Alright folks, here's the first half of chapter 1. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the story or not, can't seem to locate someone willing to opinion beta for me. So this is gonna be the psudo-opinion beta. If the overal feeling is of interest I'll continue working on it, if it's an overall feeling of flop then I'll go start from scratch.
Just keep in mind that it's still a work in progress, that there'll be vagueness and twists that'll cause questions to go stampeeding around the noggin. :) Enjoy.
Disclaimer - Smallville doesn't belong to me, never has, never will. Cade's mine, however, if you wanna play with him, ask first please.
Shadow slept heavy in the upper reaches of Transcendence, the occasional flashes of colored light only giving the darkness a hue and sparkle before playfully flitting away to caress the writhing mass on the dance floor. Within the black masses a shape or two could be sometimes discerned when a limb drew too close to light's edge or breathy moans and gasps betrayed the protective embrace. In this particular alcove, where the favored patrons or social elite often partook of the muted and secluded enclosure, the dimness held within a figure familiar to this establishment.
Slate gray eyes watched the undulating bodies, cool and detached, with a smoldering intensity that spoke of the barely held rage that roiled beneath. He felt the driving bass pressing his body from his seat, shivering in his blood until it throbbed heavy on the tip of his tongue, a temptation to swallow it down and let it drive him from within. Had it been any other night Lex would have been all too happy to let the rhythm fire up his blood. Happily would have been one of the masses sensuously dancing while looking for that someone who had caught the beat in just the right way that promised a night of passion and release. Had he been anyone else he probably would be…
-- "Mr. Luthor, if this succeeds even half as well as predicted," Ms. Nentouhi gushed quietly as she practically trotted at his side, "This would revolutionize the energy market. None of our competitors have even come close to this stage of testing." Not that Lex could blame the woman; 'half as well' would merit a nomination for a Nobel Peace Price, anything better was just proof that he didn't need to rely upon his father to be successful in his ventures. If this worked better than "half as well" he would be… --Not sitting in a darkened corner brooding into his drink, brushing off blatant attempts from hangers-on once called associate, retinue, but never friend to coax him back into the fold. They came bearing gifts of designer drugs, something to chase the darkness away, they said. Made offerings of their bodies, years of nightly oblivion not quite eradicating their memory of his prowess. 'If you don't want the little lovelies, perhaps you'd rather a different kind of lovely?' It wasn't until one of his older and more trusted clubbing friends shook his head and said that his father was doing a better job at sucking the life out of him than he had thought possible.
-- "Had you done a better job, Lex, this 'little accident' could have been avoided. Instead of adhering to the project's construction guides you decided, without the board's counsel or approval, to alter the materials without thinking it through," Lionel's sneered words dripped with scorn at his 'apparent' incompetence.
Lex knew better, however, his father's presence timed just right to catch the lab personnel rapidly departing the smoldering remains of his latest project. He ignored the sting of flesh scraped raw and the trickle of blood behind his ear soaking his shirt to face down his father. "Had you not gone behind me and altered my requisition requests to inferior suppliers and materials this 'little accident' would never had happened."
His father drew himself up in a cloak of indignant outrage, seeming uncaring of the straggling lab personnel that had caught the movement and lingered in curiosity, his voice thrumming with emotion, "I did nothing of the sort, Lex. I would appreciate you not casting such aspersions upon my shoulders. Honestly, Lex, act as a Luthor should. Take responsibility for your own actions, don't place the blame on me."
Lex allowed his features to turn blank as he straightened his shoulders, "Excuse me, I have some incident reports that need my attention." He paused half turned away from his father, "Unless there was another doomed project you wanted to lay at my feet?" --
Fresh rage rolled through his body at the memories, making his blood pound thickly in his head, quickly picking up the tempo that throbbed ceaselessly around him. His fingers twitched around his half empty glass as he watched the lithe form of Cade pick his way down the thin staircase to rejoin the revelry below. Lex knocked back the remaining liquid and rose to his feet, half feeling the burn down his throat and the mild aches pulling across his shoulders.
