Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW. I also do not own nor have any affiliation with Michael Kors, nor his brand.

Summer passed quickly. Blair and Chuck kept busy at the office during the day, and nights were for each other. True to Lucy's warning, Kyle, Blair's boss was a hard ass with no people skills whatsoever. Blair couldn't figure out how a man as powerful and influential in the fashion world like Michael Kors could allow someone so heinous to represent him.

The limited interaction Blair had with Michael had been interesting. He knew her name, and commented once on a sketch she gave to Lucy, but other than that, he was pretty hands off when it came to the interns.

Chuck was a different story. Michael adored him. They had met at a benefit that Michael was hosting. Chuck had made sure to give a generous donation so that his beloved girlfriend would be able to attend and mingle with the elite minds of the fashion world. Michael was the one to approach the pair, admiring Chuck's sense of style.

One of the surprising things Blair had learned about Chuck during their first year together was how very little thought and effort he put into his wardrobe. She had naturally assumed with as well dressed and fashion forward as he had been that he kept an eye on trends and spent a lot of time choosing his ensembles. The reality was as far from that as possible. He was trendy on accident. His style was effortless. Michael picked up on it.

As a result of the curious friendship, Blair was treated a little bit better in the office by Kyle than the rest of the interns. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Lucy was a completely different story. After their first conversation, Lucy took Blair under her wing and agreed to be her mentor. They had lunch together several times a week, and any issues that arose, Blair would always seek out her advice if she had any doubt about how to handle the situation.

The one week that Lucy was out of the office, a big issue arose. Chuck had announced that a business negotiation that he was involved in was not going as well as he had hoped. It was becoming more and more necessary to make a business trip to Japan to hash things out face to face. He asked Blair if she thought she could get ten days off to join him. Another intern had successfully negotiated a similar request so she hadn't thought it would be a problem. She was dead wrong.

"What do you mean you can't go?" Chuck hissed.

"My boss won't give me the time off to go," Blair responded tearfully as she fell into his lap, "And if I go I don't get credit for my internship because Kyle says he'd fail me."

"I need to speak to this boss of yours," Chuck insisted as he rocked her gently in his arms. He needed her with him during his business trip to Japan. She understood the local traditions and customs, and most importantly he'd never be able to go ten days without making love to her.

"It's no use," Blair stated as she wiped tears out of her eyes. "You know what a hard ass he is."

"Does Michael know about this?" Chuck inquired as he stroked her chin softly, "Perhaps if you went above your boss."

"I can't go over my boss's head," Blair exclaimed, "That would be career suicide before I even have a career!"

"Then I'll simply have to postpone my trip until you can go," he concluded. The solution was simple. He would not go. The business deal that he was working on would have to wait until she would be able to join him.

"Can you really afford to wait?" she inquired as she began to relax in his embrace. The mere thought of them being separated was nearly unbearable and had her stomach all turned up into knots. "Didn't you say that you needed to close this deal as soon as possible because there was a rival company sniffing around?"

"Trump will never find the money in time," Chuck assured her, "We can wait a few weeks. Your internship ends in less than a month, right. That will leave you with three weeks before school starts. We can go then."

"Okay," she nodded as she wiped her tears.

"How was your day?" he inquired. Her eyes lit up as she began talking animatedly about the rest of her day. His smile grew along with hers. She had found her destiny.

"You can't postpone, can you," Blair concluded as she came home a week later to see him waiting expectantly for her. His head was down and his eyes were dejected.

"Trump came up with a competitive offer," Chuck grumbled, "We still have the inside track, but we've got to seal this deal soon before Trump can put together another proposal."

"I know how important this is," she assured him as his arms went around her waist as she melted against him, "You have to go. I'm not going to stop you."

"I know," he nodded, "This is going to be hard. We've barely been separated since we've been together. Even when we haven't made love, we've always slept at each other's side. I don't know how to sleep without you next to me anymore. What am I going to do without your cold toes rubbing up against me in the middle of the night?"

She chuckled softly at his playful teasing, but he made a valid point. They had only spent less than a handful of nights away from each other, and on those rare nights, she hadn't slept well or at all. He was going to be half a world away in a completely different time zone. The bags under her eyes while he was gone were going to be atrocious.

"We'll just need to make the most of these few nights we have left before you leave," she concluded as she pulled him in for a passionate kiss as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. His hands slid from her waist up to her back as he pulled her impossibly closer. Her legs came around his waist instantly as he backed her against the nearest wall. She landed with a soft thud as she broke the kiss to catch her breath. He used that moment to attack her neck. Her head fell back against the wall with a hard crack. He paused when he thought she'd be in serious pain, but she merely moaned which spurred him on.

"Chuck, take me to bed," she moaned as he began divesting her of her clothes. There were faint sounds of seams giving way and buttons falling, but all that either were focused on were the sounds coming from their mouths. They were in heaven.

He didn't respond other than to lift her away from the wall as her legs untangled from his waist. She returned to her feet only to turn them around so that he was now against the wall and she was removing his clothes.

"What about the bed?" Chuck asked as he licked his suddenly parched lips as he panted with desire.

"I don't know if we'll make it," she smirked as his pants dropped to the floor.

"I think you're right," he nodded as he toed his shoes off so his pants could be kicked away before he spun them and lifted her against the wall once more so he could fill her. They both moaned at the swiftness of his actions. Blair was lifted higher against the wall as they worked together to reach their peak.

"How in the hell are we going ten days without this?" Chuck hissed as he crashed against her after he spent himself inside of her. Their combined breathing was raged, and he could feel her losing her hold around his hips as her legs turned to gelatin.

"We'll have to become resourceful," she concluded.

"Nothing can ever replace the real thing," he stated as he let her legs fall so she was on her feet. He knew he couldn't release her as she'd collapse to the floor.

"We'll just have to use our imagination," she explained as she captured his lips in a searing kiss, "You'll have to imagine that it's me dressed as one of those Geisha girls when you go get your authentic massage."

"Nobody touches me but you," he replied as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

She giggled like a little schoolgirl as he nearly tripped over his discarded pants that were in his way. They both were almost sent sprawling but he recovered just in time to keep his tight grip on her. He gave her a sheepish grin as he continued towards the bedroom a little more aware of the floor in front of him. She was laughing so hard by that time that he almost dropped her from the shaking. He was going to miss that laugh while he was away.

They spent the better part of that night on into the morning memorizing every minuscule detail of each other's body as they prepared for the longest separation of their lives.

They were both exhausted as they went into their offices the next day, but it was worth it.

TBC. . .

Nope, don't own Trump either, but it seemed like a natural business rival for Bass Industries. My list of disclaimers is starting to get a little out of control.