WORTH A STARE
SUMMARY: AU. She was worth a stare, she was definitely worth a stare. Chuck Bass would know.
DISCLAIMER: I own neither Gossip Girl nor these noir quotes. Sadly.
She was worth a stare (1), she was definitely worth a stare.
Chuck Bass would know. He liked to consider himself an expert in the matter, and he probably was; his relationship with his father may be in the gutter, but the one he shared with women was most certainly spectacular… He had them all. Shapes, colours, sizes… he didn't discriminate, they were all fair game.
But the girl in front of him was something else: petite, big brown doe eyes, coffee hair… Shortened, she was a gorgeous brunette with an ass to die for.
He was most definitely going to tap that sexy little ass of hers.
He had yet to understand what was different about her, what made her shine in the middle of an other hundred women; maybe it was the way she carried herself: classy, head up, she looked everyone in the eyes, but only after she looked them from shoe to head.
She looked like a Queen in the middle of her crowd, everyone was to consider beneath her.
It was a 50ies party, and she looked like an Hollywood diva.
Blond or not, she was the Lauren Bacall to his Humphrey Bogart.
The decorations made it seem like they were living in a noir movie.
He was the gangster, and the role fit him well, as he was wearing a black suit and he had the personality; the only thing missing was a cigar, and he regretted not having it.
She was his aim for the night, and he would do anything to have her, at least one night.
She was trouble (1), she definitely was.
Her entire self spoke trouble, she was not to trust; she was the forbidden fruit: eat once, you'll never go back.
But as a good player, with the cards laid on the table, she was worth the risk.
So he started walking towards her, slowly, as a real actor.
She didn't notice him, and that made him slightly angry, because he was just like her, he stood out from the simple crowd.
He could be her king, always loyal.
She was know sitting at the bar, ordering; the wind brought him her words, and he thought she said scotch.
They had something in common.
People would consider her a champagne lady, always in control, prim and proper, but he knew better.
He realised that was the façade: underneath that icy cover, she was fire, dynamite, ready to explode. And he wanted to be the one able to switch her on.
He felt like a stalker. Like she was his prey. He was the hunter. But the hunting wouldn't be easy, she didn't look like one to submit.
He arrived at the bar and sat next to her, entirely too close.
She finally noticed him, and turned her pretty head towards him, studying him.
He wondered what she was thinking; her brown eyes were endless, no bottom, to drown in. A chocolate pool.
She was making his pressure rise, only by staring at him.
She undeniably had a detrimental effect on him, and he didn't like it. Not even one bit; he was usually the one in control, and made people loose control.
But she was new, like nothing he had experienced before, and he was afraid of the unknown, because he didn't have power over it.
She was making him overtake his horizons.
He finally found the strength to speak again, and he returned his smug self.
"What is a beautiful lady like you doing right here all alone?". He knew it was a stupid pick-up line, but it always worked. It was what he was familiar to.
"The beautiful lady was drinking until somebody disturbed her".
This was going to be harder than he thought.
She was neither shy nor a slut. It was a small category, and he rarely had to deal with girls like her. Supposing she wasn't unique, like he was prone to think.
"Touché". He had to admit it: she was good.
"Are you going to leave me alone or do you have some more pick up lines to test on me?", she requested, acting disinterested.
He was afraid of that. Nobody acted like that with Chuck Bass.
Last chance: "I'm Chuck Bass".
"Congratulations. Do you want an applause?", she smirked.
Her smirk could fight his.
"Not necessarily. And who are you?", he asked. This wasn't unimportant anymore, it was becoming a challenge.
And Chuck Bass never looses.
"Blair Waldorf". He heard that name before.
"Good… So, Blair Waldorf, can I offer you something to drink?".
"If you insist".
He was starting to get to her, he could tell. He hoped in a good way.
He still had many weapons to play.
"So, tell me a little bit about yourself". This wasn't Chuck Bass fashion, but in order to win he had to try something new.
And, besides, right now he was definitely loosing.
"What do you want to know, Chuck Bass, my life story? Here it is in four words: big ideas, small results (2)". This wasn't what he expected. Wasn't she as strong she seemed? She kept surprising him.
"How so?".
"You know… judging parents, never good enough, didn't enter in a good college because of a bitchy teacher, uninterested boyfriend… Same old stuff. Anyway, why am I saying all this to you?".
"Don't know, princess… So you wanna go somewhere quiet, to talk?". Her big brown eyes widened.
"Sure… Over my dead body! I'm not some kind of slut, far from it".
"Never took you for one… Really, do you wanna get out of here?", he was becoming impatient, this girl turned him on with no chance of release.
"I know who you are, Chuck Bass. Last time I looked you were a womanizer (3)".
So she knew who he was.
"Maybe next time you look I won't(3)".
Who are you kidding, Bass?
"That's what they all say", she answered.
"Maybe I'm different, maybe I'm not what everybody thinks I am".
What the fuck was he saying? Was he playing reformed playboy now? Really, this girl made him say stuff he didn't mean.
Made him feel stuff he never felt. Like he could change for her…
He would never admit it, but all this time, throughout the womanizing and drinking, he was waiting for a girl like this, one that could challenge him, one that he realised he wanted for more than one night.
It was all new. And it was scary.
He didn't feel like Bogart anymore. He felt out of character.
But he was going to continue play the smug Basstard… it was what he did best.
Then she pushed him out of her reverie.
"Maybe, maybe you are. But it the meantime, I'm not going to trust you".
"You shouldn't trust me, I'm dangerous".
"You know, what I 'like'", she said, a little sarcastic, "about you is you're rock bottom. I wouldn't expect you to understand this, but it's great comfort for a girl to know she could not possibly sink any lower (4)".
He should be angry and affronted, but he wasn't. He knew she was playing the game, too.
"So you're saying I'm not worth it?", he said, teasingly.
"That's exactly what I'm saying", she countered.
"You're a bitter little lady(5)".
"It's a bitter little world (5)", she said, almost speaking to herself.
"Why so pessimist?".
"For good reasons", she said, vaguely.
"Good… So, do you want my number?", he asked, careful to omit the hopeful tone.
"No names, no addresses. Just companions for the evening. (6)", her tone left no room for options.
He was going to change her mind.
"So you're saying you want us to spend the night together?".
"Perhaps".
Perhaps indeed.
The Big Sleep, Humphrey Bogart to Lauren Bacall.
Clash by Night, Barbara Stanwyck to Keith Andes; originally Chuck Bass is replaced with Joe.
Clash by Night, Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Ryan, originally 'you were a womanizer' is replaced with 'you had a wife'
The Big Steal, Jane Greer to Robert Mitchum
Hollow Triumph, Paul Henereid and Joan Bennett
Phantom Lady, Fay Helm.
A/N: I want to apologize if you found Chuck out of character; sure, it's AU, but he's still an arrogant womanizer. Anyway he's a little bit 'mushy' because all these thoughts are going on in that pretty little had of his. Thank you for reading and review, please!