Table of Contents Lois heard Clark say her name, but couldn't quite snap herself out of the trance she seemed to be in.
One minute she was toweling her hair off violently, muttering to herself and chastising herself about her temporary insanity. Clark was just *Clark*. That's all there was to it. Sure, he was an attractive guy, but she wasn't *personally* attracted to him. So, no more agonizing over something so ridiculous. She paused for a second, thinking that she heard movement in the hotel room. She pulled the towel away from her head for a moment, listening. After deciding that she hadn't heard anything, she went back to drying her hair.
A second later, the door flew open, ushering in a burst of cool air and a shell-shocked Clark Kent. Her head snapped up, and her gaze immediately was transfixed on the wide expanse of chest bared before her. He stopped suddenly, the motion causing his muscles to flex, rippling above the tiny towel wrapped snugly around his waist.
Her eyes traveled across his chest, recalling the first time she'd seem him like this. Her own words echoed in her head. “You said nine. I thought you'd be naked.” It was the beginning of their partnership, long before she would have ever considered them partners, or, god forbid, friends. It was funny how much things had changed since then. But some things hadn't changed at all, like the visceral, animal reaction she felt seeing Clark like this. She was stunned, motionless and speechless, transfixed by what she saw, and her reaction to it. Her stomach clenched with desire, her body aching for him. So much for not being attracted to him. In that instant, she wanted to toss aside every rule, every policy, every sane thought she'd ever had, and throw herself at him.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard him talking to her, saying her name. She lifted her gaze to meet his, and stood, still unable to speech or fully comprehend the situation, uncaring that she was wearing precious little and standing in the presence of a man she had been fighting an attraction to for over a year.
Slowly, the fog in her head began to clear. “Clark? What are you doing here?”
“I…I thought you had already gone downstairs. I didn't know you were still here. I'm sorry. I just… I'll just…” Clark's voice trailed off as he motioned toward the bathroom door, still standing ajar. “I'll let you…”
“Right,” Lois said slowly, as if she was still unconvinced. “I'll just finish getting ready. No problem.”
“So, yeah, I'll go,” Clark said, still motionless.
“Clark?”
“Yeah?”
“Nothing. Never mind. Go ahead. I'll get dressed and then you can have your turn.”
“Of course,” Clark said quickly, reaching for the door. “I'm really sorry. I should have knocked or something. I just didn't think you were here and-”
“Don't worry about,” Lois said with an air of confidence she didn't feel. “It's fine. No problem.”
Clark hesitated, as if he wanted to apologize again, then changed his mind and left quickly, pulling the door shut behind him.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Lois slumped to the floor leaning against the tub, her mind awhirl. What had just happened? What had come over her, seeing him like that? And what had she been about to say or do when she said his name before he left? Was she really considering doing something rash? What? Dropping her towel? Reaching for his? Was she crazy? Thank god she had stopped herself. What did she think would happen if she had done something like that? The attraction was clearly mutual. She had no doubt that in the heat of the moment, Clark would have responded to her. But what then? What of their friendship? It would have been ruined for one moment of pleasure. He would never look at her the same, never respect her again.
Her mental tirade morphed into a general sense of mortification, until Lois slowly began to reassess the situation. Sure this was an embarrassing experience, but it was Clark, after all. It wasn't like he was someone who would take advantage of the situation. Unbidden, the image of her partner, stunned and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, popped into her mind. She smiled despite herself and decided this wasn't something that was worth freaking out about, and that if she was going to find herself in this situation, surely there could be no more *attractive* choice to share it with than Clark.
She shook her head in amusement and resignation, standing and beginning to towel herself off again. Luckily she had thought to bring her clothes into the bathroom anticipating Clark's return with breakfast. She dressed quickly, then forced herself to open the door. She couldn't stay in the bathroom all day.
*****
Clark pulled on his sleep shorts and T-shirt, not wanting to face another scene like the one in the bathroom, and slumped into the overstuffed chair, dropping his head into his hands. He still couldn't fully comprehend what had just happened. Only a few minutes ago, he was convinced that Lois had already gone downstairs, and then he was face to face with living, breathing proof that she wasn't. And, boy, when she wasn't gone, she really wasn't gone.
