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From Part 24:Lex smiled again and strolled towards Mrs Cox. "That won't be necessary, my dear. However, there is one thing you can help me with."
She understood his meaning instantly, and ran her tongue around the edge of her lips. "I would be delighted to assist you in whatever capacity you need."
"Close the door," he instructed; he followed her over and, once the door was closed, he turned her around, pressing her briefly against the wooden frame with his body. Then he moved back. "That is a charming blouse you're wearing today."
"Thank you. Would you like it?" she murmured huskily.
"That would be very kind." He gave her a feral stare, raking her body with his gaze, and watched as she unbuttoned the crimson silk garment. When she'd finished, she pushed the material aside and allowed it to fall off her shoulders, revealing a sheer black lace bra, and then down her arms. Lex stepped forward to catch the blouse before it hit the floor.
Yes, Nigel could definitely wait. Some things just shouldn't be rushed.
************
Now read on...Walking towards the steps to Clark's apartment, Lois couldn't resist the urge to slip her arm around her partner's waist. He paused at the movement, smiling down at her.
She gazed back up at him, and her heart skipped a beat. He'd said that he loved her last night and this morning; his love was still clear in his eyes now. This wasn't a man who would play with her feelings. He wouldn't profess love for her only to dump her when a better prospect came along. He wasn’t looking for only one thing. The fact that they'd shared a bed the night before and he hadn't pushed for sex - in fact, he'd been the one to stop them when their kisses had threatened to get out of control - reinforced still more how different Clark was from Claude.
Clark loved her, despite the way she'd behaved to him as Clark and as Superman when they'd first met. And she loved him in return. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him, right in front of his apartment in broad daylight.
"What was that for?" he asked, teasing, as she moved away.
"Does there have to be a reason?" She grinned as he gave her an affectionate hug. "We're going to get Luthor put away for what he did. I'm with the man I love and I'm happy."
"I'll have to make sure that you stay happy, then," Clark observed. "If you're going to keep kissing me like that..."
Lois shrugged. "Well, there's no reason why you can't kiss me too from time to time..."
"No reason at all," he agreed, and did just that. His arms tightened around her, drawing her closer to him. It felt so good to be held in Clark’s arms. Now that she finally knew what had been preventing him touching her, getting close to her, it was clear that he was making up for all those weeks when he’d barely laid a finger on her.
Pulled up against his strong, solid body, Lois felt warmed and protected - and then, as Clark's lips descended and he kissed her, she felt a surge of unfamiliar excitement rush through her.
Kisses had never affected her particularly before. Oh, she'd always thought that they were
nice, but kissing someone didn't set her world on fire. Or, at least,
hadn't ever set her world on fire. Kisses were just a means to an end, she'd thought. Part of the preliminaries to something else, whether there and then or at some point in the future. They hadn't even made her want what followed, particularly, though she'd always known that the men she'd kissed had wanted it. Because they were men, of course.
Kissing Clark... the flames were burning so strongly that it would take a dozen Supermen to put them out. And they were in the middle of the street in broad daylight. And she was very sure, after last night, that Clark certainly didn't see kissing as a mere preliminary to something else.
So this was the difference between being in love with the man she was kissing and... not being in love, she thought dazedly as Clark raised his head. She actually
wanted to kiss him, wanted him to kiss her in return - never actually wanted him to stop kissing her. She wanted to wrap herself in his arms and stay there forever.
And yet cuddling close to someone had never been her thing before, either. She'd always thought of herself as not being a toucher, preferring to keep her distance rather than feeling the need to make contact with other human beings all the time. Even with men she'd dated, she'd kept both a physical and a mental distance.
And yet, walking from the car, she'd been the one to initiate contact. She had slipped her arm around Clark's waist, not the other way around. He'd responded to the contact in a very satisfying way - but it had been at her instigation.
Lois Lane was changing. And it felt great.
**********
Clark raised his head and looked down at the woman in his arms, loving the dazed expression on her face and the faint disappointment which went along with it. He hadn't wanted to end the kisses either. But he'd become aware that they weren't alone; a couple of teenage boys - who should have been in school - had halted a few feet away, sniggering.
