Winner Takes All
Folc4evernaday
Part 7
***
Lois breathed a sigh of relief once she heard the door shut. She cautiously opened the door to her bathroom, peeking her head out into the bedroom. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no sign of Clark. What had he been thinking? Telling her he loved her?
That’s what men say when they want something from you. They never mean it. Her father had claimed to love her mother and look how great that turned out. He had stepped out on her mother and left her to raise two kids by herself. Then there had been Claude. He claimed to have ‘loved’ her, but the minute he’d gotten what he’d wanted he’d been gone. No, she was safer staying out of those types of relationships.
‘Then why did you just make love with Clark?’ her conscience chided her.
Make Love? No, they hadn’t made love, had they? It had been sex. Plain and simple. It had been fulfilling a mutual urge; nothing more. Well, it HAD been a little more than sex. It had been the most incredible, mind-blowing sex she’d ever had in her life. Where did he learn to do that? Just the memory of his hands on her skin sent a shiver down her spine.
‘This was probably just satisfying some itch to him. Nothing more.’ She thought to herself.
<<”I love you.”>>
She swiped at the tears in her eyes, trying to bury the memory of what had happened between her and Clark. Another thought struck her mind. “Oh, God, how am I supposed to work with him now?” She groaned, burying her face in her pillow.
“Hey, Lois?” Lucy’s voice echoed throughout the apartment. Lois groaned, grabbing a robe and wrapping it around her.
“Great.” She muttered to herself.
“Well, it looks like someone had a good time.” Lucy teased, picking up the sheer corset from the floor by her bed. “Where’s Clark?”
“Home probably,” Lois muttered, avoiding her sister’s gaze.
“Home? What happened?” Lucy asked concerned.
“It’s really late, Lucy, you should be getting to bed. Don’t you have finals tomorrow?”
“That’s not until Monday,” Lucy said, crossing her arms across her chest. “What was it this time?”
“What are you talking about?” Lois asked, pretending to be dubious.
“You had what seems like an incredible time with Clark…” she said gesturing towards Lois’ smeared makeup and tousled hair.
“Lucy, you’ve got the wrong idea.”
“Really? Well, Clark doesn’t really seem like the love ‘em and leave ‘em type, sis. What happened…and don’t try and deny that something happened again. Your clothes have been flung all over the room. Your hair and makeup are a mess…” Lucy pulled Lois’ robe open, “…and that speaks for itself.” She said, pointing to the hickey that had begun to form above Lois’ breast line.
“Okay, fine. You’re right. Clark and I had sex…” Lois sighed. “There? Are you happy?”
“Just sex?” Lucy challenged. Lois looked away. “Uh-huh. Like I said, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything…” Lois argued, “…exactly.”
“Oh?”
“I told him to leave.”
“Why??” Lucy asked, confused. “Look, I don’t work with you or anything, sis, but from what Jimmy’s told me; there are girls that would kill to have a chance with Clark…Why would you…” Lucy couldn’t even finish her thoughts; she was so confused by her sister’s actions.
“He told me ‘he loved me!’” Lois cried.
“So?” Lucy said, confused. “How is that a bad thing?”
“Oh, just forget it. You wouldn’t understand.” Lois said, grabbing her clothes from her closet. She hurriedly began to get dressed.
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t be here right now. No offense, Lucy. I just…I need some space.” After packing her essentials into an overnight bag, Lois grabbed her purse and headed out the door; leaving a very confused Lucy in her wake.
***
“The Honeymoon Suite?” Lois echoed the receptionist. “That’s ALL you have available?”
“I’m afraid so, ma’am.” The receptionist apologized. “Would you like me to book it for you?”
Lois chewed on her lip a moment, contemplating. It was only for one night. She really didn’t need to deal with Lucy right now…or Clark.
She nodded at the receptionist, “I’ll take it.”
“Very well. Cash or charge?”
“Charge.” She handed the receptionist her credit card.
“Okay. Enjoy your stay, Ms. Lane.”
Lois took her keycard from the receptionist, ignoring the bell boy’s attempt to help her with her bag. “Do I look like I need help?”
“Uh, no, Miss…I was just...” the bell boy stammered.
Lois didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. She stepped into the elevator, allowing the elevator doors to close behind her.
She made her way to her room, looking forward to a night of rest and relaxation away from all the stressors of her life. She ran the bathtub, adding the bubbles and bath salt.
<<”I love you.”>>
<<“How did you know how I like my coffee?”
“I’m observant,” Clark explained. >>
She slipped her clothes off and stepped into the tub.
<<“I was wondering…” He began slowly, “…if you had dinner plans.”
“Dinner plans?” she asked confused.
“Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner…with me?” he asked cautiously. Her heart rate was going a mile a minute. “I know this new Italian place down the street…”
“I…I…I don’t know what to say.” Lois began. “You’re asking me out?”
“Well…yeah…” he said. “It’s just dinner.” He smiled again.
Lois bit her lip nervously, “Okay.”>>
She swiped at the tears that began to fall down her cheeks.
<<”I love you.”>>
<<“These are for you.” Clark handed her another bouquet of white roses. She took them gratefully. He stepped inside, taking a moment to gaze upon her. “Wow, Lois…You look…absolutely stunning.”
Lois examined her dress, blushing at Clark’s compliment, “Really?”
“Absolutely.” He said. >>
The way he had looked at her. She should have known…
<<”I love you.”>>
<<”I said, nine, I thought you’d be naked…um, ready.”>>
<<”I love you.”>>
How could she be so stupid as to fall into the same trap again?
<< “The view here is beautiful.”
“Breathtaking,” Clark said. Lois looked back at him and noticed he wasn’t looking at the setting sun. >>
<<”I love you.”>>
No, not the same trap. There was something different about Clark.
<<“You know, if you really think about it the only time people ever really seem to express themselves is when they’re passionate and the polite veneer of society drops off. You know like they’re fighting…”
Lois nodded, “...or make love.” She blushed, lowering her head; mortified at what had just come out of her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe I just said that.”>>
<<”I love you.”>>
<< “I love chocolate.” She murmured.
He smiled, “I can tell.”>>
He hadn’t made fun of her when she had made a complete fool of herself at the restaurant. Other men would have used that as an opening to make some kind of lewd comment or gesture. Clark hadn’t.
<<”I love you.”>>
<<”How predictable was that?”>>
<<”I love you.”>>
<<“Well, you don’t know everything about me.” He admitted. “I still don’t know everything about you.” He patted her knee lightly. >>
She didn’t know everything about him. What if he was different? What then? She couldn’t say for sure if she was in love with him. She definitely was attracted to him; that much was for sure. He was definitely attracted to her. Why had he allowed things to get so out of hand?
<<”I love you.”>>
<<“Oh, God…” he moaned, trying to string together a coherent thought in-between kisses. “Lois…are…you…sure…we aren’t….moving…too …Oh, God…”>>
No, he didn’t allow things. She had pushed things. She had pushed the envelope with him. Diving in without looking just like she always did.
<<”I love you.”>>
<< “Are…you…sure…about…this?” >>
<<”I love you.”>>
<< “Been holdin’ out on me, farmboy.” She murmured against his mouth.
He smiled back at her, “I told you…don’t…know….everything…” he murmured in between open-mouthed kisses. >>
<<“You’re not stopping there, are you?”>>
She had urged him on every step of the way; then ran the second he made it clear he wasn’t like her previous lover.
<<”I love you.”>>
<< “Please…” she pleaded with him.
“Does that hurt?” he asked cautiously.
“No…” she moaned again. “…just been…a…long…time.” She managed. >>
<<”I love you.”>>
The tenderness in his eyes when he had been concerned about hurting her. Claude had never cared. He had hurt her a few times. Even in his frenzy; Claude still was never able to accomplish even one-quarter of what Clark had tonight.
<< “Yes, please…”
“Oh, God, baby…” >>
<<”I love you.”>>
He had brought her to the point of ecstasy repeatedly and had shown no signs of stopping anytime soon. If she hadn’t of bolted they probably would have gone for round three.
<< “You okay?” he asked.
“Huh?” she asked, slightly dazed. “Never better.” She said.>>
<< “No sense in wasting it.” She murmured. >>
<<”I love you.”>>
He said he loved her. Did he mean it or was he really just trying to get her into bed?
<<“All right, I’ll go, but we ARE going to talk about this. You can’t stay in your bathroom forever.” He said. >>
<<”I love you.”>>
Was she willing to take the risk of getting her heart broken again? She had survived Claude’s betrayal …her parents….Linda, her ex-best friend…
She liked Clark. They worked well together; in and out of the office. Was she willing to sacrifice a possible friend and partner for great sex for a few months? No.
She sank into the tub, leaning towards the faucet to turn the water off when something caught her eye. Congressman Harrington stood in the window across the street with an unfamiliar man, looking over a calendar. They seemed to be involved in a very heated argument. Lois’ eyes widened and she reached for her purse outside the tub. Inside her purse, she pulled out a small camera. She began to take shot after shot of the congressman and unidentifiable man. She wasn’t sure what was going on here, but something was up.
***
The next morning, Clark stood outside Lois’ door with a bouquet of white roses. “Lois?” he knocked on the door insistently. “Open up; I know you’re in there. We need to talk about this.”
He was surprised to find Lucy on the other side of the door, “Clark, it’s seven in the morning. Don’t you have a home?”
