tampered | log; ongoing

Chuck wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but Chuck Bass didn't own casual clothes. Only good ones and better ones. He opted for good ones for the evening, planning on making the blush on Dawn's face a permanent fixture.

Everything was set. He managed to get the food delivered, had the perfect wine ready (one of the bottles he ordered for Victrola). All that was missing now was Dawn.
He glanced at tthe watch and for a brief moment he wondered if she was coming at all.

The sound of the doorbell made him smile.

He opened the door and looked at Dawn. "Lovely dress," he said as a greeting.

Dawn really has no idea what to expect, either. Chuck opening the door naked, or in a speedo and covered in cocoa powder, or followed by a brass band made of midget strippers. Anything is possible.

...Okay, maybe not that last one.

"Thank you." Oh look, it's that blush Chuck likes so much. "You look really nice, too."

Not even two minutes and the blush is already present. Chuck smirked. He already liked how the evening was progressing.

He moved to the side to let Dawn in. He put his hand on her lower back and with a gentle push, he directed her towards the kitchen.

"Do you drink wine with dinner?" he asked curiously. "It's a very light wine, by the way," he felt the need to point out. Because it was. For some reason some people liked light wine. If people liked it, he felt the need to provide it at Victrola.

The hand on Dawn's back just deepens the blush, but she straightens her spine, trying not to show it. Wow, this dress felt so much less thin before Chuck got handsy.

"Um, not so much? Like ever." Dawn hesitates for a moment, and then says uncertainly, "But I can try some? Just one glass."

The little Buffy voice until now simply lecturing in the back of her head turns to jumping up and down and screaming that this is a horrible horrible idea, Dawnie what are you doing stop it right this instant.

So, of course, Dawn turns slightly to smile up at Chuck, just a little defiant. "I'd love some."

He helped her with the chair, keeping a soft smile on his face. A bit of manners never hurt him and now, it was interesting to watch Dawn's reactions.

"Good to hear. Wine adds flavor to the food. You were missing on a lot," he told her and moved to get the bottle. He filled her glass, then his own, and put the bottle aside.

He put the plate in front of her, regretting he didn't hire a waiter for this. But he feared that would be an overkill. Unfortunately that meant he had to do all the work himself. In a way, this was a completely new experience.

He sat on the other side of the table and smiled at her. "Bon apetite."

To be honest, Chuck's attitude was a little off-putting. And with Blair telling her Chuck liked her, like... like-liked, the sudden politeness just makes Dawn's blush deepen, and she sneaks look at him from under her lashes.

No way Blair was right. No way. Guys like Chuck are not interested in girls like Dawn, not like Blair said.

She raises her glass. "L'chaim, Chuck." A small sip, then Dawn smiles, pleased and a little surprised. "It's good!"

Chuck rolled his eyes at the surprised tone. "Of course it's good. What did you expect me to serve? Watered down tea?" he asked, barely covering the distaste.

"Makes me wonder what would be in store if you weren't so scared your sister finds out about the dinner. I'm not sure trusting you with ordering the menu would be the best choice."

He took a sip of his wine. Same light stuff Dawn was drinking. Will take ages to actually feel the alcohol.

Dawn blushes again, this time from embarrassment. But her rejoinder is tart. "Oh, don't get all snobby on me. I just meant, I don't usually like alcohol."

She rolls her eyes. "I have good taste in food thanks. I lived with a chef for a while. Tosh's boyfriend. He was all classically trained and yelled when I tried to eat frosting out of the can for dinner."

Sipping at her wine too, Dawn looks at Chuck thoughtfully. This whole thing is just... so very confusing.

"You lived with a chef and never had wine to dinner? Hate to break it down to you, but he wasn't a very good chef then," Chuck pointed out pleasantly.

He took a bite of the main course, he wasn't in the mood for appetizers... YOu could say he had enough of those in Dawn.

"How about we talk more about why exactly you invited me to dinner," he smirked. Now the answer to that question, he'd like to hear in detail.

Dawn glares, genuinely offended on Jack's behalf. "He was an amazing chef. He was also a recovering alcoholic, so Tosh and I decided no booze around him except special occasions. Just so he didn't feel weird."

Jack and Tosh are sensitive subjects for Dawn. Step lightly, Chuck. Remember what happened after yelling at Buffy? It's worse than that.

"Actually, you invited me." When in doubt, stall and stick to the letter of the law rather than the intent.

Chuck ignored the comment about Jack. People no longer in the picture held no interest. Especially recovering alcoholics. Touchy subject for Chuck himself, he would never willingly talk about that.

