A/N: As a bit of background to this story, Chuck and Blair have never been in a proper relationship so the saga of series 3-6 never happened.
Also, I'm from the UK so please forgive my British spelling :)
DISCLAIMER: Steve is mine, everyone else is borrowed for entertainment purposes.
Chapter 1
"Steve? What kind of a name is 'Steve'?"
"Chuck. Be nice." Serena warned.
"I'm just saying, I never pictured her with someone named Steve. It doesn't exactly scream high-flying businessman. Steve cleans toilets or serves in the local gas station." Chuck finished off his glass of scotch and walked over to the bar to top it up again. Serena followed him and covered the glass with her hand.
"Chuck, you're acting like a jealous boyfriend." Serena glared at him as he tried to push her hand away, but she tightened her grip on the glass. "You can't turn up drunk tonight, you're the host and you have a speech to make. You need to make a good impression and you won't do that if you keep drinking."
Chuck wasn't going to admit it, but Serena was right. He was hosting a Spring fundraising ball to raise money for a local Children's charity and making the opening speech whilst under the influence of half a bottle of scotch would not go down well with the board members of Bass Industries. Chuck loathed these events. They relied on donations and goodwill which meant he had to be polite to people he hated, and the worst part was that Bass Industries wouldn't even make a profit from it, but, as Lily kept reminding him, it looked good for the public image of the company.
"Chuck Bass does not get jealous, Sis. I'm merely offering up my thoughts on the latest accessory."
"Whatever, Chuck. No more scotch." Serena placed the top back on the scotch bottle and put it back in the cupboard. Turning on her heels, Serena walked across to the elevator and pressed the call button. "And will you promise to be civil tonight, for Blair?" Serena asked as the elevator doors opened.
"I guess tonight is all about those who are less fortunate than us." Chuck showed a hint of a smile.
"Bye Chuck." Serena glared at him as the elevator doors closed and the penthouse fell into silence once more. Chuck returned to the drinks' cupboard and pulled out the bottle of scotch.
...
Blair looked at her reflection in the mirror and smoothed out her dress. She turned slightly and sighed.
"You look wonderful." A hand delicately slipped around Blair's waist.
"I know. I just can't decide which shoes to wear." Blair frowned, holding up two different shoes against her dress and looking back into the mirror.
"The Jimmy Choo's."
"I agree." Blair's smile widened as she leaned into Steve's embrace. "Thank you for coming with me tonight. It wouldn't have been my choice of event to introduce you to everyone, but I need to make sure the investors and buyers see how generous Waldorf Designs is."
"It's okay, I'm looking forward to meeting your friends. If they're all as welcoming as Serena, then you have nothing to worry about." Steve moved to stand in front of Blair, kissing her gently on the cheek and pulling her into an embrace. Blair held her breath for a moment as her smile slipped slightly.
Blair and Steve had been in a relationship for nearly 3 months, but Blair had been reluctant to introduce him to her world. His family were in construction, and he would be taking over the business when his father retired at the end of the year. His family had money and they lived in the Upper East Side, but it hadn't always been that way. His father had built the family business up from the ground and Steve had lived in Brooklyn for most of his childhood. He had never had a driver take him to school and he had no idea what Gossip Girl was until Blair filled him in on one of their first dates.
"Well, I'm sure Serena will have filled everyone else in by now. She's not one for keeping anything to herself." Blair pulled out of Steve's embrace and slipped her shoes on. "We should get going, we should be fashionably late if we leave now." Blair chimed.
"Lead on, princess." Steve smiled and held out his hand in the direction of the door.
...
Chuck stared at his reflection in the restroom mirror. He'd managed to control his impulses and stopped drinking after two glasses of scotch, but he was now wishing he'd had the third glass to dull the internal monologue that was currently occupying his thoughts.
"Got your speech ready?" Nate stepped into the restrooms and slapped a hand on Chuck's shoulder.
"Yes, Nathaniel. I'm ready to smile sweetly at the children and persuade rich investors to give their money to a worthy cause." Chuck's voice dripping with sarcasm as he straightened his tie.
"Serena reckons Blair is going to bring the new boyfriend tonight." Nate said, attempting to sound natural but Chuck noticed his slight faltering as he used the term 'boyfriend'.
"I'm not sure why that is of interest to me, Nathaniel." Chuck replied.
"Chuck, come on man. You guys have history, she's the only girl you've ever actually had feelings for, it's normal to be bothered by her new relationship." Nate offered.
