Kind of disappointed with the low number of reviews after the last chapter even though there was no C/B interaction. Hoping this one will bring in some more that can motivated me to keep getting these updates out quickly. Thanks again for reading and please remember to review. Thanks!
7:58 PM
Blair had been sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the hotel room door for what felt like hours when she finally heard the soft knocking. She strolled over to the door and opened it, revealing Chuck in his perfectly put together gray suit and royal blue pocket square that coincidently matched her dress. In his hands was a bouquet of white peonies which he promptly handed towards Blair's direction while doling, "Exquisite as always" as he took in her appearance before him.
"Hello to you to," Blair responded taking the flowers into her hand, "and thank you." She held the flowers up near her face and let the fragrance waft through her senses before turning back into the room and placing them on the vanity.
Chuck entered the room behind her and watched as she gathered items off the vanity and placed them into her clutch. "How did your meeting go?" she asked.
"Business as usual. Bart was actually quite generous after his scene last week. Which of course means he is hiding something," Chuck explained.
"Well, you know if you are in need of a scheming partner, I know someone with very solid references," Blair replied while smirking at Chuck.
"I'm sure your person is top notch but I would rather keep the business and pleasure separate. At least for the time being," he answered her. She glanced down at the floor sullenly. "How was the rest of your day?" he asked trying to break her train of thought.
"Uh Blissful. I spent some much needed hours at the spa," Blair explained. "I also took care of some personal matters myself but I think we should save that conversation for after dinner so I don't ruin my appetite."
Chuck let out a small laugh, "You ready to go then?" he asked. Blair nodded before grabbing her clutch off the table and they both headed out the door.
Silence. An entire limo ride of almost absolute silence except for the occasional throat clear from Chuck and the sound of Blair cracking her knuckles. The limo came to a stop and the driver opened the door. Chuck leaned to exit and Blair put her hand on his knee, he stopped his action and shifted toward her.
"Chuck, I know we have a lot to discuss but can we just try to roll over this awkward silence. I want you to feel free to say whatever it is that you want to say to me. We both know that ignoring everything isn't going to fix anything," Blair stated.
Chuck sighed while interlacing his fingers with hers. "I know your right, I'm just not really sure where we are suppose to start here," he explained.
"Let's start by getting a drink and loosening you up. I'm sure once we weaken our inhibitions a bit, the conversation will flow a little more naturally," Blair answered confidently while tightening the grip his hand had on hers.
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek before climbing out of the limo and pulling her up and out with him. They headed inside the restaurant where they were seated in a private room over looking the harbor and immediately ordered a scotch for him and a gin martini for her. Once the waiter brought their drinks, they placed their orders and relaxed into their chairs. The view of the windows of the restaurant onto the pier was absolutely breathtaking and it was a shame that they couldn't sit there and merely enjoy the ambiance in one another's company.
"So, do you want to start or do you want..." Blair began to ask before Chuck interrupted her, "I'll start."
"Why now?" Chuck asked her.
"Why now?" Blair asked back slightly confused.
"Why after all this time do you want to try to make things work now? What made you come to the press conference that night? You had a million opportunities before than where I wouldn't have thought twice about us putting everything in the past but you choose that moment," Chuck was looking at her with such a broken expression. "I can't help but think that if it wasn't me who came to you about the whole Diana and Bart situation and brought you back into things than you would be sitting in Italy right now instead of here."
Blair sucked in a deep breath and fidgeted with her hands before placing them on the table and looking back at Chuck. "I will admit, you coming to me and me turning you away may have been a turning point for me. I realized in that moment truly the extent of what I was doing to you and what I was putting you through. I know that sounds insane but I was just so wrapped up in my own head that I wasn't thinking about anyone else. Once I saw Bart and told you to go back in there, then you were the only thing I could think about. I just kept thinking how hard these past months had been for you and then of all things to happen, Bart faked his own death. I just wanted to be there for you in all the ways that I realized you had tried to be there for me. Then it all became clear. There was a reason why I felt that way and it was because nothing had changed. I had tried to black out everything between us because I knew the second I was near you again that nothing would have changed," Blair attempted to explain to him in the most simple of terms what had been occurring in her over complicated thought process.
