Title: Proposition
Author: scifichick774
Rating: NC-17
Category: Chloe/Lex UST/Angst/Romance/Drama/everything else under the sun… oh no wait, that’s it.
Spoilers: Through Heat of the second season.
Summary: Lex sets Chloe up with a friend in hopes of getting inside information, but it backfires when he finds himself attracted to her. Chloe/Lex
Disclaimer: Not mine, no infringement intended, please don’t sue.
Feedback: Yes please.
Archival: Go ahead, just let me know where.
Author’s Note: I’m not sure why I’m working on so many fics at once, but if they all turn out crappy, you’ll know the reason.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“No,” Chloe shook her emphatically. “No way, no how, no chance in…”
“Chloe,” her dad interrupted. “You’ll get your own hotel room. There has been lots of weird stuff going on here lately. I would feel a lot more comfortable if you went with me.” Chloe knew from the tone in his voice that she wasn’t going to win this one. He was going to a conference in Metropolis, and instead of leaving her home to lounge around in her PJ’s and scarf down pizza and ice cream, he was making her go with him. To make matters worse, there was a formal dinner and reception party on the last night. She let out a loud sigh.
“Why do I get the feeling that I don’t get a choice?” She asked in sarcastic defeat. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.
“It’ll be fun, you’ll see. You can even shop for a new dress for the party,” he added in the hope that it would raise her spirits. She grumbled something and turned on her heel to go to her room. “Chloe?”
“I have to pack right?” She asked without turning back. He grinned to himself. Gabe Sullivan definitely felt better about making his daughter to Metropolis with him. She had taken the ‘end’ of her crush on Clark badly and he was hoping that a few days back in her old stomping grounds would cheer her up, even if she did have to spend some time with her father at a fertilizer convention. Gabe grimaced when that thought went through his head. No wonder she didn’t want to go.
~*~*~*~*~
‘It’s a nice hotel at least,’ Chloe thought to herself as she stood in the lobby waiting for her father to complete check in. She took in the pompous and almost ornate decorative theme and chuckled to herself. Gabe turned to her with a bemused look.
“What’s so funny?” He asked. She smiled and motioned around the room.
“Strange place to have a crap convention,” she answered. He shook his head and chuckled. “Also, it kind of reminds me of Lex’s house,” she mused. Chloe started laughing when her dad furrowed his brow. “Interview, pushed out a window, spent a few days in the hospital, remember?” His expression changed to that of partial relief and he nodded.
“You called him Lex,” he observed. Chloe shrugged.
“He asked me to,” she responded. Gabe frowned, but shook it off. Lex was a friend of Clark’s, Chloe was a friend of Clark’s, and it was probably as simple as that. He held up her key card for her.
“They had to put us on different floors because of the convention,” he said. He frowned at the smile that beamed on her face. “Don’t be too excited.” She grinned.
“Oh, I fully intend to be excited,” she said in a teasing manner. “Without you staying on the same floor I can throw wild late night parties with strange guys that I just met.” He chuckled and then pointed at her.
“No nose rings,” he joked back. She smiled.
“What about tattoos?” She asked. He gave a mock thoughtful look.
“No more than three,” he replied.
“Three tattoos or three guys?” She teased. He shook his head.
“Funny.”
“I try.”
~*~*~*~*~
Chloe settled into her hotel room. It was very large, very nice, and looked to be very expensive. She hoped her dad could write it off as a business expense. She opened a door off the bedroom and smiled brightly at what she saw there.
“Hello Jacuzzi!” She said to herself. ‘I should let dad drag me on more of these trips with him.’ She looked over the itinerary her father had given her. The only thing scheduled for the first night was some boring get to know everyone thing that her dad already said she didn’t have to go to. She smiled and began running the water for the Jacuzzi. Chloe started to remove items of her clothing and was completely naked when there was a knock on the door. She sighed and grabbed a courtesy robe from the bathroom to cover herself. She peered through the peephole to see who it was and then opened the door.
“Mr. Luthor,” she greeted and crossed her arms. “I think you have the wrong room.” He stepped by her and walked into the room, not acknowledging that she gave an exasperated look.
“Actually, I’m not,” he said as he turned around to face her. He smirked when he took in her attire. She rolled her eyes.
“What do you want? I was just about to get in the Jacuzzi.”
“Don’t let me stop you,” he said with a grin. She glared at him and he sat down in one of the chairs. He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “I have a proposition for you.” She grinned sardonically.
“Sorry, I’m not that kind of girl,” she retorted. He chuckled.
“Do you know Bishop Gregory?”
“Not personally,” she said.
“But you know who he is?” He asked. She sighed.
