Damon made two changes to the contracts, initialled them, signed his name at the bottom, and slid the documents across his desk to Enzo. "These are all right as amended. What's your problem with the property at Mystic Falls?"
"There are a couple of them, Damon," Enzo replied, straightening in his chair. "In the first place, I have the feeling you are going ahead with this deal because I led you to believe that we could make a quick, easy profit by reselling the land to Salvatore Industries. A few days ago, I thought that was a virtual sure thing, but I have spent the last day and a half researching Salvatore Industries, going over their financial statements, and I have also made some phone calls to some friends of mine in Richmond. Last I talked to someone who knows Zach Salvatore personally…"
"And?" Damon demanded impassively.
"And now I'm not completely confident Salvatore Industries will be financially able to buy the land. Based on everything I found out, I think they are heading for big trouble."
"What sort of trouble?"
"It's rather a long explanation, and I can only speculate, based on the facts and on a hunch I have."
Instead of berating him for not getting directly to the point, which Enzo half expected, Damon said, "go on."
The two small words of encouragement banished Enzo's nervous uncertainty, and he became the confident, capable investment brain they had written up in the business magazines when he was still at Harvard. "All right, here's the overall picture: Until a few years ago, the company was virtually stagnant. Their marketing techniques were antiquated, their management team relied too much on the 'prestige' of their name, and they, like the dinosaur, were on the road to extinction. Zach Salvatore, who is still president, ran the stores like a family dynasty that didn't need to respond to economic trends. Then Sarah Salvatore, Zach's daughter came along. Somehow, she managed to convince her father and the board of directors, who are anything but progressive, to embark on an expansion program. In order to expand their company, they needed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, which they did in the usual way— they borrowed what they could from their bank, then they took the company public and sold shares on the New York Stock Exchange."
"What difference does all this make?" Damon demanded shortly.
"It wouldn't make any difference were it not for two things, Damon. They have expanded so quickly that they are in hock up to their ears, and they have been using most of their profits to different investments. As a result, they don't have a lot of cash lying around to weather any major economic reversals. Frankly, I don't know how they intend to pay for the land in Mystic Falls, or if they can. Secondly, there is a rumour that one of their investments has turned out bad. If somebody wanted to take over Salvatore Industries, they couldn't afford to put up a fight and win it. They are ripe for a takeover attempt. And," Enzo stated, deepening his voice to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say, "I think somebody else has noticed that."
Instead of looking concerned, Enzo watched an odd expression cross Damon's face, an expression that might have been amusement or satisfaction. "Is that right?"
Enzo nodded, slightly disconcerted by his strange reaction to what should have been alarming news. "I think somebody is already secretly starting to buy up all the shares in Salvatore Industries they can get their hands on, and they have been buying them up in blocks small enough not to alert Salvatore Industries or Wall Street or the SEC yet."
Damon said nothing.
"Until six months ago, Salvatore Industries' stock was pretty much where it had been for two years - selling at ten dollars a share. Until then, the average number of shares traded in a week was one hundred thousand. But," Enzo added, "in the last six months it's been inching upward until it is now nearly twelve dollars a share, and the volume of shares traded has been hitting new highs about once a month."
He looked at Damon, frowning. "It's just a hunch, but I think someone—some entity—may be trying to acquire control of the company."
Damon stood up, putting an abrupt and permanent end to the discussion. "Either that, or investors simply think Salvatore Industries is a good long-term investment. We will proceed with the purchase of the Mystic Falls property."
Enzo hesitated. "Are you sure the that land in Mystic Falls is an excellent investment?"
"I think it is."
"Good," Enzo replied, stretching his long legs out in front of him. "Because I had hate to think you were spending a fortune just to retaliate against someone from your past."
"Why would you leap to a conclusion like that?" Damon asked, but there was a gleam of sardonic amusement in his eye.
"Tell me something - how much is that land going to cost Intercorp?"
"Ten million, probably."
"And how much is it going to cost Zach Salvatore to buy it from us?"
"A hell of a lot more."