“I need to talk to Lois.” Clark said.
Lucy sighed, “She’s not here. She left right after I got home. I guess she didn’t want to be around me.”
“Where did she go?” Clark asked.
Lucy shrugged, “I don’t know. She probably got a room at one of the thousands of hotels around here.” She moved to close the door, “Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to get some sleep.”
“Sure. I’m sorry I woke you.” He apologized, moving away from the door.
“I’m sorry for…whatever happened between you and my sister last night. If it’s any consolation; I do know she really likes you.”
Clark gave Lucy a weak smile, “Thanks, Lucy. I’ll see you around.”
***
Meanwhile, Perry sat at his desk, outlining the front page for the next edition when Lois burst into his office, “I need a new partner.”
Perry slammed his pen across the room, “I knew it! One bad date! There goes my whole newsroom. Why don’t you just shoot me now? Send me up to Elvis?”
“How did you know Clark and I went out?” Lois asked, surprised.
“Lois, I didn’t become Editor-in-Chief because I can yodel. I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at your partner…and the way he’s been looking at you.” Perry sighed, “Lois, I don’t care what kind of problems you have in your personal life; you’re not going to bring it into the newsroom. You and Kent are partners. You work well together. Now, if you choose to work together outside the office…that’s your business, but I will not have my newsroom disrupted over a lovers’ quarrel. Are we clear?”
“But Perry...”
“No!” Perry slammed his fist against the wood grain on his desk. “Lois, do you have any idea how much our circulation has risen over the last week?” She shook her head. “For your information, it’s tripled. Subscriptions have risen 45%! That’s unheard of! Do you know why?”
“The Superman exclusive?” Lois guessed.
“No, because we have a writing team that works well together and it shows in the pieces they write! Now, I want you to go WORK with your partner and hash out whatever it is that’s made you think you can decide who I team you up with. Now, is that all, or is there another reason why you burst into my office on a day I specifically told you to take off?”
Lois pulled out the 4x6 photos she had printed and threw them on his desk. “I found these guys across the street from my hotel room last night.”
“Hotel room?” Perry asked amused.
“I needed to get away from my sister. She was driving me nuts.”
“Uh-huh,” Perry said, flipping through the photographs. “Well, something is definitely up here. What’s this briefcase Harrington’s handing this joker?”
“Money?” Lois guessed. “I’m not sure. I did find out the building is leased to ‘Apocalypse Consulting.’”
“Well, it looks like an undercover assignment to me.” Perry drawled.
“What does?” Clark asked, entering the office hesitantly.
“Kent? I thought I told you to take today off.” Perry shot Clark a threatening look, “You’re starting to remind me of someone else I know.”
“Sorry, Chief. I guess this place kinda grows on you.” Clark smiled.
“Now, you’re really sounding like someone I know.” Perry sighed, “Well since you’re here; I guess Lois can catch you up to speed. You guys'll have three nights.”
“Guys?” Lois asked, concerned.
“You and Clark.” Perry pointed towards Clark. “Now, which room were you in, Lois?”
“Um…” Lois began; uncertain if she wanted to tell Perry which room she had been staying in.
“In order to set this up, I need the room number,” Perry explained impatiently.
“It was the …honeymoon suite…” she dropped her voice an octave on the last two words.
“Pardon?” Perry asked, amused.
“I was tired and impatient. That’s all they had available.” Lois sniped.
“Okay, I guess you two should pack.”
“Wait a second, Chief, this is really….I can’t stay in the HONEYMOON SUITE with Clark.” Lois argued, desperately. “How will that look?”
“Lois, it’s the perfect cover. Two honeymooners in the honeymoon suite.” Perry explained.
“Lois, relax. It’s just business.” Clark interjected.
“Exactly,” Perry said. “Now, go pack.”
“But...” Lois began.
“No, buts,” Perry said. He pointed to the door. “Go.”
***
Why was it that whenever you mentioned the word ‘honeymoon’ everyone thought they had carte blanche to make innuendos about your sex life? Between the receptionist, the bell boy, and not to mention her fellow colleagues that had gotten wind of the investigation…Everyone had something to say about her and Clark staying in the Lexor’s Honeymoon Suite.
“That’s it; hoist her up, big fella. Smile! Great!” the bellboy, Phil was taping Clark carrying her over the ‘threshold.’ It was the first time he had even attempted to touch her since last night. She didn’t blame him. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted him to. “Hey, you’re stronger than you look! That’ll come in handy tonight, eh, big fella?”
Annoyed, Lois struggled out of Clark’s arms and moved towards Phil to teach him some manners. “Listen here, you…”
Before she could even start her tirade Clark had grabbed her from behind, restraining her from moving. “She’s a little shy.” He explained.
