Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Clark TOC can be found
Here Part 73 Part 74Thursday, February 3, 1994As Lex sat at his desk, reading through the negotiations conducted by his LexCorp Tokyo division to buy a Japanese telecommunication chip company, his fencing instructor Emile barged into his private office.
“Emile! I didn’t see you on my…” Lex began before Emile stabbed him with the point of his foil and pulled off his face guard to reveal that he was really a she. A certain blonde female chemist, who had claimed she could make a perfume which could literally make someone fall in love. Lex thought that she was an itch that had been scratched; apparently, she was reoccurring. “Miranda!”
Lex went to stand up but the point of her foil, which wasn’t dulled with a protective tip, dug into his shoulder. He raised his hands and sat back. “What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”
“You haven’t returned my phone calls, Lex,” Miranda said coldly.
He vaguely recalled Lois saying something similar when they met. Just thinking about Lois gave him a warm feeling in his chest and he smiled.
Miranda pushed the point in a millimeter further as her expression grew more incensed. “You told your man out there
and Mrs. Cox not to allow me entrance, so I thought I’d get your attention in my own little way.”
“You’ve got it,” Lex admitted. “But, really, Miranda, what did you expect after spraying me with your witch’s brew?” He raised an eyebrow. It had taken him until last night, when the perfume had finally worn off, to realize he had been under Miranda’s love spell. He had been unaware that she had sprayed him when she stopped by the other morning to discuss the termination of her funding. “I applaud you on your success. I’m the first to admit when I’ve made a mistake,” he lied, but then again she had him against a wall, so-to-speak.
“Do you want to negotiate, or are you ready to see further proof that my perfume works as I said it does?” she taunted.
“Why? What did you do?” he accused with a momentary flash of dread. If there was one thing he hated more than Superman, it was being out of control.
Sneering, she tossed him the copy of the Daily Planet. The top headline proclaimed
Couple Reunited! Love Wins Out! The banner of the newspaper was in red. It looked more like a spoof Valentine’s edition than a serious newspaper.
“I’ve shown you a practical application of my perfume, both in creating chaos on the individual level and now with a group. Surely, Lex, you see that I’m a force to reckon with,” Miranda said. She pulled the foil out of his shoulder and turned to leave. “I’ll be back this afternoon for negotiations, if I haven’t sold my formula elsewhere by then.”
***
Lex walked out of the elevator into the Daily Planet newsroom, unsure what he would find awaiting him. He recalled how deliriously happy he had been in Lois’s company at the luncheon, how angry her losing that Kryptonite watch had made him, and how jealous he had felt of Clark Kent, despite her reassurances that they were only friends. He had disliked all of those feelings. Feelings were the gateway to emotions, and an emotional attachment made one weak; case in point, Superman’s emotional attachment to one Lois Lane. They may have hidden it away under lock and key, but Lex continued to watch him for the signs. He could see that Superman still wore his heart on his sleeve for Lois.
The newsroom was awash in Valentine’s Day décor despite the holiday still being over ten days away.
“Good morning, Perry,” he said, passing the editor as he exited the elevator.
“Gotta run, Lex. Love waits for no man!” Perry called, as the elevator doors closed between them.
It was a strange thing to say, but Lex reserved judgment until he had more proof of Miranda’s handiwork. He walked to the railing and gazed at all the Daily Planet staffers acting more uncontrolled than usual: kissing, dancing, drinking champagne, caressing each other with rose buds, and that was just the beginning. None of them appeared to be working. Their one and only thought seemed focused on love.
My God, had Lex acted such a fool with Lois the other day at the luncheon? What must she think of him? No wonder she accused him of being drunk. If Miranda had pushed back his plans with Lois, he would… his fist tightened at that thought. No, he wouldn’t lose control. First, he would see how much damage was done. He would apologize to Lois for his rude behavior and then establish if she still wanted to have dinner with him the following night.
Lex vaguely remembered Nigel mentioning, as Miranda left his office, that Lois would be attending Tuesday’s luncheon. Lex had responded that he should make an appearance, therefore, to see how much she was enjoying her new watch. Since the sky, and her newspaper, was still full of that red caped menace, there must be a reason. Either the Kryptonite rocks Nigel had acquired were merely overpriced stones, or Lois wasn’t wearing his gift. Evidently, it wasn’t to her taste, which is why she saw fit to lie to his face about its disappearance. Lex wouldn’t make that same mistake twice.
