Thanks for all the reviews :) Love hearing back from ya'll!

Also, something to note: Jenna, while mentioned, is NOT related to Elena/Katherine in this story.

Okay, proceed with the reading!


His Head of Security was married to a saint, Damon decided, after a second helping of lasagna was poured onto his plate.

The dinner invite had been unexpected and a little uncomfortable at first, but when he had stopped by Alaric's home to speak to the man, his wife stepped out of the kitchen and insisted that Damon join them.

Jenna Saltzman was a short thing, a little younger than Ric, and a hell of a lot prettier.

Her nutmeg brown hair was pulled up with a clip and her easy smile made Damon feel almost bad for lying about his reason for stopping by.

He had said there were problems with the club, vandalism, rowdy teens...the truth of course, was not something Alaric would have wanted her knowing.

A fact that was clear in the grateful look his friend threw at him.

It wasn't until half an hour later, after he gave many compliments over the food, which were surprisingly genuine, that Alaric led him outside for privacy.


"I'm sorry about that," Ric started immediately, as they walked down the drive toward Damon's car, "I try to keep home and work as far apart as possible, as I'm sure you understand, and she was excited for a chance to hear more about what I do. I know she came on strong with the invite, but-"

Damon waved off his concern, "Staying for dinner was a pleasure. I can understand now why you married her."

He ran a hand down his stomach, "I will not need to eat for a week."

Ric laughed, clearly eased by his statement, but the expression did not last long, "Still, you came for a reason."

Damon nodded, "Nothing urgent, or I sadly would have had to decline that delicious meal. I only wanted to be sure we are all set to purpose, concerning the way Augustine will be handled?"

"I've already spoken with the boys," Ric confirmed, "We're ready for any backlash they might have after the extraction."

Damon had told both Alaric and Stefan his plan to have the samples stolen back.

They were free, after all, so was it even really stealing?

Neither had offered any objections to his hiring of Elena, trusting him and his judgement to see it done.

Damon had texted his intruder, ignoring the fact that his heart had spiked when he'd added her number to his contacts, and set a time to meet.

It was embarrassing, really, how desperately he was looking forward to seeing her again.

He did not think he could wait another three days.

And perhaps, he would not have to.

In fact, he could see her tonight, if he so desired.

He had slipped a small GPS tracker onto the underside of her car, before she had left his home those few nights ago, and the device had been working flawlessly toward it's purpose.

He now knew her home address, where she shopped for groceries, the gym that she worked out at, and that she had also visited both a park and a pharmacy in the past three days.

It wasn't stalking, he had told himself, it was a precaution.

Smart business.

Of course, he would no longer be able to use that excuse if he physically drove to her house, instead of simply watching her movements on his phone screen.


"Damon?"

Oh...right. Ric was talking to him.

"Repeat that?" he asked as Alaric gave him a concerned look, "Apologies. There's a lot on my mind."

Alaric nodded, "Of course...I just asked if you had arranged a day yet? For the extraction."

"Not yet. I am meeting with my little tresspasser in a few days. Everything will be arranged then, and I will give you an update."

He nodded again, then chuckled, "I'm still surprised that you hired the girl that broke into your house."

Damon smirked, "She broke into my house. That alone tells me that she is skilled. Augustine has security measures in place, but they are base and predictable. I have been to their storage location several times and will make sure the girl is prepared. I foresee things going smoothly."

"And you trust her? Elena?" Alaric asked, curiously.

Damon considered the question.

In the short time he had known her, his little intruder had spied on him, lied to his face, attacked him, stabbed him with a stiletto heel, pointed a gun at his head, and had aroused him more with a single look than most women could manage while naked on his cock.

Against his better judgement, he wanted her; that made her dangerous.

And none of those facts were going to keep him from seeing her tonight, however wrong it was.

"No," he said finally, "I do not trust her."

More accurately was that, when it came to her, he didn't trust himself.


It was silly.

God, of all the things she should be doing, this had to be near the bottom of the list.

Elena's heeled boots sloshed through the wet puddles as she locked her car and started across the street; toward the door below a glowing neon sign.

Inside was a mostly clean cocktail lounge that clearly was trying to emulate the typical "dive bar" ambience.

Unfortunately the place had large windows, a dress code, and waitresses, so they had missed the mark.

Not that it mattered, really. She wasn't here to enjoy the aesthetic.

She pulled her jacket tighter over her flowy blue top, and glanced around.

At a table near the bar, a man raised his hand, attempting to flag her attention with a wave.

Elena smiled, and went over to him.

"Hey!" she greeted, attempting to sound more friendly than she felt at the moment, "Sorry I'm late. I forgot just how much traffic picked up downtown at this hour."

