Couple(s): ChLex
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me.
Spoilers for: the events brought up in 'Zero' might be referenced in a later chapter
Author's Note: This is completely AU; the Sullivans still live in Metropolis -- as does Lex -- he and Chloe have never met previously; Club Zero is still booming; Chloe's about Lex's age. This is the last time I dig my Savage Garden CD out of the 'haven't listened to for years' pile, and let the song 'Violet' inspire a bloody plot bunny. Enjoy.
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Freedom was what Chloe Sullivan sought at the clubs; a reprieve from the daily grind at Metropolis U, a break from her father's nagging -- he meant well, but being a single parent had caused him to become over-protective of his 'little girl'.
She didn't go the Club Zero to piss her father off, or to hook up; those concepts were far from her mind when she pushed her way through the throng of hopeful attendees, and flashed her ID at the bouncer who was an old friend. (She was twenty-one that year; the fake ID had been retired permanently.)
As she strided confidently to the bar, her body shining with glitter, she ignored the gazes of several perverted older men who took in her outfit (knee-high, black leather boots, a sparkling silver miniskirt, and a lacy red tank top) and whistled.
"The usual," she called to Hans -- a handsome African American man in his early thirties whose hair was in dreads -- and grinned. "Please."
A rum and Coke was set in front of her, and the man smirked. "Anything for you, Clo."
Making a face, she flipped him off, completely in jest. "Love you, too, babe."
With a laugh, Hans turned to assist another customer. Chloe had nothing else to do, so she checked out the man the bar tender was serving. He had to be about her age, maybe a few years older, and very rich; he wore tight black leather pants that seemed to be incredibly expensive, with a silky purple shirt unbuttoned at the top. He was breathing heavily, his bald head -- she assumed it was shaved -- dotted with sweat.
"Can I get some scotch?" the man gasped over the pounding music, dropping onto a stool, next to Chloe.
"You bet, Mister Luthor." Hans fixed the drink and placed it on a napkin.
Chloe had seen 'Mister Luthor' before; he was in the club almost as frequently as she was, though she'd never spoken to him. Until then, she'd never even seen him up close -- he was always a blur on the floor, moving seductively with some bimbo, or hiding in the corner with his buddies, drinking. He was handsome, in that dark, mysterious sort of way.
"I've seen you around," Luthor began after gulping his drink in one swallow, and it took Chloe a minute to realize he was speaking to her. His eyes, when they stared into hers, were a bright, piercing blue.
"Have you?" she called back, feigning disinterest. She didn't hook up with random men, and she didn't intend to start then.
"You're always here alone; you just sit on the balcony and watch everyone."
*So he 'has' seen me. Huh.* "I'm surprised you've noticed, what with all the chicks you seduce on a nightly basis.
She received a smirk in response. "I'm surprised you've noticed, what with all the observing you do on a nightly basis."
"That wasn't particularly original." Her voice lowered when the music stopped for a brief second.
"It wasn't meant to be," he shot back. After a beat, he held out his large, sweaty hand. "Lex."
Taking the hand, Chloe found his grip to be firm. "Chloe."
"Dance with me," Lex ordered when the tunes started up again, pulling her to her feet.
"Why should I?" She allowed herself to be tugged to the packed floor.
"Because I said so."
Dancing with a handsome stranger to who had introduced himself was better than dancing with a handsome stranger who simply grabbed her and started grooving; men like that bothered her. The pair let the music take them over as they moved, bodies in constant contact.
Lex was very, very good, but so was she; after three songs it almost became a competition to see who could out-dance the other, though they were evenly matched. At one point, Chloe stood behind him and slid her hands in the side pockets of his pants, moving with him in an incredibly intense way; Lex grabbed her arms and swiveled around, beginning his own suggestive motions with the sexy strange woman.
Sweaty and flushed -- though from the crowds, exertion, or lewdness of the dance, they didn't know -- they headed out of the club about an hour later, hands entwined. "You know what you're doing," Lex whispered against her ear once they were in the fresh air.
Chloe shivered when his breath brushed her skin. "Do I?"
His deep chuckle sent electricity through her. "Don't play that game with me, Chloe; there are many women who come here for the action, but wouldn't know how to move if they spent their lifetimes in training. You have skill, and, I must admit, you're bloody sexy." He concluded in a whisper, brushing a light kiss onto the back of her neck.
Closing her bright eyes as his mouth moved to her jaw, she stifled a gasp. His hands were snaking around her waist, brushing her stomach. There was nothing she could think of to do or say; his kisses were like fire, and she was tingling all over. She liked it.
Then she was facing him, meeting his kiss with a passion that surprised her; without thinking she undid several more buttons on his shirt -- even though they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and passers-by were giving them looks -- and ran her hands over his chest.
Despite the fact that she loved partying and clubbing, Chloe Sullivan was anything but irresponsible. Though kissing Lex was amazing and passionate and made her feel *alive*, she wouldn't get taken for a ride; if anyone was going to call the shots, it would be her.
He growled and deepened the kiss, his hands touching her back underneath her shirt. That was when she skillfully slipped away from his embrace. "Maybe I'll see you again, Lex," Chloe whispered seductively, her mouth brushing his earlobe before she pulled back from him.
When he visibly shivered, she grinned inwardly. "Let me give you a ride," Lex offered softly.
"Nah. I have my own car." Her mouth lingered millimeters from his, she almost grabbed him again, then she slid her hands down his chest and smiled slyly. "I'll look for you sometime, Mister Luthor."
And then she was gone, gliding to her red convertible. He watched her go, his entire being burning.
Chloe purposely didn't look back at him, afraid she would run back and kiss him again. It wouldn't have mattered if she did, however, since she it wasn't as though she was planning to see him again.
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