A/N: I'm back from my holidays in the mountains so I'm going to update my WIPs this week. I've posted a new chapter of Choices and an update on "At Second Sight" as well.
CHAPTER THREE
“And this is Alexander Grierson,” said Jason when Chloe finished shaking hands with the smartly dressed lawyer.
She took a discreet calming breath and, turning away from the admiring gaze of Jason’s colleague, she met the eyes that she’d been avoiding since her late husband’s best friend and legal advisor had ushered both men into her office.
Her hand was steady, her expression completely relaxed; she hadn’t used her talent at hiding what she was feeling deep inside since her days in Smallville when her self-protective instincts used to be in full-mode around her teenage crush, Clark Kent
“Mr Grierson,” she greeted the tall, lean and powerfully handsome man she remembered from the lift, cursing her short height because it put her at a disadvantage and made her tilt her chin to look up into his face.
For the second time in four months she felt the shivering impact of having those magnetic and speculating blue-grey eyes of his focused only on her.
“I can hardly say it's a pleasure to see you again,” she murmured wryly, meeting his smug smirk with a small rueful smile.
“I didn’t know that you two...” started Jason with a puzzled look on his face.
“I’m afraid our paths crossed under rather embarrassing circumstances...” she cut him off.
Grierson didn’t say anything- there was no need; he simply looked at her with a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“As a matter of fact, we still have to be formally introduced beyond the bare essentials,” he mocked at her lightly.
“What Mr Grierson means,” she explained to Jason,”is that we were trapped in an elevator together one night. Mr Grierson, his date and... myself, that is.”
“It must have been a terrible experience for you, Chloe, considering your recent claustrophobia,” Jason said with clear concern in his voice.
“To be honest, Mrs Queen was a real trooper. She handled herself admirably. I’d say her attitude was quite revealing,” the bald billionaire taunted her yet again.
Chloe’s mask of cool control slipped for a second and her green eyes turned stormy emerald; months of repressed frustration threatening to explode. She didn’t know what he expected to get from her or if he intended to exploit her embarrassing secret to demand some kind of favour from her. The way he was contemplating her with the intense blue-grey eyes which had haunted even her waking hours in the past four months put some ideas in her mind as to the possible nature of that favour and, to her utter horror she blushed. How was it possible her libido was betraying her so grossly when she should be lashing out at his insolence or, at the very least, be planning the way to make him pay for having fun at her expense?
Trying to regain the control that was slipping away from her she returned to her desk and, inviting him to sit across from her, she made her best effort to retain that air of cool dignity she’d cultivated around all the other business vultures that had hovered around her and Queen Industries since Oliver’s passing.
“Please, call me Lex,” he replied, taking a seat.“Formality between us is a little ridiculous considering the circumstances.”
Chloe told herself she’d been right in her assessment of the billionaire even before the scheduled meeting; he was a completely different animal from his predecessors in that seat. Even though he was on the same level with her and they could look each other in the eye, she felt even more threatened now than when she had had to tilt her chin to meet his gaze. It was ironical; he looked utterly relaxed but it’d be naïve to take him for a kitten when he was in reality a panther waiting for the perfect moment to pounce after having hypnotised his prey.
“So, Lex, you were the one who requested this interview. You’ve got the floor. I’m listening,” she lay back on her swivel chair and held his gaze unflinchingly.
“Based on my past discussions with the former CEO of Queen Industries I believe we have grounds for negotiation.”
“Just as you said, you’re talking about the past. I’d be remiss if I were to agree to anything without having all the facts, Mr... Lex.”
“That’s very wise of you, Chloe. I’m here to present you with the facts. Oliver and I used to attend the same boarding school... but only just before his death did we really talk. We were never friends as teenagers for reasons that I won’t go into detail now. However, it was Oliver who approached me last year, not the other way around. We had some areas of mutuality that we agreed to explore. For various reasons we didn’t deem the time appropriate to pursue them and suggested meeting again in eight months; that time’s up.”
