Hazard of Hearts Clex Smallville 2-3/13 Adult

Title: Hazard of Hearts

Author: Wereleopard58

Rating: FRAO (NC-17)

Summary: Clark Kent meets Lord Lex Luthor who wins him in a bet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or Barbara Cartland’s a Hazard of Hearts. Come on give me a break I have been training away from home.

Feedback: Would appreciate it but happy you are actually reading this *g*

Chapter Two

Chloe looked up on fright and ran out of the doors; everyone stopped and stared waiting for her to return. It didn’t take long before they opened and a very young tearful woman walked in. Lex turned his icy blue stare riveted on Edge.

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Clark ran down the stairs his eyes alight with happiness at seeing his cousin but the look on her face, the sadness in her eyes told him everything he needed to know something had happened to his father.

XXXXX

Clark gripped hold of the arm of the chair tightly trying not to break it; he rarely used his strength he had been warned for so long it was second nature.

“Clark your father is dead, now it is you we have to worry about.” Chloe knew all of Clark’s secrets and she had to help protect him from what was about to happen.

“I don’t care about myself.” Clark muttered feeling more alone and alien than he ever had before.

“You must, you have escaped Lord Edge, but Lord Luthor is worse.” Chloe told him.

“No one can be worse than that despicable man.”

“There is something inhuman and that Luthor.” Chloe realised what she said. “Clark what I meant was that he doesn’t loose at anything, he never shows any emotion and he is heartless to those who love him and there have been many.” Chloe lowered her eyes thinking of the man she had feelings for but had eyes for one person only.

“Edge knew my fathers weakness.” Clark’s voice was dull with pain.

“Forget about Edge, Clark listen to me there is one way that you can foil Lord Luthor.”

“How?” Clark asked as the tears started to fall.

“You can marry me, now by special license. Then whatever Luthor does he cannot marry you.” Chloe offered she would do anything to protect her family and all that was left to her was Clark.

“Chloe you are a kind woman but we could never make each other happy and I know that you are in love with Bruce Wayne. I couldn’t let you make that sacrifice.”

“You have no choice.” Chloe told him bluntly.

“I have a choice, the Kent’s have always paid there debts. I will do what I have to even if it means being married to the devil himself.”

XXXXX

“Lex you can’t be seriously thinking about marrying a man you won in a bet, it is hardly if you need the 80,000.” Bruce said watching the other man.

“My dear Bruce, I confess I have given it very little thought to be honest until your ward had brought it up it had totally slipped my mind.” Lex took a mouthful of drink.

“Slipped your mind.” Dick exclaimed. “If it were me I would have been out there on my fastest horse. I mean aren’t you curious about the house, about the man for gods sake.”

“As I said I never really thought about it.” Lex told them honestly.

“Why don’t we have a bet to see who gets there first?”

“I don’t think..” Bruce started to talk.

“Well it would be something to do.” Lex grinned. “But you don’t have to come Bruce if you don’t want to.”

“No I will come.” There was no way that he was going to miss seeing what this man looked like, if it was going to be trouble for him, to stop him winning Lex’ s heart.

XXXXX

The group of people stood at the bottom of a large staircase, candlelight told them that someone was coming. A well built young man with blonde hair turned the corner and stood in front of them. Bruce smiled this was not Lex’s type of man, he saw Dick snigger but then the younger mans face changed.

Bruce turned to look back up and standing there was a tanned handsome man, tall and muscular. Green eyes like emeralds sparkled in an innocent face, he quickly turned to look at Lex who was enraptured by the face in front of him.

Clark made his way down the stairs gripping hold of his dogs collar. “My Lord Luthor?”

“At your service Mr Kent.” Lex bowed his head. “May I present Dick Grayson, Pete Ross and Bruce Wayne.”

“You must be hungry I will send to the kitchens.” Clark was about to ask his manservant to go.

Dick managed to stop drooling an pick his tongue up of the floor. “Mr Kent we would not hear of it.”

“Wine then, Whitney show our guests to the drawing room and Earl could you please bring up some wine.” He turned and nodded.

Lex stood back staring at him while his guests walked past. Clark also watched but kept nervously looking away and turned to walk with the guests.

“Mr Kent perhaps you and I should talk. I hadn’t realised you would be so young.”

“I was a late arrival.” Clark said hoping it sounded like he was talking about his birth and not arrival on this planet. “

“It puts a different slant on things.” Lex muttered staring into space.

“It does why?” Clark asked interested.

Lex looked at him placing his hands behind his back so he didn’t reach out and touch the younger man. “Well you can’t go on living in this house and since it belongs to me people would assume that you were my..”

“I understand from Chloe the dancer Lana Lang already fills that position.” Lex turned away before he smiled. “I have ready the deeds of the estate, the list of tenants and those that receive a pension from my father. You do woudl to carry on with those?”

“Of course.”

“There is also a list of the livestock on the home farm and I am afraid the accounts aren’t very good.” Clark looked down a little embarrassed.

“My estate manager will sort them out before the house is sold.”

“Sold!” Clark exclaimed.

“Well you can’t continue to live here and I have no use for it.” Lex watched the young man and the emotions that flittered across his face.

“I suppose so.”

“So what am I to do with you Mr Kent?” Lex smirked.

“I am at your hands sir. I must honour my fathers debt” Clark whispered.

Lex sucked in a breath ignoring the images that crossed his mind.

“And I cannot for my reputation cancel it.” Lex paced.

