"You can cover it with the gloves. No one will ever suspect." He took the box from her lap and pulled them out.
"Or you could give me," She began to say, but was cut off by Damon.
"No!" He hissed. "And we are not having this debate again. End of story."
She wanted to fight him, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Instead, she took the gloves from him and slipped them on over her hands covering her fresh wound perfectly. No one would ever suspect a thing.
Damon held the bracelet in his hand and looped it around the wrist he had just bit into. He linked the two ends of it together and it hung from her wrist with beauty. "It looks wonderful on you." He whispered.
No denying that the bracelet made a great addition to her outfit, she played with the individual diamonds as they sparkled against her dress. She smiled and looked up at Damon. A look of pure pleasure was on his face and she was happy again. Even though he could pull her every which way, she was truly happy in this moment. He leaned down and gently grasped the back of her head. Leaving a soft kiss upon her lips, she felt the butterflies dance inside of her. The car was slowing as it came to the curb of a large manor. Damon's blue eyes pierced her hard and she felt her body caving in.
"We're here." He announced and looked out the car window.
As the changes inside her body twisted and knotted, she pressed her lips together and closed her eyes as Damon looked away. Something was happening to her. Something she had never felt before, but she faintly knew deep down what was occurring. She was falling in love with him.
Chapter 32: The Gala Pt. II
The faint sound of a jazz band playing inside the gorgeous two story manor danced its way outside as the door swung open from the Cadillac. Damon placed his hand out to her and Elena graciously accepted his help. She bunched her dress up as she stepped out and stood straight. About twenty other men gathered outside in similar black tuxedos accompanied by stunning women dressed in ball gowns. Heads turned as Damon turned his elbow out and she looped her arm through his. She did not recognize a single soul, but they all knew who he was and were whispering wondering who she was.
"You're beautiful." He murmured in her ear before he guided her through the crowd and up the stairs to the porch of the manor. His subtle reminder that boosted her confidence was needed. A quick flash of a camera blinded her and she blinked repeatedly before every thing came back into focus.
"Mr. Salvatore, I'm with the Courier." A man abruptly approached them and stuck his hand out. Damon shook it and plastered a smile on his face. He must get the media's attention more than he pleased, but was willing to accept its banter. "Can I get a quick photo of you and your date?"
"Sure." Damon agreed and swung her around so they stood on the left side of the porch, where no one else was. The sun was beginning to set and it created a shadowed backdrop. He snaked his arm around her waist and she smiled with her mouth closed.
Another flash blinded her and the man thanked Damon for the photo. "Can I get your name Miss?" He asked pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen.
"Elena Gilbert." She told him in a quiet voice with Damon's arm still around her.
"Thank you." He nodded and looked up from his quick notes. "And can I ask what relation you have to Mr. Salvatore?"
"Uh," Elena uttered feeling flustered and uncomfortable with the reporter's prying question.
"That's enough for now." Damon intervened and pulled her away.
"I'm sorry, it's just for the paper. Standard question." The persistent man blurted out and shoved the notebook back in his pocket.
"Miss Gilbert is my date and that's all you need to know." He stepped forward staring intensely into the reporter's eyes that pulsed for a split second. "Now please direct your attention to the other guests. Miss Gilbert and I would like to enjoy our night. You will get a short report from my publicist about my activities later for your silly newspaper."
The man nodded his head and blinked hard. He picked up his camera around his neck and excused himself to find another couple arriving. Elena was stunned at what just happened and it left her jaw dropped. Compulsion was an intense skill of his and she was grateful he could fix any problem with a simple look of persuasion, however it did make her feel uneasy. She knew he would never use compulsion upon her, it just still lingered in the back of her mind that he might have to under extreme circumstances such as if he choose to leave her or she left him. The thought taunted her and she immediately tried to forget she ever had it.
"Shall we?" He asked making sure his jacket was in perfect place and he extended his arm once more for her to join him. She happily obliged his gesture and they walked through the door and were greeted with booming laughter and conversations all mixed together. The jazz band was off to their left and they were playing a familiar tune, "In The Mood". Her knowledge for jazz music and decade songs was all thanks to her father. It was a favorite of his to play era and jazz music on a Saturday morning as he read his paper and drank his coffee. The thought of him made her miss him.
"What's wrong?" Damon asked immediately seeing her mood change.
"Nothing." She lied.
He wasn't convinced and twirled around so he was in front of her. They stepped over to the side and he smiled at a passing gentleman. "Elena, what's wrong?" he asked once more wanting a truthful answer from her.
"My Dad used to listen to music like this. It reminds me of him." She said in a hushed tone and sighed. A slight sting of tears formed in her eyes and she turned her head to the side so Damon couldn't see.
