Okay, feel better today so I thought I'd post a second part. Enjoy!
****
It's been way too long since I've been out, Lois thought as she carefully wrapped the painting on the table. She'd spent the last two days setting up an opening for another talented artist, which had kept her busy enough so that her thoughts didn't drift to the man who'd purchased her paintings. But it was Friday- time for her to deliver his items. She'd never been one to get caught up in the 'Superman' hype. Sure, he was phenomenal. The things he could do was nothing short of amazing. He was also a talented writer. She'd read his books long before the world had found out he wasn't even from this planet. Yet, here she stood, her heart thundering in anticipation. He hadn't technically said he'd be there- just that he'd be looking for them. So...
So stop acting like a school girl, she chided herself for the tenth time in the last hour. She'd come in much too early to make her delivery and had subsequently spent the morning watching the man in question on television. The morning news had run an interview he'd done the week before, after he'd saved several children from dying when an orphanage burned down. As with everything he did as Superman, he'd shrugged off his heroics as just another day.
How did someone with such extraordinary power become so humble? And his humility seemed to reach into his personal life as well. The very few interviews he gave as Clark Kent projected him as the most grounded celebrity in recent history. She couldn't help but wonder if he really was.
Glancing at her watch, she took a deep breath. Maybe he'd be there to accept these for himself and she could find out something else about him. Like why he'd wanted these sent to somewhere other than his home address.
****
Lois pulled her silver jeep up the curb and rechecked the address on the card again. 344 Clinton- she was in the right place. The large, older building was in the middle of the block in one of the less than affluent sections of the city. Though not exactly the slums, it wasn't at all what she'd expected. Slowly she exited her car. Taking another daunting look up at the building, she wandered if her prized SUV would be here when she got back.
It took her a few minutes, but she finally found apartment G around the side of the building, down an alley. She repositioned the bag containing the statue on her shoulder so she could better hold the paintings before cautiously climbing the stairs up to the small stoop outside a blue door. Potted plants with brightly colored blooms flanked the opening. Quaint, she thought as she lifted her hand to knock.
"Be right there," came the call from inside.
Clark was indeed waiting for his art. It was his voice that called from the other side of the blue door. She'd only heard it for herself speak a few words, but there was no way she'd forget it. It was a low, sexy rumble.
Sexy? Sheez, what was wrong with her?!
Before she could analyze her continued infatuation with Clark Kent, he opened the door. And for a second she forgot to breathe. He'd been absolutely breathtaking when he'd come to the gallery- in his black slacks, gray dress shirt, and black jacket. But today... today he was stunning. He was wearing a tee shirt- a very tight, blue tee shirt.
"Ms. Lane?"
"Ah, what?" He'd spoken and she hadn't heard a word.
"I asked if I could take those?"
Finally she managed to get her eyes to focus. Of course, that might have been a mistake because he was even better looking in focus.
"Here," he said as he reached out to take her load.
She relinquished the wrapped frames and forced herself to concentrate. "The statue is in here," she told him as she pulled the strap of the bag off of her shoulder. He simply motioned with his head for her to follow him inside.
"Close the door," he called.
With a glance behind her, Lois stepped inside. Clark had already made his way down into the inner room. She pushed the door closed before surveying her new surroundings. She was standing on a landing with a banister on either side of three, wide stairs. Below was a large room. One end was a living room, the other a dining area. Off to the left on the far end she could see a kitchen. A large opening in the middle of the wall to the left led into what looked to be a bedroom.
"Please, come in," Clark told her as he unwrapped one of the paintings.
Again, she almost forgot to breathe. Clark was standing at the table on the other end of the room tearing the paper off one of his paintings. What impressed Lois was the tight blue jeans that hugged him like a glove. She saw this man almost daily in spandex, yet the sight of him in denim was having a serious effect on her equilibrium. And if that wasn't enough, he was barefooted. He had really... really, nice feet.
"I have the perfect place for this."
Drawn to him by that sexy rumble, Lois made her way down into the living area. He was hanging the painting of the ocean on the wall behind the table.
"How does it look?" he asked when he'd felt it was perfectly hung.
It looks fantastic, she thought then averted her eyes away from the man beside her. "Good. It looks good." He must have noticed she wasn't necessarily talking about the art because he grinned slightly. But instead of commenting, he turned and lifted the other painting from the table.
"This one is going in the loft," he said as he moved across the room and stood it against a bookshelf.
"Is that a Darren Jackson orginal?" Lois asked as she crossed the room. A small, clay sculpture stood on the middle shelf of a bookcase.
"Yes, it is," Clark answered as he lifted the item in question. It was a deep red statue of a mother holding her child.
