to note, before she smoothed her startled
look into a firm glare which she promptly shot his way. “Nothing good about
it.” She smiled with saccharine sweetness, the expression falling far short
of her eyes, her words ground out from between clenched teeth. “Sleep well?”
“Just perfect,” he lied automatically, with just the right level of cheer in
his voice. “I didn’t know how comfortable the guest bed could be.”
Chloe snorted. “Good. Then you won’t mind sleeping in there until you give
up on this little farce, will you?”
“Item number five on our contract, Chlo’,” he offered up the hated nickname
with a smile on his lips. “We share the same residence…and the same bed….so
that ‘neither of us is ever lonely.’”
She cursed, eyes narrowing to slits of pure anger. “You can’t honestly
expect…but you do, don’t you? You….”
Lex’s response was a cool smile as he entered the kitchen fully to pour
himself a mug of coffee. The warm liquid hit his tongue, sinfully decadent
in its richness. Trust Chloe to know how to make a good cup of coffee. It
was her passion, one of the things he’d missed about her during their period
of non-speaking. He looked at her over the top of the cup, waiting patiently
for her next move.
When a minute of stormy silence passed, during which he couldn’t help but
worry that she was plotting his demise, Lex took it upon himself to break
the silence. “Do you have to go to the office today?”
“No,” she shook her head, the fake smile back on her lips. “My editor said I
could have the day off when I promised her the exclusive interview with Lex
Luthor’s new fiancé.”
“Chloe – no interviews.”
“What was that?” She tilted her head to the side, eyes sparkling with a
humor that he found none-too-amusing. Of everyone he’d ever let close to
him, she alone knew how much he valued his privacy, how far he’d gone to
ensure it.
“No. Interviews.”
“Then, and listen closely Lex – No. Wedding. Otherwise there will be
interviews. I’m thinking an entire series of them for my paper, you know.
Starting with the engagement, working our way to the wedding plans, then
finally the ceremony.”
He gritted his teeth together, straining to hide it behind a cool mask of
indifference even though he was well aware that she knew better. As much as
he hated it, there was no way he could get her –not – to do the interviews
short of agreeing to dissolve their contract and that was something that
just wasn’t going to happen.
“Okay. Do the interview,” he shrugged, ignoring that little voice inside of
his head that was whimpering over the idea of his privacy being invaded in
that manner. “Since you have the morning off we can go shopping for your
ring.”
Redness rose in her face and he chalked up a silent point for himself. There
was no way she had expected him to agree to let her do the interview. She’d
probably assumed he’d rather give up entirely.
Far from it.
“Just let me know what time the interview is so that my secretary can block
it off in my schedule.”
“Wh-what?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I was assuming your editor would much rather
interview both of us, don’t you think?”
She floundered, mouth opening and closing for an entire minute before she
snapped it shut. Green eyes were sparkling with fire and he knew he was in
imminent danger of getting burned.
“Sounds…great,” she growled, hopping down off of the counter to stand before
him. “Get your bald ass dressed, Lex. I’m suddenly feeling
very…materialistic. I think a little ring shopping is right up my alley.”
Words he’d thought he’d never hear come from her lips, true. But she was
playing the game as best she knew how.
Too bad for her he was better.
“Just the ring? We do have an entire day, you realize.”
The smile that crossed her lips would have been enough to make a lesser man
freeze where he stood. Thank goodness that he was no ‘lesser man’.
Judging by the look on her face, he also needed to be thanking God that he
had a sizeable bank account for her to do her damndest to make a dent in. It
was futile, of course, but she could try.
“Oh, good,” she purred, raising one finger to trail lightly over his cheek.
“Smile, Lexy. We’re going to have a little fun.”
She slapped him, lightly, but enough that he felt the sting of her flesh
against his, like a faint echo of the resounding smack she had delivered the
night before.
And, as she turned around to go get dressed for their little excursion, he
couldn’t hide the shiver of delight that ran through him, his hand coming up
to rest where her fingers had just lain.
If she thought she could break him, she was in for quite a surprise; he was
more determined than ever to have her in his life. A woman like that could
only be suited to him.
Any other man wouldn’t stand a chance.
~*~End Part~*~
~*~Part Four~*~
Hours, and countless thousands of dollars, later, Chloe still didn’t feel
any better; not that she’d truly expected to with a certain bald billionaire
lurking at her elbow every step of the way, a constant reminder to the
evilness that was currently hanging over her head. She cast a sideways
glance at Lex out of her new designer sunglasses, noting that he didn’t even
look put out in the least.
Well, of course he didn’t, she huffed. The man had more than enough money to
let her go on sprees like this every single day of the week if she wanted
to – and still have enough left over to buy a small island.
