Blair got off the elevator and walked the few yards to her apartment door. It was barely dawn, and she wouldn't expect Serena to be awake for several hours at least, but she slipped her shoes off anyway. The last thing she needed was for the clicking of her heels on the hardwood to awaken her best friend.
She slowly turned the key in the look and let herself into the darkened apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief and started to pad across the wide expanse of the living room to get to her bedroom on the other side. She was half way across when a lamp clicking on had her freezing in her tracks.
"Blair Cornelia Waldorf," an authoritarian voice snapped. "Where have you been?"
Blair jumped and spun towards the voice.
"Serena! You startled me! Whatever are you doing up?!" Blair asked innocently. "You know you need at least 8 hours of beauty sleep."
Serena ignored the dig as she sat on their couch. One perfect eyebrow raised as she sized up her best friend. "Well, after I was woken up in the middle of the night, and then hung up on by my drunken-"
"Tipsy." Blair corrected with her nose in the air.
"Drunk friend, I just couldn't get back to sleep. So, I went out looking for her."
"I'd say you learned by my example, but since you failed to locate me... I guess you were to drunk to notice. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really am quite tired-" Blair dismissed her friend and started towards her bedroom door.
Serena's eyes narrowed on the friend she'd had almost all her life. "Oh, my god! You had sex!" Serena burst out with eyes nearly coming out of her head.
"What?!" Blair spun around again, her hand to her chest.
"I know that look, B!" Serena pointed at Blair and jumped off the couch.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh? So where have you been all night? You weren't the clubs or I would have found you."
"I was famished so I went to one of the girls' places for a bite to eat."
"Lies. You never go to co-workers homes. You said it doesn't behove a leader to get too intimate with their minions. And besides... I called them all when I was looking for you."
"You don't know all my friends." Blair said defensively.
"I am all your friends." Serena pointed out with a knowing smirk, because it was pretty much true since Blair didn't consider acquaintances or co-workers friends.
"Okay, I have to know... Who was it? Did Louis grovel his way back in? Or did you bump into Lord Marcus?! Which one of your exes did you hook up with?!" Serena grilled.
"None! You've lost your mind!" Blair said a little too shrilly, and started backing away from her friend. "I've slept with no one!"
"Why are you acting so cagey? This wouldn't even be the 10th time you've fallen into bed with your rotation of what? Three boyfriends?"
"Just because my vagina doesn't have a "Serve Everyone" policy, doesn't mean I slept with an ex last night." Blair said as she took more steps towards her bedroom.
She could see the blonde's mind churn so she spun and ran the last few steps to her room. She slammed and locked the door, and leaned against it. Less than 30 seconds later her friends was banging on it. She shut her eyes as she otherwise ignored the pounding at her door.
"Oh... My... GOD! BLAIR, DID YOU HAVE A ONE NIGHT STAND?!"
Lifting herself up off the door, she turned to scowl at Serena through the wood.
"Serena, I am not having this conversation with you."
"What's his name?! What is he like... Wait! Is it even a HE?!"
Blair rolled her eyes, before trying to change the subject. "Serena, I'm really very tired-"
"I'll be you are." And Blair could hear the innuendo in her voice.
"Go back to sleep, Serena, and forget this whole night." Blair bit out with narrowed eyes.
"I'm not leaving until you give me something." She started knocking and singing off key. "I can do this all day."
"Fine." Blair breathed. "I'm not you freshman year of Brown. He's a he. He was... amazing. And..."
"Blair... You don't even know his name do you?"
"…" Blair's mouth opened and shut as she searched her brain for his name.
"This is the best news ever!" Serena crowed.
"You need to expand your life, and I need a shower."
"Yeah, you do!" Serena cheered through the door.
Blair didn't answer her, she just headed to her en suite bathroom and turned the shower on drowning out whatever else came out of her best friend's mouth.
Elsewhere in Manhattan…
Chuck sat slouched on the couch in his suite, a scotch in one hand, and a scrap of lace in the other. He didn't move when he heard his best friend use his spare key card to enter.
"Hey, man! What's up? I waited at the racket ball court for you for like an hour." Nate Archibald chatted as he headed towards Chuck, but he paused as he came around the couch and fully saw his best friend.
"Whoa." Nate's eyes widened as he took in Chuck's dishevelled and disgruntled state. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I got laid, Nathaniel." Chuck said dryly, and took another gulp from his glass. "I don't believe it has been a news story since I was in middle school."
"Are you sure? Because you look a little… put out. What was it?" Nate pondered his friend. "Did she try to stay for breakfast? Chained herself to your bed? Caused a big scene and ran naked through the Palace when you called hotel security?" Nate rambled off a list of past experiences that Chuck had had with some… overly attached women.
"Not quite. She was gone before I even woke up…." Chuck muttered and got up from the sofa and headed to his personal bar. He squinted at a label and then added to his glass.
"Isn't that like… Your dream girl?" Nate laughed, but something in the way Chuck flinched a second before pounding back another two fingers of scotch made him pause. "Wait… was this your dream girl? Holy shit. Did Chuck Bass fall in love last night?!" Nate teased.
"Hardly." Chuck shot his friend a look that was meant to stop Nate's laughter, but only made the other man chuckle more.
Nate crossed his arms over his chest, and contemplated his life long friend. "Spill."
"There's nothing to disclose. I met a woman in a bar. We came back here. We had sex. Several times. She left before dawn… or noon… I'm not quite sure. I was rather worn out." For a moment Chuck was lost in the memory.
"I have to say… You're beginning to worry me. Who was she? A ballerina, contortionist, super model?"
