The Longer You Run (4/29)
Jul. 30th, 2013 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafina19Author: 
serafina19
Title: The Longer You Run
Summary: On the surface, the only thing that tied together Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen was a story. But behind closed doors was an accidental relationship that unintentionally changed everything.
Rating: NC-17
Warning: adult content, coarse language.
Thanks to:aradira for the fabulous banner.
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Chapter 3
"To my cuz… and the awesome fact that she just wrote a cover story for a national publication."
Clark smiled as they chinked their beer bottles together. "I'll drink to that."
Watching her cousin chug the majority of her beer, while Clark sipped it slowly, Chloe shook her head. "Thanks guys." The magazine had come out this morning, so Lois ventured early to ensure that Chloe got a fresh copy, even though Matt had already sent her a copy.
It wasn’t the face she expected to see on her first national magazine cover, but she wasn’t complaining. Matt was thrilled to have the piece, while Oliver was slightly impressed that she managed to get the cover herself. She remembered her smug expression upon reading that email, quick to reply and tell him that he wasn’t the only one with connections.
That was supposed to be the last email she sent Oliver Queen, but that wasn’t the case, as Chloe forgot that he wanted to pay her. Two ripped cheques had already been sent to the trash can, leading to an email explaining that it wasn’t necessary, that she never wanted his money. To which he replied that what she did with the last one was her choice.
She had wanted to feel a little disgusted by the whole thing, because despite her circumstances, Chloe didn’t see herself as destitute. The only problem with that was that he seemed to know her better than she thought, because he seemed to know that she would rip them up, or at least, only spend one. There was a small voice in her head that was convinced that he wanted to help her, but Chloe pushed it aside as she sat back in the chair, not entirely sure what she was going to do with the still-intact cheque in her desk drawer.
"I still think we should have gone out," Lois commented before downing more of her beer.
That was the original plan in Lois’ mind, but Chloe quickly put her foot down, rationalizing that it was her night, ergo, they celebrate her way. Clark agreed, Lois got overruled, so here they were, and Chloe was grateful for it. The quiet was nice.
That didn’t stop Chloe from recognizing the small frown on her cousin’s face. "Come on Lois, this isn’t so bad." Reaching to the table beside her, Chloe glanced at the phone. "Besides, with you guys here, I can turn off my phone for the evening."
Lois tilted her head, curious to that statement. "It's been ringing... hasn't it?"
"It has, but…” Chloe’s voice trailed as humility kicked in, knowing that this was the regular first-day boom. There were no guarantees on any of this and the congratulations would subside with time. “It’s not that big of a deal."
Clark and Lois both watched as her expression fell. Moving her gaze to her boyfriend, Lois jutted her head towards her cousin, but Clark was already one step ahead of her. "Oh come on Chloe, I think you deserve to gloat a little bit."
Looking up from the black screen on her phone to see the smiling faces across from her, Chloe couldn’t help but slowly grin. They was right... she did deserve this. "I did have three calls this morning, including two high-profile options in the next quarter."
She didn't feel like mentioning that those two were personal recommendations she received from Oliver himself, as a few other companies called to hire her for similar purposes. Initially, Chloe wanted to say no, but he seemed intent on compensating her in some way, so at least this was something she was willing to use. "Things are looking up."
Chloe had always been a confident woman in Lois' eyes, but there had been a certain spark in her eyes that had been missing lately. So her eyes lit up when she noticed her cousin's confidence truly shine. "See that? That has been missing for months and it's about damn time it returned." Relaxing back in her seat, Lois took a final swig from her beer bottle. "I may not understand the man you wrote about, but he might be getting a Christmas card after giving you your big break."
"I think Chloe's work speaks for itself."
Lois glared at Clark. "She knows that I meant that too."
Holding back a laugh, Chloe shook her head. "Thank you both…again." She was about to say more when there was a knock on the door, causing her to jump.
"Are you expecting anyone?"
"No, I don't think so." Walking to the door, Chloe narrowed her eyes to look through the peephole, but the nervous face on the other side of the door was about the last person she was expecting tonight.
Opening the door, Chloe bit her bottom lip, taking note of the bottle of wine in his hand. She couldn't see much of a label, as it was covered by a bow, but Chloe knew exactly what type it was.
Before she had a chance to greet him, Jimmy beat her to it. "I see you have company, but I wanted to say congrats." Holding out the bottle to her, Jimmy tried not to look around Chloe to see if Lois' face had turned red yet. Part of him knew this was a bad idea... but he liked to think that one day, they could return to their friendship. "I hope your wine tastes haven't changed."
"No, thanks," Chloe replied, taking the bottle and grinning as she peeled off the bow to reveal the familiar house on the label. It seemed silly, but it was her parent's favourite wine, so when Chloe was of age, she immediately bought a bottle, and whenever she saw it, Chloe was always reminded of them. In this case, the taste of the wine didn't matter, although it was decent, but it seemed that was a particular detail that Jimmy hadn't forgotten.
