Fic: If You Want Me (Chlollie, 5/10)
Author: Poetgirl925
Title: If You Want Me
Summary: Chloe steps outside her comfort zone while on an internship in Star City, California. Returning to Metropolis, she's determined to focus on her career while attempting to fix the mess her personal life is in. But just when things seem to be getting back to normal, Oliver Queen arrives in Metropolis and complicates everything.
Rating: R
Pairing: Chloe / Oliver
Fandom: Smallville
Warnings: Up to season 7, but canon sort of goes out the window with this one. Altered S7-S8
Disclaimer: Don’t own, just playing :)
Chapter 5
Chloe followed Clark across the room to the desk they shared in what was commonly referred to as the intern’s corner. Even though Clark had taken her to her favorite curry place for lunch, she’d been dreading the staff meeting so much that she hadn’t been able to eat. Now he was watching her, clued in that something was off but not knowing exactly what it was. For once she wished for the boy who got so wrapped up in his own drama that he missed what was under his nose; but that Clark was long gone, his training having made him much more sensitive to the needs of those around him.
The room was bustling with activity as Planet staffers headed for the elevators to attend the meeting scheduled to begin in the next ten minutes. Lois was waiting for them at their desk, and Chloe’s steps slowed. She didn’t really like the expression she saw on her older cousin’s face. It was her ‘you’re hiding something and I’m not sure exactly what’s going on but I will find out very soon’ expression, and it never bode well in situations where Chloe was, in fact, hiding something.
Chloe walked around Lois to check for messages in her inbox and instead saw something that made her drop her coffee. Thankfully the hot liquid was in her shatter proof travel mug, and the container bounced harmlessly off the edge of her desk before landing on the floor at Clark’s feet. Clark leaned down to pick up the mug as Chloe reached for the coffee shop card with the note she’d written six months before. So much for hiding, she thought in dismay.
“So Oliver Queen was looking for you about ten minutes ago,” Lois commented casually as she leaned against the desk. “Apparently you and Lucy met him last summer?”
Clark looked at Chloe in surprise. “You never mentioned that.”
Chloe slipped the card into her jacket pocket. Trying for nonchalance, she shrugged. ”Because it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Hmm,” Lois murmured. “It was weird. He had the idea that you and Lucy are sisters and he remembered her name but couldn’t seem to remember yours.”
Chloe sighed. It was evident that Lois knew there was a story to be told there, so she met her cousin’s narrowed gaze and shot her an ‘I’ll explain later’ look with a hint of pleading. “Well, it’s Oliver Queen - there’s no telling how many women he meets. It’s not like he can keep track of every casual meeting.”
“No doubt.” Lois straightened up and linked her arm with Chloe’s. “We should get to that meeting.”
Recognizing Lois’ quick topic change for the reprieve that it was, Chloe allowed Lois to lead her away while Clark followed behind. In the elevator he handed her the forgotten travel mug with a questioning glance which she chose to ignore. She’d deal with Lois first and worry about Clark later.
Upstairs was a large conference room often used for executive meetings. It usually contained several long tables set end to end, but they had been removed to accommodate the “standing room only” crowd now squeezing in. While Chloe would have been more than content to remain in the back, Lois powered through until she reached the front of the room, tugging Chloe along with her. And there he was, mere feet away standing next to Tess and Perry, looking better than any mere mortal had any right to.
Oliver was smiling at something Perry was saying, and she was struck once again by how utterly beautiful he was - the chiseled jaw, high cheekbones and deep set brown eyes that had held such warmth when he looked at her. He matched Clark in height, making most other men seem downright small in comparison. The perfectly tailored suit he wore showed his fit, lean frame to advantage while disguising his surprisingly muscular build. He sported a golden tan common to people born and raised in California, and his blonde hair had the same casually messy appearance that she remembered.
Then he looked up and saw her. The air seemed to still, the bustle and noise becoming a mere background buzz as the room narrowed to the two of them. The warm brown eyes of her memory weren’t so warm at the moment; instead they held a chilling anger as his gaze swept her from head to toe. She swallowed hard, reminding herself to breathe. In that moment he was intimidating, and she recognized that it was a deliberate move on his part.
Chloe stubbornly held his gaze, unwilling to allow his tactic to succeed. When Perry began speaking he looked away, his expression dismissive. She barely heard a word of Perry’s speech after that as he introduced Tess and Oliver and reassured everyone that the buyout was a good thing. And then it was over.
Chloe held back as a few staff members, including Lois, stepped forward to speak to Perry, Tess and Oliver. But her hopes of slipping out without further interacting with Oliver were dashed when Perry beckoned her forward. She took a deep breath and grabbed Clark’s hand as she joined them at the front.
“Sullivan and Kent,” Perry said by way of introduction. “Chloe, I know you’ve met Tess Mercer.”
