"I knew I shouldn't have…" He began and Elena touched his cheek to make him stop.
"I wanted this, remember? I'm fine. A little light headed, but fine." She assured him and he scooped her up and placed her back into the chair from before.
"You'll need to make sure to cover up the wound. I don't want people questioning what happened." Damon demanded, but in a gentle way. "It should heal just in time for the Gala."
"It would heal faster if you gave me your blood." Elena murmured.
A crazed, disgusted expression swept his face and Damon stood up and walked away from her. She had upset him. "That is out of the question." He stared out the window of his office into the night.
"But it will help. I won't have to worry about hiding it." She argued.
"Do you understand what happens if you have my blood in your system and something were to happen to you?" Damon shouted and turned back to face her. She sunk back in the chair. "I can't risk that."
"Before you said you wanted me to taste you. You wanted me strong." Her voice shook as she tried to understand his sudden change in heart.
"I thought that then, but now, now I'm telling you no." He growled. "We are done with this conversation."
"But…" Elena tried to fight him, but was shot down again with a stern and very pissed Damon, who was now pacing the floor.
So much for ending on a good note, thought Elena.
"Let's clean you up and then I'm taking you home." Damon requested and this time she did not argue with him.
Once she was clean and bandaged up, Elena found herself sitting in the passenger seat of Damon's car. He drove fast down the street taking every turn with gracious speed. The car was silent. She had nothing to say to him after the way he yelled at her. She wanted to respect his wishes, but she was already so far deep in with him what damage would it do to take it a step further? Why was he so against her drinking his blood if it was only going to make her stronger and heal her faster? Once again, he was leaving out part of the story. She had to get some answers out of him somehow. A plan was in order, but right now she just wanted to make things okay.
Damon pulled up to the curb of her house and dashed out the door. He swung open her door and picked her up into his arms. A huge blast of air hit her all at once and the next thing she knew, she was in her bedroom. He carefully put her down and gazed at her.
"I'm sorry I got a bit hot headed back there." He apologized.
"I would say." She uttered under her breath knowing he would hear her.
He held his breathe for a moment and then sighed. "Please just understand."
"How can I understand when I don't know anything at all? I don't know all this vampire stuff. Shit, I don't even know how you became one." Elena rambled.
"That's for another day." Damon replied and hovered over her. "I know there is a lot you don't know about me or my life, but there is just so much that I don't know how much of it you could handle. Please, just give me time. We both need it."
"Alright." She agreed.
Damon leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Remember to think about the contract. The Gala is on Thursday and I figure you need something to wear. I'll have my assistant go out and find a few things. You can choose your favorite out of the bunch."
"I can do that on my own." Elena said.
"I insist. I want you to look your very best." He smirked.
"Fine." She rolled her eyes.
"Eye rolling will get you know where Miss Gilbert." Damon's mood shifted back to his normal self. She relaxed as the atmosphere changed. It was less tense. "I must go. I need to check up on your friend. I'll inform you if anything goes wrong. Goodnight, Elena."
"Goodnight, Damon." Her voice barely came out in a whisper.
Instead of vanishing, Damon walked out of her room and she heard him stomp down the stairs and slam the front door shut behind him. She fell back on to her bed and covered her face.
Thursday night. The Gala. That's when he is going to spill the truth.
Chapter 30: Do Not Enter
Thursday.
What have I agreed to? Elena thought as she crossed her arms and raised her hand to her chin. Resting it in her palm, she studied the black dress bag that was lying across her bed. A fancy scripted name was scribbled out down the length of the bag that she did not recognize. The name sounded French. When it came to designers she was lost. She stuck to the basics and never ventured out to ever become associated with the world of fashion. She left that for Caroline, who was consumed by every detail of life.
The bag stared back at her as she debated whether she should open it or not. She was sure she could find something appropriate for the Gala in one of the cute little bouquet shops downtown, but as she looked at the clock that read past noon already she knew that would only leave her very little time. Damn it Salvatore.
Elena sighed deeply and slowly unzipped the bag. She held her breath as the sound of the zipper scratched her ears. A dark shiny material popped out as she continued on and her eyes grew bigger as the rest of the dress was exposed. "Oh my god." She gasped as she parted the bag from the dress and held it up. Black intricate lace covered the top while the rest faded into a subtle gold with hints of black all the way to the hem. It was clearly a vintage piece and expensive. Just the thought of how much Damon probably spent to get the dress and not too mention on such a short notice as well was disgusting. She couldn't accept this gift or this loan, whatever it was. This dress wasn't her. Even beyond its astonishing beauty, she hated it.
