A/N: New chapter! This furthers the plot and will drive us all toward the end. Yes, this is on its way to its conclusion. Unforunately, all things must come to an end. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this!
Further Complications
Sal Gimili was not a particularly large man. He just reached 5'6'' and had a small gut that always pressed unattractively against his tailored suits. He had a beady look to him, always, and had the irritating twitch of drumming his fingers against the side of his leg. It was almost as if he was hearing some song in his head and was drumming out the beat. He was doing this when Chuck finally approached him. It had been a few days since Chuck had first saw Sal in his casino. He had decided not to act hastily, first seeing what Sal would do. It turned out that for those few days Sal only drank, ate, and gambled. Still, though, he had his beady look and Chuck felt his jaw clench when he politely introduced himself.
"Bass," Sal said in way of greeting. He took Chuck's outstretched hand and shook it heartily. "I'd heard you'd taken over here. Beautiful place."
"Thank you."
"Beautiful women, too." Chuck felt his blood pressure spike. "I heard you have the Waldorf daughter here. Is that correct?"
Chuck considered lying but then said, "Yes, she is staying here."
Sal nodded, absentmindedly patting his round belly. "Now, that is a fine looking broad. Do you see her much?"
"Here and there," Chuck told him. "She is seeing one of my colleagues."
Sal's eyebrows rose in surprise and he murmured, "Lucky man, lucky man. Well, I still wouldn't mind meeting her. She ran away from her father. I heard she ran out on some engagement. That one's a spitfire."
Chuck did not like the perverse interest that Sal was displaying for a woman he was increasingly thinking of as his. He nodded curtly after Sal's dreamy rant and said, "Well, if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. We would be more than happy to accommodate you here."
Sal's eyes glittered. "Think you can send me that Waldorf girl?"
Chuck knew it was a joke but his voice could cut steel as he answered, "No, that is not possible. Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Gimli."
Chuck walked away, so angry that he wanted to drive his fist into a penny slot.
CHAIR-CHAIR-CHAIR
It was yet another boring day of Nate. It was another day of having to pretend that she was entranced by him. Another day of hanging on his every word in order to not have him suspect anything. It was torture. Sure, she had a natural camaraderie with the man but anything else simply out of the question. The truth was, she had fallen in love with someone so strong, so dynamic that everyone else paled in comparison. They sat in his hotel room, her feet propped on his lap as he massaged them.
Massages were meant to be sensual. And she assumed this one was, too, as he kept making some sort of eyes at her over he stretched-out legs but she kept playing innocent. She was not in a particularly sensual mood. She had not seen Chuck in two days. Their business lunches were not stripped to the bare minimum.
"I really don't want Gimli connecting you to me," he had said.
He hadn't come to her room the night before, either. It seemed Chuck had finally spoken to Gimli and he had questioned Chuck's involvement with her. This had prompted Chuck to become paranoid about them being together. She thought he was overreacting and had told him so. Chuck could not be moved, though. He was a stubborn man and she had learned over the past few days that when her safety was involved (or if he thought it was) he became even more so.
"You look beautiful," Nate told her, reaching for her hand and holding it gently. He rubbed her palm with the tip of his palm. "Do you know how beautiful you are, Blair? You take my breath away."
For someone who was accustomed to a man's attention she felt acutely uncomfortable under his. She gave him a somewhat tight smile and said, "Thank you."
"I really care about you Blair," he told her. She sensed something coming, something so frightening that she wanted to jump from the seat and run as far from Nate as she could. That was not a real option, though. With her feet on his lap and her shoes over by the bed there was no way for her to escape so she could do little but avert her eyes as he said, "In fact, Blair, I think I may be in love with you."
She didn't answer and she felt his hand slip from hers. "I'll wait," he finally said. 'I'll wait because I know one day you will say it back."
"Perhaps one day I will," she said, lying through her teeth. "But I can't say something that I do not honestly feel. Not yet, at least."
He took her hand again and in the silence, she prayed for Chuck to burst through the door, knowing full well it would not happen.
CHAIR-CHAIR-CHAIR
Chuck made himself stay away. Did he want to? Hell no. He wanted to run to her room and taste her on his lips. She was like a drug to him and he was the happy, albeit helpless, addict. She was love. She was life. She was what got him up at the morning and it what he thought of when he finally fell asleep at night. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted another woman. He cared about her more than he had cared about another woman.
