Previously
Lois leaned her head on his shoulder. He felt her wet hair on the side of his face. Clark admonished, “You are still wet. And tired. You need to get to bed and rest.”
She mumbled something that sounded like “…three rules.”
Giving a low laugh, Clark said, “Finish your chocolate and I’ll carry you to bed then leave. Alright?”
She sat upright again and Clark took a momentary opportunity to dry her hair a little with his heat vision.
He finished his chocolate, then stood and lifted Lois out of the chair and carried her into her bedroom. He laid her on the bed and pulled the comforter over her. He heard something like “…dress.” “That you have to do yourself, Lois.” ‘For now anyway’ the thought came. “Call me when you wake up, no matter the time, O.K.”
“…kay”
“Goodnight, Lois.”
“…ni”
After donning his jacket and wet raincoat again, Clark let himself out, but was able to lock only the one lock. But he guessed she would be safe enough tonight. He would check on her in the morning. Chapter 12The black SUV pulled into the former Metro Gang warehouse in the Hobbs Bay district. The two large muscle men climbed out and went to the front of the car. A clipped British accent came from an area of shadow and asked bitingly, “Well, did you run them off the road? Scare them? How are they?”
Muscle One, the driver, shook his head in a negative. The shaking was rather easy, because he was shaking all over. “The Gentleman” with the British accent like a nail gun pointed at them scared them. The former Metro Gang low-lifes felt adrift after first Johnny had been sent packing by his own sister Toni and then Toni had been arrested for setting up the Toasters. The Toasters had scared them too. It felt like time to leave Metropolis, but they didn’t know where to go or what else to do with their lives.
Muscle One cleared his throat. “Unh, no. They escaped. They went through the construction on the North River Bridge. We dunno if they made it, since the bridge is down, or they fell into the drink, ‘cause by the time we made it around the detour, there was no sign of them. The little car was a powerful little thing like a sports car, an’ they could’ve made it.”
The nail gun noise spat at them again. “The Boss will not be pleased.” The shadow turned and disappeared further into the dark.
“Oh, God save us.” The men collapsed against the front of the SUV, ignoring the heat of the engine, and contemplated their lack of a future. Maybe Tucson. They had heard things were good in Tucson. His cousin had gone there.
+*+*+*+*+*+*
In under an hour, Clark was sitting comfortably propped against the parapet of the roof of Lois’ apartment building, directly over her living room.
Somewhere between Lois’ front door and his car, Clark began to realize that the attackers, whoever they were, might just come to Lois’ apartment and try to kidnap, or worse, kill her. He felt she was the more logical of the two of them to be the target, since she had written the Metro Club article and she had boldly announced her identity to the people at the White Orchid Ball.
So he had driven his precious car back to his apartment and stored it in its locked garage. Having a locked garage had increased the rent he had to pay, but it was necessary in a city like Metropolis. He changed out of his tux, did a quick shower and dry and dressed in his dry black sweater and pants.
Flying back, he hunted for any sign of the mysterious SUV and found nothing. He had seen the license plate as he sped ahead of it toward the missing bridge.
Fortunately, New Troy was a two license plate state like Virginia and Washington, D.C. Kansas only required one plate on the rear of the vehicle. If that were the case here, he couldn’t have gotten the plate number. But even with the number, Clark felt it was probably a fleet vehicle or a rental. Tomorrow he could check it at his FBI office. Right now he was concerned about Lois’ well being.
When he had landed on the roof, he glanced into her bedroom and saw the evening dress flung over a chair. So she had felt well enough to change into sleepwear. He manfully resisted actually “looking” to see what she was wearing under the bed covers. He also checked and found that she had had the strength to lock the other four locks.
So he really didn’t need to stay, but somehow he didn’t want to leave. As he leaned against the wall, his mind replayed the evening. There were dual threads interwoven through his memory. The most enjoyable, of course, was his pleasure at being with Lois and his enjoyment of her company.
The other thread was her determination to get the interview with Lex Luthor and her boldness at invading Luthor’s private property. That whole second thread was a cause for concern and raised dread in his heart.
Speaking of heart, he suddenly realized he was hearing a rhythmic continuous sound. He concentrated his hearing and realized it was Lois’ heart beat he was hearing. It’s smooth sound comforted him.
Suddenly jerking awake, Clark realized he had fallen asleep on the roof, soothed by Lois’ heartbeat. That was a totally new experience for him. He’d lived with the Ross household since he was ten years old. When he discovered his full range of abilities about the age of eighteen, life with the Ross’s was still the same. Nothing like this had ever happened with any of them.
Slowly Pete had begun to think there was something extremely special about Clark and confronted him one day. That day Clark had taken Pete back to the old Kent farm and in its privacy, showed him exactly what he could do. He’d also sworn Pete to secrecy, like a brotherly pact.
