The Power of Words

Part 3

Lex came awake slowly, holding his body still as he silently took inventory. Something soft and warm had him pinned down onto the hard surface, and although he wasn't positive, he thought that while he was still wearing his shirt and socks, the remainder of his clothing was missing. And for some reason, his abdomen felt damp.

Warily opening his eyes, Lex lifted his head to gaze around. He was on the floor, a nude female lying over his lower body with her head resting on his stomach. Well, that explained the moisture; the girl was drooling on him. Lex shoved her off onto the floor, not really caring when her head hit the faded, threadbare carpet. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings.

The apartment was small and seedy-looking. Several people, all in varying states of undress, were sprawled around the room, either asleep or unconscious. Beer bottles, empty potato chip bags and pizza boxes littered most of the flat surfaces. From the looks of things, it must have been one hell of a party.

Too bad he couldn't quite remember it.

Lex climbed to his feet and began searching for his pants. He found them draped over a tattered armchair. Quickly dressing, he then discovered his boots had been tossed underneath the small dining table. As he bent over to slip them on, Lex felt a cool hand slide lightly across the back of his scalp.

He jerked away, turning to face the girl with one eyebrow raised. "What the hell are you doing?"

The girl giggled. "I thought we could maybe go back to my place and continue the party." She moved closer, allowing her breasts to brush against his shirt and walking her fingers up his chest. "You were a hell of a fuck, and I want some more."

"I don't think so," Lex growled, taking a step backward as he checked his pockets to make sure his keys and wallet were still there. A glance at his wristwatch told him he barely had enough time to drive over to LuthorCorp for his meeting with Lionel. His jacket was lying across the back of the couch; he snatched it up and headed for the door. Lex ignored the muttered, "God, what an asshole," as he slammed the door behind him.

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Lionel paused, one hand resting on the doorknob, when he realized the office door was unlocked. He cautiously pushed it open and stepped inside. To his amazement, Lex was already there.

His son lay reclining on the leather sofa with a glass of scotch gripped in the hand that was propped on his chest, a leg thrown casually over the back of the sofa. Lex glanced up with a smirk, raising the glass in Lionel's direction in a mock salute. Lionel noted that Lex was dressed in club clothing; it seemed as though the boy wasn't taking the situation seriously.

"You're early, Lex," Lionel remarked calmly as he closed the door and moved to seat himself behind his desk.

Lex swung his legs over the edge of the cushions and gracefully sat up. "Ah, 'whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.'"

Steepling his fingers in front of his face to hide his slight frown, Lionel replied, "I'm not your enemy, Lex. I'm your father, and this is not a battle."

"Strange, it feels like it is to me." Lex stood up and walked over to the desk, setting the glass down and laying both hands flat on the glass surface. He leaned down, hissing in Lionel's face, "I don't appreciate the little stunt you pulled with Stuart, not one bit."

"It was for your own good, son."

"I don't see how." Lex straightened up, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring over the desktop at his father.

Lionel pulled a desk drawer open, pulling out a folded newspaper and sliding it toward Lex, the blurred photo plain to see. "He wasn't what you need, Lex. He led you around by your dick, encouraging you to follow every ridiculous whim that ever came to you."

Lex's eyelids lowered, hiding the pain in his eyes as he said quietly, "I... I really care for him, Dad."

Shaking his head slowly, Lionel challenged his son's statement, "No, you don't. If he was the right one for you, you wouldn't have exposed him to all the publicity. You would have wanted to protect him instead."

Lex spat out, "What the fuck do you know about it, Dad?"

"More than you might realize. I've protected you for years."

"Oh, God," Lex moaned, throwing up his hands in disgust and turning away from the desk. "I don't want to discuss this with you anymore. Why don't you just tell me what the penalty is for fucking in a public place so I can get the hell out of here."

Picking up a folder marked confidential that was lying near the edge of his desk, Lionel handed it to Lex. "It's spelled out in here." He watched his son's expression carefully as Lex flipped the file open and began reading, eyes widening the more he read.

Once he'd finished, Lex closed the folder without a word and met his dad's gaze, his blue-gray eyes darkened with fury. He clutched the file in one hand and flipped Lionel off with the other before storming out of the office.

Lionel leaned back in his chair, the corners of his mouth curling up in a small smile. "Welcome to the real world, son."

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