Chapter 6

When Nate finally arrived home around 10:30 that evening, Blair was curled up in bed distractedly flipping through a copy of Bridal Guide. She didn't look up when he greeted her, instead she stared a hole through the Harry Winston ad on one of the pages of the magazine. Her mind kept replaying the almost kiss with Chuck, followed by the last few minutes before she left him alone in the elevator. Her head told her that cutting him off was the right thing to do, but she couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say. Was he going to simply apologize, or was he going to rationalize his actions? She was aware of the fact that they had both been skirting the line between innocent flirtation and borderline emotional infidelity. His hands on her skin had felt like pure fire scorching down her spine, and she found herself daydreaming about what his touch would feel like on more sensitive parts of her body.

"Hello? Blair?" Nate's exasperated voice broke through Blair's thoughts just before they moved into R-Rated territory.

Blair's head whipped up to find Nate looking at her expectantly, "Oh, hey, how did your interview go?"

"Really well, actually. I think it's exactly what I need to take The Spectator to the next level," she couldn't help but smile at his optimism. "How was dance rehearsal?"

She drew on years of practicing the art of deception, "Oh, it was fine. It would've been much better if you were there."

After shrugging out of his dress shirt, he stalked toward the bed with a driven purpose. Placing a hand on each side of her body, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth. She allowed him to kiss her for a few moments, before pulling away when he tried to deepen his kiss by running his tongue along her lower lip. He sighed, and plopped down on the bed beside her, "What is this, Blair?"

She couldn't tell her fiance that his kiss felt cold and left her empty or that she really wished it was his best friend's lips she was feeling on hers. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his once again, trying to ignore the indifference she felt toward him in that moment, "I just don't want us to get too worked up. I was serious about no sex until our wedding night. It'll make it that much more special."

He stood from the bed and ran his hands over his face in frustration, "I think that's just an excuse, Blair."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, tossing the magazine beside her and sitting up straight.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It just feels like we've been living more like roommates lately than future husband and wife."

Overcome with guilt, she pulled him back to the bed and kissed him deeply, "You're right. I suppose I've just been so overwhelmed with wedding planning that I've neglected our relationship. It'll get better, I promise." In that moment, she hoped with all of her might that it was true.

"I think we just need to have a little fun together again," Nate leaned in and poked her rib playfully, "Our joint bachelor / bachelorette party tomorrow night at Victrola will be the perfect opportunity for us to let loose and forget about wedding planning for a night."

Blair wasn't sure how she felt about their impending celebration at Victrola. It would be the first time that she would be in the same room as Nate and Chuck at the same time since he had almost kissed her; thoughts of dread and intrigue washed over her. At least she could rest assured that she and Chuck would both behave in Nate's presence.

XOXO

Chuck had offered to host Nate's bachelor party two weeks ago - before he complicated things by coming onto the bride. After Blair clearly rejected his pathetic attempt at an explanation, he had vowed to avoid her at all costs until the wedding. Unfortunately, when Nate suggested turning the bachelor party into a joint celebration, he couldn't refuse without creating suspicion.

He arrived earlier than he typically would - around 8 pm - and he wasn't sure why. He'd grown overly anxious waiting and figured getting settled with several drinks in his system may help him endure the torture of watching Nate and Blair hanging all over each other all night long.

As he nursed his third glass of scotch, the first guest arrived by his side. "Dan Humphrey. It's been a while," he drawled.

"Chuck Bass," Dan reached out and shook his hand firmly. "Best man, huh?"

"Ironic title for someone like me, huh?" he joked dryly, the truth of the statement hitting him harder when he thought about his erotic dream the night before featuring the groom's fiance. He took a generous gulp from his glass and continued, "I must say I was a little surprised to hear of Nathaniel's engagement."

Dan ordered an old fashioned, and nodded, "Yeah, it shocked us, too. It's probably not my place to say so, but I think he's making a mistake."

Chuck narrowed his eyes questioningly, "A mistake? How so?"

"I don't know. It was just so rushed. Blair seems like a nice…" he trailed off and took another sip, "Okay, she doesn't seem nice at all, but she and Nate just aren't really compatible. He's sports and weed; she's fashion and art. They have nothing in common, and Nate honestly seems bored. He has a bit of a wandering eye."

"I noticed that the other night, too, so why the rush?" Chuck wasn't sure if he was asking out of concern for his friend or out of his own morbid self-interest.

"I think that Mommy Dearest can be quite convincing, and landing the Waldorf account was exactly what the Captain needed for his career. I'm not saying that Nate used Blair because I think he really does care about her, but you know as well as I that he would do anything for his family."

