A/N I'm sorry this took so long. I seem to be saying that a lot, but it's true! I tried to get this up last week before I left town for a few days, but it refused to turn out the way I wanted it to, and I won't update a chapter just to update. Anyway, I'm back and here's the next chapter. Our game of 'guess the outfit' is back on too ;)
Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and that has put this story on alert/fav it's so very flattering. I'm glad you guys like it! :)
With a final look in the mirror Chuck was done and left the bathroom. The way his shirt matched the color of the walls not lost on him as he adjusted the cuffs of his pale pink button down. Any boor could pull off a plain, white button down shirt. Pink on the other hand wasn't for anyone.
"Good, you're ready. We have to leave." Blair's voice interrupted his sartorial reflection. She was standing by the door, looking like a thoroughbred horse before a race with impatience radiating from her every pore and 'polished' to shine. The only thing missing would be her scraping her Manolo clad foot against the carpet. Her hair was pulled back in a way that showed off that neck of hers he found so very appealing. Her dress was a delicate, tulip-shaped number in a pink and green floral print. The only thing keeping it from ending up in a pile at her feet was shiny, pink silk ribbons. She looked mouth-watering.
Not saying a word Chuck motioned for her to come over. "We have to go," Blair objected, but complied with a sigh when he didn't move and walked up to him. He held out his hand and she took it without further questions, deciding to play along with whatever it was he was up to if it meant they'd get downstairs faster. Chuck slowly twirled her around like the ballerina in a music box, and Blair could feel her body respond to his heated gaze. Once they were back face to face, Chuck reached out to touch the pink, orchid adorning her hair.
"Is there a point to-" Blair began, but was efficiently, and pleasantly, cut off as Chuck leaned in and captured her lips with his. He kissed her just long enough to leave her slightly breathless when he pulled back.
"Is that ribbon tied together somewhere out if eye's sight?" He smirked, trailing the ribbon across her collar bone with his index finger. "I like my presents with ribbon on top."
Blair scoffed at his smarmy comment, but felt strangely flattered. How could she not when his eyes seemed glued to her and his finger still trailed the neckline of her dress as if she really was a much desired and beautifully wrapped gift? Taking a step back before the situation made her lose her head completely, she glowered at him as the corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk – fully aware of what she was doing and why. Giving him a quick once over she noticed that they were matching. Again. He was in a dark pin-striped suit, and pink button down. He looked great. Not that she felt any particular need to stroke his ego some more in that moment.
"Your shirt reminds me of my bathroom walls." She pointed out smilingly, her hand coming out to straighten the collar of his shirt.
"Are you sure it's my shirt and not my presence that remind you of your bathroom…wall?" Chuck drawled, and raised a smug eyebrow in her direction. She had really offered him that one on a silver platter, hadn't she?
Before he could make another seedy remark, Blair grabbed him by the hand and dragged him out the door and down the stairs where Eleanor and Cyrus were waiting. Dorota was there too, a digital camera in her hands. "You two stand right there Ms. Blair," the maid waved them over to the small table by the elevator. "You make such pretty picture with Mr. Chuck and all the pink."
Eleanor scoffed at the last words from the maid, clearly not pleased with Chuck's choice of colour. Chuck however did not seem faced by either Dorota's words or Eleanor's reaction. But before he could turn the maid's reference to the colour into a barely hidden innuendo, Blair's heel was hovering close to his shin. "Not a word," She sing-songed quietly and then smiled as Dorota captured the two of them on camera.
XOXO
The four of them stood in silence during the elevator ride downstairs. Not until they were almost at the bottom floor was the quiet disrupted by Eleanor. Blair had felt her mother's scrutinizing eyes on her since they sat foot in the small compartment, and had been bracing herself for the verdict that was to come.
"Blair-"
"Yes, mother?" A slight tilt of her chin and she was ready to meet her mother's judgment head on. She refused to let any disappointed rant from her mother override Chuck's appreciative look from earlier, but still she couldn't quite keep from holding her breath while she waited for her mother's verdict.
"You look nice. That dress is a good choice."