"I'll see you around," he announced, snapping Chloe from her trace, as it didn't surprise her that he likely wanted to leave as soon as possible.
So she closed the door and walked back towards her company, taking note of the whispering taking place on her living room couch. A grin forming, Chloe said, "Thanks Clark."
Lois' head turned in curiosity. "Why is he getting thanks?"
Chuckling, Chloe sat back down in the chair across from them, placing the bottle on the table. "Because I could sense the stare at the back of my head and if not for Clark, you might have actually clobbered my ex-fiancé."
Lois had attempted to open her mouth, but Clark's hand landed on her shoulder, which effectively calmed her down. So instead, he spoke. "Have you two talked much since you left the DP?"
"No, I... actually can't remember the last time we spoke." It wasn't that her and Jimmy couldn't be in the same room, it was just that they didn't want to. He was likely still a little ashamed of how things ended, while Chloe just felt dumb for seeing all the wrong things and letting it continue. "But we're getting to a respectable place again, which is great."
"Well, it's a nice gesture," Lois said as grabbed the bottle, willing to give Jimmy that much. "Now where's your corkscrew?"
“Lois, this is ridiculous.”
For ten minutes, Chloe had watched her cousin take control of the closet, pulling out any low-cut top she could find, or the dresses that Chloe put in her closet for self-preservation with no intention of wearing.
Unfortunately, no matter what she said, it wasn’t going to sway Lois in the slightest. She had set this whole thing up a week ago, and Chloe had agreed, so there was no reason for her cousin to continue being skittish. “What is ridiculous is the fact you refuse to put yourself out there. You can’t let the fallout with Jimmy run your life.”
“Who says I am?”
“Almost eleven months of apathetic singledom.” Lois had figured that Chloe's recent confidence boost would help, but instead, Chloe further immersed herself in her work. For the past few weeks, it was almost impossible to get more than a few words out of her cousin, so Lois had every intention of capitalizing on tonight.
It was probably that reason that Chloe knew she wasn’t going to win this battle and she couldn't help but feel bad for Clark who was just outside, forced to listen to this. “Do I at least get a name?”
Glad to hear the concession, Lois was quick to comply with an answer. “Paul, he works at the Daily Planet, he’s hot and very excited to meet you.”
“Okay,” Chloe replied, staring down at the mess of clothing on her bed. There were actually some things she could work with, so she dragged her cousin out of her room and closed the door. Putting away the obviously slutty stuff, Chloe was happy that her cousin had the decency to pull out a black pencil skirt, one that she felt more than comfortable in. Combined with a fun purple top she had bought a few weeks ago... and she had a feeling it could work as a first date outfit.
Sure, unless a miracle occurred tonight, she had no intention of actually dating someone that Lois had recommended, but she did need to get out of this apartment for a reason other than to meet a source.
That didn’t stop her from wanting out of this particular double date, so when she opened the door and saw Clark standing there, she couldn’t help but say, “Any last minute effort to talk Lois out of this crazy idea?”
Clark shrugged lightly, as he had tried to get Lois to back off of Chloe’s love life, but despite their relationship, it was too rare Clark convinced her to do anything. “You know if I could, we wouldn’t be here.”
Chloe sighed before grabbing her purse. “Hey, the effort’s appreciated.”
Letting her hair down, Chloe closed her eyes as the booming bass began to ring in her ears right before the elevator opened. They meant well, Chloe knew that, and she actually couldn’t believe that she tried the ‘sneak out the back door while pretending to use the bathroom’ trick, but it was a last resort after a first date to forget. If you could even call it that.
Paul was good looking; Chloe would give him that, but not much else. He talked too much for her taste and he didn’t seem to really care about what Chloe thought about any subject. After a while, it was clear Lois set this up to be a one-and-done fling, but Chloe wasn’t up for that tonight. The only real reason Chloe had agreed to go was because she figured that Lois would back off, but even that wasn't a strong enough reason now. And even though the Ace of Clubs probably wasn’t the best pit stop, there was a familiar face here, one that she was grateful to see working tonight.
Ian was her favourite bartender in the city, which unfortunately led him to abandoning his prior pub gig for the clichéd club establishment. Chloe couldn’t blame him, as it paid five times what he was making before, but his replacement was terrible, so Chloe had to suck up the company if it meant getting her drink the way she liked it.
Taking a seat at one of the stools at the bar, she called out, “Ian,” smiling as he found her eyes, “One of the usuals.”
He nodded before obliging her across the bar. “What brings you by?”
“Ditched a blind date.” She could see Ian inches from laughing, as he knew her well enough to know how much Chloe loved being set up. “Before you judge, I was also practically babysat by Lois and to a lesser extent, Clark.”
Ian nodded, as he knew Lois and her ways just as well. Back at the pub, the elder cousin wasn’t exactly subtle towards her disapproval of Chloe’s long-term relationship and once she was single again, Lois tried to set her up with any guy she could find. Placing the drink down, he said, “First drink’s on the house.”
“You’re the best.”
