"I'll talk to Damon about it." She quietly said.
"Hey," Matt spoke up in her defense. "Maybe this will get the grill more publicity with the media knowing Elena works her."
"Maybe, but I don't like it." Her boss placed her hands on her hips. "And I don't like distractions. Both of you get to work!"
Today was going to be a long one.
The Mystic Grill had its usual customers, but it was obvious with her new status that more people were coming in to catch a glimpse at her exciting life. Reporters tried to hide their intentions of sneaking a photo or requesting her service and she tried her hardest not to let it bother her. However, it was hard. It was interfering with her work and all she wanted to focus on right now was work. She wanted to get her mind off things.
"Excuse me miss." A woman dressed nicely called to her as she passed. She had dark rim glasses on and she was reading a thick magazine. Elena stopped with her hands full of empty glasses and pretended to care.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Could you get me another glass of Chardonnay?" She shook her wine glass and Elena nodded her head.
Only an hour into her shift and she was already losing her mind. She needed get out of the minimum wage lifestyle, but her ambitions to ever leave this place were small. She feared she would be stuck here for longer than expected. The media must have been eating up the idea that Damon Salvatore was dating a girl, who worked at a grill and barely made enough to get by. She felt ashamed.
"Here you go." She returned with the glass of wine. "Anything else I can get you?"
Removing her glasses, she took a sip of her crisp, chilled wine and then folded her hands on her lap. She looked up at Elena and smiled. "My name is Rebekah Mikaelsen. I work for Mikaelsen Publishing."
"Nice to meet you." Elena greeted her and internally rolled her eyes. She was just another media person trying to mingle their way into getting something out of her. "I'm sorry, I'm very busy I would love to tell you my whole life story, but I can't."
"I don't care for your whole life story Miss Gilbert." She said and closed her magazine. "What I care about is your interest in writing."
"Writing?" She asked confused.
"This morning I received an e-mail concerning your interest in pursuing a career in writing. I read over your material attached and I have to say I am quiet impressed with your work Miss Gilbert." She told her. The woman had a slight accent as she listened to her talk. "I would like for set up an interview with you to get to know you more."
"I'm sorry," Elena shook her head feeling foolish and overwhelmed. "I don't mean to be rude, but I think you might have me confused with someone else. I do have an interest in writing, but I didn't even send you anything."
"You didn't." The pleasant smile on her face had never left. She took another sip of wine and preceded to say, "Mr. Salvatore did. He is quite the recommendation to have. I must say your analysis was beautiful on William Shakespeare and I would love to see more."
Left speechless, Elena looked around nervously. She was in awe that someone was interested in her writing, but she was furious that Damon went behind her back like this. It was only this morning that she had mentioned her interest in writing to him. Now he was trying to land her job. What made her even more angry was the fact that she hadn't even sent him her analysis paper yet as she promised him. She was already late for work, she had no time to send it to him, which means he had gone snooping through her computer and read it. Mr. Salvatore you haven't even seen what angry can look like yet.
"Here is my card," Ms. Mikaelsen said and handed her a small square card with her name, e-mail, and number on it. "You have potential Miss Gilbert. Trust me, you don't want to be stuck here for the rest of your life."
Finishing her wine, she placed her glasses back on her face. She picked up her magazine and withdrew money from her purse and left if on the table. "I hope to hear from you soon Miss Gilbert." Her tall high heels clinked on the floor as she made her exit. Elena stared down at the tiny business card in her hand. She was stunned by what had happened and she wished she could be excited, but instead she was fuming. Damon had no right to do this. It was her time to lecture him.
Chapter 36: Published Boundaries
Elena: Damon Salvatore you have some serious explaining to do!
Damon: Raising your tone at me doesn't solve anything Miss Gilbert. It only makes me want to punish you. I'm assuming you met Ms. Mikaelsen.
Elena: Don't think you can sway my mood with your seduction Mr. Salvatore. How dare you go throw my personal stuff without my permission?!
Damon: Let's discuss this later. I'll meet you at your place after work…You can't stay mad at me forever.
Can't stay mad at Damon Salvatore? He had another thing coming. Maybe she couldn't stay mad at him forever, but right now Elena felt that he crossed the line. What he did was an invasion of privacy. His ability to go unseen was the reason he knew he could get away with it. The front door to her house wasn't his only entryway. He could move through cracks if he really wanted to.
The square business card mocked her as she hid around the corner of the back room. Buzzing voices escalated past the bar and she knew she was needed back at work before her boss found her. This man was going to drive her past insanity if he kept this up.