Lois could only stare at the priceless artifact. Darren Jackson was one of the most famous artists in the world. She'd met him several years ago at show in London. "He projects such life through his work."
"That's why I like it," Clark said as he returned the sculpture to its place.
For the first time Lois noticed Clark had a very eclectic collection of art pieces. A mask looked to be African, a small drum was South American, and a vase had a Russian print on it. "Did you collect all of these in person?" How stupid did that sound? Of course he did. He could fly around the world in seconds.
He chuckled softly. "Afraid so. I've been on every continent on the planet in almost every country and all fifty states."
She looked up at him. "I've been to all fifty states and on every continent but Antarctica." At his questioning expression, she shrugged. "Daddy was in the Army. We've lived in twenty different states, and the ones we didn't live in, we traveled through to get to one we did."
"Ah..."
God, he was cute when he did that. Focus, girl, she scolded herself.
"I wouldn't have thought you'd make your own deliveries," Clark said after a moment.
"Yeah, well, I usually let my sister make the deliveries- she's more of a people person- but I just kind of figured... well, you did say you'd appreciate the discretion. So, I didn't think you'd want just anyone- especially my sister because she can be a little... loud. And I just felt it'd be better if I brought them. And..." She stopped when he laughed softly. "What?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you babble?"
She felt her cheeks burn slightly and she lowered her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "I might have heard that a time or two." Fact was she'd heard that many times. Lois was famous for going off on tangents, usually when she was passionate about a particular subject. Or nervous... like now- standing beside the most well known person on the planet. Sheez! She even babbled in her thoughts!
"I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"You didn't," she said quickly. She looked around the room again, trying desperately to keep from bolting out of the door. She couldn't believe she'd blabbered in front of Clark Kent. Glancing up at him, she noticed he didn't seem to be put off by her outburst though. He looked... intrigued.
"So," he managed after a second. "You said something about that statue..."
"Oh..." She pulled the bag from her shoulder and retrieved his prize. "Good choice, by the way."
"I think so." He turned the bubble-wrapped object over in his hands a couple of times before he set it on the shelf. "It's a birthday present for my mother."
"You must be a good son... buying your mother expensive art for her birthday." What did she say that for?
"I bought her a beach house three years ago, a Lincoln two years ago, and sent her on a week long trip to Rome last year. This..." He picked up the statue again. "... is nothing." He replaced it again before stepping around her. "Would you like something to drink?"
Well... it was certainly something to her. It was three months rent. But then again, the value of the pieces on his bookshelf alone would probably buy her entire building.
"I have cream soda."
Cream soda? This man was perfect!
She turned to see him flop down on the sofa. He held up the can of soda in invitation for her to join him. The most famous man on the face of the planet wanted *her* to sit beside him and drink cream soda. Okay, so she'd been standing inside his- what ever this place was- for the last few minutes. But...
"Don't you like cream soda?" he asked when she didn't move.
"Ah, no. I mean, yeah. I love cream soda," she replied without moving.
He slowly lowered his arm, eyeing her closely. "Don't like strange visitors from other planets?"
What?! "What?" That prompted her to move. She eased around the coffee table and gingerly down onto the cushion beside him, all without taking her eyes off him. He looked so... lost. He didn't answer her, just took a gulp of his own soda as he stared across the room. "Is that how you see yourself?" she asked him softly.
"Doesn't everyone else?" He shrugged and lifted his feet to prop them on the coffee table.
Lois reached over and took the cream soda from his hand. "I've learned not to worry about how other people see me." She popped the tab and took a long swallow from the can. "As long as I know who I am, I could care less how others see me."
"And who is Lois Lane?" he asked, his voice even sexier when he spoke softly. Did this man have any idea how gorgeous he was?
**
What was he doing? Flirting with this woman was not a good idea. He'd learned a long time ago that Clark Superman Kent was destined to spend his time alone. He'd only met a hand full of people that didn't want anything from him. None were women. Oh, he could get a companion for the night; they were a dime a dozen. Women camped outside his door just to see him. But they were all the same. They wanted the acclaim that came with being seen with Superman. They wanted to boast they'd bedded the Man of Steel. None wanted to actually get to know the man under the suit.
He'd come close to finding a special person to share his time with once. He'd known her growing up; they'd been high school sweethearts. She'd even known about his super side. She just hadn't been able to handle the exposure when the world found out just how super he was.
Something about the woman in front of him was different. She hadn't acted like a star struck teenager when he went into her gallery. No, he hadn't missed the looks she'd given him. She'd known who was and yet, she'd treated him just as he suspected she would any other Joe off the street. That had impressed him. And he wasn't very easily impressed.
"I am... a simple gallery owner, artist, and big sister. I travel, promote talent when I see it, and try to spend time with my friends."
