Chapter 1

It was the click of the door that startled Blair awake.

Nate was back!

Relief sent a rush of adrenaline through her system, chasing away the remaining cobwebs of drowsiness. She had another chance and she wasn't going to waste it.

Chuck had given her the key to his suite, calling it "the key to Nate's heart and her own future happiness." She had spared no time putting her plan into action.

Even Gossip Girl had described their joint exit from the brunch as "hot and heavy."

It was going to happen.

It was finally going to happen.

And then they found Serena in the suite.

It was so not happening.

Oh, Nate and Serena had both made excuses. They needed to talk…about how they weren't talking? How stupid did they think Blair was? She might be a romantic, but she was by no means naïve. She'd gone at them, voice raised and eyes blazing. And Serena had (wisely) beaten a hasty retreat.

The only problem was that Nate had chased after the runaway blonde, leaving Blair fuming and frustrated. She would not follow. She'd just wait here until one or the other of them returned and then she'd give them another piece of her mind. She slumped down on the edge of the bed, arms crossed defiantly.

She waited.

And waited.

And then waited some more.

Deciding she might as well get comfortable, she removed her headband, kicked off her pumps and sank back into the multitude of pillows. Leave it to Chuck Bass to have a bed that was decadently luxurious.

It was almost relaxing, lying there plotting her revenge….

How long had she been asleep? The late afternoon sun had given way to twilight and the room was now shrouded in shadows. Still, she could make out Nate's form in silhouette, paused inside the doorway.

This was it. She forgot about her plans for revenge (at least temporarily) and reverted to her former plan of attack: seduction.

Blair sat up and slid off the edge of the bed, releasing the side zipper on her oh-so-prim lace dress and quickly pulling it down and stepping out of the frock. Then she was standing in the darkened room in just a silky chemise slip and her stockings.

He never knew what hit him. One minute he was just standing there, trying to let his eyes adjust to the lack of light, and the next she was in his arms.

He tried to say something.

She reached up and ran her fingers lightly over his lips, closing them. "No more talking. Please? Just kiss me."

Then she replaced her fingers with her mouth.

Her lips touched his for the merest second, but it felt like she'd been struck by lightning. All conscious thought escaped her brain and there was nothing left but a driving need to have more of his lips.

It was perfect, the kind of kiss she'd dreamed of her whole life. Blair threw herself into it wholeheartedly, holding nothing back and deepening their connection. It was like she was trying to drink him in.

He responded in kind. He wasn't rushed or hurried; he kissed her like they had all night…and oh how she hoped they did. His arms came round her waist, pulling her closer, and then his hands slid up her arms and across her shoulders. Everywhere he touched felt electrified and alive. Every inch of her cried out for more of him. Why-oh-why hadn't he ever kissed her like this before?

Her heart almost broke when he pulled away, then elation rose like a phoenix within her chest when he began to kiss his away across her cheek. The feather-light brushes of his lips across the curve of her face deepened into very different kisses down the column of her neck. He was tasting her, savoring her on a long, languid descent down to her shoulder.

Oh, God, she could barely breathe, and when his tongue found the sweet little niche at the base of her throat and laved it, her fingers involuntarily tightened on his shoulders and a little sound escaped her lips. She sincerely hoped she hadn't just mewed like a kitten, but it was a distinct possibility. A possibility that seemed even more likely when she began purring in his ear as he kissed his way across the top of her shoulder.

When his lips returned to her mouth, her tongue was waiting, anticipating what was to come. It teased his upper lip, inviting his tongue to come out and play. When it did and velvet met velvet in a lingering caress, the dance truly began.

It was more than a kiss, it was a blissful awakening.

Why had it never been this way before? Everything was different.

He tasted like scotch…and cigarettes…and secrets.

He smelled even better: fresh pressed linen and some kind of musky cologne that complemented rather than concealed the natural musk under it.

The way their bodies fit together, her face in the crook of his neck…just the right angle to plant slow kisses…and glory in the little hum of appreciation she felt go through him.

He'd never done that before.

He'd never held her the way he was right now either - meeting her passion for passion, holding her so tightly, like he couldn't get enough of her. One hand curled around her waist; the other caressed and then squeezed her thigh. She felt sexy, wanted…wanton. Whereas she was used to feeling like she had to be in charge, had to force him almost to pay attention to her, to recognize her presence.

Tonight he was different, so different…like he might almost be a different person altogether….

Her fingers slid from entwining in his hair…down to his collar…and further still down his chest, which felt strong and solid, but different.

She felt the buttons on his shirt, which should've been covered by a tie in a Windsor knot…

Then she reached up and felt it: a bow tie with points still crisp.

