Chapter 4
Chloe drove to the mansion as though on autopilot, operating on the incongruous logic that if only she got there, then everything would be okay.
But parked outside the security gate, she finally cleared her head enough to think. What was she doing running to Lex who was almost a stranger, as though the answers lay at his feet? She needed to be back home in Metropolis where she could be alone in her apartment and could let her thoughts and feelings settle.
She shifted the gear stick to reverse, but then looking up she paused seeing a young security guard motioning for her to wind down her window.
“Sorry --”, she began, expecting to be chastised.
“Miss Sullivan?” He asked, smiling.
His was the first friendly human face she’d seen since the glass through which she saw the world was shattered. So she returned the smile and nodded before she could stop herself and effectively lost the ability to turn around. There was no way she’d back out now and have Lex Luthor know she’d been at his gate and then run away.
In spite of the exceptional length of the driveway it still wasn’t enough to allow her to gather her thoughts into any sort of order or plan. She decided to take the easy way out; she’d spend the night in the Luthor home, then leave early in the next morning. Later she’d decide what, if anything, she was going to do about Clark and Clark’s secret, and the billionaire that was his ex-best friend.
The young man that opened the door also seemed to be expecting her and she was left feeling like the heroine of a play, with absolutely no idea of her lines.
He led her down lavishly decorated corridors that were nonetheless cold and dimly lit, and she found herself comparing the mansion in its vastness to Ross’s humble abode.
It was hard to imagine Lex in his early twenties living alone in the intimidating place. What was it like to wake up alone enclosed by tonnes and tonnes of cold bricks and high ceilings? She shivered; it lacked even a drop of the warmth that had been in such abundance in Lana and Pete’s house.
A warmth, she reminded herself, where she was no longer welcome.
They stopped just outside an open door.
“Mr. Luthor is in here.” The man said, in his impressively neutral tone.
“Thanks.”
She took a deep breath and fixed a smile on her face; she’d brought this on herself, and now she was going to have to deal. She mentally chastised herself, repeating what she’d said earlier to Pete, Chloe Sullivan wasn’t afraid of anyone, and that included exceedingly rich businessmen.
Albeit that that exceedingly rich businessman was very intelligent and not to forget handsome, definitely not to forget handsome, and on top of that charming and charismatic.
But he was the one that had invited her after all, his was the one that had insisted so what did she have to worry about?
She adjusted her clothes and hair and then winced at the thought that there might be security cameras watching. The thought that a security man might be sitting somewhere laughing at her, forced her to stop delaying and to go into the room.
It appeared to be an immense study, extravagantly decorated with antiques and expensive furniture. A bookcase circled its edges and an impressive staircase lead to an overlooking balcony.
She could have spent hours in the room studying it like a museum, examining the books and ornaments that looked like they belonged in one. But she barely glanced round because, though she hated to admit it to herself, it was hard to focus on anything else when Lex was around.
He was playing pool, and hadn’t yet noticed her. The room was in half-light, and gentle shadows danced on his face making him look young and vulnerable. He had changed from the imposing all-in-black of that afternoon and was dressed comparatively causally in a silver-grey shirt and black trousers.
Strange how even in the midst of a recreational game, he at once magnetised and intimidated her. She allowed herself for the first time to understand what had drawn Clark so irresistibly to him. This was a man you could study for hours and hours.
Yet he and Clark had parted company, and Chloe was once more wishing a little that she had driven in the opposite direction and not stopped until she had reached Metropolis.
She cleared her throat. “I’m trying to figure which place suits you more: here or the penthouse in Metropolis.”
When he turned her direction it was a though he’d known she was there all along, and his eyes looked almost too intelligent for the soft contours of his face.
“Any conclusions?”
“Well,” she said, heading towards him, “I think perhaps you enjoy having a playboy image, what with the fast cars and faster women you always seem so keen to display, and the penthouse obviously adds to that. But I don’t know, something in me leans towards this place.” She rested her hands on the pool table and smiled at him.
“I see, so you think I’m old cold and boring and everything else is just an act?"”