If he wanted to, that was. Perhaps even a big island, in the middle of a
temperate tropical sea. With lots of brightly colored birds and rich, exotic
fruits that she could dine on for the rest of her days.
A smile flitted briefly over her lips. Maybe that’s what she needed to ask
for. An island. Somewhere that she could move to get away from –
Never mind. It would do her no good to have her own island when that stupid
contract dictated that they had to not only live together…but also sleep in
the same bed.
She struggled not to shudder, hoping that she was at least successful on the
outside even though her insides were crawling with something very similar to
extreme revulsion. She heaved a sigh, drawing a look from her companion that
she did her best to ignore.
What else could she buy? Shoes…maybe one of those prissy little yippy dogs
like was all the rage to carry in a handbag? She could feed it little treats
and buy it its own diamond-studded collar.
God, spending all this money was starting to get nauseating.
Or…hey…
“Can I have a car?”
He raised one perfect eyebrow, cool blue eyes as mocking as his tone was
when he said, “You can have whatever you want, dear.”
The blonde gritted her teeth in frustration. Hard to drive insane someone
that had apparently already been there and back. Hell, for all she knew he
had cornered the market on insanity and was, even now, charging people for
round trip tickets to that happy little place. He hadn’t blinked an eye when
she’d wandered through that upscale women’s store, plucking things off of
hangars left and right. The jewelry store wasn’t even a blip on his radar;
for all that she’d bought things she never would have even dreamed of buying
for herself in any other circumstance.
And then there was the crowning moment, of course; when she’d chosen the
largest, even if not too tasteful, ring that the –other- jeweler had to
offer. Yes, the other jeweler. The jeweler that only opened his doors by
request, on appointment, and only for the richest of socialites.
Of which she now apparently qualified. The owner had been too nice. Oozing
kindness, with dollar signs gleaming in his beady little eyes. She could get
used to this kind of treatment.
Well…if she was a money-grubbing, gold-digging whore, that was.
Which, she wasn’t.
Chloe bit off another sigh and turned a cool glare on Lex. “Fine, rich boy.
Call that limo driver of yours and lets go find me a car. One of those nice
shiny silver ones you enjoy so much.”
“A Porsche?”
“Unless there’s something more…flashy,” she sneered, rolling her eyes to the
heavens.
“Oh, I’m sure we can find something suitable. Or have it ordered from
overseas.” His voice was a sudden velvet purr in her ear that sent shivers
up and down her arms. Damn him for still being able to get to her, even
after everything that had happened. Damn him for forcing her into this, when
he knew she wanted nothing to do with him.
And damn him for trying to make her care again.
Oh, oh! And damn him for trying to beat her at her own game. Though, she had
to applaud the way he was handling her spend-happy ways.
Most likely because she wasn’t even putting a chink, much less an entire
dent, into the fortune that he possessed.
~*~*~
She’d done her damnedest, of that much Lex was absolutely sure.
What a pity she hadn’t stopped to think that this wasn’t the kind of game
she could win. Not when it came to him or his checkbook. She wasn’t even on
par with someone like Victoria – now –that- woman had known how to spend.
His money, her money. She hadn’t cared so long as she was shopping and
dressed to the nines in the finest, most expensive of the latest designer
fashions.
Chloe, on the other hand, didn’t have that inclination. Oh, she’d given it a
go, dragging him from store to store, trying to casually spend thousands of
dollars as if it were nothing to her. But it was. He could see it in her
eyes. Spending money in this manner went against everything she’d ever
believed in. She wasn’t that type of girl – and he loved her because of
that.
With that being said – her new car was set to be delivered by the time they
returned from their honeymoon.
And, yes, there was going to be a honeymoon. The contract even dictated
that, much to his eternal delight. He was thinking something nice and
private. Perhaps that little island he’d been stranded on once upon a time
ago. The one that he now owned a nice private villa on, down near the beach,
where the sound of the crashing waves drifted up to quietly serenade anyone
in the master bedroom.
It was beautiful and he’d hoped to one day take her there, back before their
friendship turned sour. Their honeymoon would be the perfect chance.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that she would be stuck with him on the island,
with no where to run, until such time as he ordered the helicopter back to
pick them up.
“Are you finished for the day?”
She turned a blazing scowl his way, her eyes narrowing with anger. “Yes.”
The smirk on Lex’s face grew in steady proportion to the irritation she gave
off with every word and gesture…every huff and snort under her breath.
The limo was almost too small for the size of her irritation and his joyful
glee all at the same time.
~*~*~
“He’s forcing me to marry him.”
“He’s –what-!?!”
Chloe yanked the phone from her ear, wincing under the piercing quality of
Lana’s indignant shriek.
“Marry him? Chloe – you’re joking, right?”