"Come on," he urged softly. "Let's get inside. We have more
privacy there."
She blinked, then glanced around. When she saw the kids, a blush crept over her features. "Oops. Yeah, we'd better go in."
Clark smiled, steering her up the steps. "We should get some work done too. Much as I'd
love to spend the whole day kissing you and holding you..."
"Me too," she confessed softly. "Clark, I can barely believe what’s happening to me! I was just thinking a minute ago: I never liked kissing before. And yet now... I kiss a guy in broad daylight and I forget everything - where we are, what we should be doing instead..."
"You think I was remembering what we should have been doing?" He gave a wry laugh. "Lois, I only have to be near you to have all rational thought disappear. And it feels wonderful!" he added with a grin.
"I'll second that!" She laughed. "But you're right. We have work to do."
"Yeah." He smiled at her quickly again, and once more Lois felt her insides melt and all desire to spend their time together working began to dissipate.
Focus! she told herself.
"But first," Clark added, "Tonight. Will you come to Smallville and have dinner with my folks? Or, if you prefer, I'll take you anywhere in the world you'd like to go."
Wow. Once again, Lois recognised that there were definite advantages to having Superman as her friend - her boyfriend. On top of everything she got with Clark, she had the flying too! She pondered the options briefly, then decided to go for what would please Clark most.
"Smallville tonight. Sydney tomorrow."
His pleased grin was more than worth it - and she was looking forward to meeting his parents again anyway. "Great! Though I'm not sure how easy it'll be to find dinner in Australia at that kind of time, but we can have fun trying."
"Hey, breakfast would work, as long as I can see the harbour and the opera house!"
Clark grinned again. "That can be arranged. Anyway," he added, his expression sobering once more, "Work."
"Yeah, work," Lois agreed. "Okay, I want to call my father again - he said last time that he'd see what else he could find out about Luthor and the robotic boxers, and he's had a couple of days, so that's long enough."
"Yeah," Clark agreed, unlocking the door and waving Lois into the apartment ahead of him. As he closed the door, he added, "And I've been wondering whether there's anything Superman can do."
"Like what?" Lois asked. "You've already given Henderson that signed statement."
"I know. But I meant... Superman can see through walls - or desks - he can hear conversations at a distance... he moves so quickly he could be in and out of somewhere before anyone knows he was there..."
Lois stared at him. "You'd use Superman to break in and get evidence?"
Clark hesitated, but only out of surprised realisation of what he'd been thinking. Superman, ever since he'd created him, had been a staunch upholder of what was right and decent and good. He obeyed the law. He set an example for others - and when people broke the law in a way which harmed others, he apprehended them.
And now he was talking about using Superman to break the law.
But this was different. This was to put away a criminal who had managed to fool everyone - the police, the general public, politicians, the media - for so long that everyone believed he was a model citizen, a billionaire philanthropist. And his tentacles were everywhere. He had influence in politics and the media - heck, he even owned his own major news channel! And, if Henderson were correct, he had influence with the law as well.
He was so powerful and so ruthless that the few people who had developed suspicions about him had to counter disbelief about their claims, and also had to be in fear for their safety. Clark had no illusions about what had been happening over the past few days. Lois had been burned out of her apartment. She'd almost found herself in a situation where she would have been spied on every single second. The Planet had been compromised. He himself had encountered two attempts to hurt him, if not kill him. And William Henderson, Detective Inspector of the Metropolis Police Department, had to meet reporters secretly because he was convinced that someone in his own department was reporting back to Luthor.
Luthor was responsible for who knew how many deaths. He was a cold, brutal, Machiavellian mastermind, who was not going to be brought down effectively by legal means, Clark was sure. Oh, yes, Henderson could use the contract Luthor had signed to tie him to the Toasters and arson - but that wouldn't lead to the sort of prosecution, or the sort of sentence, which Luthor deserved.
It was worse than Al Capone going to prison only for tax evasion.