The man didn't seem bothered at all, "It's alright. At least you didn't bail on me...again."

He said this with a smile, and Elena pulled herself up onto the tall stool across from him, "I deserve that."

Liam Davis was cute, she had to admit, in that all-American, brown hair with dimples kind of way.

He was working a residency at the hospital she and Katherine took Nadia to, and had expressed interest on a few different occasions.

It was mostly casual and only a little flirty, but he had given Elena his number a few weeks back and asked her to consider dinner.

She had never called.

He had asked a second time on the last visit, and Elena had made up some excuse that she couldn't even remember now, thinking it would be better to let him down easy.

There was simply too much going on in her life to be concerned with something as mundane as a date.

Not to mention that the hospital staff were some of the only people that knew that she was a twin.

Getting involved with Liam had not seemed like a smart idea.

However, in light of recent events, Elena's brain had put up a valid argument.

She had been a mess that night, at Damon Salvatore's estate, her mind and her body at war with each other, and she could not afford those sort of distractions if she was going to work for the man.

For god's sake, she had been moments away from mounting him there on his desk in an alcohol enhanced haze of passion, and that was not only unprofessional, but unexceptable.

It didn't help that he had been right there with her, hands on her body, eyes on her mouth-

Elena pulled the brakes on that memory before fantasy could take over, proving her point.

She needed to have sex. With a living, breathing man.

Who was not a dangerous drug lord that she was working a job for.

And Liam was as good a candidate as any to take the edge off.

"I'm surprised you have a night off," she teased, after he ordered them some drinks, "Busy saving lives and all."

Liam laughed, flashing those boyish dimples. He really was cute.

"I had to trade my soul for it. So consider yourself a lucky woman."

"Oh really?" she smirked, and crossed her arms on the table, "I think you're the one that's lucky I agreed to come."

Liam shrugged, "Eh. I knew you would give in sooner or later. Women can't resist these sleepless dark circles, or my sporadic, uncommitting work schedule."

"Not to mention the hospital horror stories, I'm sure," she offered.

"There's that," he agreed, inclining his head toward her, "Though some of the weaker minded ones are dissuaded by my vast knowledge."

"And your modesty, clearly," Elena tried to keep the same faux seriousness to her tone as he had.

"Of course," Liam nodded, "I even offer medical advice, free of charge. I'm considerate like that."

"Wow," she drew out the word, thinking that this teasing banter was good; safe, "You're right. You are quite the catch. Promise to warn me if there's a dark side to all that consideration?"

Liam laughed again, "Only if you promise not to ask about those hospital horror stories. I would hate to lose my appetite."

"Deal."


The conversation continued that way, easy small talk that she was able to bullshit her way through until the waitress came back with drinks, and eventually food.

They joked over french fries, and Elena was surprised to find that she was genuinely enjoying herself.

Liam was nice. And smart.

He was the kind of guy that she could actually see herself liking, if it wasn't for the small fact that she led a double life of questionable legality and there was no way in hell she would ever risk involving an innocent casualty.

And Liam was so innocent.

His bright brown eyes and easy going nature...he was going to be a surgeon, for crying out loud.

His job was literally saving lives.

Without permission, Elena got a mental flash of that night at the Salvatore estate, when she and Damon had scrambled on the floor over his gun.

The rough hands, the adrenaline, the stand off…

How opposite that was to the things her date was describing now.

She couldn't imagine Liam wanting to hurt a fly, let alone threatening her in any way.

I always get what I want, cara mia.

Damon's voice echoed in her ear and a shiver ran down her spine.

If her name sounded like sex when falling from those lips, it was nothing compared to the accented lilt of that little enderment.

His tongue rolling over that "r" just made her think of what else it might be-

She gave her head a hard shake.

Why am I still thinking about him?!

The entire point of this night was to push Damon Salvatore, and whatever pent up physical attraction she felt for him, far from her mind.

"I hope you don't mind if I pay," Liam broke through her obvious mental breakdown, and Elena forced a smile, "It's not necessary, but I won't complain."

He returned the grin and fished out a few bills for the cost of their meals..

Tipped well, too.

A nice guy...that's what she should be focused on right now...this nice guy.


Damon had happened upon an American sitcom once, late in the night, that had no true plot or reason, but one excerpt from that ridiculous train wreck of a show had stuck in his memory.

Something along the lines of "people who eavesdrop will hear the truth, and the truth can be devastating".

And how accurate that was for his current situation.

Against his better judgment, he had followed the GPS on Elena's car, to a small eatery, downtown.

When he had parked and watched her make her way inside, he had hoped that perhaps he was mistaken and that this was the other one.

The sister.