Had Miranda overheard that conversation and chosen this locale to test her perfume in the group setting due to Lois?
He saw Lois sitting over at her desk. She looked more alluring than she had on their first date. She wore a white lacy dress, which revealed her figure and assets most delightfully. Her hair was styled with feminine curls as if she had put genuine effort into the process.
Lex’s eyes narrowed as he noticed that she was sitting in Kent’s lap. The two reporters were looking at some photographs. He decided to head down there to put a stop to that behavior immediately.
As he approached, Kent stood up and practically ran from the newsroom. Undoubtedly, Lois’s partner knew what he had been doing with her was inappropriate. Lois had told Lex only the day before yesterday that she didn’t have any sort of relationship with her partner, outside of business. Had that changed due to Miranda’s interference?
“Have a love balloon,” some female staffer said, handing Lex a red balloon. He accepted it with charity, but released it as soon as the woman’s back had turned.
“Hello, Lois,” he said, stepping up behind her. He could smell her perfume. It was a soft floral scent, which gave her a more feminine touch and he heartedly approved of the switch.
“Oh! Lex,” Lois said with breathless surprise.
Lex loved the way she said his name like that. He planned to have her moan it again repeatedly in just the same manner after dinner the next night. He smiled, wishing he didn’t have to wait. It was such a pity he would have to slit her throat, instead of keep her around longer than the one night required to break Superman’s spirit. On the other hand, should she be as pleasurable as he foresaw, the manor house was currently free of visitors. He wondered if Lois enjoyed being tied up. Somehow, he doubted so, not that it would have any bearing on such plans. “Things have certainly changed around here,” he said.
“Yes, I know, for the better,” Lois said with an audible sigh.
“For the
better?” Lex repeated, taking in Lois and her ensemble once more. Miranda had certainly gotten the entire news staff. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day at lunch,” he continued. “I wasn’t quite myself. I feel I may have come on a bit strongly.”
“Did you? I hadn’t noticed,” Lois answered.
She hadn’t noticed? Lois was clearly under the love spell.
Well, good, thought Lex.
That will make this easier. “So, are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Sure,” she replied casually, causing Lex’s heart to rejoice.
Thankfully, Lois had some attraction to him under the perfume’s spell and not just to Kent.
“But I need you to understand something,” Lois went on, still speaking in that flirtatious tone he adored. “There is only one man in the world for me.”
And there was only one woman Lex wanted.
“Clark Kent,” Lois announced with another sigh as she looked over Lex’s shoulder.
Lex turned his startled expression to see Kent enter the newsroom from the stairwell with an armful of magazines. Both men stared at one another, and seemed to declare war with that one look. Lex faced Lois. “Darling, you told me just two days ago that there was nothing between you and Kent.”
“Mmmmmm, nothing,” Lois moaned, gliding her hands down her body in a seductive manner that made even Lex get a shiver of anticipation. “Yeah, he’s been trying to convince me of that too, but…” She tapped Lex on the nose with a slight giggle. “
I know the truth. I love him and
only him.” She smiled at Kent and waved at him with her fingers.
Kent stared at them, but waved back in the same way.
“He’ll soon see that no other man will do,” Lois went on.
“I see,” Lex replied, murmuring more to himself than to her. Kent would soon learn what happened to uppity rats who dared to touch Lex’s possessions. “And here I was worried about Superman.”
Lois must have heard him, because she sighed again. “Ooooooh. Him too,” she moaned, but placed a finger to her lips with a wink. “Just don’t tell Clark.”
Lex couldn’t help but grin. It was only the potion talking. If she were only interested in Kent, she wouldn’t have confirmed their dinner date, and simpered about Superman as well. “My lips are sealed,” he whispered, kissing the back of Lois’s hand. “Until tomorrow night.”
*
Lois watched as Lex walked out of the newsroom. He passed Clark on the way to the elevators, and she could see the anger in the men’s expressions as their eyes met. She hated to be the cause for the two men to fight.
She would have to reassure Clark again that she wasn’t interested in Lex, not in
that way at least. She was only interested in what she could learn about him. Actually, she had
never been interested in Lex sexually; just the thought of being intimate with him made her stomach churn. There was something ugly and aggressive in the way that Lex pursued her. She couldn’t put her finger on what, because her brain was all muddled with thoughts of Clark, but…
Clark. Lois sighed. He really was the most wonderful, loving, and sweet man she had ever met. She was so lucky to have him in her life. She only wished they could get somewhere with this investigation on the perfume so that she could pin him down. Literally.
