Chapter 7
It had been the most interesting five months of her life, or so Blair Waldorf thought after she stepped off of the plane she had flown on all the way from her father Harold Waldorf's Chateau Villa in the South of France. Months that had wrought changes in her her life both figurative and literal, prompted in part by events that had happened in regard to work at the law firm, which prompted her to make the decision to lay low at her father's chateau for months as she sorted out her life. She had deferred law school for the time, but now was ready to get back in the swing of things at Stanford Law School, if she could.
Arriving back in the end proved to be easier than she feared, as most of the people who'd cared about what had happened at the law firm regarding Pete C had moved on, and most of her fellow students didn't seem to care. As she got back to her position as chair of the entertainment committee o f the sorority she was member of, she noticed that there was a familiar face among the would be pledges attempting to join.
"Jenny Humphrey...what are you doing here? I thought you were majoring in fashion, yet here you are attempting to pledge Delta Theta Phi when I thought you were a Fashion major? Or are you thinking about pulling an Elle Woods and following me into Law School?" Blair blithely asked, as she surveyed Jenny from her vantage point.
"No...I was just scouting out potential sororities to see which ones would accept me...but since this one seems to only accept Queen Beeotches like you, maybe I chose too soon..." Jenny replied smugly, showing she'd been around the block a little more since she'd last tangled with Blair Waldorf.
"Ooh touche...I see little Jenny has acquired claws since we last met. Good for you...although a woman should always keep it classy when it comes to calling someone out. Resorting to name calling of that caliber is so...Brooklyn, let's say. You're now at Stanford, an Ivy and a Law School sorority as well, so one must act the part." Blair replied haughtily, affecting a slight British accent to her speech to subtly prove her point.
"Yeah, Stanford, not Oxford, Queen Blair." Jenny slyly replied, intentionally accentuating the names in retaliation, which was a point not lost on Blair.
"Yes indeed..." Blair stammered, a little ill at ease, as she was reminded of her brief tenure at Oxford as an undergrad, her memories of how she'd been treated by her peers while there, and how she'd found solace in a relationship with Chuck Bass while there, and how her relationship with Chuck spurred other memories or consequences which she'd rather not dwell on too much or else she'd cry. Fighting back a tear, Blair cleared her throat as she added "Yes well...perhaps we should let bygones be bygones and move on with the future. Perhaps you would be a welcome addition to Delta Theta Phi after all." as she noticed Jenny's fashion sense and thought of a way she could be of some use to herself, personally.
xoxoxo
After the cocktail hour soiree was finished, Blair took Jenny aside, deciding to have a little chat as way of persuading her to help her with a little project that she had in mind.
"Little J, I need to ask you something...we won't be a minute..." Blair said, as she curled up on the sofa, drink in one hand, posture languid.
"What do you need, Blair? This isn't some sort of initiation, is it? I'm not rolling around in my underwear with anybody in public, just so you can publish it on Gossip Girl and make the laughing stock of me at this school, as well, are you?" Jenny sarcastically inquired, in reply.
"No, no, nothing like that...just a little sewing project is what I need help with at the moment anyway." she replied.
"Sewing project?" Jenny asked skeptically.
"Yes...After returning from my extended stay in France, I became discouraged, or I felt like a piece of me was missing...and perhaps it was. Anyway, to lighten my spirits, my father purchased a long haired Chihuahua for me, which I named JoJo. And I do love JoJo dearly, but she doesn't seem to love her custom Vuitton pet carrier she came with...or at least its a nightmare to carry to class, along with my notes, books, and handbag...So I was wondering Little J, if you could..."
"Carry your books or your dog? No way, Blair, am I going back to being your bond slave...this isn't high school anymore."
"Indeed. No, what I want you to is to make a sling of sorts, so that I can carry JoJo to class with me. Something rather like a Baby K'tan or Moby wrap or that sling that Nate and I used when my sister Yale was a baby. I tried JoJo in one...but she was sort of too large..."
"Okay...although where did you get a baby sling to try that? Did you go out and buy one just for your dog?" Jenny curiously teased.
"Not quite...I borrowed one once...and found the cotton material to be too common for what I want, because I want the sling to be worthy of a fashion accessory...such as a pashmina shawl for example." Blair suggested.
"A Pashima shawl? Okay, Blair, I'll see what I can do." Jenny replied with a chuckle s they both discussed potential design ideas.
xoxoxo
While making her way through law school, Blair also worked with Jenny Humphrey on their design project. After commissioning the special sling to carry her puppy JoJo around in, and wearing it on campus, Blair suddenly received requests from other like minded students, realizing then that she had inadvertently created a fashion trend. So with that in mind, she partnered with Jenny to create a company where she was in charge of sales and distribution, and lil J in charge of manufacturing. With the addition of a website and online marketing, as well as word of mouth, the business took off in such a way that she was making a comfortable, if not in her opinion very modest income from it by the time she was graduating from law school.
