Either this was the mother of all coincidences, or Lex somehow knew what she had said about him last night.
Naaaahhh…
"I believe it will be good for us to get away from Metropolis and spend time together in a more neutral setting."
So, his private island is a ‘neutral setting’?
LEX:
But it got lots of white beaches! White is supposed to be a neutral color.
"It's not the setting, Lex." Lois pulled her hand from his grasp. "I've thought about your offer, a lot. But we're from two completely different worlds. I'm afraid my answer has to be no."
"Perhaps another time?" He reached for her hand again, but she moved it away.
He’s a tad obtuse, isn’t he?
LEX: In my experience, when I give someone the opportunity to reflect on his most recent behavior, they usually reconsider.
NIGEL: Very good, sir. Shall I start lowering Ms. Lucy Lane into the vat with boiling oil as usual?
His mouth tightened momentarily, and then his eyes closed, as if he was in pain.
Well, she did just give a major blow to his ego.
When he opened them again, she felt a stab of guilt at how bereft he looked.
Poor Lex.
Hmm…should I try to sound more sincere?
Poor Lex.
Nope, doesn’t work. Sooo-rry!
Could we begin again as friends?"
Lois stared at him, shocked into silence that a man as powerful as Lex Luthor wanted her friendship.
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/konfus/a015.gif)
Did she talk about friendship on the phone?
MC: And the Oscar for Best Normal Guy Act goes to…
I don't drop my guard easily, but I have with you, Lois." His hand lightly touched hers, but this time she didn't pull away.
Danger! Danger!
![[Linked Image]](http://www.scottolson.name/bio/images/roboticimages/robot_lis.jpg)
With shame, she realized that Lex had, on occasion, been relaxed and familiar.
LEX: It was my greatest performance to date!
He had been charming and flirtatious and had eaten ice cream straight from carton with her.
LEX: To be fair, I did hope that she’d invite me to stay. I even had had Nigel break into her apartment while she was still at the club and wash her sheets.
His thumb had stroked over the bare flesh of her upper arm when he said it, his voice soft and sultry. Their eyes had met for a moment and a shiver of pure desire had run through her.
"I love you, Lois. I would do anything for you. Name it, and it's yours."
"…Whatever she wants, or needs, I'd do it. Clark's words came back to her in a rush. "Her happiness matters more than my own."
CLARK:
Across the table, Lex was still looking beseechingly at her. It was almost hypnotic,
![[Linked Image]](http://38.media.tumblr.com/90602955dec91944b053773da83e15cc/tumblr_mwf00m3Fmz1rr89f5o2_500.gif)
He already used his wealth for philanthropy, bankrolling her exposes would merely be an extension of that altruism.
Right. But hey, maybe he’ll give her a typewriter and some paper to write an expose about how a billionaire once locked up a fair maiden in an Alpine fortress.
“We don't have to make any decisions today," he told her and picked up a menu. "Shall we order?"
"Actually, no" she said as she stood up quickly on shaky legs. "Something came up
Her breakfast?
So how in the heck had Lex known where to find her the past few days?
Maybe Superman was helping Lex?
In the end, she found sixty-seven cents in loose change, two pens, the pearl earring she'd lost months ago, and a crumpled straw wrapper, but not a single sophisticated little gizmo.
She used cuticle scissors to snip the lining open and found a small and cylindrical metal object, less than an inch long.
Wasn’t Arnie’s character in True Lies using a similar tracking device?
The prospect of going home was daunting. What if Lex hadn't stopped at simply bugging her phone and her purse, but was also monitoring her apartment? What if he had cameras there?
There’s a soap opera out there that used that premise for about quite some parts.
That's when it occurred to her that there might be one safe place available. It was also possible that Lex might not think to look there right away.
Something on Clinton Street?
The quirk of Luthor's smile instantly made Clark suspect the billionaire had somehow procured kryptonite and was setting fires simply to lure Superman close enough to test its effectiveness.
No way! That would be evil!
It dawned on her that now was the perfect time to do a little unauthorized snooping.
Isn’t it funny how the first thing she does when she feels safe from prying eyes is to snoop around another person’s privacy?
It was entirely possible that Clark had some memento or maybe a few love letters from his mystery girlfriend lying around.
Oh. Right. She’s jealous.
LOIS: Noisy.
Wonder what she’s going to do when she finds panties.
LOIS:
Wait a second. Why does Clark have one of my panties?
She picked up the picture and couldn't help but smile. It was another picture from work. Clark obviously needed a wider social circle.
Wider than including just Lois and friends?
Looking at his pictures and trying out his mattress didn't even begin to rise to the level of tapping his phone and tracking his whereabouts.
That’s interesting reasoning for why it’s okay to be doing this.
Had he kissed his mystery woman yet? Had he touched her cheek when he did it?
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/midi/froehlich/d025.gif)
Lois stumbled, half-blind as her vision blurred, in the direction of Clark's front door. She was on the second step when Superman took hold of her elbow.
"Lois, wait."
More than anything right now, she didn't want to start crying. Especially not in front of Superman.
"Come on, come sit down." His arm went around her waist, gently but firmly guiding her down the stairs and towards Clark's couch. He urged her to sit, then took a seat several inches away from her. "Tell me what's wrong."
He does seem a lot like Clark. I wonder…nah…
And then he showed up dressed in casual clothes for our lunch today."
Superman's eyes widened a little, but he didn't say anything. Lois felt encouraged that he wasn't dismissing her fears.
"See, the thing is, last night on the phone, Clark and I were kind of making fun of him for always being in a suit and tie. It just felt like too much of a coincidence."
Superman nodded.
Hmm…I wonder if Superman’s spying on Lois and Clark’s conversations…
She really hadn't wanted to stay, but once his arm was around her, he had been damn near impossible to resist.
Yes, if Superman doesn’t want you to leave, he can certainly make sure you don’t.
It would, however, be far too disconcerting to sleep there in her underwear. Or even, heaven forbid, nothing at all.
Yeah, that would be awkward, if Superman came home then.
She opened Clark's top dresser drawer and peeked inside.
Maybe one of his shirts?
Superman smiled and shook his head. "Not a chance. When he finds out you wore that to sleep in, he may never wash it again."
What’s his girlfriend going to say about that?
"Are you offering to stay here with me?"
His eyebrows rose in surprise. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea."
"Can't resist me?" she teased.
Considering the last time Lois slept at his apartment.
"He can't resist me," she whispered to herself.
Oh boy. So much for her wanting Clark.
LOIS: Why can’t I have some chocolate, too?
Michael