"Superman's always sworn to uphold the law," he said hesitantly to Lois. "I mean, not that he's ever stood up on a platform and said so. But he does so in everything he does. In all the examples he sets to others. Might
isn't right - and so just because Superman is so much more powerful, and he can do all these incredible things, doesn't mean that he has any right to dictate the rules."
Lois nodded. "I know. That's not what Superman stands for. But... isn't this different?"
Clark shrugged. "That's what I'm wondering. I'm telling myself about everything Luthor's done, and that getting him put away properly, convicted of the worst of what he's done, would be a public service. But..."
"Where does it stop?" Lois finished softly.
"Exactly!" Clark flung his arms out in frustration. "Superman uses his powers to...
acquire evidence to convict Luthor, and what next? Does he go after the next big criminal to come along? Does he break into a crooked politician's office? Does he steal someone's bank records? Does he kill a mass murderer to stop that murderer killing again? Where do you draw the line?"
"At killing?" Lois suggested, but then she smiled wryly. "I know. It's an impossible line to draw, so it's better not to cross it at all. At least, not as Superman."
"Yeah, I already crossed it last night as Clark," he conceded with a smile.
"Yeah, but that’s what undercover reporters do. We sometimes do have to... stretch the concept of breaking and entering just a little to get what we need."
Clark raised an eyebrow. "So if I do Super stuff as Clark, it's okay?"
"Come on, you know that's not what I'm saying!" Lois told him. "Look, if it were possible to get some sort of proof that Luthor was involved in murder, that'd be fantastic. But let's put our heads together and work out a way it can be done without compromising Superman, okay?"
Clark nodded. "You're right. I just... I want to see him brought to justice so badly!"
"Me too," Lois agreed. "But you know that an -"
The phone rang. Clark gave a slight shrug and went to answer it. "Clark Kent."
"Kent, it's Henderson. You free to talk?"
"Sure." He beckoned Lois to come closer. "It's Henderson," he murmured, covering the mouthpiece briefly.
"I called Perry White on what I know is a secure line. He said you and Lois were at your place. Anyway, I thought you’d like to know - the fingerprints on the knife match up to St John's. There's a warrant out for his arrest right now. Not that anyone can find him."
"It was St John," Clark murmured to Lois. "Sorry, Bill, just filling Lois in. But won't your... leak... cause a problem?"
"Probably, by now," Henderson agreed. "But there's not a lot he can do, whoever he is - St John's committed a crime, and we have evidence placing him at the scene. If I know Luthor, he'll already have taken steps to distance himself."
"Which means St John is on his own," Clark said. "He's not going to be too happy about that, is he?"
"Doubt it," Henderson said dryly. "*If* I could only get my hands on him, I'd gladly offer to cut him a deal if he agreed to testify against his boss."
"I'll bet." Clark paused; the way in which Superman could help was suddenly very clear to him. "Bill, I need to contact someone. Lois or I will be in touch later, okay? Thanks for the update."
"Sure. Just don't -"
"Do anything stupid. I know." Clark smiled. "Take care."
He hung up and turned to Lois, a broad smile on his face. "Can I leave you here for a while? You had a phone call to make anyway."
"Sure." Lois narrowed her eyes, looking at him. "What are you up to?"
He stepped away from her and spun into the Suit before answering. "Going to find Nigel St John."
***********
Lex jiggled the little tool once more, then felt the lock give way. He smiled in satisfaction; it really was like riding a bicycle. You never forgot how to do it.
He was inside the Metro Club. Now to find Toni Taylor's office.
He'd chosen his time well - it was late morning, too early for any of the bar staff to be around. He'd also decided that it was unlikely that Taylor herself or her brothers would be in the club; the place did stay open, officially, until midnight, and unofficially for at least a couple of hours longer.
Not that the presence of one other person would be too much of a problem. Lex ran his gloved hand down the outside of his beaten-up leather jacket; the small, unmarked and unlicensed pistol he'd put in there before leaving his penthouse was within easy reach. And in his other pocket he had a silk scarf. Should Toni Taylor happen to be present, she would be quickly silenced - and repaid for her arrogance and lack of courtesy.