Looking up, Ian’s eyes narrowed as he was given a familiar signal from the other side of the club. He wanted to act more surprised, but instead he returned to his conversation with Chloe. “I gotta say though, coming here, not your best solution to that problem.”
“True,” Chloe replied with a sigh as she tilted her drink. “But I can hold my own and they’ll never look here for me.” Glancing in Ian’s direction, she caught what seemed to be a pensive expression, which made her wonder what exactly was going on. “Is everything okay?”
He could lie, but Ian knew better than to mess with Sullivan-Lane women. “I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Oliver Queen just gave me the signal that all of your drinks are on his tab.” Seeing her eyes widen, Ian shrugged lightly, trying to make sense of it himself. “He must have really liked that article.”
Placing her palm on the top of her head, Chloe closed her eyes, wondering why this of all things was happening to her. All she wanted to do was write an article, couldn’t he learn to leave her alone like any other human being? “Meanwhile, I’m beginning to regret writing the piece altogether.”
“If that’s the case, then don’t turn around,” Ian said before moving to help another customer.
After a dry laugh, Chloe glanced over her shoulder and oddly enough, it was disappointment she felt when their eyes met. The sight in front of her had all of the making of a tabloid cover. The signature grin, the girls trying to get his attention, but it was always elsewhere. Rolling her eyes, she turned back around, polishing her first drink slowly, yet always feeling like she was being stared at.
Pulling back her stool, she turned fully and sure enough, he was still staring at her. Part of Chloe wanted to walk away, to let him live in his hypocrisy. Then his eyes finally moved off her, leading Chloe to watch Oliver play up the image while his words echoed in her head. Downing the rest of her glass, Chloe slammed it down on the table, wondering if for a few hours, he had gotten her to drink the kool-aid, because the two... didn’t match up.
Tilting her empty glass for Ian to see, he quickly came over to top up her drink. Pulling some bills from her wallet, Chloe put them down on the counter, knowing that Ian would tease her about that, but she stopped him. “Do me a favour, don’t listen to him.”
“Or else what?” The voice was quickly followed by money being placed straight into Ian’s hands, leading the bartender to give a quick shrug as he accepted the money. Chloe soon grabbed hers back in frustration, knowing that dealing with Lois would probably be better than dealing with Oliver Queen again.
Only he placed his hand on the small of her back, keeping her from getting up. “No need to run off; I’m just getting a round of shot.” Sure enough, Ian lined up a round of shot glasses and passed the tray to Oliver when he was finished. “Not everything is about you, Chloe Sullivan... although I do see why you come here.” Nodding to Ian before he tipped him generously, Oliver paused momentarily before he walked away. “Oh, and don’t forget to pay for that drink.”
He might have been tempted to pay before, but her message had been clearly sent through her emails during the past few weeks. He did say that he wanted to hire her, but she quickly informed him that each cheque he had sent to her post office box had been promptly ripped up. In other words: Thanks, but no thanks. Combine that with her clear apprehension to his presence tonight, Oliver knew better than to push his luck on helping her. Or at least, that was before she spoke again.
“Just make sure keep your eyes focused.” He looked over his shoulder to see that Chloe had rotated herself to sit facing him now, legs crossed. “You may have easy company, but even they don’t like to be ignored,” she had added, but Oliver’s eyes were focusing elsewhere. It wasn't the first time he had seen Chloe's legs before, as the woman was clearly a fan of pencil skirts, but this time, it was almost as if they were on display for him. Unfortunately, he knew if he stared much longer, he’d be served faster than he could blink, and the last thing he needed was a pointless lawsuit... or a black eye if she decided to take matters in her own hands.
So, much to Chloe’s relief, he started to walk away, as she had held a strong front while he gazed at her, but every fibre of her wanted to bang her head against the counter, wondering where that had come from. That wasn’t her at all.
Sure, this was Oliver Queen and this was hardly the first or the last time a woman would call him on his reputation. In fact, he seemed to survive by it. But she didn’t want to talk to him anymore, and now that he had left, Chloe reminded herself that she really didn't want to go home just yet either. So Chloe put her money back down for Ian and moved from her place at the bar, settling at a table near the window.
There was a small part of her that still felt bad for bailing on Lois and Clark, with a text being the only indication that she was okay. Her phone was off, so it was just her, sipping a drink as she took in the dark skyline in front of her, music buzzing all around her.
It was the normal club fare, loud, obnoxious and repetitive, but it was enough to allow Chloe to shut off the world and just look outside for awhile, relax even. But that feeling didn’t last long as she felt someone standing behind her and it didn’t long for Chloe to realize who it was.
Crossing his arms as he caught her eyes when she saw his reflection in the window, Oliver said, “What was that all about?”
She wasn’t trying anything, truthfully she wasn’t. In fact, Chloe had no idea why she practically baited him five minutes ago, so for this reason, she feigned innocence. “I’m not sure that I follow.”
