Author: maryl at fanfiction.net


Blair woke up when she reached for him and he wasn't there. She opened her eyes to look for him, hoping her hands had been wrong, but they told her what she already knew. She was alone.

She lay on her stomach, supporting her weight on her elbow, but now she let her body flop back onto the mattress and pressed her face into her pillow. After a stifled scream of frustration into the feathers, she flopped onto her back, letting her limbs fly out across the massive bed. She'd fallen asleep waiting for him again. It seemed like that happened a lot lately.

All week she'd been stalking him, and he'd been elusive. Then even when they were together she could tell his mind was a million miles away. She told her self to let it go, that she'd know what a relationship with Chuck bass could be like. There would be moments of brilliance and Cinta that would surpass any connection she'd ever felt in her life... but she couldn't lie to herself. She knew him, and she'd known there'd be times like this, times when he shut her out.

Tonight she'd gotten him to come out to makan malam, majlis makan malam with her. It had been delicious, but he hadn't tasted lebih than a few bites, the flavour of scotch was lebih to his pallette these days. He hadn't asked her to come back to the Empire with him, she'd merely instructed the driver to take them both there. He'd gone straight to the bar as soon as they entered the suite, and she'd watched him loosen his tie before pouring himself yet another glass.

"Chuck..." She berkata softly, not quite able to hide the hint of pleading. "It's late. Let's go to bed..."

He swallowed the glass in one gulp, and his intense eyes focused on a point on the dinding that meant nothing to either of them. His jaw clenched. Unclenched. Clenched.

Still she waited. She waited for him.

"Go." He berkata firmly before he softened it almost against his will. "I'll sertai anda soon..."

She new the look on his face. She nodded and tried not to let her sadness show. "I'll see anda soon."

Not wanting to leave, she left anyway. She left to wait for him in his bed.

The bedside clock told her it was past 3am, but the light that peaked through the drawn curtain danced with the movement of the imej on the TV screen. Pushing the covers back she slipped out of the bad and padded across the dark floors. She opened the door and the scent of pot filled her nose, causing it to crinkle and her to wave a hand before her face to clear it as she walked further into the living room. Her eyes went to Chuck first. He lay back against the couch, legs apart, hands lax at his sides and his dazed eyes followed the imej on the screen. She took hati, tengah-tengah that at least his pants were still done up. Now assured that he was alive she glanced at the screen preparing herself for all manor of depravities. Her jaw dropped. It was worse than she thought.

"Are anda kidding me?" She bit out with disgust. "The Matrix!"

Chuck's head rolled to the side and his glazed eyes actually tried to focus on her. "Blair..."

"Forget it, Chuck." She berkata harshly. "Just forget it."

She turned on her heel and walked back into the bedroom to pace for several minit as she tried to decide what to do. She wanted to go home, but it was the middle of the night and she didn't have the energy left in her reserves to face getting dressed and walking through the lobby with the eyes of so many of Chuck's employees on her. Tired, yet unable to sleep she tossed off her slip and pulled on her silk jubah and headed into the bathroom. She turned the lights on dimly as she drew the bath to her favourite temperature of near scalding. Like the rest of the suite, the bathroom was shades of grey with black accents. The hari after they'd christened it she'd had Dorota go out and buy a dozen candles in the melati, jasmine and vanilla scent she knew Chuck had always enjoyed when she'd lit them. The candles were blood red, and she ignited them one sejak one in their scattered places through out the room, with several housed around the wide rim of the sinker tub.

She turned off the dimmer, slipped out of her jubah and stepped into the steaming, bubbled water, and sighed as it seeped into her pours and relaxed her tense muscles. The Mother Chucker was aging her before her time.

With her head back against the sloped rim, her eyes had just drifted shut when she felt a cool breeze waft over her cheek. Her eyes popped open and her head jerked around to find Chuck standing in the now open doorway.

He didn't apologize. He striped.

She sat up, thinking to make room for him behind her, but he surprised her plunking down before her leaving her no choice but to spread her legs to accommodate him. With as sigh he relaxed against her, giving her much of his weight. Luckily she was used to it. She was stiff behind him for several him for several minutes, her head cocked away from him in indignation, but with a sigh she relented and relaxed. Her hands slipped over his sides to rest against the hair of his belly, her fingers kept warm sejak the water that covered them. She rested her chin in the crook of his neck.

"How very pretty woman." She drawled.

He turned his head ever so slightly and she could see the slight twitch on his perfect mouth. "You want me to start paying you?"

He yelped loud enough to be heard in Yonkers when she pinched one of his nippled in retaliation.

"You couldn't afford me." She whispered in his ear before gently sucking on the lobe.

"Then I'll just be grateful that I already have you... free of charge."

His hands left their resting place on the ledges of the tube to take her hands in his and sandwich, sandwic them against his chest. He smiled when he felt her smile against his neck.

"I'm sorry." He berkata seriously as he brought her fingers to his mouth to Ciuman their tips.

"I know." She berkata as she watched the steam come up off the water. "But I always knew anda were a moody son of a bitch."

"Touche."

They lay in silence for long moments. Together.

"I should have left you." She berkata idly as she rubbed her feet against his calfs, liking the tickle of his hair. "I shouldn't have waited."

"I like that anda did."

"I know..." She held him tighter for a moment before wiggling one hand free. "But anda still need to be punished."

Before he could tense, she snuffed the flame of a candle burning close to them, blew minutely on the hot wax pooled around the wick, and then dripped it down over his shoulder. He hissed as it chased down his chest hair, slowed sejak the forest of hair it encountered. The deep red wax looked like lava rolling down his skin, and she blew across it to chase away the sting. He had tensed in her arms, but he relaxed again now that the initial heat had faded, and he lay quietly as she peeled away the wax. His skin was red under the thick pieces, but she gently moved water over it and it started to fade away to pink.

"I should have gone home." She mused again. "Left anda here in yours."

"My what?" He asked.

"Your home." She reiterated.

"Then I would have had to follow you."

"Why?" She was actually curious.

"Because you're my home."