Damon and Elena POV

Disclaimer: BDSM and abuse.

Characters aren't mine: the storyline is!

Leave me a review if you'd like!

Let's begin, shall we?

Elena POV

I slam my laptop shut and throw it onto the couch beside me. There's no jobs anywhere in this damn city. I don't regret quitting my job at Mel's, but I can't seem to find anywhere that's hiring. I get up and stomp over to the counter, snatching up my car keys as I pass.

I put the key into the ignition and turn. It sounds hopeful, the engine turning over for a second before it stalls. I try again, taking the key out before replacing it and turning. It sputters and tries to turn over, but it doesn't have the energy.

"No, no this is not happening. This is not fucking happening!" I slam my hands down on the steering wheel and scream. This car has lasted me for years. It runs like a champ and I love it. I look up from my tantrum to see that, my overhead lights have been switched on. All night. That's the culprit. Great, my battery is dead. At least its Sunday and I don't have any classes until Tuesday. I take out my phone and dial Caroline's number.

"Hello!", the blonde answers in her uppity tone.

"Hey Caroline. Are you busy right now?", I reply, secretly hoping she has nothing better to do.

"Yeah I just got to Bonnie's house and we were going over to Becca's. Do you want to come?", Caroline asks me. Becca's Cafe has always been a hangout spot for us. I have a caffeine addiction, one thats being supported and encouraged by our weekly trips over there.

"Do you think I can get a ride? My car's battery died." I ask, my tone growing sheepish.

"Of course, I'll be there soon." Caroline replies, sincerity in her voice. The call ends and I get out of my car. I lean on the side of the hood, warm from the sun beating down on the black paint. I close my eyes and look at the sun through my eyelids. I tilt my head towards the sky and absorb the nice heat. The honk of a horn pulls me out of my relaxation. I open my eyes and see Caroline's shiny Corvette waiting for me. I push off my car and walk to hers. I climb in the front seat, noticing Bonnie has claimed the backseat, and buckle in.

"I brought my jumper cables and Bonnie is Googling how to jump a car. We're trying it after coffee." Caroline says while pulling away. Great, so we can electrocute ourselves.

We arrive at the coffee shop minutes later, and after I've had my cappuccino fix, we step away from the counter and plop down in a booth.

"I swear, if I don't find a job in the next week, I'm dropping out of college and becoming a stripper.", I say while Bonnie almost spits out her latte. She erupts into a fit of giggles and Caroline and I join in.

"You couldn't be a stripper, Elena. You would have to shake that little ass in front of a bunch of creepy men, and one of them would say something about your ass, and you'd go all Kill Bill on them." Caroline retorts, causing everyone to laugh harder.

"You're totally right. You're more stripper material than I am." I reply, watching Caroline's eyes get wide and her mouth grow into an open smile.

"You're damn right I am," Caroline defends herself, "I know how to work with what I've got."

"Is that what Stefan says?", Bonnie pipes up, laughing before she can even get the words out. Caroline's face turns red and she hits Bonnie on the arm.

"No! That's not what he says.", Caroline retorts.

"How are you and lover boy, anyway? I haven't heard anything about him for a while." I question, wondering about Caroline's Prince Charming.

"We're good, I saw him on Friday. We had lunch again with his brother, Damon. Let me tell you, good looks obviously run in the family. Too bad he doesn't do the relationship thing. Elena, you should jump all up on that." Caroline says as she winks at me. I roll my eyes at her and get up from the booth. I pay for the most recent issue of the newspaper and return to my seat.

"The only thing I'm 'jumping up on' is trying to find a job. Help me look?" I ask, giving them my best puppy dog eyes and jutting out my bottom lip. They both grab a section of the Classifieds and search.

"You could be a maid!" Caroline points out the ad. I do like to clean, I think to myself. I grab a pen from my bag and throw it to her. She circles it and keeps looking. I look down at my own paper and skim through the jobs. Escort, no. Plumber, definitely not. Assistant, maybe. I look closer at the ad. Salvatore Law Firm. Assistant needed. I grab my phone and dial the number.