Well, all this rumination wasn’t making a dress for the baby or paying the preacher, as his mother Martha used to say so long ago. It was getting daylight and he was going to be visible soon. He needed to leave the roof.
But first, he looked down into Lois’ bedroom. She was still sound asleep. And soon she would be hungry. If he found some breakfast – and coffee, especially coffee – for the two of them, he could perhaps spend the day with her. It was Sunday morning after all.
Knowing Lois was not a morning person, Clark waited until 8 a.m. to call her. He felt nervous with anticipation as the phone rang.
“…lo” came the soft mumble.
Clark cleared his throat to give her a little more time to wake up. “Hi, Lois. It’s Clark. Did you sleep O.K. last night? I know I asked you to call me when you woke up after last night, but I wanted to bring breakfast to you. And coffee.”
The bedclothes rustled and Clark could envision her sitting up a little more alertly. “Coffee?”
“Yep, got some already brewed right here. And some fresh croissants. So you don’t have to do anything but get dressed and I’ll bring breakfast. How does that sound?”
She gave a little chuckle. “That sounds great. Maybe I could forget the getting dressed part?” Lois laughed out loud as she heard his gasp. “Just teasing, Clark. Give me half an hour and I’ll be ready. What time is it anyway?”
His voice sounded a relieved as replied, “Just a little past 8 a.m. It’ll take me half an hour to get there anyway, even with no traffic on a Sunday morning.”
“Great. Just call me at the building door and I’ll buzz you up.”
Twenty-five minutes later, Clark pulled his car up in front and proceeded to the front door. As promised, Lois buzzed the door and let him in at his call. On his way up Clark thought about the security of Lois’ building and realized it was pretty good. He rang her doorbell and smiled at the peephole in the door when he saw an eye appear, then held up the thermos and the bag of croissants.
After the sound of four bolts sliding open, the door handle turned and a fresh, relaxed Lois in a simple T-shirt and two-piece jogging suit opened the door for him, smiling as she did so. “Come on in.” She admired his look in a crisp blue shirt and brown dockers.
As he entered, Lois continued. “Over at the table. Not being totally inept, I did start a pot of coffee in case we wanted more. Coffee that is. I’d show you around, but you’ve been here before.” Her voice was light a teasing and she had a large smile for him.
“Well, yes. I was here. But it looks a lot…er…dryer and brighter now,” he returned in a similar manner. Cups and dishes were laid out on the table and he sat and poured two cups. A pile of rather bedraggled sugar packets and dry creamer from various restaurants was in the middle of the table along with a bowl of artificial sweetener packets.
Lois saw him look at the pile and shrugged, “I don’t have much in my cupboard as you know.”
“It’s fine, Lois. I can take it straight if I have to.”
“Ah, a manly man.” Lois sat.
His smile grew larger. “Probably it would be a good idea to use whatever is available. This is Kona Coffee from the Big Island of Hawaii. It’s got a kick to it, but I figured we needed it after last night.” He fixed his coffee with two sugars and a creamer.
“Well, if you find me walking on the ceiling after drinking it, you’ll know it worked,” Lois winked, putting in an artificial sugar packet. “I’ve had Kona before and it can give a real buzz.”
‘And I could be walking on the ceiling just being with you,’ Clark thought. But he just said, “It sure does. Great for all night jobs. And here are the croissants.”
He opened the bag and the aroma sprang forth. He had “freshened” them on the way with heat vision. Not too much or they became hard and less wonderful. He put one on each plate, wishing suddenly he’d brought a whole dozen as Lois’ eyes started to glow as she sniffed the aroma and delicately picked hers up and put an end in her small dainty mouth and bit down, rolling her eyes in ecstasy at the taste.
Clark heard himself sigh, “ohhhh,” clamped his free hand around the chair seat as he started to float and forced himself to close his dangling jaw.
Lois chewed the bite. “These are wonderful! Where did you get them?”
“From a French bakery, “ he mumbled around his own croissant.
“Here in Metropolis? Of course, what am I saying, they have to be from here.”
‘Not necessarily, Lois.’ “Yes, the Boulangerie Francaise over by the corner of 14th and Whalen.”
“Never heard of it. Here you are a newcomer to Metropolis and you find the best French bakery in town. How did you find it?”
Lois eyes fixed on Clark’s fingers as he licked the butter off them after eating his croissant.
Clark watched Lois’ tongue skim along her lower lip as he licked his fingers.
Silence filled the room. Lois suddenly hopped up and went to the counter. “Napkins. We need napkins, they are so buttery.” She brought a stack back to the table.
