Chapter 8

The silence grew uncomfortable between the lovers as their breathing returned to normal and their anxiety increased exponentially now that their lust was (temporarily) sated. Neither one wanted to be the first to speak and address the line they had just crossed. Blair pulled the sheet around her upper body to hide her naked form, while Chuck sat up and pulled his boxers quickly over his hips. When he finally allowed himself to look at her and saw how uneasy she seemed to feel, he grew worried that she immediately regretted their coupling. Realizing that she was unlikely to be the one to break the awkward silence, he relented and said, "So, I guess we should talk..." His voice trailed off at the end, not willing to say anymore until she gave him some indication of her thoughts.

She studied his body language carefully - his shoulders were slumped forward, his hands fiddled with the corner of the comforter, his eyes were fixated on the nearly invisible geometric pattern on the sheets. It was as if he had been metaphorically stripped of all of his armor that made him Chuck Bass, and now he was just as vulnerable as her. She didn't see the cool confidence that she had come to expect from him, but instead there was a hint of uncertainty in his demeanor. "Why did you change your mind?" she asked softly, diverting her eyes to a small freckle on her inner wrist.

"I -" he started, but he wasn't sure how to explain it to her. He had contemplated the pros and cons of telling her about Nate and Serena the night before, but he had decided that it wasn't his place to tell. As much as he thought she deserved to know, he didn't want to be the one to break her heart - that was on Nate. He knew that finding out that her fiance was fooling around with a girl who so obviously made her feel inferior in many ways would be a huge blow to her self-esteem. He loved how confident and vibrant she was around him, and he couldn't bear to dim her radiance with such news. He decided that a different version of the truth would have to suffice, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Resisting you is futile, and I was desperate to know what it would feel like to be with you. You changed your mind, too, though. You said Friday night that we couldn't do this, and then you still came here today. What changed?"

"I had to know," she answered quietly. "I am getting married in a week, and I had to know what it would feel like."

"So you're still getting married?" He wasn't sure why the thought caused bile to rise in his throat or why he was suddenly so irritated with her.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Maybe because you just cheated on your soon-to-be husband? That doesn't really bode well for a faithful marriage, now does it?" He scowled.

She felt rage balling in the pit of her stomach, ready to explode if he made one more ridiculous accusation. "How's that for a double standard? You're the best man! You're the one who kissed me. You're the one who left the note propositioning me. You are hardly innocent here."

He held up his hands in surrender, "You're right. I'm sorry. I really don't know why I reacted that way. I guess I just thought that you coming here meant that you didn't want to be with...him." It didn't feel appropriate to speak his friend's name while the bride was still naked in his bed.

"This is just a fling to get our attraction for each other out of our system, right?" She saw a strange look cross his face as if her words had cut him somehow, so she continued her explanation, "I love Nate. Things have just been so stressful lately with wedding planning that this is kind of like a stress-releiver, a way for me to relax without breaking my no-sex rule with Nate."

It honestly sounded like the thinnest excuse Chuck had ever heard. She was stressed so she was fucking the best man so that she wouldn't have to be intimate with the groom? Her logic was absolutely nonsensical, and he could tell from the lack of resolve in her voice that she knew it, too. He didn't call her on it, though, because who was he to question her motives? He needed to break up the tension, so he joked, "You know, this might just be what I need to win our bet. You really thought that I had deeper layers than my reputation suggests? Care to reconsider that observation now that I am willingly fucking my best friend's fiance?"

She grimaced, "You're so crass, but no, I stand by my original analysis of your character. I've been with you enough in settings that involved a lot more clothes, and you definitely have layers, Chuck," She sat forward a bit and angled her body more toward his, still not dropping the sheet from her chest, and reached out to stroke his hand, "I really wish you didn't sell yourself short like that."

