Where we left off in Part 4...
After getting his luggage, Clark saw a woman wearing a suit in the colors of Metropolis University. The jacket and short skirt were the light green of the school and the blouse the white. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her. The suit was hanging open, in a way that showed how slender she was, her waist covered only by her tight blouse. He half wondered if she was a cheer leader, she just looked so good in every way. The idea was somewhat logical, it would maybe make sense to use them in recruiting football players.
However, he did not care what she was. All he knew was she was the women he would love for the rest of his life. Although, another part of him was saying, “What about Lois?”
The main part of his brain wanted to respond “Lois who?”
Her dark hair fell freely to her shoulders. Part of him wished he could run his fingers through her hair. It looked so soft and inviting, and he could smell a lavender shampoo on it. Her eyes were the color of chocolate, and seemed to just draw him in. He was in love for the first time in his life. Totally smitten by this girl he knew nothing about.
She came towards him and seemed to have him in her sights. He just hoped his green and white tie was the right choice for the occasion. It was the most restrained tie he had, and he just wanted this woman to approve of it. He wanted her to approve of everything about him, just as he did of everything about her.
The lady was continuing to move toward him, allowing him to smell even more of her inviting perfume. For the first time ever he was glad his sense of smell was better than that of anyone else he had ever met. From her continued approach and making eye contact with him he was pretty sure that this was probably the university’s agent. If so, Met U had skyrocketed to the top of the short list of colleges he was considering. Who was he kidding, Met U was now the only college he was considering at all.
“I’m Jo,” said the women who was coming towards him.
“Hi,” Clark squeaked out in reply.
And Now, Part 5
He could barely speak to Jo. He was still so awed by her shapely legs, and how the sheer white tights she wore gave added definition to her calves and thighs. Probably her high-heeled green pumps also gave some added definition as well. His gaze rouse, hovering over her slender waist, most of which was only covered by her tight blouse since her suit jacket hung open. As his vision rose, he saw her round breasts, her jacket pulled back to the sides of them and the just the tops peeking out from her low-cut white blouse. Falling over them was her long, flowing brunette hair. The sparkle of the light off her hair was mesmerizing. Her hair was perfectly styled, though part of him wished he could run his hands through it, and pull those rep lips he saw as he moved up her, but he would not go there in his mind. Above her bright, red, luscious, inviting lips he saw her beautiful chocolate-colored eyes. From there he brought his view back down to her hand, outstretched in greeting towards him.
As she reached for his hand her leg was almost touching his. This sent chills of anticipation through him, and made him want to stand up taller, and be the man who could measure up to this Jo. Not that he was not already taller than her, but seeing her made him want to stand more straight and erect. The touch sent a sensation through his whole body that was almost a shock. The surprise of it forced him to move his vision from her legs where it had returned after making sure his hand would connect with hers. He was getting too absorbed into looking at them. He never knew legs could be so mesmerizing, or long and slender and sleek, and just inviting to, well he was not going to think about that.
At this point his more logical side took back control of Clark’s thoughts. What was he doing thinking of this woman as if she was some object made only for his personal enjoyment? She was a person with feelings, and probably very intelligent. Met U only admitted the best and the brightest. He had better refocus on what mattered here, which was making a good impression on people at Met U so if there was any doubt they would admit him. Also, it might be good to try and figure out how to go talk to that girl named Lois, although a large part of him thought, Why would you want to do that, when you already have the most beautiful woman on the face of the whole earth right in front of you?
Yet he was delusional to think that he had any chance of a relationship with the beautiful Jo. With her appearance and elegance, he would be very surprised if she didn’t have a boyfriend. On taking a quick glance, Clark was surprised to not see a ring on her finger. Not that many people got engaged while at Met U, but Jo looked to be one of the exceptions to that rule. Even if she did seem to be speaking in a very friendly tone, smiling a gorgeous smile, and to have on a perfume that Clark could not help liking, she was too mature to date a high school boy such as himself. He had never felt this way about Lana at all, not even on the one occasion when they had kissed.
Jo’s legs were so much better than any he had seen before on a woman. Long, and shapely, just the way a woman’s legs should be. Not that Clark had ever given much thought to this matter, but seeing her legs, he was convinced they were the best possible. There he went again, getting diverted into issues that really did not matter. Worse yet, it was the same part of her that had captured his vision before. So he decided to try to look at something that was not well known for being attractive. He focused in on her nose. Yet, that did not help, her nose was oh so cute and cuddly, just asking to be rubbed with another nose. He just hoped she did not tell him anything important before his heart slowed down and his mind returned from wherever it had wandered off to. Although, those eyes of hers, one could get lost in them.
