Julian is in so much trouble now that Lex knows, but I have a feeling this trouble will be nothing compared to when Chloe finds out!
Thank you so much for the update, and I can't wait to see what Lex is going to do to Julian and if Chloe truly will give Lex (Joseph) a second chance.
oh julian is so in trouble. i hope that lex will avenge himself. seriously hilarious. good for lex to have a good poker face.
Finally have had time to read and this is so cute. I have a feeling that Julian is in for it once Lex sees him again. Looking forward to the next part.
I finally caught up very late last night, but forgot to post my reply before logging out. Another wonderful story, Lexie!! Definitely had me busting a gut when Lex found out all of Julian's 'story' about "Joseph." OMG!! This is going to be hilarious and amazing!! Plus, Lex with a baby!! Not a toddler, but a baby!! Chloe's baby!!! Hehe, can't wait for more!!
I'm loving Julian here. So funny that he told Chloe that Lex was gay, but then if he hadn't, Chloe would never have agreed to the whole living situation. Looking forward to the next installment.
A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful feedback.
Let me remind you that this chapter as well as the three that will come shortly were written a couple of years ago. You might be happy to know I've been writing some more to ensure there'll be more updates on a regular basis. *keeps her fingers crossed*
CHAPTER FOUR
“You´d better ask the old bastard to buy you a new identity, baby brother, because when I get my clutches on you...” Lex hissed on his mobile as he tried to burp the baby.
“Look, Lex, I have to take a new batch of gingerbread cookies out of the oven before they are burnt to a cinder, so... could you tell me what in God´s name you´re talking about?”
“Oh, but you know damn well why I´m calling you, Jules!” he hissed. “You lied to me. You said you´d told her I was nursing a broken heart, that my lover had dumped me; but you forgot to inform me of one very tiny detail. It wasn´t enough that you had a Luthor suffer the indignity of being jilted, you had to go and add slander to the equation. Gay, Jules? You told her I´m gay! You told her that I was depressed because a guy had dumped me.”
“Don´t you see, Lex? It was the only way she´d agree to put you up. Do you think that any respectable young woman in this gossipy town would open the doors of her house to a stranger and let him sleep under her roof without a commitment? Besides, she´s got a baby to think about. I couldn´t tell her who you were in the first place because... who hasn´t heard of your reputation as a playboy womaniser? I wanted her to feel safe, “ explained Julian, cradling the handset between his jaw and his shoulder as he removed a baking sheet from the oven.
“Oh, come one, Jules! These aren´t the Middle Ages and though your blonde friend seems to be a respectable girl, something tells me she wouldn´t let others dictate how she should live or what she should think. In any case, you could have told her I don´t do blondes,“ he grumbled, telling himself that might have been true before stepping into the apartment above The Talon.
“Come on, bro´. What was I supposed to do? Tell her: `Hey, I´ve asked my eldest brother- who, by the way, is on his way to owning the other half of Metropolis (the one my dad doesn´t control)- to give me a hand to win over your heart! We´ve set you a trap.´ She would have said `no´.”
“Well, let me tell you she´s just fired me.”
“What?!” shouted Jules outraged, dropping the second baking sheet on the work top and burning a couple of fingers.
“You should give me a bonus. Or, better still, transfer me the stock Mom left you. She´s just hired me back. Well... not hire me, she´d have to pay me for my services if that were the case.”
“So you used your Luthor charm to talk her round? “ smirked Jules, spreading some toothpaste on his burnt fingers to prevent any blisters. “And, now, you´re starting to regret she´s taken you back and you don´t know how to get away. What did you do to convince her? ”
“The little monster, as you call him, likes me,” he responded with a tired smile as he looked down at the baby, whose talc powder-smelling rear was sitting on his bent arm.
“I told you if there´s anyone on this earth who can charm even a snake- not that Timmy is one, mind you; he´s a cute little button-“
“Cute little...?” frowned Lex as Timmy rested his face on his shoulder and dribbled his two-hundred-dollar shirt.
“...it´s you.”
“Well, you might want to know that... I think your green-eyed dream likes me, too. She´s just too stubborn and proud to admit it, but ... I believe I´m going to enjoy our verbal judo sessions a lot, “ he smirked on the phone, hoping to make his little brother jealous.