"Damon," he drawled with deceptive casualness, "do you remember the night when you sold the first company you bought?"
Damon was surprised by the question, but he remembered the time well enough. Enzo had worked for the first company that he had bought. When he sold it, Enzo elected to take his chances with Damon rather than the new owners who had offered him an excellent position and a better salary.
"I don't remember much about that night," Damon admitted, "except that we got drunk together."
"I told you I would stick with you," Enzo said, "even though the new owners were willing to give me more. I like you, Damon. I like the way you work. We both got drunk together that night." Watching Damon closely, he continued. "I have a hazy recollection that you ranting about someone named Zach who hurt your father."
"Your memory is obviously better than mine," Damon said evasively, but Enzo had noticed the imperceptible tightening in Damon's jaw at the mention of his name, and he leapt to the instant and correct conclusion.
"So," he continued, "now that we have established that the Zach that night is actually Zach Salvatore, would you care to tell me what happened between your father and him?"
"No," Damon said. "I wouldn't." He glanced at his watch and stood up. "I have to get ready for the press conference. You will have to excuse me."
Damon didn't discuss his former life with anyone. Knowing his background might change an individual's opinion of him. At the very least, it would colour an opinion. And he didn't want it.
x x x
In keeping with his promise to Intercorp's public relations department, Damon presented himself to the members of the press and did his best to look delighted to be there. He said he would grant brief interviews to the local reporters from CBS and ABC, then posed for pictures and answered routine questions for the reporter from the LA Chronicle and the local stringer from USA Today. He did not like reporters of any kind, from any medium. He was only doing it for Intercorp. When it came to Intercorp, Damon made whatever sacrifices were necessary.
To the common man, Damon Salvatore apparently represented the American Dream of a poor boy making good. Articles about him and pictures of him appeared frequently in magazines and newspapers. As year faded into year, the press became increasingly obsessed with his flamboyant corporate successes and his glamorous bedroom playmates, who included several movie stars.
The ABC interview was the last. To his surprise, the attractive journalist waved the microphone at him and asked, "How do you feel about the growing number of hostile corporate takeovers?"
"I think it is a trend that is bound to continue until such time as guidelines are set up to control it," Damon replied.
"Is Intercorp planning to swallow up any more?"
A leading question, but not unexpected, and he sidestepped it smoothly. "Intercorp is always interested in acquiring good companies in order to further our own growth and theirs."
"Even if the company doesn't wish to be acquired?"
"It is a risk we all run, even Intercorp," he replied, smiling politely.
"But it would take another giant the size of Intercorp to swallow you up. Is anyone immune to a forced merger with you—friends, and so forth? I mean," she teased, "is it possible our very own ABC could find itself your next prey?"
"The object of a takeover attempt is called the target," he said dryly, "not the prey. However," he joked, "if it will set your mind at rest, I can assure you that Intercorp does not have an acquisitive eye on ABC at this time."
She laughed and then gave him her best professional media journalist smile. "Can we talk a little about your private life now?"
Carefully concealing his irritation behind a bland smile, he asked, "Could I prevent you?"
Her smile widening, she shook her head and began. "During the past few years you have reportedly had torrid love affairs with several movie stars, models, and most recently with Andie Starr, the top TV reporter from NBC News. Were these widely publicized love affairs real, or were they invented by the gossip columnists?"
"Yes," Damon replied unanswerably.
The journalist laughed at his deliberate evasion, then she sobered, "You have never married and I was wondering if you have any plans to marry in the future."
"It's not out of the question," he replied, then he terminated the interview himself by giving her a brief smile and a curt nod before he stepped out of the camera's range.
The tactic surprised her and she followed him. "Wait—I—I was wondering if we could get together later—for a chat."
"I'm sorry," Damon lied politely, "but you will have to contact our PR department and schedule an interview."
"I wasn't actually thinking of an interview," she said, gazing directly into his eyes and softening her voice. "I thought perhaps we could have a drink somewhere…"
Damon cut her off with a shake of his head, but he softened the automatic rejection with a politely regretful smile. "I'm afraid I don't even have fifteen minutes to myself before end of the year."