It was time for Clark to refocus, to come back to reality. To try to pull this off, Clark forced himself to look at something other than her body, since he found even her nose enticing. So he looked at her green purse, which matched the color of her suit. Sticking out of it he noticed she had a copy of the Daily Planet and also a major karate magazine. The latter surprised him a little, although he had no clue what he would have expected to see in her purse.
Clark was glad he chose to wear his suit on the airplane; otherwise he would have felt even more like a country bumpkin beside the impeccably dressed Jo. Even Lana, the most fashionable girl at his school, had never worn a suit. Although, looking at Jo again, and hoping the rising desire did not show in his eyes, Clark figured she was probably at least 21, and so comparing a teenager to her was probably unfair.
“I’m going to be your main hostess and tour guide during your stay at Met U,” Jo continued. Clark almost felt himself rise off the floor when she said this. He would get to see her a whole lot over the next three days. “Is it alright if I call you Clark, or would you prefer something else?”
Clark thought honey would be nice, especially if spoken by your sweat voice. He wisely chose not to voice this thought. Instead he reached out his hand to shake hers. “Clark is just fine.” After an awkward pause, he decided to go on. “I do have one question, how did you recognize me?”
“They gave me every photo they had of you to prepare for this job,” Jo replied, giving him a firm handshake. “I do have to say you are more handsome in person than in the photos.” She gave him a wink as she said this.
Clark could not help smiling at that line. He also could barely keep from sweating, which had never happened to him before. Even when Lana had shown off a lot more cleavage while they were at the junior prom he had not sweated, or really felt any attraction to her. Jo was giving him feelings he had never before experienced.
“You are beautiful, too,” Clark said. He still held her hand in his. Part of him wondered if he should bring it to his lips and kiss it, but he thought better of the idea. “Although since I have never seen a photo of you, I can’t say how the real you compares to your photos.”
“Well, you’re the star here, not me,” Jo said as she pulled her hand from his.
Clark noticed the withdrawal of her hand and felt a little sadness because of it. However, he was more absorbed at that moment by how red and inviting Jo’s lips were. He mentally warned himself to focus again.
“I would love to start telling you all about our fair city and Met U immediately,” Lois said, as she gave him a wink. His heart again skipped a beat. “However, we are waiting for two of my fellow hostesses to show up with two of the other potential football players who are coming for this weekend, so we can all ride back together. Other than telling you that Metropolis International was Mayor Siegel’s greatest contribution to Metropolis, I don’t have much else to tell you in tour points until we leave the airport.”
Clark was glad she was not saying anything else. Jo’s combination of a firm handshake, which was so much better than Lana’s weak ones, and a wink, which was bolder than Lana ever would be, had Clark a little flustered. He liked Jo but deep down he was afraid all her actions were just an act. She wanted him to have positive feelings towards the university, that was all. At least Clark figured he shouldn’t get hopes of anything else, because they were sure to be dashed. Still, he could show her that he was a true gentleman, who always sought to make sure any lady around him was well cared for. Clark truly wanted to find a way to make Jo know that he genuinely liked being around her. So he thought for a second of what he could do to send this impression, without coming on too strong. Then he had it.
----
“I know we probably will have dinner soon,” Clark said. “But I’ve heard that Metropolis traffic can be pretty bad. And there have been some major delays here at the airport, so we might be waiting a bit. Would you like me to get you something to drink or a snack from the airport food court while we wait? At least, something to drink. I wouldn’t want your throat going dry from all the talking you will have to do to make this a wonderful tour. It’s the least I can do to show my appreciation after all the time you have put into making this trip so wonderful for me.”
Lois was now wondering if the wink had been a little too much. She didn’t really feel any connection to Clark, she reminded herself. She was just acting like this for her current undercover persona. It was all her cover. Those feelings of attraction she was starting to sense inside were all caused by natural physical reactions being near a handsome man, while playing too much in her cover. There was no other cause. His gentlemanly behavior also was nice, but if she fell for every guy who offered to buy her a drink, she would fall a lot. Although Clark seemed more sincere than most of the men that she’d met while investigating sororities or bars that were known to play loose with the drinking age law, but Clark was not the first man to offer to buy her a drink. Most of the other drinks she turned down because she did not want to end up in jail. Well, also because she did not want to become an alcoholic like her mother. On the other hand just because Clark was offering to buy soda did not mean he was automatically good.