Chloe nodded to the redhead. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Mercer.”
“And this, of course, is Oliver Queen,” Perry continued as Oliver turned his attention to Chloe and Clark.
Oliver shook Clark’s hand first, jaw tightly clenched. When he held his hand out to her, she knew it was a challenge. Game face firmly in place, she accepted it. The resulting sparks shot up her arm and spread like a small fire throughout her body. She didn’t think she was imagining that he felt it too, and he pulled back quickly with a small, formal nod.
“I want to see you two in my office first thing,” Perry was saying, and with a jolt Chloe realized he was talking to her and Clark.
“Yes sir,” Clark replied, pushing his glasses up. “And I’m looking forward to the staff barbecue you mentioned.”
Staff barbecue? Clearly she’d missed something from Perry’s earlier speech.
“You look forward to anything involving food, Smallville,” Lois said with a snort of amusement.
Clark raised a brow at her. “That doesn’t stop you from arriving uninvited on nights when I’m cooking.”
“You’ve been hogging my cousin ever since you two lovebirds moved in together, so I have an open invitation. Sullivan-Lane family rule,” Lois informed him with a smirk.
Chloe closed her eyes. There it was; her fake relationship out in the open. But when she glanced at Oliver, he didn’t seem surprised. She supposed she could blame the Planet gossip mill for that.
Lois seemed to pick up on the sudden tension in her cousin because she changed the subject. “Well, we should get back to work. But I look forward to talking to both of you at the barbecue,” she said, addressing the last to Tess and Oliver.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Lane and Mr. Kent was it?” He turned to Chloe. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
She supposed she deserved that. “Chloe Sullivan.”
“Chloe - right. Well, I’ll see you at the barbecue this weekend.” His eyes belied his pleasant tone.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur for Chloe. While Lois was busy getting her paperwork straightened out with the HR department, Chloe and Clark chased leads on a story they were working on involving several pieces of high end jewelry stolen during a series of home invasions. They’d been hitting dead ends on the story for weeks, and they were both frustrated with the lack of results.
They arrived back at the office at 5:00. Just as Chloe put her bag down on her desk, Perry’s voice boomed out from across the room.
“Sullivan!” When she looked up, he continued. “I need you and Kent over at Queen Industries ASAP.”
Her heart sank as Clark answered. “What’s going on, Chief?”
“You’re getting a jump on a major news story that will hit tomorrow,” he told them, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “Mr. Queen will give you the details since he’s agreed to a Planet exclusive. I think I’m going to like working with Queen and Mercer. They do their thing, and they let me do mine - and we get the first foot in the door on stories affecting their companies.”
Chloe sighed and picked up her bag. She’d rather face down hardened criminals in a back alley of Suicide Slums than see Oliver again that day, but she couldn’t exactly pass the story off to Clark without raising a major red flag. As it was he’d asked questions about Oliver all afternoon, trying to get to the bottom of their previous meeting.
They picked up guest passes at the security desk upon arriving at Queen Industries and were promptly ushered up to the executive floor. Chloe noted that security was tight; no one got past the front desk in the lobby without a security pass, and the passes were color coded by floor and department. In addition, anyone going to the executive floor was personally escorted by a member of the security team.
Oliver’s executive assistant, a very professional brunette who appeared to be in her late thirties, was waiting when they stepped off the elevator. She led them past two outer offices before they entered the CEO’s executive suite. She knocked and poked her head in. “Sir, the reporters are here.”
“Send them in.”
Clark stepped aside to allow Chloe to enter first. Oliver was seated behind a massive mahogany desk but stood to greet them as they entered his office. “We’ll have to make this quick, but I promised Perry the Planet would get the jump on the story that’s breaking tomorrow.”
Chloe’s natural curiosity peaked, and she forgot her apprehension. “What’s happening tomorrow?”
Oliver waved them to the chairs facing his desk. Once they were seated, he settled back in his chair. “The FBI has been investigating one of our Vice Presidents. I’m sure you know Ron Harding?”
Holy crap - this was big. Chloe jerked out her recorder and a pad to take notes as Oliver continued. “Obviously I can’t give you all the details yet. What I can tell you is that Harding has been skimming money from various company accounts for at least six months. That would likely have been handled internally, but he was also in charge of some high profile government contracts. Without going into details, we have evidence that he has also been selling classified technology. The FBI plan to take him into custody tomorrow.”
Clark and Chloe began asking questions. Oliver was able to answer some of them but declined to answer others, citing the ongoing investigation. He also gave them the FBI point person to follow up with. A few minutes later his assistant called to remind him of a business dinner.
Oliver stood and followed them to the door. “I’ll keep you apprised of the details, but my main priority is going to be damage control from here on out. I’ll be as forthcoming as I can, and in return I’d appreciate a fair and unbiased report of what’s bound to be a media circus over the next couple of weeks.”