She was lovely, well-spoken, and intelligent, but none of that mattered to Damon. Because the only woman he cared about now was Elena Gilbert.
He could still see the red highlights in her silky, dark brown hair shining in the sunlight and her almond-coloured eyes twinkling up at him. He could still feel the tightening in his gut that always signalled the beginning of an attraction to a woman. He could still feel the wash of warmth that went over him when she had smiled.
She was unlike any other woman he had ever known. Elena Gilbert fascinated him. She had always fascinated him since she was a child. If he had lived in another time and place, an era during which people routinely believed in superstitious nonsense, for example, he would have wondered if she had put some kind of spell on him.
Elena's intelligent face was expressive and vivid. He had to admit that there was a natural elegance to her high cheekbones. He also conceded that there was something about her full mouth that made him think of sultry nights and damp, tangled sheets.
Damon had been riveted by her from the first moment he saw her at the charity ball. He had wanted her.
God help him, he still wanted her.
It was beyond time for him to make his move.
To make her mine, he thought.
x x x
MYSTIC FALLS 2016
Jenna Sommers was never happier than when bustling around her kitchen, the house full of family. She had been a housewife since marrying Logan Fell when she was twenty-six. She made no apology for never having had a career outside the home. It would never occur to her to regret her life because she had always been blissfully happy with all the choices she had made.
She was active in civic and church work and could be depended on to handle either a leadership position or the most menial and thankless task. She was quite comfortable in either capacity.
But in her kitchen, with her noisy, rambunctious family seated around the large table, she was in her element. Tonight, she was especially happy because both Jeremy and Elena were home.
She had been taking care of two of her orphaned nieces since Grayson and Miranda Gilbert died in a car accident twelve years ago. Miranda was her only sister and Jenna vowed to look after Miranda's children.
Jenna had always wanted children but not long after her marriage with Logan, she was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus and she had to undergo hysterectomy. She knew she could never have children anymore. Although Logan had been supportive, she knew her husband really wanted to have children.
When Jenna was notified about the deaths of Grayson and Miranda, she and Logan had moved back to Mystic Falls to look after Elena and Jeremy. Being their guardians was a bonus, like a gorgeous gift wrap on a very special present. She had loved both Jeremy and Elena in a special way.
"Would you like something to eat, Elena?" Jenna asked her niece, unable to resist the impulse of lovingly smoothing her hand over Elena's mane of hair.
"Please, aunt Jenna, if it is not too much trouble." Momentarily she rested her cheek on the back of Jenna's hand. Then, as though embarrassed by the childish gesture, she pulled away. "Hmm, cookies."
"Yes," Elena replied, laughing as she surveyed the mess on the kitchen countertop. "Your uncle Logan told me you have arrived while I was right in the middle of frosting them. As you can see, I dropped everything and ran. We will finish them later."
"I would like that," Elena said, giving her a swift hug before taking a chair at the table.
"I'm so glad you can come back for New Year." Jenna dropped a pat of butter into a hot iron skillet and began building a cheese sandwich. "New Year just wouldn't be the same without you here."
"Me too."
"But where's Liam?" Jenna asked. "Is he coming on New Year Eve as planned?"
"Uh, I doubt it. He is…he is bogged down with his research studies. It was going to be inconvenient for him to make the trip…"
At the risk of painting herself into a corner, or telling an outright lie, she let her explanation trail off. The unvarnished truth was that Liam wouldn't be joining them on New Year Eve, period. They didn't need to know anything beyond that
"Is everything okay between you two?" Jenna asked, instantly concerned for her niece.
"Yeah, everything was fine." She took a sip of her coffee Jenna had poured her. "We are fine. He is busy, that's all."
"Damn shame he won't be here," Jeremy said with affected sincerity. He sauntered in and dropped into a chair. "New Year won't be the same without the future zit doctor."
Any other time, Elena would have lit into Jeremy for poking fun at Liam, but, again, his comment went virtually unnoticed. She was experiencing a twinge of conscience and arguing with herself that she hadn't actually told a lie.
