I know I said that this deal was a bad idea, and I think we all understand that, but you are doing an excellent job of showing how Clark could come to this decision. The sentence 'Lois could so easily replace Clark' made me feel almost sick, just searing with its stark bluntness, a real illustration of Clark's deep insecurities. We always hear about Lois's vulnerabilities, but Clark's are just as real, just as potentially damaging. That's one thing about Lois that has always disappointed me--while Clark waited for two years and endured Luthor, Lois took only a month or two before she left him for Scardino, even knowing it would hurt him, even knowing nothing serious would come of it. And this Dennis seems to be getting the same kind of rebound that Scardino did, profiting from the inroads Clark made in getting her to open up to others.
Anyway, back to your story, I love the progression here. We all know Clark's going to make the deal, but leading up to it has proven to be interesting already. Though I still don't think Lois should even be looking at another man, I like how she does think that none of them will ever be Clark, and therefore none of them are good enough.
I'm very much looking forward to the next chapter--please, don't wait too long to post!