The blonde snorted, flopping bonelessly backwards onto Lex’s bed. The sheets
were nice and smooth beneath her bare arms, the bed made up and ready for
her to sleep in again that night. Lex would just have to make do with the
guest room.
At least….until….
“Did you just growl?”
“Huh?” Chloe’s thoughts came to a screeching halt.
“Growl. Did you just do it? Because it sounded like a growl to me.”
That was how mad Lex made her, she fumed. “Probably. I can’t believe he’s
doing this to me!”
“You shouldn’t have signed that contract.”
“Hey!” Chloe cried. “You could have not witnessed it, you know. You and
Clark both, for that matter. I should have my cousin kick his ass just
because.”
Lana snorted delicately. “Wouldn’t that involve you actually acknowledging
that Clark exists?”
She paused. The Pink Princess had a point. For once. “True. But do you think
he’d come rescue me if I yelled really, really loud?”
The other girl sputtered a laugh, drawing Chloe into it within a matter of
seconds. They never came right out and admitted what they knew about Clark,
but they had become experts at dancing around the subject after finding out
his deep, dark meteor-related secret.
Okay, not so dark, she guessed. But definitely meteor related.
The secret had been the undoing of their friendship. Hers with him. Lana’s
with him. It had been that secret that had drawn her and the other girl
closer together as they shared their mutual grief over the lack of trust he’
d placed upon them.
He still didn’t know that they knew.
And they were just as happy to keep it that way.
Did he really think those dorky glasses fooled anyone? Much less the people
that –knew- him, for God’s sake?
And she didn’t even want to get started on the suit. Did Mrs. Kent realize
that her son was running around Metropolis in something so tight that the
entire world knew just how ‘super’ he really was?
“He would. He’d save you in an instant if he thought you were in trouble.
Same with me.” Lana whispered as their laughter drew to a close, he voice
taking on a sad note. Chloe was reminded all too clearly that Lana had never
made it out of Smallville. She was still there, running the Talon. Lana sighed into the phone. “He never understood why we stopped…” She sighed. “You know, why we stopped being his friend.”
A bitter smile twisted up the corner of Chloe’s mouth. “He stopped wanting
to ‘make amends’ for whatever he imagined he did wrong the minute that I
wouldn’t stop being friends with Lex.”
“Lex is evil,” Lana stated as if it were a fact as simple as the sky being
blue. “Take this marriage thing for example.”
Or the fact that she’d caught him fucking another woman over his desk, Chloe
thought with that familiar pang of sadness shooting through her chest. “He’s
not evil,” she argued despite herself. “Just ruthless…and cunning. He does
what he needs to in order to survive. Thank his father for those kill or be
killed survival instincts.”
There was a pregnant silence, the moment lasting so long that Chloe cleared
her throat. “Lana? Still there?”
“Um, yeah,” she offered quietly before - “You still care for him.”
It wasn’t a question, just a statement of fact. Chloe opened her mouth
quickly to deny it, but found herself shutting it again just as quickly. “I
do. I always will, Lana. That’s the way love goes. But… He screwed up and
its just not something I can forgive.”
“Understandable,” Lana offered with what Chloe didn’t doubt was a smile so
bright the plastic of the other girl’s phone was beginning to melt. “But,
and don’t get me wrong, Chloe. I think he deserves to be punished –“
Chloe frowned. “What?”
“Well…you say that you can forgive him the so-called non-evilness because
that’s how he was raised…so why is this any different? He was wrong, yes.
But somewhere in that twisted little Luthor mind, he thought he
was –right-.”
And, for once, Chloe didn’t know what to say. Without a doubt she hadn’t
expected intelligent introspection from Lana. Definitely nothing on this
level. She sighed, shaking her head to herself.
“I’ve gotta go.”
“Avoiding the question?”
”No,” Chloe argued, her voice taking a sadly defensive edge. “I just don’t
know what the answer is.”
“Should be obvious if it’s a good enough reason.”
Another good point made and Chloe felt the sudden need to pinch herself to
make sure she was still awake and not dreaming up this odd scenario where
Lana actually made sense.
“Bye, Lana.”
“Call me later this week?”
Chloe snorted. “I’ll have to. You’re going to be my maid of honor in this
circus.”
~*~End Part~*~
~*~Part Five~*~
“No.”
“Yes.”
“NO!”
“Chloe –“
“Don’t Chloe me, Luthor. This is my wedding, too, and if I don’t want to
have a big fancy thing in some church that I’ve never set foot in once in my
entire life, then I’m not going to do it. It’s not like you’ve suddenly
‘found God’, so why does it matter?”