"So, your saying I'm right. If I never would have come to you than you wouldn't be here?" he asked her.
"Maybe not in this moment. But, were inevitable Chuck. Whether it took me months or years, I know in my heart I always would have loved you and regardless of how crazy I have been, I would have had my moment where it all fell into place," she answered honestly.
"Not what I was expecting but points for honesty," Chuck spewed slightly with a look of agitation on his face. "So, care to explain what happened with Dan?"
"Things were getting overly complicated. I was with Dan because it was simple and easy and he didn't challenge me. There was no questions and there was no intensity. I knew he could never break my heart because he didn't possess it. For the most part he just let me walk all over him. Then when he told me he loved me and I didn't say it back, he was constantly looking for validation that our relationship was real and I couldn't give that to him because it wasn't. The night I came to the press conference was the Shepard divorce party and he told me that if I cared about him then I would show up there and prove it to him. Then, I didn't show up. I came to you instead," Blair explained.
"And?" he asked.
"And that was the end of it. I sent him some texts and emails and tried to explain because I felt I owed him at least that but he understood the undertone in my not showing up. I called him this morning and said everything I needed to so that I could officially say that the chapter was closed without any loose ends," she replied.
"Charming. I seem to remember similar plays in the past. At least I got the courtesy of you breaking my heart in person though," Chuck stated agitatedly before grabbing his scotch and taking a large swig.
"I called Serena too," Blair added trying to change the topic or at least send it in a less hostile direction.
"Ah, and what did my dear sister have to say about all of your sudden revelations?" he asked in nothing higher than a deep whisper.
"She accepted my apology. She said she needed time though and we could try to work on everything when we both got back to the city," she replied and seemed to brighten at the prospect that someone seemed to be at least partially embracing her attempts at making amends.
"Congratulations," was all Chuck offered as their waiter reappeared and placed their appetizers on the table and swiftly took Chuck's glass to refill it.
They were again silent as they ate but once Chuck placed his fork down he stared at Blair directly in the face with a look in his eyes that caused her to gulp slightly and grab the seat of her chair with one hand in anticipation of what he was going to say next.
"Your mother gave you her company?" he asked. She looked at him strangely, not expecting that to be the next question he was going to ask her.
She fumbled a moment before coming to her senses and replying, "Yes. She is looking to retire. Wants to spend her time growing old with Cyrus in Paris near daddy and Roman and there just isn't much left for her in the fashion world. I was with her a few days before coming here and I am suppose to go back and start training with her when I see fit."
"You mean once you have me wrapped back around your dainty finger," Chuck asked with venom.
"Chuck I understand that you are angry but I'm having a hard time keeping up with the mood swings here. I am here to explain to you whatever you want me to explain and it's true I am not leaving until I get you to process if not believe every single word. You can speak to me how ever you like and in whatever tone you wish to but we both know it isn't going to change anything. I had to wait till now to have my realization and maybe it's going to take you some time but I know you will have yours too," Blair spoke clearly and concisely.
"I had my realization a long time ago but just like you attempted to kill your feelings, I killed that realization," he replied. The waiter brought his second drink which he promptly put to his mouth and swigged. "Another drink miss?" the waiter asked but Blair shook her head.
"What have you and Jack been up to?" Blair asked.
Chuck laughed slightly and placed his glass down. "Fine. We'll play that way. We are gathering ammo so that when Bart decides to play whatever cards he is holding and oust us both then we will have to proper means for a counterattack," he explained.
"You really think after all this time gone that is what he wants to do," Blair asked naively.
"Obviously the three and a half years he has been dead has changed the public opinion back to a clean record," he mused back.
"So that's how you'll be spending the whole summer? Gambling?" she asked.