Lois reasoned that Clark getting her something to drink would be acceptable. Part of her was tempted to turn him down and to try to give off a professional image. Although Met U’s hosting department seemed to be torn about what the role of the hostess should be. On one hand, they wanted highly sophisticated hostesses who could answer in-depth questions in a sensible way. On the other hand, they had made her include two photos with her application, and looking at the various other hostesses she wondered how she had been chosen to work with such beautiful women. A little part of her was afraid that Clark would stop looking at her so admiringly once he saw some of the other hostesses. Having such a fear was absurd. It would mean that she wanted Clark to want her, if she felt potentially jealous of him liking someone else, which was certainly not how she felt. She meant fear of losing her hook for the story, that was all.
Another part of her remembered various people mentioning that one could get more information by being sweet than by being rude. It might help to make Clark into a collaborator with her. Then maybe they could jointly do the investigation into where the scandal lay. On the other hand, he was a football player, and football players were scum. Still, letting him buy her a drink, especially if it was just soda, was not something that would force her into one particular later course of action.
Lois supposed that accepting a drink was workable with whatever plan she would use moving forward. Anyway, she really was thirsty. Also, maybe a bit lightheaded, and that had to be from too low sugar levels. That was the only thing that could possibly be causing this odd feeling … she needed sugar.
“You could get me a soda,” Lois said. “Since I am thirsty, but we are sure to get plenty of food at dinner. It will be at Met U’s all you can eat cafeteria. Their new director has really increased the quality of food there. It’s some of the best I’ve had. Tonight they are serving some lasagna made with the best ricotta cheese you will ever taste. Not like the lasagna they have at my high school cafeteria where they just sprinkle some mazzarella on top, and only have a meat sauce between the layers of noodles.” Lois wondered if this might blow her cover of being a college student, but figured if she kept going, Clark might not think enough on how she had phrased that last line to learn anything from it. Anyway, she had not yet said Jo was a college student, even if she had decided on the ride over that she would tell Clark she was. “So, you don’t have to get me any food.” She increased her smile a little, as she said this. Just totally part of her friendly Jo act. It had nothing to do with the fact that Clark smiled more when she smiled, or that Clark had an attractive smile, that part of her was tempted to call gorgeous. Nope, she was not at all affected by Clark’s gorgeous lips. Her heart rate picking up when his smile broadened meant nothing.
Lois was surprised that Clark went off without asking her what kind of soda she wanted. Maybe back in Kansas they only had one choice at snack bars. She didn’t think to say anything about this until he was too far to stop him. This was because she had paused to debate with herself which kind of soda she wanted. Well, she knew she wanted root beer, because it was her favorite drink, but she normally forced herself to drink the much healthier Diet Pepsi. Maybe though insisting on diet would make her look too health conscious to Clark. She needed to think deeply on this so she did not digress to thinking about how well defined Clark’s chest was, not that she could tell that much with him having on a suit, and not that she cared, or was really impressed, because most football players had well defined bodies. Getting back to the issue of what soda, Diet Pepsi would probably not really help lessen her light-headedness, since she needed sugar to get her sugar levels in control. Not that she had ever had a problem with her sugar level before, but that must be what she was experiencing. Well, it was too late, now she would just have to wait and see what Clark got her.
A minute later, Clark returned with a can of cream soda. Lois restrained herself from laughing at this. He must be from somewhere where they say, “pop” for most carbonated beverages, and been so unused to hearing “soda” that he thought she had meant “cream soda”.
“Here you go, fair lady,” Clark said, holding out the drink to Lois. His smile was broader than any she had seen yet, and she was feeling even more lightheaded now. She had better start drinking this fast, no time to worry about it not being a flavor she liked.
Oh, he’s so cute, Lois thought. This observation did not indicate Lois found him attractive as a man. No, not at all. She was just thinking that he had an endearing way of doing things. That was all she was thinking, nothing more. She could at least try the drink. Since she had never tried cream soda, she couldn’t honestly tell Clark “`I don’t like that’.” Well, maybe she could after taking a little bit and getting her light-headedness under control, but not immediately.