Actually, he needed to arrange for a discreet tip-off to the police about the club's after-hours serving of alcohol. Probably not to the local precinct; the cops there were no doubt all on the take and would do whatever the Metro gang told them to. But the precinct in the next district would be glad of the opportunity to get one up on their colleagues.
Lex listened carefully before making a move. There was nothing but silence from inside the building. Down this corridor, then, and around the corner, and the office was the second door on the left.
Easy.
In under a minute, he was inside Taylor's office. Now, where was the safe?
It wasn't in plain sight. But that shouldn't have surprised him. He looked around, considering. Where was the best place to hide something bulky which one didn't want found?
Two walls were bare of anything except a small noticeboard - Lex quickly checked behind it but saw nothing - and a poster, which again revealed no hiding-place.
One other wall had shelving fixed to it. Lex examined it carefully, but could see nowhere that a safe could be hidden. If he couldn't find it on the other wall, then he'd have to search the ceiling and the floor, which would be annoying and time-consuming. Damn! But if he had to, he would do it.
The fridge caught his eye as soon as he turned his attention to the final wall. He should have thought of that before, he told himself in irritation as he wrenched the small unit away from the wall. Pay-dirt. There was the safe.
Now, what was the combination? He crouched down and examined the lock. It was a standard numerical dial, which meant that the combination would be a series of numbers of some sort. So... what numbers would mean something to a woman like Toni Taylor? And in what order?
She was very proud of her MBA. But how could that translate to a number? He thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. 1992 - that was when she'd got it. He could try 1, 9, 9 and 2 and see if that got him anywhere. But then he realised that wouldn't work; two nines together wasn't a possible combination for a safe like this.
But nineteen followed by nine and two would work. Except that he'd need one more number. Her age was a possibility, Lex thought. Or, more likely, her age on gaining the MBA.
He carefully selected the numbers 19, 9, 2 and 26.
Bingo! There was a click and the safe swung open.
And then he heard a noise from outside. Lex threw his head back, tense and irritated. Not now, when he was so close!
But what had the noise been? Footsteps? A door closing? No, it hadn't sounded like either of those. It had been more like a... a whooshing. Some sort of whooshing or rushing noise. Like... A furnace or air-conditioning system kicking off. That was probably what it was, he decided. The staff would begin to arrive at the club in an hour or so - the system was probably set to come on some time before that.
He bent his head back to the safe again and wrenched the door fully open, noting in satisfaction that there was quite a lot inside, including a couple of piles of paper.
Lex quickly rummaged through the contents. Some stacks of money - no doubt not declared to the IRS; perhaps that was another phone call he needed to have made. Some random documents, but nothing familiar and nothing even the slightest bit questionable. The contract he'd signed was nowhere in sight. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Had Taylor moved it somewhere else? Had she taken it home with her, in anticipation that he might try to get it back?
Burning up with fury, he swore fluently in language which hadn’t passed his lips for decades - not since Lex Luthor had become respectable. He was just about to concede defeat, not an easy task, when it occurred to him that the interior of the safe seemed smaller than the exterior. To be precise, the bottom of the inside was several inches higher than the outside, and that couldn't all, he thought, be taken up with casing.
A false bottom!
It was a matter of seconds to figure out how to get into the hidden compartment.
It was empty. Lex cursed loudly and long.
Damn that Taylor woman anyway!
He would have to deal with her later. He would simply have to use whatever methods necessary to get her to hand over the documents - and since it appeared that she would be of no further use to him, as he had already decided that he wouldn't be needing the services of the Toasters any more, she was expendable.
Lex slammed the safe shut and then straightened, anger still coursing though him. What a waste of time this had been!
He would get out of the club and, once back in his penthouse, put the necessary instructions in place to deal with Taylor. She and Nigel, in fact.
That was an oversight. Given everything Nigel knew, he couldn’t afford to just fire him. Nigel would have to be removed - permanently. Once he got back home, he would have to make arrangements to ensure that those two little problems were dealt with.
Lex strode towards the door. And then he halted, his hand on the doorknob. He could smell smoke.
***********
...tbc
