The Switch- Chapter Two
What the hell had she gotten herself into? She had tossed and turned in the giant, plush giường all night long asking herself the same question.
Blair propped herself up in the giường and buried her head in her arms. Damn it. For once in her life everything had being going to her plan, but now that was all in jeopardy. It was all Lily’s fault, but she knew that she would have to do whatever she asked after she had bailed her mother out of that jam. She didn’t even like to think about that anymore.
Blair knew that Lily expected her to hate Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass on sight, but surprisingly that hadn’t happened. She didn’t like him either, but she wanted to hate him. Yes, he was disgusting in a way, but he was also funny and not to mention attractive. Humor was not a thing that someone associated with Chuck Bass, but she could see through his façade immediately probably because she was the same way.
Blair tiptoed out of giường and went over to the enormous walk-in closet which now was filled with all of her clothes. She threw a satin peach, silk quần áo, áo choàng over her negligee and ran a brush through her hair as she continued to think about Chuck.
What surprised her the most about him was that he really didn’t remember her. Granted, they had never spent any time together, but they had met several times before. She wondered if he would ever remember, not that it mattered since she planned on telling him today that they already did know each other.
She had a job to do though. And being nice to Chuck was not in the game plan. Lily had told her under specific instructions to not give an inch around him hoặc he would destroy her which was probably true. He had a devious nature about him, but he didn’t realize that she would not allow herself to be taken advantage of. After the required sixty days were up, she could di chuyển on with her life and forget about Lily, Chuck, and everyone else.
And with that thought she headed out into the hallway where she would be encountering another surprise.
XOXO
Blair stepped into the hallway and noticed that the door to the bathroom that connected her room to Chuck’s was cracked open. A slight smile crossed her face as she moved closer to take a peek inside. A gurgle of laughter bubbled in her chest when she saw what Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass looked like in the mornings. She quickly swallowed and trapped the laughter, so that he would not hear her.
She kept her eyes trained on him as he continued shaving while looking in the mirror. He hadn’t spotted her yet and for that she was grateful.
He had a pair of silk pajama pants slung low on his hips while he was bare chested. The sight of him without a áo sơ mi on caused her to pause for a minute, but she continued her survey down his body. His hair was flying in every direction possible, he was bleary eyed, he had dark circles under his eyes, and barely looked like he could stand upright.
Blair couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore; she allowed it to bubble out of her while she leaned against the doorframe. “You’re not a morning person, are you?”
As soon as he heard her, Chuck quickly turned around. “Fuck!” he cursed as he nicked himself with the razor. “What the hell do bạn think you’re doing? Are bạn trying to get me to kill myself?” He wiped the blood away that had collected on his jaw.
The smile quickly left her face. “Of course not. I just find it pretty funny that this big CEO of a company is definitely looking horrible in the morning. Do bạn ever let anyone see bạn in the morning?”
He looked back at the mirror and had to admit that he did look horrible, but he wouldn’t for long. He turned back around to face Blair and say something about her appearance, but found there was nothing to nitpick about. She looked chipper and fresh, not to mention beautiful when it was barely seven in the morning. “Fine. I’m not a morning person. Okay? Are bạn satisfied now?”
“Oh, yes.”
He noticed for the first time how beautiful her smile was, but he quickly tried to push that thought away. He couldn’t afford to think of Blair Waldorf of anything other than a job because that was what she was. She was just something that he had to di chuyển aside so that he could get his inheritance and not lose his company. He continued to stare at her, but she didn’t seem intimidated in the least. He finally said, “I have to take a vòi hoa sen and then I’ll be good to go. You’ll see, I’ll come out looking just fine.”
When Blair didn’t leave, he asked seductively, “Were bạn planning on joining me? Maybe I don’t need the full sixty days to make bạn fall in tình yêu with me.” A leer was set in place on his face.
A grin quickly tilted the corners of her mouth. “You expect me to want to take a vòi hoa sen with bạn looking like that? I’ll take a rain check, okay?” she bit out very sarcastically.
He was in the process of opening the vòi hoa sen door, but shut it. “Was that a challenge, Waldorf?”
She gave him a tired look. “That wasn’t a challenge, Bass.”
“Yes, it was.” He insisted.
She shook her head. “Fine, I take it back.”
“You can’t. It’s out there now, bạn have to live with that.”
They continued to stare at each other, until Chuck broke the silence. “Are bạn ever going to leave so that I can take a shower? I already told bạn that you’re thêm than welcomed to tham gia me. If bạn don’t leave soon, I’m just going to shuck my pants.”
She surprised him when she started to laugh again.
“What the hell is so funny?” he asked indignantly.
“You are. Do bạn think I care if I see bạn naked? I’ve seen thêm than a few naked men in my life. So bởi all means, go ahead.”
He met her challenge and shed his pajama pants very quickly.
Blair held her breath as she took in the sight of his naked body. He was easily the most attractive man that she had ever laid eyes on, even if he looked like shit in the morning. She took a bored stance and continued to look at him, her eyes drifting down to his penis.
“Do bạn see anything bạn like?” Chuck asked in a smug voice.
She turned to leave, but before she did, she đã đưa ý kiến very mockingly, “Only fifty-nine thêm days.”
Chuck stared at the door as it clicked softly behind her as she shut it. She had rendered him speechless. He liked it.
XOXO
Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass was ridiculous. Blair knew that to be true within the first few days of staying with him. A few days had passed and for the most part, she had stayed out of his way because that was what she was supposed to be doing. And he had left her alone for the most part.
That’s why it surprised her so much to see the extravagant trouble he went to tonight. As soon as she had walked through the door, she noticed the candles lit in the dining room, the bữa tối, bữa ăn tối that was waiting on the table, the complex place settings, but most of Blair noticed the romantic setting that he had created. She knew that he had gone to a lot of trouble for her, but she couldn’t appreciate it.