“Why didn’t you approach us sooner? I’m sure my husband’s passing must have raised some concerns.”
“Just like yours this last year’s been particularly complex for me.“
“I see. Of course we're interested in any arrangements you might have discussed with Oliver...” she replied with a guarded look in her eyes and a tiny hint of relief in her voice because they’d drifted away from the subject of their encounter on the lift.
“You’re not legally obligated to honour any verbal agreement,” Jason warned her.
“Your lawyer’s right to advise you to be cautious. Still, verbal agreements are as valid as written ones. Since I assume you’d like to see proof of what I discussed with Oliver I’ve brought video recordings of our meetings,” he told Chloe, sliding a box across the desk towards her.
A DVD instead of a CD-Rom this time. Chloe shot a brief glance at Jason and saw the same surprise and wariness she was feeling reflected in his eyes.
“Was my husband aware he was being recorded?”
“The practice’s not unusual amongst businesspeople. It comes in handy when the issues discussed are of a sensitive nature and no secretaries are allowed in the room,” explained his lawyer.
“I’m not questioning the practicality of such a procedure. I simply want to know if Mr Queen was aware he was being recorded,” replied Chloe in an even voice.
“He was. In fact, I assumed he had registered the meetings using his own security cameras too,” answered the attractive billionaire.
“He didn’t or else I would have seen the tapes already,” confessed Chloe.
“It’s a good thing then that I took the precaution of making these.”
“Are you suggesting Oliver wouldn’t have lived up to his word?” she snapped coldly.
“That’s not what I meant, Chloe. I simply believe mine was a wise move because if he didn’t register our meetings in any form but only committed them to memory, you’d have no proof of our ever having them. You’d have only your good faith as guidance. I apologise if you took my words to imply something different. Oliver and I had a rocky start when we were teens but, as I said before, we had some areas of mutuality we believed we could work together in. We respected each other as businessmen. ”
Chloe decided to take his words at face value. His apology sounded sincere and she didn’t want to come across as childish and churlish when her main concern was to project an image of self-possession, of being completely in control.
“I’m sorry. I’m still a little touchy on the subject of my late husband...”
“It’s understandable. It hasn’t been that long,” he said gently.
She wondered how much of that was formulaic; as far as Alexander Grierson knew, four months ago the grieving widow of Oliver Queen had been gallivanting across Metropolis in the semi-nude, trying to pick up strangers while taking a ride on a lift.
“Your next appointment is in an hour, Chloe. How about getting down to business?” suggested Jason, noticing the fleeting look of melancholy in Chloe’s eyes.
“I’ll explain my position succinctly,” agreed LexCorp’s CEO.
The first half of the exposition was followed by Chloe without any major problems. However, as soon as Lex started talking about Oliver’s plans to restructure and expand his business she got lost. It made no sense; Queen Industries’ profits had been contracting. Why had her husband wanted to expand?
Leaning back in her swivel chair, she faked to be listening to every word that came out of Lex’s mouth, nodding thoughtfully when Jason indicated a positive reply or cocking an eyebrow when scepticism was called for. On several occasions, Lex tried to have her express her opinion on some issue but she eluded him the same way she’d had others like him in the past, using the innate cunning of ignorance.
“Excuse me,“ said Chloe’s assistant, peeking inside the office after knocking gently on the glass door. “Mr Teague, there’s a call from Mrs Teague for you.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t have called if it weren’t important. Go, Jason. We’ll wait for you,” Chloe told him reassuringly when he saw him hesitate. “Would you like another cup of coffee?” she offered Lex as soon as the door closed, picking up the carafe her assistant had brought in some time during their meeting.
He stood at ease, one hand casually thrust into the pocket of his perfectly pressed trousers, the cuff of his tailor-made jacket pulled up a little to reveal an exquisite wrist watch made out of an antique French coin. A burgundy silk tie, a pristine white shirt and a pair of shiny Italian shoes completed his elegantly expensive attire. His outfit wasn’t that different from what Oliver used to wear during office hours; however, there was something unique about him: his baldness, a statement of individuality which Chloe had noticed he bore with as much pride as he would a war wound.