Chloe didn’t miss the way he looked at her, as if wondering if she were capable of fair and unbiased reporting. Irritation flared as she answered him, her tone saccharine sweet. “I can assure you we’re professionals, Mr. Queen. I fully intend to report the truth and leave any spin to the tabloids and your PR team.”
He raised a brow at her tone. “Guess I can’t ask for more than that, can I?”
Clark glanced between them, his brow furrowed in confusion. “We certainly plan to be fair in our reporting, Mr. Queen. We don’t have any reason to be gunning for your company.”
“You’ll have to forgive me, Mr. Kent. I haven’t always had the best luck with reporters in the past. Many are duplicitous by nature, and more than a few have tried to get personal in order to get the story.”
His thinly veiled barb stung, and Chloe felt her cheeks flushing with anger. Sure, she gave him a bogus name and snuck out of his penthouse apartment at the crack of dawn, but it wasn’t like she cheated on him or made promises she failed to keep. And not once had she asked questions that would make him think she was after a story. Where the hell did he get off? Lucy was right - she didn’t owe him anything.
Hefting her bag, she smiled tightly. “Mr. Queen - always a pleasure.” Turning on her heel, she marched back to the elevators, barely aware of Clark hot on her heels.
“Chloe…”
She shook her head. “Not now, Clark.” Once they were out of the building, she took a deep breath of the crisp winter air and forced herself to calm down. Like it or not, Oliver was sticking around Metropolis, and his involvement with the Planet meant she’d definitely be seeing more of him. She couldn’t allow him to get under her skin at every meeting.
Clark led her over to a coffee cart positioned outside the building and bought her a fortifying cup of cinnamon and vanilla spiced coffee. Chloe breathed in the comforting scent before taking a long sip. “That is just what I needed.”
“Chloe, what’s going on with you and Oliver Queen?”
She sighed. “I met him last summer in Star City.”
“With Lucy?”
She nodded, taking another sip. “We were at a club, and he was hosting a party in the VIP room.” She figured sticking close to the truth was the best idea.
Clark’s expression cleared. “Let me guess - he was out showing off his entitled playboy side and your mouth got the better of you.”
Chloe raised a brow. “My mouth got the better of me?”
Clark put an arm around her. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know you have that little problem sometimes. And I’m sure we can blame Lucy for a big part of whatever happened. Anyway, don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’ll see what a great reporter you are and what an asset you are to the Planet before long and he’ll forget all about whatever you said that night.”
She turned to face him with a smile. “Have I mentioned I kind of like the new you? You’re full of encouragement and praise, and you support my caffeine addiction with a minimum of fuss.”
“Well, my training showed me that some things are outside my control. Your caffeine problem definitely falls into that category,” he told her with a grin.
She stretched up to kiss his cheek. “Okay, I have to meet Lois for dinner. Can you start the article without me if I promise to bring you dinner later?”
“Italian?” he asked hopefully.
“Luigi’s Café,” she confirmed. With a small wave, she walked to the street to hail a cab as Clark headed for the subway. Glancing back at the QI building, she was startled to see Oliver standing just a few yards away. She wondered how long he’d been there. Their eyes met, and she somehow knew he’d been there long enough to watch her interacting with Clark.
She supposed she could explain Clark’s predicament. But in the end, it wasn’t really any of Oliver’s business. She’d been clear about what that night was, and she could only assume it was wounded pride at the root of his hostility now. Oliver Queen was a ladies’ man, after all. He’d been back out on the town the night after they’d slept together.
She turned away as a cab pulled up and honked, getting in without another backward glance.
**
Lois was waiting when Chloe arrived at the restaurant; Chloe figured the anticipation had been killing her.
As if to prove Chloe’s theory correct, Lois barely gave her cousin time to sit before she said, “Start talking.”
“Hello, Lois. The weather’s a little warmer today, isn’t it?” Chloe opened her menu. “I’m thinking meat lasagna for Clark with a side of their meatballs and the chicken parmesan for me. What are you having?”
Lois crossed her arms and raised a brow. “I’ll tell you what I’m not having - excuses. I want to know what happened between you and Oliver Qu…”
“Lois.” Chloe cast her cousin a warning look as the waitress approached their table.
Heaving a long suffering sigh, Lois waited until the woman took their order and delivered the drinks and breadsticks before beginning again. “Seriously cuz, no excuses. When did you meet him?”
“Last summer in Star City, which you already know. Lucy and I were out at a club, and he was with a group of A-list friends in the VIP room,” she replied quietly.
Lois’ eyes narrowed. “Details Chlo - I want to know what you were wearing, what he was wearing, all of it.”
And so Chloe told her the whole story, beginning with Oliver’s invitation to the VIP area and ending with her sneaking out of his penthouse the following morning. By the time she finished, their food had arrived but neither woman had touched their entrees yet.