When he was honest with himself, he could admit that walking in on Lois like that was like something out of his deepest fantasy. It was the type of scene he would write and rewrite in his mind at night when he was trying to sleep, agonizing over just how he would react and what he would say. Eventually he would be forced to take a dip in the Arctic, or to relieve his tension in some other, more pleasurable way. But, in the end, when presented with a fantasy scenario, he had fumbled terribly. But really, what else could he have done? The suave and sexy moves he had perfected in his imagination were not the sort of things he could actually do, even if he didn't suspect that they would cause Lois to run screaming from the room or to attempt to beat him within an inch of his life.
Clark took a ragged breath, fighting off the image of Lois clad in the tiny towel, warm rivulets of water slipping down her glistening body, sliding over her supple curves…. Clark gulped and scrubbed one hand through his hair. This was going to be harder than he thought. He forced himself to stop thinking about the actual event and start thinking about its possible ramifications. At least Lois didn't seem angry with him. It seemed that she knew that he was just as surprised and flustered at she was. It was clear that this was not intentional or premeditated. But would she feel uncomfortable around him? Would she distance herself from him to avoid the awkward feeling that came from forced intimacy? After her quiet confession in bed last night, he had felt as if he was finally making headway; that she was finally beginning to really trust him. Would that trust be shattered because of a single mistake? As incredible as that momentary glimpse had been, it wasn't worth losing everything he had worked so hard for.
The bathroom door creaked open, and Clark's head snapped up. Lois, now fully dressed sans her suit jacket, appeared before him.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
Lois smiled timidly. “Hey.”
“Lois, I just want to say –”
“That it was an accident? That you didn't mean to walk in on me? That you'd never do something like that on purpose?”
Clark nodded dumbly.
“I know,” she said softly.
“You know?”
“Of course I know, Clark. I'm not mad at you. It was an honest mistake.”
“Exactly! An honest mistake! I just don't want you to think that I planned it somehow, or that I don't respect you or your privacy, because I do and –”
“Clark, really, it's fine.” A slow smile spread across her face. “Besides, it wasn't such a bad surprise. I mean, seeing you without a shirt isn't exactly torture.”
Clark looked stunned for a second then burst out laughing. “Well, you're not so bad yourself.”
Lois laughed with him. “Go take your shower while I finish getting ready.”
Clark grabbed his towel and started for the bathroom.
“Oh! I brought breakfast,” Clark said, gesturing to the bag of pastries, lying forgotten on the table.
“Ooh,” Lois said, reaching for the bag and inhaling deeply. “This smells wonderful. I don't know how you do it, Kent. Two days in a new city and already you've found some out of the way place with the best smelling pastries this side of the Atlantic.”
Clark blushed.
“Go on, partner. Go take your shower.”
Clark rose and strode to the bathroom, whistling. He couldn't help but think about what a crazy day this was shaping up to be – and it was only 8:15.
*****
Lois dropped onto one of the overstuffed couches in the hotel lobby, leaning against Clark. “This was the most boring day ever. What did they think this was, Journalism 101? I mean, I know I always complain about these things, but sometimes they are at least informative. I didn't learn a single thing today, *and* I was bored out of my mind.”
“Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with you actually. I usually love these things, but today's speakers were just going over the basics. I didn't hear anything I new at all,” Clark said, draping an arm around her shoulder and rubbing her upper arm comfortingly.
“Well, it's over now. Bob Woodward and Jerry Schwartz are speaking tomorrow, so it should be interesting. And now that the afternoon session is over, we've got the whole night to do whatever we want. We can go see the sights, or-”
“Hey guys!” Jimmy interrupted. “Wasn't today great? I mean, I didn't know half the stuff they were talking about!”