Jeremy hadn't asked her point-blank, "Are you still engaged to Liam, or did he break it off earlier?" Elena reasoned. She had avoided mentioning it, that's all.
"Liam adores Elena," Logan said. "It is so obvious from the way he looks at you."
Elena's insides took a free-fall. She had a clear recollection of what Liam had said to her when he broke up with her. Every time she thought about Liam seeing Nadia behind her back when they were still together, she was furious with him and felt thoroughly humiliated.
"When are you two getting married?" Jenna asked excitedly. "When's the big day?"
Elena managed a wan smile. "We haven't decided on it."
"Liam hasn't proposed yet?" Logan asked. "You two have been together for more than a year."
"We have been busy," Elena said. Definitely time to change the subject, she thought. "Where's Anna, Jeremy?"
Anna was Jeremy's childhood sweetheart and he had been in love with shy, elfin Anna for as long as Elena could remember. After finishing his university degree, Jeremy was offered a job at one of the oil companies in Texas and he had asked Anna to join him in Texas. To Jeremy's intense relief, Anna's answer was yes and they had been happily married for almost a year now.
"She said to tell everybody good-night. She was exhausted. It was a long trip from Texas."
"I can't wait for the New Year Eve party," Elena said. "It would be fun."
"Remember the New Year Eve that year when you got so drunk you nearly did a strip dance in front of us?" Jeremy teased.
"I wasn't drunk!" Elena threw a Frito at him. Grinning, he caught it and ate it.
"I remember that," Logan said. He was leaning against the countertop, snitching raw cookie dough and sipping the coffee Jenna had poured for him. "You and Caroline were so drunk that night. Jenna and Liz basically had to hold you two down in order to stop the strip dance."
"Caroline was the one who suggested the strip dance," Elena retorted.
"But you were the first who stripped," Jeremy remarked.
She threw another Frito at her brother. This one he threw back. She threw another one. He threw it back too. Soon corn chips were flying.
"Children! I swear, you are worse than three-year-olds."
They were all still laughing when Jeremy stretched and sniffled a yawn.
"Guess I better go to bed. It's late." He said his good-nights and left the kitchen for upstairs.
"I'm beat, too," Elena said, coming to her feet. "Good night, aunt Jenna. We will get on those cookies first thing in the morning." She kissed Jenna's cheek. "Good night, uncle Logan."
Logan walked towards her when she went for her suitcases. She waved him back into his chair. "I can get them."
"No problem," he said, lifting the suitcases off the floor and Elena followed him out of the kitchen.
Logan returned to the table to finish his coffee a minute later and was surprised to find his wife frowning. "What's wrong?"
"Elena, for one thing."
"Elena?"
She could tell by his tone that she had surprised him. "Soon she will be making wedding plans and women planning their wedding should be thrilled. But Elena wasn't."
"Maybe she was tired. It was a harrowing trip from LA to here."
Jenna gnawed her lower lip. "Maybe you are right."
"You worry too much, Jenna."
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His mouth was warm and mobile over hers. Their kiss was giving, loving, and sexy. He drew her closer, and, for a moment, she submitted to having his hands on her hips before self-consciously stepping back, her cheeks flushed.
"The kids are upstairs," Jenna whispered.
"They aren't kids anymore," Logan said, laughing. "Jeremy is married and Elena is getting married soon."
"Behave yourself, Logan Fell," Jenna said, grinning at her husband she adored. "I will finish cleaning up here. Why don't you have your shower before going to bed? We will be busy tomorrow."
"Sure." He lowered his head again and kissed her meaningfully. They finally parted reluctantly before Jenna waved him off and dreamily moved back towards the countertop.
Lying on her bed, Elena grinned into her pillow, feeling warm, snugly, and content in the knowledge that she was back in Mystic Falls where her family was. Hanging on the wall she was facing were familiar framed photographs - Elena as the Mystic Falls High School cheerleading squad, Elena in cap and gown receiving her high school diploma, Elena accepting her medical degree from the dean of the medical school at the University of Virginia, Elena with her brother and parents in Yellowstone National Park, taken during the family vacation when she was ten. Beloved photographs.