“Of course. I’m not an idiot,” she responded. He looked at her expectantly and she sighed again. “Bishop Gregory, heir apparent to the Gregory and Young financial dynasties. Incredibly smart, charming, and good looking.” Lex raised an eyebrow.
“You think he’s good looking?” He asked. She glared at him and he stood up. “Like I said, I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m listening,” she said.
“Gregory Industries has been mulling around the idea of taking over one of LuthorCorp’s subsidiary companies. So far, the information I’ve been able to get is abysmal.”
“Uh-huh,” Chloe responded.
“Bishop is an old friend of mine. I’d like to set you up with him,” Lex continued.
“Like on a date?” Chloe asked in disbelief. Lex nodded.
“And, on said date, I’d like you to get any information about the take over that you can,” he said. Chloe eyed him skeptically.
“Two questions. What’s in it for me? And why do you think he’ll even agree to go out with me?” She asked, counting off the questions on her fingers.
“You’re pretty and you’re smart, those are the only two criteria he looks for in a woman. And as far as what’s in it for you,” he smirked. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”
~*~*~
Ch. 2
~*~*~
“Remind me again what I’m doing here?” Chloe asked. She and Lex were being shown to their table at a nice restaurant. Bishop was supposed to meet them there. The host pulled her chair out for her and she sat down, smoothing the dress that she had brought for the formal dinner and party on the last night of the convention. “And by the way, you’re springing for a new dress. My dad’s making me go to that thing our last night here.” Lex grinned. She spoke her mind, he liked that.
“You’re here because a college scholarship is being set up for you by LuthorCorp,” he said. She grumbled. “And the dress is no problem. Although, I suspect you would have your hands full dealing with ardent admirers at the convention party if you had worn that one.” She plastered a fake smile on her face.
“There’s nothing wrong with this dress,” she argued. He smirked.
“No, there isn’t,” he agreed as he eyed her body in it. She rolled her eyes.
“Is your friend as uncouth as you?” She bit. He smiled, but it seemed like he was looking past her.
“I think the safe answer to that is no,” the man standing behind her said. ‘Oh crap,’ she thought. Lex got up from his seat and shook Bishop’s hand. Chloe rose from her chair as well and smiled at him. ‘Better looking in person, maybe this won’t be so bad after all.’ Bishop smiled at her, clearly amused by the situation. “So Lex, are you going to introduce us or are you going to live up to the reputation that the beautiful woman just pointed out?” Lex barely resisted rolling his eyes.
“Bishop Gregory, Chloe Sullivan,” he motioned between the two. Chloe stuck out her hand for him to shake, but instead he pulled it to his mouth and gave her a small kiss. She smiled.
“Smooth,” she said. He smiled and shrugged.
“I try,” he responded. Chloe sat back down and Bishop pushed her chair in for her. Lex grinned at this. His friend was obviously taking a liking to Chloe already, which meant her job would be easier. The two men took their respective seats. Bishop glanced at Lex for a moment, but turned his attention back to Chloe. “I must say I’m pleased. When Lex told me he had a friend he thought would be perfect for me, I got disturbing images of the hideous women he usually dates dancing through my head.” Lex did roll his eyes that time, but Chloe chuckled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone refer to supermodels as hideous before,” she said. He shrugged.
“Most people don’t look past the surface. Take away their extensive plastic surgeries, and they have no intelligence, no wit,” he grinned at her, “no fire.” She smiled at his description. “I would much rather have someone who God blessed with the complete package than someone who’s been under the knife to further their vanity.” Lex frowned.
“You’re laying it on a bit thick aren’t you Bish? She did already agree to meet you,” he said. Bishop chuckled and turned back to Chloe.
“Why are you friends with him exactly?” He asked. She laughed and shook her head.
“I’m not,” she admitted. “More like friend of a friend.” Bishop nodded.
“A woman who hasn’t fallen victim to the Luthor charm,” he said in an impressed voice. Chloe arched an eyebrow.
“Lex has charm?” She joked. Bishop started laughing and Lex cleared his throat.
“I don’t appreciate people talking about me like I’m not sitting at the same table,” he said. A wry grin came across Bishop’s lips.
“No one’s keeping you here,” he responded. Lex glared at him for a moment and then looked at Chloe. She looked beautiful, stunning even, and the fact that he had noticed made him feel uncomfortable. He was beginning to have serious second thoughts about this whole arrangement.
“Will you be alright?” He asked in a sincere tone. She eyed Bishop like she was suspicious.
“Gee, I don’t know, he looks pretty shady,” she teased. Bishop laughed and looked over at Lex.