Lois and Clark shared a private smile, Perry's reasoning for sending Jimmy with them finally becoming clear to both of them. Neither had wanted to question it at the time – although many others around the newsroom were heard grumbling – because they didn't want to hurt Jimmy's feelings, but he hadn't exactly seemed like the right choice to represent the Planet at a national conference. But it appeared that Perry was a step ahead of everyone as usual. As well as being an opportunity for seasoned journalists to sharpen their skills and visit with old friends and colleagues, the SPJ conference gave new journalists a chance to learn the ropes and meet more experienced professionals in their field. With Lois and Clark representing the Planet, Perry didn't need to worry about sending another seasoned journalist, and instead had chosen to send Jimmy, perhaps motivating him to work harder to turn his natural talents into a career, instead of staying on as an errand boy indefinitely. Perry wasn't just looking out for Jimmy's interests as a surrogate father, he was looking out for the Planet's interests by cultivating the next generation of employees.
“I stayed after that talk on spot news photography and talked to Neil Leifer for awhile. He was telling me about what it was like to shoot the Gulf War. Can you imagine? How cool!”
“Yeah, that's great, Jimmy,” Clark said.
Jimmy smiled for a minute, still glowing from his encounter with greatness. Then he shifted gears. “Hey, I'm gonna bail on dinner tonight. I told my friend, Andy, we'd go out and see the sites.”
“And by sites you mean bars, right,” Clark teased.
Jimmy smiled and shrugged.
Jimmy dashed off to meet his friend, and Lois and Clark made their way upstairs. They dropped off their briefcases and freshened up quickly before going back downstairs to the hotel restaurant. The dinner Jimmy had bailed on was an informal gathering of a number of journalists attending the conference. Unfortunately, Paul was among that group.
Clark watched as Lois smoothed her hands on her skirt and took a deep breath while they waited for the host to take them to their table. They had agreed to meet a number of their colleagues for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Paul was among those invited, but they hadn't seen him all day, so Clark wasn't entirely sure he would even make it.
“Nervous?” he asked, raising his hand to rest on the small of her back.
“No. Yes. I don't know. I'm nervous, but not for the reason that you're thinking. I mean, I'm sure Paul is totally convinced that we're…you know. And even if he's not, I really don't care anymore. But I guess I'm just not relishing the idea of sitting down to dinner with him again. And there are going to be a bunch of people there. This is getting a bit out of hand.”
“What is?”
“This,” Lois said quietly, gesturing to the two of them. “Us. First it was just Paul, but after tonight, the whole conference will know we're dating.”
Clark was quiet, wondering if was at all significant that Lois hadn't said "thinks we're dating.'
“Well, what do you want to do, Lois?”
“Nothing. There's nothing we can do. It's just frustrating. This whole situation is ridiculous. And I'm getting sick of spending time with Paul. I didn't want to see him in the first place.”
“I know. This will all be over soon.”
“Yeah,” Lois said, sounding unconvinced.
“We'll be fine. And if you want to leave, just kick me. I'll think of an excuse.”
Lois grinned up at him. “Thanks. Don't be surprised if I take you up on that.”
The host arrived and escorted them to the table where Paul was already seated with a handful of other conference guests.
The waitress arrived a moment later to take their drink orders, and to Lois' chagrin, she immediately selected Clark the object of her affection.
Tall and blonde, she was stunning to say the least, and Lois couldn't help but think that Clark would have to be blind to notice the way she was throwing herself at him.
By the time she'd taken their food orders, she'd also informed Clark that her name was Megan, and that she had just graduated from college and was interning at a non-profit organization and waitressing to make some extra money.
Lois rolled her eyes as the girl left the table with their orders. Admittedly, Clark was doing nothing to encourage the girl, but he didn't seem to be doing anything to discourage her either. She attempted to focus on the conversation around her, but found herself analyzing Clark's response to the waitress.
It bothered her that he seemed flattered by the attention. Any man would be, she told herself. And why did she care whether Clark was flattered or not? He wasn't really her boyfriend. She had no claim on him, so she really had no right to be angry with him for not sending her packing immediately. Furthermore, the girl was their waitress, so it wasn't like he could get up and walk away. But still….
Clark rested his arm on the back of her chair casually and raised an eyebrow at her. She realized that he was aware of her discomfort and tried to reassure him with a smile. Unfortunately, the smile faltered, and Clark began to look more worried.