Her brow furrowed. Now, what had she been thinking about before thoughts of Clark…?
Clark. She loved the way her skin tingled whenever he touched her. In fact, he didn’t even have to touch her to make her warm and desirous of him. Just having him close made her want to get closer. She only had to think about how he had kissed her, their tongues intertwined, his body pushed against her as if he couldn’t wait to make love to her. “Me, either,” she whispered, staring at Clark.
He wasn’t looking at her though. His attention was still focused on Lex as he watched the man return to the elevator as if Clark hoped by doing so he would be able to read the man’s mind or his intentions.
If Lois were to take each of the three men in her life and compared them separately, neither Lex nor Superman could hold a candle to Clark. Clark was her whole life, the love of her life. All three men were gentlemanly in their behavior, true, but only Clark seemed sincere with his affections. All three men tended to treat her like some fragile flower that needed to be protected, which was romantic in a very annoying sort of way. Lex and Superman were both powerful men, in completely different ways, but she liked that Clark was like her, full of foibles, problems, and desires. He was real in a way neither of the other two were.
Clark. Mmmmm. He was one sexy man. She loved how he rolled up his sleeves and dug into a story. She loved that little crinkle he got in the bridge of his nose when he concentrated hard. He could get buried in his work though. He refused to move their relationship forward until he was sure that Lois didn’t love him due to the perfume that his source told him about. Clark even refused to sleep with her the night before, the spoilsport. He had said he wanted her to sleep at his place and that he would sleep at her apartment to make sure Ralph didn’t try any funny business. Lois sighed. Clark really could be so sweet. He really cared for her. Now, Superman…
Superman. Lois moaned just thinking about that skintight suit. Well, no human male was more virile than Superman; that was just a fact. Lois couldn’t help but be attracted to him, especially if she was under the spell of the pheromone perfume as Clark assumed. Lois still wasn’t sure that she was. She knew though, that if she were to put Clark and Superman next to one another, she would choose Clark every time. Skintight suit or not, she bet Clark would look better naked. Perhaps she had this opinion because she had seen his bare chest on occasion.
She bit her bottom lip, and thought back on all those times she had seen Clark partially clothed. There were certainly not enough times in her opinion. She could picture his bare chest sparkling and moist with the slightest hint of water from the shower. Ooooh, Clark in the shower. Her thoughts caused her whole body to flush. She must have been staring at Clark, because he pulled his gaze away from where he was watching Lex and glanced over at her.
Lois rushed across the room to join him, unable to stay away any longer. “Hi, Clark! Did you find what you were looking for?”
“What did Luthor want?” he asked, skipping over her question.
Her smile grew into a grin. “Me, but I told him that there wasn’t anyone else in the world I wanted besides you.”
His eyes softened at her words. “Why, thank you, Lois. That’s always good to hear,” he said. For a second, it almost appeared as if Clark would lean over and kiss her cheek, but he changed his mind. Shucky-darn.
In her attempt to wrap her arms around his waist to kiss him, Lois inadvertently knocked over the pile of magazines from his arms. “Oh, sorry, Chuck,” she gushed, bending down to help gather them back up. “What do you need all these fashion magazines for?”
Ralph walked by at that moment and pinched her bottom.
Lois jumped to her feet and pulled back her fist to sock him, but Clark grabbed her hand.
“Here, Lois, let me,” he requested. “I wouldn’t want you to get blood on your pretty white dress.”
She relaxed. Clark hadn’t said one word about how she looked today until that moment. She was beginning to wonder if he had noticed how much time and effort she had exerted for him. Her heart constricted. Not that she was complaining, she wasn’t. She loved Clark and she hadn’t needed him to
say anything as his facial expression, when he had opened the door and saw her this morning, had been compliment enough. She was more than happy to do anything to please him,
anything at all that he required.
Clark stepped over the pile of magazines he had stacked on the floor and over to Ralph. “Hi, Ralph. May I have a word?”
“Yo, Kent, you mind if I have the leftovers when you’re done banging Mad Dog?” Ralph asked.
Lois rushed past Clark and was about to claw Ralph’s face off when she discovered Clark was holding her back again. “Let me at him!” she screamed, trying to pull out of Clark’s arms.