Sitting in his hotel room, thinking over Sal Gimli's words, he felt an odd sense of foreboding. He thought of his Blair's alabaster skin and Gimli's hand on it. Immediately his face flushed with anger and it took him several minutes to calm down. If just the thought sent him into near hysterics, he did not want to imagine what would happen if he actually saw it. His staying away was correct. By letting her be completely claimed by Nate there was a clear line in front of Gimli. If Chuck showed or hinted at any involvement Gimli would think there was room for play. Again, he told himself he was doing the right thing.
Still, though, he missed her.
CHAIR-CHAIR-CHAIR
She missed him.
She missed his calming presence, the way she felt as if nothing could hurt her as long as he was near. She missed the smell of his skin and the taste of his mouth. It had been too long since she had seen him, too long since she had held him against her and felt him move inside her.
God, she missed him.
She had started praying recently. She never found herself particularly religious but when she found Chuck, she had found her religion. She worshipped the ground he walked on and prayed for his return. She prayed for the return of his mouth, his hands. The return of everything that she had enjoyed for those brief moments and taken entirely for granted.
She sat heavily on her bed and buried her face in her hands. She had always been a strong woman and now a few days away from Chuck and she was reduced to a sniveling prissy. She couldn't help it, though. She was dogged by the memories and the fact that they would remain just that. Memories.
The door opened and she stopped breathing when she saw Chuck walk in. It seemed her love had heard her prayers and came to answer every one of them. He closed the door behind him and clicked the lock shut.
She didn't move an inch until he was in front of her, his hands taking hers and pulling her up to her feet. He kept her hands held in his own and murmured, "I just had to see you."
She nodded.
"It's been killing me staying away."
In a moment he had pulled her into his arms and he kissed every bit of her face until his mouth covered hers. His fingers deftly untied her robe and it fell into a heap beside her feet. She edged back toward the bed and fell back when she felt the back of her knees hit the bed. He climbed on top of her, his hand making a hot trail up her thigh. Her nightgown dipped down in the front and his mouth latched on to her right breast. She closed her eyes shut and did not open them again. She was too afraid that it would all end up to be a dream.
"Look at me," he murmured into her ear, coaxing her from her own fears. She held onto him, willing herself to believe him, to trust him. When she finally did open her eyes the feeling she saw reflected in her eyes made her entire body thrum. She gently laid her hands on the back of his neck and told him, "I've never felt this way about anyone before, Chuck. Never."
He kissed her softly and mumbled against her lips, "Blair, if you only knew. If you only knew how much you mean to me."
CHAIR-CHAIR-CHAIR
She laid in his arms, listening to his heart beat beneath her. She loved that sound. It was like a clock ticking, confirming that yes this was reality and the he really was beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist with his thumb brushing against her side. She kissed his chest and murmured, "I'm glad you're here."
"So am I." He kissed the side of her head. "It's been killing me seeing you with him. All I want to do is touch you and show everyone that you are mine."
"I am no one's," she retorted lightly, knowing full-well that she was wrong. "And it's been no easier for me."
"Blair-"
"He said he loved me." Chuck was silent and she looked up to make sure he had heard her. "He loves me, Chuck. And I have to deal with that."
"What did you say back?"
She pushed away from him, irritated by the slight accusation in his voice. "What? Do you think that I said it back?"
"Of course not," he said, pulling her back toward him. She still felt her irritation, though, and refused to rest her head on his chest again as she reminded him, "This was your idea, Chuck. I didn't want to do this."
"I know."
"I wanted to be with you."
His fingers trace the curve of her cheek. "And I want to be with you. But right now your safety is what is important." His eyes darkened. "Gimli has you in his sights. I need to keep you safe."
She sighed and rested her head back on his chest. Once again she felt her nerves calm at the steady sound of his heartbeat. "This will all be over soon," he promised. "And then we can be together."
Blair nodded her head, a fear edging further into her mind that perhaps it would not be all over soon. She didn't want to think about that. She wanted to think of a time when her days and nights would be all his. Feeling the tension settle low in her belly she craned her neck to catch his lips with her own. She settled on top of him and reached down as she murmured, "I want to have you once more before you have to go."
Staying true to character, Chuck denied her nothing.
CHAIR-CHAIR-CHAIR
Blair neglected showering that morning and felt a perverse thrill that he was still on her. His marks covered her inner thighs and if she held her skin close to her nose she swore she could smell him. This set her in a good mood and she felt something close to happiness as she walked through the hotel. She was thinking briefly of what she would have for lunch when she saw something so jarring that she stopped walking completely and stood as still as a mannequin, her mouth dropped into an inaudible gasp. Standing at the entrance of the hotel, his face slick with sweat, was Harold Waldorf.
A/N: Please leave feedback. And I will send you Chuck. Wearing only a fedora ;-)