“Knowing something of your reputation I can understand that.” Clark knew it was impolite but it had been a long and tiring time for him.

Lex smiled he found this man refreshing. “I think it would be best if you stayed with my father in our family home.”

“May I bring Whitney and my dog.”

“Naturally I will send them on ahead so things won’t seem so strange and for you it is a long trip I will send my best carriage.” Lex offered.

“You are most kind.”

“I will write to my father telling him to expect you. I will arrive later, until some solution suggests itself Mr Kent let us remain as we are two strangers brought together by a game of chance.” Lex bowed and started to walk out. “Ahhhh try not to be afraid of my father.”

“Why?” Clark asked.

Lex said nothing and left. It was not long before the door opened and Whitney walked in.

“Clark?” He could see the confusion on the other man’s face.

Clark knew something was different with this man, as soon as he saw him Clark had wanted to reach out and touch him. He had heard Lex’s heartbeat speed up when they first saw each other, there was an attraction there but for him there was more and Clark didn’t know what to do about it.

“I know little of men and I am aware of what they say about him but I have never been more baffled my man in my life.”

Chapter Three

It had been a long journey for Clark and he had no idea what would be at the end of it. Lex’s words echoed in his mind.

“Let us remain as we are, two strangers brought together by a game of chance.”

People from the town stared at the carriage as it went by. All of them knowing who it belonged to but not the young man that was sitting inside. It finally arrived at Mandrake, a large beautiful but imposing house. It took Clark’s breath away. Readying himself he walked in.

“I will inform his Lordship that you have arrived.” A manservant said with a bow and disappeared.

It wasn’t long before a male voice shouted at some servants. Clark’s heart began to beat faster. A man with shoulder length hair and a beard walked down the large staircase, a piece of paper gripped tightly in his hand.

“I am informed that you are engaged to my son. Who are you? Where did he make your acquaintance?” Lionel Luthor demanded.

“I am sure you son will explain everything to you sir. The situation is not of my making.” Clark replied politely.

“Take Mr Kent to his room.” Lionel ordered, his gaze remained locked on Clark for a moment longer, he then turned and left.

The servant bowed and walked away, Clark followed walking up numerous staircases until they reached a door hidden away.

“This is your room.” The servant said politely.

“Thank you.”

“My name is Dominic; if you need anything just ask.” Dominic turned away the polite smile vanishing from his face.

Clark opened the door and inside was Whitney and his dog. He smiled brightly at seeing the two of them.

“The Lord has put you in the oldest, dampest part of the house.”

Another door in the room slowly opened, just a crack. An eye carefully watching what was going on just for a moment.

“Well we are all together that is all that matters.” Clark said.

“Clark there is evil in this house.” Whitney said seriously.

“Whitney.” Clark muttered with a shake of his head.

The door slowly shuts quietly leaving the two people in the room unaware that they had been watched.

“Whitney aren’t you being a bit over dramatic. His Lordship certainly does not want me here.”

“Clark I sense evil here. I was told by one of the servants that this house was haunted. I believe it but it is haunted by the living as well as the dead.”

“Whitney stop it. You are giving me the horrors.”

Just then the bedroom door was flung open and in walked Lionel Luthor. The dog growled.

“That,” Lionel pointed at the animal, “goes to the stables.” He ordered.

“To sleep yes, most other times he will be with me as that is what we are both used to.” Clark said politely but firmly.

Lionel raised an eyebrow and then turned to Whitney. “You may leave us.” The young man turned to his master and waited for the nod of approval. “Take the animal with you.” It was not long before they were alone. “I trust you are comfortable here?”

“Yes thank you sir.”

“It appears from my son’s letter that you are to have 80,000 guineas?”

“On my marriage sir, it is in trust.” “It is not a large fortune as fortunes go. Still are you sure it can only be unlocked by marriage.” He asked smoothly.

“Quite sure.”

“You can’t marry my son of course, that is an absurdity. 80,000 is modest enough heaven knows guineas you say.”

“So I am told.” Clark answered coolly.

“It would be a convenient sum for your needs if you could unlock your trust.”

“I’m afraid that is quite out of the question.”

“These things are so, of course. However, nothing is ever ‘quite out of the question’. Something might be done.” Lionel’s voice wandered a little as he talked.

“Sir?” Clark did not like this it made him very nervous.

“I shall not keep you. You must be very tired after your journey and require rest. I will have some food sent up.”

“Thank you.”

“Tomorrow you will join us for dinner downstairs. I have guests coming and as usual a number will be coming afterwards for the entertainment.”

“The entertainment?” Clark asked.

“That is what I said boy.” Lionel replied sarcastically, slamming the door closed when he left.

Clark sat down and stared into a mirror wishing he was anywhere but where he actually was. He jumped as the door opened, in walked Whitney.

“Whitney it’s you. I thought he had come back.”

Whitney closed the door. “Be careful of him Master Clark.”

“He doesn’t like me; he likes my money well enough. Don’t worry, I maybe afraid of him but he can’t actually hurt me.”

“He is dangerous.” Was all that the young servant said.

XXXXX

Night had fallen, Clark was tired from the long journey but no matter what he couldn’t sleep all he did was stare up at the ceiling thinking about what was going to happen. Crunching of the gravel outside made him frown. Climbing out of bed he went to the window and looked out.

A cloaked figure walked across to a building, just then clouds moved in front of the moon turning everything pitch black. It only lasted a second but when Clark could see again the figure had disappeared.

Clark went back to bed wondering what was going on.

TBC