Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update; I had this written for a while, actually. I was just really self conscious about continuing, so I thought I could use some encouragement and thoughts from you guys to help me mold this story into something better. Anyway, here it is! Please read, and DEFINITELY review! I'd love to hear your thoughts (even if they aren't positive. I want to know how to make this as well written as possible) and feelings about it.

Enjoy!

I don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of their characters.

Chapter Two

-Damon POV-

Holy shit.

That was my first thought as I laid my eyes on her for the first time.

At first, I thought she was Katherine. She had Katherine's long, luscious, dark curls; she was even wearing something that turned literally every straight man's head in the Mystic Grill, which is what attracted me to look up from my Bourbon in the first place.

However, something was off about her, which made me realize this woman couldn't be Katherine-not in a million years. The way this woman held herself was entirely different. Whereas when Katherine entered a room, she held herself high—this woman did the opposite. It was almost as if she wanted to hide herself, like she didn't know she was the most beautiful woman in the room.

And just to clarify, she was.

I must have been staring at her pretty intently, because just as I was about to go up to her and ask her if I could buy her a drink (and maybe get a drink at my place later on, if you know what I mean), my best friend Ric slapped me on the shoulder.

"Yo, dude! Wake up man. She's off limits."

I turned to look at him like he was fucking insane. Is he serious right now? This was the entire reason he took me to this shitty pub tonight; so I could drink a little and maybe find an adult playmate to take my mind off of the past. Even though the club had been transformed into some shitty club atmosphere to attract different kinds of customers, I found it as an opportunity to dance behind some woman's nice ass, and persuade her to come back to my place. But now this beautiful woman who could potentially do the trick of helping me forget, just for a night, about my shitty life, Ric has decided to intervene? When this was his idea?

"I'm sorry—What? Please, dear friend-if that's what you still consider yourself after your ridiculous intrusion-explain to me why I shouldn't go over there and buy her a drink and show her the best time of her fucking life?"

"Because she works for me, dude. And I don't know if you've got enough blood traveling through your upper head, but… Your kid goes to my school. Employees dating student's parent's is extremely against every rule ever made." Ric explains, slowly, like I'm already drunk off my ass. Which usually would annoy me, but I'm starting to remember Aidan and Katherine and the girl becomes a distant thought.

"Ugh. Thanks, Ric." I say, taking another sip of my bourbon. "You're killing my buzz."

Alaric laughs. Alaric is the principal of my son's school. Aidan is a bit of a trouble maker at school, and if it weren't for Ric, Aidan probably would have gotten expelled by now. Instead of being hard on Aidan and treating him like he's on the straight path to becoming a criminal like most other adults do, he took him under his wing and ever since Aidan's behavior has improved tremendously. Except in this one teacher's class. Miss Gillar, or something? She continuously sends me emails about Aidan's behavior and doesn't give me a break. But besides her, everyone has accepted Aidan or just given up on him entirely-but that doesn't worry me because he's got me, and he also knows he's got Ric. Since forming our friendship, Alaric has become similar to an uncle to Aidan; which I'm thankful for since my kid brother isn't in town often and has seemed lacking in interest of spending any time with his young nephew.

Oh well. His loss.

My eyes wander back to the mysterious girl. Of course, she's surrounded by two other girls and a couple guys—but surprisingly the girl is alone. Strange. Out of the trio, I would consider the Katherine Look Alike to be the most attractive of the bunch—and one of the least annoying. I could hear the blonde all the way over here, and we're on the other side of the pub. Suddenly, KLA's (Katherine Look Alike) friends are looking over in my direction and whispering in her ear. KLA looks up at me and seems to gasp, and instantly there's a pull between me and this girl-such an intense pull, it makes everything else seem to fall away. It's just her and I, and this underlying sexual tension. I'm staring into her huge brown eyes, and she's staring into mine with equal passion.

Who is this girl? Do I know her from somewhere? Jesus, she looks so familiar...

Unfortunately our intense stare down is interrupted. Her friends then begin to pull her over to the dance floor, and I consider going on the dance floor and joining them. Well, at least that woman. Her friends would be preoccupied with their boyfriends, which would give me the perfect opportunity to swoop in and do what I had planned when I got here in the first place. Just thinking about it makes me hard all over again, and I forget the familiarity of this girl, and turn back to my friend.

"Look, Ric, I don't want to date her. In fact, I don't want to see her again after tonight. No dating, no relationship, nothing like that with her involved. But you know me… What kind of gentleman would I be if I let her be all alone on that dance floor?" I wiggle my eyebrows at Ric, showing him what I mean.