She didn’t bình luận on it as she brushed the hem of her váy further down her thighs. She noticed his eyes on her as the swishy material flowed around her hips. He held out the chair for her and she sat without a word.
They ate in silence for a few moments before she got the nerve to ask, “What is all this?”
Chuck put his glass of red wine down. “What do bạn mean?”
He didn’t fool her though. “I mean, all of this. Why did bạn do all of this, Bass? We’ve been ignoring each other for the past few days and that’s been fine with me. I’m just staying here until the required sixty days are up, bạn know that.”
His eyes hardened. “I was just trying to make bạn a little thêm comfortable while bạn were staying here, but I forgot all of this is just wasted on you,” He waved his hand around the dining room. “You’re just a frigid, cold, bitch.”
A smile illuminated her face and he looked shocked to see it there. “Why in the hell are bạn smiling when I just called bạn a bitch?”
Blair picked up her napkin from the bàn and put in back in her lap. She brought her eyes up to his. “I’m laughing at you.”
“Am I that funny, Waldorf?” he growled.
“In a way, yes. You’re so defensive about everything and that amuses me.”
He shook his head in irritation. “I’m glad that I can amuse bạn so much.”
She saw the annoyance in his eyes. She covered his hand with his. “I understand that bạn want everything in your father’s will and I can’t say that I blame you, but bạn have to realize that this isn’t my ideal situation either. I was just thinking that bạn did all of this to woo me into your bed, so that bạn would uphold your end and get everything. But none of this is going to work on me, Chuck. The atmosphere, the candles, the romance that you’re trying to create, I’m telling bạn that it won’t work.”
He turned over her palm and traced circles onto her skin. Both of them felt the heat and explosion as they continued to hold hands. “What if I told bạn this wasn’t about this? That I just wanted to have bữa tối, bữa ăn tối with bạn without any implications.”
“I wouldn’t believe you.”
He chuckled. He dropped her hand and it landed with a plop back on the table. “I will admit that I was trying to woo bạn a little bit, but that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. And bạn shouldn’t be so sure that bạn won’t give in to me Blair, there’s still fifty-five days and bạn don’t even know me yet, maybe you’ll learn to tình yêu me.”
She raised her eyebrows as she continued to look at him. “I doubt it Chuck, but give it all you’ve got.”
“You know that I will, but let’s just put that to the side for now. I’ve realized that I know absolutely nothing about you, so tell me something.”
Blair continued to stare at him as he pushed away his plate and carelessly dragged a hand through his hair. She was starting to like him and that could become dangerous, so she decided to give him a little something. “I’ll tell bạn something as long as bạn know that this isn’t going to work.”
“That’s not what this is about. I just wanted to know something about you.”
“Fine,” he seemed sincere, so she decided to tell him a little about herself and she would guarantee that he was going to be blown away. “What do bạn want to know?”
Chuck moved his chair closer to hers. “Everything.” He đã đưa ý kiến in a voice that was husky and filled with the promise of sex.
“Okay,” she tried to ignore the tingles that were running down her spine at his closeness. “Just remember that bạn asked for it.” He nodded and she continued, “I’m twenty seven, divorced, I serve on many foundations, I almost died when my ex-husband ran me over with his car, I tình yêu sách and movies, I hate anything that has to do with death, and I’m not here because I want to be, but because I owe Lily a favor over something that she did for me and my mother. And I’m certainly not here to get rich off of you, Bass.”
She could tell that everything that she had just đã đưa ý kiến was whirling around in his mind, but she still had to caution him on one thing. “Do not ask me anything about Lily hoặc what she did for me because I’m not going to talk about.”
He could tell that she was serious, so he đã đưa ý kiến nothing on that even though he wanted to know. Instead he asked, “You were married?”
She noticed the shocked tone in his voice, but wasn’t surprised bởi it. It was very easy to judge when bạn hadn’t been placed in the same situation. “Yes, I was. Not happily and not for long, but married none the less.”
He placed a hand on her lower back. “What happened?”
She smiled tightly. “That is a story for another day.”
“Blair,” a crease appeared between his eyebrows. “You can talk to me.”
“Not today,” she shook her head. “I will tell you, but I don’t want to relieve that pain over today. I’ve actually had an enjoyable ngày and I don’t want to ruin it bởi talking about him.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you,” Blair inclined her head toward him once and asked, “So do the same in return for me now. Tell me some things about yourself and make sure to include something big in there, like the thing I did with Lily.”
“Alright,” he pondered for a một phút before saying, “I’m twenty-eight, never been married, but did get close once, I’ve been betrayed numerous times bởi everyone I know and maybe that’s why I’m cold and cynical, I’m a womanizer, but that doesn’t make me happy anymore, I like bạn and not just because of the stipulation in the will, and most of all, I’m scared shitless that I’m going to lose my company.”
She couldn’t believe that he just told her all of that. “Wow, I almost don’t know what to say.”
“Was that enough info about my pathetic self for you?” he asked with a grimace of pain.
“Hey. Don’t do that,” she replied softly while putting an arm around his waist gently. “I’m not going to judge you, I’ve never been in the position that bạn have and I hate people who judge anyways. That’s happened to me all my life though. One câu hỏi though. What do bạn mean about losing your company? Why would that happen?”
“Lily didn’t tell you?” he asked, while giving her that cold look. Blair knew that wasn’t about her, but thêm about Lily.
She knew there was thêm to the story though. There was something that wasn’t right. “What am I missing? All Lily told me was that bạn had to make me fall in tình yêu with bạn otherwise your inheritance will travel over to her.”