Oh, no.

No, no, no, no, no, no!

OH, GOD, NO!

She let a gasp of breath and automatically reached for the lamp on the bedside table.

It felt like the room was suddenly flooded with light and her eyelids squeezed shut involuntarily.

When she dared open them, there he was.

She was so shocked she slapped his arm and recoiled in horror.

"Chuck, what are you doing here?!" It was meant to come out as a forceful demand, but her voice sounded raspy and dreamy, even to her own ears.

He seemed to recover faster than she did, though his voice was raspy as well. "It is, after all, my suite," he reminded her.

"But I have the key!"

"You have a key, yes, but clearly not the only one." He pulled a second key out of his pants pocket and held it up for her to see, twisting it between his fingers in a parody of his earlier offer at brunch.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "That doesn't explain why you marched in here and kissed me. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that if this is a new style of turndown service, I very much like it. And while I hate to argue, it was you who kissed me."

"I thought you were Nate!"

"Please, you insult me," he drawled. "Nate's been gone for hours. He left here chasing Serena, with the two of them followed by that person from Brooklyn. You wouldn't catch me fleeing such a tempting treat. You're amazing, Waldorf." He reached out, tipping up her chin, and touched plump lips still swollen from his kisses. "That cool exterior…but, oh, the fire below."

She jumped back as if his touch burned her, even as color bloomed more brightly on her cheeks. "You had no business kissing me back. It was dark and I didn't know what I was doing."

"Au contraire, my fair Blair," his voice dropped even lower, "when it comes to kisses, you most definitely know what you are doing. Though it was unforgettable, perhaps I could interest you in an encore? After all, my suite…and my kisses…are still available."

"You're heinous!"

"So you say," he shrugged. "But c'mon, didn't it feel delicious and just the littlest bit naughty kissing me senseless with no thought of your ex-boyfriend or your best friend?"

"Nate's still my boyfriend. And I'm not like Serena!"

"But if he weren't?" Chuck mused. "I hate to think of all that…," he looked her over from head to foot, "potential and heat going to waste."

She felt exposed, almost naked, and reached for her dress. "Look, this was a simple case of mistaken identity." She pulled the dress up and slid her bare arms into the sleeves. "I thought you were Nate and I kissed you. Now I'm going to forget this ever happened and you should too." The sound of her zipper being pulled added an air of finality to the discussion.

But he wasn't done yet.

"You're forgetting a couple of things."

"What's that?" She replaced her headband and slid into her shoes before turning back to face him.

"That was no ordinary kiss. You can't expect me to believe you've ever been kissed like that before."

"Why not? Nate and I have been together forever. You wouldn't understand."

"I understand this: no sane man could ever taste those sweet lips…," his gaze lingered on her mouth, "Or hear those little purrs when I kiss you right here," his fingers traced the most sensitive spot on her neck, "Or smell your perfume and your hair," he wound a lock around his finger, "and ever forget it."

She gasped when his fingers found that sensitive spot on her neck. How had he found it in mere minutes when she'd never even known it existed?

She needed to get out of here.

She needed air.

She needed him more than breath in her body.

She moved toward the door.

"It was just a kiss. You'll forget it before midnight."

"Will you?"

Damn, why did he have to be looking at her so intently when he asked that question?

Her hand was on the doorknob. She was almost safe….

"Oh, Blair, one more thing…."

"Yes?" She heaved an impatient sigh.

"You say you didn't know it was me, but I always knew it was you."

"Goodnight, Chuck." She managed to close the door quietly behind her before running for the elevator as if all the hounds of hell were after her.

As far as Blair was concerned, the incident was in the rearview mirror and completely out of her thoughts.

She wasn't thinking about that kiss when Nate came over to apologize.

Or when she halfheartedly agreed to forgive him.

Or when he tried to pull her close, but she simply held his hand.

Goodbye, mistake….

Chuck Bass could not think of anything but that kiss.

Not when one of the Grecian statue performance artists was wrapped around him, trying in vain to raise his interest…

Not when Gossip Girl sent out a blast about the events of the brunch…

Not when his bedsheets still smelled like Blair…

It was long past midnight and he couldn't eat, couldn't sleep.

He could only hope the following day would bring some relief, because he was very much afraid that one kiss with Blair Waldorf had ruined his life.

To Be Continued in Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hello, readers! I just couldn't resist a little travel back in time to season 1.

Special thanks to SnowedUnderNJ for inspiring this idea, and to Chrys1130 and Shrk22 for being faithful friends and cheerleaders.

What will happen next? And what do you think of what's happening so far? Reviews make excellent birthday presents.

Xoxo