Lex risked a glance over the top of the business section of the morning
paper, unsurprised to see that Chloe had put down her fork and knife to
better glare at him in full arms-crossed-over-her-chest glory. Her cheeks
were bright with pink spots of anger dancing on them, eyes sparkling with
fire.
As beautiful as ever.
“My mother and father were married in that Cathedral,” he shrugged.
“And…so?” Her voice rose a notch in irritation and Lex found himself quite
thankful for the paper that hid his grin. “This isn’t even a real wedding
and you want me to go into a house of God? No. Not going to happen.”
“On the contrary,” he said, lowering the paper from his face so that she
could see the smirk adorning his lips. “It is a real wedding…” He paused.
“However, if you do not wish to get married in the Cathedral, I suppose I
could arrange to have the Metropolis park set aside for our use that
morning.”
She snorted and the irritation quickly faded to anger. “You know I don’t
want to get married outside. You don’t forget things, Luthor, so I know damn
well you haven’t forgotten that.”
Lex arched an eyebrow at her and picked up his fork, eyeing the eggs on his
plate dubiously. Had he forgotten that conversation so long ago when she,
whilst half-drunk, had waxed poetic on what she wanted her wedding to be
like? Had he forgotten the ten minute long rant she had indulged in after he
had suggested an outdoor setting for such an auspicious occaision? Hardly.
It wasn’t the type of thing one could forget, seeing her go off like that.
“The park or the Cathedral, Chloe. Unless you can come up with something
better?”
Her face clouded over and he knew he’d caught her. She’d followed him right
into the neat little trap he’d set for her with his words. Now she could
either chose one of the places that he’d already named, which were both
completely unacceptable in her eyes, or she could make a choice herself. On
one hand she would be giving into his demands, on the other she would be
forced to play along with this so-called ‘charade’, as she had termed it.
Either way, he won.
He watched her carefully as he pushed aside the eggs in favor of a slice of
toast. Something was going on in that mind of hers, he could see it written
on her face as clearly as the black print of the newspaper that now rested
on the table. “Care to share?”
“Not really, no,” she grinned widely. “But since you asked –so- nicely.”
Whatever she was about to say, he got the feeling that he wasn’t going to
like it in the least. “Spit it out already, Sullivan.”
“OooO. Resorting to calling me by my last name now? Have I gotten under your
skin, Lexy?”
Teeth grinding together, Lex forced his outward expression to remain calm
and collected. He leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table as he
regarded her coolly. “Under my *skin* is not where I’m thinking of having
you at this moment, no.”
She flushed a brilliant shade of pink as he watched and a delighted grin
stole over his features before he could stop it. A scowl darkened her
features, eyes narrowing.
Luthors didn’t feel fear, he reminded himself. They did not wilt under the
rather impressive glare of their future spouse.
“Still have that old thing you call a manor back in Smallville, Lexy?”
He swallowed.
She knew he had no desire to set foot in the hole in the wall little hick
town ever again. There were people to over see the day-to-day function of
the factory and they sent him reports. Those reports were the closest he
wanted to come to that town and that wasn’t saying much. He bit off an
expletive. She’d caught him at his own game. He didn’t know whether to damn
her or praise her for her ingenuity.
“Of course.”
“We’ll have the wedding there, then.” The sweet smile that lit up her face
was undermined by the complete treachery of the statement.
“Great,” he forced the words out of his mouth, the smile on his face so fake
that he could almost feel his skin cracking from the sheer exertion of it.
“We can invite all of our old friends.”
He had the pleasure of seeing her eyes shoot up to her hairline before she
got control of herself again. Oh, she was good at this game. But he was
better. He’d had more practice after all.
Then again, she had learned from the master.
Him.
“You don’t have any ‘old friends’, Lex – unless we’re going to count all the
people who’ve tried to kill you over the years.”
“Heh,” he chuckled under his breath. “I was thinking more along the lines
of, oh – let’s say – Mr. Ross and his family, Miss Lang and her family…and
let’s not forget the Kents, shall we.”
The laughter and mocking fun faded from her eyes immediately as the last of
the names on his list left his mouth. He could almost see the fury build
from her stomach up through her eyes, filling her completely.
”Clark is not invited to my wedding.”
“He can be my guest, then.”
She snorted. “He’ll never accept your invitation. Nor will his parents, for
that matter. So you can just wipe that smirk right off your face, Luthor.”
That … was a very good point, actually. His relationship with Clark Kent had
ended so many years ago that he wasn’t even quite sure of the final moment
anymore, that defining time when the friendship had officially come to a
close and the hostilities had begun.
Because that was all that was left – hostility. Clark, bred on those good
old values that his father had instilled in him since day one, couldn’t be
friends with him, of all people. He was evil, Clark was good. Those were the
roles that fate had forced upon both of them, whether they wanted it or not.