He seems to ponder this for a second. "Well… By any chance she does let your man-whore hands touch her—which I seriously doubt she will—but if she does, I know that girl, and she definitely needs a release. So if it's just a one-time thing… I can keep it between us. Go. I'm getting out of here, though, so I'm not liable for anything. I trust you can get home okay?"

I grin in response. "That's my man! No worries, Ric. I know how to call a cab. Catch up with you later."

Ric throws a twenty on the bar, paying for our drinks for the past hour, nods at me, and turns to walk out the door.

I turn to the dance floor and make my way to this mysterious girl, hoping she feels as good as she looks.

-Elena POV-

This dress is insane.

It's a strapless dress, with black feather looking things at the breast, and then differentiates between black and green thick lacy stripes down the rest of the dress. It fits like a glove and comes down to right before my knee. I like it-It's beautiful and toned down color wise, but it rides up too easily and I feel like everyone is watching me and its driving me crazy with insecurity.

Also, I know I was just super positive thinking and everything, but then Bonnie and Caroline's boyfriends showed up and I'm feeling a little like coming tonight was a mistake, which is adding to my discomfort.

However, to say I'm having no fun would be untrue, but I can't help to feel like I don't really belong with this fun, carefree group. Jeremy-my brother and coincidentally Bonnie's boyfriend-and Tyler are at their best tonight. They're both extremely funny, but I find myself getting a little jealous and bringing myself out of the atmosphere with my friends. As I watch them interact and laugh, I realize I don't have that same carefree attitude. I've spent the last six years working my ass off trying to get myself this future, yet I didn't realize until I got it, that I have this huge future and no life to go with it.

My friends are in love, happy, and successful. I'm successful, mostly happy but… Something is missing. I can't feel what they feel. These past six years have been trying to make myself what I am today, to somehow not let my parents down. Not that they are here to even see me succeed in the first place. I just threw myself into school and work and didn't let myself become unfocused by trivial things like love and… well, life.

Out of nowhere, my friends fall quieter, and I look at them to see what's happening. They all have their eyes on me, waiting for me to do something.

"Guys… What's going on?" I say, confused.

"Elena…" Caroline sighs drastically, like I just don't have a clue; and leans over to whisper in my ear.

"See that guy over at the bar? Look for the tall, dark, and handsome one."

I look over at the bar and meet a pair of ice cold blue eyes. Our gaze holds together, and the music fades away for a second leaving the two of us, just staring at each other. Undoubtedly, he was the most beautiful man I've ever seen… But it might just be because of the vodka I've been drinking. It's really dark in here, being that the Grill has decided to have more of a club atmosphere and has taken most of the tables out and put in a dance floor. Either way, this man has my gaze unfaltering in his own. Are his eyes... Blue? Jesus. They look like they're glowing under the low club-atmospheric lights. Damn.

"He's been staring at you since we walked in."

I feel heat immediately spread to my cheeks. No wonder why I've felt like someone was looking at me-but I didn't feel weird finding out. In fact, I felt more excitement just looking in his eyes these few seconds than I'd felt all evening.

My friends interrupt our intense staring and pull me towards the dance floor. For a few minutes it's just us dancing to the music, but eventually my friends pair off with their boyfriends; and for a moment I feel insecure again. But then I remember… I am in control right now. This is my moment to just let go… and be free.

I close my eyes and let all the noise outside of the music fade into the background of my mind, and let my body lean into the music. I probably look like I'm in some kind of trance, but I don't care. As I continue dancing, I feel all my stress and worries leave my body…

Until I feel another body against mine. I feel a cold hand push a curl away from my face, and tuck it behind my ear. The touch is so intimate, it rouses me from my trance and I stop dancing, my eyes flying open to reunite with none other than the piercing gaze of Tall, Dark & Handsome.

He leans into that me, towards the same ear that he just pushed a strand of my hair behind. "Why is someone as pretty as you dancing alone?" He whispers in my ear.

His voice in my ear sends shivers down my body, but I make an effort to sound like I'm not putty on the floor from this man's brief touch. "I don't know," I say huskily, "but I have a feeling you're about to remedy that."

He pulls back from me and raises his eyebrows, silently challenging me. Well, challenge gratefully accepted, Stranger, I think to myself. I turn around and back into him, letting our bodies form perfectly into each other. Chris Brown's "Strip" is playing, and we start to swing our hips together. I've never danced like this before with anyone—and I never, under any circumstances, act this way with someone I've never met before.

But as his hands start to wander down my arms, and find their way to my waist, I realize this man I barely know makes me lose my inhibitions. And I don't want to find them. The feel of him against me, his hands on me, feels so right that I never want to leave his hold again.