Instead, he decided to tease Dawn, recognizing the stalling when he saw it. Not willing to admit you wanted to have dinner with Chuck Bass? Very well Dawn, two can play that game.

"I invited you over to my place. I believe the suggestion to have dinner was purely your idea," he pointed out with amusement.

"Actually, we were going to have breakfast after the opening. You said we should get together tonight, too." Dawn frowns. "Then there was the weird ice cream stuff. But I'm compartmentalizing that."

She takes another bite of her dinner, looking at Chuck thoughtfully. "Why did you invite me, tonight?"

Gauntlet tossed neatly back at Chuck's feet. Dawn's lips twitch, trying to spread into a grin. This is fun.

Chuck smirked. He saw the barely concealed grin, Dawn. She was having fun. Which meants that all the teasing and possibly more, wouldn't end up with her storming off.

"I realized that having breakfast at six am after a night of dancing and drinking, would not end well. Especially if you're set on the kissing part," he leaned forward a bit. "You seemed set on that idea, and I liked it a bit myself," he said, his voice low and inviting.

Dawn smirks back, raising one eyebrow. Oh, the many ways in which this is a horrific idea are piling up-- Buffy will kill her and then she'll kill Chuck, Blair and Chuck have... whatever they have, Buffy will kill them more-- but she can't make herself care just yet. She doesn't feel about Chuck the way she felt about Connor; they're friends, and all the attention makes her stomach go warm. And he's cute, which so doesn't hurt.

"You'd need to go to bed?" The innocent tone, behold how it is innocent. "I understand. Hard partying makes people less get-up and go-y."

Oh. "Oh." Dawn takes another, longer sip of wine, then straightens, meeting Chuck's eyes even while her face goes red again. "Are you asking me to kiss you, Chuck?"

Chuck raised his eyebrows. This attitude was something new. There was no blush present, no stutter... Just playful tone and pure interest. But this was what Chuck did best. Especially when faced with inexperienced girls. And no matter what front Dawn put up, she was just that.

He never backed down from a challenge.

"More like, my inhibitions would be lowered," he explained. "And I'd want to take you to bed with me. And you keep insisting that's a bad idea. I'm looking out for your best interest, really," he shrugged with a smirk.

He watched her take another sip, it seemed that she really did like the wine. He laughed at her next question.
"I don't ask. I'm telling you, I'd enjoy it. Just like the last time."

It's all smoke and mirrors; Dawn can talk big, but this whole situation is entirely over her head. Not that she'll admit it or back down-- that's not how Summers women operate-- but despite the fact that she's actually older than Chuck, she's not in control of this one.

"What inhibitions? If this is you with inhibitions, I think I'm investing in better locks on our doors." She's neatly sidestepping that whole going to bed together thing, because the idea is both intensely scary and kind of intriguing.

It's good wine, and also? For all the arched eyebrows and teasing and trying desperately not to blush, Dawn is so very nervous. "What if I want you to ask?"

Chuck smirked and raised his glass in a silent toast. This evening was getting better than he ever anticipated. A bit more blushing, yes. Being embarassed by the topics he would bring to the table, definitely.

He leaned forward and smiled invitingly. "If you do, you're going around it the wrong way," he told her. "You should come a little closer, especially if you want to suggest that the answer to my question would be a 'yes'."

Dawn blushes a little bit more and feels so very cheesy, but raises hers back. If he actually makes a toast, she's going to have to laugh. It's inevitable.

She frowns, thoughtfully, tapping one fingernail against her lower lip. "I'm pretty sure if I have to do all the work, that defeats the purpose. And if I'm doing it wrong, maybe you should give me pointers. So I know how to do it next time."

Oh, that just took a turn for the porny. Wow, cheesy romance novel much? But Dawn bravely soldiers on. "Also, I thought I was the one asking the question. Did you have a question and I missed it?"

Edited 2009-05-27 20:52 (UTC)

The natural thing would be to ask her if he could kiss her. She all but demanded it.

But for that reason alone, Chuck didn't ask her right away. Instead, he took a sip of his wine, and with a smirk went back to his meal. Timing was everything and you never asked the question when it was expected.

"No, there was no question. I wouldn't try to corrupt your innocent ways," he assured her smugly.

When Chuck doesn't take the opening, Dawn frowns slightly. Relief and frustration are interesting mixed together. Kind of like the weird feelings Chuck inspires all on his own.

"You are such a liar! You're all CorruptoMan." But Dawn sounds amused, not angry, and the smile she flashes Chuck before taking another bite of her dinner is a mix of flirty and just happy. So maybe she feels like she's betraying Connor and no matter what Blair thinks, Chuck so does not like her so she has to remind herself this is such a bad idea about every thirty seconds. Chuck is funny and cute and charming and it's hard to be depressed when he's at his sleazy best.