Blair could only stare at her mother in dumbfounded silence at first, the perfect imitation of a goldfish with her jaw somewhere in level with her knees. For a second she almost thought that she'd heard wrong, so unaccustomed to being complimented by her mother instead of scolded or insulted. Then she quickly composed herself, and dared giving her mother a small smile. "Thank you, mother."
The two women's heels echoed against the marble floor of the lobby as they made their way outside. Chuck's hand resting at the small of Blair's back, and she was forced to send him a warning glare on more than one occasion as his hand slipped lower.
"Good, the limo's here." Eleanor stated, and walked briskly in direction of the black, stretched limousine that was parked a few yards from the door.
"We're riding in the limo, huh?" Chuck mused, and his brewing amusement only increased as he felt Blair's back go rigid under his hand. He noticed her warning, and somewhat murderous, look from out of the corner of his eye but took no notion to the unspoken threat.
"Well yes, of course" Eleanor replied in a tone of voice that wouldn't be out of place had he suggested that they walk, and the four of them got in the car while the driver held the door open. Inside the limo Chuck and Blair sat together on the shorter seat (that seat) and the older couple on the stretched seat opposite the wet bar.
"Blair loves a ride in the limo, don't you baby?" Chuck continued, and felt very lucky that they were seated since that prevented the sharper edges of Blair's shoe to come in contact with his shin. He could feel her glare burning a hole in the side of his skull as Cyrus popped open a bottle of champagne and offered them all a glass each. Taking a sip, Chuck leaned back against the soft leather of the seat and offered Blair a mischievous grin."But you do. You love its dark, rousing-" he began, barely able to conceal his mirth, when Blair cut him off.
"It's just a car, sweetie." Blair replied through gritted teeth. The pet name sounding more like an insult than a term of endearment. Her hand came to rest on his knee in what from an outside perspective most likely looked affectionate. If one failed to notice the way her finger nails dug into his flesh, that is.
"But it's such a well constructed, satisfying ride."
(Please Mr. God, stop his mouth from moving!) Chuck's voice had dropped at least two octaves, and was reeking with innuendo. Her mother and step-father weren't that slow, and some things are definitely meant to stay a secret (a very memorable secret, but still.)
"The limo does offer a very pleasurable ride." Cyrus nodded, oblivious of the discussion's true nature. Apparently they really were that clueless after all. Luckily. "An indulgence one can allow every once in a while." At that point Blair had to resist the urge to bury her face in her hands or throw herself out of the moving vehicle. This wasn't happening to her. Her step-father was, even if not knowingly, complementing Chuck on his…performance.
"Pleasurable indeed." Chuck agreed, his gaze travelling from Blair's mouth to where her finger nails were still digging into his thigh. His attention sending a rush of tingles through her system even in spite of their current location and company.
"There are a lot of cars that are just as nice!" She blurted out and let go of Chuck's leg as if she had been burned. It took her about a quarter of a second to realize her mistake. That had not come out the way she planned. Though she couldn't help but wonder what kind of car Nate would be. A Volvo?
"The town car is nice too." She continued in a weak effort to fix her previous mistake. Unfortunately her parents had to voice their opinions and ruin her chances.
"You never use the town car when you're visiting, Blair." Her mother pointed out dryly and had a sip of her champagne.
"Yes, honey, you always want to take the limo." Cyrus agreed with his wife, and Blair had to smother the urge to throw a shoe at the man to shut him up. Next to her on the seat Chuck was forced to cover a snort in a cough.
"You know what they say," Chuck said, once he had recovered a little from the hilarious turn the conversation had taken. "Why settle for less when you can have the best?"
Cyrus chuckled and raised his glass in support, and even Eleanor had to offer a barely noticeable smile at his words. Blair on the other hand looked about three seconds from asphyxiation. There was a nice tint of pink coloring her cheeks, and he could only compliment her on her willpower as she took a deep, steadying breath. When she didn't offer any kind of witty comeback, but instead demonstratively looked out the tinted window and had some champagne, Chuck delivered his final blow. "Besides, what the limo might lack in some departments it most definitely makes up for in size."