After popping the top, she took a sip, and she found out that, it was good, so very delicious. Actually it was more delicious than anything, except maybe chocolate. So very wonderful that she could not help letting out a little moan. It must have been a louder moan than she thought, because the look on Clark’s face told her he had heard it, and that he had never before heard a woman moan. At least, not a sensual moan like the one she had just let out. Which had everything to do with the soda and nothing to do with how wonderful his finger tips felt as hers brushed against his as she took the drink from him. At least, not in any way that might be directed at him. Not that her moan was in any way directed at him. She had better tell him something, or he might get the wrong idea. Because that was totally just a moan of appreciating the drink, nothing more.
She stopped drinking the delicious drink for just a second and said “Clarky.” Oh wait, maybe that was the worst thing I could have said, if I’m trying to avoid Clark getting the wrong idea about the moan. Maybe I should ask. “Can I call you that, or should I just stick with `Clark’?” Well, okay, she had to put off telling him what about the slight mess-up with the drink. Not that it was a mess up in the end, but his initial mistake might still embarrass him, even if it proved to be the best thing he could have done. He might frown if she did that, and she so liked his smile. Just because she liked feeling happy, nothing more. Although, he did sort-of frown at Clarky. That name was not going to work.
“Actually, a girl in my hometown calls me ‘Clarky’. We were sort-of, well we did date, for a while, and then we broke up. So, no, I would prefer you not use it. It reminds me a little too much of her.” That was enough for Lois, but Clark actually said a little more. “Although …” His smile came back, which she could not help responding to in kind, while telling herself it was just part of her act. “I’m sure that if you said it enough times, the way you just did, or actually probably anyway you can, I would get used to you saying it, and I’ll forget all about how it used to be spoken.”
“Maybe, eventually, Clark,” Lois said. “I would prefer to call you Clark. Clarky just makes me sound like a pleading, helpless female.”
“Is that what you think anyone who would be my girlfriend would be?” Clark asked, in a teasing tone.
“No, maybe it does work for some people,” Lois said. She was unbuttoning and then buttoning her jacket, a nervous habit she had. “It just doesn’t work for me. Maybe the culture is enough different in Kansas that it works there.”
“No, I think you described Lana to a tee. On the other hand, you could never be helpless, Jo,” Clark responded. “You are probably a black-belt in karate.”
“Third Dan, just this last week. Wait, how do you know that?” Lois asked. What was up with this guy? How did he pick up on such facts, or did he just make lucky guess?
“Well, I noticed you have a karate magazine in your purse. So, I figured either you were interested in practicing karate, or were already well into it. I guess I just made an educated guess, but I figured it was better to guess too high than too low,” Clark said. “I hope I did not pry too much.”
“Oh, no, that’s all right, Clark,” Lois said. She was amazed that really believed these words. “I should have known that you would notice. I just brought it because I needed something to avoid being bored out of my skull by the other people in the van. Although, the driver actually kept us entertained.”
“So the Daily Planet wasn’t going to be enough reading for you?” Clark responded, with a joking nudge. A rebellious part of Lois wished he had left his arm against her body longer.
“The afternoon edition is not much different from the morning edition, and I already read that one for today. I brought it just in case I got through my karate magazine, since I figured there might be a new interesting story or two in there, but not enough to keep me busy the whole ride.”
“But they ran a new article by Lois Lane in the afternoon addition, so it has plenty of new stuff. I picked it up right when I got off the plane, and read through most of it while I was waiting to pick up my bags. I was very excited about it, in fact. We only get the morning edition where I come from,” Clark said.
“You get the Daily Planet in Kansas?” Lois asked, in shock.
She was glad she could focus on that. The real cause of her shock was not him getting the Daily Planet, since she knew it had a nation-wide distribution network, but his mentioning Lois Lane. Did he know who she was? Or was he such a news junky that he would notice the latest small-time report from the staff intern? This one had been on the opening of the Sarah Fielding Children’s Library in the Alester Projects. The new library had been named for a former New Troy Supreme Court Justice, who had lost her bid for election to a full term just last year. She had donated the money to build it, and had been present at the opening. Not only was Lois’s article on the seventh page of the city section but it was a fairly short article. Judge Fielding had left to go to an NAACP meeting before Lois could interview her.
“The Daily Planet is not just a Metropolis paper, it is a nation-wide paper,” Clark said.
“Don’t sell us, I mean, them short, they are a world paper.” Lois just hoped Clark did not catch her almost slip. To make sure he didn’t get focused on this she took his left hand in her right, intertwining their fingers, before continuing. “I guess that makes sense you get the Daily Planet in Kansas, it is the best paper in the country, if not the world.” She was glad to see that Clark nodded his head in agreement. She was not sure how to feel that his smile diminished as she withdrew her hand from his. “I did manage to read that article just after I got the paper.” Of course, she had. She had checked to see if Mr. White had put any of her stories in. “I am surprised you even read Lane’s story. It is in the local news section, not what I imagine is the most read part of the paper for the out-of-town audience.”