"You've reached the office of the Salvatore Law Firm, my name is Rose, how may I help you?" A kind voice answers after the second ring.

"My name is Elena Gilbert, I'm calling about the assistant position?" I ask, keeping my tone professional. I hear a small sigh on the phone, almost inaudible.

"You will need to meet with Mr. Salvatore. The personal assistant job is for him. He has an opening tomorrow afternoon. How does one o'clock sound, Ms. Gilbert?" Rose replies, sounding less than impressed.

"That's perfect!" I reply, trying to hold in my excitement.

"Please come to the main lobby and I will direct you from there. Thank you for your interest in joining our team." I hear before the line goes dead.

"I have an interview tomorrow at one." I tell the girls, my voice giddy with joy. I might actually get a job!

"Well let's get you home so we can pick out your sexy interview outfit!" Caroline exclaims while sliding out of the booth.

We return to my apartment and I grab the jumper cables out of Caroline's backseat. She parks her car so that our hoods are close together. I run over and pop the hood of my car while Caroline does the same.

"Okay so apparently it goes, red clip to positive terminal, but put the cables on Elena's car first." Bonnie instructs. I open the red clip and place it on the positive terminal of my car battery.

"Now Caroline, you do the same thing with the red cable." Caroline listens and clips her red cable to the positive terminal.

"Caroline connect the black cable to your negative terminal." Caroline does as she's told and clips it into place.

"Ugh, my phone died. Elena I guess just clip your black cable to the negative terminal too.", Bonnie tells me. I open the clamp and am about to attach it to the negative terminal, when a car horn startles me. I drop the clamp onto the ground when I jump, and I whirl around to see who honked.

A dark SUV has pulled into the end of my driveway. The driver walks out from around his vehicle and I am immediately stunned. Damn. Is all that my mind can come up with as he saunters towards me.

"Car trouble?", mystery man asks, his voice deep and husky. He's clad in a suit, hugging him perfectly along his torso and lower regions. I avert my eyes before he can see me gawking.

"Hello Damon. Her battery is dead, and none of us know how to use jumper cables.", Caroline says while giving me a pointed look.

"I called him, figured we could use some help from someone who knows a thing or two about cars.", Caroline explains.

"And I'm glad you did. You were just about to blow up your car.", Damon says as he points to me, "Your black cable goes to a piece of ground metal. You could have just been barbecued." He bends down and grabs the clamp off of the ground, brushing against my leg as he does so. He stands back up and the way he gazes up and down my body makes my chest grow tight. Is it hot out here? He attaches the clamp on another bolt on the other side of my hood. He turns back around and steps away from the car. I do the same. His arms brushes up against mine and I immediately get goosebumps. He peers down at me and I am surprised to be looking into a set of piercing blue eyes.

"Caroline, go ahead and start yours." Damon instructs, not taking his eyes off of me. Caroline does as instructed. He walks over to my car and looks back at me.

"Keys?" He asks, holding his hand out. I take my car keys out of the back pocket of my shorts and toss them to him. They land perfectly in his palm and he clasps his hand around them. He climbs in and I hear my engine stutter, then it roars to life. Bonnie, Caroline, and I all start clapping. I throw in a whistle when he steps out of the car. He flashes me a bright smile and my knees grow weak. He walks back over to the front of the car and removes all the cables, wraps them up and hands them to Caroline.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I have a meeting to attend." Damon states, my heart lurches as he grins at me again.

"It was nice to meet you." I reply before he turns back. He returns to his car and pulls away.

"Jesus, Caroline. Hot is an understatement!" I yell, causing the girls to cackle again. Caroline and I both walk over to our cars and cut them off. I mean, Stefan was good-looking, but Damon took it to a new level. He was mouth-watering.

"Oh shut your mouth, you're starting to drool. Now let's go and pick out what Elena's wearing for this interview!" Caroline retorts as she walks towards my apartment. Bonnie and I chuckle as we follow behind. I still felt flustered, and could tell I was blushing. Damon was the definition of man candy. I could definitely embrace my stripper side for him, I shook the image out of my head as I unlocked the door to my apartment.