Unfortunately, Oliver wasn’t buying it for one second. He knew that Chloe Sullivan was a woman who calculated her moves carefully. There always was a motive, life had taught him that. “Just answer me this Miss Sullivan, because it’s not every day I have the opportunity to be the one to ask the questions. What do you want?”
Raising her glass, tipping it back, Chloe knew that her next words had to be right. Only she was coming up with nothing but blanks.
“I was merely pointing out the fact that you looked bored,” she blurted, regretting it the moment it left her. Staring at her glass, Chloe knew she didn’t have that much to drink, but maybe it was getting to her head faster than usual.
A slow smile formed on Oliver’s face. “And you put it upon yourself to save me, is that it?”
After putting down her glass, Chloe stared right at him. At this point, she knew that the only way out of this was to let her frustration out. “Don’t you get tired of always being that easy? Aren’t you tired of this defining who you are?” His eyes widened momentarily, but besides that, she could only see the dumb confusion on his face. “I mean... you cornered me and asked to write the article so that your private life was out of the public eye and yet you continue to do it.”
Bowing her head, she took a deep breath and tried to re-find her composure. “I’m not saying I’m not grateful for the exclusive, because business is booming, but do you enjoy being a hypocrite?”
Leaning down so his elbows rested on the table, Oliver tilted his head carefully as the space between them had decreased significantly. “Are you trying to say that you’re some sort of challenge?” He watched her scoff, so he leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “Because if you recall, we’ve already slept together.”
Despite the fact that she was trying to repress the shiver that was threatening to show, Chloe was still revolted by his insinuation. But that didn’t seem to hold, as his breath faintly colliding with her cheek was distracting her. It appeared that as much as she wanted to forget everything that happened between them, that clearly hadn’t happened yet.
But it would, it was inevitable, so she brought her eyes up to him once more, strength unwavering in her stare. “I’m not a challenge; I’m not anything to you. I’m just suggesting that you to shoot for something different.”
And with that, the confusion was back, every inch of it, causing Oliver to take a step back and sit down at the chair next to her. “Why?” For the majority of her journalistic career, Chloe Sullivan had clearly portrayed a critical side towards him. That was only part of the reason that he wanted her for the article, but he never expected the indirect praise she gave him in the article and tonight. It came with the usual snark, the slightly constructive wording, but overall... it was positive.
It was that reason that Chloe didn’t want to answer that question. Because part of her wanted to feel smug over the confusion, as she was beginning to wonder just how many people had called him on his bullshit, but that didn’t mean that wanted to connect the dots aloud to him. “Because you have more to offer this world than a killer grin.”
His face already gave his surprise away, so fortunately that sentence didn’t have as much visual effect as it could have. “That’s it?” He pushed her chair towards her, trying to turn the confidence tables back in his direction, as this wasn’t a position he was used to. “A grin.”
Chloe smiled, figuring that she might as well keep digging at this point, especially considering how much she had admitted already. “I do suppose that you’re... adequate in other areas,” she said seductively with a quick glance down.
Oliver’s eyes narrowed as he leaned closer. “Are you trying to bruise my ego?”
As she exhaled, Chloe turned her head towards where she had seen Oliver before. “If what I’m saying doesn’t appeal to you... you can go back to the models. They will be more than willing to chip it back up.” His previous company had moved onto some other slightly important person, as her unfortunate earlier outburst was happening right in front of their eyes. Crossing her legs, she leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “But no matter how many women you sleep with Oliver, sooner or later, you’ll realize... not everyone can be bought with money, sex or a smile.”
At this point, he was supposed to have a retort, something to continue their banter, but Oliver was just... stunned. Somewhere deep down, there was a part of Chloe Sullivan that actually saw something worthwhile in him. She was definitely embarrassed, as a light pink hue came across her cheeks, but it disappeared quickly as she got the stool.
“Goodnight Oliver.”
He was tempted to follow her, but she had clearly said her peace. Besides, it wasn’t long before he heard a familiar voice behind him. “Sorry man, but there’s challenges and there’s ‘never gonna happen.’ Even for you.”
Turning around, Oliver smiled as he acknowledged his friend. “You made it.”
“You think I’d miss out on the opportunity to celebrate my freedom?”
“Hal, I am sorry... about you and Carol.”
“Don’t be,” Hal replied, smacking his friend’s back as his eyes followed the path of his friend’s former company. “But seriously? Chloe Sullivan? Even before the article, that’s pretty bold.”
“It worked once before,” Oliver said without thinking, as like her, he had never mentioned that they actually did sleep together.
And he couldn’t exactly blame Hal’s reaction to that statement. “Bullshit.”
The problem was that Oliver didn’t hear it, as he continued talking absentmindedly. “That night, something really had to be off.” He knew she was a little south of tipsy that night, but there was clearly more to that story than he thought.
Hal’s eyes widened, partially because Oliver was actually telling the truth, but also in his friend's behaviour to that fact. “And you’re trying to figure out why?”
“Course not,” Oliver lied, his attention finally returning to his friend, as Oliver didn’t want to admit that it was much bigger than that. For right now, Oliver was actually trying to figure her out.