"Parts of it at least. I am suppose to meet up with Nate in a few weeks for a brief break and do some researching in Dubai for a potential hotel deal. You? Your going to spend all summer training in your dear mother's sweat shop?"
Blair rolled her eyes at him and took a large sip of her martini. "I guess you could say that." Chuck's phone began beeping excessively in his pocket. "I'm sorry I must have forgot to turn it off," he stated pulling out the device.
A stream of messages were listed from Jack but the bottom two were what caught his attention.
We leave tomorrow, 9 AM. High steaks in Madrid. -J
p.s.. leave the wife at home please. -J
Chuck glared at the screen trying to come up with a reply before settling for a simple "okay" and placing his phone on silent.
"Everything ok?" Blair asked curiously.
"Never been better," Chuck stated sarcastically.
The rest of the dinner was relatively the same. Small talk with a mixture of banter that usually would have resulted in sexual tension but instead was just leaving things plainly stressful. Chuck ordered both of them one last drink at the end of the meal and sat all the way back in his chair running his fingers down the glass and staring at Blair.
"So do you have anything else to say for yourself," he mused.
"I'm not sure what else you want me to say. If there is anything else you want me to try and explain," she trailed off.
"No. I think you've explained it all," he fired back.
"So..." Blair asked before taking another deep sip of her drink.
"So what? So now that you've said everything, I either forgive you right now or I don't?" he asked with aggravation.
"I wasn't saying that I was just wondering where we go from here," she replied sheepishly.
"Well, from here we go back to the hotel and then tomorrow morning I leave for Spain and you go back to your mother's and take care of business," Chuck replied not missing a beat.
Blair stared at him with her mouth slightly agape, trying to grasp what he was saying and any underlying meaning.
"I accept your explanations and I forgive you. But, I have things I need to take care of and in order to effectively take care of them I can't be worrying about this or us right now," Chuck stated.
"So what? We just leave things as they are. Talk to you later. See you this fall?" she asked and the irritation in her voice was finally starting to come through.
"What did you expect? In approximately twenty four hours I was going to take you back with open arms and ignore the last year?" he spit back at her.
"Well you had no problem taking me back with open arms last night when you came to my suite at two in the morning for a booty call," she fired back.
"There's my girl. I was wondering when we were going to drop the sweet and innocent act and start showing our true colors," Chuck dawdled.
"You are impossible," Blair remarked rubbing her eyes.
"And you are living in a dream world," he retorted. Chuck picked up the bill and shoved in a stack of hundreds before draining the rest of his drink and walking over to Blair's chair and pulling it out. "Such a gentleman," she replied while standing and purposely placing her four inch heel into the top of his foot. He grimaced and she picked up her foot and strolled forward leaving him behind her.
"Running already Waldorf?" he asked as they were exiting the restaurant. "No, if I was you would know. I learned from the best Bass," she replied with little enthusiasm.
The driver was waiting out front and opened the limo door for them both to climb in. When Blair got in she threw her back against the seat and let out a large sigh. Chuck entered and immediately reached for the scotch situated in the bar causing Blair to groan. "What's wrong? I thought you were encouraging the drinking. Suppose to break down my walls a little. Loosen me up right?" he asked. Blair said nothing. She looked out the limo windows until they came to a stop back at the hotel. They rode the elevator in silence up to Blair's floor where Chuck had continued to follow her.
They reached her door and Blair turned around, "Thanks for dinner I guess. See you back in New York," she said as she turned the key to open the door.
"Really, not going to invite me in?" he asked her.
"Well, I have no scotch in my room so I'm pretty sure I can't accommodate your current mood," she replied back sarcastically.
Chuck shrugged and pushed her lightly through the door, following in behind her. Once in the room he picked up the phone and called down to the main desk ordering a bottle for himself and a bottle of Dom for Blair and requesting it be put on the Bass penthouse tab. Blair stood motionless staring at Chuck's actions as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and flopped into a half laying position on the bed.
