Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
Here we go again. After all the inspiring reviews for my first story, I couldn't resist. And for those that wish for Blair's reaction to receiving the diamond necklace on her wedding day, I do promise to get to telling that story. I am currently contemplating the best way to approach it. Until then, enjoy….
Chuck sat at his desk on the top floor of Bass Industries pouring through the financial documents that he had been greeted with that morning. His suit jacket had long since been discarded over the back of his chair and his sleeves had been rolled up in determination. Even his tie had been loosened.
Anyone that was used to the crisply dressed Chuck Bass would be sorely disappointed in that moment. The numbers continued to stare at him almost taunting him as he couldn't make sense of them for the first time in almost six years. Even before he took over the empire, he could see a financial statement and understand the impact for him and the company. What was wrong with him?
In a word, Blair.
It had been one month to the day that they had said their vows in front of God and everyone. One month of the most perfect days and nights of his life. Nearly every morning they took turns waking each other up in the early morning hours to make love, and nearly every night was spent the same way as they fell into each other's arms.
He hated that he had to wake up so early this morning, today of all days. His busy day had dictated that he get an early start, and it had been too early to even think of waking her up. He tried to be as quiet as a mouse as he moved about their bedroom as he got dressed, turning on a light here or there only when absolutely necessary.
With a gentle kiss to her forehead and a love note left on his pillow promising to make it up to her that evening, he left.
He had been stuck in meetings all morning. It was the craziest time of year for him. The annual shareholders' meeting was less than a week away. He and the board were anxiously planning the event. This had been a very profitable year for the company, and it was going to be an exciting day, but the work that went into the event required a month of planning.
It didn't help that he had taken two weeks off to take Blair to private island off the coast of the French Riviera for their honeymoon, not that he was complaining in the slightest. Now he was playing catch up and trying to cram a month's work into only a few days without neglecting Blair. It was a delicate balancing act, but it was one that he was fully committed to.
Chuck glanced over at his schedule, hoping desperately that it had magically changed since his assistant had placed it on his desk first thing that morning. He was hoping that somehow he would find the time to sneak away from the office to pop into Blair's design loft for a quick afternoon rendezvous, but fate was not on his side. His schedule hadn't changed, and he was still as busy as he was when he first stepped off the elevator.
He absentmindedly began twirling his wedding band around his finger as he willed himself to focus on the task at had. The longer it took him to figure out the numbers, the longer he had to stay at the office and away from Blair. The trick seemed to work as the numbers began to unscramble themselves when his assistant entered his office.
"Mr. Bass, there has been a change to your schedule for the day. Here is your updated calendar for the day," Eugenia stated as she exchanged the one piece of paper on his desk for the other, "And Mrs. Bass is here to see you."
Chuck's left eyebrow lifted in curiosity at Eugenia's statement. Nobody called Blair Mrs. Bass. Even Eugenia always referred to her either as his wife or her legal name, Ms. Waldorf-Bass. The twinkle in Eugenia's eye told him that the reference was not a slip of the tongue or even her idea. Clearly somebody was up to something.
"Send her in," Chuck responded as he glanced at his calendar to see that a three hour block period leading up to his staff meeting had mysteriously opened. Eugenia was beaming as she left his office, calling out for 'Mrs. Bass' to enter.
"I missed you this morning," Blair stated as she sauntered into his office in a knee length emerald green button up cashmere coat (from her latest fashion line, no doubt) buttoned all the way to the top. She paused briefly to make sure to close the door behind her.
"I'm sorry I had to leave you this morning," Chuck responded as he moved to stand up and greet her with a kiss. She was too quick for him. She quickly sat him back down in his chair roughly and fell into his lap kissing him passionately on the lips. Momentarily caught off guard by her gesture, it took a moment for his brain to catch up and respond to the kiss.
Breathlessly pulling away, she rested her forehead against his as she responded, "I know. I got your note."
"What are you up to, Mrs. Bass?" Chuck inquired. She was grinning like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. He knew that grin all too well. Her devious mind was planning something.
"I thought you'd appreciate that reference," Blair beamed. She loved that he picked up on the reference. Some men wouldn't have put that together, but then again her husband was not some man.
