Chapter 3

A few minutes later, Chuck returned looking as cool as ever, weilding a large bottle of red wine in one hand and two wine glasses in the other.

After pouring her a not-so-insignificant glass, Chuck handed her the drink with a wink, to which Blair rolled her eyes in response.

"You're up Waldorf. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare" she told him.

"I dare you to go skinny dipping" he smirked.

"I don't think so. Give me a truth" Blair answered automatically.

"Fine. How often did you think about me this summer?"

Blair sighed and got out of the hot tub after taking a swig of her wine. Walking to the edge of the pool, she took a deep breath as her hands found the ties to her top. C'mon Blair, you can do this. With a final sigh, Blair turned back and walked back to the hot tub. Before Chuck could call her out on it, she spoke up:

"A lot."

"What?" he asked, confused.

Blair took another big gulp of her drink.

"I thought about you a lot. Satisfied?" she asked, completely humiliated.

"Very" Chuck purred "My turn, give me a truth."

"You asked for it. Was the interior designer worth it?"

A flash of shock hit Chuck's smooth features.

"What? You didn't think Serena told me about her walking in on you and that Paris Hilton wannabe?" Blair laughed haughtily.

"I may have overestimated the extent of sibling confidentiality, but that doesn't mean I'm denying it" Chuck said.

"Then answer my question: was she worth it?"

"Honestly? No. She was stiff as a board and far too fragile for my taste."

"That's not what I meant and you know it" Blair said.

"Tough, that's my answer. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss me" he said soberly.

"Jesus, Chuck. You really lack creativity, you know that?" Blair growled, arms crossed.

"What I lack in creativity I make up for in stamina. You just did a truth, so now you gotta do your dare. Your rules, Waldorf" Chuck told her.

"Fine, but no touching."

"How do you expect to kiss me without any touching?" Chuck asked.

"I kiss you, not the other way around. Just sit still and keep your hands where I can see them" she ordered.

"Always the romantic" he grumbled as he lifted his hands out of the water in surrender.

"Satisfied?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not even close" she grumbled as she glided over to his side of the hot tub and let her lips brush across his. As soon as she began to pull back, the hands Chuck innocently held up were suddenly on her hips, bringing her onto his lap and crushing his lips against hers.

Blair fought it at first, desperate to break out of his grasp and reclaim her dignity. But it just felt so good, so right to have him in her arms. Moments later, she wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips fought against each other for dominance.

The kiss was…well, let's face it: it was the first physical contact they had had with each other since the week after the wedding. Their lips were fused together like a scuba diver to his oxygen mask. They needed each other to feel alive, even if only for a fleeing moment on a stupid dare.

No matter how many girls Chuck had been with, not one of them had been the girl—they weren't Blair. As for her, James wasn't so much a kisser as he was a pecker. He lacked all passion. At least Chuck knew how to convey emotion—maybe not in face to face confrontations, but in his kisses? Definitely.

But thinking about James was turning into a real mood killer for Blair, and soon thoughts of James became thoughts of all 27 girls Chuck slept with that summer. Breaking the kiss, Blair pulled back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could muster.

She felt satisfied as she watched his head snap to the side in shock and pushed herself off of him. Making her way to the other side of the hot-tub, Blair raised her eyebrows in defiance as Chuck turned menacning eyes in her direction.

"What was that for?" Chuck all but growled.

"Proof that you always have an agenda" she told him.

"An agenda?" he asked.

"Yes. You, Chuck Bass, have an agenda with every single person you encounter—especially women. You plan up ridiculous yet successful seduction schemes just to get what you want and I'm sick of being a victim of your perverted games" Blair said.

"Then walk away" he said "I'm not forcing you to play with me. You want to go, nothing is stopping you."

"Nothing but the thirst of friendly competition" she countered.

"Or the thirst of something else perhaps?"

"What are you implying?"

"Besides the fact that your new boy-toy is clearly leaving you unsatisfied? Nothing at all" he sneered "You're more tightly wound up than normal, Waldorf."

"Well what about you? If you've really spent the past three months having the time of your life by banging every available girl in the Hamptons, then what the fuck are you doing in a hot-tub with me?!" Blair demanded.

"That's my business. So, you don't deny that James can't please you in bed?"

"I said no such thing" Blair said, attempting to compose herself.

"You didn't have to. If he could make you come, you wouldn't be out here by yourself now would you?" he said.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she asked, ignoring his cruel comment.

"I'm bored" he sighed.

"I'm not forcing you to spend time with me Chuck" she snapped.

"No, I mean other girls bore me. But you? You never bore me. You're like an enigma. You make life interesting" he contemplated with a swirl on his wine glass "So that's why I'm here" he said "So now you tell me why you're here instead of off screwing your Ivy boy."

"We're taking things slow. I mean, why rush true love?" she asked, knowing she was taunting him with the words he used at his father's wedding.

"Why indeed? Except perhaps to get off" Chuck sneered "And what do you mean, 'taking things slow,' haven't you already fucked him?"

Blair knew she had him now. It was time for slow, painful payback against the man who destroyed her summer.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

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