“Go on, we’ll be fine,” he urged. Lex nodded and stood up. He leaned down a little to speak to Chloe.
“If he gets out of hand…”
“Don’t worry, I have a mean right hook,” she said, waving him away with her hand. Lex nodded and left the restaurant.
“Do you really?” Bishop asked with a gleam in his eye. She peered up from her menu at him.
“Have a mean right hook?” She asked. He nodded and she smiled.
“Yes, but I wouldn’t use it on you unless you forced me to. I wouldn’t want to hurt your pretty face,” she said and looked back down at her menu. He laughed. Bishop sighed as he looked down at the menu. “What’s wrong?”
“Luthor always has to do things the hard way,” he said. She furrowed her brow. “I would have much rather met you in a nice, casual environment and gotten a pizza or something. But Lex, it’s like he was born in a suit.” Chloe laughed loudly and he smiled at her.
“You know, we haven’t ordered yet,” she said. He nodded.
“I know a great place on 23rd,” he replied. She smiled.
“Sounds good.”
~*~*~*~*~
“May I ask you a question?” Bishop asked as he walked Chloe back to her hotel room. She smiled.
“Of course.”
“If you’re not a friend of Lex’s, then why did you agree to meet me?” He asked. She smiled and rolled her eyes.
“He made a generous contribution to the Chloe Sullivan scholarship fund,” she said. He smiled.
“A worthy cause,” he said as they reached her room.
“Yep. Also, I told you I’m the editor of the school paper.” Bishop nodded. “He wanted me to find out information on some takeover thing you have planned.” She smiled and he arched an eyebrow.
“And yet you haven’t asked me anything about it,” he observed. She shrugged.
“It’s boring, you’re interesting, and it’s his own fault for interrupting me right as I was about to get into the Jacuzzi,” she replied. Bishop laughed.
“Well, it seems that Lex may have been right when he lied to me,” he said. She gave a confused expression and he kissed her gently on her lips. “You’re perfect for me.” Her eyes grew wide and he smiled. “Have a good night Chloe.” She shook her head as he walked away. Chloe slid the key card and opened her door, only to find Lex waiting for her inside.
“Where have you been?” He asked with disapproval.
“How did you get in here?” She asked.
“It’s amazing what feats can be accomplished when you have money,” he answered. “Your turn.” She shrugged like the late hour was no big deal.
“We decided to go out for pizza instead,” she said and then smiled. “And then ice cream, and then we went to this cool arcade place. It’s been forever since I played some of those video games.” He scowled at her and she rolled her eyes. “And before you even ask, no. I didn’t get any information on the takeover. Amazingly enough, he’s hot and has an interesting personality. I didn’t even think to go into reporter mode.” Lex frowned.
“You’re always in reporter mode with me,” he observed. She gave a quirky smile.
“And what does that tell you?”
~*~*~
Ch. 3
~*~*~
Lex sighed. This conversation was going nowhere, and he had a sinking feeling that Chloe would win whatever verbal argument he started with her. He saw Chloe breathe in deeply to calm herself.
“I think you should go,” she said in a remarkably serene tone. “It’s late and Bishop wants to take me out tomorrow.” She grinned. “Besides, I still haven’t had that Jacuzzi yet.” Lex rubbed his face. He didn’t know why the idea of her seeing Bishop again would bother him so much. He originally dismissed it, crediting the fact that he disliked being ganged up on. It then progressed to because she was Clark’s friend so it would only be natural for him to want to keep her safe, but if that was the case, then why had he put her in that position to begin with? As he moved his hand over his eyes, an image of Chloe naked in the Jacuzzi flitted in front of him. ‘Damn,’ he thought. “Lex, did you hear me?”
“Jacuzzi,” he repeated. She tilted her head as she scowled at him, but her expression had lost most of the anger behind it. “Do you like him Chloe?” She smiled.
“Yeah, I do,” she admitted. He furrowed his brow.
“And what about Clark? Or have you forgotten your would be paramour in Smallville?” He asked. Her lips went thin and he rightfully took that as a bad sign.
“Clark is my friend, only my friend,” she emphasized. “He’s made that abundantly clear,” she muttered. Lex inwardly cringed. He didn’t know that. The last he heard Chloe liked Clark and Clark was seriously considering moving in the direction of taking the next step in their relationship. He would need to have a talk with him when he got back about recognizing a good thing when you had it. ‘Of course if you don’t, you could keep her for yourself,’ his subconscious whispered. He wondered where that thought came from and tried to shake it away, which wasn’t easily done after her next comment. “And Bishop’s a good guy. He’s smart, funny, handsome, and a good kisser. Why shouldn’t I like him?” Lex narrowed his eyes at her.