"You're evading the question," Chuck pressed as he reached out to grab a hold of his calendar and put it in front of her to review, "This was jam packed with meetings all day. Suddenly I have three hours with nothing to do. What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Blair innocently insisted, "I just made sure that Eugenia understood what your priorities were."
"Blair," he groaned. He had meant it to come out as a scold, but she chose that exact moment to began blowing into his ear. The lustful groan was all he could manage.
"I have a surprise for you," Blair stated as she stood up suddenly and began unbuttoning the cashmere coat she was wearing. The black silk stockings and three inch black heals were noticeable before the first button was undone. How he had missed that when she first entered, he didn't know. He usually noticed everything. His jaw dropped as she opened the jacket to reveal that she was wearing black lace negligee that left very little to the imagination. A red ribbon was tied around her waist as if she was a package that was in need of unwrapping.
"Was it Christmas already?" Chuck thought as he grinned at her devilishly. No wonder she wore that cat who ate the canary grin.
Suddenly the thought of her traipsing through the streets of New York City in that little ensemble was too much for him to process. He violently pulled her back into his lap as he devoured her lips, his hands began roaming, seeming of their own accord.
"Patience, Mister Bass," Blair cooed in his ear as she pulled away.
Chuck groaned as she stood up once again, this time taking a few steps away from him so that she was out of his grasp.
"PATIENCE!" Chuck growled, "Do you know how you're talking to?"
Blair chuckled devilishly in response as she reached to the floor for the jacket she had discarded and putting it back on, buttoning all of the buttons once more.
"Follow me, Mister Bass," Blair smirked as she crocked a finger towards him to let him know he needed to follow her.
"Like I had any other option," he thought as he stood up. His dress pants were noticeably tighter than they had been when he first sat down. He had Blair to thank for that, of course. He quickly tightened his tie and rolled down his sleeves before he grabbed his jacket, putting it on as he walked out the door. He cared less about his image at that moment than covering the growing bulge in his pants. She'd pay for that as soon as they got into the elevator.
"I'll have him back by three," Blair vowed as they passed Eugenia's desk. Eugenia was beaming as she watched Chuck follow Blair obediently. As soon as they were in the elevator and the doors had closed, his arms were around her as he began his pay back.
Way too quickly the elevator bell dinged. There was no possible way they could have reached the ground level yet. Blair shrugged his arms off while reaching up to wipe the lipstick from his lips as the door opened. In stepped a poor member of Chuck's staff that hadn't been paying attention as he stepped onto the lift to take him to the ground floor for his lunch break.
"That man is so fired," Chuck thought as he shook his head in disgust.
Blair glared at him evilly. She could read his thoughts like a book. She turned to the door young executive who had just realized the awkward situation that he had stepped into but was too panicked to find his way out.
"I don't believe we have met," Blair stated as she extended her hand to the young man, "I'm Mrs. Chuck Bass."
Chuck couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. On any other day, she would have addressed herself properly, but she was too intent on teasing him.
"Wendell Marte, ma'am," the young man replied, his voice breaking in nervousness as he shook her hand. He was probably ten years older than either Blair or Chuck, but being in an elevator with the CEO of any company would being intimidating, let along Bass Industries.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Blair replied, "Have you worked for Bass Industries long?"
"Eight months, ma'am," Wendell responded a little more confidently.
"And how do you like it so far?" Blair inquired. Chuck laughed once more. Like that wasn't a loaded question if he had ever heard one. There was no way of winning with which ever response the man gave. Chuck knew that.
"It's wonderful," he nodded as he tried to convey the sincerity of his words.
"And has my husband behaved himself?" Blair pressed.
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.
Chuck quickly looked up to see which floor they were passing and then pressed the button three levels lower so that the elevator would come to a screeching halt.
When the door opened, Chuck nodded at Wendell to exit. The man looked at him in confusion.
"Wendell, didn't you have something that you needed to drop off in the mail room," Chuck stated, trying to offer the man an out. The mail room was three floors lower, but he hoped that the man would take the hint and get out. Wendell looked at him in confusion before it dawned on him what Chuck was implying, by then the doors had begun to close.
"Oh, right," Wendell responded as he stuck his hand out to impede the doors from closing fully. Once the space was wide enough, he quickly stepped out. Chuck angrily mashed the close button repeatedly as he willed the doors to close before someone else tried to step on.