“She’ll get over it,” Phil said, winking at Clark.
“Why you little...” Lois struggled in Clark’s arms to get a swing at the man, but Clark tightened his arm around her. She watched in fury as Phil moved towards the bedroom. Clark let her go and she straightened her jacket, “That man gets NO tip!” she hissed.
“Lois, calm down. We’re supposed to be keeping a LOW profile. That won’t happen if you send the bellboy back in a body cast.” Clark admonished.
She scowled at him. She knew he was right, but she didn’t like it. Right now, being around Clark was the last thing she wanted. A knock at the door distracted her. Jimmy opened the door, loaded down with a large canvas tote bag. “Can I kiss the bride?” Jimmy teased. “No tongue. Scout’s honor.” Lois glared at him. “Of course a handshake will work too.”
“The next person who makes a newlywed joke gets fitted for a body cast!” Lois hissed, glaring at Jimmy daring him to make another comment.
“Hey, I just brought the surveillance equipment,” Jimmy said, patting the bag on his shoulder.
The bellboy entered the room once more, “Hanging garments in the closet. Toiletries in the bathroom.” He turned towards Lois, “You’re in the drawers on the left.”
“You unpacked my stuff?” she asked, admonished.
“This is a full-service hotel,” Phil said. He held out his hand for an expected tip. She just glared at him. There was no way she was going to tip the man after the way he had acted earlier. He cleared his throat, holding his hand out even further. Clark glared at her from behind, motioning for her to give him a tip. Grudgingly, she pulled out a dollar and placed it in the man’s hands. He looked down at it disapprovingly then turned to leave.
“I told you…no tip…” she hissed at Clark.
A maid came into the room, carrying a large stack of white, fluffy towels. “Extra towels, yah?” She placed the towels on the table next to the door then looked around the room, noticing Jimmy and gave her and Clark a dirty look before turning away.
“What was that about?” Jimmy asked. Clark just laughed then turned towards the bedroom, not saying a word. “Okay, you’re all set,” Jimmy said. “See you later,” Jimmy called over his shoulder, leaving her alone with Clark for the first time since last night.
***
“Harrington’s been paid. Roarke isn’t any the wiser, sir. Is there anything else I can do?” Nigel asked.
“No, that will be all, Nigel,” Lex instructed. “Such a tragedy what happened to Roarke’s family. Ever since then he’s had this grudge against me. Especially now with Project Shockwave performing a demonstration for the Naval Department. A perfect time to ‘test’ our friendly neighborhood alien, wouldn’t you say?”
“Absolutely, sir.” Nigel agreed.
“Superman will be helping to solidify my contract with the Naval Department and he doesn’t even know it yet.” Lex mused.
***
Clark sat on the bed in the Honeymoon Suite, dressed in sleeping shorts and a gray t-shirt, staring at the ground. He hadn’t moved from the room since the bellboy had left. Lois had knocked on the door a few times, attempting to get a response from him, but he hadn’t had the heart to talk to her. Earlier, he had thought he was ready to talk to her, but after seeing her earlier and overhearing her argument with Perry over changing partners…He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.
<<”Don’t fall for me farmboy.”>>
What had possessed him to become intimate with Lois on the first date? Was he out of his mind? He’d never gone past heavy petting with anyone before, yet here he was the day after losing his virginity…barely speaking to the woman he was in love with. Why had she run out of his arms when he told her he loved her? She needed to know he wasn’t thinking their lovemaking was just sex, didn’t she? After her history with that Claude guy, he wanted to reassure her that he was with her because he loved her, not to satisfy some urge. He’d be lying if he’d said he hadn’t been hurt when she hadn’t returned his declaration of love. He knew it was too soon. He should have listened to his gut instead of throwing caution to the wind like that. She’d been hurt before and had obviously been scared off by his declaration of love.
What a mess. Lois was barely talking to him. He really wasn’t sure what to say to her. They were supposed to be working together undercover and they couldn’t stand to be in the same room with one another. What was worse was his mind constantly replaying that night over and over; taunting him of the memory of their lovemaking? He could recall every sound, taste, and smell from that night. Her long legs wrapped around him …. The way her chest pounded against his ...
The memory of her body intertwined with his was seared into his mind for all eternity. As painful as it was to remember he wouldn’t have it any other way. He loved Lois and he wanted to be with her. He just wasn’t sure if she wanted to be with him.
He x-rayed out into the main room where Lois was. He groaned. She was setting up the surveillance equipment. He should probably go help. After all, they were supposed to be working together on this….She wore a silk robe. He didn’t dare check what she was wearing underneath. What was she thinking; wearing something like that? Was she trying to torture him?