Chapter 4
.
serafina19Title: The Longer You Run
Summary: On the surface, the only thing that tied together Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen was a story. But behind closed doors was an accidental relationship that unintentionally changed everything.
Rating: NC-17
Warning: adult content, coarse language.
Thanks to:
aradira for the fabulous banner.Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Chapter 3
"To my cuz… and the awesome fact that she just wrote a cover story for a national publication."
Clark smiled as they chinked their beer bottles together. "I'll drink to that."
Watching her cousin chug the majority of her beer, while Clark sipped it slowly, Chloe shook her head. "Thanks guys." The magazine had come out this morning, so Lois ventured early to ensure that Chloe got a fresh copy, even though Matt had already sent her a copy.
It wasn’t the face she expected to see on her first national magazine cover, but she wasn’t complaining. Matt was thrilled to have the piece, while Oliver was slightly impressed that she managed to get the cover herself. She remembered her smug expression upon reading that email, quick to reply and tell him that he wasn’t the only one with connections.
That was supposed to be the last email she sent Oliver Queen, but that wasn’t the case, as Chloe forgot that he wanted to pay her. Two ripped cheques had already been sent to the trash can, leading to an email explaining that it wasn’t necessary, that she never wanted his money. To which he replied that what she did with the last one was her choice.
She had wanted to feel a little disgusted by the whole thing, because despite her circumstances, Chloe didn’t see herself as destitute. The only problem with that was that he seemed to know her better than she thought, because he seemed to know that she would rip them up, or at least, only spend one. There was a small voice in her head that was convinced that he wanted to help her, but Chloe pushed it aside as she sat back in the chair, not entirely sure what she was going to do with the still-intact cheque in her desk drawer.
"I still think we should have gone out," Lois commented before downing more of her beer.
That was the original plan in Lois’ mind, but Chloe quickly put her foot down, rationalizing that it was her night, ergo, they celebrate her way. Clark agreed, Lois got overruled, so here they were, and Chloe was grateful for it. The quiet was nice.
That didn’t stop Chloe from recognizing the small frown on her cousin’s face. "Come on Lois, this isn’t so bad." Reaching to the table beside her, Chloe glanced at the phone. "Besides, with you guys here, I can turn off my phone for the evening."
Lois tilted her head, curious to that statement. "It's been ringing... hasn't it?"
"It has, but…” Chloe’s voice trailed as humility kicked in, knowing that this was the regular first-day boom. There were no guarantees on any of this and the congratulations would subside with time. “It’s not that big of a deal."
Clark and Lois both watched as her expression fell. Moving her gaze to her boyfriend, Lois jutted her head towards her cousin, but Clark was already one step ahead of her. "Oh come on Chloe, I think you deserve to gloat a little bit."
Looking up from the black screen on her phone to see the smiling faces across from her, Chloe couldn’t help but slowly grin. They was right... she did deserve this. "I did have three calls this morning, including two high-profile options in the next quarter."
She didn't feel like mentioning that those two were personal recommendations she received from Oliver himself, as a few other companies called to hire her for similar purposes. Initially, Chloe wanted to say no, but he seemed intent on compensating her in some way, so at least this was something she was willing to use. "Things are looking up."
Chloe had always been a confident woman in Lois' eyes, but there had been a certain spark in her eyes that had been missing lately. So her eyes lit up when she noticed her cousin's confidence truly shine. "See that? That has been missing for months and it's about damn time it returned." Relaxing back in her seat, Lois took a final swig from her beer bottle. "I may not understand the man you wrote about, but he might be getting a Christmas card after giving you your big break."
"I think Chloe's work speaks for itself."
Lois glared at Clark. "She knows that I meant that too."
Holding back a laugh, Chloe shook her head. "Thank you both…again." She was about to say more when there was a knock on the door, causing her to jump.
"Are you expecting anyone?"
"No, I don't think so." Walking to the door, Chloe narrowed her eyes to look through the peephole, but the nervous face on the other side of the door was about the last person she was expecting tonight.
Opening the door, Chloe bit her bottom lip, taking note of the bottle of wine in his hand. She couldn't see much of a label, as it was covered by a bow, but Chloe knew exactly what type it was.
Before she had a chance to greet him, Jimmy beat her to it. "I see you have company, but I wanted to say congrats." Holding out the bottle to her, Jimmy tried not to look around Chloe to see if Lois' face had turned red yet. Part of him knew this was a bad idea... but he liked to think that one day, they could return to their friendship. "I hope your wine tastes haven't changed."
"No, thanks," Chloe replied, taking the bottle and grinning as she peeled off the bow to reveal the familiar house on the label. It seemed silly, but it was her parent's favourite wine, so when Chloe was of age, she immediately bought a bottle, and whenever she saw it, Chloe was always reminded of them. In this case, the taste of the wine didn't matter, although it was decent, but it seemed that was a particular detail that Jimmy hadn't forgotten.
"I'll see you around," he announced, snapping Chloe from her trace, as it didn't surprise her that he likely wanted to leave as soon as possible.