He felt his anxiety start to dissipate at the simple touch of her hand against his. The fact that she believed in him, even when he could only see himself as a selfish asshole - even after only knowing him for a few weeks - made his heart flutter inside his chest. He'd been foolish to think that one time with her would be enough because now that he had tasted her, he just wanted to continue to wrap himself in her perfection and forget the rest of the world. Giving her a sheepish grin, he teased, "I'm pretty fond of the settings that don't involve many clothes." He climbed back to the top of the bed, boldly trailing his hand up her arm to where the covers met her chest. Leaning in, he gently pressed his lips to hers and coaxed the material out of her hand, allowing it to pool around her waist. Pulling back slightly, he whispered, "Enough with the modesty. I'm not through with you just yet."

"You're insatiable," she laughed but it quickly turned to a moan when his lips found her neck.

"You're sexy as hell," he whispered against her ear before pulling her to sit astride his hips. "Besides, I only get you for a few more days, so I guess I should make the most of it."

She ground herself against him and relished in the sound of his soft moan, "I thought men needed more recovery time than that. We just had sex fifteen minutes ago."

"Men, yes, but not me, not when I have a woman who looks like you sitting on top of me naked," his hands trailed from her hips up her sides to cup her breasts in his palms, squeezing gently, causing her to arch her back into him. "It would seem that I'm not the only one ready for another round."

She leaned in and kissed him roughly before pulling back just enough that her lips barely brushed his as she spoke, "The only thing I want more than sex right now is food. I'm starving. I skipped breakfast so I wouldn't be late to meet you."

Chuck groaned, but as if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly to indicate his own need for sustenance. "Okay, let me order room service -" he reached for his cell phone to dial the chef personally, but he was sidetracked by a text from Nate: Hey, man, are we still on for lunch this afternoon? "Shit, I completely forgot."

"What is it?" Blair inquired uneasily.

"I made lunch plans with Nate for today. I'm supposed to meet him in twenty minutes. I can cancel -" he stopped when he saw Blair pull out her own phone and start dialing. "What are you -"

"Shhh," she admonished sharply before the recipient on the other end of the receiver picked up, "Hey, sweetheart, I was just seeing if you could spare some time for lunch today? Oh, you already have lunch plans with Chuck?" she pouted into the phone with feigned disappointment, "Oh, I wouldn't want to impose...you sure? Okay, I'll see you in a few." She hung up and gave Chuck a smug grin.

"Why -" Chuck stuttered, staring at her in awe, unsure of her plan, "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to have lunch with you," she answered as if it were obvious. "And the danger of being caught is just so sexy," she added with a flirty wink before standing to pull her underwear over hips.

"You are playing with fire," he warned, pulling her by the waist into his lap. "If you want dangerous, I'll show you dangerous," he nipped at her clavicle before giving her ass cheek a playful pinch and handing her the bra that lay forgotten on the bed.

"That sounds like a challenge," she raised her eyebrows in his direction as she pulled her dress over her head.

"Oh, you bet it is," he murmured, trailing his hand up her thigh and under her dress. "This looked a lot better on the floor."

She rolled her eyes at his incessant desire, "You better get dressed or you're going to be late. I'm going to go now so that we don't arrive at the same time."

She leaned in and kissed him quickly, leaving before he could even respond. With a deep groan, he pulled his pants over his swollen erection. She wasn't going to make this easy on him; that much was for sure.

XOXO

"Hey, Blair, you look lovely," Nate mused, leaning in to give her an obligatory kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for inviting me," she gave him a contrived smile, trying to conceal her indifference. She just didn't feel any connection to Nate at all at the moment, and she was disturbed to find that she felt empty without Chuck by her side.

"Sorry, I'm late," the raspy voice came from over her shoulder, "I forgot what wildcats New York women are." He winked in Nate's direction before turning toward Blair, "Oh, Blair, I didn't realize you were joining us. What a pleasant surprise."

She gave him a knowing smirk and subtly reached her hand into his coat pocket as she leaned in for a friendly hug. He took the seat next to Blair, leaving Nate alone on the opposite side of the table. The blonde remained as oblivious to the exchange between the two brunettes as he was to almost every facet of Blair's life. Blair gave Chuck a look of feigned innocence with batted eyelashes as she said, "I hope that my intrusion isn't too frustrating. I'll leave if my presence is too distracting."

