A/N: Thank you all for your lovely feedback. Here's the third chapter. Enjoy!
CHAPTER THREE
´I don’t like him, I don’t like him, I don’t like him,´ Chloe chanted in her mind as she pumped milk out of her breasts to stock the fridge with the bottles Joseph would need to feed Timmy while she was away at The Ledger. It was at times like these when she wished she could live in Metropolis and had a post at The Daily Planet, which offered its employees a day care centre and the possibility of breastfeeding while at work. Her bosses at the local newspaper had been quite tolerant, but Chloe knew they wouldn’t keep her as part of their staff if she continued taking Timmy along to work. If only Gabe were alive... Her dad would have loved to look after his grandson for a few hours per day. She wasn´t supposed to be raising a child alone; it wasn´t fair but life seldom was, and she´d never been one to concede defeat in the face of difficulties.
When Julian had asked her if she could let his gay cousin Joseph lodge with her for a week, her first instinct had been to refuse. “Jules, I´d love to help you but... can´t you see I´ve got my hands full? I haven´t got the time or the strength to entertain a guest. And... have you really had a very good look at my apartment? It´s cosy, and I´m quite proud of what I´ve done with it, but I´ve only got one bedroom.”
“He won´t need much... he´ll make do with the sofa. You´ll barely notice he´s there. Besides, he loves cooking and you need someone to give you a respite, someone who could take care of the everyday things for a while. You won´t have to worry about the expenses, he´ll buy everything. Chloe, I know it´s asking you a lot but Joseph and his boyfriend have just broken up, and he´s not only devastated- his place’s been invaded by termites and he has nowhere to stay. I´d be happy to put him up at the mansion if only my dad and Joseph got on well with each other. Having them together in a room... it´s just not the safest place to find yourself in, let me tell you. It´s like walking in a minefield and I don´t want to die so young, “ he smirked and saw Chloe start to relent . “Please,” he beseeched her, “you´ll be doing me a great favour. “
Julian had become a very good friend to her soon after her arrival in Smallville. Her high school friend Lana and her now-husband Pete had welcomed her with open arms, but Chloe had missed having a male best friend since her goodbye to Clark and the leafy little hamlet. The Kents’ adoptive son was now in Metropolis pursuing his dreams and aiding those in need of a hero; she had stayed in contact with him through the occasional letter and Holiday card, but their relationship wasn´t what it used to be after she decided to leave the small town for Chicago.
Although the main reason for her relocation had been Gabe´s new job as a plant manager in Windy City, she had had her own reasons to flee Smallville and enrol in a university other than MetU- her hopeless crush on Clark being at the forefront. Time and distance had healed her wounds and she had fallen in love and married in the span of a year. Steve had been an advanced student of journalism when they met and, like her, he loved his call with a passion. Being with him had reminded her of who she was and what her dreams had always been, working with him had stoked the fire which used to burn so bright in her when she was the editor of The Torch. She thanked God for putting him in her way and for everything they´d shared in so short a time. She´d been married but six months when Steve and Gabe died in a hit-and-run accident, leaving her alone and distraught with a baby on the way before she had the chance to share the news of her pregnancy with either of them.
Yes, Julian was to her what Clark had been during her adolescence- minus the awkward crush, for she saw the boy as the young brother she´d never had. She owed him, not only because he had unexpectedly filled the void Clark had left in the friends department but because he had given her a hand with Timmy from time to time and granted her unrestricted access to the Luthors´ library- the richest and most complete private collection of rare books and hometown records she´d ever come across. If there was anyone she largely owed for still having her job at the Ledger that was Julian Luthor; the articles that had earned her the respect of the editor and her own column in the Sunday magazine that accompanied the weekend edition of the paper wouldn´t have been possible without the invaluable resource of the Luthors´ bookshelves.