So she closed the door and walked back towards her company, taking note of the whispering taking place on her living room couch. A grin forming, Chloe said, "Thanks Clark."
Lois' head turned in curiosity. "Why is he getting thanks?"
Chuckling, Chloe sat back down in the chair across from them, placing the bottle on the table. "Because I could sense the stare at the back of my head and if not for Clark, you might have actually clobbered my ex-fiancé."
Lois had attempted to open her mouth, but Clark's hand landed on her shoulder, which effectively calmed her down. So instead, he spoke. "Have you two talked much since you left the DP?"
"No, I... actually can't remember the last time we spoke." It wasn't that her and Jimmy couldn't be in the same room, it was just that they didn't want to. He was likely still a little ashamed of how things ended, while Chloe just felt dumb for seeing all the wrong things and letting it continue. "But we're getting to a respectable place again, which is great."
"Well, it's a nice gesture," Lois said as grabbed the bottle, willing to give Jimmy that much. "Now where's your corkscrew?"
~0~
“Lois, this is ridiculous.”
For ten minutes, Chloe had watched her cousin take control of the closet, pulling out any low-cut top she could find, or the dresses that Chloe put in her closet for self-preservation with no intention of wearing.
Unfortunately, no matter what she said, it wasn’t going to sway Lois in the slightest. She had set this whole thing up a week ago, and Chloe had agreed, so there was no reason for her cousin to continue being skittish. “What is ridiculous is the fact you refuse to put yourself out there. You can’t let the fallout with Jimmy run your life.”
“Who says I am?”
“Almost eleven months of apathetic singledom.” Lois had figured that Chloe's recent confidence boost would help, but instead, Chloe further immersed herself in her work. For the past few weeks, it was almost impossible to get more than a few words out of her cousin, so Lois had every intention of capitalizing on tonight.
It was probably that reason that Chloe knew she wasn’t going to win this battle and she couldn't help but feel bad for Clark who was just outside, forced to listen to this. “Do I at least get a name?”
Glad to hear the concession, Lois was quick to comply with an answer. “Paul, he works at the Daily Planet, he’s hot and very excited to meet you.”
“Okay,” Chloe replied, staring down at the mess of clothing on her bed. There were actually some things she could work with, so she dragged her cousin out of her room and closed the door. Putting away the obviously slutty stuff, Chloe was happy that her cousin had the decency to pull out a black pencil skirt, one that she felt more than comfortable in. Combined with a fun purple top she had bought a few weeks ago... and she had a feeling it could work as a first date outfit.
Sure, unless a miracle occurred tonight, she had no intention of actually dating someone that Lois had recommended, but she did need to get out of this apartment for a reason other than to meet a source.
That didn’t stop her from wanting out of this particular double date, so when she opened the door and saw Clark standing there, she couldn’t help but say, “Any last minute effort to talk Lois out of this crazy idea?”
Clark shrugged lightly, as he had tried to get Lois to back off of Chloe’s love life, but despite their relationship, it was too rare Clark convinced her to do anything. “You know if I could, we wouldn’t be here.”
Chloe sighed before grabbing her purse. “Hey, the effort’s appreciated.”
~0~
Letting her hair down, Chloe closed her eyes as the booming bass began to ring in her ears right before the elevator opened. They meant well, Chloe knew that, and she actually couldn’t believe that she tried the ‘sneak out the back door while pretending to use the bathroom’ trick, but it was a last resort after a first date to forget. If you could even call it that.
Paul was good looking; Chloe would give him that, but not much else. He talked too much for her taste and he didn’t seem to really care about what Chloe thought about any subject. After a while, it was clear Lois set this up to be a one-and-done fling, but Chloe wasn’t up for that tonight. The only real reason Chloe had agreed to go was because she figured that Lois would back off, but even that wasn't a strong enough reason now. And even though the Ace of Clubs probably wasn’t the best pit stop, there was a familiar face here, one that she was grateful to see working tonight.
Ian was her favourite bartender in the city, which unfortunately led him to abandoning his prior pub gig for the clichéd club establishment. Chloe couldn’t blame him, as it paid five times what he was making before, but his replacement was terrible, so Chloe had to suck up the company if it meant getting her drink the way she liked it.
Taking a seat at one of the stools at the bar, she called out, “Ian,” smiling as he found her eyes, “One of the usuals.”
He nodded before obliging her across the bar. “What brings you by?”
“Ditched a blind date.” She could see Ian inches from laughing, as he knew her well enough to know how much Chloe loved being set up. “Before you judge, I was also practically babysat by Lois and to a lesser extent, Clark.”
Ian nodded, as he knew Lois and her ways just as well. Back at the pub, the elder cousin wasn’t exactly subtle towards her disapproval of Chloe’s long-term relationship and once she was single again, Lois tried to set her up with any guy she could find. Placing the drink down, he said, “First drink’s on the house.”
“You’re the best.”