Personally, he didn’t see himself as evil, but Clark did and that was all
that mattered.
However, one way or the other, he’d get Clark Kent to that wedding if it
meant seeing the shock on Chloe’s face.
After that, though, he was really going to have to buckle down and get with
the romancing. Spending the rest of his life shackled to a woman that hated
him was not his idea of a good time.
“Oh, he’ll accept – don’t worry,” Lex reassured her even as he wondered to
himself how he’d get the man in question to attend. Probably play on his old
friendship with Chloe and how much she ‘wanted’ him to be there… for
support, of course, since big, bad Lex Luthor was forcing her into this
marriage. Of course, there was also the guilt card. The least that Clark
could do was show up to a marriage that he was, in part, responsible for.
There had been two witnesses to that little contract and his sprawling
scrawl marked him as one of them.
Chloe huffed, settling back in her chair. This round had gone to him and,
judging by the anger in her eyes, he would be paying for it for a while to
come. Just one more ‘sin’ that he had committed against her.
No matter. He’d either make up for all of them or none of them at all.
“Now – about the reception…”
~*~End Part~*~
~*~Part Six~*~
Chloe glared down at the front-page picture splashed across the morning
newspaper. Sure, it was only the front-page of the society section, but it
was still front-page. She’d never rated front-page news in her entire life,
even as a journalist, and now her face was there in living color, in homes
all around Metropolis. Only those closest to her would recognize the smile
she wore in the print as completely fake. It was a little too bright, a
little too large. Her genuine smile was nothing like the overdone, teeth
flashing thing that looked back at her from the paper.
The interview with her editor had seemed stilted and awkward to her
pessimistic ears, though Lex had certainly enjoyed himself. She would have
had a lot more fun with the entire thing if he hadn’t pointed out to her
that saying anything negative in nature violated the “thou shalt not harm”
clause of their contract.
Everything came back to that damn contract. She had to live with him. She
had to sleep in the same room with him once they were married. There were
penalties for getting divorced. She couldn’t say or do anything to harm Lex
or, by default, his business, and in return he was prohibited from doing
such to her. What a shame that this entire sham somehow didn’t qualify as
‘harming’ her, otherwise it would have ended just as soon as it had begun.
But he wasn’t doing anything harmful, outside of forcing on her a marriage
that she didn’t desire to a man that she detested on the best of days, and
that meant that things could continue along as they had been, her hating
him, until death one day parted them.
What a shame Lionel wasn’t still around to make that a ‘sooner’ rather than
‘later’ type of thing.
The plans were continuing whether she liked it or not, with the manor set to
go as the site of their impending nuptials. Flowers had been ordered, a
caterer booked. A team of what she was sure were very expensive decorators
had been hired to turn the small ballroom into the site of the actual vows,
with the larger ballroom being transformed into a reception hall.
Invitations were going out that morning via couriers to ensure that no one
who was to be invited missed out on the chance to either accept or decline.
Which mean that, if Lex’s threat were true, Clark would have his invitation
in hand within hours.
He could even have it now, for that matter, she realized as she glanced at
the clock. A crease appeared on her forehead as she tightly shut her eyes.
It was too much to hope that he’d get it and just throw it away. Too much to
hope that he would leave her be. That was all she’d wanted from him since
the moment she found out who and what he was – just to be left alone. It was
a bitter and childish response and she knew it.
But that didn’t change how she felt.
She pushed aside the morning paper, picking at the toast she’d been brought
almost a half-hour before. It was cold now, unappetizing, and she pushed it
aside with a soft sigh. There’d be time to get something on the way to the
seamstress if she would just get up and get going. The fitting for her dress
was set to begin in a little less than two hours. Thank God Lana was meeting
her there. As odd as it was, the princess of pink had turned out to be a
lifesaver over the last few years. A true friend… a best friend, even.
She didn’t know how she’d manage to get through this without the other
woman.
~*~*~
“It’s pink.”
“Uh huh,” Chloe nodded, trying not to move even though she was dying to see
what the dress looked like on Lana. The seamstress at her feet shot her a
dirty look and she knew that she hadn’t been as successful as she hoped in
keeping still. “I thought you’d like that.”
“You don’t like pink.”
She could hear the frown in Lana’s voice and a tiny smile touched Chloe’s
lips. “So?”
“It’s your –wedding-,” Lana insisted, appearing in a flash of pink in front
of the blonde. The dress looked good on her, Chloe couldn’t help but admit
that. Oh, she was sure the seamstress was going to take it in a little
around the chest, make it more snug at the waist. But still, the straight
line with a slit to mid-thigh was classy and elegant all at the same time.
Not like those gaudy bridesmaid dresses that some women forced upon their
friends. Lana’s features were pinched as she regarded her evenly. “It’s
supposed to be about what you like, not what I like.”
