The Rules of Enmity: NC17

[star del mar]

great update, it was good to see that they talked and even though I love Lex I'm glad that Chloe didn't just forgive him for everything...it's something that's they're going to have to work at. I can't wait to read more!

Steph*

[buffiy18]

Great update! I just started reading this fic after your last update. This story is intense. The tatoo thing is quite unique and I love how Chloe's is purple. This is a very interesting game they are playing. I am glad that Lex told Chloe a little bit more then "I don't know" as an explination of why he attached her in the ally. I really liked his chain of thoughts right after he did it. And again I liked Lex's toughts at the end of this chapter. I really like how you write Lex and his thoughts, so obviously I would like to see more of that in the future chapters, especially what his thoughts are about being chategorized as a "boyfriend". This fic has potential to be addictive...

[Kit Merlot]

I just got caught up on the two chapters I missed, and Zelda, I love what you are doing with this story.

I like that Chloe and Lex both realize that they are in a destructive pattern, but they can't seem to stop themselves.

And I wonder, was Chloe in an physically abusive relationship? Or did something happen to her working as a P.I.?

So many questions Please continue soon!

[zelda]

By Wednesday afternoon, Chloe was following Shelley around as the woman shopped and had lunch with friends. Shelley was pretty much what Chloe expected. She was tall, with brown hair and eyes. So was Chloe; at least, today. She wore a brown, layered wig that had golden highlights in it. It was expensive, and fell past her shoulders in gentle waves. She had brown contacts in and wore heels that brought her up to 5’7". Okay, so she wasn’t that tall, but she was taller than usual.

Chloe also had a blazer that could be reversed to be either dark red, or brown tweed. She wore jeans and a simple sweater. She’d worn the jacket on it’s red side out first, tailing from a distance. When Shelley went to a matinee with a young man, Chloe reversed the jacket and sat two rows behind them. The movie was dull, so she kept her eyes on the couple in front of her. They sat with an easy familiarity, but didn’t touch or kiss each other. She waited until the movie was over and left first, standing in the hallway and getting her camera ready. The digital camera was hidden in her purse and could be used while one pretended to look for something.

The man looked fairly unremarkable, but something nagged at Chloe’s gut. The feeling was fleeting and so she just followed until Shelley went back to Lex’s penthouse. She made her notes on her laptop and waited outside until Lex came home, then she discreetly left. She hated the sitting and waiting part of the job.

The next three days passed in a similar fashion; Chloe noted some of the same faces and habits. Shelley’s schedule had been given to her by Lex and she stuck to it with few exceptions. Fairly habitual, reasonably predictable. Yoga, swimming on Mondays and Thursdays followed by a trip to a smoothie bar with her regular partner, a small, Thai woman with long hair. On Wednesdays, this same woman attended a kick-boxing class with Shelley at nine AM. They belonged to an upscale gym that catered to people who didn’t work the regular weekly shifts, or at all. She sent the pictures to Lex’s office email and called him twice a week with updates. He remained business-like in their conversations.

Midway through the second week, Chloe had the pattern down to a science and could often anticipate Shelley’s moved before she made them. She stayed at a distance, only venturing close enough occasionally to eavesdrop if a man was talking to her mark. Something odd happened on Thursday morning when Shelley came in for her kick-boxing class. She was alone and looked upset. Chloe, who had procured a membership, joined the class. Since it was for beginners, and aerobic rather than skilled, she didn’t get hassled. She made a note to include her membership on her expense report.

Shelley’s eyes looked a little red-rimmed and she nodded dully when Chloe asked if she could take the punching bag next to hers. She wore no wig, and little make-up. Since she’d never met Shelley before, she wouldn’t be recognized.

"I don’t mean to pry," she asked, as Shelley sniffled loudly for the twelfth time. "But do you need a tissue?" She kept her features calm and friendly.

"Sure." Shelley accepted a few tissues from Chloe and blew her nose delicately. They stopped briefly and Chloe took the opening.

"Are you alright?"

"I’ll be okay," Shelley replied, as tears welled up in her eyes. ‘Thanks." She turned her face away and punched her bag even harder than before. Chloe kicked and punched her own, feeling the burn in her muscles that told her she needed to work out more often. When the class ended, she took an extra moment to re-tie her shoelace and waited for Shelley to leave. Instead of the juice bar, Shelley went to the sauna. Chloe followed and undressed, wrapping a towel around herself.

"Hi," she said, when she sat down in the warm room across from Shelley. She left it at that. She didn’t want to seem too eager to be friendly.

"Hi, and thanks again," the other woman replied. "I’m Shelley."

"Jane." They were close enough that Chloe stuck out her hand and the other woman shook it. "I just started coming here a week ago."

"I didn’t think I’d seen you around much. What do you do?" It was a common question for the city’s wealthy residents.

"I work for an ad agency," she replied. It was her usual cover. There were a few dummy agencies set up with phone numbers and answering services for the agency. It helped to promote credibility. She shuddered delicately. "It gets so competitive there I need this class to help get my aggression out." She crossed her arms over her chest. "That, and I picture my ex on the bag and Pow!" She punched her palm with her fist.

"Bad break up?" Shelley looked curious, but also eager, like she wanted to say something.

"You could say that, but then, what break-ups are easy?"

"Good point." Shelley didn’t mention any relationships, but the two women chatted easily about other things. Finally, she said, "I usually get smoothies with my friend, but she and I aren’t speaking, right now." Her face pinched a little and she blinked away a tear. "Care to join me?"