“You need this, Chloe. Last Friday you were saying you hadn´t slept three hours in a row for months and that you were starting to consider giving up the job that you love and getting work as a typist transcribing high school papers on your laptop. Come on, Chloe! Seize this opportunity. A week might not sound as much, but it´ll give you time to think about yourself for a change and reevaluate your options. You don’t have anything against gays, do you?” he asked, sure he hadn´t misjudged her.
“You know I don´t.... You said it´d be for a week?” she sighed. “I can´t afford to pay him for his services as a baby-sitter, though.”
“Leave everything in my hands. I´ll be in your debt for letting him stay with you, and you´ll be doing yourself and him a favour. He’ll make your life much easier. Trust me. He´s great at organising things, and he´s a wizard when it comes to making budgetary decisions; I´m sure he´ll be able to give you some pointers.”
So she had given in and trusted him because she was both in desperate need of help and had never had reason to doubt him. In the eyes of Smallville Julian was the fly in the ointment when it came to the Luthor gene pool; everyone loved him because he reminded them of Lillian, and the late Mrs Luthor had been both liked and pitied by the small rural town. Everyone trusted her youngest child so why shouldn´t Chloe? And what did she get? A gorgeous six-foot-tall patrician man who made her remember once again she wasn´t just a mum but a woman with needs; a man she had to tell herself she shouldn´t look at in any other light than a guest and a favour to Julian since he could never be anything else.
The man might not be Lex Luthor- Julian had sworn on his mother´s grave he wasn´t trying to pull Chloe´s leg and the blonde had chosen to believe him- but he looked as proud and worldly as the Luthor heir and even dressed like him; the Italian custom-made suit he was wearing when he crossed the threshold of the apartment above The Talon was worth more than twelve times Chloe´s salary. He looked like a man who could make a room at Metropolis Ritz his permanent residence or buy himself a new penthouse while the exterminators finished off the termites. The only explanation Chloe could find in his choosing to fly all the way to rural Kansas was the need to lick his wounds away from the paparazzi and the city that reminded him of his lover.
However, what really baffled Chloe was the fact that Julian´s seemingly cold and detached cousin had shown a tender and caring side she hadn´t expected. If she still doubted the identity of the snobbish man who had perused her flat with clinical eye and superior airs in the morning, now she was sure he couldn´t be the same ruthless young tycoon who had rebelled against his father and made a fortune of his own regardless of whom he had to crush. And there was a tiny extra detail, Lex Luthor was a renowned playboy, a womaniser who had a different brunette for dessert every week- if the gossip in The Planet´s society column was to be believed- Lex Luthor was the epitome of masculinity, a real cold-hearted predator; and Joseph Luthor played for the other team, right? Yes, he had to; because that fact had been the only reason she had accepted to put him up in an apartment that had no guest room, an apartment that was placed above one of the most frequented shops in the gossipy community that had known her since she was ten.
Lex was downstairs holding his mobile to his left ear- giving instructions to his assistant and enjoying a cappuccino he had made himself after figuring out how to operate the espresso machine of The Talon- when he heard the door of the apartment open and turned around to see Chloe climb down the stairs with an appalled look on her face.
“Oh, no! “ she whined kneeling down in front of Timmy, whom Lex had sat on a baby blanket he had laid in the reading nook of the coffee shop.”Damn!” she exclaimed, tugging something out of the kid´s clutch.
“I have to go. Let me know when you´ve got any news. Goodbye, “ Lex told Jennifer, flapping the mobile shut. “What´s wrong? “ he asked with a frown as he got up of his chair and approached the mother and son.
“What´s wrong? What´s wrong! I left you ten minutes alone with the baby and look at what he´s done! Look at it! “ she shouted with glassy eyes, shaking a bunch of wrinkled half-chewed half-dribbled sheets. “How am I supposed to hand in this work and get paid for it now? It took me four whole days to put it together and type it on my computer. I sacrificed several hours I could have used to catch up on some precious sleep to finish it. Tell me, was it so hard to keep an eye on him?”