“Not exactly, but this place is bigger, and I think it’s just about large enough to house your ego. Oh and no pun intended, since you can’t exactly call this a house.”
He smirked, instantly looking like a boy once more. “I really don’t know what you have against my ego, I’m actually quite the modest man.”
“And delivered with a perfectly straight face, impressive.”
Chloe could feel herself relaxing, so maybe it was better if she wasn’t alone with her thoughts and what better to occupy her mind then the task of keeping up a steady repartee with the most challenging of conversationalists?
She broke the eye contact that was stretching out between them, and he gestured towards the pool table. “Do you play.”
“"Not really," she admitted. Mentally she braced herself for Lex's obligatory snide comment, but he didn't make the attack. Instead, he guided her towards the sofa chairs at the other end of the room. Once seated, Chloe realized how intimate the area was. If he couldn't get her to share space with him at the pool table, he'd make her practically sit in his lap. She swallowed reflexively, hyper aware of Lex's proximity, that their legs were a hair's breath from touching.
"Would you like a drink?" he asked.
She almost said yes just to get a chance to catch her breath, but the drink Lex would bring might cause her more trouble in the long run. "I'm fine, thank you."
They sat in silence for a few moments, neither of them saying anything as they studied each other in the dim light of the room.
But then Lex leaned back slightly and his gaze was suddenly assessing. “You seemed pretty adamant earlier that you weren’t coming to stay; what made you change your mind?”
His words seemed to slice through whatever connection they were sharing, and she was jarred awake with a splash of cold reality. “And you seemed pretty sure I was going to change my mind, keeping tabs on Smallville are we?”
He smiled, and perhaps she read too much into it, but she thought his expression was half-admiring, half- embittered. “I believe I asked a question first, shall we take turns?”
Lex’s tone was slightly condescending and she felt the slow throb of anger building behind her temples. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t find any words that wouldn’t sound humiliating; that weren’t the adult equivalent of ‘they don’t like me anymore.’
“Well what’s to say?” she said finally, “It seems Lex Luthor has all the answers.” She cringed inwardly at the bitterness she couldn’t hide from her voice.
The expression in his eyes changed, the crystal clear arrogance seemed to melt away and a veil descended in its place, hiding everything from her. “Yes, well, I don’t mean to torture you Chloe, you obviously had a disagreement with your friends, and yes I knew that certain people would be in attendance. Perhaps I should have warned you earlier. But lets not talk about that hmm? I should just feel privileged to have Chloe Sullivan staying with me.”
From anyone else’s lips and she would have laughed out loud over the ‘privileged’ comment and said something self-deprecating. But Lex Luthor had the Prince Charming attitude down pat and it was back to the exchanged smiles and the eye contact. She allowed herself to realise just how attractive Lex was, and she found herself comparing him with his regal manners to Clark, whom she’d wasted many years pinning over. She wanted to let her mind wander and explore the possibilities in a way that she’d never let herself before. She wanted to relax and enjoy his company. She’d always thought it was Lex who was way out of her league, but wasn’t it he who was paying her attention, and wasn’t it Clark who always ignored her for whatever raven-haired beauty was his current obsession?
But there was something nagging at the back of her mind, maybe she was being too paranoid, something like once stung, twice shy...
“How did you know that I didn’t know that Clark and Lois would be coming?”
He laughed then, getting up and pouring himself a drink. His laugh was like his smile, subtle coffee crème, and quite unlike the rest of the earth’s population who used smiling and laughter as an expression of joy.
A glass was placed in her hand and her was mouth so dry she automatically swallowed some down, not acknowledging the taste as the liquid slid down her throat.
“You see Chloe, I’ve been interested in you for a while now.”
“Why am I not flattered?” She asked, looking at him. She was ashamed at the tinge of trepidation that crept into her voice.
“No, no, you should be, I realised you were an intelligent and resourceful woman a long time ago, perhaps from the first interview when you were proud to be editor of The Torch.”
He paused and she realised she was supposed to prompt him. Suddenly she felt old, like she was playing a game that should have been over years ago. “But the world is full of ‘ intelligent and resourceful’ women, unless you’re too chauvinistic to think so of course.”