"Hey," He stroked her hair. At that moment all his humanity came forward. The thought of him ever disguising a true form or knowing he was a sarcastic, ballsy millionaire was gone. He was just Damon. "I know you cared about him and your mother. I see it on your face, but take it as a sign that he's here in spirit. He would be so proud to see how beautiful his daughter looks."
Elena melted at his touch and smirked sideways. She let out a small chuckle at the thought of her father being still alive and knowing of her relationship with Damon. He looked to her confused to her sudden mood swing. "I wonder what he would think of you, us." She spoke.
"I'm sure he would love me. I can be quite charming I'm told." He said winking at her.
"Aren't we thinking a little too highly of ourselves there?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyways, I may be an adult, but I'm sure my father would have hated you and forbidden me to see you."
"No offense, but I'm glad I'll never have to be put under the microscope." Damon spoke cautiously trying not to offend her. She took his comment lightly. She did wonder what her parents would assess of the situation, but since they weren't around she would never know.
"No more talk about dead parents, okay?" Elena insisted. "Let's have fun."
More heads turned as they walked together into a large room decorated in white and black with a hint of gold, much like her dress. Damon pointed over to a round table and she followed him. Small folded cards with their names were on top of plates indicating where they would be seated. Another card stuffed into an envelope was placed underneath and Damon took his.
"Time to make some donations." He informed her and she grabbed her card without thinking.
Donations? She forgot at events like this was usually to help raise money for some sort of cause or project. Suddenly, she felt unprepared for it. She hadn't brought her checkbook and her account held little cash. This wasn't helping her feel like she was blending in with crowd well. She more felt like she was sticking out like sore thumb.
A table at the east of the room lined the wall with photographs and basket at the end. "What do we do?" She asked unsure and overwhelmed by the surrounding prospective group who had their checkbooks out writing down five to six figure amounts.
"You can make a donation with the card. It will benefit the town and the community." He told her and waved the small white envelope. "Or you can bid on what is in these photographs. It's a silent auction. The highest bidder will
receive whatever is being auctioned and generous portion of what you bid will benefit the community as well."
"I never knew things like this existed in Mystic Falls." She confessed and clutched the card in her hand.
"This is annual event. Most people don't know about it because it's very private." Damon said and placed his hand on the small part of her back and they stepped up to the table. "Don't feel pressured to donate if you don't want to."
"I want to, I just don't have anything to donate." She blushed.
"Elena, don't feel ashamed. Please." He whispered and picked up a pen. "In fact, I offer this. Look at these photographs and if you see something you appreciate and want to bid on go for it. Just tell me and I will work out the finances."
"Damon." Elena uttered his name. "You know how I feel about you and your money."
"I do, but I've told you money is not a worry for me." His voice was firm. He handed her pen and she took it from him. "I insist Miss Gilbert and don't be afraid to bid high."
"Fine." She gave into him and moved down the line.
The photographs were propped up with a small description underneath each explaining what was being auctioned off. Mostly antiques, jewelry, cars, and vacation homes were on the list of things people were willing to rid of just for charity. As she passed each one she felt foolish standing next to other people who clearly could afford to participate in something like this. She had no idea even where to start when it came to offering a price for such expenses. However, one thing did catch her eye. It was home off a tropical island in the Gulf of Mexico. It was beautiful and secluded from the rest of the world, a place to escape from it all. The white sand beaches made it even more appealing and she envisioned herself there with Damon lounging around.
She bent down and wrote her name on the card and the number of the item on it as well to indicate what she was bidding on. All that was left was a price.
"Something catch your eye Miss Gilbert?" Damon asked leaning down whispering in her ear. His breath upon her skin made her want him. He was doing this on purpose. She ignored him though and nervously scribbled down an amount. It seemed like a fair bid.
"Here," She handed him the card and felt embarrassed. Was it too little or too much? She didn't know.
Damon smirked and placed the card on the table. A big fat one followed by four zeros was written on the card. $10,000 was what she had bid. However, Damon withdrew his pen and added an extra zero creating the amount to $100,000.
"You said you take care of the finances, so let me bid my original amount." She argued. His cockiness with money was annoying.
"That is far more worth than $10,000 if you really want the place." He assured her. "I would know I own it."
Almost choking on air, Elena was surprised. How did she miss that bit of information? She looked over at the description again and sure enough it said, "Property owner Damon Salvatore". Of course she had her eyes set on the one thing that belonged to him.
"Then I take it back." She reached for her card, but he yanked it away from her. "I'll bid on something else. It would be pointless for you to pay for something you already own."
"If you want it, then you can have it. As long as no one else bids higher." Damon playfully said and dropped her card into the box with a small enough slot. He was really growing on her last nerve with the whole money thing.
"You're drawing a fine line with me Mr. Salvatore." She informed him and placed her hand on her hip. "Care to tell if there is anything else you are planning to auction?"