"No, please stay. It'll be a pleasure to get to know you better," his emphasis on the word pleasure wasn't lost on Blair. So this was the game they were going to play? Blair was fairly positive that she could win any game of deceit that Chuck wanted to play; afterall, she had lived with Nate for the past few months, and she knew all too well just how helplessly clueless he really was.

"So, Chuck," Nate took a sip from his glass and asked his friend, "You haven't wasted any time to find a woman to pass the time in New Yorkwith, huh? Guess some things never change."

Chuck laughed, trying to pull himself from the daze that Blair's presence put him in. He casually reached into his pocket to discover what she had placed there during her greeting. He had to suppress a grin when he felt the delicate lace of her panties wrap around his fingers. Cocktease. "Ah, yes," he responded, "She is quite the little vixen."

"She must be," Nate chuckled. "Not many women can keep up with the great Chuck Bass, and you never allow your extracurriculars to interfere with your schedule. Yet you were late."

"Just enjoying catching up on the finest New York has to offer. Women in California just aren't up to the same caliber," he waved his hand dismissively, stuttering slightly when he felt Blair's hand rest against his knee.

"I don't know," Nate mused, "You've got a look in your eye I've never seen before. I think your mystery woman might mean a little more to you than you are willing to let on."

Blair looked at Chuck with exaggerated interest in his response as she let her thumbs massage his leg just above his knee. "Don't be shy, Chuck. Have you got a crush?"

He let his own hand find her bare leg just below her hemline. Knowing that he had an advantage because of their difference in attire, he squeezed her thigh firmly, relishing in the subtle flinching of her muscles underneath his touch, "Not at all. If anything, I'm afraid she may be the one growing too attached."

"Just admit it, Bass," she ordered, her hand now sliding temptingly close to the bulge forming in his trousers, just near enough that her fingers barely brushed against his crotch before pulling back slightly to return to his upper thigh. She repeated the gesture several times, adding, "You're smitten. You can't get enough, can you?"

Nate saw the impatient, glazed over look on Chuck's face, and he started to worry that Chuck was growing uncomfortable with this level of discussion surrounding his love life - or lack thereof. He felt that Blair was being a bit too forward with her line of questioning, so he interjected, "Okay, Blair, I think maybe you should stop teasing Chuck."

Chuck managed to skillfully focus his attention back to Nate, while trailing his fingers slowly up Blair's inner thigh, stopping occasionally to draw small circles into her flesh. "So, Nathaniel, how are things at The Spectator? I suppose you've become quite the expert at sniffing out all of the scandalous affairs taking place right under your nose here in New York, huh?"

Blair nearly choked at Chuck's brazen remarks - or was it because his hand was inching into territory that would normally have her melting beneath him? She squeezed his package a little too firmly in warning before switching her movements to more pleasure-inducing strokes up and down his hardened member. Neither one was listening to a word that Nate said as he droned on and on about the latest scandals that he and his team had uncovered recently.

Chuck's fingers managed to work their way to Blair's more intimate area concealed underneath her dress. He delighted in the barely audible gasp that caught in her throat when his index finger brushed against her sex. When Nate finally stopped yapping about his magazine, Chuck turned his attention to the quivering brunette beside him, "Blair, I'm told that you are working for Waldorf Designs. How's that going? Are you getting your feet wet or -" two fingers sunk into her core as he added, "just diving right in?"

"I just dove right in," she smiled at him through gritted teeth, intent on keeping her cool despite the pleasure coursing through her at that exact moment, "It was so hard at first, but I always come out on top." She slowed her movements over his member until she was just cupping him through his pants, "What about you? It must get so lonely out there in California by yourself? Like you're just going to explode if you don't get to come home soon?"

He felt his pulse quickening with each of her carefully emphasized words. If she started her ministrations again, then it wouldn't be long before he left an embarrassing stain on the front of his Armani trousers. Relenting, he gently removed his fingers from her and wiped them gingerly on the napkin in his lap. "Yes, you're right. I'm so ready, but there's some excruciating pleasure in waiting, right? I have to get this deal worked out perfectly before I can come back home."