Lois, for once, was dumbfounded. “You - Chloe Sullivan, my very serious little cousin - gave a guy a fake name and had a one night stand? You?”
“How about we stick with fling?” Chloe replied, wincing at the term one night stand. Girl power aside, she’d never really considered herself the type.
“Yeah, you don’t get to pull the delicate flower card after hitting the sheets with a guy like Oliver,” Lois retorted. “So? How was he? Actually, never mind that because obviously he was awesome. Tell me how I was.”
“You are so not funny.” Chloe took a bite of her food before laughing. “God, this is such a mess. He probably thinks I was cheating on my boyfriend when I was with him. You should have heard his crack about ‘duplicitous reporters’ during our interview earlier.”
Lois’ face fell. “Oh - and then I referred to you two as lovebirds after the meeting. Crap.”
“Speaking of which, Lo - can you please stop embellishing our fake relationship? I know you enjoy having fun at Clark’s expense, but this whole thing has gotten out of control. Claire seems to think he’ll be popping the question at any moment, and it’s just making it more difficult for us to get out of the hole Clark dug.”
“I’ll lay off,” Lois promised. She took a bite of her forgotten spaghetti and meatballs and sipped her wine. “So… was it strictly physical or was there a deeper connection?”
Chloe sighed and shrugged. “For me? There was definitely a connection, but for him I think it was strictly physical.”
“He didn’t ask about seeing you again?”
“He did, but…” Chloe paused, thinking back to that night. “I figured it was what he thought was expected, you know?”
“You told him it was one night - if he brought up seeing you again after that then I think you may have misjudged him. He’s experienced, and he doesn’t strike me as the type to make false promises to get a girl into bed. He’s Oliver Queen, Chloe - he’s rich, drop dead gorgeous, and charming. There’s no shortage of women eager to tap that regardless of whether it’s for one night or more.”
“Okay, fine, but he wasn’t exactly brooding over it the next day,” Chloe pointed out. “He was out on his yacht with Ava Brooks just hours after I left.”
Lois waved that away with a dismissive sweep of her hand. “Men are fragile creatures - I’d be willing to bet my future Pulitzer that he didn’t like waking up alone without an explanation for why you took off like that. It was a blow to his ego, and he found someone to stroke it back to health.”
Chloe wrinkled her nose at that image. “Well, it’s too late now. And besides, I left a note.” She pulled it from her pocket and put it on the table in front of Lois.
Her cousin read it silently and then looked at Chloe. “If you left this for him six months ago, why was it in your pocket?”
“Because he left it on my desk last week,” she explained wearily.
“Chloe - where the hell is your brain? You’re telling me he held onto this card for six months?” She threw up her hands, clearly exasperated. “It’s obvious that night meant something to both of you.”
“Even if that’s true, he’s pissed now and probably not in the mood to hear my explanations. So I really have no choice except to try and salvage our professional relationship given the buyout. It will be awkward, and I am not in any way looking forward to this barbecue, but there you have it.” Chloe signaled the waitress for the bill. “By the way, Clark is aware that I met Oliver at the club, but he thinks I somehow insulted him and that’s the source of his animosity towards me.”
“Oh, Clark.” Lois shook her head as she laid a few bills on the table. “I worry about him in the big bad city. He really is innocent if he can’t read between the lines and see it’s more than that.”
“You didn’t,” Chloe told her.
“Sure, maybe I didn’t guess that you pulled a one eighty and jumped him hours after meeting him, but I knew it was something big.” Lois accepted her takeaway bag from the waitress and stood. “Are you headed back to the Planet?”
Chloe held up her bags. “I have Clark’s dinner and we need to work on this story.”
“Well, I’ll walk with you and you can tell me about it on the way. And don’t worry too much about the barbecue. Maybe his anger will blow over.”
Chloe hoped her cousin was right; somehow she doubted it though. And if Oliver was still in the mood to toss cryptic insults her way, it was going to be a long and uncomfortable afternoon.
A/N: As always, sorry for delays. A big thanks to sarahberah1121 at FF for offering to help me look over chapters - it was nice to have a second pair of eyes checking for typos and the like. The writing is going pretty quickly as I add scenes and tweak parts here and there, so I’ll try to be quicker with the next one. Updates are also coming for Letting Go soon - there’s one little part I’ve been reworking this weekend as time permitted. For those who asked, my kitty was doing better for about a week, and then she started the cycle again last week. I think this will be an ongoing problem until her surgery next month. On the bright side, I think I’ve found a housekeeper, so that’s bound to free up some writing time ;-) Hope you enjoyed the update! Thanks for all the amazing reviews - I’ll finish replying to those soon :-)
Up Next: One super awkward barbecue coming right up! Then there’s a little meeting between Chloe and Green Arrow if you’re interested ;-)