By Michele

***

The wind banged the door shut. Lex back-peddled and stuck his head out the library door.

“Lana, you do know this is tornado weather,” he said, surprised to see her. She shook herself off, water dripping from her jacket and hair.

“I know,” she said. “It wasn’t this bad when I left the Talon.” She handed him the receipts bag. Lex shook his head and went to put it in his safe. If it had been up to him, he’d have left it at the store.

“Come on,” he said, making sure the front door was locked. He checked nearby windows. “You’re staying until this storm is over.”

Something outside crashed. Lana agreed. “Is there anything I can do?”

Lex shook his head, locking a window. “No. All done.”

He got a towel, threw it over her head, and led her to the storm cellar.

“I sent the servants home a few hours ago, so I hope you feel alright about being alone with me during this,” he said, ushering her down the stairs. He locked the door behind them.

“I’m fine, Lex,” she said with a smile. She paused in scrubbing her hair. “Wow,” she breathed, eyes wide as she looking around. “Trust you to make a storm cellar into a five-star suite.”

“Just because the weather is going to be uncivilized, doesn’t mean I have to be,” he said.

Books lined one wall next to a leather couch and chair, a throw rug decorating the floor. A small table and chairs sat between the living room and pantry, where shelves of non-perishables and bottled water sat along with bedding, medical supplies, tools, and batteries. Three beds took up another wall, with privacy curtains between them.

“Bathroom is there,” he pointed. “Actually just a half-bath. Everything is on batteries, so try not to have all the lights on. There’s wash-up stuff in the bathroom, new boxes of toothbrushes under the sink. Help yourself.”

A rumble shook the room and Lana jumped and looked up, feeling the weight of tons of rock that made the mansion.

“We’re safe down here,” Lex said, rummaging in a dresser. He came up with pj’s and heavy socks, and handed them to her. “There’s titanium behind these brick walls. Dad was fully aware of local weather patterns when he had this place built.”

“Are you hungry?”

Lana shook her head. “I had dinner.” She headed to the wash room to get out of her wet clothes and settle in for the night.

“Do you have a preference for which bed?” he called out. “No!” he heard from behind the door.

Lex turned down the covers, setting his bottle of water next to the bed closest to the door and putting a fresh bottle next to the one by the bathroom. Seeing the games on a shelf, he took down a box “Do you play chess?” he called out. “Sure!” he heard.

He set the game up and perused the books while he waited. He couldn’t believe how stubborn she was, coming out in tornado weather just to deliver the bank bag. He couldn’t damn her for being responsible, though. He frowned and pulled a book down. First Edition of an HG Wells. He wondered who the bright bulb was that put it in the storm cellar. He didn’t see any moisture damage but he’d send it to the repair shop just in case.

Lana came out, her hair pulled back in a braid. The pajamas hung off her, making her look even younger than she already did. She wrinkled her nose at herself and tugged at the shirt.

“I feel like a five year old wearing Daddy’s shirt,” she said.

“It’ll keep you warm,” was all Lex said. She hung her damp clothes on the back of a chair. Lex was sure that none of the women who spent the night with him would have been caught dead with their hair in a braid and their faces bare of makeup, walking around in his pj’s and socks. They would have been horrified to be spending the night in a storm cellar, nothing electronic, no maid or butler on hand.

Lex wasn’t sure what he noticed first; the fact that she was quiet, not chatting his ear off, or that she actually knew how to play chess. She made no snap moves, carefully reading the board, going over future moves in her head before she made a decision. He fully expected to have to hold back and let her win but she was actually kicking his butt.

“Where did you learn to play?” he asked, finally taking her king in a bloody battle to the finish.

She began to reset the pieces. “Nell plays,” she said. “Learning to play took my mind off my parents just after they died.”

“I’m sorry,” Lex said with a frown. “You should have said something; I’d have chosen something else.”

Surprised, Lana shook her head with a smile. “No, it’s fine, Lex, really,” she assured him. “I enjoy playing. It gives my head something to do.”

“What do you read?” he asked out of the blue, staring at her. She began to reel off names of dry English poets, sickly sweet French romances, depressed Russian dramatists, and Sunday morning cartoons. Lex dragged her over to the book shelf and they debated the merits of the bad weather collection. Lana picked apart several books, finding imagery and intent that Lex never picked up on.

He stared at her and shook his head. “I never knew you read this stuff. Why are you working in a coffee shop?” he asked in disbelief. “I should have you reading contracts.”

Lana shuddered. “No, thank you!” she said, shaking her head. “I’m happy with coffee.”

A crash from outside reminded them of why they were down there. Lana took a deep breath and hugged her elbows. “Did I ever tell you I was claustrophobic?” she asked.

“No. Are you ok?”

She gave a nod. “I was having fun and forgot about it.”

Lex gave her shoulders a rub and pointed to the ceiling. “That vent goes directly outside,” he said. “We have plenty of fresh air. The sheriff’s office knows about this cellar and has the schematics for it. My staff knows I’m in here. We’ll be fine. Why don’t you get a book, hide under the covers, and read until you can sleep?”

She agreed and picked Chaucer; lots of outdoor scenes. Lex went into the bathroom to change, coming out ten minutes later wiping paste from his mouth. Lana was up to her chin in covers, a camping light set on the table next to her bed, pillow shoved comfortably under her as she lay on her belly, reading.

“Good night,” Lex said, getting into his own bed.

“’night,” she replied.