He sighed, “Well, here goes nothing.” He muttered to himself. He knew this was going to be awkward. Perry probably knew this would be awkward and was forcing them to investigate together just to spite Lois for trying to tell him otherwise. The old editor seemed to have a soft spot as far as Lois was concerned, but he wasn’t putting anything past the man. He knew Perry White hadn’t become Editor –in- Chief without being able to judge a situation properly. He had to be careful around him or risk blowing his cover.
“Just rip the Band-Aid off.” He muttered to himself. “Same result either way.” He took a deep breath before opening the door to join Lois. She was busying herself with setting up the camera when he approached her from behind. “Do you need any help?”
Lois spun around, surprised by his presence. “Clark, you scared me!”
“Sorry.” He apologized.
“I think I’ve just about got it.” She said, gesturing toward the camera and tape recorder. “Decide to join the land of the living I see. I thought you were going to stay holed up in there all day.”
“Well, I did sort of.” He said with a teasing smile. “It’s night.” He said, pointing towards the sky.
***
The soft murmur of a couple’s spat played in the background. Lois rolled her eyes as she listened to the conversation. “Yeah.” She muttered, not looking at him. She turned to take a seat on the couch.
She knew what he was thinking. She had anticipated it. Things had been awkward all day. She had been half grateful and half annoyed with him holed up in the bedroom. She wanted him there to help keep tabs on the comings and goings across the street, but she didn’t want to talk about what had occurred between them last night.
Honeymooners. They were supposed to be honeymooners. She had gotten a long lecture from Perry about keeping up appearances during the investigation. Then Cat had taken her out to purchase appropriate attire for a honeymoon with the company credit card. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she would be shopping with Cat Grant. She had been mildly surprised to discover her taste in lingerie wasn’t THAT terrible….well, once you got past the cheap leather she had tried to push on her.
The camisole she wore was a deep violet and had come with a matching robe that covered everything. It was beautiful. Surprisingly, she felt sexy while wearing it. Although sex was the last thing on her mind…well, sort of. She couldn’t deny the fact that she had imagined Clark’s expression when he saw her wearing this. Or the fact that she had imagined him ripping it from her body as he pressed her up against the wall and had his way with her…
“We need to talk.” Clark’s voice invaded her thoughts. He took a seat next to her. “What happened…?”
What is wrong with me? She flushed at the fantasy that had just run through her mind. She turned to look away from him. “….don‘t worry. I’m not holding you to anything you said.”
“…What? Lois, no, that’s not what I mean…”
“It was just sex, right? We just got caught up in the moment…”
“…Is that all it was to you?” Clark asked, hurt.
“Are you saying it wasn’t?” Lois challenged. Please don’t let him see how badly I want him. He didn’t mean it. I know that. He just got caught up in the moment. I’ll sort out my feelings later. ‘Feelings?’ her conscience chided her. ‘What feelings?’
The feeling of his breath against the nape of her neck; his solid form against her back…The way he….
She shuddered involuntarily at the memory. What was happening to her? Just being in the same room with Clark seemed to trigger memories of last night….fantasies of what she wanted to do to him…Oh, boy, she was in trouble. What was wrong with her? Was it just physical?
***
Clark’s jaw hardened. What kind of game was she playing here? “I think you’ve got the wrong idea about me, Lois.” Clark stood up and walked over to the window where the video camera stood, positioned toward Apocalypse Consulting across the street.
“Look, you can quit trying to coddle me. I know it probably just slipped out. You know...heat of the moment. Like I said, I’m not going to hold you to it.”
Clark turned around to face her, anger and hurt evident on his face. “Is that what you think, Lois? That it just slipped out? I meant what I said, but before I could talk to you, you bolted into the bathroom and barricaded yourself in there.”
Lois looked down at her hands, nervously wringing them. “I really don’t want to talk about this.”
“Of course not.” He muttered under his breath, turning to face the window again. A dark figure dressed in black caught his eye. He lowered his glasses, trying to get a better image of the new visitor across the street.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Lois challenged, standing up, hands on her hips.
Clark sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Can we talk about this later? There’s something…”
“No, I want to talk about this now. You’re the one that started this conversation and I think it’s only fair that…”
Annoyed with her ramblings, and looking for a quick way to silence her; he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. Any argument she may have had died on her lips; he felt her succumb to him, moaning in pleasure. The sound of her moan caught him off guard. He wasn’t trying to recreate the events of last night. He slowly pulled away from her, trying to recollect his thoughts. He looked across the street and spotted the man in black once more. Recalling his original train of thought, he pointed across the street and rasped out, “That man.”
***
“Huh?” Lois tried to assess what had just happened. She had been arguing with Clark and he had silenced her with a kiss. She never thought she would be the type of person to be silenced like that, but she was learning something new every day. Last night, she learned over and over how wrong Claude had been about her responsiveness in bed. For a long time she’d thought there was something wrong with her. She had thought she was incapable of having pleasure with a partner, but Clark had proven that theory wrong over and over last night.