Chloe shrugged. “Well then - I don’t like Lex, either. Can I toss him out of
this whole wedding equation?”
Lana snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. Her dark eyes sparkled
with amusement. “Sorry, no.”
“Oh, well, then. Might as well make sure you’re happy, then, at least,”
Chloe flashed her a grin, ignoring the irritation on the seamstress’ face.
For what Lex was shelling out for this monstrosity of white and fluff, the
woman could just deal with her being jittery and moving around a little.
“What do you want to do after this? Shopping? I have Lex’s credit card.”
Lana’s eyes went wide. “He just lets you…take it?”
Chloe shrugged. “He’s trying to ‘make it up to me.”
“With money?”
“It’s the only thing that he knows, apparently.” She sighed with disgust.
“Sweet Daddy Dearest must’ve instilled that in him – what you can’t get with
your charming personality – buy.”
Lana quirked an eyebrow at her before turning to look at herself in one of
many full-length mirrors that were placed around the dress shop. “So he’s
back to being ‘charming’ now?”
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Chloe huffed, crossing her arms over her
chest and shifting the entire dress, much to the seamstress’ now vocalized
irritation. The blonde murmured an apology to the seamstress before shooting
Lana with a lethal glare.
“Hey, you said it, not me.”
“Smirking –so- does not become you, Lana Lang.”
“Chloe Lu –“
The bells over the shop’s door chimed over the rest of what Lana had been
about to say – something that Chloe was grateful for. She knew where the
brunette had been about to go and she just wasn’t ready to hear it yet.
“Hello?”
Chloe’s head turned quickly towards the door, wishing that she could see
past the changing screen if only to confirm what she had just heard.
She knew that voice.
“One moment, please,” the seamstress called, taking the pins she had been
holding between her lips and placing them in a small box before leaving
Chloe and Lana alone without another word.
“What’s wrong?” Lana murmured, peering curiously in the direction the
seamstress’ had just disappeared in.
“Wrong?” Chloe muttered darkly. “What could possibly be wrong?”
She jumped down off of the stool, gathering up the voluminous skirts of her
gown in her hand. Of course –she- would show up. This was newsworthy
and –she- was a reporter.
Toss in the fact that they were related and it made sense that –she- would
come looking for her. It probably hadn’t even taken her half a moment to
find out where the dress was being made and what time Chloe would be there
for the fitting.
“Whatever you do – don’t say a thing to her,” Chloe instructed with a muted
growl. “She’s a reporter.”
“O..kay,” Lana nodded, pantomiming locking her mouth and throwing away the
key.
With a deep breath to steel her, Chloe stepped out from behind the changing
screen, her eyes alighting instantly on one of the last people she wanted to
see.
“Lois,” she smiled with saccharine sweetness. “What are –you- doing here?”
Her cousin turned, bobbed brown hair bouncing just a touch. An equally fake
smile jumped to her lips. “Would you believe I was in the mood for a new
dress?”
“I didn’t know you were getting married. Who’s the lucky man?” The blonde’s
grin slipped into a smirk.
Lois’ eyes darkened and Chloe chalked up a mental point for herself. Taking
her sometimes snotty cousin down a notch was always a game that she’d
enjoyed playing, even as a child. The fact that the other woman had no
qualms against making her own family the center of attention just for a
byline had nothing to do with the animosity she was feeling at that moment.
Okay, so maybe a little part.
“The Daily Planet wanted to get an interview with you about the upcoming
wedding,” Lois recovered quickly, her false pretenses pushed aside. “For old
times’ sake?”
“Ha!” Chloe laughed once, sharply and without humor. “Never too good to call
in the family card, are you, LoLo?”
The childhood nickname hit her cousin like a slap to the face, though the
brunette was quick to cover it. “Oh, c’mon, Chlo’ – you’re marrying Lex
Luthor. It’s news, not personal.”
Lana snorted softly, whispering for Chloe’s ears only, “Been practicing that
verbal judo with Lex? You’re in fine form.”
Chloe laughed before she could stop herself, drawing a curious gaze from
Lois in Lana’s direction. She cleared her throat, bringing her cousin’s
attention back to her and away from Lana. “No interviews, Lois. You know how
Lex –“
The bells over the door chimed, cutting off Chloe’s would-be reminder about
the Luthor interview policy. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt
her heart start to slam in her chest as anger set in.
She should have known.
She should have fucking known!
After all – where one went, the other couldn’t be far behind.
“Sorry, Lois. I had trouble finding parking for the jeep. Hope this write up
on the bridal bazaar is…worth … it…”
His voice died off as he caught sight of the other occupants of the room.