Cade's knowing smile when Lex smoothly joined the shorter man was brief, he knew that had Lex not have been ready to join the throng he would have continued to glower from the alcove. Red-tipped blond lashes closed over pale jade eyes and a pleased sigh drifted up to Lex's ears as Cade turned his back to Lex and drew his hands to his hips. Lex let his eyes slip to half-mast and his head lean over Cade's shoulder.
"You shouldn't stay away for so long," the petulant-tinged bass-drowned words were more felt than heard. "Spend more time coaxing you to come out and play than having fun."
A light puff of air pushed through his nose was Lex's only response to that complaint before he slowly slid his hands up his dance partner's ribcage. Nimble fingers quickly detected what loose fitting clothes had hidden from his eyes, his tips catching on more prominent ribs than his memory recalled. Cade had been hitting the powder more heavily than usual, something adding more pressure to the strained load. He had felt the thinner man stiffen slightly when his fingers lingered in the valleys but relaxed when those fingers spread wide and crossed the linen clad chest looking to the rest of the world like an embrace.
Lex let his head dip to murmur against a lightly freckled lobe, "Has my father been hounding you lately?"
"No," came the gusty sigh, "but you can't protect all of your acquaintances from your family forever, Lex. There are some things that I need to work out." A nimble shimmy and twist had jade eyes locking hazily into his own, a suggestive leer stretched painted lips, "I wouldn't object to having a friend help me work out a rather persistently stubborn point, might take a couple of days to wear down."
A lazy arch illustrated what 'point' Cade was talking about sending the pounding blood from his head to his groin in a slow pulse that seemed to counter the rushing noise in his ears. A smirk tugged his lips, "I think I might be able to bring a fresh perspective on your problem, help you get a firm grasp on the situation at hand."
"Mmmmm," Cade moaned softly when Lex directed him to turn around once again and let his hands travel to the edge of his pants. Lex let the heat from Cade's body soak into his front as he bent down to tug an earlobe with his teeth causing a shudder to rub against him. Eyes closed they danced a few numbers; it was easy to forget what had driven him to this. At least, until a familiar scent tickled his nose and the slow burning throb low in his loins lurched with a sickening twist in his stomach.
Cade had felt Lex stiffen though his movements didn't slow, momentarily confused but when a thin tendril of jasmine-tiger flower musk wafted by his nose he knew that Lex would not be going home with him this night. Pale thin arms wrapped around Lex's waist, burrowing between the two men even as the tiny female body pressed against his back, easily moving with his to the beat. The subtle squeeze of the slim arms told Cade that she felt his welcome was worn, her claim on Lex's time more important than anyone else's in her mind.
"Thought I might find you here, Lex. Why must you make me come find you in such dismal surroundings?" Her vexed words were pitched just loud enough for Cade to hear as he pulled away from Lex's loosening grasp and turned to face the little woman. Boldly lined light chocolate eyes met his own from behind Lex's still and stiffening form before dismissing him as unimportant, "Haven't managed to burn yourself out yet 'Mite? I would have thought last week's binge would have been enough to tip you that last little bit."
He smirked, a pale imitation of Lex's, as he looked out amongst the other dancers, "You know how it is, Bit, you use as long as some of us have and that last little bit keeps getting further and further away." His unconcerned attitude garnered a scowl, as did his pet name for her. Cade spotted another friend across the floor from where they stood now, plenty of distance to keep her hateful bile from spilling too close to him to ruin the remainder of his evening.
He brought his attention back to Lex's more alert gaze, "I see someone I haven't danced with in quite a while, perhaps next time."
Lex gave a barely perceptible nod, only his eyes giving a plea to take care of himself in Cade's mind before he walked away to hear Bit's parting shot, "Do try to indulge yourself 'Mite, maybe this time you'll be able to achieve the oblivion that you so desperately need."