Clark quickly picked up a napkin and started wiping his right hand. Lois looked at his very large masculine right hand. He cleared his throat, then squeeked out, “When” before starting over in a lower register, “When I get to a new town, I hunt for the bakeries. I’m a nut for great bread and baked goods.” ‘Besides, I don’t gain weight.’ He picked up his cup and downed a large swallow of coffee, still looking at Lois’ eyes.
Lois lowered her eyes demurely to the croissant on her plate and then began delicately pulling off a piece of croissant and making a show of placing it in her mouth and chewing it slowly. Chewing really wasn’t necessary since they almost dissolved by themselves. She finished the motion by looking directly at Clark.
Things were literally going south rapidly. Clark’s chair scraped on the floor as he hurriedly got up and went to the counter. “How about some more coffee,” he said, totally ignoring the thermos still on the table.
He gripped the counter as he could feel her come up behind him. He felt her hand touch his back at the same time he felt the tile in her counter start to give under the pressure of his fingers. He consciously released the pressure.
Lois could feel him shaking as she touched him. “Clark, I want to thank you for last night, for getting me home safely.”
“I’m just glad you are feeling better today,” he said to the coffee pot. His emotions were in a turmoil. He knew what he wanted to do was the thing he shouldn’t do.
He felt Lois’ hand trail from the center of his back over to his shoulder. She exerted a small pressure and he turned to face her. He looked down into her eyes to see them gleaming up at him with almost the same glow she gave the croissant, and then looked down at her lips and licked his.
She dropped her eyes from his to see him lick his lips. She licked hers in return. “You kissed me once.”
“That was a cover for an investigation.”
“But I didn’t know that and I enjoyed it.”
“But what about your…”
Lois put her finger over his lips to silence him.
He opened his mouth and sucked her finger. Her knees suddenly gave out and he caught her around the waist and brought her up against him.
She removed her finger and put both arms around his neck. Clark easily lifted her onto the counter away from the coffee pot and stepped between her outstretched legs.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Lois?”
“Very.” She kissed him. He tasted like butter and coffee and something else she couldn’t define. She encircled him with her legs and crossed them behind his back.
He was lost, lost, lost. Not a single thought could enter his brain. He could taste the coffee and the butter and pure Lois and he wanted to devour her. He wanted to see that expression of ecstasy for something he did to her. He held her head and plundered her mouth with his tongue. She responded by sucking his tongue like he had her finger.
His knees were giving out. He couldn’t remember that ever happening to him before. Lois was different than any woman he had ever met. He wanted her and he needed her. He could hear her heart speed up and thought of falling asleep to her heartbeat last night. He wanted to do that every night of his life.
Lois broke the kiss and began panting open mouthed. She felt for Clark’s chest and rubbed her hand across it, realizing what a magnificent chest it was. She tweaked Clark’s nipple and he groaned her name out, “Lois.”
He started kissing along her neck as she continued to breathe heavily. She pulled his shirt out of his pants, reaching up underneath to tweak him some more.
“Oh, God, Lois. That feels so good. You are amazing.” He reached under her T-shirt and felt bare skin. It was full of goose bumps. He pulled back and took the sweat top off of her shoulders.
She could live her life doing this. All the Daytime and the Nighttime, just like the song title.
+*+*+*+*+*+*
Just then the phone rang. Or maybe the phone had been ringing for a while. A woman’s voice filled the otherwise quiet room. “Lois, Lois are you there? Pick up honey. I want to talk to you about dinner tonight. The Admiral and I are eager to see you again after a month. Call me soon. Love You, Bye.”
At first, Clark was ignoring the message since it was meant for Lois. But then it started to sink in. It also started to penetrate his brain that they were moving awfully fast, enjoyable though it was. He carried her to the couch instead of the bed and began the slow down comforting gestures that he had developed dating girls that liked him more than he liked them. That wasn’t the case with Lois, but still they needed to slow down and he didn’t want their future friendship - and maybe love – ruined.
Lois didn’t appear to be mad at the turn of events. Perhaps she too realized things were going too fast and accepted his soft soothing kisses and loving but not passionate touches.
As the message from Lois’ mother began to sink in, he realized to his horror that he was making wild passionate love to the boss’ daughter.
Admiral Lane, who he was now presuming was Lois’ father, was the head of the combined FBI-NIA-Homeland Security task force headquartered in Metropolis, New Troy. His boss, three levels up.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
Lois Lane drove to her parents’ house in a state of confusion. That had been pretty much her state since a month ago, the Sunday after Lex Luthor’s White Orchid Ball. She had had a really good time with Clark as her date at the Ball and had captured Lex Luthor’s attention, thereby managing to snag an interview with the elusive billionaire. The interview over dinner at his penthouse had gone as well as could be expected, she reasoned. He was pretty reticent with information on himself and seemed more interested in hitting on her in a high class, albeit creepy manner.