Damn! She was absolutely fascinating. Her lashes had to be the longest he'd ever seen. And those eyes- he could get lost in them.
"Who is Clark Kent?"
What? She'd just asked him a question and he had no idea what it was. He blinked quickly and took another sip of his soda.
"Hey..."
He looked at her and immediately wished he hadn't. She was simply beautiful.
"Come on. I answered."
"What?" She cocked her head and looked at him closely. God, she had a nice neck.
"You didn't hear me, did you?"
His eyes flashed to her eyes, then settled on her lips. Nice, inviting lips. Acting on pure euphoria, and months of abstinence, Clark leaned forward and kissed Lois soundly. He reached out with his free hand and gently squeezed her knee while he held his lips against her in sweet agony. When he pulled back, she was staring at him with wide eyes. Obviously he'd shocked this poor girl senseless. She'd come to deliver artwork he'd bought from her gallery, and he'd kissed her like some deranged fool.
But God help him, he felt like he was on fire. His lips tingled with the sweet taste he'd been given of this incredible woman. He squeezed her knee again, without taking his eyes off hers. "I should apologize for that," he said softly. "But..." His eyes flashed back to her stunned mouth, leading his body to follow. Just before his lips met hers again, his brain finally kicked in. He practically jumped to his feet, spilling his cream soda all over the coffee table. "Dammit!" The spill barely had time to get the table damp before Clark had flashed into the kitchen for a towel and had the soda cleaned up.
"Wow! You'd could be really useful around the house."
Clark looked at Lois. There was a fair amount of wonder on her face from his show of super speed, but she seemed to be more tickled than anything. He grinned at her. "You should see me take out the trash." He waggled his eyes at her effecting a bright smile. A very nice smile. Now that was impressive.
Before he could make a fool of himself, a phone rang. That broke the spell that had been cast between them. "Sorry," he apologized as he went to retrieve his cell from the table. "Hello?"
**
Breathe! Breathe! Lois had to look away from him or she might never take another breath in her life. It had been only a touch, but he'd kissed her! Clark Kent had kissed her! Glancing at him again, she was trying desperately to figure out why this man seemed to be so taken with her. She was just a girl from the south side of Metropolis. She wasn't unlike hundreds of other women he must have met in his life. He'd been everywhere- seen millions of women. What made her so special?
How did she manage to turn the head of a man who could have any woman he wanted? Just look at him, she thought as she did just that. He was the most perfect specimen she'd ever seen. Well defined muscles; shiny, black hair; pearly, white teeth- they all formed the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Hell, even his feet were gorgeous.
And his looks had nothing to do with his celebrity. She was sure if he was the least bit cocky about his position in society, he wouldn't be nearly as appealing. It was that quiet, soft-spoken demeanor that made him so irresistible.
"I, ah, I have to..." He made a gesture with his hand and she knew he meant he had to leave, even if he didn't really want to voice it.
"Oh," she said and stood up. "Sure. I'll just..." She motioned toward the door. "Thanks for the soda," she told him as she held out the half empty beverage.
"You're welcome," he replied as he took the can.
"Enjoy the art." She was inching toward the door. Would he say yes if she asked to see him again? He didn't actually look as interested in her as he did a few minutes ago. She managed to tear her gaze from him and make it up the stairs to the front door. She reached out for the knob, but turned before she could open it. "I won't say a word about this place."
"I never doubted it," he said with a smile. "Thank you."
"For bringing the art or the kiss?" What was wrong with her? Asking such a forward question like that? She swallowed hard when his eyes seemed to darken and he took a step closer.
"Both," he whispered.
He was so close. Was he going to kiss her again?
"Would you like to go with me to my mother's birthday dinner?"
Huh? Had she just heard him right? "What?"
"Tomorrow night... My father's grilling steaks. We'll probably drink too many beers..."
"You want me to go with you to your parents' house?"
"Yes." He was still looking at her like he wanted to kiss her. "Unless you're too scared to fly?"
"What?"
"Fly... with me. They live in Kansas."
Fly... with Superman? That was a fantasy to beat all fantasies! She looked closer at the man before her. She'd much rather fly with Clark Kent. "I'll bring a gift."
Clark smiled, the most beautiful one yet. "I'll pick you up on the roof of your gallery at seven."
"The roof?"
"It's harder to be seen up there."
Of course. They'd have tons of camera hounds chasing them if she was seen flying off with Superman. "Okay." This time she managed to open the door and step through before she looked back. He offered her another brilliant smile, which she returned before she hurried down the stairs and through the alley. Her jeep was still there- still in one piece. She jumped inside and started the engine before she took a deep breath. "Wow!" She'd just made a date with Clark Kent! Suddenly tomorrow seemed much too far off.