It was at that time that she talked with a professor that dealt in business law, who told her to patent her idea, which she did. Soon afterward, Blair happened to be watching TV in the waiting room of her veterinarian's office, when she happened to see the end of an episode of the TV show Shark Tank, which mention how new inventors could bring their inventions into the tank and perhaps acquire one of the 'Sharks' to invest in someone's idea. Given that she had just graduated from Stanford Law, and a child of the Upper East Side of New York City, Blair saw it as her personal opportunity to take her business venture to the next level...and garner a bit of fame in the meantime.
xoxoxo
Blair walked onto the stage set wearing her black and white Balmain gown and her pup in his red sling under a knee length coat, as she made her way onto Shark Tank, confident as ever. Right off she started with her speech, enunciating to capture the attention of the five investors sitting in a row of chairs in front of her.
"Hello Sharks, my name is Blair Waldorf. I am seeking twenty-five thousand for ten percent equity in my company. My business is PupLove, the world's best dog carrier. PupLove dog carriers are functional, fashionable, and comfortable. My slings are handmade out of an Italian cashmere wool blend, they feel so luxurious! The ergonomic design goes on both shoulders, for a super snug and comfortable wear. I actually have some custom made samples I'd love to pass out to you."
"This is beautiful...what made you come up with this idea?"
"I was a law student at Stanford and I wanted to take my pet Chihuahua on campus, but she didn't want to just stay in my designer pet carrier...so I came up with the idea for the sling. I sewed a pashmina shawl I owned into the sling, and thus PupLove was born."
"And how much have you sold so far?"
"Approximately one hundred thousand dollars in the last few months..."
"Really? Wow...excellent..."
"Yes, I've made a little money." she haughtily replied, nonchalantly, pondering over the fact that in her world a company hadn't truly made money until it had hit the million, if not one hundred million mark, but she wouldn't belay to her potential investors her point of view on that.
"Well you've sold quite a bit of product in a very niche market...so I'd like to make you an offer..."
"And I'd like to counter that offer with...$50,000 for 40%."
"Chu...Charles we have a deal..."
"Congratulations..."
"I'll give you Fifty bucks for the dog..."
"Yay we have a deal!"
"I know I'm an innovator and its a little sad the other Sharks didn't get it, but that's okay because I feel like often times I'm a little like Einstein's quote where he always has to ask himself 'Am I insane, or is the rest of the world?'" she replied to the camera for her final sound byte after the rest of her pitch segment had been filmed.
xoxoxo
After filming the segment, Blair Waldorf walked into the greenroom to assess her product, her pet dog, and her phone, when suddenly she felt a tap on her back which caused her to turn around...and see the handsome, brunette businessman with the flashing eyes and chiseled jaw which she knew so well...
"Chuck Bass...so good to see you again. Its been too long...So what do you want? Did you come here to renege on our deal?" she asked, nervous but coy.
"No...nothing like that. I just thought to seek you out...and see how you are. Well?" he inquired, his voice low and seductively curious.
"I'm fine...albeit I do have a bit of a toothache that I hope to solve soon." she replied tersely.
"Is that so?" "I'd recommend my dentist...but he's on vacation in Palm Beach until after the holidays..." he purred.
"Thanks for the recommendations." she replied.
"In the meantime...I invite you to my place in the hills. We can discuss the terms of our deal to soft music, fine wines, imported chocolates, and a dip in my Jacuzzi bubble bath...Bikini included...unless you prefer without" he seductively purred, leaning ever so much closer to her.
"Bubble bath? And I suppose you'll expect to join me in that bubble bath?" she sarcastically replied.
"Oh but of course...I'm Chuck Bass..." he seductively chuckled.
"Indeed you are..." she replied, eyeing him head to toe as she contemplated what a sexy package he made in his designer business suit.
"So..." he eyed her, wolfishly, giving her a look she knew all too well, as he held out his hand...which she took, surprising even herself, as they departed the building and met up with a helicopter that said BASS on the side. While in the helicopter, Chuck and Blair got down to business, let's say, the business of sexiness as clothes were discretely shifted out of the way to accommodate their attempt at christening the Bass helicopter in style.
After their helicopter quickie, Blair was surprised that they'd landed so soon after taking off from the TV studios in Burbank, but was pleasantly surprised at the property at which they'd landed, a beautiful, classically modern villa along Adobe Canyon Road in Kenwood, California. The villa had an impressive cobblestone driveway that wound up to he villa itself, with its stone turret like entrance to the right, and open garage to the left, in which sat two of Chuck's cars, a Jaguar f type and a Porsche 911 convertible. Entering the villa, which was perfectly back lit by the setting sun, the pair slunk through the sumptuous living room, which opened to a balcony with a gorgeous view of the foot hills of the Napa Valley, and the sunken swimming pool on the patio below. Blair was then equally impressed as she glanced into the well pointed kitchen, library, and of course the spiraling staircase which led upstairs to the bedrooms. Being brief the pair made their way up the stairs to the master suite, where they soon made use of the sumptuous bed with its down comforters and Prestasi cotton sheets...falling asleep after another quick round or two of sex.