Blair was going to respond, but Chuck's reaction time was quicker and he gathered her to him before the words were out of her mouth. Furthermore the words were forgotten when he kissed her. Blair's knees gave out. She quickly grabbed his shoulders to prevent her crash to the floor. When the elevator bell chimed once more, they were finally on the first floor and he was pulled her towards the revolving doors and the awaiting limo that he knew was waiting for them on the other side.
"Chuck Bass, that was rude the way you treated that poor man," Blair scolded once he had her in the back of their sacred limo. His hands were everywhere, but she refused to be ignored or deterred this time.
"All I did was suggest he take a detour to the mailroom," Chuck responded innocently as he began to nibble on her ear.
"All you did was kick him out of the elevator. Even if he was going to the mail room, you kicked him out three floors too early," Blair clarified as she tried to push him away. His grip was too strong and her will to separate them too weak. She stayed right where she was.
"Doesn't matter anyways," Chuck stated as his lips traveled lower to her neck, "He'll be fired by the end of the day."
"Charles Bartholomew Bass, if you fire that poor man I will divorce you," she gasped. Chuck chuckled in response. She didn't mean it. He knew that. It was what she said when she wanted to get her way.
"And what would you do if I gave him a raise?" Chuck inquired quizzically as he played along.
"Wouldn't you like to find out," she teased as she raised an eyebrow suggestively, "Which reminds me, you need to give Eugenia a raise."
"What for?" he hissed. His assistant was one of the most highly compensated in New York City. He had made sure of that.
"I sort of promised her that if she rearranged your schedule, she could have the raise," Blair confessed.
"What happened to just telling her what my priorities were?" he questioned.
"I did that first," Blair insisted as she batted her eyelashes at him, "When that didn't work, I promised her a raise. It's not like she doesn't deserve it anyways."
Of course, she was right. Eugenia was one of the hardest working people at Bass Industries. When she wasn't attending to every one of Chuck's needs that Blair couldn't meet, she was also the chairperson for all of the community outreach programs that Bass Industries supported. How she did all of that and still manage to raise two teenage children was beyond him.
"I'll see to it first thing tomorrow morning," Chuck caved.
"Such a pushover," Blair teased as she began nibbling on his ear again.
"Only for you, Mrs. Bass. Don't go spreading rumors about me now. I have a ruthless reputation to protect," he replied.
"How anyone can compare you to the late, great Bart Bass is beyond me," Blair mused as she pulled back to study her husband's face.
Chuck smirked at the compliment. Bart Bass may have been an emotionally closed off father, but he was a hell of a businessman. He started Bass Industries with nothing more than his own hard work and intuition, and now Bass Industries was one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. Whenever Chuck was stuck with a solution to a problem, he always fell back on the question, "What would Bart Bass do?" The answers always came, and the solution always seemed to work.
"Those are the kindest words you could ever pay me, my love," Chuck replied.
"I highly doubt that," she laughed. Blair's laughter filled the back of the limo that had suddenly stopped outside their building. She climbed off of his lap effortlessly and then pushed him out the door so that he would help her out. Always the gentleman with Blair, he wordlessly turned once he was out of the vehicle to offer her his hand.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Bass, Ms. Waldorf-Bass," the doorman stated as he greeted the pair at the door.
"Good afternoon, Harold," Blair offered as her husband handed him a fifty dollar bill just for opening the door.
"And it's Mrs. Bass for the day," Chuck corrected the man as she pulled him to the elevator that would take them to their penthouse. They could hear Harold chuckled as the doors closed.
"Again with the guests in the elevator," Chuck mumbled as a little girl slipped in at the last minute. Blair threw him a look that told him he had better behave this time.
The young girl promptly pushed every button the elevator had to offer before she spun towards Chuck and Blair. "I didn't know which floor you wanted, so I pushed them all," the pig-tailed brunette stated sweetly.
"That's very thoughtful of you. What is your name, Sweetie?" Blair asked curiously.
"Victoria," the girl replied.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Victoria," Blair stated as she bent down to offer her hand to the girl as the elevator made its first stop.