A look of utter shock and dismay crossed his face. “I shouldn’t be surprised,” he whispered. It was an angry hiss of words and Blair knew that she never wanted to vượt qua, cross him. “Bart was very smart when it came to making the will, Waldorf. If I don’t get bạn to fall in tình yêu with me bởi the end of the sixty ngày period everything is going to go to Lily, including my company which is the only thing that I’ve ever been proud of in my life. It was the only thing that had nothing to do with my father and I can’t lose it. I enjoy it too much, so I have to make bạn fall in tình yêu with me.” He stressed.
A đắng, cay đắng laugh escaped her lips.
“How can bạn possibly laugh at a time like this?”
“It’s easy,” she stated. “You. That’s what I’m laughing at,” Blair hissed the words into his face. “I can’t believe this. I thought bạn were spilling your soul to me before, but it was all about the damn will! I’m not going to fall in tình yêu with you! I will not.” She stood hurriedly and pushed her chair hard against the table.
He caught her arm in his. “Don’t go, Blair. It wasn’t like that. I was spilling myself to bạn and I wasn’t even thinking about the fucking stipulation to the will then. It’s just been on my mind a lot because I’m fucking scared about losing everything. Do bạn hear me? I’m fucking scared!”
Blair felt herself soften at his words, but she couldn’t allow that to happen. She wanted to scream at him, yell until she was blue in the face, but most of all she just wanted to dive in his arms until he could reassure her that everything would be alright eventually. That was impossible though. She was only here to do a job, she just had to keep reminding herself of that hoặc she would give into him. He was hiển thị her a side of himself that he never showed anyone, but that would not deter her from her goal. It was all for him, she just had to keep thinking of him and she would be alright, she could never tell Chuck about that though. She wasn’t going to allow herself to let him in, she had to make sure she destroyed him, so he knew that she was serious about everything.
She snatched her arm away from his. “Go tell one of your prostitutes hoặc whores because I don’t fucking care.”
He shook his head sadly.
“What?” she snapped.
“You’re letting her win,” he replied sadly. “Don’t let her do that. Forget about the will and everything else for a minute, but just don’t let her do that. I know what a chó cái, bitch Lily is. I’ve known it all this time and I tried to warn my father about her, but he just wouldn’t listen to me. Like always,” He added bitterly. “But if bạn let her do this, then you’re just as weak as she is.”
Blair looked at him over her shoulder and replied, “I will not let bạn suck me into your web and deceit of lies.” With that she was gone.
He stood staring at the spot where she had been and cursing that bitch, Lily. She had to be stopped and he would have to make sure that he did it. He knew that it wasn’t a wise idea, but that didn’t stop him from picking up the tumbler of scotch and throwing it against the wall. The crash was significant and he watched as the amber liquid splashed all over his pristine white walls. It had felt good, so he picked something else up to smash. He decided to do that until some of his anger had abated. A half giờ later, he had broken all of his glassware and his anger was still simmering without any means of stopping. He decided that he would have to pay Lily back for this. Not now, but one ngày she would understand the torture that she had put him through bởi marrying his father. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would make Blair fall in tình yêu with him. He was confident of that.
XOXO
The tiếp theo ngày as she rounded the corner and made her way into the office, she knew that she would have a battle on her hands. Her slingback heels made a clacking noise as she walked across the wood plank floors and the person residing in the bàn chair looked up in surprise.
“Blair,” Lily stated in cold tones. “What are bạn doing here? Is Chuck driving bạn crazy already?”
“No, not exactly,” her mouth tipped up in a grin at Lily’s look of disbelief. “You need to cut Chuck some slack. He’s not as bad as bạn think he is.”
“Has he already told bạn what an evil chó cái, bitch that I am?” Lily laughed bitterly. “I thought bạn weren’t going to allow him to get to you, Blair?”
Blair moved further into the office and noticed the changes that âm bass, tiếng bass, bass Industries had incurred since the last time that she had been there. In that moment, she realized that Lily didn’t care about the company at all, she just wanted to be able to make as much money as she could and to destroy people in the process. For the first time, she was seeing what a cold hearted chó cái, bitch she really was.
“I’m not allowing him to get to me, Lil. I just find it ironic that you’re always telling me how he will destroy me and use it against me, and how all he does is lie, but you’re the same way. bạn didn’t tell me that he will lose his company if he doesn’t make me fall in tình yêu with him. Why did bạn lie to me?”
“I didn’t lie,” she bristled at the accusation. “It was thêm of evading the truth, but it was only done to protect you. I know how Chuck is and he’ll do hoặc say anything to get what he wants.”
“Then he’s exactly like you.”
“Blair,” she shook her head in irritation. “You’re letting him work bạn over. We had a deal, you’re supposed to uphold your end. And he was horrible to Bart! bạn don’t even know all of the things that have happened.”
“Maybe bạn have it wrong, Lily. Maybe it was Bart that was horrible to Chuck.” She stressed the words, so there would be no mistake on her end.
“You’re letting him win, Blair. Do bạn really want him to get everything that was rightfully Bart’s?”
“How the hell is losing his company something that bạn want? He personally built his company, and that shouldn’t belong to your hoặc anyone else besides Chuck.”
A devious grin tilted her lips. “Are bạn falling for his charms already, Blair? Because if bạn are, I assure that it’s a mistake. Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass does one thing and one thing only. He screws women and then never sees them again. bạn will never live this down if bạn let him get to you.”
Blair đã đưa ý kiến nothing, but Lily wasn’t finished yet. “And did bạn really want everything of Bart’s to be put in his greedy hands. Do bạn want me to lose everything?”
“I don’t fucking care about the will hoặc the money! None of that matters to me!” The words burst from her lips and she couldn’t take them back, but she didn’t want too anyways.