But no...the two women did not move the same, despite their looks, and where Katherine had been open and confident, Elena was careful, and calculating.

This was his intruder.

For the past hour, he had watched, through the building's vast window, as she sat at a bar stool table and warmed up to man who was not only well built and handsome, but had eyed her body enough that Damon had been tempted to go gouge those peepers out for him.

Not that he could really blame the guy.

Elena had dressed to kill, with lightly curled hair, a black jacket, and tight jeans that shaped her every curve, tucked into calf high boots.

Damon's own eyes had done a full once over, after she had sat down and peeled off that black leather.

The blue tank top she wore beneath it complimented her skin tone and was cut low enough that the swells of her breast were noticeable each time she leaned forward, wrapped up in the conversation.

And he wasn't the only that had noticed.

With a hand on his gun, Damon imagined putting a bullet between Mr. Interesting's eyes.

He wouldn't act on the impulse, of course...at least, not here in such a public setting...but the thought was greatly entertaining.

Especially as he considered how the evening might end.

Would the man kiss Elena goodnight? Would he invite her back to his place?

The possibility made Damon feel twitchy.

No, no no.

Something would have to be done about this.


They left once their drinks were empty, and Liam even held the door open for her on the way out.

Quite the gentleman, isn't he?, Elena thought to herself.

The walk across the street, toward the lounge parking, was short, but their pace of conversation held steady.

Elena could have easily swung it in the direction she had originally hoped this date would lead.

Flirt a little, drop a not so subtle hint, or hell, just lay a hot kiss on the guy right here and now, but she didn't.

The entire evening had been so...sweet. So normal.

She couldn't bring herself to use Liam as a scratching post, though it certainly didn't seem as if he would complain if she did.

The attraction from his side had been made obvious by the teasing smiles he sent her way and the lingering stares on her body.

But she knew that if she followed through with this, she would regret it, because despite how good looking and kind Liam was, it wasn't there for her.

That "spark" was lacking.

The sexual need she had felt so achingly, only a few nights ago, seemed to have taken a vacation.

Her libido's lack of response felt criminal, as if she were being robbed of something, and wasn't that just ironic.

They had reached her car, and the smile she gave Liam felt plastic.

This night wasn't ending the way either of them had wanted, and the guilty part of her felt as if she had led him on.

"This was nice," he said, before she could offer a quick dismissal.

"It was," she agreed, because that part was true, at least, "Thanks for paying."

Another flash of those dimples, "I would say it's because I'm traditional, but really it's because I was hoping you might be impressed by the chivalry and agree to another date."

Elena laughed, and the sound was almost sad.

She wanted to like Liam, she really did, and if things were different...if her life wasn't what it was, then maybe they would have had a chance.

"I keep pretty busy," she answered, "But, if I get some time off-"

"You'll call," he finished for her, and Elena let the lie slide, "Sure."

There was a pause, a moment that seemed to stretch to an almost awkward point, and she couldn't let the night end that way.

With a quick decision, she reached up and slid a hand behind Liam's neck, drawing his mouth to hers.

Liam responded in an instant, kissing her back as one of his hands came to rest on her hip.

He didn't push for more, didn't deepen the kiss, or move in so that she was trapped between him and the car...it was, as much of the date had been, perfectly sweet and safe.

She pulled away first.

"I'll see you."

"Hopefully soon," he smiled, and said goodnight.

She watched as he walked away, heading toward his own car, and didn't move until he had cranked the thing and pulled out of the parking lot.

Oh, what a waste.

With a shake of her head, Elena reached down the door handle...only to freeze.

The skin on the back of her neck erupted in goosebumps as every single one of her warning senses sounded.

She was not alone.


Damon had been faced with two possibilities the moment Elena's date leaned down to kiss her.

One, get hands on the bastard and play out those fantasies of skinning him alive in slow detail.

Or two, wait for the man to disappear, so that he could be alone with the woman they both wanted.

Despite the coldness of the air, Damon's temper kept him plenty warm as he had weighed his options.

The bastard had kissed her, and that was...unacceptable.

He did not stop to ask himself why; not being a big fan of psychology, he did not really care.

It just was.

So Damon had gotten out of his car.

He had not thought about what he was going to do, or how the situation would play out, but by God, he knew the asshole would be bleeding when it was over.

Then the kiss had ended, and he caught sight of Elena's face.

His brain jumped track, trying to interpret the meaning behind her expression.

Had she liked the kiss?

What was she saying? Was she going to see this man again?

In his moment of distraction, her date had parted.

Damon watched him walk away and felt the urge to follow.

But that would mean leaving his intruder all alone, in a dark parking lot, in downtown Cailum.

In the end, he could not tear himself from her.