Chuck laughed at the memory that the little girl brought. She was a miniature version of Blair at the same age. Even her posture and perfectly pressed outfit screamed Blair Waldorf at age seven which is was Chuck estimated the girl's age to be. Blair continued to make conversation with the child as the elevator continued to make its stops at every floor.
"Only twenty more floors to go," Chuck thought as he continued to watch Blair's interaction in awe.
Children frightened Chuck Bass. He knew it, and so did Blair. He figured eventually they would get around to having kids, and he'd have to get over it. He was determined to be a better father than his was to him, but for now he kept his distance.
The girl got out of the elevator about ten floors before their penthouse, and Chuck breathed a sigh of relief.
"Children really frighten you, don't they," Blair laughed, "What will you do when it's our child?"
"Find a way through it," Chuck responded, "We're a ways away from finding out though, aren't we?" His voice cracked as he added the last bit. Blair laughed out louder at the panic she heard in his voice.
"Aren't we," he pressed as the elevator finally came to rest at their floor.
"Yes," she assured him as they stepped into their penthouse, "At least nine months."
"That's not funny, Waldorf," he responded as he took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the hall table along with his money clip loaded with cash. It was his routine every night to empty his pockets and rid himself of any potential distractions.
"We're back to Waldorf, I see," she teased, "What happened to Mrs. Bass?"
"She seems to be determined to give her husband a heart attack," Chuck responded as she took his hand and led him further into their penthouse.
"Hello, Ms. Blair, Mister Chuck," a familiar voice greeted them.
"Dorota? What are you doing here?" Chuck asked in surprise. Blair's long time companion still worked for her mother despite his best efforts to pry her away for Blair's sake, but she occasionally popped in from time to time when Blair needed a favor.
"Don't answer him, Dorota," Blair sung out, "Is everything taken care of?"
"Yes, Ms. Blair," Dorota nodded.
"Excellent," Blair smiled.
"I'll be leaving then," the maid stated, "Have fun Mister Chuck."
"I'll double my last offer," Chuck called out after her. He heard the lady laugh as she got onto the elevator. It had become something of a game between them now more than an actual job offer. If she really agreed, she'd be up to a yearly salary of about ten million dollars.
"It's so sweet that you continue to try hiring Dorota away from my mother for me," Blair stated as she took off his jacket, throwing it haphazardly on to one chair.
"I know how much she means to you," Chuck responded as he began attempting to release the buttons of her jacket. Blair was being stubborn as she kept swatting his hands away. Finally surrendering, he allowed her to pull off his tie and push his suspenders off his shoulder.
"You mean more," Blair responded as she finally began unbuttoning her jacket as she continued backing towards their bedroom. Chuck knew she meant him to follow her. He was with her step for step as he began to undo his own buttons on his shirt. Her jacket fell to the floor and his shirt soon followed.
"You take my breath away," Chuck gasped as he was allowed to fully appreciate the beauty before him as she stood in their bedroom doorway. A soft glow was emanating from bedroom lighting her dramatically from behind. She was truly a goddess at that moment.
"Ready for your surprise, Mister Bass?" she whispered as she pulled him into their bedroom. Candles were resting on every flat surface of the room which explained the glow from moments earlier. Rose pedals were sprinkled everywhere, on the floor, on the bed. Soft music was playing from the stereo that was just loud enough to be heard when nobody said a word. "Happy Anniversary, Baby."
"Wow," was all that managed to escape Chuck's lips. He sounded like an unintelligent buffoon at the moment, but that was all he had.
"Do you like your present?" she asked as she pulled at the ribbon finally tossing it carelessly to the floor.
"I love my present," he amended as he gathered her into his arms and lifted her easily up to the bed.
"Do you know what today is, Chuck?" she inquired curiously.
"That's easy," he replied, "Our one month anniversary."
"And?" she prompted.
"And?" he responded in confusion, "There's more?"
"Think back seven years ago," she snapped. She was obviously hurt that he had apparently forgotten.
Chuck began to smirk as he responded, "Three words . . .eight letters. Today is the seventh anniversary of the first day I told you I loved you. I will never forget that day, Blair, I assure you."
"You are about to get so lucky," she responded as she pulled him to the bed.
"You mean luckier than I already am," he corrected her as he sunk into her as they made love.