"This is really good, by the way. I haven't--" She sets down her fork for a second, her face going sad, then shrugs it off and continues. Chuck is so not the guy she confides in about what losing Connor made her feel like. "Haven't had something like this since Jack was here."

He noticed the sudden change of mood, but he didn't want to destroy the atmosphere. Chuck smirked. "Well, it's the secret recipe taht's been in my family for generations now," he told her seriously.

"The key is to have everything planned before you start executing. You choose the wrong number on your speed dial and a nice dinner can change into pizza night in a matter of seconds. Cooking is an old tradition in the Bass family. Takes a long time to perfect," at the end of his lecture he couldn't help himself and the smirk appeared again.

Okay, that was enough to get rid of the lingering sadness. For all Chuck is a Very Bad, No Good, Horrible Idea, he also makes Dawn smile.

"Well, considering my last culinary effort involved a bag of Kettle Corn, Oreos, and a container of frosting I'm still much with the impressed." She nods, mock seriously. "It takes some considerable skill to dial all those numbers. Requires strong fingers."

Chuck executes a great deal of control around Dawn. Mostly because she has a sister who has super strenght and a big, overprotective brother. But there were things Chuck simply couldn't say no to. Like right now. There was no way in hell Chuck Bass could not comment on what she just said. No curse and no super strong sister could stop him.

"Oh I have very skilled fingers," he told her with a seductive smile. With a healthy dose of satisfaction too. Years of practice, really. He had a reason to be so confident in his skills.

"Right, for the dialing." Dawn looks puzzled for a second. Because she actually wasn't going to that place, thanks Chuck.

...Give her a second.

Wait for it, wait for it-- "Oh! Chuck! Ew, come on!" Now she gets it. And is torn between dying of laughter and trying to keep her disapproving face on. "Gross. I didn't mean-"

She presses a hand to her face, laughing at the same time she turns roughly the color of a firetruck. "I can't look at you anymore."

He laughed as well. This was by far the deepest blush he ever managed to get from her. He felt accomplished, in a away. But decided not to rest on the laurles.

"That's quite alright. You can just keep your eyes closed. That way you won't see me walking up to you and leaning in for the kiss," he told her and waited for the reaction. He wasn't sure what the reaction would be, but he knew for sure it was coming.

That's because for all her attempts at urbane-- hey, attempts-- and saucy flirting, Dawn has no idea just how guys like Chuck operate. Comments like that are virgin territory, so to speak.

Oh look! She can turn redder. Good to know. But after a moment, Dawn doesn't lift her head, just slowly moves her hand up so it covers most of her eyes.

"See no evil, right?"

He slowly pushed his chair back. Made sure it made a noise. At the same time, he watched Dawn curiously, planning on stopping and going back to eating the dinner if she uncovered her eyes. This... This was so much fun. He didn't remember ever being as entertained with girls he spent more than one day with...

He stood up and slowly walked to her side of the table. With a smirk, he touched her chin and gently lifted her head to have better access. Finally, he leaned in and kissed her. Not the small innocent kiss either.

The noise made Dawn consider lowering her hand for a moment, but it's just a kiss, right? Just one kiss. She's single, cautious, and an adult. One kiss won't hurt.

...Oh, wow. Maybe this was less safe than she thought.

She lets Chuck tilt her face up, hand still in place. Then the kissing starts and that part of the game is forgotten in favor of grabbing at Chuck's shoulder and kissing back, her other hand rising to rest on his cheek.

He smiled against her lips, he felt her handon his cheek, the other firmly holding his shoulder. Oh no, she didn't want it, he could tell.

He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer at the same time, making her stand up and lean against his body. He deepened the kiss, fully intent on taking her breath away. He would award himself bonus points if he managed to get a moan out of her as well.

She stands easily enough, leaning into Chuck. She refuses to call it 'clinging', because that is what lame people in romance novels do. She's just... a little tired. And wobbly. And leaning.

The hand on Chuck's cheek slid away, fisting in his hair. Probably a tiny bit too tight-- give her a break, she's new at this-- but the tiny moan she lets out should smooth any ruffled feathers on his part.

He didn't mind a bit of pain.To the contrary, it only proved she was enjoying herself. And that she liked what he was doing.

After few more seconds, that felt much longer, he moved away, allowing her to catch her breath. It was obvious she needed it. So while she was getting her breathing in check, he moved to kiss her cheek and her jaw, right next to her ear.

"Don't open your eyes," he whispered. "Not yet."