“Alexander J. Luthor, don´t you forget what you´re there for,” said Julian with his best Luthor threatening voice.
“What? Afraid of the competition, Jules? You know, now that I think about it... feigning to be gay might not be such a bad idea after all, ” he said tersely, before flipping the mobile shut . “See if you can sleep tonight, Angel Face. Nobody makes a fool of Lex Luthor and lives it down,” he added under his breath.
Half an hour later Chloe opened the door of the bathroom after a restoring bath with those salts Lois had given her as a birthday present. She had put on a red turtleneck pullover and her best jeans- the ones she loved wearing before she could no longer do up the zip- and she had even put on some mascara and a light coat of lip gloss. She hadn´t gone to so much trouble because of the handsome man that was in her living-room... After of all, he wasn´t going to appreciate how the make-up made her emerald eyes stand out or the way the jeans complimented her rounded hips or how the pullover enhanced her fuller breasts. No, she´d done it because she wanted to experience what it was like to look like a woman again- she loved motherhood and was crazy about Timmy, but she needed to feel she was more than a nurturing mum once in a while.
She wondered if she had done the right thing by leaving her baby under the care of someone like Joseph, someone she barely knew and to whom she felt sexually attracted despite knowing he would never be interested in someone like her- a woman that is. Not that she was considering having any relationship other than friendship with a man at the moment; she had enough on her plate to worry about. Chloe told herself he couldn´t be that bad- he was Jules´ cousin, wasn´t he? Although he was Lex Luthor´s as well... Lex Luthor, the billionaire who was never seen with the same woman twice and whose personality couldn´t be further from the image she had of what a “father” should look or be like. But the man in her apartment wasn´t the cold business shark she had read so much about... and Timmy, for some inexplicable reason, liked him and the baby didn´t like men and welcomed the touch of very few women- Lois being one of the privileged ones. Yes, the fact that her precious little baby liked Joseph certainly added to the riddle that was Jules´ gay cousin.
Crossing her bedroom on the way to her open-plan living-room Chloe was surprised at how quiet the apartment was, considering Timmy was usually very active after being fed. Where could they be? When things were this quiet she always thought the worst; so she couldn´t help but feel a tightening in her chest the moment her eyes alighted on the handsome bald patrician asleep on her rocking chair with her baby lying equally asleep on his chest. Chloe felt the pricking of tears behind her eyelids when she noticed the way Joseph was holding him even in sleep- as if he would never let any harm come to her little lamb. It amazed her how comfortable Timmy was around him, how fast he had bonded with this man they barely knew, how trusting he was, how safe he must feel. It made her wonder if she would ever find that very same sense of trust and security she used to enjoy before losing Steve and her dad.
It is said that children like animals can perceive what people close to them feel and fear and Chloe had been going through a lot in the last year; no wonder her baby was usually so restless and fussy. She didn´t remember ever seeing Timmy this peaceful around anyone before and that made her feel envious and somewhat resentful of the man, who could manage to look unflappable and immaculate- and yes, yummy- in a slightly wrinkled two-hundred-dollar shirt with a six-month-old sleeping comfortably on his chest.
Chloe looked at her watch to check out the time. No wonder her stomach was starting to rumble, it was close to one o´clock and she had only had a couple of decafs and a Danish for breakfast. She considered picking up Timmy and tucking him in but decided against it; she´d put together a salad and toast some bread. If Joseph woke up and wanted to join her, she might throw in some of that French cheese Lois had bought at the exclusive deli they had discovered in Metropolis while shopping for maternity wear.
“Feel like eating something?” she asked him quietly from her seat at the kitchen table when she saw him stir and look at her with guarded eyes as if all of a sudden he were ashamed of having been caught asleep with a baby lying on his chest. “I´m afraid I can´t offer you anything other than cheese and fruit. My Beetle´s at the garage and the repairs won´t get here until Monday so I haven´t been able to do the groceries.”
“Cheese and fruit´s fine with me. I don´t know what Jules has told you, but I´m one of the most adaptable people you´ll ever meet.”