She had been eagerly looking forward to New Year so that she could spend time with her family again. Then Liam had his nerve, breaking their engagement after he had promise he would be able to spend time with her family during New Year.
He had his nerve, breaking their engagement, period.
For the past year, they had constantly talked marriage. They had made plans. They agreed that marriages should be well blueprinted and based on common goals rather than strictly romance. Sexual heat was a shaky foundation to build a life on.
Elena had decided long ago that she would never depend on a man for her happiness. Liam understood that. Likewise, he wanted his wife to be committed to the success of his medical practice. She loved Liam. Hadn't he admitted that night that he loved her? But they were more practical about love than some couples.
Liam could be driven to passion, just like any man. They had had their steamy moments together. But it wasn't as though his centre of gravity was in his loins. He didn't possess that raw, animal sexuality like her brother. Not like…..Damon. Her mind snapped closed around the thought. She couldn't stop thinking about Damon since Christmas Eve.
Quite objectively, she thought her father and Jeremy were the handsomest men around. For his age, Logan, too, was a heartthrob. Plenty of women in and around Mystic Falls were jealous of his devotion to Jenna.
Damon, however, was movie-star handsome. Some matinee idols might even envy the angular bone structure of his face and the provocative shape of his mouth. And his eyes…One look into those eyes could steal the breath of any woman on this planet earth, Elena thought.
The man was absolutely lethal. No wonder women fell at his feet. Just the memory of his voice and his smile were making her hands tremble! Really, she decided as she tried to suppress a half-hearted smile, if he could bottle all that awesome sex appeal, he wouldn't need to work to make money. Her smile faded as she wondered how many other women he had offered his paradise to, and then she realized the answer had to be dozens. She couldn't be jealous, could she? Damon was her friend. He treated her like his sister.
She was furious with herself for behaving like a teenager in the throes of her first big infatuation. Get a grip, she said to herself. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. But all she saw were two captivating blue eyes, deep dimples, and a sensuous, smiling mouth. With that picture fixed in her mind, she eventually dropped off into a restless slumber.
x x x
"It was one of the more embarrassing moments of my life." Elena leaned back on her seat at the Grill, and sipped glumly on the hot green tea the waitress had given her. "I couldn't believe Liam would have the nerve to break our engagement."
"Don't you dare blame yourself for this, Elena," Caroline exclaimed loyally as she plucked the plastic laminated menu out from its position between the napkin holder and the little carousel that held the condiments. "He was engaged to you when he fooled around with someone else. He ought to be horsewhipped!"
"I have never like Liam Davis," her best friend continued bluntly. "I have always wondered if the two of you were right for each other."
"I didn't know what to do," Elena admitted for the first time. "I haven't told aunt Jenna and Jeremy about the break up yet."
"Just tell them the truth. He doesn't love you, Elena, and you don't love him. Period."
Elena looked at Caroline, the woman who had been her best friend since first grade. "I thought Liam was the one."
"Obviously, he isn't. He is just a scumbag."
Elena thought about Damon calling Liam the scum of the earth. She looked as though she was attempting to suppress a smile.
"What?" Caroline demanded.
"I think you are right," Elena said. "Liam Davis is definitely a scumbag."
The two women burst out in laughter. But when they sobered, Caroline's eyes softened. "Take my word that Liam isn't the one for you. You deserve someone who adores you. You deserve that."
"Thank you, Caroline," Elena whispered. Her heart squeezed with love for her best friend.
Caroline raised one brow in a very knowing fashion. "Has it occurred to you that you have been too busy to do anything but work? That you haven't actually dated all that many men? That maybe, just maybe, you settled for 'liking' Liam instead of 'loving' someone else?"
Elena lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Whatever I did wrong, my family was going to be disappointed now because Liam dumped me for someone else."
"You were going to marry the wrong man; that's what you did wrong."