It took a moment before she snapped out of whatever thought had dragged her from reality, and when she did, she seemed to realize that she was standing alone, and turned back to her car.

That was when Damon made his move.


"Did you have a nice time, tonight?"

Elena's body reacted before her mind caught up, twisting her around to a defensive pose that he had to commend.

When she saw that it was him, confusion took over the panic, "Damon? You scared the- what are you doing here?"

Her breath was coming out in short gasps that she was attempting to control, and he moved closer to where she stood, "You know that I will not answer your question until you have answered mine."

She blinked up at him, as if trying to decide if he were real and not some figment of her imagination.

"What?"

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he repeated, and motioned toward the bar with his head, "You were on a date, no?"

As the confusion cleared up, Elena glared at him, "Excuse me? How is that any of your business?"

"You are working for me now," he reminded her, "That makes you my business, in all context."

"Wait," she held up a hand as her gaze swept the parking lot, "Did...did you follow me here?"

When he didn't immediately answer, her body tensed all over, "I don't believe this. How did you even find me? This is such an invasion of privacy!"

Damon had to laugh at that, and leaned his weight forward, "You want to speak of invading privacy? Might I remind you that you did the same to me first?"

Her mouth opened, and he could almost see that beautiful brain of hers churning, "That was completely different! That was a job! This is…"

"Business," he told her, "Insurance, if you will, that my investment is safe."

"And what part of a burger and a beer seemed dangerous to you?" she challenged, holding his stare with more balls than most grown men could muster.

Damon ignored her question, "Your date...who is he?"

A hand ran through those loose brunette curls, shaking them and her head, "This is crazy. You're crazy. I'm not indulging this."

She turned to open her car door and Damon slammed a hand against it, stopping her.

Elena whirled around on him like a spitfire, teeth bared, and eyes flashing.

Her palms smacked against his chest, to push him away, but Damon was just as fast and grabbed her chin at the same moment.

There was a fraction of a second, when their gazes locked and time froze.

A sharp inhale, a crack of heat through the fury.

Then rational thought left them both.


He and Elena crashed together, there was no other way to describe it, and her lips on his became all that there was in the entire world.

It was the sort of kiss that people became addicts trying to forget; that ingrained so deeply into the brain, the connection forged went beyond the physical.

Damon completely lost it.

He had never felt anything so raw; never needed to touch anyone so badly in his life.

His arms were wrapped around her as he molded their bodies, slamming her into the cool metal of the car, and her hands were gripping his neck, dragging him impossibly closer, arching into him, wanting more and more and more.

The button of her pants popped off as he shoved his hand into them, and he lifted her weight with his hip, pinning her, feeling her.

Elena cried out against his tongue when his palm reached that warm, slick heaven.

She was so wet, so ready, and it was all for him.

She surged forward, grinding into him as he teased her desire and the moment two of his fingers penetrated her, Elena's entire body convulsed.

There was something seraphic in the way she fell apart around him.

Greedily, Damon dragged out the orgasm, devouring her pleasure on his lips as she bit down, hard enough that he tasted blood.

God, she was so tight, so small; the size of that little pussy fit in a single hand, and yet she overwhelmed him.

He curled his fingers and her head fell back against the glass of the window, breaking their kiss.

That expression on her face was everything feminine and erotic, her brown eyes seeing stars, and in that moment, Damon told himself that no one else would ever have the pleasure of enjoying this view.

This was for him, and him alone.

His hand pulled away from her, gripping that tiny waist so that her barely covered core came to rest against his straining erection.

The contact ripped a hiss from his lungs as their gazes met.

He was swallowed by the depths of her eyes, fractured from the inside out by a sudden wave of emotions he did not want to acknowledge or understand.

"Cara mia," his other hand tightened to a fist in her hair, "What are you doing to me?"


Conscious thought didn't so much return to Elena, as it did sucker punch her mind back to its senses.

Damon's thick, aching voice ripped through the haze of lust she had lost herself in and reality stared back at her with piercing eyes so blue she drowned in them.

That gaze reminded her of a viper- sleek poison; beautiful and deadly, and it was trained on her face.

They were so close, and she blushed red as she considered why.

He had kissed her.

Taken her lips and her sanity so thoroughly she hadn't even realized his fingers were what was inside of her until she was coming on them.

Oh god, that orgasm had been earth shattering. And it wasn't nearly enough.

That need only increased as Damon purred in her ear, his hips moving against her, holding her body between the car and all that promising pleasure.

A string of words left his lips, a jumble of Italian and English that was hard to distinguish, but she felt the last line pulse all the way to her core.

A heated, accented exhale, "I want you, Elena."

And Damon had warned her that he always gets what he wants.

She was beginning to understand why.


*insert fire emoji*