Galas. Expensive dresses. Vintage. Rich businessmen. She was a small town girl, who enjoyed her t-shirts and jeans spending her nights on the couch with a bowl of ice cream. She wasn't use to all this endless money being thrown around at her expense or all the attention that was about to be on her after tonight. After all, wasn't this some sort of coming out for her and Damon? The public would see the two of them and instantly assume everything. Being ready for the spotlight to shine on her was scary. She was already feeling her palms sweat and her heartbeat quickening.
Anxiety swarmed her on the spot and she sat down to steady herself from losing control. This was all moving too fast, a thought that popped into her mind on a daily basis. She felt like she was in some sort of trance or dream that was flashing by without her ever being able to press pause for a second. She needed fresh air. She needed to take a few moments away from this gorgeous dress taunting her and reminding her of everything she wasn't. Who was she trying to be anyways?
"Knock, knock." Caroline piped from outside her doorway and stuck her head in. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel and she had on her fluffy pale blue robe. "Is that a Christian Dior?!"
"A what?" Elena asked trying to focus back in on the moment and not on her elaborate negative thoughts.
"He sent you a Christian Dior one of a kind dress." She squealed and picked it up touching the fabric delicately. It looked as Caroline had almost seen a ghost.
"I guess. I've never even heard of Christian Dior." Elena shook her head and stared at the dress. Was it really one of a kind? Caroline clearly knew more about it than she did.
A short glare from Caroline told her that she wasn't amused with her lack there of knowledge on designer fashion. Her admiration for the dress didn't hide the sudden jealousy that had overcome her. She wondered if Stefan had offered to do the same for her considering she would be attending the Gala too.
"What did Stefan send you?" She asked feeling sour saying his name.
"He didn't send me a dress." Caroline replied in a bitter tone and dropping the dress back on the bed. She was trying to hide her uprising jealousy. "I told him I had the perfect dress for the occasion. If I would have known he would send me a Christian Dior one of a kind I would have kept my mouth shut."
Somewhat pleased with Stefan's failure at impressing Caroline, Elena couldn't help but feel bad that she was clearly upset. She always did expect too much of her relationships, which explained why she never had a steady b
oyfriend for long. Maybe this minor screw up would lead to end in the relationship, but she doubted that. Caroline was swept off her feet when it came to the topic of Stefan. Ever since their introduction and intimate get together at the grill she was all about him. Elena hoped it wasn't because of compulsion and if it was she knew things would turn out for the worse. She worried about Caroline seeing him. She had no idea what went on behind close doors between the two of them. No visible signs of wounds were anywhere to be seen on Caroline's fragile body, at least not yet. However, she knew Damon was on constant watch to make sure his brother didn't lose control. One false move and she was sure he would regret it.
"So you and Stefan, it seems serious?" Elena asked avoiding eye contact.
Caroline paced to the other side of the room and sighed. "I really like him Elena. I mean he's hot, rich, and great in bed. He is also one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. Plus, he is no Damon. No offense."
"None taken." She murmured. Her dislike for him was inevitably never going away.
"So you think there will be reporters and stuff there? I mean it's a high profile event and all. Stefan and Damon surely will have to be photographed and that means so will we." Caroline rambled with a satisfied expression. "Maybe I could even write up an article on it. A Forbes exclusive!"
"I'm sure." Elena sighed not nearly as excited as she was. "Anyways, you want to help a lost cause here?"
Referring to her face and hair, Caroline beamed with excitement and flicked on the bathroom light. She knew the end results would be flawless, but the thought of being tortured with make up and hair products under Caroline's supervision was terrifying.
Hours later, she was completely transformed. Elena turned to face the mirror and what she saw she swore she was looking at a completely different person. Never in all her life had she worn this much make up and her hair was utterly beautiful. Caroline had succeeded. Her hair was pinned to one side spiraling in loose curls and she ran her fingers through it feeling its soft texture.
"Gorgeous! Now if you don't mind I have to go get myself ready." Caroline smiled and clapped her hands together. "Seriously, you look amazing and you will look even more amazing in that Dior dress."
The dress. Elena peered out of the bathroom at the dress as it lay on her bed. Suddenly she grew nervous again at the thought of wearing the dress and being in the spotlight with Damon. People were going to be looking their way all night wondering what in the world he was doing with her. She never had even been to event like this. She would surely stick out like a sore thumb.
Taking a deep breath, she discarded herself of her clothes and prepared herself to try on the dress. Her fingers touched the delicate fabric and she bit her bottom lip still ashamed at letting Damon get her this expensive piece in the first place.
"Elena."
Nearly falling over and having her whole body shake, Elena fumbled as she turned to find Damon standing behind her. His hungry eyes were upon her half naked body. He licked his lips and crossed his arms letting his body lean up against the bathroom door. "You like the dress?"