Lily stood up from her bàn chair and went over to Blair and slung an arm around her. “Do we still have our deal hoặc not?” she asked in deceptive, cold tones. “Do bạn want me to have to reveal what I did for your mother? Will she ever be able to live that down? I don’t want to do that, but you’re forcing me here.”
“You know that I don’t want that, Lily,” she replied with a disgusted gaze. “I will do whatever is needed because I have to protect my mother, but this is wrong and bạn know that. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.”
“You’re just listening to what Chuck is telling bạn and he’s making bạn turn on me.”
“No. That is not what is going on,” she đã đưa ý kiến as she made her way to the door. “The past week I’ve seen Chuck and then I’ve seen the real Chuck. The one that is scared, vulnerable, upset and disgusted with his life, and who no one ever gives a break to. I’m not saying his perfect because he isn’t, but bạn don’t even care about him. You’re his stepmother and you’re ready to just throw him off a bridge without a lifejacket. I’m ashamed of bạn for that, but I can’t believe that bạn would use what bạn did to help my mother against me. That just shows what a chó cái, bitch you’ve become, hoặc maybe bạn were always like that and I just didn’t know it.”
“You will not fall in tình yêu with him hoặc if bạn do, bạn will lie and say that bạn haven’t hoặc everything will be revealed about Eleanor. Do bạn understand me?”
“I understand perfectly what a raving, lunatic chó cái, bitch you’ve become and yes, I will do what bạn want, but only because it’s the only way out. I hate bạn for this though.” With a swish of her heels, Blair disappeared out of the office and down the hallway. She knew that it would be a mistake to come here, but she couldn’t stand what Lily was asking her to do. She had to tell Chuck the truth, not about Lily, but about how she already knew him in some way. She would have to make sure that she didn’t come to like him anymore than she already did, but she was already in dangerous territory with that.
XOXO
Blair descended the staircase and noticed Chuck standing at the sidebar where there was still glass shattered everywhere. She had dressed in a prim and proper pantsuit, so that nothing could distract her from her goal, which was to tell him the truth. She noticed the way he was clenching his fists and she figured that he was still mad about what had happened the other day. She couldn’t say that she blamed him.
She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “We need to talk,” she đã đưa ý kiến as he turned around very slowly.
“We do?” he asked mockingly. “Are bạn talking to me again?”
“Chuck,” she began tiredly. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. I have to tell bạn something.”
He turned away from her and faced the wall. “I don’t want to hear anything that bạn have to say. You’ve fucking made it clear how bạn feel about me, haven’t you?”
“What the hell do bạn want from me?”
“Nothing,” he snarled. “I don’t want anything from you. We’re both in a difficult situation, but then bạn make it so much worse when bạn keep telling me that all I’m trying to do is get bạn into the sack. Maybe at first I was doing that, but if I talk to you, bạn accuse me of doing something wrong.”
She moved to the side of him and looked into his face, she saw the hurt and recoiled from it. She didn’t know what to do with that. “I do have something really important to tell you.”
“I’ve already told bạn that I don’t want to hear anything that bạn have to say, but go ahead and humor yourself.”
“Can bạn at least look at me while I’m talking to you?”
He did as she asked and Blair was shocked to see the cold depths of his brown eyes and the daggers they were shooting at her. She swallowed hard. “Do bạn remember the best friend bạn had at one time in high school? Nathaniel Archibald?”
Chuck’s demeanor changed instantly. His back stiffened, his nostrils flared, his eyes turned black with rage, and he hissed, “How dare bạn mention that bastard to me? And how do bạn even know who he is?”
She took a deep breath to calm herself before saying, “I know the two of bạn had a falling out after high school, but we kind of already know each other, Chuck. I was the girl that he used to date. I know bạn don’t remember me, but I remember you. I just thought that bạn should know because I’m sure that Lily will try to use this against the both of us.”
A đắng, cay đắng laugh escaped from his lips and he had to clench his fists until they turned white for the urge to throw something simmered down. “You mean to tell me that bạn were that girl that was always chasing Nathaniel? The one who would never leave him alone?”
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him until he hit the sideboard. “You don’t get to make fun of me, do bạn understand that?” she asked in deceptively calm tones. “I’m trying to help bạn here because Lily knows this and she will use something against me if she thinks that I’m not upholding my end of the bargain.”
He cocked his head to the side and gave her a grin. His anger seemed to vanish at her words. “Are bạn having một giây thoughts?”
Blair put some distance between them. She was getting too close to him and it was having the required effect on her. “I told Lily that I think she’s wrong about you, but she refuses to listen to me and it’s too late anyways. We can’t go against Bart’s will, but I’m getting sidetracked. This is about Nate.”
“What the hell about him? bạn should know that the mention of his name is forbidden here after what he’s done to me. Do bạn know what he did, Blair?”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t matter right now.” She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes while she continued, “Nate is actually my ex-husband.”
She waited for him to explode and didn’t have to wait long.
A mirthless laugh escaped Chuck’s mouth. “Are bạn fucking kidding me? That is your ex-husband? I don’t fucking believe it.”
“Wait, I haven’t even gotten to the bad part yet. Well, being married to him was certainly not a picnic, but there’s more. Lily knows some things about me. She helped my mother out of a tight spot and I can’t let her reveal something about Eleanor hoặc she will never live it down. And even worse, if I don’t stick to the plan and help her win everything from Bart’s will, she will take away the thing I tình yêu most.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what’s that?”
He waited for baited breath and he was right, it was as bad as he expected.
Blair reached out for his hand and gripped it hard. “The thing I tình yêu most is Braden. My son with Nate. Nate’s trying to take him away from me and bạn have to help me.”
To Be Continued…
A/N: I’m going to New York for a week, so this is my last update for quite a while. I just have to say a special thank bạn to Alicia who helps with everything. Whether it be support, writing, friendship, hoặc just plain talking. I’ll miss you. :D
What the hell had she gotten herself into? She had tossed and turned in the giant, plush giường all night long asking herself the same question.
