Quipping The Light Fantastic
"I bet you meet girls like me all the time," Chloe grinned, cheeks red, as a waiter served them champagne and offered to take her coat. "Hang on, what am I saying? You're Lex Luthor. The only women you ever meet are rich sociopaths who want to kill you or take all of your money."
"And which of those categories do you fall into, Ms Sullivan?" Lex Luthor said with a trademark half-smile as he took her hand. "Not that I care in the slightest of course. I just like to be prepared."
"I bet you do." Chloe smiled, letting him lead her toward a cluster of America's most newsworthy business magnates. "However, I'd rather not tip my hand just yet. I'm having far too much fun watching you squirm."
"I do not squirm, Ms Sullivan. And besides, I already know the reason why you agreed to accompany me tonight."
"You wanted to date me Mr Luthor."
"Yes, but you wanted the exclusive."
"I drive a hard bargain, Mr Luthor." Chloe smirked, adjusting his tie for the paparazzi. "Luckily for me, I think you like that in a woman."
"That is Sheikh Mustafa Al Mohammed, the shareholder of Mustafa Enterprises. He has officially handed over the reigns of the boardroom to his eldest son, Omar. However, rumour has it that he isn't happy with some of Omar's decisions, in particular the closing of the Riyadh branch."
"Don't tell me, the Sheikh is a religious man who believes closing the Riyadh branch will bring locusts down onto Mustafa Enterprises' share value?" Chloe grinned, glancing between Lex Luthor, the Sheikh, and the wire hiding in the lapel of Lex Luthor's jacket.
Lex Luthor smiled. "Actually, it's quite the opposite. Omar has closed the Riyadh branch and opened another one just outside of Mecca to take advantage of foreign Hajj tourism. The Sheikh feels that this will cause…problems with the Saudi Arabian government."
"Why?"
"Mustafa Enterprises sells designer French lingerie."
Chloe laughed suddenly, causing the object of their conversation to glance briefly at them. The Sheikh nodded once at Lex Luthor, patted the hand of his female companion, and worked his way to the opposite end of the room. "Sorry."
"Don't be. You have a nice laugh." Lex Luthor half-smiled, taking Chloe's hand into his. "And besides, I have every intention of making it up to him by buying a hundred pairs of everything he has in stock just for you." Chloe grinned. "That is a lot of underwear, Mr Luthor."
"I have a fetish." Lex Luthor stated, transferring Chloe's hand to his elbow. "By the way, do you see that man dancing with the red- head in the red dress?"
"Yes." Chloe said, focussing on the man in question.
"That's Bruce Wayne."
"He looks a lot younger than I expected." Chloe said as they danced so the camera in Chloe's purse could get a clear shot of Bruce Wayne and his latest companion. "How does he cope with the stress of being him?"
"Fast women, even faster cars, and enough drink and drugs to blow the GDP of a small country." Lex Luthor shrugged. "Bruce has a lot of issues, and the press haven't come close to unearthing all of them yet."
"He seems normal enough."
"Bruce is quite the actor." At Chloe's raised eyebrow, Lex Luthor smirked. "What? I thought you wanted an exclusive."
"I did, I do. I just don't think exposing my editor's employer will score me any brownie points with The Gothic Times." Chloe forced a smile for the benefit of paparazzi behind Lex Luthor's shoulder. "That's why I wanted to interview you. Bruce Wayne is untouchable in Gotham; you, however, are not."
"I should be flattered, I suppose, that you consider me the second most newsworthy man in Gotham." Lex Luthor laughed, spinning Chloe in an elaborate turn that got her a clear shot of Bruce Wayne and his partner.
"Third," Chloe smiled mysteriously after taking her photograph. "You are forgetting the Sheikh."
"Of course," Lex Luthor smoothed his hands across Chloe's bare back. "How can I compare to an Arab lingerie salesman."
"You can't. However, you can come close by telling me why five LexCorp vice-presidents have been killed in the past four months.
"That," Lex Luthor smiled. "Is privileged information that I wouldn't dream of sharing with anyone for less than five dates in four different countries."
"Five dates in four countries, Mr Luthor?" Chloe smirked, curving her arms slowly around his shoulders. "Is LexCorp really so much in trouble that you need to ground your private jet for one date?"
Lex Luthor laughed then, dipping his partner low, and causing a flash frenzy amongst the paparazzi.