Chloe looked at him in silence thinking he must have really loved his boyfriend to be willing to trade all the luxuries he must be used to- gourmet meals included- for a tiny flat in a Godforsaken´s rural town with a stressed out new mum and a wailing child.
“Let me put him to bed,” she said quietly, trying not to scrape the floor with her chair as she started to get up to take the baby from Lex´s arms.
“It´s all right; I´ve got him. We wouldn´t want him to wake up now that he´s finally fallen asleep. I´m sure you could use some quiet,” he told her, leaving the rocking chair and walking into the bedroom to lay Timmy in the crib.
“Thanks,” she told him with a small smile as he sauntered into the dining area and sat down across from her.
“You´re welcome,” he smirked, grabbing a peach from the fruit bowl. “By the way, Jules told me you have a job interview tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, the pay is good and I´d stop worrying about whom to leave Timmy with because there’s a day care centre just across the street,” she explained as she took her dirty dishes to the kitchen sink. “Damn!” she exclaimed through her teeth.
“What´s wrong?” he frowned.
“I forgot I had an appointment at the hairdresser´s. I´ll have to phone Susan and tell her I won´t be able to make it.“
“Why not?”
“Does the image of chewed and dribbled paper remind you of something?” she cocked an eyebrow.
“That´s settled.”
“What do you mean settled?”
“Go to your appointment. Everything´s been taken care of,”
“But...”
“Chloe, I´ve been largely responsible for ruining your work. It´s only fitting and proper that I clean up my own mess.”
Fifteen minutes after Chloe left the flat for her appointment Lex´s inbox dinged announcing an incoming e-mail from his assistant. Having checked out the evolution of the markets where LexCorp had investments, he closed the browser and clicked on the small envelope to read the report on the young widow which he´d requested earlier in the morning.
For someone so young Chloe seemed to have an impressive record and it was clear she wasn´t afraid of defying conventions and running risks. Her stint at The Torch was refreshing and he had to confess he regretted not meeting her in her teenage years- her theory about the bizarre occurrences in Smallville was something he knew for certain he´d have loved to explore in his early twenties had he stayed in Smallville to run the Fertiliser Plant like his dad had wanted.
Her brief employ at the Chicago Tribune, where she met her future husband, was really noteworthy. The lady certainly took no prisoners- posting those articles with an in-depth investigation of the illegal business of one of the city´s leading mafia families took real guts. There was a lot to admire about this young woman and at the top of Lex´s list was what he considered an unheard-of accomplishment for a reporter- she´d written inflammatory articles against LuthorCorp in her adolescence in Smallville and earned his father´s respect and admiration; a feat Lex had always found impossible and one he´d ceased to pursue the very day he plunged his Porsche into the Elbow River and was rescued by his now best friend, Clark Kent.
The report was packed with surprises, including the news that Gabe Sullivan had worked for Lionel Luthor as the local plant manager before moving with a seventeen-year-old Chloe to Chicago. Lex wondered why she´d chosen to come back to Smallville of all places when- with all those credentials- she could have made a life for herself and her baby in a much better place.
Did Lionel have something on her? Suspicious by nature, Lex toyed with the idea of his own father having a hand in her return. What if Luthor Sr had planned everything to have his own prodigal son fall into a new trap? What if he´d offered a desperate and lonesome young mother- and a reporter to boot- a succulent monthly pay cheque to spy on his first-born and even seduce him with dreams of what Lionel knew Lex´d always dreamt of? There were two flaws in this theory though: Julian would have never betrayed his eldest brother so despicably and Chloe´s bank account wouldn´t be in the red; unless she was one of those people who preferred stashing their money under the mattress. No, he was being paranoid; the young woman could barely stay standing and was killing herself to make ends meet typing high school assignments during the hours she was supposed to be catching up on some sleep.
“Well, Ms. Sullivan, your financial situation´s definitely appalling. You could use my business savvy,” he said under his breath, looking at her latest tax statement before his mobile started to vibrate in his pocket.”Jennifer, I´m coming down,” he said quietly so as not to wake up Timmy, who was still sound asleep in his crib.
“Good afternoon, sir,” his personal assistant greeted him as he opened the front door of The Talon to let her in.
“You´ve got me everything I asked for?” he responded, eying the bulky folder she handed him.