That was when Blair choked on her drink and nearly spluttered champagne all over her dress.
XOXO
Poppy looked like a princess in her custom made Vera Wang and Nate was grinning like a man possessed. Blair couldn't help but wonder sarcastically if he had woolen socks on inside his expensive and very shiny, black shoes to keep from getting cold feet this time around. But Nate stayed glued to his spot with Carter next to him, no one had any objections to voice when given the chance by the pastor and the couple said their 'I do's with the complimentary overwhelmed and crying mothers watching in the pews.
The reception was held in a lavish ballroom decorated with thousands of pink roses and strands of white pearls. The food was of the highest standard, the champagne nothing but the most expensive and there was a string quartet playing in the background. It was surprisingly un-tacky, Blair scanned the room in search for the missing link. Oh, there it was. The ice-sculpture. A huge, eye-catching atrocity picturing some kind of animal. Good. Knowing Poppy's sometimes questionable sense of style, a wedding reception without some kind of faux paus from the 'Blair Waldorf book of style' would have been a sure sign the end of the world was approaching.
Chuck was seated across from her at their table, with Serena on one side and a hugely obnoxious college friend of Poppy's named Cassandra on the other. The curvaceous (thanks to a very talented surgeon no doubt), green-eyed blonde was actually another contribution to the 'tacky'-factor of the reception. Cassandra was shamelessly and persistently coming on to Chuck. He in turn did his best to escape her affection without offending her to no avail, while Blair watched in silent glee. Ignoring Chuck's silent plea for her to begin some kind of rescue mission, she returned to the mind numbingly boring conversation about the stock market with her dinner party Mr. Johnson. Served Chuck right for initiating some kind of sex talk in the company of her mother and Cyrus. Cassandra was one step away from Chinese water torture.
The drone of Mr. Johnson made a peaceful background noise as Blair took the opportunity to look at her date. Humming and nodding in all the right places in Mr. Johnson's rant, she watched how Chuck tried to wriggle free of the grip Cassandra had around his lower arm. He definitely had potential, like Cyrus had mentioned earlier. More than potential actually, he had proven to be quite…perfect. Too bad he's a gigolo, the menacing voice at the back of her head sing-songed evilly. If that doesn't put him in the 'oh hell no' category, then what could? The gigolo part was definitively a chip in otherwise immaculate china.
XOXO
As the dinner came to an end and the guests were invited to move into the back room where the band would begin to play in a moment, Blair excused herself from the table and made her way to the restroom. She could feel Chuck's eyes on her as she walked away and added a little extra swing to her hips only because she could.
Once inside the empty restroom, she took her time with freshening up and reapplying her lip gloss. Satisfied with her appearance she decided that maybe she could find it in her heart to save Chuck from Cassandra's claws now that the dinner was actually over. Two hours in the miserable company of the air-headed blonde could be deemed punishment enough, and she couldn't help it if the idea of dancing with Chuck felt more than a little appealing. Being close to him, whatever the circumstance, felt tempting. On the other hand, there was always later that night too. Lost in thoughts about her plans for later that evening, Blair didn't see the dark figure hiding in the shadows outside the room until the person grabbed her arm and dragged her back inside. Her surprised yelp was cut short by a kiss and a strong, muscular - and definitely male - body pushing her flush against the door of the restroom. Blair stiffened in fear for a fragment of a second, almost beginning to struggle against her capturer, before she recognized the body pressed up against hers and the way the man nipped at her lower lip. When she did the simmering panic was instantly replaced by a shiver of heat, and with a soft moan she wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and pulled him closer.
"Vixen," Chuck growled in her ear, kissing his way up her neck.
"You didn't enjoy your little chat with Cassandra?" Blair replied innocently, her hand sliding over his chest underneath his suit jacket. Eager to feel skin she tore impatiently at his pink ascot and greedily tasted the skin she uncovered.
"Somehow she had a hard time accepting my status as a taken man, since my 'girlfriend' ignored me the entire dinner." Chuck scoffed, but then leaned in to capture her lips with his again. Her reply was lost in a haze when he began palming her breasts through the fabric of her dress.
