Blair smiled mischievously and started swinging her hips in an enticing way, to the rhythm of the music in the background. She had always been bored of having to perform the same steps over and over again in the elite society's balls and she now felt free to move her body in any sort of rhythm she pleased. Having that kind of power over her body and her own actions without having to worry about the comments of the other socialites made her feel free in a way she had never been before that moment. Her slender back was towards the audience and she noticed that as soon as she had started dancing, the other girls who were dancing in the burlesque club had fled the stage discreetly. She smirked with pleasure and continued dancing with those tortuously slow and sensual movements she had recently discovered. She slowly unknotted her cloak and let it drop to the ground with an ever so slow flow. There was collective intake of breath from all the gentlemen in the room as the cloak allowed her shape to be seen and everyone admired her scarlet dress clad feminine form.
Chuck Bass didn't realize he was standing up and reaching towards the stage until his leg bumped into the couch he had previously been sitting on. He felt like he was hypnotized by the beauty on the stage and those deliberately sensuous and slow movements. It seemed that, apparently, he had indeed been in some kind of trance since he didn't remember ever getting out of the couch. He downed his drink in one gulp quickly, hoping that the cold scotch could help him cool off and regain control over his senses and mind. He stepped into the side of the couch and just admired the beautiful girl who was dancing with her back towards the audience. He felt the tension rise because every single person in the club was expectantly waiting the moment where her dance would reach a climax and she would finally turn around. Chuck felt a warm breath against his neck and he realized with disgust that one of his father's associates, Mr. Windsor, had gotten closer to him in an attempt to observe the magnificence of the woman on the stage more closely. Well, he couldn't blame the old guy, Chuck thought, he probably had never seen anything so sexy or so feminine in his whole miserable life.
In a sudden moment of dizzy rebelliousness, Blair smirked mischievously as she slowly and tantalizingly undid the thin black straps that held her beautiful scarlet dress together and also let it cascade down to the floor of the stage in a flurry of velvet and satin with an innocently sensual and equally mischievous flick of her hand. There was another collective intake of breath as she revealed her enticing body, now only clad in a thin satin slip. She smiled as she felt the parts of her body that had previously been covered by the dress being assaulted with the heat that invaded the main room in Victrola. She continued rotating her hips, but now she sped up her pace as the song reached its climax. If anyone were to look around the room, they could have found that all of the respectable men from the Upper East Side were standing there, open mouthed, gaping at the mysterious belle onstage.
- Who's that girl? – asked Mr. Windsor with an awed voice to no one in particular.
- I have no idea. – answered Chuck with a mix of lust and reverence, desire and awe.
And the exact same moment when Chuck decided that the gorgeous brunette girl onstage was, without a doubt, the girl he was going to have tonight, she turned around slightly so that she could peer at the audience sensually just over her shoulder. It was such an innocently erotic move that Chuck couldn't believe that he was already very turned on by it. Her dark eyes shone with glee as she took in the reaction of the gentlemen in the room, being wanted and desired seemed to make her very happy indeed. Her smirk grew wider as she kept moving her body to the rhythm of the music and her dark eyes swept the room slowly, almost as if she was looking for someone. Suddenly, her assessment of the room stopped when her eyes focused square on him. For a moment, it was as if the music was dimmed and time started passing very slowly. Just as suddenly, they found that they were looking into each other's eyes.
As soon as their dark gazes made contact, Blair felt an electric bolt run through her body and goosebumps surging in the delicate exposed skin of her arms. She resisted the insistent urge to shiver as her eyes met an all too familiar pair of dark, lusty, deep eyes. He was everywhere, she thought with amazement. It was a very unfortunate coincidence that he was there and she really hadn't expected to find anyone she knew; however, if there was one place where she would suspect he spent his nights in, it was obviously Victrola – the classiest club in town. Blair knew she had to get out of the club quickly before the cunning man before her discovered her identity. However, Blair found that, for some reason, the danger of the idea of being discovered didn't alarm her at all. It actually filled her with adrenaline and a sense of adventure, a desire to really push this audacious experience to the limit… after all it may be her only chance to do something rebellious and feel completely free before her debutante season ended and the imminence of her wedding neared.