Looking up, Ian’s eyes narrowed as he was given a familiar signal from the other side of the club. He wanted to act more surprised, but instead he returned to his conversation with Chloe. “I gotta say though, coming here, not your best solution to that problem.”
“True,” Chloe replied with a sigh as she tilted her drink. “But I can hold my own and they’ll never look here for me.” Glancing in Ian’s direction, she caught what seemed to be a pensive expression, which made her wonder what exactly was going on. “Is everything okay?”
He could lie, but Ian knew better than to mess with Sullivan-Lane women. “I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Oliver Queen just gave me the signal that all of your drinks are on his tab.” Seeing her eyes widen, Ian shrugged lightly, trying to make sense of it himself. “He must have really liked that article.”
Placing her palm on the top of her head, Chloe closed her eyes, wondering why this of all things was happening to her. All she wanted to do was write an article, couldn’t he learn to leave her alone like any other human being? “Meanwhile, I’m beginning to regret writing the piece altogether.”
“If that’s the case, then don’t turn around,” Ian said before moving to help another customer.
After a dry laugh, Chloe glanced over her shoulder and oddly enough, it was disappointment she felt when their eyes met. The sight in front of her had all of the making of a tabloid cover. The signature grin, the girls trying to get his attention, but it was always elsewhere. Rolling her eyes, she turned back around, polishing her first drink slowly, yet always feeling like she was being stared at.
Pulling back her stool, she turned fully and sure enough, he was still staring at her. Part of Chloe wanted to walk away, to let him live in his hypocrisy. Then his eyes finally moved off her, leading Chloe to watch Oliver play up the image while his words echoed in her head. Downing the rest of her glass, Chloe slammed it down on the table, wondering if for a few hours, he had gotten her to drink the kool-aid, because the two... didn’t match up.
Tilting her empty glass for Ian to see, he quickly came over to top up her drink. Pulling some bills from her wallet, Chloe put them down on the counter, knowing that Ian would tease her about that, but she stopped him. “Do me a favour, don’t listen to him.”
“Or else what?” The voice was quickly followed by money being placed straight into Ian’s hands, leading the bartender to give a quick shrug as he accepted the money. Chloe soon grabbed hers back in frustration, knowing that dealing with Lois would probably be better than dealing with Oliver Queen again.
Only he placed his hand on the small of her back, keeping her from getting up. “No need to run off; I’m just getting a round of shot.” Sure enough, Ian lined up a round of shot glasses and passed the tray to Oliver when he was finished. “Not everything is about you, Chloe Sullivan... although I do see why you come here.” Nodding to Ian before he tipped him generously, Oliver paused momentarily before he walked away. “Oh, and don’t forget to pay for that drink.”
He might have been tempted to pay before, but her message had been clearly sent through her emails during the past few weeks. He did say that he wanted to hire her, but she quickly informed him that each cheque he had sent to her post office box had been promptly ripped up. In other words: Thanks, but no thanks. Combine that with her clear apprehension to his presence tonight, Oliver knew better than to push his luck on helping her. Or at least, that was before she spoke again.
“Just make sure keep your eyes focused.” He looked over his shoulder to see that Chloe had rotated herself to sit facing him now, legs crossed. “You may have easy company, but even they don’t like to be ignored,” she had added, but Oliver’s eyes were focusing elsewhere. It wasn't the first time he had seen Chloe's legs before, as the woman was clearly a fan of pencil skirts, but this time, it was almost as if they were on display for him. Unfortunately, he knew if he stared much longer, he’d be served faster than he could blink, and the last thing he needed was a pointless lawsuit... or a black eye if she decided to take matters in her own hands.
So, much to Chloe’s relief, he started to walk away, as she had held a strong front while he gazed at her, but every fibre of her wanted to bang her head against the counter, wondering where that had come from. That wasn’t her at all.
Sure, this was Oliver Queen and this was hardly the first or the last time a woman would call him on his reputation. In fact, he seemed to survive by it. But she didn’t want to talk to him anymore, and now that he had left, Chloe reminded herself that she really didn't want to go home just yet either. So Chloe put her money back down for Ian and moved from her place at the bar, settling at a table near the window.
There was a small part of her that still felt bad for bailing on Lois and Clark, with a text being the only indication that she was okay. Her phone was off, so it was just her, sipping a drink as she took in the dark skyline in front of her, music buzzing all around her.
It was the normal club fare, loud, obnoxious and repetitive, but it was enough to allow Chloe to shut off the world and just look outside for awhile, relax even. But that feeling didn’t last long as she felt someone standing behind her and it didn’t long for Chloe to realize who it was.
Crossing his arms as he caught her eyes when she saw his reflection in the window, Oliver said, “What was that all about?”
She wasn’t trying anything, truthfully she wasn’t. In fact, Chloe had no idea why she practically baited him five minutes ago, so for this reason, she feigned innocence. “I’m not sure that I follow.”
Unfortunately, Oliver wasn’t buying it for one second. He knew that Chloe Sullivan was a woman who calculated her moves carefully. There always was a motive, life had taught him that. “Just answer me this Miss Sullivan, because it’s not every day I have the opportunity to be the one to ask the questions. What do you want?”