“Ralph isn’t himself,
minha, and neither are you. He’s under the influence of the perfume,” Clark reminded her, as if that made any difference to what Ralph said or did. “Let me take care of him, Lois. Please.”
She couldn’t believe that Clark was acting so calm and collected after what Ralph had said. “How about, you can mop up the blood once I’m done pulling out his spleen through his ear canal?” Lois countered.
Clark seemed to consider her offer and glanced at Ralph for his opinion. To her satisfaction, Ralph looked as if he were about to wet himself.
“No, Lois. Ralph isn’t worth you spending the next twenty years in prison on a murder charge,” Clark said, nuzzling his lips to her ear. “Why don’t you finish gathering up the magazines, while I take care of Ralph, and then we’ll head back to my place for lunch?”
Lois’s body almost exploded with ecstasy on the spot as she nodded with delight. She had wanted to get Clark alone since he had picked her up from his apartment this morning and he insisted on taking her
out for breakfast.
“Okay, then,” Clark said, letting go of Lois, draping his arm around Ralph’s shoulders, and leading him towards the storage closet.
Clark. Lois exhaled, trying to control what just thinking his name did to her nerve endings. She loved him. He was always thinking of her, of them, and of their future together.
He was right. Killing Ralph, while in the short term highly satisfactory, wasn’t worth going to jail for and only getting rare conjugal visits from Clark. Anyway, taking Ralph’s spleen out through his ear would be too fast a death for him; he deserved something much slower, more painful, and a thousand times worse. Maybe she should mention to Superman what Ralph said. No, Superman was too all forgiving and noble to defend her honor.
Lois bent back down to pick up the fashion magazines off the floor. She wondered again what Clark needed them for. One of the magazines indicated that there was an article inside on
10 Ways to Please Your Man. Well, that had potential. Lois set it to the side. Another one had suggestions about
How to Make Him Last All Night Long. Mmmmm. Maybe she hadn’t been keeping up with her reading, as she should have been. She set that magazine to the side as well. A third one stated it had clues on
How to Say ‘Yes’, So He Can’t Say ‘No’. Bull’s eye! Lois dropped the other magazines and sat down at her desk to peruse that article. She quickly scanned the article and knew exactly how to woo Clark into bed that night, should he try to put the brakes on their relationship again.
They had spent all yesterday afternoon, and into the evening, checking into the company, which had hosted the event at the Daily Planet the morning before, for the fragrance
Exclusive! Clark had done most of the investigating. Lois had spent most of the time orbiting Clark as if she were Mercury to his Sun. She just couldn’t help it; he was that wonderful. If there weren’t already a man out there called ‘Superman’, she would’ve adopted the title for Clark.
They had gotten a sample of the perfume, interviewed the marketing people from both the Daily Planet and the company who distributed
Exclusive!, run a background check on the perfume developer, and finally taken a sample of the perfume to S.T.A.R. Labs for testing. After all that work, it turned out it was all for naught.
Exclusive! wasn’t chock full of pheromones as Clark’s source had told him. By the time they had finished dinner at his favorite Mexican restaurant, Clark was almost as frustrated as she was. Sadly, not in the same way.
They had then returned to her apartment where he had dropped off his suitcase of clothes she had insisted he pack. She loaded up a huge suitcase of items to bring back to Clark’s apartment. If she could have her way, she’d never move out. She had already told Clark she wanted to marry him; perhaps she should suggest that they move in together until the wedding. Working jointly all day just wasn’t enough together time for her. She was sure he wouldn’t mind. Clark loved her after all.
Lois glanced down at the magazines on the floor. That was strange; Clark hadn’t chosen any bridal magazines. He most likely wanted a small wedding, intimate, just her family and their closest friends, being that his family was dead and he was on the run. Her mom would want one of those huge weddings, which would take them a year to plan and cost all the money her father had ever earned creating cyborgs, and probably end up stuffing Lois into a meringue-type wedding dress. Lois shuddered at the thought.
A year? They should just elope. She would make the suggestion to Clark later. Lois grinned. Later couldn’t come soon enough for her. Where was Clark?
As if her thoughts had called to him, he reappeared from the storage closet and approached her. He glanced at her and then down at the magazines still all over the floor, and then shook his head with a sigh.
“Where’s Ralph?” Lois asked. Not that she really cared, but she was curious what Clark had done. Had
he killed Ralph? Would they have to go on the run together? The thought of the two of them relying on each other for everything seemed like the closest form of intimacy imaginable, and she gasped as another wave of desire vibrated through her.