Back at home after a long day of waiting tables and dodging the media every other minute, Elena carefully avoided any contact with her even worse critic, Caroline. To her luck Caroline was nowhere to be found. The house was quiet and she assumed she was either held up at work or she was with Stefan. She wasn't prepared to play twenty questions nor did she want to explain anything. How do you explain any of it anyways? Vampires, ex-girlfriends, paparazzi, and a possible job offer…Elena still couldn't wrap her head around all of it.
Pulling out her phone, she messaged Damon to let him know she was home. Her bed was calling her name as she waited for him to arrive. As she fell down on the springing mattress, she threw a pillow of her head and screamed into it.
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" His voice echoed through her room and she threw the pillow aside. Her body jolted up and he was leaning against her dresser with a devilish smile.
"You had no right to do that." She huffed and crossed her arms.
"When I see an opportunity, I take it." Damon informed her of his actions. "I know Ms. Mikaelsen can be intimidating, but I assure you she works for one of the best publishing companies in the area."
"Intimidating?" Elena barked. "More like terrifying. She probably is regretting her offer to me right now after recollecting our conversation. I looked like an idiot talking to her. I'm not cut out for the real world."
"And when will you be?" He asked still leaning with his hands in the pockets of suit jacket. His attire was still very business like. The sudden arrival confirmed to her that he had left work. He was dressed to impress and she was falling back into swooning all over him. This was his whole plan. She wasn't going to let it faze her. She focused in on her rage.
"I don't know!" She cried throwing her arms in the air. "I wish you would have let me give you my work instead you intruding into my house when I'm not home and going through my computer! I have a password on there…I don't know how…actually I don't want to know how you figured it out. Anyways, it's an invasion of privacy. You can't just bust in and do whatever you want. I have boundaries."
"I do apologize for my brass move, but," Damon spoke delicately and stood up straight releasing his hands into the open. "You are an excellent, talented writer. I saw so after reading your analysis. It astonishes me that you haven't pursued a career in writing yet. I just wanted to give you the push you needed and you're welcome."
"I never asked to be pushed!" Elena argued and jumped off her bed.
"Do you like writing?" Damon asked.
"Yes." She boldly answered.
"And do you one day want to do something that you actually enjoy? Not working at the grill?" He was poking and prodding and she didn't a
ppreciate it.
"One day, but…" She attempted to fight him, but was failing miserably.
"Then what is so wrong with going out there and doing what you love?" He questioned her. "You deny you needed to be pushed, but I see that you do and you did. Look, I'm sorry that I went about it the wrong way and I should have waited for you to come to me with your work, but I was just so eager read it after you told me about it."
"Why?" Elena asked puzzled by his urgent need to read her what she thought was a boring and lengthy analysis paper.
Damon sighed and said, "Maybe I want to know more about you too besides what underneath those clothes." He smirked seductively.
"Don't get any ideas Salvatore. I'm still mad at you." She crossed her arms again and scowled him.
"I admitted I'm sorry." He cocked his head to the side and slowly approached her. His hands rubbed her arms, as he finally was close enough. "After all this trouble and confessing to my purposeful mistake, can you at least talk to the woman? Go through with an interview possibly?"
Biting her lower lip, she knew she was caving in to him. His good intentions were obnoxious. He needed to understand the law of boundaries when it came to her, but maybe she was a little grateful for his bold actions.
"Fine. I'll call her up and I'll keep you posted." She gave him a half-hearted smile and went over to her computer. "But I'm still mad at you, so if you even think about pulling any move on me you're going to get the cold shoulder."
Elena sat down at her computer and opened it up. The screen that required her password popped up and she knew she needed to create a new one. How she was certain he wouldn't figure it out again, she wasn't. However, she knew after their talk he was aware of how much she disliked him snooping.
"You can't stay mad at me forever." He hovered behind her and she snapped her computer shut. Maybe changing her password wasn't the right thing to do at the moment. "Let me make it up to you."
He kneeled down next to her and kissed her neck. Every thought of hers was telling her to shove him away. She was still mad at him, but his kiss was sending her into oblivion. She was melting at his touch. She was spiraling into his world as he moved his mouth up to her jaw line. He was right; she couldn't stay mad for long.
Buttoning her jeans and snapping her bra back on, Damon was dressed instantly. He was so quick sometimes that she forgot he had the ability to do so. His admiration for her as she walked around her bedroom half naked was noticeable and she knew he was willing for a round two if she allowed it.
"You promise to call Ms. Mikaelsen?" He asked fixing his sleeve.
"Yes, Mr. Salvatore." She said in a small voice.
"I better get back to work. I told them I had something to take care of." Damon grabbed her waist from behind and she fell back into him. "And I did."
His hand smoothed over her bare stomach and crept upward to her laced breast. He was so tempting at a time like this, but she had to resist. Work was calling and so was her possible job opportunity. "Do you need…" She asked shyly knowing he need for blood.
"I'm alright for now." He whispered. "Unless you're offering."