Lex let weariness seep into his words when he sighed, "Must you do that?"
A throaty laughter spilled from behind him and he felt her body nudge his into moving again, "Not really, but that's what makes it all the more entertaining." Her airy words sobered, taking on a hardness that was more familiar, "Just like I didn't have to come find you tonight."
"Your compassion knows no bounds," drolly delivered between the bass beats, their own little song and dance that was appropriate nowhere yet familiar enough to perform anywhere.
Their ritual called for a period of silence, a test of her will against his resistance to her attempts at temptation, but tonight she wasn't abiding by their unspoken agreement. Tonight she decided to instigate verbally as well as physically. He could handle it, would have to, else this round would be hers.
"I had heard that he lays this setback completely at your feet," a palm brushed down his left flank before strong tiny fingers curled around his knee and moved back up his inner thigh. Before her hand encountered his groin they pulled back over his upper thigh to grip his hip as she continued, "Dominic has orders to begin making arrangements for your transfer to your new fiefdom."
A bead of sweat trickled down his back slow enough to induce a slight shiver, involuntarily conceding the hit to his composure from her barbs. "Funny how you seem to hear so much when you never seem to be there. How can you be so sure any of it is true? After all, only a fool would believe everything they hear."
"You must have been hit harder in the head than you reported if you think that childish parody of an insult would phase me," a soundless laugh puffed against his back causing his shirt to stick slightly to the sweat beginning to gather even as they continued to dance.
"Of course not," he paused long enough to let his mouth curve into a smirk, "Bit. Of course not."
The lightning quick twist to his right nipple spiked a sweetly painful bolt of pleasure straight to his groin, bringing the slow throb that he had managed to push to the back of his mind rushing back in full force. 'Point to me,' he thought when he successfully stifled the urge to gasp and arch into her giftedly cruel fingers. He made a mental note to thoroughly thank Cade for coming up with that label for her. 'Want to make sure it's done right…might take days of face to face appreciation.'
"Ah-ah," came the singsong chide as she moved to sway in front of him. "We can't have your mind wandering off here Lex, pay attention. No wonder you had that unfortunate accident."
"I guess it doesn't say much on the company, hmmm Bit?" Her eyes narrowed at that challenge.
She baited him verbally, pinched and poked him physically, fueling his earlier rage and libido to burn bright in his mind and blood. They both knew where this was going to end up, his resistances to her attempts only serving to make that final event more satisfying to the victor. Brazenly she used today's events to enrage him with her carefully chosen words to forego his promise to reject her should she ever approach him in this way again. She had too many years of experience playing his body for Lex to completely block his responses to her. Especially when he was slightly drunk, more than he should be when dealing with her.
Small hands fisted high in his shirt and began to pull his upper body downwards. Lex didn't resist the positioning of his body; instead he splayed his hands around her waist, thumbs hooking over her hipbones. Eyes hooded when the cat-like stroke of her cheek against his own caused her short black hair to prickle his more sensitive skin. A soft exhalation of warm air gusted on his skin before tiny sharp teeth sank into his earlobe pulling a slow warning growl from his throat. Her tongue flicked playfully at the trapped flesh as she suckled and worried the lobe between her teeth.
Her words were low, barely loud enough over the pounding bass, the air tickling his ear as she talked around his still imprisoned flesh, "I've the limo waiting outside. I've already arranged for a driver to take your car back to the Tower. Unless you don't think you're capable of performing?"
Roughly he pulls her against the proof of his arousal that she had diligently cultivated, slowly dragging his lobe from between her teeth sending shivers down his spine to growl into her own ear, "Let's go, Bit."
It is when he's making his way out the alley door that Lex feels the weight of someone's eyes upon his skin. A quick glance over his shoulder as he's pulled through the fire door reveals to him Cade's lingering gaze. When Cade realized that Lex had noticed his regard, the concern slipped to resignation and then slid away before the door closed, severing the connection that he had tentatively built earlier this night.