He leaned in close and whispered, “Are you all right?”
“I'm fine,” she replied. “Just distracted. Don't worry about it.”
Clark seemed to consider that for a minute, not quite convinced, but his attention was soon diverted by a question about where he went to college, and Lois found herself left to her private thoughts again.
She needed to pull herself together. There was no reason for her to be so upset about the stupid waitress. Unfortunately, the cause of her internal dilemma chose that moment to return with their meals. Her eyes flitted back to Clark every couple of seconds and she peppered him with sultry looks and suggestive smiles.
Lois prickled, forcing herself to refrain from commenting but fixing the waitress with an icy glare.
The waitress walked away slowly, her hips swinging gently, ruffling her short black skirt. Lois' jaw clenched, and she hoped that she was the only one who had witnessed the waitress' behavior.
Of course, she wasn't nearly that lucky. When she turned back to face the table, all eyes were on her and Clark.
“Well, well,” Paul said. “Looks like you've got an admirer, Clark.”
“She's just a kid,” Clark said, fiddling with his silverware.
“She doesn't *look* like a kid.”
Clark shot Paul a warning look and attempted to change the subject. “How was the crime beat break-out session, John? I didn't get a chance to sit in on that.”
“You better watch out, Lois,” Paul broke in. “Looks like you've got some competition.”
“There is *no* competition,” Clark said firmly, his hand curling around Lois' bare shoulder. “Why would I even look at another woman when I have such an incredible girlfriend?”
Lois smiled at him, and the ice that had been forming in her stomach began to melt. She rested her hand on his thigh and squeezed gently, silently conveying her thanks. Despite her earlier concern, it didn't even bother her that Clark had just referred to her as his girlfriend in front of a table of their colleagues.
With that, the subject seemed to be closed and the reporters went back to discussing the day's sessions. The tension that had filled the air around the table as they waited for Lois' reaction seeped away as it became apparent that she was not intending to claw the waitress' eyes out.
The rest of the dinner was pleasant, and Lois was surprised to find herself actually enjoying the conversation. It was nice to spend time with people who had similar interests but who weren't necessarily competition because they were scattered all over the country.
The waitress continued to stop by their table more often then necessary, always under the guise of refilling drinks or clearing empty plates, but each time making sure to brush against Clark or send him a flirty look. Clark remained polite but studiously avoided encouraging her.
Paul, on the other hand, spent the first half of the night trying to attract her attention, and when he realized that was impossible, he began urging Clark to make a move for her every time he thought Lois wasn't paying attention. Lois tried to ignore his lewd comments, chalking them up to a combination of his notoriously bad manners and the four jack and cokes he'd had with dinner.
Clark continued changing the subject when Paul brought it up, but Lois could see that he was beginning to get upset. In all honesty, she wasn't exactly calm herself by the end of the meal. Lois kept her feelings in check, and refused to show any sign of annoyance with the situation, but inside, she was seething. She was furious with this unprincipled hussy who would not only throw herself at a man who was obviously attached, but would do it in front of his girlfriend.
Not that she was *really* Clark's girlfriend. But as far as that girl was concerned she was! How dare she-
Lois broke off in mid-thought as she felt Clark's hand slide under her hair and begin to massage her neck. Until that moment, she hadn't realized just how tense she had become. What was her problem? This was just some stupid waitress. And she was just hitting on Clark. She had no right to feel jealous. Jealous? Was that was she was feeling?
Clark continued to soothe the stiff muscles. “Relax, Lois,” he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. “Do you want to leave? We don't have to go to the bar with everyone else.”
The rest of the table was already filtering away from the table to the bar at the front of the restaurant. They stood, and Clark let his hand slide from her neck to the small of her back, rubbing gently. “Let's just get out of here.”
“No, I'm fine, really,” Lois insisted. Once she was away from the presumptuous waitress, she'd be fine, she assured herself. And she really was enjoying the company. They gathered their things and prepared to leave the table, but were stopped by the waitress a final time.
She handed Clark a piece of paper with a wink, then continued on to another table.