Seductive and sly was his nature and he took a step closer toward her closing in on the little space between them. She could smell his cologne and his hot breath blowing on her skin. If there weren't other people around she was sure the inevitable would happen, but his celibacy because of the unsigned contract was the real reason why nothing of that sort could unravel.
"Keep it in your pants Salvatore." She murmured to him as a tall messy hair man came up from behind him.
"Damon Salvatore." He spoke with a glass of champagne in his hand. "I see you haven't changed a bit prowling on beautiful women."
Turning to face the man, Elena studied him. He was about the same height as Damon and well dressed. His jaw line was covered in stubble and he looked like he was in much need of rest. He was almost out of place the more she looked at him amongst all the clean-cut business like people surrounding them. Who was this man?
"And I see you still have a knack for having a drink in your hand at all times." He responded in a snarky tone.
Some hostility flowed between them until the man grinned widely and shook Damon's hand firmly. Damon carelessly put a smile on his face and patted the guy on the back. He was clearly a friend of his and she could tell that something about this man put Damon at ease.
"Elena, I like you to meet my good friend, Alaric Saltzman." He introduced them. "Alaric, this is Elena Gilbert."
"Nice to meet you Elena." Alaric reached out to shake her hand. Behind his glassy eyes, something twitched as if he was unease by her. It reminded her of the way Stefan looked at her as he was out on he doorstep earlier that day. "And I'm probably Damon's only friend. He just won't admit that."
"Nice to meet you too." She replied and laughed.
He quickly let go of her hand and turned to Damon. "I see you put your island up for auction. Hope you cleaned out the place. It would be a shame for someone to find blood stains on the carpet."
Shocked by his comment, Elena glanced around wildly at the crowd that could over hear the conversation. Did he know about Damon? Did he know his drink of choice was in fact blood? Or was his comment just a misunderstood coincidence?
"We're fine." Damon assured her realizing her discomfort and leaned in to talk quietly. "Alaric knows everything. I trust him. He just likes to make untimely jokes about my lifestyle. No one would believe him anyways considering his love for the bottle."
Disguising the truth with being a borderline alcoholic was convenient. She wondered what else Alaric said openly and played it off that it was the alcohol speaking for him. It was strange to finally meet someone who was not blinded by compulsion about Damon's other side. He simply grinned at her and shifted his focus back on his dear friend the vampire.
"So how do you two know each other?" She asked hesitantly. A tray filled with champagne glasses passed them and Damon graciously took two, one for her and himself. Alaric slugged down the last bit of his glass already in his hand and continued on with another.
"He almost tried to kill me." Damon answered nonchalantly. The bubbly champagne stalled in her throat as he spoke and she coughed to clear it.
Kill him? Who was this so-called friend of Damon's? He was blunt and unimpressed with the fact that the gentleman standing before him was a killing machine. How was he accepting his lifestyle, then again how was she? It blew her mind to see Damon interact with another human so naturally and deep down he wasn't human at all.
"Can I have your attention ladies and gentlemen?" A voice came over the speakers and every one turned their heads to the small stage. A tall man, neatly groomed and dressed in all black like every other man in the room held the microphone in one hand while he occupied the other with a champagne glass. He looked familiar and as she gazed at him longer she realized it was the mayor of Mystic Falls. The music faded as he began to speak. "I want to thank you all for coming tonight. My wife and I every year organize this occasion for the fine and prestigious group you all make up."
A round of applause broke out and Elena joined in. Her eyes wandered the crowd to see all the glamorous couples and to remind herself of how out of place she was. Amongst the crowd she spotted Caroline and Stefan quietly entering and she felt relief to see her best friend. She wanted to wave to acknowledge her presence, but Caroline was too wrapped up with Stefan to even notice her. As she turned to inform Damon of their arrival, she noticed him and Alaric had stepped back and was discussing something that looked quite serious. She couldn't hear what they were saying
, but Alaric's stare switched back and forth between Damon and herself repeatedly. Once he realized she was watching he halted in his heated discussion with Damon and shook his head. Clearly, whatever they were talking about had to do with her and she had a feeling Alaric disapproved.
"Please make sure to stop by the donation table before you leave tonight. All proceeds benefit the community and the restoration of Mystic Falls." The mayor informed cheerfully and gave the crowd a big smile. "And as the official start to the night I ask that all couples join on the dance floor for the first dance."
Taking in a deep breath, Elena worried something was wrong. She didn't want it to ruin her night, however she had no control of how her emotions tended to play out. "Can I have this dance, Miss Gilbert?" Damon asked as he turned over his hand and waited for her response. No sign of his argument with Alaric was present upon his face and as she looked back to where they both had been standing, Alaric had disappeared.
Fifty Shades Of Dark - Damon Salvatore Page 21