Chloe agreed and they both showered and changed before heading over to the juice bar and sitting down with fruit smoothies. Shelley had black raspberry, Chloe chose strawberry banana. It was pretty good, but it wasn’t coffee. They were sitting at a table by the street when a familiar form walked in. Keeping her posture relaxed, she pretended not to notice the approaching man until he was standing beside their table.

"I thought I saw you," Lex said, smiling down at Shelley. The brunette beamed up at him and stood, embracing him, tightly.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, kissing him full on the mouth. "I’m so glad to see you." Chloe thought she actually sounded believable. "I’ve just had an awful morning."

"Why?" Lex didn’t look at Chloe.

"Katie and I had a huge fight and I’m not speaking to her ever again." The vulnerable tone in her voice sounded hurt, dramatic. "But I have a new kick-boxing partner. This is my new friend, Jane." She gestured and Chloe stood, feeling her thigh muscles protest. Sitting down had been a mistake. She was stiffening up. Trying to hide a wince, she stuck out her hand.

"Jane Sullivan."

"Lex Luthor." They shook hands and he smiled with shallow warmth. "Nice to meet you." Then he turned to Shelley. "Can I give you a lift home?"

"Are you finished with work for the day?"

"No, but I took a long lunch, want to join me?" He turned to Chloe. "Please join us, Jane."

"I’d love, to, but I’ve got a presentation to work on," she replied. "It was nice meeting you, Lex. I’ll see you in class, Shelley."

Lex watched his girlfriend do the woman-thing with Chloe. Where they both reached out and touched each other’s lower backs as they passed. Women didn’t shake hands like Men, they did girly touchy tings. And Chloe was doing them with Shelley already. He didn’t know if he liked it or not. He was facing the door and saw her moving stiffly. He smiled, apparently she threw herself into her work with gusto. He’d been getting antsy with few updates and had sought out Shelley himself, hoping to spot Chloe in one of her disguises. Instead, they’d been sipping smoothies, as thick as thieves, it seemed.

He went to a restaurant with Shelley and she told him, in boring detail, about her fight with her best friend. He half-listened, not particularly interested. He’d expected his girlfriend to make some kind of excuse to not go with him. It would have made sense if she were seeing someone. Maybe they weren’t seeing each other today. After lunch he went back to the office, saying he’d be home late. He’d been trying to come home later and pretend to be too tired for sex. He also knew her cycles and she’d be starting her period in a few days. She was rarely in the mood to fool around during that week so he’d be safe.

Chloe went home and made dinner. She wondered what Lex and Shelley had eaten. It was probably better than the pasta and meat sauce she was having tonight. She had her second-shift assistant watching Shelley. Now that she’d made contact, she’d need an additional pair of eyes to tail the woman. Shelley might be the type who remembered faces. Groaning at her protesting muscles, she ran a hot bath. She’d been about to get in when her cell phone rang.

"Hey, it’s me."

"This better be an emergency," Chloe grumbled. "Is your line secure?"

"Yeah," Lex answered. "So why were you all cozy with Shelley today?"

"She looked upset and since you didn’t mention any problems, I thought I’d talk to her. If she’d had a fight with her other boyfriend, she might open up a little to a stranger."

"I didn’t know you went to that gym."

"I got a membership when I started tailing her. It’s going on your bill, by the way."

"How’s that working out for you?"

"My legs are killing me?"

"You’re the one who decided to do the kick-boxing." Lex sounded like he was smiling. "Apparently you’re a little out of shape."

"Fuck you."

"Not tonight, I have plans."

"Why are you calling?"

"Because Shelley and I will be attending a party in two weeks, I’d like you to be there. Knowing Shelley, the guy she’s seeing is someone we both know. She’s an opportunist by nature, she wouldn’t go looking for a lover. They’d come to her."

"What kind of party?"

"Charity ball. I’ll see that you get an invitation."

"Let me email you my current…credentials." She paused. "Send two, I’ll look out of place if I don’t bring an escort." She could practically hear Lex’s facial expression. The silence that followed her statement held his disapproval. "Don’t worry, He’ll be calling me Jane too. Now don’t you forget to do it."

"Fine."

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, that’s it." They both paused. "Uh, goodnight."

"Right, you too."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Chloe soaked in her bath and pondered the sudden awkwardness of ending the conversation. Somehow, talking at night, when she wasn’t in her office, felt much more…intimate; or at least friendly. Saying goodnight, a common courtesy, was so foreign to them they were never courteous. She knew that Lex had felt it too by the way he’d hesitated. She practiced introducing herself as Jane Sullivan. It would be far too easy to say her own name when she’d be introduced to many people at the party. A slip-up could be disastrous if Shelley heard her. There was no way she wouldn’t find it odd that her friend bore the name etched on her boyfriend’s chest. And that she’d lied about it.

[star del mar]

Great update! So high five to Chloe for making contact with Shelley, I don't know where you're going with it but I think it would be really strange if they became friends. Chloe doesn't seem the type because she takes her work so seriously but we'll see what happens at the ball, I can't wait!

Steph*

[lexchloe]

Great update. Love Chloe being all stealthy. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I get the feeling that there's more to the best friend break-up than meets the eye. Also liked the slight wierdness when they ended their call (which I noticed only came up after she said she'd bring a date. Hmmmm, interesting) Can't wait for more.

[Kit Merlot]

Great update!

I love seeing Chloe in P.I. mode, and Lex seems to enjoy it as well--how awesome is that?

I kind of feel sorry for Shelley a little, because she's got both Chloe and Lex watching her--the poor girl doesn't stand a chance.

[hfce]

Interesting development here. Something tells me that Shelly is with a girl and not a man. I wonder...


Hope

[Yarvarni]

Shelley doesn't stand a chance against these two!

[BellaMR]

Great update. Watch out Shelley...you goin' down.