Two could play at this game, she quickly decided. Blair walked toward her closet and pulled out a rode throwing it on the vanity chair. She reached down and unzipped the side of her dress completely letting it fall to the floor and leaving her clad in only a small black strapless slip. Chuck stared on at her, placing his hands behind his head against the headboard and contemplating her actions. She bent over fully to pick up her dress off the ground and give him a full view from behind and stood back up slowly. She turned around to allow him to take in the sight of her while placing the dress on a hanger and placing it on the rod in the closet. She put the robe on and tied it loosely so that the slip was completely revealed to him underneath.
She sat down at the vanity and began removing her jewelry and staring at him by using the mirror. Chuck was staring back at her intensely and feeling his resolve slip by the second not only from the large amount of scotch he had consumer during dinner but from the sight before him. His thoughts were interrupted by the knocking at the door of the staff with his order. He sat up and went to open the door, looking at Blair and waiting for her to cover herself more completely before he opened it. He slipped the man a tip and took the contents from him, placing them in front of Blair. She grabbed the scotch bottle before his hands could grasp it and undid the cap, she then poured herself a glass and took a swig before handing the bottle over to him with innocent eyes.
He caught himself chuckle and took the bottle from her and poured himself only a small glass.
"So, what time are you leaving tomorrow?" she asked.
"9 am," Chuck replied.
"Hum... Well that's not to early," Blair mused back smirking at him. She stood up and placed herself in front of him and smiled coyly. Her hands came to rest on his torso and she began fidgeting with the buttons of his shirt. "You plan on staying the night," she asked while pushing his jacket from his body before going back to work on the buttons. She placed her mouth on his neck and began to leave kisses while occasionally sucking his skin. His eyes rolled back in his head as his hands roamed the silk robe covering her and he easily untied the robe and pushed it off, letting it fall to the floor.
"Why would you want me to stay after what I said at the restaurant," he asked as she pulled her mouth off of him and finished with the buttons, pulling his shirt out from his pants and pushing it off him in one swift motion.
"Because. I think your bluffing," she replied confidently. He stared at her realizing that his cover was blown but he wasn't ready to give in without a fight.
"I was serious. I need time," he replied while pulling at the zipper on the back of her slip and turning her around so that the back of her body was pressed against his front. She moaned slightly feeling the extent of how turned on he was against the back of her thigh.
"You need this," she commented as she rubbed her backside against his growing erection. He let out a low growl before pulling the fabric from her body and twirling her around. He pulled her body flush against his and began to kiss her while walking them both backwards toward the bed. She felt the back of her knees hit the bed and allowed herself to fall back in accord. She pushed herself up the bed while he leisurely climbed on top of her and began to kiss her once again.
Her hands met his belt buckle and she undid did and pushed his pants and boxers down in one swoop. He worked on kissing her neck and slowly moving down her body while kicking his pants off at the same time. She pulled him back up to her and used all her weight to push him over and climb on top of him. She began the same ministrations on him and moved down his body at a torturously slow speed until she reached his throbbing erection.
She looked up to see his head thrown back against the pillows and his eyelids slightly open staring down at her and wondering if she was going to finish what she claimed to be starting. She blew on his sensitive skin lightly before taking him in her mouth completely. She heard him moaning above her which only motivated her on and she continued to take him in an out of her mouth slowly while licking and slightly scrapping the skin.
He was positive he wouldn't last long at this rate and when she pulled him out to catch a quick breath he pulled her back up to his mouth and began making out with her once more. She stopped and placed her hands on his chest and stared down at him. He looked up at her with hooded eyes caught up in the moment.
"No matter what you say, I love you. I'm in love with you and nothing is going to come between me and that fact ever again," she declared to him.
He looked up at her and placed his hand on her cheek before pushing the hair from her face behind her ear. "I love you too. You know I do. It's always been you," he replied.
She smiled at him and kissed him again before positioning herself above him and lowering herself down onto him.