"I wish I were married to the right one now."
Caroline aimed a finger at her. "You know what you really need?"
"Please don't say a new boyfriend."
"You said you wish you were married to the right one now. What you need now is a new boyfriend."
Damon came to Elena's mind immediately. Don't be silly, she thought. Damon wouldn't be your boyfriend. What was wrong with her today? Why was she thinking about Damon again? She had to get a grip on herself. Caroline was watching her with gathering concern.
"Are you okay?" Caroline asked. "Something wrong?"
"No, of course not. I'm fine." Elena took a long, reviving swallow of tea. "I have been a little tense since the breakup with Liam, that's all."
"What you need now is a new man in your life. You need a man who really loves you. Liam isn't that man. You just never had a chance to find one who does," Caroline said tenderly. Then her eyes sparkled. "But I think I might be able to help you find one."
Elena groaned. "Oh, no! You are not going to put me into some sort of match-making programme, aren't you? I'm warning you, Caroline Forbes…"
Caroline smiled at her. "Here comes Tyler,"
She glanced up to see Tyler Lockwood moving regally down the aisle between a row of tables. He was followed by a man in his early thirties. He was nearly as tall as Tyler but not as muscular.
They halted beside the table where Elena and Caroline sat. Tyler dropped an overstuffed leather briefcase onto the vinyl seat and slid into the booth across from Elena. He gave Caroline a brief kiss on her cheek.
"Sorry, I'm late, darling. Dad wants to make some last-minute changes to the schedule for the New Year Eve event at the town hall. Hey, you are looking great, Elena."
Elena smiled at Tyler. "Thanks. So are you. It is good to see you again. Been a while."
Tyler laughed. "Too long."
Elena had known Tyler since first grade. He had always been fun despite being the only son of the mayor of Mystic Falls. He was a bright, high-energy man who bubbled with personality and plans. Caroline started dating Tyler since high school and they had announced their engagement recently. Elena was happy for both of them.
"Elena, this is Aaron Whitmore. Aaron, meet Elena Gilbert," Caroline said. "Aaron is a colleague of mine at the Whitmore College. His father is the assistant head of the Department of Sociology at Whitmore College."
"Nice to meet you, Elena," Aaron said. He wasn't considered good looking but he had a nice smile. "Caroline said you are a doctor."
Elena gave Caroline a quick glare before turning her attention back to Aaron. "Yes, I work in the ER at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in LA."
"Impressive." Aaron's smile was polite. "I haven't had plans for New Year as my parents had travelled to Canada for a research meeting. Caroline suggests I come to Mystic Falls for a visit. And here I'm."
"Mystic Falls is a special place," Caroline bubbled with enthusiasm. "Maybe it is a place where you find the love of your life."
Tea sloshed over the side of Elena's cup. She sputtered wildly, "Caroline likes to joke. Ha, ha."
"I'm not so sure it's any harder to find love in a small town than it is in a big city." Tyler chuckled. "Just look at Caroline and me. I never would have found her if I'm not staying here in Mystic Falls."
Caroline grinned. "Well, you know what they say. Love is where you find it."
Elena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."
"Life is so unpredictable," Caroline said. "Who knows, Elena? You and I both finding true love where we least expected it."
"Why don't we watch the fireworks in the park on New Year Eve together?" Tyler suggested.
Caroline's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's a good idea. We can go over to the park after the dinner at your parents."
"I'm not going." Elena took a long sip of her tea. "I'm spending New Year Eve with aunt Jenna, uncle Logan, Jeremy and Anna."
"Come on, it would be fun. Join us," Caroline pleaded. "Please."
"I can pick you up at your place and we can join them at the park," Aaron said eagerly.
"Great! Aaron will pick you up around eleven p.m. and we will meet at the park." Caroline clapped her hands in glee before Elena could say anything. "Oh, Aaron, you can't imagine how happy that makes me. I'm pretty sure you and Elena will get along very well."
An hour later Aaron turned his Jaguar into Elena's driveway. "This is a beautiful Camaro. Does it belong to you?"