Blair started playing with the long string of pearls hanging around her neck and untied the last loose knot that still held some of her hair together, allowing her long chestnut curls to flow freely down her back. She continued looking at him straight in the eye as she kept playing with her pearls and moving her hair aside to reveal the creamy expanse of skin on the nape of her neck. She allowed a playful smirk to spread mischievously over her scarlet-colored, round cupid bow lips when she saw him visibly swallow at her antics. A mischievous and pleased glint appeared in her eyes. Oh, Blair Waldorf was enjoying this little escapade of hers way too much. Way more than any proper lady should, that was for sure.
To say that Chuck Bass was a little ashamed of his body's reactions was an understatement. He had expected that, after his vast experience acquired after years of illegal boozing and womanizing, he wouldn't find himself in such a compromising position after just a striptease onstage. However, the woman performing said striptease was nothing like the usual amateur whores that usually plagued the clubs in town and her striptease dance routine had been completely different to what he was used so far. There was an air of elegance to her every movement and her sensuality was so sophisticated and yet so… innocent. Really unlike anything he had ever had the pleasure of appreciating. When she turned and bared the nape of her beautiful neck to him, while looking straight at him, he knew he was done. He continued his searing visual contact with the sensual brunette woman onstage as he slowly raised his newly refilled glass of scotch into the air and slightly tilted it as a signal of admiration and drank its contents in a gulp. He wished he could see her face uncovered… He swallowed hard the knot forming in his throat. He realized he wanted to take her then and there, the other customers be damned. However, first, he just had to know her name and who she was. He was sure he had already seen her somewhere and the fact that she was elegant… way too elegant to belong to such a place.
No, it couldn't be that the mysterious woman onstage was actually a proper society lady, Chuck thought incredulously. The intrigue burning inside him was consuming him almost as much as the lust.
Blair realized the song she had been dancing to had ended some time after she took in the utter silence that enveloped the room. She blushed ever so slightly and started picking up her discarded clothing items from the wooden floor of the stage. As Blair was just retiring behind the velvet curtains to get changed, find her carriage and hurry home, she heard a roar of applause coming from the male audience of the club. She changed into her clothes very quickly, trying to keep a low profile for the sake of the other burlesque dancers who were currently glaring at her, no doubt jealous of her complete success.
- Don't you understand? I just need to talk to her. – said Chuck with a frustrated but very dangerous, low persuasive tone to the bulky man guarding the entrance to the dancers' changing rooms.
- Entry is forbidden to all gentlemen unless the lady says it's okay. – replied the man with a monotonous tone. – And no sex is allowed in there either.
- I understand. How much money are we talking about then? – asked Chuck as he reached for his pocket.
Just as the bulky man was opening his mouth to reply, the door behind him opened and out came a tiny and slender cloaked figure that quickly escaped the scene through a small and almost imperceptible door to the side of the bar. It took just a moment for Chuck to notice a glint of scarlet under the black cloak and for him to hurry behind the figure. Chuck went out the door and found himself on a darkened alley; it took him just a moment to realize that the mysterious brunette was yet again hurrying away. He didn't think twice before running after her and capturing her fragile wrist. She flailed around on an effort to get away from him and finally kicked him on the shin. Very hard. It took Chuck by surprise and he let out a groan; however, despite the pain, he kept holding on to her wrist.
- No, please don't leave. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to talk to you. – Chuck pleaded to the lady just as she stopped trying to kick him again.
- I have nothing to say to you – she replied in a dangerously low, cold and almost imperceptible tone – Please just leave me alone, I'm just waiting for my carriage to arrive. Which it will anytime now.