After awhile, Blair woke up and went to the bathroom, leaving Chuck to snore, naked on the other side of the bed. She was equally impressed by the bath, which included a large shower with a window that overlooked the valley, and a separate standing tub off to the side and entirely separate his and hers vanities. After taking care of her business and donning a terrycloth robe she found in the bathroom, Blair explored the rest of the upstairs, which included another bedroom similar to the master suite, including a similar bathroom, and a third bedroom which was slightly smaller and had a steam room adjacent instead of another bath.
Moving back to the master bedroom, Blair trod across the carpet intending to go out onto the balcony to tentatively greet the morning, picking up her mobile as she did, when she heard a sleepy drawl from across the room, as Chuck rolled over and mused aloud "Mm...good morning beautiful...you're a sight to wake up to..."
"Mm...you're a sight yourself Chuck. Nice place too...I love your house...and the bathrooms..."
"Thanks...I picked it up for a few mil...nothing much...And yeah the bathrooms are great...terrific water pressure in the shower...which we could test, if you know what I mean..." he seductively replied.
"Oh yes, I truly intend to..." she teased. "But that's not what I was talking about necessarily. No I'd meant the glass bath tub in the guest bathroom...the purple glass tub. Its gorgeous...and an interesting choice for you...although I'd love one for my place." she nonchalantly added.
"Oh that...ha ha...that was in here from the previous owner...and goes along with the wine country theme I guess. I don't know if you can purchase one anymore...although you're free to use mine to your pleasure...and mine..." he mused.
"Yes I'm sure. Anyway what made you buy this place, right in the middle of Napa? Are you thinking about opening a vineyard?" she mused, half joking.
"Yes, in fact I have pondered that idea since buying this place. Inspired perhaps by your father Harold & Roman's vineyard in France. I'd thought it nmight be a good in investment as well...and a way to increase my venture capital and so on." he replied.
"You were inspired by MY father? Wow! And increase your venture capital? That sounds so...mature. Is that how you've made your money then, these past few years and went on Shark Tank? Being a venture capitalist and all?" she pondered aloud.
"Hm...something like that. Making good investments where I saw fit...and other opportunities for venture capitalism and so on. As far as appearing on Shark Tank though, I became friends with Kevin O'Leary after being a fellow member of Chevaliers du Tastevin, and he mentioned how it was a good way to find new investments because the su- people who went on the show were always desperate for investors..." he started to explain, but was soon interrupted.
"YOU are a member of Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin? You, Chuck Bass? Ohmigod, I've always wanted to become a member...why I think my dad and Roman now are, but they never told me how to join...You don't have to be gay, do you?" Blair replied, slightly flabbergasted.
"What? No...ha ha ha..." Chuck laughed, as he then added, "though some people are, that isn't a prerequisite. All you must have is good taste..."
"Which I have, in spades..." Blair haughtily replied.
"Indeed...And male...so unfortunately you can't officially join, Blair, I'm sorry. Although I believe some of the fellow Tastevin in America can invite their spouses or partners to a gala dinner in November, I think." he replied.
"Oh that's unfair its a men's only organization...but I would love to accompany you to the dinner though..." she replied, cozying up to him.
"Well I suppose that could be arranged...as long as you're not otherwise engaged..." he seductively replied.
"No, I'm not engaged, then or otherwise..." Blair sighed.
"Would you like to be?" he mused.
"Whaat..." she murmured, as Chuck reached into his bedside drawer, pulled out a box, and opened it to reveal a gorgeous Harry Winston diamond solitaire. "Blair you know that I didn't pick you on Shark Tank just as a business investment, but also because I had realized that perhaps despite everything, I still love you and want to marry you...if you'll have me."
"If I'll have you? But of course I'll have you, Chuck Bass." Blair replied, as she realized then that she really did love Chuck Bass. She then grabbed the ring box and started to remove the ring, until he took it from her and slid the diamond on her hand, like a true Prince Charming.
after their initial engagement moment passed, Blair suddenly inquired "Is the Chevaliers du Tastevin dinner in France? If so...I think we should see my father at his villa first..."
"To get his blessing? Oh sure, if you want to. I would like to check out his vintner set up there anyway." he replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah we'll certainly see that there...and so much more..." Blair replied, pondering to herself the more Chuck would have to see in France.