"She was the most perfect creature I have ever seen… And it was the best sex of my life." Chuck confessed almost to himself.
Nate had to sit down. He lowered himself into one of the bar stools. "Who is this woman?"
"I really wish I knew…"
"Are you going to look for her? Get your PI on it?"
"No…" Chuck looked down at his hand and watched the way it clutched his empty glass. "And I would like to end this discussion."
Nate looked at his friend for a moment, but then shrugged, letting it go.
"Well then, I have a little favour to ask you…"
"Don't you always?" Chuck grinned, glad to be on more familiar conversational ground.
"There's this new writer at the magazine… I want to give her a shot." Nate tried to begin in a low-key manner.
"You want to sleep with her." Chuck guessed not inaccurately.
"Dude, it's not like that. I just thought, maybe giving her an assignment to write about Chuck Bass on the eve on his first own hotel opening…"
"You definitely want to sleep with her." Chuck rolled his eyes. This was not the first time a request like this was pushed his way. Who was he to stand in the way of young lust? "Invite her to the party tonight at 1 Oak. If I like her, she can write the piece."
"You're the best, man!" Nate smiled and then paused. "Just, ah… don't sleep with her, okay?"
"Don't worry, Nathaniel." Chuck looked down at the panties still in his hand. "I believe your reporter is safe for now…"
Nate nodded and walked away, but commented as he did. "Yeah, it's the 'for now' part that makes me think I'm going to walk in on you two and a sex swing."
"It was one time…"
"I was planning on asking her to prom."
Back at Blair and Serena's…
"BLAIR!" Serena shouted as she pounced onto the bed and the lump under the covers that was her best friend.
Blair howled and sat up in the bed, pulled her sleep mask from her eyes, and tried to push her friend off of her. "How the hell did you get in here?" She demanded with narrowed eyes.
"I picked the lock." Serena shrugged.
"You've been watching too much Sherlock."
"Don't be grumpy. I have news!"
"It turns out that you're still married to that guy you knew for 7 minutes?"
"No, that's still annulled. And no, it's something better!" Serena clapped. "I got invited to a party tonight…"
"Bully for you." Blair said as she flopped back onto her pillows and pulled the covers over her again.
"Did I mention it's a private party…"
Blair rolled over, giving Serena her back. Serena leaned over Blair's body to whisper into her ear.
"It's at 1 Oak…"
Blair's eyes opened.
"And I got my new boss to let me bring a guest…
Blair rolled back over.
"Well, the most important parties to attend are the ones you aren't invited to…" Blair mused with a glint in her eye.
"That's my girl." Serena nodded.
Later that night, while dressed to the nines, Blair and Serena were let into the private party. For a private party there certainly was a crush of people. Blair's eyes subtly scanned the room, making note of the people who were worthy of making note of.
"I have to find my boss and say hi!" Serena giggled. "Want to come?"
Blair rolled her eyes. "No, thanks. I can meet your future ex-boyfriend later."
"Be nice!" Serena bumped Blair's hip with her own. "He could be the future love of my life."
Blair waved her friend away, and headed to the bar. With one glance at her the bartender was in front of her to take her drink order, and she had her martini before the waiting crowd could even mutter their displeasure.
Across the club, Chuck sat in a booth beside Nate, satisfied with the quality and quantity of the turnout. If this was any indication the hotel opening tomorrow would be the social even of the year. Chuck had been letting the sycophants in the place approach him, but the line was getting long. He decided to make himself a moving target and excused himself from the booth, saying he was circulating, but actually planning to take a strategic step back from the party that was in full swing. Leave them wanting more.
Also, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
He was on his way to his private back room when he caught sight of long dark curls that spilled down a perfect back. It couldn't be, he thought, but he was already headed towards her because something inside him knew it could be no one else.
Several people tried to speak to him, but he dismissed them with a scowl, and waved them away till he was sliding into the small space beside her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
"Well, well, well. This is a surprise." He drawled, unable to keep the grin off his face as he leaned an elbow on the bar.
He caught the ever so slight hitch in her breath before head slid onto her shoulder to look over at him with her huge eyes. He also didn't miss the slight tremble that shivered through her body. Good, he thought, she was affected by him too.
"That it is." She blinked, and the hint of a smile curved her red glossed lips. "Are you stalking me?" She pretended to look stern and off-putting.
"Only if you want me to…" He smirked.
"I'm undecided." She teased as she slowly turned her body towards his. As she did, her foot slid along his calf and it was his turn to have his breath hitch.
He cleared his throat, and looked down at the drink in her hand. "I'd offer to buy you a cocktail, but it would seem I'm too late."
Without breaking eye contact, Blair slowly lifted the glass to her lips, and drained its contents. When she was done, her tongue slid along her lower lip, and she thrilled to the way his heated gaze watched the action.
"A girl can always use another." She commented with a raised brow.
"Another night?" He purposely misunderstood.
"Another drink." She smiled coyly as her shoulders rocked, ever so slightly, back and forth.
He smiled at her and the twinkle in her eyes. "How about a more private drink?"
"And leave the party?" She said in mock affront. "How rude of us."
"True, but I think the host is forgiving. Or are you worried?"
"Oh, I'm not worried at all. I'm crashing. You?"
"I'm uninvited myself." He said easily, and it wasn't a lie since it was his party.
She smiled wider and he felt something in his stomach start fluttering, the same feeling he'd had the first moment he'd met her.
"Then shall we?" He offered her his arm.
She slid her hand into the crook of his arm and let him lead her away.
Chuck couldn't stop looking over at her as they moved through the crowd. This just got interesting, he thought.
To be continued…