“I´m sorry, “ said Lex apologetically.” I should have... “
“I´m sorry isn´t enough, “ she cut him off. “ An ´I´m sorry´ won´t pay my bills at the end of the month. This work ended up the last ream of paper I had, “ she went on as she tried to salvage a couple of sheets Timmy still clung to. “Come on, baby, “ she said in a raspy voice when the boy stubbornly refused to let them go and started whimpering.
“Give them to your mom, Timmy, “ said Lex with a calm but authoritative voice which the baby immediately obeyed focusing his wide green eyes on the billionaire and sticking a tiny fist in his almost toothless mouth. “Miss Sullivan, “ he addressed the petite blonde that was looking daggers at him. How dare he? How dare he order her baby around and be obeyed, damn it! “Chloe,” he sighed, “I´m used to juggling several things at the same time without losing sight of the ball. I´m damn good at multi-tasking and can handle anything that’s thrown my way.”
“It seems a baby isn´t one of the things you can handle, “ she answered back tersely.” I´m afraid this isn´t going to work. “
“Are you firing me? “ he frowned.
“Call it what you will, “ she said grimly.
“You need me, “ he responded gravely, slipping both hands deep in the pockets of his expensive black trousers.
“I´ve done pretty well so far, “ she answered tilting up her chin in defiance.
“I agree you´ve done wonders with what you have, but ... “ he rolled his eyes.“Listen. Be honest. Is it the first time he´s stuck paper in his mouth? Can you tell me in all honesty, being as busy and sleep-deprived as you are, your attention´s never strayed away for just a few seconds? I know being distracted for so short a time can mean a lot when it comes to a baby´s well-being, but it can happen to any mortal. Besides, I was right here. I would have never let anything happen to him. It was just a slip, it won´t happen again, “ he insisted, telling himself he was wasting the best way-out; the kid had served it on a silver platter and here he was begging the blonde to take him back. Pathetic. He was self-sufficient. He didn´t need anyone. He would be better off without a feisty blond and a paper-munching baby in his life. What the hell was wrong with him? He could be on his way to Barbados for a marathon of sex and oblivion with his flavour of the week and enjoying a Lionel Luthor-free Christmas.“Give me a second chance. Let me prove to you I´m trustworthy, “ he added, stepping closer.
“Are you sure you are...? “ Chloe began asking only to cut herself off.
“Am I sure I am what... ?” he echoed, seeing the baby squirm in Chloe´s arms and lean towards him.
“Nothing. Forget it. I´d come across as prejudiced. It´s just that... my past experience with those who are... well... like you...” she fidgeted.
“Like me? Could you be more specific? “ he smirked, observing her nervousness.
“It´s alright, Joseph. Julian´s told me everything and I´m fine with it. I would have never pegged you as one, but..” she answered, trying to prevent Timmy from pulling away from her and lunging dangerously towards Lex.
“What exactly has Jules told you about me? “ Lex cocked an eyebrow overwhelmed by a grim sense of foreboding.
“That you´ve just broken up with your boyfriend and needed a place to stay for a week while the exterminators finished off the termites in your apartment, “ she replied softly.
“Oh, that!” he exclaimed with the ghost of a smile, making use of his Luthor acting skills to keep a poker face. “Don´t worry. I´m used to people passing judgement on me or looking at me oddly. Put your mind at rest. You haven´t offended me. So... what do you say if we get you a new ream of paper to re-print your work?”
“Today´s Sunday, Joseph. If you haven´t noticed, this isn´t Metropolis and the stationer´s in town opens only on weekdays. I appreciate your good intention, but... “
“Let me worry about that, “ he told her with a confident smile. “So... what do you say? You´ll give me a second chance?" So I´m gay. Oh, Jules! Wait until I lay my hands on you!
TBC
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Originally Posted by FarrahLea
Julian your are not right!!!
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