If she did, the reality would come crashing down on her. And he would have to stop. He didn't want to. Instead, he went back to kissing her neck and her throat. Wondering how much would it take to leave his mark on her skin. See her explain that to the family.

Dawn's required to breathe now? Why did no one tell her? Instead of breathing, there should be more kissing. She makes a small disappointed noise when Chuck pulls away, fisting her hand tighter in his shirt.

Okay, Chuck bragged he was the best. And Serena had mentioned the manwhore thing. But until about thirty seconds ago, Dawn was pretty sure it was like Spike and his 'I'm so bad, rawr' thing post-chip. She might have misjudged this situation slightly. Or... more than slightly to the tune of a lot.

"Okay," there's a slight tremble in her voice, and she blushes again, tilting her head for Chuck. Buffy will kill her if she comes home with a hickey. Kill her. So this is the point where she should stop him.

...Any minute now.

Edited 2009-05-28 18:46 (UTC)

He took that as an encuragement. Which was even better, because he had no intention of stopping. Red contrasting with the rest of her neck will look perfect. He couldn't wait to see it. Not to mention all the little sounds she was making.

He bit her neck gently and immediately kissed the spot.

And he moved away with a satisfied grin.

"We should go back to the dinner. It's getting cold," he told her quietly. Impatiently waiting for her to open her eyes and blush deeply.

Dawn stands silently for a second, eyes still closed, rocking forward on her heels. Then her eyes fly open, and she raises a hand to her neck. Oh God, Buffy is going to kill her. Dead, dead, dead.

...Oh look, there's that blush Chuck was looking for as panicking about Buffy is derailed for a second to lightly touch the mark on her neck.

"Buffy is going to kill me." But her hand stays on her neck for another long moment, and she looks less angry about this than she probably should. "Dead, I will be so dead."

She sits back at the table, not looking at Chuck just yet, and takes a bite of her food.

He sat back as well, unable to wipe the satisfied grin of his face. She was playing with fire all this time. And now, everytime she looked in the mirror, he'd be the first thing she thinks about. He quite liked that.

"Your sister's not going to kill you, D," he told her, amusement evident in his tone. He took a generous sip of his wine. He looked at her face, cheeks still colored. His eyes traveled down, to the mark on her neck. He couldn't take his eyes off of it.

"You didn't do anything..."

"Yes she is. I am going to die." That last bit is said with no small amount of stubbornness, but her hand keeps sneaking up to touch her neck, and a small smile lurks around the edges of her mouth. "She's going to kill me until I'm dead."

She keeps eating, sneaking a look at Chuck and blushing again when she sees he's watching her.

"Yes, because Buffy will accept 'I just stood there while he gave me a hickey' as a permissible excuse."

He laughed. "So she might ground you. You'll sneak out the window. I've seen you do it before, so no need telling me you'd never do that" While his own response to that particular curse was embarassing, her reaction... he still remembered how she looked in that underwear.

"And if you're so sure she's going to kill you... Why not enjoy life till it lasts?" He asked and raised his glass. "More wine?"

Dawn frowns. "I think she might have chopped off the climbing branches. She threatened to, at least. After my last bout of window climbing." She's pretty sure that look on Chuck's face-- and the way his eyes dart down to her chest-- don't mean he's thinking wholesome thoughts. Oh, yeah. Dawn is so dead.

"I'm good for now." She holds up her glass, which is still mostly full. Dawn Summers? Not a big drinker, sorry Chuck. "But thanks."

Edited 2009-05-28 20:18 (UTC)

He almosts shrugged, it was her choice if she didn't want more wine. He refilled his own glass. It was barely registering, after years of drinking scotch, the light wine he served tonight was almost like water.

"Then you'll have to be more creative. I'll help if you want some ideas about sneaking out of the room unseen," he told her with a smirk. True he didn't have much practice in that, being Chuck Bass. But that was definitely worth exploring. Who knows, maybe the skill of sneaking out of poor innocent girls' rooms in the middle of the night would come in handy one of those times.

Dawn watched with a little bit of amazement as Chuck drank the wine like it was soda. Okay, it's not quite Spike's get down the the worm and hold a conversation with it style of drinking, but still. Dawn's glass is more than half full, and she's feeling it, a little bit. Though part of that could be the kiss.

"I am plenty creative. I am... like, creativity's very soul. Also, you might have a point. I am not large with the stealth, or the sneakiness, or anything it requires to pull off caper-like activities." She rolls her eyes a little, grinning. "I also suck so very bad at poker."

She sees that look, Chuck. And holding out hope of entrance to Dawn's bedroom is probably a long shot at the moment. Magic 8 Ball says 'try again later'.

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