Clark glanced up from the floor, where he was gathering the magazines, and gulped.
That’s right, big fellow, your days are numbered. Time to come to Mama! “We had a little talk, and I’ve tied him up with a project that will keep Ralph from bothering anyone else for the rest of the day,” Clark replied vaguely.
Lois clapped her hands with delight. “Shall we go now?” she pleaded. She
needed Clark desperately.
He stood up, the pile of magazines in the crook of one arm, and brushed his thumb across her cheek with the thumb of his free hand. “All right, Lois. You win.”
She threw her hands into the air and encircled Clark’s neck, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I
love winning!”
“I know, Lois. I know,” he murmured.
***
Lex looked at himself.
Yes, he thought. He was ready for this meeting with Miranda. Every possible scenario had been drilled into his head. Every escape outlined and rehearsed. He pushed his intercom button. “Let Miranda in,” he ordered to Mrs. Cox.
“Yes, sir.”
Miranda waltzed into the office as if she owned the place. “Lex, I see you’ve come to your senses.”
Lex checked the bottle of champagne he had on ice before applauding. “Have you reviewed the offer I sent over?” he asked.
“I want more,” Miranda replied. “I do have other offers on the table.”
This was a lie. The tap on her phone and the tail had come back proving neither.
“I do prefer
your offer, Lex, but I’m sure we could come to some arrangement, which would be beneficial to us both,” she continued, practically purring. She moved closer to him and danced her fingers across his chest, until she was draped around his neck.
He reached up and detached her hands, giving them a brief squeeze before dropping them. “Let’s keep our relationship professional.”
She raised a brow. “Are you planning on paying me for my services?”
“I plan on sharing the profits from your perfume fifty-fifty,” Lex offered.
“Seventy-thirty,” she countered.
“Sixty-forty?” he retorted. He would retain sixty to her forty. He
did, after all, fund her R&D. It was in the fine print of their contract that he would own a majority share in anything she developed while under his auspices.
“Done!” she agreed.
“A toast to you, to your brilliant success, and to our new partnership,” Lex said, returning to the bottle of champagne and pouring out two glasses.
“To us,” Miranda agreed, taking one of the offered glasses.
They raised their flutes in a toast and then each took a sip.
“I am concerned about the temporary nature of the perfume. Forty-eight hours isn’t much time,” he explained. It had been more than enough for him, but if he could use it on Lois for longer than that… he smiled.
“Oh, but I only used a one-percent solution at the Daily Planet. In its purest form, Revenge will immediately cause a total and permanent breakdown of all inhibitions,” Miranda bragged.
“Hmmmm,” he murmured, imagining what Lois would do to him if so uninhibited. “Excellent.”
“I’ve found, though…” Miranda continued, turning away from Lex and placing her hand on her purse. “That a twenty-five percent solution will act like the one-percent solution for the first forty-eight hours, and then will slowly eat away at a person’s willpower over time until the object of their desires becomes an unstoppable obsession. Nothing will waylay them until they have full and total control over the one they crave most.” She pulled out an aerator and sprayed Lex in the face.
He grabbed her wrist and twisted it to make her drop the perfume bottle. “What are you doing?”
“Taking what is rightfully mine,” Miranda answered. “You were mine once, Lex, and I’m not willing to give you up that easily.”
“As I told you the other day, that was a long time ago, Miranda,” Lex said, blinking his stinging eyes.
“Don’t you feel any of those old feelings roaring up within you?” she asked artfully. “Don’t you remember how well we had it together?”
“I never mix business with other people’s pleasure, Miranda,” Lex announced.
“Surely now, after you’ve seen how Lois Lane was carrying on with that co-worker of hers, you can’t possibly believe she holds any true affection for
you,” Miranda murmured. “I, on the other hand, only have affection for you. I want what’s best for you.”
Lex shook his head, trying to shake away the feeling that was coming over him. He stared at Miranda and her cascades of blonde hair. She had done this to him. She had made him lose control. She had made Lois turn towards Kent. Who knew what that man was doing to his precious Lois at that very moment? He flung his champagne flute to the ground, pulled Miranda into his arms, and pinned her against the desk.