“That´s the file you sent me to print,” she cocked an eyebrow.
“This is the high school report?” he asked trying its weight.
“Reports, sir. I didn´t count them but my guess is there are thirty or forty of them there. A whole class´s I´d say- and those graphs... let me tell you our Projections Department could use someone with her talent and...”
“She´d be a waste,” he cut her off. “Clothes?”
“Clothes, sir?”
“Have you brought me any clothes?” he repeated.
“Oh, yes, of course! “ she exclaimed, picking up the small suitcase she´d left next to the entrance door. “You said normal clothes.”
“Yes, normal. Don´t look at me that way, Jennifer. Tell me you haven´t bought me a pair of bleached jeans and floral shirts and you´ll earn yourself a bonus.”
“No floral or plaid shirts, sir. Only solid black and white shirts, two pairs of black jeans, a dark v-neck and a red one...”
“Red?”
“It´s Christmas time, Mr Luthor.”
“Right. I assume you didn´t forget the underwear,“ he said smugly.
“No, sir. I´ve also packed a pair of pyjamas. “
“Satin?”
“Cotton. You said clothes that an average male would wear, sir,” she stated with a hint of panic in her voice.
“Just testing. Am I such an ogre, Jennifer? “ he asked her with a smirk.
“I´m sorry, sir,” she smiled nervously.
“Why apologise? You´ve done nothing wrong. Have you taken care of my transportation?”
“Yes, here are the keys. It´s parked in the alley. None of your cars fit the bill.... I thought about bringing you the Jeep but you said you needed a sensible car given the circumstances. It´s a hatchback... you´ll find a baby seat in the cargo area.”
“You´ve thought of everything. I´m pleased,” he complimented her, grabbing the keys. “Any news?”
“All your appointments have been rescheduled for the first week of January as you requested. Oh! Mr Kent came yesterday afternoon. He said not to bother you but... “
“But?”
“Well... he gave me the impression of being a little under the weather. Maybe it´s the holiday season... and another anniversary of his father´s death fast approaching.”
“Yes, maybe it´s that. Thanks for telling me. That´ll be all for now. You drove the hatchback here...How are you coming back?”
“Don´t worry about me, sir. They’re waiting for me outside,” she confessed blushing.
He smiled. “I´m glad. You´d better leave now. Being around here when there are storms brewing has never been the wisest thing to do.”
“Yes, it looks like it´s going to be one hell of a snow storm,” she agreed, fastening the belt around her winter coat.
“Goodbye, Jennifer. Have a safe trip,” he said, opening the front door for her to leave.
“Thanks. Goodbye, sir,” she responded, breaking into a run to climb into the car parked in front of the cafeteria as the first snowflakes started to fall.
Lex looked up at the sky and cursed under his breath. He hated snow because it reminded him of his childhood and being cooped up while the other kids had a blast sledding, playing snowball fights and making snowmen. First, it had been his asthma to blame but, at least, in those days Lillian had been around and she´d always distracted him by dragging him along to the kitchen to bake gingerbread men. And then, when his respiratory condition had vanished after the meteor shower, his mother was too ill and fragile to bake cookies with him and his father was too busy with LuthorCorp´s deals to bother with childish games.
A white blanket had already covered the Main Street when he locked the door and Timmy made himself heard. The billionaire thought about sipping margaritas while lounging in the shade of an umbrella on the beach of the Bahamas and felt a sudden pang of guilt. It was Christmas time and he was needed by someone. He´d be damned if he repeated his father´s mistakes. He´d change a nappy, heat a bottle to feed the child and dress him in warm clothes to fetch Chloe before she caught pneumonia walking in the snow.
TBC
Last edited by lexie; 7th December 2010 at 20:08.
Thxs to beeej for the avi
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That so good^^ Can I say I love snow storm because it will be a good way to keep them in the house for a few day!!!
Thank you for the story and I hope you update very very soon!!
Lexie really should.....and of course eventually will set is eyes on Chloe
What a wonderful update Lexie. Thanks for the PM and please, please, please update soon.
Great update Lexie!
Lex is finding more and more things to like and admire in Chloe. He's even getting attached to Timmy.
More soon please.
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