Raising her glass, tipping it back, Chloe knew that her next words had to be right. Only she was coming up with nothing but blanks.
“I was merely pointing out the fact that you looked bored,” she blurted, regretting it the moment it left her. Staring at her glass, Chloe knew she didn’t have that much to drink, but maybe it was getting to her head faster than usual.
A slow smile formed on Oliver’s face. “And you put it upon yourself to save me, is that it?”
After putting down her glass, Chloe stared right at him. At this point, she knew that the only way out of this was to let her frustration out. “Don’t you get tired of always being that easy? Aren’t you tired of this defining who you are?” His eyes widened momentarily, but besides that, she could only see the dumb confusion on his face. “I mean... you cornered me and asked to write the article so that your private life was out of the public eye and yet you continue to do it.”
Bowing her head, she took a deep breath and tried to re-find her composure. “I’m not saying I’m not grateful for the exclusive, because business is booming, but do you enjoy being a hypocrite?”
Leaning down so his elbows rested on the table, Oliver tilted his head carefully as the space between them had decreased significantly. “Are you trying to say that you’re some sort of challenge?” He watched her scoff, so he leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “Because if you recall, we’ve already slept together.”
Despite the fact that she was trying to repress the shiver that was threatening to show, Chloe was still revolted by his insinuation. But that didn’t seem to hold, as his breath faintly colliding with her cheek was distracting her. It appeared that as much as she wanted to forget everything that happened between them, that clearly hadn’t happened yet.
But it would, it was inevitable, so she brought her eyes up to him once more, strength unwavering in her stare. “I’m not a challenge; I’m not anything to you. I’m just suggesting that you to shoot for something different.”
And with that, the confusion was back, every inch of it, causing Oliver to take a step back and sit down at the chair next to her. “Why?” For the majority of her journalistic career, Chloe Sullivan had clearly portrayed a critical side towards him. That was only part of the reason that he wanted her for the article, but he never expected the indirect praise she gave him in the article and tonight. It came with the usual snark, the slightly constructive wording, but overall... it was positive.
It was that reason that Chloe didn’t want to answer that question. Because part of her wanted to feel smug over the confusion, as she was beginning to wonder just how many people had called him on his bullshit, but that didn’t mean that wanted to connect the dots aloud to him. “Because you have more to offer this world than a killer grin.”
His face already gave his surprise away, so fortunately that sentence didn’t have as much visual effect as it could have. “That’s it?” He pushed her chair towards her, trying to turn the confidence tables back in his direction, as this wasn’t a position he was used to. “A grin.”
Chloe smiled, figuring that she might as well keep digging at this point, especially considering how much she had admitted already. “I do suppose that you’re... adequate in other areas,” she said seductively with a quick glance down.
Oliver’s eyes narrowed as he leaned closer. “Are you trying to bruise my ego?”
As she exhaled, Chloe turned her head towards where she had seen Oliver before. “If what I’m saying doesn’t appeal to you... you can go back to the models. They will be more than willing to chip it back up.” His previous company had moved onto some other slightly important person, as her unfortunate earlier outburst was happening right in front of their eyes. Crossing her legs, she leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “But no matter how many women you sleep with Oliver, sooner or later, you’ll realize... not everyone can be bought with money, sex or a smile.”
At this point, he was supposed to have a retort, something to continue their banter, but Oliver was just... stunned. Somewhere deep down, there was a part of Chloe Sullivan that actually saw something worthwhile in him. She was definitely embarrassed, as a light pink hue came across her cheeks, but it disappeared quickly as she got the stool.
“Goodnight Oliver.”
He was tempted to follow her, but she had clearly said her peace. Besides, it wasn’t long before he heard a familiar voice behind him. “Sorry man, but there’s challenges and there’s ‘never gonna happen.’ Even for you.”
Turning around, Oliver smiled as he acknowledged his friend. “You made it.”
“You think I’d miss out on the opportunity to celebrate my freedom?”
“Hal, I am sorry... about you and Carol.”
“Don’t be,” Hal replied, smacking his friend’s back as his eyes followed the path of his friend’s former company. “But seriously? Chloe Sullivan? Even before the article, that’s pretty bold.”
“It worked once before,” Oliver said without thinking, as like her, he had never mentioned that they actually did sleep together.
And he couldn’t exactly blame Hal’s reaction to that statement. “Bullshit.”
The problem was that Oliver didn’t hear it, as he continued talking absentmindedly. “That night, something really had to be off.” He knew she was a little south of tipsy that night, but there was clearly more to that story than he thought.
Hal’s eyes widened, partially because Oliver was actually telling the truth, but also in his friend's behaviour to that fact. “And you’re trying to figure out why?”
“Course not,” Oliver lied, his attention finally returning to his friend, as Oliver didn’t want to admit that it was much bigger than that. For right now, Oliver was actually trying to figure her out.
Chapter 4
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