Blair propped herself up in the giường and buried her head in her arms. Damn it. For once in her life everything had being going to her plan, but now that was all in jeopardy. It was all Lily’s fault, but she knew that she would have to do whatever she asked after she had bailed her mother out of that jam. She didn’t even like to think about that anymore.
Blair knew that Lily expected her to hate Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass on sight, but surprisingly that hadn’t happened. She didn’t like him either, but she wanted to hate him. Yes, he was disgusting in a way, but he was also funny and not to mention attractive. Humor was not a thing that someone associated with Chuck Bass, but she could see through his façade immediately probably because she was the same way.
Blair tiptoed out of giường and went over to the enormous walk-in closet which now was filled with all of her clothes. She threw a satin peach, silk quần áo, áo choàng over her negligee and ran a brush through her hair as she continued to think about Chuck.
What surprised her the most about him was that he really didn’t remember her. Granted, they had never spent any time together, but they had met several times before. She wondered if he would ever remember, not that it mattered since she planned on telling him today that they already did know each other.
She had a job to do though. And being nice to Chuck was not in the game plan. Lily had told her under specific instructions to not give an inch around him hoặc he would destroy her which was probably true. He had a devious nature about him, but he didn’t realize that she would not allow herself to be taken advantage of. After the required sixty days were up, she could di chuyển on with her life and forget about Lily, Chuck, and everyone else.
And with that thought she headed out into the hallway where she would be encountering another surprise.
XOXO
Blair stepped into the hallway and noticed that the door to the bathroom that connected her room to Chuck’s was cracked open. A slight smile crossed her face as she moved closer to take a peek inside. A gurgle of laughter bubbled in her chest when she saw what Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass looked like in the mornings. She quickly swallowed and trapped the laughter, so that he would not hear her.
She kept her eyes trained on him as he continued shaving while looking in the mirror. He hadn’t spotted her yet and for that she was grateful.
He had a pair of silk pajama pants slung low on his hips while he was bare chested. The sight of him without a áo sơ mi on caused her to pause for a minute, but she continued her survey down his body. His hair was flying in every direction possible, he was bleary eyed, he had dark circles under his eyes, and barely looked like he could stand upright.
Blair couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore; she allowed it to bubble out of her while she leaned against the doorframe. “You’re not a morning person, are you?”
As soon as he heard her, Chuck quickly turned around. “Fuck!” he cursed as he nicked himself with the razor. “What the hell do bạn think you’re doing? Are bạn trying to get me to kill myself?” He wiped the blood away that had collected on his jaw.
The smile quickly left her face. “Of course not. I just find it pretty funny that this big CEO of a company is definitely looking horrible in the morning. Do bạn ever let anyone see bạn in the morning?”
He looked back at the mirror and had to admit that he did look horrible, but he wouldn’t for long. He turned back around to face Blair and say something about her appearance, but found there was nothing to nitpick about. She looked chipper and fresh, not to mention beautiful when it was barely seven in the morning. “Fine. I’m not a morning person. Okay? Are bạn satisfied now?”
“Oh, yes.”
He noticed for the first time how beautiful her smile was, but he quickly tried to push that thought away. He couldn’t afford to think of Blair Waldorf of anything other than a job because that was what she was. She was just something that he had to di chuyển aside so that he could get his inheritance and not lose his company. He continued to stare at her, but she didn’t seem intimidated in the least. He finally said, “I have to take a vòi hoa sen and then I’ll be good to go. You’ll see, I’ll come out looking just fine.”
When Blair didn’t leave, he asked seductively, “Were bạn planning on joining me? Maybe I don’t need the full sixty days to make bạn fall in tình yêu with me.” A leer was set in place on his face.
A grin quickly tilted the corners of her mouth. “You expect me to want to take a vòi hoa sen with bạn looking like that? I’ll take a rain check, okay?” she bit out very sarcastically.
He was in the process of opening the vòi hoa sen door, but shut it. “Was that a challenge, Waldorf?”
She gave him a tired look. “That wasn’t a challenge, Bass.”
“Yes, it was.” He insisted.
She shook her head. “Fine, I take it back.”
“You can’t. It’s out there now, bạn have to live with that.”
They continued to stare at each other, until Chuck broke the silence. “Are bạn ever going to leave so that I can take a shower? I already told bạn that you’re thêm than welcomed to tham gia me. If bạn don’t leave soon, I’m just going to shuck my pants.”
She surprised him when she started to laugh again.
“What the hell is so funny?” he asked indignantly.
“You are. Do bạn think I care if I see bạn naked? I’ve seen thêm than a few naked men in my life. So bởi all means, go ahead.”
He met her challenge and shed his pajama pants very quickly.
Blair held her breath as she took in the sight of his naked body. He was easily the most attractive man that she had ever laid eyes on, even if he looked like shit in the morning. She took a bored stance and continued to look at him, her eyes drifting down to his penis.
“Do bạn see anything bạn like?” Chuck asked in a smug voice.
She turned to leave, but before she did, she đã đưa ý kiến very mockingly, “Only fifty-nine thêm days.”
Chuck stared at the door as it clicked softly behind her as she shut it. She had rendered him speechless. He liked it.
XOXO
Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass was ridiculous. Blair knew that to be true within the first few days of staying with him. A few days had passed and for the most part, she had stayed out of his way because that was what she was supposed to be doing. And he had left her alone for the most part.
That’s why it surprised her so much to see the extravagant trouble he went to tonight. As soon as she had walked through the door, she noticed the candles lit in the dining room, the bữa tối, bữa ăn tối that was waiting on the table, the complex place settings, but most of Blair noticed the romantic setting that he had created. She knew that he had gone to a lot of trouble for her, but she couldn’t appreciate it.