Unfortunately, Paul hadn't missed her not-so-subtle move. “Ah hah, got yourself her number, didn't you Clarkie-boy? She's a hot little thing. Persistent too.”
“Well, I'm not interested,” Clark said, placing the paper on the table. “I'm in love with Lois and I have no desire to call anyone else.”
His hand was still firm and warm on her back, and she shivered at the delicious thrill that coursed through her body at his declaration. It was just pretend, she reminded herself. But still, she couldn't help thinking about how wonderful it would be to hear a man say that and mean it; to have a boyfriend who was completely faithful. Clark would be. Oh, not to her. This was just a charade. But when Clark finally found that right woman, he'd say the same words in this situation and mean them. She couldn't even imagine him cheating on his girlfriend.
Clark smiled at her, then nudged her toward the bar. “Come on. Let's catch up with everyone else.”
Once they reached the bar and began chatting again, Lois forgot all about the waitress and went back to having a good time. She made her way to the bar to order a drink, while Clark stopped to chat with someone he'd met earlier in the day.
Lois propped one arm on the bar while she waited for the bartender to bring her Chardonnay and Clark slid behind her, resting a hand on her hip and dropping his lips close to her ear.
“You're smiling,” Clark teased. “And you haven't kicked me once. Does that mean you're having a good time?”
“Yes, actually,” Lois said with a grin. She leaned back and let her body rest against his, reveling in the comfort of his solid presence. “I'm having a great time, thank you very much.”
Clark laughed and turned his head to order a drink.
He chatted with the bartender while he made the drink, and when he turned back around, he found Lois embroiled in a friendly debate with a metro reporter from the Austin American-Statesman who had been among their group at dinner.
“The problem with community journalism,” Lois said, “is that it's not our job to tell our readers what to think. We just have to give them the facts and let them make up their own minds.”
“But what about cases where the public isn't educated enough to make the decision for themselves? What if they need to be warned?” the young man argued.
“Then it's our responsibility to educate them. But we can say "here are the potential hazards of this proposed power plant' without saying "this power plant is bad, and you should organize protests against it.'”
The man began to respond, but Lois was distracted by Clark's sudden tensing behind her. She glanced back at him and noticed his clenched jaw, then followed his gaze to where Paul was stumbling toward them, another drink in hand.
“Doesn't this guy ever give us a break?” Clark muttered.
Lois hoped his attention would be diverted, but unfortunately, no scantily-clad women appeared in time.
“Hey, guys! What's up?”
Lois nodded curtly, then returned to her conversation, watching out of the corner of her eye as Paul motioned to Clark and pulled him aside. Paul didn't even wait for them to exchange pleasantries before he began talking again. “I got something for you,” he whispered to Clark, conspiratorially. Unfortunately for him, in his drunken state, his whisper was something less than subtle. He pulled a slip of paper from his pocked and held it between two fingers. “I know you said you didn't want it, but I figure you'll come to your senses eventually.”
Lois stiffened, recognizing the scrap of paper as the one that contained the waitress' phone number.
“I told you, I'm not interested,” Clark said. “Just forget about it.”
“Oh, come on. You've got to be kidding me. That chick was hot, and she was all over you.”
“That's completely irrelevant. I'm not interested.”
“You *are* a boyscout, aren't you?” he asked. Then he glanced at Lois and back to Clark. “Oh, I get it. You just don't want to say anything in front of the girlfriend. Don't want unleash her fury. Tell you what, I'll just hold on to this for you, and when you get sick of Lois, you come find me. And, speaking from experience, that shouldn't take long – it never does.”
Lois felt the blood drain from her face. Before she knew what was happening, Clark had leapt from behind her, and was holding Paul by the lapels.
“That's enough. That's far more than enough,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “I don't want to hear one more word. I'm sick of telling you to back off. Don't you dare blame your inadequacies on her. Lois is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and if you so much as look at her again, you're going to regret the day you ever met me.” He shook him once more, then released him, shoving him away.
Lois looked back and forth between the two of them, still a bit stunned.
“Let's go.” Clark said, hurrying her out of the bar and into the elevator. He didn't say another word until they reached their hotel room.
*****