*
“No, no, no!” the real Lex shouted, banging his hand on the table in his war room as he looked at the monitor, showing the fiasco happening in his office. He turned to his majordomo. “Call Dr. Leek and tell him that this new model will no longer do. This one is now obsessed with Miranda. He will have be floated like the others.”
“Sir,” Nigel replied from behind him. “If we were to wait a moment, I believe you would find …” He pointed at the monitor.
Lex returned his gaze to the monitor to see that his clone wasn’t kissing Miranda as he earlier assumed, but strangling her with both hands. “Still…” He rubbed the bandage covering the spot where Miranda had stabbed him earlier with the foil. “Miranda infected him with her spray. Who knows what percentage of Revenge is in that bottle? Who knows what he would do if he were to see…”
Lois. He gulped.
Miranda’s words echoed in his mind.
A twenty-five percent solution will act like the one-percent solution for the first forty-eight hours, and then will slowly eat away at a person’s willpower over time until the object of their desires becomes an unstoppable obsession.Had Miranda already sprayed Lex with the twenty-five percent solution? Or had she exposed him only to the one-percent solution? He hadn’t been able to get Lois off his mind for days. True, he wasn’t as jealous as he was before, but he felt obsessed. Yet, he didn’t feel newly infatuated. Perhaps Miranda’s speech was only to make him paranoid, and it was all in his head. There also was a chance that he was merely in love with Lois Lane.
That would be an even worse development.
“Let me remind you, sir, that it will take Dr. Leek three months to have another clone ready for training,” Nigel said.
Lex glanced back at the video monitor and advised his man, “You had better get in there, Nigel, before the clone kills her.”
“Right, sir,” Nigel responded, heading for the door. “But, sir, surely she will go to the police.”
“I never said that we’d free her or let her live. We just aren’t going to kill her now. Too many people have seen her here. Our meeting was logged in my calendar; clearly she must die elsewhere,” Lex said, shooing him away with a flick of his hand.
***
Friday, February 4, 1994Lois had been hung-over a few times in her life, most recently, after Cat’s party. Her mouth was dry. Her head throbbed. Yep, she was hung-over.
As her mom liked to remind her, if it looked like a horse, and smelled like a horse… no, wait. That was that saying about ducks. Anyway, her memories were entirely too fuzzy to be reliable. Lois couldn’t recall drinking anything alcoholic since Christmas Eve, so she must have been drugged.
Fantastic. Another day in the life of Lois Lane.She wondered whose lair she had been dragged to in this condition. Her lids scraped against her dry eyeballs in an attempt to open. The light was too bright at first. She shaded her eyes and realized she faced a bank of windows, a vaguely familiar bank of windows. Standing on the other side of them was Superman. His arms were crossed and he was staring at her in his usual intense manner.
Oh, good. She had already been rescued. At least she didn’t have to deal with bad guys on top of her hangover. She waved at him and, sliding her legs off the bed, stood up. As she took a step towards the windows, Superman raised a hand, indicating she should wait.
“Good morning, Lois,” he called to her through the window.
“What’s so good about it? I feel as if I need a gallon of coffee, a couple of aspirin, and a tube of toothpaste to get this fuzziness out of my mouth and to feel human again,” she grumbled, squinting through the harsh light to see him. Did he have to wear such bright colors?
Despite her words, Superman smiled and his body relaxed. “Welcome back, Lois.”
She lifted her hand to her head. “Where have I been?”
“From all reports, over the rainbow,” he replied.
Did Superman just quote song lyrics to her? She shook off this thought, which was a mistake as stars filled her vision for a moment. She blinked her eyes a few times and they went away. “Well, I’m back. Mind telling me where I am?” she asked, and watched as the smile fell from his face.
“Clark’s apartment.”
Lois forced herself to take her eyes off Superman to check out her surroundings. Sure enough, she was standing in Clark’s bedroom. A shiver of dread crept down her spine. If she was in Clark’s apartment, where was he? Why was Superman standing watch over her instead of Clark? Did the bad guys who had captured her take Clark as well?
“Where’s Clark?” she asked, her voice sounding harsher than she meant, to cover her worry.
She saw a flash of distress cross Superman’s expression before he masked it behind his usual façade. Oh, no! Did Superman have bad news about Clark? Her heart began to race and she was sure Superman could hear it, but there was nothing she could do to hide her feelings. She loved Clark. If anything had happened to him… “Where’s Clark?” she asked again, only this time it was a demand.
“He’s in a secure location for the time being,” Superman replied cryptically.
“Secure location?” Lois murmured, as her knees weakened and gave out, causing her to sit down on Clark’s window seat. Her eyes widened at the implications of that one phrase. The men who were after Clark must have found him. Had she been drugged as bait? Had Superman rescued them both, only to have to remove Clark to a safe house where the gangsters couldn’t find him? Would she ever see Clark again? God, why couldn’t she remember anything clearly? “Where is he? I
need to see Clark,” she said, her voice rough. “Take me to him. Now!”
Superman raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “Now?”
Lois pushed herself back to her feet and put her hands on her hips. He wasn’t the only intense person in Metropolis. “Now!” she demanded too loudly; her head felt as if someone had hit her with a two by four.
Then Superman did something she had never in her life seen. He looked her up and down, and then shook his head ‘no’.
“Why in the hell not?” she retorted.
“Don’t you think you should get dressed first, Lois?”
She glanced down at her apparel for the first time, and blushed. She had bought this ensemble, in a moment of weakness, eons ago when she thought there might be a real relationship between her and Superman. It was a light blue baby doll negligee. The bra was mostly lace with a few decorative sequins to make it shimmer in the light. The rest of the nightgown was sheerer than opaque light blue, and came barely down to cover her bottom. She had bought gold panties to wear with it of a similar shimmery lace to the bra. She had wavered and almost bought a red pair, but she was afraid he’d notice she was copying his suit.
Superman cleared his throat as he actively avoided gazing at her.
“You don’t like it?” she asked innocently. “I bought it for you.” It was nice to see Superman discombobulated for a change. Heavens knows she had felt that way around him often enough.
“Could you please put on a robe?” his terse voice requested, cracking with unheard of strain.
“Why? With your powers, it would need to be lead lined to keep you from seeing anything,” Lois reminded him.
That brought his focus back to her eyes. “I have
never used my powers to… to…” He waved his hand in a most flustered sort of way. “Compromise you in any way.”
Lois smiled, betting he had thought about it. “Are you
sure about that?”
“I most certainly have not!” he spouted. There was the righteous indignation that she loved.
“So, are you going to take me to Clark, or not?” she repeated.
“Not dressed like that, I’m not,” he replied.
She crossed her arms, both to mimic his stance and to give herself more cover. “Is this why we’re talking through a window?”
Superman shifted his weight but didn’t verbally answer. She took that to be a ‘yes’.
“Is Clark not alone? Is he in a hospital? Has he been seriously wounded?” Lois shot the questions at him like bullets from a semi-automatic pistol. “Please, just tell me what happened. I assure you my imagination is making this worse than it probably is.”
His expression appeared more drawn, and her stomach felt full of cement.
“Do you really not remember the last two days?” he asked.
Two days? Lois tried to focus her fuzzy thoughts but it was all a blur. She vaguely remembered forgiving Clark for lying to her about his past. They took a cab ride through the park on the way to lunch to celebrate. After lunch, they had ended up at Clark’s apartment, on Clark’s couch, where they had started… no,
continued to make out. One of Clark’s sources, who must have tracked them down to Clark’s apartment, had interrupted them. Clark had kissed her one last time, and then told her he’d get rid of the man as quickly as possible, because he had something of great importance to tell her. Then he had left and was gone a long time.
When Clark returned, he was different. He didn’t want to kiss her anymore and never brought up the ‘important matter’ again. He kept claiming that something had happened to
her, but she knew the truth. Something had happened to Clark. No matter what she said or did, Clark refused to believe that she loved him anymore. Whoever it was he had gone out to meet had turned Clark against her. The most recent time she had seen Clark, he would hardly look at her in this outfit. The last thing she remembered was pleading with him to give her one last chance. He had left his apartment spouting hurtful words of rejection. Humiliation flooded her.
Slowly Lois shook her head. No, she didn’t know what had happened to Clark to make him reject her after swearing to her that he loved her. It would be better to forget this degrading episode as if it had never happened, and move on.
“You really don’t remember?” Superman repeated, almost in shock. “Go put on Clark’s robe; it’s behind the bathroom door, and I’ll bring Clark here to explain everything.”
That would be a first, Lois thought wryly.
At least, she could be certain of one thing. Clark would lie to her and cover up this entire horrible event. A leopard never changed his spots, and Clark was pure wildcat.
***End of Part 74*** Part 75 Comments welcome.
