Chapter 11:
Lois huffed another sigh as she slammed down the phone. She paced back and forth, nervously biting her nails. Why wasn't he picking up? Okay, so she should have called him before about Clark Kent. Probably when she'd first heard the news on Wednesday. He was probably getting dressed and preparing for the Ball at this point. Which was what she should be doing.
She growled in frustration. She wanted a damn cigarette.
"Lois!" Lucy called out for her. "It's six-thirty! Are you ready?"
"No!" she shouted back at her sister irritably. She scrambled to grab her dress and barely managed to get her feet through the base before her sister came strolling into her room with a gasp.
"Lois Lane! You're not even dressed yet?!"
"Lucy Lane!" Lois mimicked. "You're not out of school yet?!"
Lucy glared at her sister. "Low blow, Lois. And I'm serious. Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Well, you just told me six-thirty, so..."
She had the pleasure of watching her little sister's eyes roll up. "You know the car's coming by to pick you up in less than half an hour, right?"
"I know!" she cried out in frustration. She pulled the dress sleeves over her shoulders, but struggled to reach the zipper in the back. "Could you just-?"
Lucy smiled and went to her sister's aid. "Hold still." She tugged the zipper up, securing it in place and adjusting the draping of the off-the-shoulder sleeves after. "Oh, Lois," Lucy breathed as she looked at her sister in the mirror. The midnight blue satin fabric contrasted beautifully against her creamy skin. She looked like the brightest star in the night sky. "It's breathtaking!"
Lois tilted her head sideways and examined herself, swaying gently from side to side, enjoying the slight rushing sound it produced. "You really think so, Luce?"
"Lo, every man there is going to want you."
Lois frowned at her sister disapprovingly.
"Want to dance with you, I mean," she corrected herself, hands going up defensively.
Lois sighed contentedly, swishing the dress again, a small smile on her face. It did look pretty good.
"Now, to do something about that hair."
A groan escaped her lips. "Lucy, you couldn't just let me have my moment?"
"I gave you a moment," she retorted slyly. "And now it's my turn again. Let me please do your hair, this once? Please? Pretty, pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top?"
Lois rolled her eyes. She never let Lucy do her hair. For one, she never felt like she did a good job of it. And secondly, she always made such a big deal about it. Lois liked how her hair looked. It was just now starting to reach her shoulders again. She curled it under a bit and that was all. She was looking forward to growing it out a bit longer though. It would make it look nicer at events like this, and the longer she hung on Lex Luthor's arm, the more likely it was that these sorts of events would come up.
"Please??"
Lois finally gave in on a sigh. "Fine! But only because I have no clue what to do with it and I don't have time to decide myself. But you better make it good!" she warned, pointing at her firmly.
Lucy's face broke out in a grin. "Yes! I know exactly how to do it!"
The laughter bubbled out of Lois without her consent as her sister excitedly dragged her by the arm into the bathroom to get started on her masterpiece.
*****LnC*****
Clark swirled his glass of scotch gently, waiting patiently for his date to arrive. He paced the walls in a leisurely manner. It didn't matter if she was late or not. All he needed was to get there at some point and talk to the man of the hour.
His phone rang suddenly, startling him. Clark floated lazily down to pick up the receiver. "Yes?"
"Sir, I've taken care of the shipments. Is there anything else you need from me tonight?"
Clark grinned as an idea suddenly struck. "As a matter of fact, there is one other thing."
"You are aware that I am supposed to be at Mr. Luthor's side in just a few short minutes?"
"Yes, I'm aware. This will give you an excuse though."
He heard a sigh come across the line. "Very well, sir. What is it?"
"Would you mind being the driver to pick up Lois Lane for the Ball? I know Luthor likely has someone already picking her up, right? So, drive to get her yourself, tell her the driver that was going to get her was running late and so you filled in. If Luthor asks, tell him the same thing."
"I don't understand, sir. Why?"
Clark shrugged. "What does it matter? I'm asking you, aren't I?"
"And you want me to take her straight to the party still?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Clark furrowed his brow when Nigel failed to respond right away. "Do you have a problem with that, St. John? Or am I allowed to make my own plans without your input?"
He quickly backpedaled, reassuring him that there was no problem. Clark smiled facetiously. "Good. Oh, and Nigel? Fire the other driver. We'll frame him up for some low-level crime of some kind."
Nigel agreed hastily and got off the line. Clark sighed. Sometimes, Nigel got to thinking that they were on equal footing just because he knew more of the plan than anyone else. He needed to do things like tonight to keep him in his place.
There was a slight knock on the hotel room door. Clark righted himself quickly, planting both feet on the floor firmly before striding across the room. He ran his fingers through his slightly unruly locks and pasted a smile onto his face before he opened the door.
"Hey," he greeted the woman warmly, gesturing for her to come in. "You must be Tiffani."
She smiled and nodded, blonde locks swishing with the motion. "You're Mr. Kent?"
"The one and only," he replied cheekily. "I apologize for having you meet here, at this hotel instead of my place. It's just a precautionary measure, you know."
"Fine by me. It's really beautiful."
"You should see my place, then," his voice rumbled low in his chest.
She flushed attractively, and Clark couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and lust. "So, Mr. Kent," she started slowly. "I've heard a little about you. How come you didn't have a date of your own to attend this ball of yours?"
"My date snubbed me," he waved it off as if it were nothing.
"You?" her eyebrow arched in surprise.
"Apparently, I wasn't her 'type' or something," Clark gestured with a shrug. "She has standards, and I can respect that. Plus, I guess she's engaged to some nobody."
"Well, all the better for me, I guess."
Clark grinned at the model. She was right. Besides, he wasn't really that interested in Cat Grant. He'd just asked her to see if he could. And the agency was always a good fallback in a pinch. Exhibit A was standing just before him, and she was quite the knockout.
He checked his watch and realized the time. "We'd better get going if we're going to make an entrance. We can come back later if we want."
She grinned at him as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her out the door.
*****LnC*****
"Coming!" Lois shouted to the knock on her door. She was just finishing putting on her mascara when the first knock came. She'd tried to call Lex three more times, trying to tell him that Clark Kent was going to come crashing his party. Well, okay, he wasn't technically crashing, he had bought tickets. But still, she knew he didn't take well to the news that he had bought the Planet. She didn't want this celebration of life to be ruined by the presence of one bad egg.
Giving herself one last once over, Lois finally ran to the door, grabbing her shoes on the way.
She was surprised by the face that greeted her when she opened it. "Nigel! What are you doing here?" She bent over and balanced on one foot as she slipped her shoes on.
"My apologies for the change up, Miss Lane. Your driver couldn't be reached, so I came instead."
"Oh. No worries. Just give me one more second." She leaned back and reached for her clutch where it lay on the end table. "All right. Bye, Luce! Lock the door! I'll be back late, so don't wait up!"
"If you come back at all," she called back to her.
Lois rolled her eyes and slammed the door behind her. She turned and smiled self-deprecatingly at St. John, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her bangs. "Sorry about that."
He simply nodded. "Shall we?"
"Lead the way."