However her cold answer, Chuck thought that he had already heard that voice somewhere… and he recognized that fire in the eyes, that feistiness could only belong to one lady. It was very familiar and at the same time, much unexpected. But no, it couldn't possibly be her. No, it was completely impossible: such a prim and respectable society lady dancing at a taboo burlesque club like Victrola? Must surely be a delusion he was tricking himself with, a delusion he badly wanted to believe to be true. Because, truth be told, if it were to be true – if the mysteriously sensual brunette woman who had been dancing was indeed Miss Waldorf, as he suspected – it actually was way too good to be true. Chuck could only imagine what he could do with such knowledge. He could manipulate her; make her do anything to save her reputation. He'd have her in his ruthless hands, at his mercy. The thought alone was enough for him to regain his cocky attitude and place his confident smirk back on.
- Please – he asked again, more firmly this time – I just want to know your name.
- And why is that so necessary? – Blair replied with a huff as she detached herself from his grasp completely and took a step away from him.
- Because I feel like I already know you – he replied with quiet confidence as he traced his fingers over the laces that held her mask up.
Blair drew a sharp intake of breath as their dark eyes collided once again and she noticed the amusement in his eyes at his discovery. Blair tried to calm herself down. No, he couldn't have possibly recognized her. He couldn't… She had been quite careful, what with the mask and the cloak. And if he did, if he had discovered her, well she was doomed. Doomed and tarnished for life and quite possibly with no prospects of marriage if he ever uncovered her secret to society, which he was sure to do… unless he wanted something from her. Blair felt positively nauseous and she looked around desperately for her carriage but saw nothing but the deserted street. She was alone with Chuck Bass. Blair shivered as she saw his face inch closer to hers. He had at some moment taken a step forward without her noticing and was now leaning dangerously close, so their faces were a mere whisper away.
- I do know you, don't I? – Chuck asked in a husky whisper against her ear but it sounded more like a statement.
At his words, at this affirmation of his knowledge, Blair froze. When Blair didn't move or respond, Chuck smirked in triumph and took a step back to acknowledge her.
- My dearest Miss Waldorf, I believe your long awaited ride will never come for I took the liberty beforehand to pay your coachman a very generous tip so that you could remain here and enjoy this delightful conversation with me for awhile. – Chuck said in a humored tone.
- You are most definitely the most ill behaved gentleman I have ever had the displeasure to meet in my life. – Blair spat at him with venom.
- Pray tell me Miss Waldorf, who ever said I was, indeed, a gentleman? – asked he – When I take much pleasure engaging in very… ungentlemanly hobbies – finished Chuck with a husky quality to his voice as he meaningfully allowed his eyes to appraise her cloak-covered body.
- You disgust me – she said passionately – and I hate you.
After a moment in which she allowed herself to cool off just a bit, she continued.
- Because of you I now have to walk home alone, and in this estate no less.
- I believe, Miss Waldorf, that you knowingly exposed yourself to this ordeal and it is not polite to blame an innocent for the shameful position you are in, for I only wished to converse with such a delightful acquaintance as yourself. – Chuck answered with false sympathy in his voice.
Blared glared at him with pure hatred and her eyes, already darkened with fury, became fiery slots. She walked away from him and decidedly advanced on the street and towards her home. She was going to be so late, she only hoped Dorota wouldn't freak out and start a scandal. She noticed her feet were aching terribly after all the dancing and she furiously discovered that the night air was in no way merciful to her barely covered figure. She cursed Chuck Bass at every step she took. She heard someone running behind her and she braced herself for yet another set of embarrassing comments from the man she loathed.
- Miss Waldorf, would you please forgive me for my lack of manners. After all, respectable ladies such as you shouldn't be walking these dark, deserted streets unescorted. Would you accept my offer to give you a ride home in my carriage? – Chuck said out of breath once he had reached her.
A/N: Wow! This might just be the longest chapter I have ever written. I hope you enjoyed it. What do you think will happen next? Any ideas at all? Please R & R, I love reading your comments :)