Chuck mulled over the information, but before he could come to any definitive conclusions about his feelings on the situation, Nate appeared beside him with Blair on his arm and a tall blonde that he recognized from the photo at the Waldorf penthouse. Nate placed his hand on Chuck's shoulder and introduced her, "Hey, man. This is Serena van der Woodsen. Serena, this is Chuck Bass, my best man."

Blair watched Chuck's eyes slowly gloss over Serena's form, landing momentarily on her pert cleavage nestled in her low-cut dress. She felt her pulse quicken with jealousy, causing her to force her attention back to Nate as Chuck placed a chaste kiss to Serena's knuckles in greeting. Serena's chipper voice announced, "Well, it looks like the two of you are well into several rounds of drinks. I think the rest of us need to play catch-up."

Chuck ordered a round for the group and led them all to the VIP section of the club as the dancers came onto the stage. He took his seat on the left side of the velvet sofa in front of the stage while Serena took the right, leaving Blair and Nate to sit in between them. Dan took the single chair to the right of the couch. Chuck tried to keep his eyes off of Blair's shapely legs and toned shoulders as she draped herself all over Nate.

Dan's eyes watched the tension play between the four people in front of him; he was more observant than a lot of people gave him credit for. He didn't miss the way Chuck's gaze seemed to purposefully avoid Blair or the way he forced his body as far into the armrest as possible as if he were trying to keep his thighs from brushing against Blair's. In the same way, he caught onto Blair's needy hand caressing Nate's arm, while the latter couldn't tear his eyes from Serena's exposed cleavage. There was so much sexual tension on overload that he felt uncomfortable being the lone observer.

Serena turned toward Chuck from the other end of the couch, "I can't believe I've never been here. You've got the sexiest burlesque dancers in the city."

He simply grinned, but Nate brazenly complimented, "Certainly no sexier than the women sitting on this sofa."

Blair knew that logically the compliment was directed toward her also, but the fact that she'd never quite conquered her insecurity when it came to Serena led her to believe that the comment was reserved mostly for the blonde and she was included merely out of obligation. The lights in the club dimmed significantly as the final performance started on the stage, but Chuck was still able to sense Blair's change in demeanor beside him. As dark as it was, he felt comfortable enough to risk draping his arm on the back of the couch and leaning in to her ear to whisper, "You okay?"

She looked at him for the first time since sitting down beside him, and she could barely make out the concern on his face through the darkness. She shuddered as she felt his hand stroke her shoulder, and she was positive that the champagne was making him bold. Maybe it was making her bold, too, because she leaned in closer to his touch and gave him a small smile, "I'm fine."

"He's not wrong," he whispered against her ear, "The sexiest woman in the room is sitting right beside me." He knew he shouldn't have said it, but after seeing how blatantly Nate had ogled the blonde and witnessing Blair's insecurity when she believed that he was admiring Serena's photo at brunch a week earlier, he couldn't bare the thought that she didn't see her subtle appeal over Serena's obvious allure. He couldn't help but think that she deserved to know how truly perfect she is.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and the alcohol left her feeling lightheaded. She could feel her chest rising and falling as her eyes caught his, and suddenly she couldn't breathe. Why was it that one simple compliment from him left her breathless? Why didn't she ever feel this way with Nate? Her eyes dropped to his mouth and back to his eyes, and everyone around them disappeared. She didn't care about the ring on her finger or her fiance sitting beside her. All she cared about was how alive she felt when she looked into his eyes. He was a magnetic force, pulling her to him. Her lips parted slightly, and she was no longer in control.

She would've kissed him then and there if the lights hadn't blindingly flickered back on as applause erupted through the room. The performance was over, and so was the moment. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved when he stealthily removed his arm from behind her and sat forward, angling his body away from hers.

Chuck closed the club early after the final performance at 12:00, so that they would have it to themselves for the rest of the evening. They passed the next two hours with conversation, laughter, and a lot of alcohol. The tension seemed to fade - or at least the alcohol soaked it up.

Dan yawned and glanced at his watch: 2:03 am. He stood and shook Nate's hand and gave Blair a friendly hug. "Congratulations, you two. I better head back, though. I've got an early morning."

Serena pouted, "Party Pooper!" She had clearly consumed more alcohol than necessary, and she stumbled a bit as she stood from the couch, "The night's still young. I wanna dance. Dance with me, Blair?" As the blonde swung her hips hypnotically to the beat of the music playing over the speakers, Blair shook her head to refuse her offer. When she turned her attention to Chuck, he held up his hand to decline, not willing to encourage her drunken show. She finally reached for Nate a little too flirtatiously, "C'mon, Nate. Dance with me?"

Though Nate was far past the legal threshold of intoxication, he was still aware enough to silently ask Blair's permission. She nodded and gave him a smile of assurance. When he stood to embrace Serena, his foot caught the table leg and knocked a beer directly into Blair's lap. She squealed loudly and stood abruptly to her feet. "Oh, God," Nate groaned with a slight slur, "Blair, I'm so sorry."