"No." Elena watched curiously as the sleek vehicle parked next to Jenna's red four wheel drive Jeep. It looked very familiar. Where had she seen it before?
"It is the latest model." Aaron brought the car to a halt and switched off the ignition. "I bet this car costs a fortune."
"Hmm." Elena opened the door on her side and slid out of the Jaguar. She went around the front of the car. Aaron fell into step beside her and together they walked toward her front door.
"Thanks for the ride." Elena hurried up the steps with Aaron right behind her.
"I will pick you up at eleven tonight?" Aaron asked.
She turned to face Aaron. He had been nice enough, but there had been no chemistry. A half hour into their lunch together, Elena had known that a relationship between them would never go anywhere. She had played along because she didn't want to upset Caroline and Tyler, and Aaron wasn't a bad company, but she had no intention of being anything more than a friend to him.
The front door of her house swung open just as she was trying to tell Aaron that she wasn't interested in him. Damon Salvatore stood there looking as if he had every right to occupy her home.
It was the first-time Elena had seen him dressed in anything other than a formal suit and tie. Damon was wearing denims, and a grey long-sleeved T-shirt.
His emotionless blue gaze swept over Elena and then settled intently on Aaron.
Elena's mouth open in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you." Damon did not take his eyes off Aaron.
Aaron cleared his throat as Damon looked him over. "Hello, um, I'm Aaron Whitmore," he said, sticking out his hand. "And you are…Elena's brother?"
"I'm her friend," Damon held out his hand with a cool, deliberate air, as if he didn't expect Aaron to observe the formalities and didn't really care one way or the other. It was a minimally polite gesture, nothing more. He kept the handshake perfunctory. "Damon Salvatore."
"Damon Salvatore of Intercorp? I have heard about your name. You have a great reputation in the business world. A lot of the MBA candidates are studying your takeover techniques."
Damon remained cool. "Hmm."
"How long have you known Elena?" Aaron asked.
"As a matter of fact…"
"We are friends," Elena interrupted crisply. "We both have roots here in Mystic Falls."
"I see." Aaron kept his attention on Damon. "How long are you going to be in town?"
"As long as it takes," Damon said.
"He is probably here for business, right, Damon? He is very busy," she told Aaron. "He won't stay here for long."
"I have never said I'm here for business."
Aaron gave Elena a sidelong glance. "I will see you tonight?"
"I won't see her if I were you," Damon muttered to Aaron.
Aaron's eyes widened. "Did you say what I think you said?"
"No," Elena interrupted. "Damon is a joker. Ha, ha. Funny. I will talk to you later, Aaron."
Aaron nodded brusquely at Damon and went back down the steps.
Damon watched him leave. "Who is this geek?"
"Someone I know."
"What were you doing with him?"
"None of your business." Elena walked past him into the living room. Damon could tell from her clipped sentence that she was angry with him.
He let the front door close slowly. "How long have you known him for?"
Elena shrug off her leather jacket. "A while."
"Meaning?"
Elena lifted her chin. She confronted Damon with her legs braced and her hands shoved into the deep pockets of the long, hand knitted turquoise tunic she wore over black leggings. "What more do you want to hear?"
"You are upset," he concluded.
"Yes, I'm upset. You basically scared Aaron to death. You are a big bully!"
His jaw tightened. "Because I don't like him."
"Why not?" Elena asked, stunned.
He hesitated for a brief moment. He couldn't tell Elena he was jealous when she was with another man, could he? "You are in a vulnerable state right now, and your guard is down."
She widened her eyes in sheer amazement. "I'm in a vulnerable state? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You just broke up with that scum of the earth. The last thing you want is to rush into a new relationship. I don't want to see you get hurt again."
"Aaron is just a friend, and you are being over protective!"
"I care about you. I want you to be happy," he said huskily, as he reached for her hand.
Her heart stuttered as he clasped her hand gently and entwined her smaller fingers with his. "You are a good man," Elena told him, the thought hitting her at the same time she spoke it aloud.