“What can I say, Lois Lane is probably the best writer they have,” Clark said. “I try to read all her articles.”
Lois had to restrain herself from smiling. She liked Clark more and more with each word he said. Still, she didn’t want to play her hand too soon. If he followed her work, he would know of her investigations, and might not be too happy to learn that he was a potential subject of her scandal mongering. Even though the more she learned, the less she thought he would ever be the next Julian Davis. She needed to think through her course of action before telling him who she was. Plus, it might embarrass him to admit that he had just said such praise directly to Lois Lane.
Best to not act rashly. As she was thinking this another part of her reminded her that he was also a football quarterback, and they were sneaky people. They could put on false fronts very well, so she should not assume just because Clark acted nice that he was. She decided the best thing to do for now was to change the focus to something else.
“The article was just a paragraph,” Lois said. “That wouldn’t keep me intellectually stimulated for the whole ride here. Six miles takes a lot longer to cover here than it does in Kansas.”
“You’re right on both counts, Jo,” Clark replied with a smile.
Good, he had not taken her lighthearted comment as an insult. She was only glad because she needed to develop a rapport with him as a subject of her investigation, nothing more. The fact that she enjoyed seeing his smile spreading again meant nothing.
“I still wonder if it was Lane not interviewing Judge Fielding,” he continued. “Or White not feeling that he had space for more than a short article.”
Lois was beginning to think that maybe Clark was a more perceptive person than she had given him credit for. Maybe she should have noticed that in his article on the Smallville City Council elections, but she brushed that off as the result of the issues being very well known in the town. So maybe the fact that the article he wrote on Smallville politics was insightful and precisely written was not the fluke she had hoped it was after Perry told her C. J. Kent and Clark Kent were one and the same. In that article he even made sure to not fall into phrases such as “the police say”, always writing, “a spokesman for the police says.” Still, he was a football player. Football players were egotistical and prideful at best, and not the type of people with whom Lois wanted to associate, outside of this investigation. She needed to put up a front of enjoying his company for this investigation, although it did not feel like a front. Being undercover was easier than Lois had thought; that would be it, nothing else. She was not feeling any real attraction to the boy.
As Lois thought over these issues, an awkward quiet descended on them, only interrupted by Lois drinking more of her soda.
“So, how do you like your pop, Jo?” Clark asked. “I am surprised they have cream soda. The airport in Wichita didn’t.”
Lois could tell it was mainly an attempt to break the silence. She wondered why he was so eager to talk.it is fun to hear his voice. Wait, she had not thought that. She was totally neutral on hearing his voice, and had no attraction to it. “Oh, I love it!” Lois said, unable to hide her enjoyment. “It is the best soda I’ve ever had. Although, you did make one mistake. When I asked for ‘soda’, I meant it in the generic way that you mean ‘pop’, not ‘cream soda’ specifically.”
“Oops,” said Clark, his smile vanishing.
Lois’s heart crashed from its former soaring position. To her horror she realized she did enjoy seeing Clark smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t think,” he apologized. “I could go get you what you really wanted. You say you like this one, but maybe you would like another better. This time, you can even come with me and order it, and I’ll pay for it again of course. That’s the least I can do after my horrible mistake.”
Lois noticed Clark seemed to be engaging in hyperbole. He seemed to value this drink more than as just a drink. Is he feeling the same unrealistic feelings of attraction I am? Lois thought. The idea made even less sense so she returned to the discussion at hand quickly. Talking allowed her to not worry about her feelings.
“Clark,” Lois said, cutting off his attempt to appease a wrong that was only in his mind. “When I said ‘I love it’, I was telling the truth. This is the best soda I have ever had. If all cream soda is this good, it’s going to be my new favorite drink.” She smiled at him, hoping he would realize that she was telling the truth.
“Are you sure, Jo?” Clark replied, his voice uncertain. “I want to make sure you get what you really want.”
Some crazy, traitorous part of Lois wanted to call out ‘then take me in your arms and hold me tight.’ However, that would be rash, and anyway it was not at all what she really wanted. Not in the least.
So instead she took his hand in hers and squeezed it just a little. “You got me what I wanted, even if I didn’t know it until I got it. Thank you, Clark. I really appreciate it.”
-- End of Part 5 --