“Not at all, you’re unique because you’re a friend of Clark Kent’s.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere. You two haven’t tired of this masculine snarling and circling from a distance?” Her tone was sharp as she continued. “What’s so terrible that neither of you can forget or forgive?”
His eyes darkened monetarily, but then he smiled and it was more self-satisfied than anything else. “See Chloe,” he said, reaching to touch her face with a finger, “that’s where you come in.”
“No, I don’t see. You said yourself, Clark’s my friend.”
“Come on Chloe, you’re forgetting that Clark was my best friend once upon a time too. I know how much you liked him, and how he trampled your heart time and time again. You were the reliable friend, the girl that would always be there, in the background and ignored.”
“What exactly is this?” She said angrily, standing up.
Lex stood up and took her drink from her, putting it down on the nearby table. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she stubbornly shrugged it off.
“Chloe, don’t you understand?” He said, his voice low. “I’m on your side; we’ve both been betrayed by Clark. Don’t you think the least we deserve is a little retribution?”
She snorted inelegantly. “What makes you think I trust your idea of ‘a little retribution’?” But adrenaline was making her heart beat faster, forcing her to acknowledge that wasn’t this what she wanted all along? “And I want to know, Lex, how you had inside knowledge about me. Did you hire private detectives to follow me? But they wouldn’t have known—" She paused suddenly as it occurred to her, as the last pieces of puzzle clicked together, and she had to laugh. Because despite the seriousness of it all, it was so silly, so *childish*…
“Mrs. Blake, Lex? My cleaning lady? Hardly your normal flamboyant style.”
Despite her half-hysterical laughter his face was serious. “She wasn’t a spy, Chloe, not really, I want you to know that. Only the barest of facts, your privacy was never invaded--”
“Oh please,” she said, cutting him off, “you placed a spy in my home, followed me to my fathers grave, tricked me into coming here and now you expect to wave it off with a few eloquent words? I believe your exact words were ‘intelligent and resourceful’.” She was surprised to feel a stab of betrayal, sharp and enduring, where she would have expected to feel outrage. She was hurt, a feeling she was obviously becoming far too attached to.
Lex eased her back onto the seat. “Chloe, this is what you’ve been waiting for, what we’ve both been waiting for. Together we can give Clark what he deserves.”
Revelations, she’d told herself today was a day of revelations. She spoke carefully, “I thought Lex Luthor of Lex Corporations was a business man, why is he so interested in extracting some retribution from an old friend?”
“Chloe, you asked me not to insult your intelligence, but Clark insults all of our intelligence everyday single day.” Lex’s voice was a harsh winter wind, cold and blunt and cutting to skin. “The way he parades around in spandex and hair gel, thinking he can fool us all, even when his past is teeming with suspicious behaviour.”
“You know he’s Superman.” Chloe whispered, the words were more to herself than anyone else. The piece of information played riot in her mind. All the time she had thought that perhaps other than Clark’s parents, she was the only one who knew, and now it seemed that everyone knew.
It had to be the worlds worst kept secret.
Lex got up to pour himself another drink, allowing her a minute to think.
She roped the new knowledge down and swirled it around in her head; what did it taste like; what did it feel like?
"What does it mean?" she said. Chloe hadn't actually meant the half-whispered words to escape, but Lex grinned at her slyly in response. The dimness of the room was suddenly neither mysterious nor romantic, but suffocating. It made his face look old and shadowed with things she couldn’t begin to decipher.
Once more, he put down his drink and sat thigh to thigh with her. He spoke in her ear, his voice a bare whisper. “It’s up to you what it means.”
“I won’t get my hands dirty.” She said, shaking her head. But her words were an agreement and his subtle smile told her he knew it.
“Oh there won’t be any dirty hands. Maybe a dirty face for Superman when we rub it in the mud.”
They shared a grin and she saw his teeth were pearl-white and beautiful. Already, she could feel the hurts shifting ever so slightly, a softening of the edges, the tiniest lifting of a burden.
“What do you say to a little payback?” He extended his hand and she hesitated only briefly before taking its warm smoothness.
“To a little payback.” She said, smiling.
***
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks