Happy Ficlet Friday, everyone. Here's another glimpse into MagiKal's world. Hope you enjoy.
Thanks to my beta, Lynn S.M.. It’s A Kind Of Magic Lois was furious with Clark. He was going to blow the entire investigation just because of his stupid infatuation with his dog. Why did he have to take Houdini with him into the bar? Lois didn’t understand it. She was annoyed with herself that she’d even compromised by suggesting he pose as a blind guy. She was Lois Lane - she didn’t make compromises and for good reason.
This was never going to work. There was a good chance he’d accidentally slip up and reveal that he could see well enough. And then they’d be busted.
Lois watched Clark’s entrance from behind a curtain that separated the bar from the backstage area. She held her breath, waiting for either Houdini or Clark to make the first mistake. But the dog proved to be an exceptional actor, stopping at all the right places while he slowly led his master to the bar. Clark followed suit, keeping his head straight as if he didn’t see any of the people around him.
Lois let out a breath. Maybe there was a slim chance this might work after all. As Clark turned to take a seat at the bar, there was a brief moment when Lois had an unrestricted view of him. She barely managed to stifle a gasp. Boy, did Clark look handsome in a tux. His white shirt stretched across a lean, muscular chest and his tightly fitted jacked did little to hide broad, muscular arms. Her mouth ran dry and it took a conscious effort to drag her eyes away from him.
She was here to investigate a crime, not her rookie colleague.
She spotted Johnny Taylor and a few of his goons sitting in front of the stage, all of them drooling over the singer. Lois curled her lips as she realized that Tony Taylor's assessment of Johnny’s usefulness had been spot on. It was rather obvious that he cared more about his own pleasure than about the business. Here he was doing nothing but enjoying himself while his sister was probably still busy with the real work. Figures!
Lois’ gaze drifted back to Clark, who had taken a seat at the bar. He was now staring past the bartender, whose face was creased in a deep frown. The latter didn’t seem happy about his new customer and, more importantly, his dog. Houdini was standing by Clark’s side like a statue, every muscle in his body tense. Lois felt her pulse quicken as she wondered whether Houdini’s protective streak would become a problem.
Clark was talking to the bartender, who shook his head and tensed up. Lois let out a growl of frustration. She had been afraid this was going to happen. It looked like the bartender was trying to throw Clark out. Oh, she should never have expected Clark to handle an assignment like this. Why did he have to insist on that stupid dog! Agonized by her own helplessness, Lois was dying to jump to Clark’s rescue and find a few choice words for the bartender’s treatment of handicapped people.
“Hey, sweety pie, whatcha doin’?” A guy behind her asked. “You’re next”
Lois whipped around, taking in the man’s leer as he let his gaze drift over her body and the skimpy yellow chicken dress she wore. A surge of anger filled her and she was about to give the sleazy guy a piece of her mind, when she remembered that she was undercover herself.
Swallowing down her rising bile, she plastered a smile on her face.
“Coming,” she purred.
Inwardly, she vowed to show the guy an example of her Taekwondo skills the next chance she got -- him and every other sleazebag she came across. Lois clenched her hands into tight fists and had a last look at Clark.
She did a double take as he raised a glass of whiskey to his lips, a smug smile playing around them. He looked decidedly sexy, his measured movements hinted at a quiet strength that surrounded him. The bartender watched him with a sour expression that Clark seemed completely oblivious to. Lois blinked. He was much better than she gave him credit for.
Shaking her head, Lois turned and headed for the stage. As she passed a mirror on her way, she took one last look at the yellow wisp of nothing and the ludicrous feathers hemming her collar. She looked like a joke. Suddenly, she wished that Clark wouldn’t turn to watch while she made a fool of herself on that stage.
“Come on, girls, you’re on,” the sleazebag said.
He waved Lois and the other dancers toward the stage, using the opportunity to do a little groping. Each of the women wore a different animal costume, though none of them even closely resembled any animal. But that wasn’t the point anyway, she knew. The outfits were supposed to be revealing and Lois was sure that the male audience wasn’t going to have any complaints in that respect.
The music started to play and Lois plastered a smile on her face, dancing with the other women and showing off her female assets. Would Clark appreciate the view? Lois felt torn. While part of her suddenly wanted his jaw to drop at the sight of her, another part of her was hoping that he wasn’t one of the guys who enjoyed ogling women. What was going on with her? What was it about Clark that turned her emotions into such a confusing jumble?
As her gaze fell on him, she nearly stopped dancing. Tony Taylor was actually sitting by his side and scratching Houdini’s head. She was talking to Clark and he was smiling at her, a full blown thousand watt smile that was enough to make Lois’ heart beat so hard it seemed to want to pound its way out of her chest. How had he managed to get her attention? Her heart raced with excitement, but also something else.
Lois caught herself in the last possible moment, resuming her dance and trying not to think about the way Clark was smiling at Tony Taylor.
Her heart clenched wistfully. She had the sudden urge to be the woman sitting by his side in a dark gown, sexy but in a less revealing way, and making him smile like that.
What the heck was going on with her?
Clark turned his head and looked in her direction, but somehow made it seem like he wasn’t looking at anything in particular. But Lois could almost feel how their gazes met, how there was that brief moment the world stopped turning just for them.
Something was going on that she had no explanation for.
It was some kind of magic.
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