"You're clearly spending too much time with Serena. I don't care what or who Blair Waldorf does." Chuck retaliated. He was getting frustrated with the constant discussions about Blair and her love life. They may have had history together but that's all it was now, ancient history. He'd become CEO of Bass Industries and he was succeeding; he was outperforming the expectations of all those involved in the company, and he'd done it alone. The many nights he'd spent with Blair were memories he wasn't going to erase in a hurry, but his feelings for her stemmed from teenage lust and he'd grown up a lot since then. His father had been right, successful businessmen did not allow themselves to be distracted by love. Blair was a childhood love interest that belonged firmly in his past.
There was a knock on the restroom door. "Mister Bass, it's time for the opening speech." A member of staff cautiously opened the door and ushered Chuck towards the stage. For once he was grateful for the interruption.
Chuck was halfway through his speech when he noticed Blair walking in through the door at the back of the room. She was wearing a floor-length, deep purple dress that pinched in to accentuate her waist. It was embellished with intricate lace and crystals that glistened as the light caught them.
Purple, his favourite colour.
He tried to divert his attention elsewhere, but curiosity got the better of him and he continued to watch her as a man followed closely behind.
That must be Steve.
He watched as Blair turned to Steve and reached out to take his hand in hers. Steve closed the gap between them, and Chuck turned his attention to the other side of the room as Steve leaned in to kiss her.
"Do you think anyone noticed that we were late?" Steve smiled as he snaked his arms around Blair's waist.
"No-one will be paying any attention to us. Look at them," Blair motioned to the crowd of people in front of them. "They're too busy listening to the well-rehearsed speeches and calculating how much money to donate to make them look good in front of their competitors."
"Ah yes, I forget how much experience you have with these events." Steve laughed as he captured Blair's lips once more. He traced his hand up her spine, stopping at the nape of her neck and gently pulling at her hair.
"As much as I want to continue this… event," Blair smirked, "I need to stay long enough to be noticed by the right people. Then we can disappear back to your apartment for the fun part of the night."
Steve laughed and shook his head slightly. He wanted to ravish Blair right there and then, but he understood how important the reputation of Waldorf Designs was to her. The spark in her eyes told him that he'd be rewarded later tonight if he complied with her request.
"Blair! Steve!" Serena called out through the crowd, pulling Steve's attention away from Blair.
"S, how are you? Where is everyone else?" Blair greeted Serena.
"B, you look amazing and it's lovely to see you again Steve. Everyone else is over by the bar, come and join us." Serena grabbed Blair by the hand and pulled her through the crowd. Blair glanced back at Steve to make sure he was following.
As they approached the bar, Blair could see Nate, Dan and Vanessa chatting. Blair breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly aware that she had been holding her breath; Chuck was nowhere to be seen.
"Guys, look who finally showed up. This is Steve!" Serena excitedly jumped to Steve's side and pulled him up into the group to introduce him to everyone. Blair walked up to the bar and ordered them some drinks as Serena continued to point out various members of the crowd that she felt Steve needed to know. Blair was grateful for Serena's enthusiasm; it took the focus off her and allowed her to gulp down a glass of champagne to settle her nerves without anyone noticing. She turned back to the bar to order another glass when she felt someone sit down next to her.
"Blair." Chuck stated as he signalled to the barman to bring them some drinks.
"Chuck." Blair replied. "Nice speech."
"It's bad manners to lie, Waldorf. I heard you turned up late and missed most of the speech." Chuck drawled as the barman placed a glass of scotch and champagne in front of the pair. Chuck proceeded to push the champagne glass in Blair's direction.
"I was being polite. Next time I won't bother." Blair took the glass and turned her back on Chuck.
"Politeness doesn't suit you, Waldorf." Chuck leaned forward and whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her neck and she tried to ignore the slight increase in her heart rate at the close contact.
"Go away Chuck. Shouldn't you be trying to persuade all these people to donate money to sick children?" Blair stood up to try and create some distance between them.
"I thought I'd start with Waldorf Designs. I'm sure you have several products that you'd be willing to donate to a good cause." Chuck allowed his eyes to wander down Blair's body before meeting her gaze again. He knew he was treading a thin line, but he couldn't help himself.
"You're disgusting." Blair glared at him and walked off down the bar to join Steve and Serena, who were deep in conversation with Jenny and Eric. Chuck smiled to himself and finished off his scotch. The evening was going to be more entertaining than he thought.
To Be Continued...