She didn’t bình luận on it as she brushed the hem of her váy further down her thighs. She noticed his eyes on her as the swishy material flowed around her hips. He held out the chair for her and she sat without a word.
They ate in silence for a few moments before she got the nerve to ask, “What is all this?”
Chuck put his glass of red wine down. “What do bạn mean?”
He didn’t fool her though. “I mean, all of this. Why did bạn do all of this, Bass? We’ve been ignoring each other for the past few days and that’s been fine with me. I’m just staying here until the required sixty days are up, bạn know that.”
His eyes hardened. “I was just trying to make bạn a little thêm comfortable while bạn were staying here, but I forgot all of this is just wasted on you,” He waved his hand around the dining room. “You’re just a frigid, cold, bitch.”
A smile illuminated her face and he looked shocked to see it there. “Why in the hell are bạn smiling when I just called bạn a bitch?”
Blair picked up her napkin from the bàn and put in back in her lap. She brought her eyes up to his. “I’m laughing at you.”
“Am I that funny, Waldorf?” he growled.
“In a way, yes. You’re so defensive about everything and that amuses me.”
He shook his head in irritation. “I’m glad that I can amuse bạn so much.”
She saw the annoyance in his eyes. She covered his hand with his. “I understand that bạn want everything in your father’s will and I can’t say that I blame you, but bạn have to realize that this isn’t my ideal situation either. I was just thinking that bạn did all of this to woo me into your bed, so that bạn would uphold your end and get everything. But none of this is going to work on me, Chuck. The atmosphere, the candles, the romance that you’re trying to create, I’m telling bạn that it won’t work.”
He turned over her palm and traced circles onto her skin. Both of them felt the heat and explosion as they continued to hold hands. “What if I told bạn this wasn’t about this? That I just wanted to have bữa tối, bữa ăn tối with bạn without any implications.”
“I wouldn’t believe you.”
He chuckled. He dropped her hand and it landed with a plop back on the table. “I will admit that I was trying to woo bạn a little bit, but that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. And bạn shouldn’t be so sure that bạn won’t give in to me Blair, there’s still fifty-five days and bạn don’t even know me yet, maybe you’ll learn to tình yêu me.”
She raised her eyebrows as she continued to look at him. “I doubt it Chuck, but give it all you’ve got.”
“You know that I will, but let’s just put that to the side for now. I’ve realized that I know absolutely nothing about you, so tell me something.”
Blair continued to stare at him as he pushed away his plate and carelessly dragged a hand through his hair. She was starting to like him and that could become dangerous, so she decided to give him a little something. “I’ll tell bạn something as long as bạn know that this isn’t going to work.”
“That’s not what this is about. I just wanted to know something about you.”
“Fine,” he seemed sincere, so she decided to tell him a little about herself and she would guarantee that he was going to be blown away. “What do bạn want to know?”
Chuck moved his chair closer to hers. “Everything.” He đã đưa ý kiến in a voice that was husky and filled with the promise of sex.
“Okay,” she tried to ignore the tingles that were running down her spine at his closeness. “Just remember that bạn asked for it.” He nodded and she continued, “I’m twenty seven, divorced, I serve on many foundations, I almost died when my ex-husband ran me over with his car, I tình yêu sách and movies, I hate anything that has to do with death, and I’m not here because I want to be, but because I owe Lily a favor over something that she did for me and my mother. And I’m certainly not here to get rich off of you, Bass.”
She could tell that everything that she had just đã đưa ý kiến was whirling around in his mind, but she still had to caution him on one thing. “Do not ask me anything about Lily hoặc what she did for me because I’m not going to talk about.”
He could tell that she was serious, so he đã đưa ý kiến nothing on that even though he wanted to know. Instead he asked, “You were married?”
She noticed the shocked tone in his voice, but wasn’t surprised bởi it. It was very easy to judge when bạn hadn’t been placed in the same situation. “Yes, I was. Not happily and not for long, but married none the less.”
He placed a hand on her lower back. “What happened?”
She smiled tightly. “That is a story for another day.”
“Blair,” a crease appeared between his eyebrows. “You can talk to me.”
“Not today,” she shook her head. “I will tell you, but I don’t want to relieve that pain over today. I’ve actually had an enjoyable ngày and I don’t want to ruin it bởi talking about him.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you,” Blair inclined her head toward him once and asked, “So do the same in return for me now. Tell me some things about yourself and make sure to include something big in there, like the thing I did with Lily.”
“Alright,” he pondered for a một phút before saying, “I’m twenty-eight, never been married, but did get close once, I’ve been betrayed numerous times bởi everyone I know and maybe that’s why I’m cold and cynical, I’m a womanizer, but that doesn’t make me happy anymore, I like bạn and not just because of the stipulation in the will, and most of all, I’m scared shitless that I’m going to lose my company.”
She couldn’t believe that he just told her all of that. “Wow, I almost don’t know what to say.”
“Was that enough info about my pathetic self for you?” he asked with a grimace of pain.
“Hey. Don’t do that,” she replied softly while putting an arm around his waist gently. “I’m not going to judge you, I’ve never been in the position that bạn have and I hate people who judge anyways. That’s happened to me all my life though. One câu hỏi though. What do bạn mean about losing your company? Why would that happen?”
“Lily didn’t tell you?” he asked, while giving her that cold look. Blair knew that wasn’t about her, but thêm about Lily.
She knew there was thêm to the story though. There was something that wasn’t right. “What am I missing? All Lily told me was that bạn had to make me fall in tình yêu with bạn otherwise your inheritance will travel over to her.”