"You can't do that." She whispered loudly and closed her door. "And I hate it."
"You hate it." He said in a low tone and his seductive expression became lost. Damon looked disappointed.
"No! I mean it's beautiful, but you didn't have to go find the most expensive dress on the planet." Elena argued with him. "A sixty dollar dress from Macy's would have been fine."
"But I want to buy you nice things." Damon complained. "You deserve them. This dress is yours."
"Thank you, but no thank you." She tried to sound sympathetic. His lost child look that he was wearing was making her feel horrible for reacting to his generous gesture. "I'm honored to wear it tonight. I just think someone else could put the dress to use. It will sit in my closet and never be touched after tonight if I keep it. Please."
"This dress belongs to you Miss Gilbert. This dress is you." He said growing more confident and his seductive side was shining through. "The only person I want to see this dress on is you and the only person who gets to take this dress off you is me."
"Mr. Salvatore, control yourself." Elena grinned and stepped back not letting him touch her.
"I'll try my best Miss Gilbert, but you do have a way with me." Damon shook his head and recomposed himself. "Anyways, I am staying true to my word about not messing around with you until we have discussed the contract. Have you made a decision?"
Fuck! In all honesty, Elena hadn't really given it much thought. There were still things she didn't want to abide by. The agreements were foolish and what was the point of them? They were already practically breaking all of them anyways and Damon didn't seem to have a problem with straying away from the contract from time to time. She was just scared if she told him she wasn't going to sign it he would leave her and she really didn't want that. She was too invested him. He was hard to let go of.
"It's pending." She spoke cautiously. "Let's focus on tonight and then I will give you my answer at the end. Is that okay?"
"Seems reasonable enough. You will give me your answer tonight." Damon crookedly smiled. "Now, may I help you into the dress?"
"Help me into it? I feel as if you would find it more pleasing to help me out of it." Elena teased him.
"You know me well, Miss Gilbert." He walked over to her bed and picked up the dress. "It's one of a kind you know?"
Elena rolled her eyes and said, "So I've been told."
Stepping into the dress, the fabric smoothed across her skin and Damon carefully zipped up the back. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and ran his hands down the length of her arms. "You look stunning, Miss Gilbert." His breath was radiating off her skin. The welcoming sensation of desired pleasure overwhelmed her.
"Thank you." She shyly responded and stepped away.
"You are perfectly beautiful." He whispered raising her chin with his finger and softly planting a kiss on her lips. "I'm going to have a hard time keeping my eyes off you."
"I can say the same about you." Elena replied catching her breath.
"I must go and get dressed. I'll be back soon to pick you up." Damon ran his finger along her collarbone and caressed her neck. He was craving to taste her.
"Are we going with your brother and Caroline?" She asked curiously.
"We can if you want." He answered.
"No. We don't have to I was just wondering." Elena said feeling relieved. She wanted to stay far away from Stefan.
"Good." Damon smirked. "I want you all to myself. I don't like sharing."
Remembering a previous conversation, she recalled him saying he didn't like sharing before. Her mind wandered even more as she flashed back to the heated argument between him in Stefan in the foyer of their home.
A low, menacing chuckle escaped Stefan. "You've always cared about what's best for you and where it will take you in life. You've never given a damn about anyone else. You're selfish. Dad was right and unfortunately I learned the hard way."
"Stefan, stop. We are not having this conversation." Damon nearly yelled in a whisper.
"Why? Big brother doesn't want to take a trip down memory lane?" Stefan taunted him. "I loved her and you had to go and mess everything up."
Who was she? And what did Damon do that had Stefan still holding a grudge this long? It was one of her many questions she had for him. Everyone had their past, but his just seemed more intriguing than others.
"You okay?" Damon asked bringing her back to reality.
"I'm fine." She quickly stated. "Go get ready. I'll see you soon."
"Okay." He spoke not believing her one bit, but she pleaded for him to go. Disappearing into thin air, Elena found her reflection in the mirror again. She could not believe what she was seeing, but as she studied herself longer she began to accept her transformation.
Downstairs the sound of the doorbell rang loudly echoing through the house. Caroline shouted to her from across the hallway that she was indecent to answer the door, wh
ich meant she would have to looking like she did. She felt ridiculous answering the door all glammed up. Picking up her dress so she wouldn't step on it or trip, she made her way down the stairs.
"Tell them we don't want whatever they are selling." Caroline shouted.
Elena shook her head and laughed. Opening the door, her face dropped. "Hello, Elena." His voice made her tremble and she froze at the sight of him.
He was already dressed in his tuxedo and wearing a cocky smile that she wanted to smack of his face. "Hello, Stefan." She said through gritted teeth.
Fifty Shades Of Dark - Damon Salvatore Page 19