What bothered her most was Clark Kent’s behavior. Directly following the Ball, mysterious people in a large SUV had attacked them. Clark saved them by jumping them in his high-powered car over a bridge under reconstruction. She still didn’t know who those people were or who had ordered the attack on them.
But the worse part was Clark’s behavior the morning after the attack. He had comforted her directly after bringing her home and seen her safe to her bed and come back the next morning with breakfast. As they ate the croissants at breakfast, sparks had sizzled between them and they wound up making out rather vigorously on her kitchen counter. She still had fond memories of that and occasionally patted her kitchen counter. But then her mother had called to remind her of that month’s dinner and Clark had slowed them down rather abruptly.
Since then he had been attentive at the Daily Planet, where he still came in for his cover as a reporter in their separate ongoing investigations. But the spark between them had died or been buried by him. It was just as well, for Lois Lane had her third rule “never sleep with a coworker.” Still, Clark technically worked for the FBI, not for the Daily Planet.
This Sunday, Lois drove up to her parent’s townhouse complex in upscale the upscale Mt. Rose section and found a free parking space near their front door. It was time again for their traditional monthly dinner.
Lois rang the doorbell and Ellen opened it immediately. “Come on in, Lois. The Admiral is at the grill.” Ellen, like many military wives, habitually called her husband by his rank instead of his name. It was rather old school, but Lois was used to it.
Ellen enveloped her daughter in a big hug and took her coat. It was cold weather time in Metropolis and the grill being used was the indoor Jenn-Air appliance with the large fan that popped up from the back of the cooking island when it was in use.
Sam greeted his daughter over the grill as she came into the spacious richly appointed kitchen. “Hi there Princess. How are you this cold evening?”
“Just fine, Daddy, just fine.” Lois waved a hand. “Busy at work, you know.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed at his daughter, examining her more closely. The statistics of international trade, criminal activities and threats to the country wasn’t the only kind of intelligence he brought to the table. But he said nothing, even though he had a feeling all was not sunny in Loisland.
The Lane’s sat down to a dinner of steak for Sam and skinless chicken breasts for Ellen and Lois, with a salad of sliced greenhouse tomatoes alternated with fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with good olive oil and a dish of fresh baked ziti. Their years in Italy had switched them to mostly a Mediterranean diet, which they found healthier. Lois noticed her father eating his steak in the European manner, fork in the left hand, tines down and spearing the bit of steak.
Dinner at the table was pleasant as they caught up with each other’s doings. Sam’s golf game, now on the indoor practice field since the weather was so grouchy, was improving. Lois shared that she was making progress toward her black belt.
“That’s wonderful, Princess.” Sam exclaimed. “Did you know your Mother is now the coordinator for all the Navy Relief in New Troy?”
“No, I didn’t. Wow, congratulations, Mom.” Ellen had always been active in the charity for the young enlisted men and women. It was a traditional military wife’s role, but she brought great energy and organization to it.
Lois smiled and raised her water glass in toast to her Mom. Sam followed suit. Ellen smiled in appreciation and gave a little nod with her head. “Thank you all. It really is sad that the young military can barely scrape buy with the salary they are paid. It’s a privilege to help them. And their young babies need help with the layettes and supplies. The Metropolis seniors group is very active in knitting and crocheting the items needed and giving them to us.”
Cutting more steak and pushing it onto his fork, Sam asked his daughter, “So, how’s work at the Daily Planet these days?”
“Just fine, Daddy. I’ve got several big stories I’m working on.” She hadn’t mentioned Clark at the last dinner because her feelings were still so uncertain and confused. “Oh, and I have a partner some of the time now. His name is Clark Kent.”
Lois noticed her father maintained his same expression, but switched the fork to his right hand, tines up, to stab a piece of steak. That struck her as very odd.
Sam cleared his throat. “Clark Kent, you say? Where’s he from? Is he a good journalist?”
“He’s from Kansas originally. He’s an adequate writer, but a great investigator.”
Lois couldn’t figure out the expression on her father’s face as he over vigorously chewed his steak. “Is that so?”
Driving home after dinner, Lois was still mulling over her father’s reaction to the name of Clark Kent. She was a good investigator herself – her father’s daughter he told her – and something was out of whack. As far as she knew, Clark was a new young FBI agent in the Metropolis office. On the other hand, Admiral Sam Lane was working in the local Navy District office, presumably as the head of it. She suddenly realized she didn’t know for sure. When was the last time she had seen her father in his uniform?
Maybe she should turn the Lane investigative capabilities on Special Agent Clark Kent.
THE END
Artemis
