Lex motioned for a nervous-looking Clark to enter the dressing room, and brandished the key. "You're safe, Clark, I've got the only key and Antoine is on break. I'll be waiting right here while you try those on."

Clark nodded and went inside to get undressed. He wasn't sure how today could make him look any more foolish in the eyes of his best friend, and he wasn't eager to find out. He was having trouble deciphering the mixed signals he was getting from Lex, and he wanted a few minutes to clear his head while he changed. It would be awfully embarrassing to model a tight-fitting swimsuit for Lex with his persistent erection peeking out the top like an eager puppy.

Clark got his shoes off through sheer force of will, spending several dull minutes getting the wet laces untied instead of simply breaking them. That would just leave him shoeless, and even further in Lex's debt. Maddeningly, he was having a much more difficult time getting out of the tight, wet jeans.

He wriggled them a little lower, finally managing to get them down past his ass. Wet denim was not his friend, and in the time he'd been walking they'd only dried out enough to become stiff and uncooperative. The fact that he *still* hadn't managed to control his raging hormones long enough to get rid of the hard-on he'd been sporting all afternoon wasn't helping at all. He swore loudly as he lost his balance and thumped into the wall, and he heard Lex calling his name on the other side of the door.

"Fuck.. Just a minute, Lex!"

Clark's creative swearing drowned out Lex's reply as he finally managed to wriggle the pants down and onto the floor, following them closely with his sodden underwear. He had one sock off and in his hand when the door handle rattled. Clark instinctively attempted to cover himself up with the closest article of clothing, which unfortunately for him turned out to be the wet sock in his hand.

Before Clark had a chance to rectify the situation, the door swung open, a very concerned looking Lex coming through it with key in hand. "Clark, I heard a thump are you..."

Lex trailed off as his eyes took in the sight of six feet of naked farm boy clad only in a pair of socks. One was sagging dejectedly on his right foot, but the other... it was peeking out from behind Clark's hands, dangling from the end of a very large, very obvious erection. Lex turned beet red, but found himself completely transfixed, unable to avert his eyes.

"Lex, I... I..."

Clark turned a bright scarlet. Lex's brain idly noted that Clark never did anything by halves and when he blushed, he blushed everywhere. The red hue traveled in a wave down Clark's broad chest, over the taut abs and even tinted the tops of his strong, muscular thighs.

"Wow."

"Wow?"

Clark's slightly irritated-sounding question was enough to snap Lex back to reality. He raised his eyes to meet his friend's, finding himself faced with six feet of mostly naked, very embarrassed, incredibly sexually frustrated and increasingly annoyed farm boy.

"I, I'm sorry, Clark, when I heard you.. I was worried you'd hurt yourself, when you didn't respond..." Lex trailed off with a helpless, apologetic shrug.

The annoyance dropped from Clark's face, chagrin joining the embarrassment as he dropped his eyes. Which just happened to rest on Lex's crotch. His bulging crotch. Specifically to he erection nearly as big as Clark's own which was distending the loose fabric of the pants that were covering the crotch in question.

Clark's hands flew to his mouth in shock. Did this mean that Lex wanted him? Or was there just some hot chick outside right before Lex burst in here? And why was Lex's jaw dropping? Clark looked on in puzzlement, following Lex's gaze with his own and realizing that the reason Lex was looking so stunned had to do with the fact that one limp, wet sock was the *only* thing now covering his very non-limp cock.

Lex reached out a hand towards the barely-concealing sock as if in a trance.

"Clark, is that..."

"Hello! Is everything going all right in here?"

Clark leapt for his wet jeans, managing to get them in front of him as Antoine's curious face peeked around the half-open door. He tried to curl up in the corner and die, attempting to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. Lex whirled around, his former speechlessness fleeing in the face of a situation he knew he could control.

"We're just fine, Antoine, why don't you go watch the front? I can take care of everything here."

---or can he?---

----

End of Part 8

---

Acknowledgements: Ximeria, I blame you. You dared me, and THIS is what you get. Also, many thanks to Nora for, well, everything. 'Cos you know what it's all about.