Chloe’s eyes widened as his startled gaze landed on her, her nostrils
flaring once in barely leashed rage. At least it sounded like Lois hadn’t
told him why he was coming here, either. She’d effectively ambushed both of
them with this little stunt. Behind her Lana whimpered softly and the blonde
had to force herself not to grab the other woman and run for the shelter of
the driver that she knew damn well was waiting nearby.
She wouldn’t run.
Not from Lex and certainly not from him. A despicable liar. A sham of a
friend.
She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “Hello, Clark.”
~*~End Part~*~
Can't wait to read the new one. :biggrin:
A/N: As of the time I’m writing this part (and the previous), the new season of Smallville hasn’t started yet. Thus I’m taking my characterization of a certain female character from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It was always a favorite of mine and anyone that watched that first season knows that Mad Dog Lane could be a bit of a … well… bitch.
~*~Part Seven~*~
It was odd, being torn in two, Chloe thought with a small smirk of wry humor. That was exactly how she felt at that moment – part of her wanting to run for the safety of the car, the other wanting to stay and tear Clark into little bitty pieces for the deception he’d lavished on both her and Lana over the years. Lucky for her… and rather unlucky for him… the latter part was what was winning at the moment, as pure fury bubbled up inside of her – both at him and at her sneaky, manipulative cousin.
“I see you brought your shadow, LoLo,” Chloe sneered, gathering the skirts of her wedding dress in her hand as she moved further into the dress shop. She didn’t even need to look to know that Lana was right behind her. “Wish I could say it was good to see you again, Kent.”
“Chloe –“
She raised her eyebrows, a harsh snort halting whatever it was that he’d been about to say. Did he honestly think there was anything left to speak of between the two of them? Real friends trusted each other with everything – even their lives.
Which meant that obviously they had never been real friends. At least, not the type of friends she’d thought they were. Good friends. Best friends.
Thank God she had stopped being that naïve a long time ago.
“Save it. I’d slap you, you know – but I wouldn’t want to hurt my hand. You always were such a ... strong… boy.”
His eyes widened, face betraying the not-so-subtle jab that her words had been meant to be. She could almost see the questions racing through his mind, reflected out through the dull sparkle of his eyes. Did she know or was that just a lucky shot? A coincidence and nothing more?
Lana solved the confusion before it could overload his poor little brain, however.
“Yeah…you were pretty super like that….”
Chloe could have kissed her at that moment. She bit the inside of her cheek – hard – to keep from laughing out loud as shock turned to fear on her former friend’s face. Suddenly she realized why she’d waited all this time to tell him that she knew.
She’d wanted to knock him senseless – like they had at that very moment.
“I –“
“Oh, save it farmboy,” Lois snapped, her eyes flashing with irritation. She didn’t know – of that much Chloe was damn sure. If her dear, sweet cousin ever figured out the truth she’d have it on the front page of the Planet within a matter of hours – even if it meant a special edition being printed. No, Lois didn’t have a clue about what they were alluding to and that suited Chloe just fine seeing as how it was irritating her cousin so much to be out of the loop. “What is this – old home time for the backwards little folk of Nowheresville?”
“Smallville,” the three residents of the town responded as one, the girls with venom and Clark with resignation.
Of course he’d heard it all before, Chloe thought with a touch of smugness, hoping that her cousin gave him hell every single day in her usual snobby way.
“Whatever,” Lois waved them off. “I came here for a story.”
“You’re going to be disappointed, then.” Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. “Because Luthors don’t give interviews.”
“You’re not a Luthor yet,” Lois persisted.
“Not in name,” the blonde drew herself up to her full height, leveling a freezing glare at her cousin. A sneer imposed itself over her forcibly bright smile. “But I am more than a Luthor in attitude – I’m sure you’re aware of what that infers. Hmmm, cousin dear?”
“Don’t threaten her.”
Behind her, Lana gasped at Clark’s suddenly firm tone as he rushed to hurry to Lois’ defense, but Chloe just laughed. “It wasn’t a threat, Kent. Gee – paranoid much? You think I’m going to have my cousin knocked off just for asking me for an interview? Have a little faith. Don’t you trust me better than…” She stopped, hand flying up to her forehead in a sarcastic mockery of understanding. “Oh, right – I forgot! You don’t trust me. Does he, Lana?”
“Uh uh,” the other girl snickered. “He doesn’t trust either of us. To think we trusted him for all those years…”
“Yeah, well – look where that got us.”
“What do you mean I didn’t trust you? You were my best friend, Chloe! And, Lana –“
“Eh!” Lana frowned, putting one hand up, the other resting firmly on her hip. “Don’t you dare, Clark Kent. You didn’t love me. Not real love. Not the type of love where you share everything with the other person. All those deep, dark secrets you wouldn’t want anyone else to know about. That’s love. Hiding big…wait, no – intergalactically huge – things from someone? That’s not love.”