“He looks familiar. Where have we seen him before?” Clark asked.
Lois peered across the street, looking through a pair of binoculars and gasped in surprise. “That’s Lex Luthor’s man servant.”
“What?” the chill in Clark’s tone was evident.
“Well, this just got interesting,” Lois commented. They watched in rapt attention as Lex’s man servant began turning the lights on in the building and setting up a display for what appeared to be a formal meeting. The man turned towards the door on the other side of the room, out of her and Clark’s vision. The unidentified man from last night appeared and shook hands with Lex’s man servant.
“You think this is a coincidence?” Clark prompted.
“No way,” Lois said eyes narrowing as she watched the scene unfold. She pointed to the audio dial, “Turn that up.” Clark nodded and turned the dial.
Congressman Harrington’s voice filled the room, “That’s the last of the system specs. I’ll have the information on the testing for you tomorrow. Dates, procedures, the whole thing.”
The unidentified man’s voice came in, “Good. What about a new vote?”
“I can’t initiate a re-vote until after the test results are analyzed and the plan rejected. Hopefully.”
“’Hopefully’ isn’t good enough.”
Lex’s man servant interrupted, “Our silent partner is very interested in making sure these tests go off without a hitch. You wouldn’t want to disappoint the boss, would you, Congressman?”
Harrington sighed, “No...No, of course not, but I can’t change the rules…”
“Rules?” the unidentified man interrupted, “The rules are. There are no rules. I didn’t buy you into office so you could sing-song your way out of our deal.”
“You don’t own me, Roarke!” Harrington argued.
Roarke grabbed Harrington by the collar and pulled him down to his level. “I own you lock, stock, and re-election fund, Mr. Chairman!”
“How do you expect to pull this off? I mean, what happens to me…if you …you know….fail?”
“Pray, you never find out.” Lex’s man servant interrupted. “The boss doesn’t take too kindly to failure.”
“And neither do I.” Roarke interrupted. He laughed. The three men left the office without another word.
Lois stared at the office building in confusion. She put her binoculars down and turned to him, “Clark, what would you say if I said that I don’t have a clue what they’re talking about, but that whatever it is, it’s even bigger than I originally thought.”
“I’d say…you’re absolutely right.” Clark answered. He turned to turn the volume down. “I think we definitely need to do a little research on Luthor’s manservant. Who do think this ‘boss’ he’s talking about is?”
“I don’t know. What ‘test’ are they talking about?” Lois asked. She sighed in relief as she sank down into the couch. It appeared they were falling back into their normal routine; bouncing ideas off one another. It felt good; comfortable. Now if she could just quit fantasizing about him she’d be able to concentrate.
“I don’t know. It could be anything. He could be talking about Luthor…”
“…or someone else. Who is this Roarke guy?”
“Never heard of him.” Clark grew quiet, taking a seat next to her. He pulled out a paper and pen and began jotting down a list of all their questions. He finished and placed the pen and paper on the table in front of them. “I meant what I said earlier, Lois.” Lois swallowed the bitter bile that began to form in her throat. “You still haven’t answered one question. Why did you bolt like that?”
He meant what he said earlier?
<<”I love you.”>>
“I…” She didn’t want to do this. She couldn’t do this. Not now. She wasn’t sure how she felt or what she wanted right now. Couldn’t he just back off? “I can’t do this right now.” She got up from the couch and headed to the bedroom.
“Wait, Lois…” before she knew what had happened she had run straight into Clark’s chest. She looked up at him angrily. He was blocking the bedroom door. “We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t,” Lois said, moving to push past him, but he stood firmly in place.
“Yes, we do,” Clark argued. “There is no way either of us is going to be able to work together until we talk about this. I just want to know…why?” The hurt in his tone was obvious. Had she hurt him? How had she hurt him? It was just sex. She had given him what every man in Metropolis wanted: sex with no strings attached. She would be fine with that. She had to be. She wouldn’t have her heart broken by another Claude.
Her heart broken? Where had that thought come from? Could she actually be….falling for him? They’d only known each other for a week. They barely knew one another. How could she possibly be falling for him? Hell, how could he possibly claim to love her? He didn’t know her.
<<”Is that all it was to you?”
“Are you saying it wasn’t?”
“I think you’ve got the wrong idea about me, Lois,”
“Look, you can quit trying to coddle me. I know it probably just slipped out. You know...heat of the moment. Like I said, I’m not going to hold you to it.”