Victory, she thought, smiling to herself. She'd won the game of seduction; was it even a question that she would succeed? But, the win wasn't nearly as sweet as the near-orgasm that Chuck was so close to giving her. Now, she was beginning to wonder why she'd even challenged him because it seemed that she would've gotten a much better prize if she'd just stayed quiet.

The conversation drifted to more neutral and boring (to Blair) territory as the two men discussed business. It wasn't that she couldn't handle her own in such discussions; it was just that her body was on fire from Chuck's slow torture, and she really wanted her fiance to leave immediately. This is so fucked up.

Nate stood after the check had been paid and shook Chuck's hand, with an added comment that he was glad his friend was back in town and he hoped they could spend more time together one-on-one before his return to California. Blair rolled her eyes impatiently and desperately tried not to grimace when he kissed her firmly on the mouth with lips that were too dry for her taste.

After Nate left the two of them alone, Blair grabbed her purse, prepared to exit the restaurant, but Chuck grabbed her arm before she got very far. "No, not after your little performance under the table. Go to the bathroom, and wait for me."

She didn't really appreciate his demanding tone, but she did as he told her anyway. If she wasn't so damn horny, she would tell him to fuck off and head home. She was above a secret tryst in a public restroom, wasn't she? One part of her found it disgusting, while another part of her mind - the louder part - decided that it was sexy to give into such raw, uncontrollable desire. Within a few minutes, Chuck walked through the bathroom door, effectively locking it behind him. "I told you you were playing with fire," he groaned, placing his hands around her hips and lifting her onto the bathroom sink in the small one-person stall.

"Shut up," she demanded, having run out of patience for his teasing long ago.

"So bossy," he muttered, pushing her dress roughly around her waist and unbuckling his belt, pulling his pants down below his hips in one fluid motion. "Damn," he cursed more loudly than he meant to, hoping that none of the restaurant patrons a few feet outside of the door heard, "I don't have a condom."

"I'm on the pill. Just do it," she wrapped her legs around him in an effort to pull him closer.

He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should give into her request. He was clean; he knew that much because he was a stickler for getting tested regularly. One doesn't have his reputation without taking careful consideration for his health and the health of others, but this was a whole new scenario. "I'll pull out," he whispered under his breath, thrusting into her before he could change his mind.

"God, yes," she moaned softly, vaguely aware of the need to keep her voice down. Locking her ankles around his hips, her hands wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He lowered his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss as the pace of his thrusts increased to a nearly impossible speed. There was nothing slow or romantic about this coupling; their need was far too strong, and the animalistic lust took control as he pounded into her mercilessly.

"You're such a tease," he groaned into her ear, the tension building in his stomach at the feel of her wetness engulfing him completely without any barrier, "That little stunt you pulled at the table."

"It took everything in me not to scream out," she gasped when his member hit her g-spot repeatedly, unwinding the tight coil inside of her. Her teeth sank into his shoulder as she bit back a scream of ecstasy. He yanked out of her quickly, with a quiet string of expletives from his lips.

His chest heaved from exertion as his trembling fingers fumbled with his belt buckle. He grabbed a handful of napkins to clean up her legs as thoroughly as he could, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. She stared at him, confused on how to process the events of the past two hours. She'd never wanted anyone in the way she wanted him. Knowing that everything they were doing was so horribly wrong didn't change the fact that it felt so completely right. She didn't want to stop. She never wanted to stop.

After depositing the tissues into the trash receptacle, he reached into his pocket and held up her panties, letting them dangle from his index finger, "I'm keeping these."

A/N: Shout out to the reader who asked me to have Chuck pleasure Blair under the table while Nate was oblivious. Hope I delivered. :) If you have any other ideas about how you would like CB to sneak around, let me know through a review, a message here or via Twitter, or I also have a Curious Cat account set up on Twitter. I'll try my best to work your suggestions in in some way.

This was a messy chapter, but it was a lot of fun to write. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.