“You kissed him?”
“He kissed me,” she clarified.
“And what happened to the famous right hook?” He asked, anger lining his voice. She smirked.
“You said if things got out of hand,” she reminded him. He tilted his head.
“And what do you call him kissing you?” He asked. She shrugged.
“Pleasant?” She retorted. Lex arched an eyebrow. That was hardly the description one would use if they truly felt a connection with someone. He stepped closer to her.
“Pleasant,” he repeated. He took another step forward and leered at her. She looked at him, suddenly wondering if she had pushed the situation too far, and stepped back. He smirked at her retreating form. A few more steps and she would be against the wall. He kept moving forward. “Pleasant is a word used to describe situations that aren’t terrible, but not life changing. Pleasant is fields of flowers and afternoon tea.” Her back pressed up against the wall and he swiftly moved his hands on either side of her, effectively trapping her there. He tilted his head. “Pleasant is not a word to describe a kiss from someone who’s company you enjoy.” He paused. “Or are pretending to enjoy.” Her eyes grew wide as she looked at him and listened to his velvet like voice. ‘This is bad, this is very bad,’ she thought to herself.
He quickly captured her mouth with his own. She was in shock and didn’t want to respond, but he was insistent. Soon, her body made the choice that her head refused to, and she began to return his kiss. His hands moved from the wall to caress her body and her hands moved from his chest to around his neck. Lex slid his tongue into her mouth and she gave a small moan that made him smile. He pulled his lips away from her mouth. They were both breathing heavily. He adorned her cheek with kisses until he reached her ear.
“Pleasant?” He asked in a husky, yet teasing tone. Her eyes closed, as his voice seemed to sweep through her body. She removed her arms from her neck and tried to move away from him. He caught her arm and moved her until her body was flush with his.
“It’s late,” she argued in a mellow voice as she refused to look at him. He wove a hand through her hair.
“Give me a description,” he said. Her eyelids fluttered as he moved his hand along her body and it came to rest on her breast. He leaned his head down and kissed her again. The kiss was with more passion and fervor than before and full of need. He slid his hands down her back and cupped her rear, lifting her from the ground. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as they continued to explore each other’s mouths. The small moans of pleasure coming from her throat only encouraged him. He broke the kiss and moved his mouth to her ear again. “You don’t belong to him,” he whispered. That was all it took to snap her out of her Lex induced state of arousal. She practically jumped off of him and scowled at him.
“I don’t ‘belong’ to anyone,” she said angrily. “Get out of my room before I call security.” Lex’s chest was still heaving from taking deep gulps of air. He couldn’t believe that she was actually angry about such an innocent comment. Most women he had been with loved that sort of thing. ‘Of course, they were only with you for your money and Chloe Sullivan isn’t like most women in the first place,’ he thought to himself. He sighed and ran a hand over his head.
“I’m sorry Chloe,” he said. She crossed her arms defensively. “I don’t want you seeing him again.” It came out as a warning, one, which Chloe didn’t heed.
“Well then you shouldn’t have set us up, should you?” She retorted in her normal Chloe comeback voice. Part of him, the part he should have listened to, wanted to chuckle. Instead, he walked over to her and kissed her again. This time it was firm and more like a marking of territory.
“You’re mine,” he growled, turned, and walked out the door. Chloe quickly slammed the door all the way closed and locked it. She leaned her back against the door and slid down it, curling her legs up so she could hug them.
“Crap.”
~*~*~*~*~
Chloe tossed and turned in her bed for the rest of the night. When she woke, it was because of the phone ringing loudly through her room. She fumbled around for it, and finally picked it up.
“Hello?” She answered.
“Uh-oh,” her dad said. “Groggy and cranky. You didn’t get into the mini bar did you?” She rolled her eyes while he laughed at his own joke.
“Good morning Dad,” she said.
“You missed a heck of a party last night sweetie.”
“Sorry to hear it,” she mumbled.
“Well, no harm done. Are you going to spend some time at the convention with me today? There’s a presentation on a new process for organic fertilizer manufacturing.”
“Gee, when you say it that way it sounds so tempting,” she said sarcastically. He chuckled.
“You just going to hang out in Metropolis then? Maybe get that new dress I promised you?” He asked. The corners of her mouth started to curl upward.
“Actually Dad, I have a date,” she said, with what was now a full-blown smile.
“Really?” He asked, clearly surprised. “With who?”
“Bishop Gregory,” she answered. She could practically see his jaw drop.
“What, um, I see,” he stammered. “How did this happen?” Chloe began to dig through her things to select an outfit.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
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