It was a short time later when another crash was heard, followed by a squeak nearby. Sheets rustled and he suddenly had company. Lana hid her face against his chest, his pajama top bunched up in her fists. She was trembling.

“Whoa,” he said, his arms coming around her.

“Sssss…Sorry,” she stuttered, pushing away. Lex held onto her.

“No, stay, it’s ok,” he said, petting her hair. He pulled a pillow out from under his head and set it to the side. “Come on, get in,” he said, taking a tug at the covers. He turned to the side and let her slid in, curling up against her back as she settled in.

“You must think I’m a ninny,” she said, teeth chattering slightly. Lex put his arms around her and held her.

“No, a lot of people are afraid of storms and things,” he said. “Besides, I’ve seen you kick ass. Ninny isn’t a word I’d use to describe you.”

“Why don’t you tell me a story,” he suggested. “Tell me about Paris. Where you went, people you met, new foods. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there.”

After a hesitant start, he discovered another aspect of her; story telling. Descriptions of food that made his mouth water, smells, sounds. She made him laugh telling him about an old grandmother who tried to get her to marry her grandson who sat through it with good humor while holding his boyfriend’s hand. She told him about her meeting with Jason and their adventures, taking a side trip into Italy to walk around Rome on an art seeing tour.

“Did you find the Illuminati?” he asked. She elbowed him.

“Don’t you start that,” she said. “I heard all about it from Jason. I didn’t believe him, I’m certainly not going to believe you.”

He chuckled. They debated the dubious history of the Knights Templar, secret societies, and underground political intrigue; Lex for, Lana against.

“I refuse to believe that humanity is so self-destructive,” she said.

“Remind me never to take you to any corporate meetings,” he responded.

“Tell me about Jason,” Lex said. “I fully expected you two to get married. I had notions of decorating the Grand Ball Room, and I don’t decorate. What happened?”

Lana picked at one of his fingers on her arm. “First, his mother happened. She makes your father look like Santa Claus,” she informed him. Lex knew that; he met her. “Then, well…. he got impatient.”

Lex lifted his head and looked at her braid in the dim light. “Impatient with what?”

She murmured something. “Can’t hear you.”

“I said I wouldn’t sleep with him.”

“Oh.”

Lex thought for a moment. He knew she hadn’t slept with Whitney or Clark; Clark would have told him. Lana was beautiful; she had her pick of young men. And a few older ones, having seen some of the leers from geezers in the Talon.

“May I ask why? There’s nothing wrong with waiting, I’m just curious.”

“I’m nervous,” she admitted with a shrug. He could feel the heat from her face. “It isn’t that I don’t want to, I do. Very much.” She gave a laugh. “I think I kept feeling as though he was desperate and that I was only there for his use. I know he loved me. I loved him. So much. More than I loved Clark. I didn’t like that feeling of ….being powerless, I guess.”

Confused, Lex started to say something and then stopped. He leaned back, tipped Lana onto her back, leaned on his elbow and looked at her.

“I’m going to clue you in on a male secret,” he said. How could she not know? Bemused, Lana nodded. “Men are dogs in constant heat sniffing at every tail that walks by. We are swine with a hard-on rooting and snorting in a wonderful pile of rotting vegetation. We are so far beneath women on the evolutionary ladder that we can see up your skirts.” Lana laughed. “We will fuck anything with a hole because it makes us drool worse than a teething baby. But, Lana, don’t you know?” He touched her jaw. “As much as you are afraid of us, we are terrified of you.” Her smile faltered.

“Every little girl in the world, since the beginning of time, has had every male in the vicinity wrapped around her little finger from the time she’s born ‘til the time she dies. Wars have begun over the love of a woman. Kingdoms have been overthrown with the batting of an eye. We crawl through mud, muck, and fire for you.” He pushed a stray hair from her eyes. “You don’t lack power, you ARE power. The power that keeps us going and makes life worth living.”

“We are your slaves, Lana, command us. Command me.”

Lana caught her breath.

“Lex, I……”

“I don’t mean to scare you,” he said, taking her hand. “But you need to understand this. Your power is here.” He pressed her palm to his mouth. “Send me away, bring me in closer, I’ll fetch whatever you want. I’ll read to you, hold you, sing to you, make you a grilled cheese sandwich, if you want it. Jason left not because you didn’t sleep with him but because you didn’t command him. Clark didn’t stay because you didn’t provide him with the rock he needed to lean on. We are strong for you because we need to be, but it’s your strength that feeds us and makes us strong. We’re not going to hang around while you waffle through life; you need to be strong, too. You held us the day we were conceived, the day we were born, and every step in between until you bury us. It’s a partnership, a symbiotic relationship. Just say the word and any man you want will stand at your side.”

She looked at him in amazement, never having seen him before.

“Tell me what you want, Lana,” he whispered. “Don’t ask, just say it.”

His glittering green eyes were darker than usual as he leaned above her. She told him. He nodded and bent his head, putting his mouth to hers.

Her body felt things she didn’t know were possible as he touched her with experienced, steady hands. He told her how beautiful she was as she writhed with his face between her legs. She touched him and found that he was at her mercy. She clung to him as she bit his shoulder when he entered her, and cried out when she saw nothing but explosions in her eyes.

Neither of them said anything the next day. No outward displays were presented when they met up in the Talon. Clark, unusually sensitive that day, looked from one to the other and back again. He gave a brief puff of chest width before looking Lex in the eyes, giving him a nod. No one quite understood the wordless hug he gave Lex or the peck on Lana’s cheek before he walked out the door.

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