“Is that what you think, Lois? That it just slipped out? I meant what I said, but before I could talk to you, you bolted into the bathroom and barricaded yourself in there.”>>
This was dangerous. She had come to think of Clark as a friend. He was easy to talk to and even after she had treated him so horribly; he still was there for her. She’d never had someone take to her so quickly. She didn’t have many friends. She had many unflattering nicknames flowing through the newsroom thanks to her ex, Claude, and his friends.
<<”Ice Queen.”>>
<<”Cold frigid, bitch.”>>
<<”Mad Dog Lane.”>>
Did she think of last night as just sex? No, not just sex. She definitely felt something every time Clark looked at her or touched her….or kissed her. She definitely felt SOMETHING for him. She just wasn’t sure how she felt. He was her friend. That much she was sure of.
‘How many friends have made you scream in pleasure like that?’ her conscience chided her. None. She’d never experienced that kind of pleasure in her life. Why was she so scared? She felt her tear ducts close to overflowing. She swallowed hard, trying to suppress the impending waterworks that were sure to come.
“Clark, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but…”
“But what?” Clark asked, hurt. “Why? You owe me that much.”
“I don’t know.” Lois managed weakly. That was it. She felt the hot moisture hit her cheeks as she felt herself fall apart. The tears overtook her. She felt his arms come around her, trying to comfort her. Why was he being so nice to her? She was a basket case. Hot one minute; cold the next.
<<”Cold frigid, bitch…”>>
Claude’s words rang in her ears, causing her to cry even harder. She buried herself in Clark’s chest, finding comfort in his arms. This wasn’t her. She was Lois Lane, tenacious no-nonsense
business woman, three-time Kerth award winner…a professional. What had happened to her? A few near death experiences, an intoxicating evening with a gorgeous man and she was falling apart.
She felt herself sink to the floor as she continued to cry. Clark held her firmly against his chest, sinking down with her. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled against his chest. “I just don’t know.”
***
Clark held her tightly against his chest, soothing her soft cries. What had happened? She had been arguing with him one minute and the next she was curled up in his arms crying, apologizing to him. “Hey, it's okay.” He soothed.
“No, it's not. I keep on hurting everyone around me…” she sobbed.
“Lois…” Clark tried to soothe, “that’s not true.”
“No? My sister and I hardly talk anymore…You’re supposed to be my partner…and friend…I hurt you….” She gave into hysteria once more.
“Lois, please don’t cry.” He pleaded. It broke his heart to see her so upset. “Look, what do you want me to do here? I’m at a loss…”
“I don’t know. I really don’t want to talk about last night…”
“I know you don’t want to, but we need to. I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment here or anything. I just wanted to make sure you understood last night wasn’t just a fling to me.”
Lois looked up at him hesitantly, fear and hurt evident on her face. “It wasn’t?” she asked.
“No.” He cupped her cheek, lifting her chin to look at him, “I meant what I said. I love you.” He felt her tense up, “If that scares you….I’ll back off…whatever you want, but I need to know where I stand with you…I know last night was more than just sex to you….Nobody is that good an actress.”
***
Lois swallowed hard, allowing everything to digest. The sincerity in his eyes as he spoke and the obvious hurt in his tone; along with his confession of love for her. He was willing to back off? What did that mean?
How could he claim to love her? They barely knew each other. “I…Clark, this is crazy. You can’t love me. If you really knew me; you wouldn’t love me at all.”
“What are you talking about?” Clark asked.
“I’m rude, selfish, I can’t cook….I’m a mess…My parents split up when I was twelve….and it wasn’t pretty….Lucy and I still have to deal with the aftermaths from that…..I’m a workaholic…”
“I know. You’re stubborn, pigheaded; you always think you’re right…” Clark ticked off points on his hand.
“I am right.”
“…domineering, headstrong….and brilliant.” He finished. There was that look. The same look he had given her a dozen times over the past week. The look he’d given her at Lex Luthor’s ball. The look that made her weak in the knees…
She felt herself begin to cry again, “Why are you being so nice to me? I was so awful to you earlier….after last night…” She sobbed.
“Okay, let’s just forget about last night for a minute okay? Will that help?” She looked up at him questionably. “Now, you want to tell me what’s wrong? And don’t feed me that ‘I don’t know’ line again either.”
Lois sighed. He wasn’t going to let this go. What was wrong? What was wrong was that every man she’d ever gotten close to had betrayed her. The last time she’d gotten involved with a colleague her reputation had nearly been ruined and she was still suffering from the remnants of that mistake. “I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer.”
“No, I really don’t know. This…This isn’t me.” She stood up and began to pace in front of him. “I don’t fall apart like this.”
“It’s been a stressful week. You were nearly killed …what? Two? Three times?” Clark gave her an amused smile, trying to lighten the mood. He stood up from the floor, crossing his arms across his chest, leaning against the door frame as he waited patiently for an answer from her.