They were back to kissing then, her hips moving against him. Clouds took over her mind. It happened a lot whenever he was around, she realized. When Chuck came close to her she tended to blank out on everything but him.
Her body molded to his, curves fitting perfectly together with sharp angles. The maelstrom was back, more prominent than ever, and despite their location Chuck slid his hand up her thigh and underneath her dress. Blair responded eagerly, until chattering female voices cut through the sound of their labored breathing. The door quaked as someone tried to open it from the outside, and Blair froze to a statue in his arms. Her eyes met his, wide in alarm, and then they got moving. They stumbled further inside the room and found cover inside the nearest cubicle, the door closing behind them just as the women outside made a second attempt to open the door, and having been more successful that time around walked inside.
They were still standing within a hairsbreadth of each other, Chuck far more relaxed than Blair. She barely dared to breathe, and the close proximity to him made it difficult to fill her lungs with air anyway. Once the women were finished and left Blair could finally relax. Considering how close they had come to giving some poor, unsuspecting wedding guests a show, she should feel scandalized. But with adrenaline still pumping in her veins, and Chuck still standing so close, all she could do was give in to the elated dance of butterflies in her stomach and laugh about it. Had they been caught her mother would definitely not have to worry about people talking about her daughter - Nate's ex - coming to the wedding without a date.
"You would have been a lot happier if we hadn't been interrupted." Chuck pointed out as he watched her shake with barely contained laughter.
"We'll have to finish this later," Blair murmured moments later once she had finally regained her composure, tying his ascot for him and tucking it back in place.
"I'll hold you to that."
XOXO
Chuck stood by the bar and followed Blair with his eyes as she danced with Cyrus. Taking a sip of his drink, he let his eyes travel over her features. She really was something. Blair laughed quietly at something Cyrus was saying, and there it was again. That strange sensation. He gave the scotch in the tumbler a suspicious look - et tu brute? - and put it down on the counter top which he was leaning against, returning his focus to Blair again.
"You've got it bad, huh, son?" The inquiring voice belonged to one of the bartenders working the open bar. The man, probably in his late fifties, was busy wiping champagne flutes free of smudges but looked up from his chore when Chuck turned around.
"Pardon?"
"You've got it bad," the bartender repeated, placing the pristine crystal glasses in neat lines. "For the girl, I mean." When Chuck only stared at him in stunned bewilderment, the older man chuckled merrily. "Not that I blame you, she is a real looker that one."
Chuck gaze shifted from the bartender to Blair out on the dance floor and then back to the man again. He couldn't be, could he? He daren't think the word, let alone say it. He's Chuck Bass for fuck's sake. He's not meant for…that.
XOXO
"Mind if I cut in?"
Blair recognized the velvet voice in less than a heartbeat but barely had time to react before Cyrus stepped back, chuckling happily as he did, and allowed Chuck to take his place. The tingles that shot up her spine when Chuck's hand came to rest on her lower back and pulled her closer was no longer unexpected, but for that matter not any less overwhelming.
They swayed slowly to the music, brown eyes locked on brown. Blind to anything but each other. It felt like the dance the princess danced with her prince in the fairytales. Perfect.
"You looked pretty hot on Cyrus' arm before." Chuck leaned in and murmured in her ear, his breath fanning against her skin and leaving goose bumps in its wake.
"Is that all I am to you, just an accessory?" Blair replied jokingly, tilting her head back to look at him.
"Next to him, yes." Chuck smirked, his lips brushing along her jaw on their way to the other side of her head, his mouth once again close to her ear, "On me you'd be so much more."
"But I can't be on you, remember?" Blair smiled, emphasizing the word 'on' with nails scraping against the fabric covering his shoulder, "Not until later. Besides, we could be a little more creative than that, don't you think?"
It was then that Chuck decided that maybe (just maybe) wanting to spend more time with Blair might not be the worst thing that could happen to him.
XOXO
Thanks for reading!
Review?
Camilla