"I'm not perfect, but I'm damn well someone better than the scum of earth that you just left in LA," Damon answered, his tone disgruntled.
She clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle, her eyes widened, and the giggles erupted into great gales of gusty mirth. She laughed so hard that her eyes teared, and Damon started laughing too. When he reached out and drew her quaking body against his own, she collapsed against him and laughed harder.
Wrapping his arms around her, Damon buried his laughing face in her hair, filled with the joy of her. He had never felt so happy in his life. Only Elena could make him happy.
When most of her hilarity had passed, Elena leaned back in his arms. "How did you get inside the house, Damon?"
"Jenna let me in. I told her I was your boyfriend."
Her smile faded. "You did not."
"I did," Damon teased. "She was so shocked and then Jeremy recognised me."
Elena bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "You are terrible, Damon Salvatore."
He tightened his arms around her, his voice turning low-pitched and suggestive. "You are single now. I can still be your boyfriend."
She backed away a hasty step, still smiling, but more out of self-consciousness than mirth. "Where's everyone?" she asked, launching into diversionary conversation and hastily starting towards the kitchen.
"Jenna and Logan have gone to the supermarket. Jeremy and Anna have decided to go for a walk," Damon said, watching the way she was avoiding him. He didn't like it but he didn't want to push her too much.
"I thought you were in Washington D.C." She kept her back to him as she filled a teakettle at the sink.
He came to stand in the doorway of the kitchen. "I had a press conference and a few meetings after Boxing Day. There is some important business I have to take care of."
"Is that all you ever think about? Business?" she asked as she put the kettle onto the stove and switched on the burner. Did Damon only care about business and nothing else? Elena wondered. She had actually gained the impression somewhere along the line that the two of them had something in common, that their inner voices spoke to each other, that they somehow understood each other, silently yearned for each other.
Obviously, her normally astute powers of intuition had become confused and disoriented in the fog caused by the attraction she had felt for Damon. She suddenly realized that this was her first brush with real passion, the kind that involved body and soul.
"No, business is not the only thing I think about," Damon said evenly. "But it's definitely high on my list of priorities."
"I can see that."
"What's yours?"
"Mine?"
"What's high on your priority list right now?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I thought I was getting married and I would be busy planning for my wedding after New Year." She sighed. "But I don't think I have anything on my priority list right now."
"I don't think you would be happy if you married that scum of the earth," Damon said.
"Why?" Elena questioned curiously. Damon knew very little about her relationship with Liam.
"I just know," he said softly.
She looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"He can't give you what you want, sweetie."
"What do I want, Damon?"
"I know what you want, sweetie." A smile lurked at him mouth. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, an adventure, and even a little danger."
Elena felt it happening again, that awesome magnetic pull of his body and voice, the melting inside her when he called her sweetie. The warmth of his smile, the lazy boldness in his heavy-lidded blue gaze, made her feel overheated, so she hastily looked away and kept her gaze averted. The kettle shrilled. She quickly picked up a spoon, opened a canister and began to ladle tea into a pot. What was wrong with her? she thought. She yanked the kettle off the stove and poured boiling water over the tea leaves in the pot.
"Do you want some tea?" she asked as she reached into the cupboard and took down a mug, one fashioned in the shape of a bright yellow flower.
"Sure. I don't use milk or sugar," Damon said.
She passed the mug to him and picked up her mug. "Uh, did you tell Jenna or Jeremy…about…about…"
Damon raised his brows. "Did I tell them about your breakup? No."
"Thank God," Elena whispered, relief evident in her voice.
"Elena," Damon said firmly, "you shouldn't lie to your family. It wasn't your fault. He doesn't deserve you."
She exhaled slowly. "I know. I'm just afraid that they would be disappointed."
"They would be disappointed if you married that scumbag."
She grimaced. "Gee, thanks."
"Cheer up, sweetie," Damon said with a grin on his face. "It's New Year Eve. Tomorrow will be a better day."
Elena nodded with a smile. "You are right. Tomorrow will be a better day."