Previously...
"You want me to pretend I'm your girlfriend, though."
He nodded. "Yes. Please."
She looked at the box. She looked at him. "Clark, if I'm going to do this, then..."He looked worried. Maybe she should go easy on him? "You can either tell me your secret, or wear an outfit of my choosing for one week. In public." See how *he* liked showing up to work in a chicken outfit... She reached for the box of chocolates and pulled out another one. "Plus, I want *two* of these every month." There. That was a decent low-ball offer.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "How about two boxes a month for helping me, and the outfit if we win?"
"The outfit or your secret," she reminded him.
"The outfit," he repeated.
She frowned in annoyance. "You haven't seen the outfit. But whatever. Deal." They shook on it. Lois popped the third chocolate into her mouth: a layer of sweet caramel preceded a whole, crunchy hazelnut. Clark was definitely not playing fair. "So what do we have to do?"
Clark sighed in clear relief. "She asked us to meet her and her boyfriend for a couple of double dates. They'll pick a place, and we'll pick one. The bet was about who's got the better life, partner, and relationship."
Lois raised an eyebrow. "Is there going to be an impartial judge for this?"
He shrugged. "Probably not. She's always kind of seen money as a good yardstick for people--"
Lois rolled her eyes.
"--So she'll probably look at how much we earn. For everything else, though, we're going to have to really sell it."
**********
Okay. She could do this. If she had any doubts, then all she had to do was picture Clark in that outrageous chicken outfit. Or maybe something even more scandalizing...
They pulled up at the restaurant and her face fell. Lana and her boyfriend wanted to meet at Petit Paris?! That certainly said a lot about their finances, but more importantly, Lex had taken her there on occasion. Would the staff recognize her? Worse, would Lex see her?! If Lex was here, their cover was as good as blown; there would be no way she could convince Metropolis's favorite billionaire that he'd come in second to a farm boy.
"Are you alright?" Clark was frowning at her, his forhead knitted with concern.
Before Lois could explain, though, a high-pitched squeal stabbed right through her ears. "Clark, darling!"
The blonde in the obnoxiously expensive dress had to be Lana Lang. She was waving at them, her other arm hanging on the elbow of an equally-overdressed guy with blond hair, dark roots, and a smile with too many teeth. She hustled towards them, her escort barely managing to keep up, and promptly greeted Clark with air kisses. Air kisses! Wasn't this woman from the same hick town in Kansas as her partner?!
"Hi, Lana." Clark's smile seemed just a little bit forced.
"Clark, I'd like you to meet Brad." Lana patted Brad's arm affectionately. "He's an attorney in New York, but he's thinking of moving his practice down to Metropolis. Wouldn't that be lovely? We could be neighbors again!"
Was it Lois's imagination, or did her partner's eye just twitch?
"Nice to meet you." Clark shook Brad's hand, then put an arm around Lois. "I believe you've already heard of my partner Lois Lane, of the Daily Planet?"
Lana swept a gaze over Lois that told her she had not, in fact, heard of her. Did this woman even read the paper? Scratch that, did this woman even read? Brad likewise looked Lois over. He certainly seemed impressed, but probably not by anything she would put on her resume.
The door to Petit Paris opened, but the gentleman leaving was not Lex. Lois allowed her shoulders to relax. Clark needed the girlfriend equivalent of an atomic bomb tonight, and Lois already had an idea of what to do...
----------
What is Lois going to do? Post your ideas and suggestions below!