Chuck gave him a look of exasperation, but instead turned toward Blair, and offered, "C'mon, I'll show you where you can clean up." Before they had even walked away, Nate had wrapped his arms around Serena's waist in a too intimate dance.

Chuck rolled his eyes at Nate's sheer stupidity, and grabbed Blair by the hand to pull her up the stairs behind the stage to his private office. He led her into the bathroom and dampened a washcloth under the stream of the faucet. He handed her the rag, and couldn't keep himself from muttering, "Sometimes, Nate's such an idiot."

She wasn't sure if he was referring to the spilled beer or Nate's blatant attraction to her friend, but she couldn't help but grin at him. "He wants her. I can see it any time they're together, and the sad part is that I'm not really sure that I care," she confessed, giving credence to her darkest thoughts for the first time. It had always been there in the back of her mind, but she'd refused to believe it until now.

"Like I said, he's an idiot. If he can't see -" he stopped when he saw the way she was looking at him. He no longer knew how to talk to her or what level of conversation was appropriate. He cursed Nate for putting him in this situation, but he knew that he was just as responsible.

"Unzip me," she asked sheepishly, "I can't reach."

His breath hitched in his throat, as his hands trailed up her spine to find the zipper pull at the top of her dress. She reached up to raise her hair out of his way and gasped when she felt his fingers brush against her neck as he tugged the pull down slowly. His eyes fell to her back as he watched small pieces of flesh be revealed to him as the fabric fell open. He let his fingers lightly stroke her skin until he met resistance at the zipper's end.

She turned back to face him with a dangerous look in her eyes that screamed she was about to cross a line that she couldn't ever take back. Her hands thread into his hair, trying to pull him to her, but his tight grip on her hips insistently pushed her further back from his body. He hated himself as he spoke the words that he knew would end it all, "Blair, you were right with what you said last night. I think it's clear how attracted I am to you, but I won't be the reason that a marriage fails or an engagement breaks up. I can't do it to him. He's like a brother to me. I'm sorry."

She turned away from him as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Was she really reduced to the harlot who tries to seduce her fiance's best friend? It was the same sentiment that she had spoken the night before, and here she was ignoring her own words of warning. Embarrassment washed over her, sobering her quickly.

He walked back down the stairs, raking his hands through his hair, cursing Nate for not seeing the value in what was right in front of him, Blair for being so irresistibly sexy, and himself for starting this whole mess. As his eyes hit the couch where they had been seated a few minutes earlier, his jaw fell open when he saw Serena straddling Nate's lap locked in an passionate kiss. Nate's hand trailed up Serena's thigh as she moaned into his mouth, neither one aware of Chuck's presence. Anger flooded his body. What the actual fuck?

Without another thought, he turned and ran back up the stairs and threw open the door to find Blair standing at the sink in one of his large undershirts that she must've found in the spare wardrobe that he kept at his office. She didn't hear him walk in as she scrubbed her dress diligently. He walked toward her with a new single minded resolve, no longer allowing any feelings of guilt to prevent him from acting on his desires. If Nate had such little respect for his relationship, then why should he suffer by trying to be the bigger person?

He grabbed Blair by the elbow, turning her around to face him. Before her mind could register what was happening, his arms locked around her waist and his mouth descended on hers. She was stunned at first, but soon she wound her hands into his hair and deepened the kiss by opening her mouth to him. His hands worked their way under the oversized t-shirt she was wearing to massage the swells of her ass cheeks through her lace underwear. She moaned into his mouth, and his tongue slipped between her lips to glide against hers. Her entire body felt like it was engulfed in heat with hot flames lapping deliciously at her skin. His mind could focus on nothing except how soft and supple her lips were against his, and all he knew was that he wanted more of her.

Both of their chests rose heavily, as their lungs desperately tried to fill with oxygen when he finally pulled away. Her finger lifted to her swollen lips, and she looked at him questioningly. He gave her no verbal answer as he pulled her back to him and lifted her onto the vanity beside the sink. Caressing her exposed thighs as she made room for his body between her legs, he leaned in and kissed her again - this time slower and more gently. Her fingers trailed up his chest to push his suit jacket from his shoulders. After he let it fall to the ground with her ruined dress, his lips found her neck, sucking lightly against her clavicle. They were both lost in a haze of lust and alcohol, neither one able to fully contain their desire. Blair could feel Chuck's erection pushing into her thigh, while his hand reached to cup her breast through the thick cotton fabric of the shirt. When she moaned in approval, he pulled back to question, "You sure?"

A/N: I know, I know. Cliffhanger. What do you guys think? How should Blair respond to Chuck's question? Please do note that given the more mature nature of the previous scene, I'm going to increase the rating on this story to M.