Chloe had to give Lana credit. She’d grown up a lot since high school. The old Lana would have melted with a single word from Clark. She would have rolled over and played dead if she thought for one second that anyone was mad at her or that she was ruining herself in their eyes. Not this Lana, though. This Lana was tougher, though by no means hard-nosed. She was able to stand up for herself, even if later she’d be mortified on some level by what she said or did.
“Guys, this isn’t the time for this,” Clark frowned, glancing with undisguised purpose at an openly curious Lois.
“The time for what?” Lois frowned.
“Catching up,” Chloe covered with a saccharine sweet smile. “You know – talking about the old days like friends are supposed to do.”
“But you guys aren’t friends.”
”Picked that up quick, did you?” Lana snarked.
That’s it, Chloe thought with a tiny smile of pleasure. Lana gets a cookie when we get back to the penthouse.
“Doesn’t matter if we,” Chloe pointed between herself and Lana, “are friends with him or not, Lois. I’m not giving you an interview and this conversation is over.”
She turned to the dressmaker and turned on her best approximation of Lex’s own haughtiness, feigning distaste. Let Lois put this in the paper, for all she cared. “I’m afraid this just won’t do. Reporters being allowed to harass me during my fitting? I assume you can arrange to come by the penthouse this evening? Otherwise I’m afraid Mr. Luthor and I will have to find someone more… accommodating.”
“Yes. Of course.” The dressmaker nodded, her face betraying the nervousness that she was apparently feeling over risking a customer as big as Lex Luthor and his future wife. Chloe knew that this dress alone would pay her rent for the rest of the year. Having her walk out now would be…devastating both in the pocketbook and the reputation of the small shop.
“Great,” Chloe muttered under her breath, gathering her skirts up in her hands as she turned to the back of the store with a parting farewell. “LoLo, Kent – it was fun.”
“Chloe – we need to talk.” Clark’s decisive tone was at odds with the worry she knew he was feeling.
The blonde froze, shaking her head in wonderment. She didn’t bother to turn around before speaking. “Do you really think pissing me off is a good idea?”
“Maybe not. But that doesn’t change anything.”
She closed her eyes, dropping her voice to a whisper that she was sure even Lana, for all that the other woman was standing right next to her, couldn’t hear. He’d hear it, of course. Super hearing had to have some benefits.
“You don’t want to do this, Clark. We said our goodbyes a long time ago. Leave it at that. Don’t make this into something bigger than it has to be. I don’t want to see you get hurt…” She shut her eyes, trying to force down the pain that her admission was causing her. It had been so easy to forget what he’d meant to her once upon a time, long ago when he wasn’t there, right in front of her. So easy to build up the anger and irritation until it was a shield. But even the best shields eroded under pressure and that was what was happening right at that moment.
Louder, she said. “See you around, Clark.”
She swept back behind the changing screen, eagerly pulling the dress from her shoulders with the help of the dressmaker.
“Think he’ll let it go?” Lana asked, already shimmying out of her own dress.
Chloe snorted. “Let it go? If there was one thing Clark is – it’s persistent. He just doesn’t know when to give up.”
“So that’s a ‘no’, then?”
“That’s a big no. I’ve got twenty bucks that says he’ll be waiting at the penthouse.”
~*~*~
“She did? Really? And you told her no, I’m assuming?” Lex turned slowly in his chair until he was looking out over the city, phone to his ear. He rolled his eyes at Chloe’s ranting account of being interrupted by one of the city’s most infamously vicious reporters. There was nothing Mad Dog Lane wouldn’t do to get a story – even if it involved her family.
“Yelling at me doesn’t change what happened – you do realize that, don’t you? Chloe? Chloe?”
He sighed and flipped the cell phone shut, the smirk never leaving his lips. That anonymous tip he’d had his aide place to the paper this morning had been sheer genius. Where Lane was…Kent soon followed… and while Chloe hadn’t outright mentioned her former friend, Lex was confident that the dark haired farmboy was one of the key reasons behind her current state of agitation.
And by forcing Clark to come face to face with the reality of Chloe’s impending nuptials… he’d almost certainly seek her out to have a little heart to heart. And when he found out the reason she was getting married… well, good old Clark Kent wouldn’t be able to just sit back and let her ‘suffer’ alone. No, he’d try to be right there by her side, whether she wanted it or not.
Lex was smiling as he turned back around, looking over the wedding plans that lay scattered on his desk.
To think … Chloe hadn’t thought that he’d be able to get Clark to show up at the wedding.
~*~End Part~*~
Oh, you sneaky devious author! I love you!
Update soon!!!
Lark