“Three.” She said numbly. “I don’t know what has gotten into me. This…” she waved a hand in the air, gesturing towards Clark and herself. “…whatever it is between us…it scares me.”
“I noticed.” He said bemused. “Why?”
“I don’t know. My parents’ divorce?” She shrugged. “I’m not used to losing control, Clark. I...I always have control over what happens in my life.”
Control? When had she lost it? The night of Luthor’s ball? Or maybe when they’d gone to dinner before and she had been left feeling disappointed at him not kissing her good night? He claimed to love her…. She felt something for him that was for sure. She definitely lusted after him. What woman wouldn’t? He probably would give Superman a run for his money. She’d never seen a man so perfectly built. The way he touched her…kissed her…made her toes curl…
“You had control when Trask was throwing you out of an airplane?” Clark asked.
“Okay, I have control of my personal life,” Lois argued defiantly. ‘Yeah right.’ Her conscience chided her. “Last night…I don’t know what happened….there was no control…”
“I know,” Clark said, blushing at the memory of last night. He sighed, “I was there too.” Lois wrung her hands nervously and gave him a weak smile. “Lois, what do you want me to do here? What do you want?”
“I don’t know.” She sobbed.
Clark took a breath, “Ah, there’s that phrase again.” He said, taking a step towards her, “What do you want? Do you want to pretend like last night never happened?”
Pretend like it never happened? How was she supposed to do that when every time she closed her eyes; she imagined his hands and mouth on her? She had never understood women that talked about craving sex until now. Before now, sex had never been a pleasant experience for her. She noticed he was still looking at her for an answer. What was the question? ‘Did she want to forget last night?’ Immediately, she knew the answer. She shook her head no.
Clark sighed in relief. “Okay, then we’ll try to pick things up where we left off…only this time we’ll take it slow.”
“Slow?” she echoed uncertainly. He definitely knew how to take things slow. The way he slowly rasped his tongue against her body… Oh, God…She could feel herself getting hot and bothered just thinking about it. She needed to quit thinking like this… If they were taking things slow then they probably wouldn’t be repeating last night’s activities anytime soon. The familiar tightness in her belly pulsed as she fought to suppress the tingling in the pit of her stomach.
‘Don’t. You don’t want another Claude situation, do you?’ She reminded herself.
Claude had claimed to love her. She had been scared then too but had allowed him to coax her into a relationship with him. He had swept her off her feet; then tossed her aside like yesterday’s garbage after he’d gotten what he’d wanted from her. Her reputation had been ruined. He had bragged to fellow colleagues about how fast he had bedded her then had called her a ‘frigid bitch’ behind her back. She had ignored the lewd comments from her male colleagues over the years. She had been asked out several times by fellow colleagues before. She suspected many of them asked her out solely on trying to see if she really was an easy lay.
Would Clark add fuel to the fire? Once word got out about their night together gossip was sure to follow. He probably would expect sex from her ….just like Claude had. Sure he claimed to take things slow, but how long would that last? He now knew every spot to touch and caress to drive her crazy. She had promised herself she wouldn’t allow herself to get involved with a colleague at work again. Dating in the office was a dangerous situation. If things didn’t work out…
“Slow.” He repeated. “I promise not to use the L-word until you’re ready if you promise not to run off on me like that.” Lois smiled weakly at him. “Why don’t you take the bedroom tonight? I’ll sleep on the couch and…”
The couch? He wasn’t going to insist on them sharing a bed? She looked up into his deep brown eyes and felt herself come undone. No, Clark wasn’t like Claude. Where Claude had been selfish, Clark had been giving. She felt like she was going to cry again. All her fears of Clark being just like Claude had taken a toll on her. He wouldn’t do what Claude did. He wouldn’t steal her story then act like nothing had happened. He wouldn’t spread ugly rumors about her in the office to make sure she didn’t fight him on stealing her story. He wouldn’t be selfish in bed, causing her to hate sex. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to do it. Maybe it was the fact that he had proved to her once again that he was nothing like Claude? Maybe it was the act of chivalry he had performed...offering her the bedroom and not assuming they would be sharing the same bed? Maybe it was just the fact that he was willing to take things slow with her? Whatever it was; something had compelled her to pull him to her and kiss him.
She moaned against his lips as she felt his arms encircle her waist. A shiver of delight ran down her spine as she felt his tongue dip inside her mouth. As soon as it entered her mouth; it left. He slowly pulled away from her. “Lois, what…?” She pulled him down to her level once more, tugging at his lower lip with her teeth. He moaned in pleasure against her lips.
She felt her knees begin to weaken as the kiss deepened. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support. He continued to caress her mouth with his tongue as they deepened the embrace.
***
TBC...
Comments Go Here