A look of utter shock and dismay crossed his face. “I shouldn’t be surprised,” he whispered. It was an angry hiss of words and Blair knew that she never wanted to vượt qua, cross him. “Bart was very smart when it came to making the will, Waldorf. If I don’t get bạn to fall in tình yêu with me bởi the end of the sixty ngày period everything is going to go to Lily, including my company which is the only thing that I’ve ever been proud of in my life. It was the only thing that had nothing to do with my father and I can’t lose it. I enjoy it too much, so I have to make bạn fall in tình yêu with me.” He stressed.
A đắng, cay đắng laugh escaped her lips.
“How can bạn possibly laugh at a time like this?”
“It’s easy,” she stated. “You. That’s what I’m laughing at,” Blair hissed the words into his face. “I can’t believe this. I thought bạn were spilling your soul to me before, but it was all about the damn will! I’m not going to fall in tình yêu with you! I will not.” She stood hurriedly and pushed her chair hard against the table.
He caught her arm in his. “Don’t go, Blair. It wasn’t like that. I was spilling myself to bạn and I wasn’t even thinking about the fucking stipulation to the will then. It’s just been on my mind a lot because I’m fucking scared about losing everything. Do bạn hear me? I’m fucking scared!”
Blair felt herself soften at his words, but she couldn’t allow that to happen. She wanted to scream at him, yell until she was blue in the face, but most of all she just wanted to dive in his arms until he could reassure her that everything would be alright eventually. That was impossible though. She was only here to do a job, she just had to keep reminding herself of that hoặc she would give into him. He was hiển thị her a side of himself that he never showed anyone, but that would not deter her from her goal. It was all for him, she just had to keep thinking of him and she would be alright, she could never tell Chuck about that though. She wasn’t going to allow herself to let him in, she had to make sure she destroyed him, so he knew that she was serious about everything.
She snatched her arm away from his. “Go tell one of your prostitutes hoặc whores because I don’t fucking care.”
He shook his head sadly.
“What?” she snapped.
“You’re letting her win,” he replied sadly. “Don’t let her do that. Forget about the will and everything else for a minute, but just don’t let her do that. I know what a chó cái, bitch Lily is. I’ve known it all this time and I tried to warn my father about her, but he just wouldn’t listen to me. Like always,” He added bitterly. “But if bạn let her do this, then you’re just as weak as she is.”
Blair looked at him over her shoulder and replied, “I will not let bạn suck me into your web and deceit of lies.” With that she was gone.
He stood staring at the spot where she had been and cursing that bitch, Lily. She had to be stopped and he would have to make sure that he did it. He knew that it wasn’t a wise idea, but that didn’t stop him from picking up the tumbler of scotch and throwing it against the wall. The crash was significant and he watched as the amber liquid splashed all over his pristine white walls. It had felt good, so he picked something else up to smash. He decided to do that until some of his anger had abated. A half giờ later, he had broken all of his glassware and his anger was still simmering without any means of stopping. He decided that he would have to pay Lily back for this. Not now, but one ngày she would understand the torture that she had put him through bởi marrying his father. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would make Blair fall in tình yêu with him. He was confident of that.
XOXO
The tiếp theo ngày as she rounded the corner and made her way into the office, she knew that she would have a battle on her hands. Her slingback heels made a clacking noise as she walked across the wood plank floors and the person residing in the bàn chair looked up in surprise.
“Blair,” Lily stated in cold tones. “What are bạn doing here? Is Chuck driving bạn crazy already?”
“No, not exactly,” her mouth tipped up in a grin at Lily’s look of disbelief. “You need to cut Chuck some slack. He’s not as bad as bạn think he is.”
“Has he already told bạn what an evil chó cái, bitch that I am?” Lily laughed bitterly. “I thought bạn weren’t going to allow him to get to you, Blair?”
Blair moved further into the office and noticed the changes that âm bass, tiếng bass, bass Industries had incurred since the last time that she had been there. In that moment, she realized that Lily didn’t care about the company at all, she just wanted to be able to make as much money as she could and to destroy people in the process. For the first time, she was seeing what a cold hearted chó cái, bitch she really was.
“I’m not allowing him to get to me, Lil. I just find it ironic that you’re always telling me how he will destroy me and use it against me, and how all he does is lie, but you’re the same way. bạn didn’t tell me that he will lose his company if he doesn’t make me fall in tình yêu with him. Why did bạn lie to me?”
“I didn’t lie,” she bristled at the accusation. “It was thêm of evading the truth, but it was only done to protect you. I know how Chuck is and he’ll do hoặc say anything to get what he wants.”
“Then he’s exactly like you.”
“Blair,” she shook her head in irritation. “You’re letting him work bạn over. We had a deal, you’re supposed to uphold your end. And he was horrible to Bart! bạn don’t even know all of the things that have happened.”
“Maybe bạn have it wrong, Lily. Maybe it was Bart that was horrible to Chuck.” She stressed the words, so there would be no mistake on her end.
“You’re letting him win, Blair. Do bạn really want him to get everything that was rightfully Bart’s?”
“How the hell is losing his company something that bạn want? He personally built his company, and that shouldn’t belong to your hoặc anyone else besides Chuck.”
A devious grin tilted her lips. “Are bạn falling for his charms already, Blair? Because if bạn are, I assure that it’s a mistake. Chuck âm bass, tiếng bass, bass does one thing and one thing only. He screws women and then never sees them again. bạn will never live this down if bạn let him get to you.”
Blair đã đưa ý kiến nothing, but Lily wasn’t finished yet. “And did bạn really want everything of Bart’s to be put in his greedy hands. Do bạn want me to lose everything?”
“I don’t fucking care about the will hoặc the money! None of that matters to me!” The words burst from her lips and she couldn’t take them back, but she didn’t want too anyways.