“Thanks, I’ve had my fill for today. But go ahead and have another yourself, Chloe.”
She poured a frothy mug and sprinkled some cinnamon on top, trying to ignore the creepy sensation of doom crawling up her spine as she felt his presence a few steps away, watching her every move.
She took a step back and turned to sit at her desk again in an attempt to establish a position of authority and, most importantly, a good deal of personal space between them. Her strategic manoeuvre was unsuccessful though, since they both chose to move at the same time and he ended up cutting her progress when he stopped in front of the panoramic window in order to look at the Star City skyline.
“Teague’s very protective of you, isn't he? I got the impression he didn’t like the idea of leaving you alone with me too much. “
“He doesn’t trust you and your intentions.”
“My intentions?” he asked with an ironical smile.
“Why do you have to twist everything?”
“It’s you the one who’s determined to read things into my words that aren’t there, Chloe. Does he know you have a naughty streak?”
“You’re misconstruing what you saw on that elevator. And my relationship with Mr Teague’s strictly professional. He’s a married man.”
“That’s something that wouldn’t have stopped many a woman,” he told her with a hint of bitterness in his voice as he looked out of the window.
Chloe wondered if he’d been betrayed by his former wife that way and if that was the reason for his being so cynical and ready to believe the worst of the opposite sex.
“Well, I’m not one of those. Jason was a dear friend of my husband’s and is married to a friend of mine. Lana’s expecting their first child any time now. So the idea of us being lovers is preposterous and I find your insinuation truly offensive,” she glared at his profile.
“I’m sorry,” he said perfectly composed, turning his head to look her straight in the eye, “that was uncalled for.”
“The fact that you got me at a temporary disadvantage doesn’t give you the right to try to manipulate me or my company,” she told him frostily.
Her sixth sense told her there was a rational explanation to his attitude towards her. He’d clearly passed judgement on her based on some negative past experience and yet the occasional lustful look that she’d surprised in his eyes told her he was anything but indifferent to her. It didn’t matter that nowadays she wore practical and smart suits that played down her femininity in an attempt to come across as the cunning and ruthless businesswoman she wasn’t; Lex would never see her that way. Whenever he looked at Chloe he’d see her as he had that night on the lift.
“You’re feeling vulnerable and defensive,” he replied, observing her folded arms. “There’s nothing you wouldn’t enjoy more than lashing out physically at me. The only thing that’s restraining you is the need to salvage what little control you have over the situation. Let’s be honest here, Chloe. You weren’t listening to half the things I said during the meeting and if it hadn’t been for your smartly staged choreography with Teague, I suspect you wouldn’t have been able to deceive the ones that sat on that chair before me. You’re an intelligent woman and could have been now on the road to becoming the youngest editor of many a leading newspaper if Oliver hadn’t saddled you with this company when he died. You aren’t incompetent; you’re simply inexperienced in this arena.”
“What do you intend to do about it?” Chloe asked rigidly, setting down her empty mug with cool control.
“Nothing like what you expect.”
Chloe Sullivan had something he wanted, something for which he was willing to sacrifice a great deal.
“We don’t know each other so well for you to be able to read my mind and know what I expect,” she told him defiantly.
“You’d be surprised at the things that I’m capable of,” he replied smugly.
Chloe felt her cheeks blush and told her active imagination to stop going down that path, least of all in front of him. One thing was to be unable to control her mind while sleeping or daydreaming and another thing was to make a fool of herself now when he could use her vulnerability against her.
“You expect me to be the soulless blood-thirsty mogul that lives for the thrill of crushing his competitors. One thing that you should learn in this business is to be ready for the unpredictable. Tell me, Chloe, what would you be willing to do to make sure all your naughty secrets die with me? ”
TBC
Reply With Quote
Fantastic new chapter! Poor Chloe is just trying to get by running the company and here comes Lex trying to mess everything up.
Originally Posted by somethingeasy
.
Bookmarks