Elena spun around and extended her arm. His knuckles on his fingers brushed her neck as he stared at it. "I know you're not ready, but I can't help but wish you were. Your veins are so beautiful and warm. The thought of tasting you from your neck is ecstasy to me."
Becoming shy from his gesture and response, she lowered her wrist. She was still uncomfortable with the idea of him biting her there. Her wrist was something she was use to now and even though he was still feeding on her, she was growing at ease with his lifestyle. She didn't want him feeding on anything else but her.
"But your wrist will do just fine." Damon assured her and took it. He raised it to his mouth and gorged himself. The initial contact still made her flinch, but it was becoming less painful as she found it erotic. His eyes were filled with lust and a dark shade of red. The transformation from human to vampire was no longer a sight to fear. He would never hurt her, not intentionally. She trusted him even though she knew she shouldn't. He was a vampire after all.
After a minute of divulging in her, he released himself from her and cleaned his mess. He withdrew a sparkling bracelet from his jacket pocket and placed it around her wrist. She was in awe of its beauty. It looked expensive and it probably was. Once again Damon was taking the initiative to present her with things she didn't need. It took every ounce of her to not say something or give the bracelet back. Beyond its beauty it covered her wound well. She would accept this gift. The others she knew that would come along the way were no exception. Those boundaries of hers included unnecessary gestures.
"Call Ms. Mikaelsen." He stated and kissed her forehead.
"On it." She withdrew her phone from her desk.
Wiping his mouth, Damon smirked. "Later."
And like that he was gone.
The house lights were on as Elena exited her car and tugged on her purse. Her heels clinked on the pavement and she shivered. The loud growling noise coming from her stomach indicated her need for something to eat and she hoped Caroline had cooked dinner.
The smell and sight of the overly large office was still imprinted in her mind. The intimidating blonde, Ms. Mikaelsen scribbling down on her notepad still made her uneasy. The thought of being one and one discussing a future in writing was still unreal. It all went by so quick. Her clammy hands were now dry and so was her throat. She desperately needed a drink of water.
As she reached the front door, Elena took in a deep breath. She drew out her phone and texted Damon. Her message informed him she would be over after dinner to tell him how her interview went. She was nervous to recall every detail of the meeting.
Pressing send, Elena opened the door to the warming smell of pasta. It was her comfort food and she immediately wanted to eat the entire serving. "So?!" A peppy voice belonging to Caroline came from the living room. She was smiling erratically and nearly bouncing up and down.
"So?" Elena asked confused by her persistent questioning as she walked through the door. She had not informed Caroline about her run in with Ms. Mikaelsen or even her day. In fact, the only person who knew about her meeting was Damon. Damon.
He was behind this. Caroline knew.
"Did you get the job?" She beamed with excitement and Damon appeared from the kitchen. He had changed into a pair of dark jeans and a grey t-shirt. His slicked back hair was now messy and he gave her that familiar smirk that she loved.
"You told her." Elena said looking past her friend and at Damon.
"Of course he told me." Caroline spoke and walked over to her. "It's not every day that Elena Gilbert gets noticed by one of the biggest publishing companies in the area. So spill!"
"Well," she began and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I was a nervous wreck. I think I repeated myself about a hundred times and I almost threw up all over myself."
"I'm going to forget the last part. Just tell us if you got the job or not. The suspense is killing me!" Caroline cried.
The circumstances of her news played out differently in her head. She wished Damon didn't have to control these sorts of situations. She hated having so much attention on her at a moment like this. Bad new or not she just wanted to curl up into a ball. However, with the waiting and eager faces before she knew she had to share.
"She didn't think I was qualified for the job. I'm too inexperienced." Elena said bowing her head. She was embarrassed to tell them.
"Elena…" Caroline whispered and she knew the expression on Damon's face was a disappointed one without even looking at him.
She sighed and then smiled. "But she offered me an internship position instead. I start tomorrow."
A loud scream filled the room as Caroline ran toward her and hugged her tight. "Oh my god, Elena. Congratulations! I'm so happy for you." She exclaimed.
"Thanks." Elena replied and her eyes fell upon Damon. He was happy for her. His genuine smile of happiness was present on his face. She c
ouldn't help but smile back. "And you can thank Damon for giving me the push I needed I guess."
"You actually did something good. I'm impressed Salvatore." Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "Let me check on our dinner and then we'll eat. Stefan!"
Stefan? Was he hiding in the background for all of this? She still felt uneasy around him, however she was going to try to give the guy a chance. It seemed Caroline was with Damon. She wasn't sure what was weirder: her giving Stefan a second chance or Caroline slightly getting along with Caroline?
"I knew you would get it." Damon spoke in a low tone as he approached her.
Fifty Shades Of Dark - Damon Salvatore Page 26