Lily stood up from her bàn chair and went over to Blair and slung an arm around her. “Do we still have our deal hoặc not?” she asked in deceptive, cold tones. “Do bạn want me to have to reveal what I did for your mother? Will she ever be able to live that down? I don’t want to do that, but you’re forcing me here.”
“You know that I don’t want that, Lily,” she replied with a disgusted gaze. “I will do whatever is needed because I have to protect my mother, but this is wrong and bạn know that. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.”
“You’re just listening to what Chuck is telling bạn and he’s making bạn turn on me.”
“No. That is not what is going on,” she đã đưa ý kiến as she made her way to the door. “The past week I’ve seen Chuck and then I’ve seen the real Chuck. The one that is scared, vulnerable, upset and disgusted with his life, and who no one ever gives a break to. I’m not saying his perfect because he isn’t, but bạn don’t even care about him. You’re his stepmother and you’re ready to just throw him off a bridge without a lifejacket. I’m ashamed of bạn for that, but I can’t believe that bạn would use what bạn did to help my mother against me. That just shows what a chó cái, bitch you’ve become, hoặc maybe bạn were always like that and I just didn’t know it.”
“You will not fall in tình yêu with him hoặc if bạn do, bạn will lie and say that bạn haven’t hoặc everything will be revealed about Eleanor. Do bạn understand me?”
“I understand perfectly what a raving, lunatic chó cái, bitch you’ve become and yes, I will do what bạn want, but only because it’s the only way out. I hate bạn for this though.” With a swish of her heels, Blair disappeared out of the office and down the hallway. She knew that it would be a mistake to come here, but she couldn’t stand what Lily was asking her to do. She had to tell Chuck the truth, not about Lily, but about how she already knew him in some way. She would have to make sure that she didn’t come to like him anymore than she already did, but she was already in dangerous territory with that.
XOXO
Blair descended the staircase and noticed Chuck standing at the sidebar where there was still glass shattered everywhere. She had dressed in a prim and proper pantsuit, so that nothing could distract her from her goal, which was to tell him the truth. She noticed the way he was clenching his fists and she figured that he was still mad about what had happened the other day. She couldn’t say that she blamed him.
She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “We need to talk,” she đã đưa ý kiến as he turned around very slowly.
“We do?” he asked mockingly. “Are bạn talking to me again?”
“Chuck,” she began tiredly. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. I have to tell bạn something.”
He turned away from her and faced the wall. “I don’t want to hear anything that bạn have to say. You’ve fucking made it clear how bạn feel about me, haven’t you?”
“What the hell do bạn want from me?”
“Nothing,” he snarled. “I don’t want anything from you. We’re both in a difficult situation, but then bạn make it so much worse when bạn keep telling me that all I’m trying to do is get bạn into the sack. Maybe at first I was doing that, but if I talk to you, bạn accuse me of doing something wrong.”
She moved to the side of him and looked into his face, she saw the hurt and recoiled from it. She didn’t know what to do with that. “I do have something really important to tell you.”
“I’ve already told bạn that I don’t want to hear anything that bạn have to say, but go ahead and humor yourself.”
“Can bạn at least look at me while I’m talking to you?”
He did as she asked and Blair was shocked to see the cold depths of his brown eyes and the daggers they were shooting at her. She swallowed hard. “Do bạn remember the best friend bạn had at one time in high school? Nathaniel Archibald?”
Chuck’s demeanor changed instantly. His back stiffened, his nostrils flared, his eyes turned black with rage, and he hissed, “How dare bạn mention that bastard to me? And how do bạn even know who he is?”
She took a deep breath to calm herself before saying, “I know the two of bạn had a falling out after high school, but we kind of already know each other, Chuck. I was the girl that he used to date. I know bạn don’t remember me, but I remember you. I just thought that bạn should know because I’m sure that Lily will try to use this against the both of us.”
A đắng, cay đắng laugh escaped from his lips and he had to clench his fists until they turned white for the urge to throw something simmered down. “You mean to tell me that bạn were that girl that was always chasing Nathaniel? The one who would never leave him alone?”
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him until he hit the sideboard. “You don’t get to make fun of me, do bạn understand that?” she asked in deceptively calm tones. “I’m trying to help bạn here because Lily knows this and she will use something against me if she thinks that I’m not upholding my end of the bargain.”
He cocked his head to the side and gave her a grin. His anger seemed to vanish at her words. “Are bạn having một giây thoughts?”
Blair put some distance between them. She was getting too close to him and it was having the required effect on her. “I told Lily that I think she’s wrong about you, but she refuses to listen to me and it’s too late anyways. We can’t go against Bart’s will, but I’m getting sidetracked. This is about Nate.”
“What the hell about him? bạn should know that the mention of his name is forbidden here after what he’s done to me. Do bạn know what he did, Blair?”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t matter right now.” She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes while she continued, “Nate is actually my ex-husband.”
She waited for him to explode and didn’t have to wait long.
A mirthless laugh escaped Chuck’s mouth. “Are bạn fucking kidding me? That is your ex-husband? I don’t fucking believe it.”
“Wait, I haven’t even gotten to the bad part yet. Well, being married to him was certainly not a picnic, but there’s more. Lily knows some things about me. She helped my mother out of a tight spot and I can’t let her reveal something about Eleanor hoặc she will never live it down. And even worse, if I don’t stick to the plan and help her win everything from Bart’s will, she will take away the thing I tình yêu most.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what’s that?”
He waited for baited breath and he was right, it was as bad as he expected.
Blair reached out for his hand and gripped it hard. “The thing I tình yêu most is Braden. My son with Nate. Nate’s trying to take him away from me and bạn have to help me.”
To Be Continued…
A/N: I’m going to New York for a week, so this is my last update for quite a while. I just have to say a special thank bạn to Alicia who helps with everything. Whether it be support, writing, friendship, hoặc just plain talking. I’ll miss you. :D