-Damon's POV-

This woman is grinding on me like she's Nicki fucking Minaj.

She definitely hasn't disappointed me in the whole 'feeling as good as she looks' hope I had earlier. Honestly, I don't even listen to this music, but this girl makes me want to change my mind. In fact, the way she's dancing on me, it makes me want to go back to the house and make an entire room catered to dancing to shitty club music if it meant that every woman danced like this one did.

When Ric left and I walked up to her, I almost didn't interrupt her. Her eyes were closed and her curly hair was swaying along with her, and I found myself thinking I've never seen someone as beautiful as her. I've never seen someone just let go like that before, and I was envious. She didn't care who was watching her (which is probably a good thing because everybody was, wanting to have a piece of her; no doubt exactly like I did), or what people would say. She just swayed her hips to the beat of the music.

Nothing could have prepared me for the intense electricity that charged through the two of us as I finally went over and danced with her. Her body molded to mine perfectly-but then she pulls away and looks at me curiously like she's surprised someone would interrupt her.

So I did what I usually do when I'm flirting with girls-push a little hair out of her face and whisper in her ear that she's pretty and why is she all alone on the dance floor?

Instead of blushing like I expected her to, she looked up at me and her deep brown eyes darkened. "I don't know, but I have a feeling you're about to remedy that."

Holy shit. Hell yes, I'm about to remedy that. I'm about to grind into your ass like nobody ever has, and make sure every man in this club knows you're mine.

Before I can answer, she's turned around again and is wiggling her ass against me, and I take a moment to simply lose myself in touching her. As I swag in sync with her hips, I take the opportunity to run my fingers over her soft skin-from her hips, up to the outer curves of her breasts, to her hair, which I move all the way to one shoulder. I return my hand to her hips, and she raises her arm and curls it around my neck somehow, and our eyes meet again.

I can't tell you what music is playing, where I am, or even what my name is. She meets my eyes with this unfaltering, downright seductive gaze, and it literally takes my breath away. I'm a grown ass man, and I can't breathe. She's looking at me like she's going to have me for dinner... but then her eyes travel down to my lips.

I really, really like where this girls head is at.

More intimately than I'd like to admit, I took one hand from her waist, and placed it on her chin, and pulled her close to me-and kissed her.

And holy fuck, was that a kiss.

It started out just curious—at least on my end. It just seemed right to kiss her. I mean, she's the one grinding on me and staring at me with that fuck-me gaze and staring at my lips like she hasn't eaten in a week-but she kissed me back with such hunger; it was like she was releasing all of her pent up frustration into me, and the more we kissed, the closer our bodies mended together. One of my hands was in her hair and the other was still pulling her closer to me. Her hands were all over me, mirroring my own feelings. I couldn't get enough of her, and apparently, she couldn't get enough of me.

I pulled away from our embrace and met her eyes. Even in the darkness of the Grill, the girl glowed. Her plump lips curled into a small smile, and I realized then that her friends were calling for her. What was up with the whole world seeming to fade into the background when I'm with this girl I've known for, what, five minutes?

She tangles her fingers in my hair and kisses me again; this time slower, softer. She pulled away after a second and whispered in my ear, "Thanks for the dance."

And she walked away, back to her friends and out of the Grill.

I watched her walk away, dumbfounded. She was... Leaving? Just a second ago we were making out on the dance floor and she's... Leaving.

I almost don't walk after her, but the purpose of the night hasn't been lost. I regain my composure and race outside after the group, finding the girl right before she was about to get into the car.

"Hey!-um..."

The blonde friend giggled at the girl I was just dancing with and poked the girl I'm trying to talk to's attention. She whispers in her ear again and she freezes, halfway into the car already and just curls her lips in this secretive smile, and starts walking toward me.

Once she's standing in front of me, I smirk at her. "So, what, you're just one of those girls that dances like that with guys and doesn't even give the guy their name?"

She smirks right back. "I don't think you ever gave me your name, either. Just showing you the same courtesy, sir."

I take her hand in mine, and hold it to my lips and I kiss the back of her hand. "Damon."

She smiles. "Elena."

"Well, Elena," I drawl, still holding her hand in mine. "Are you sure that you want to leave here after that with your friends? Do you maybe... Want to come back with me?"

"Well, Damon, I'm not really that kind of girl. But maybe some other time..." She winks at me and walks back to the car with her friends, and drives away.

Holy shit.

At this point, I'm not thinking about getting laid. In this unexpected turn of events, all I want to know is who that girl is and if I'll ever get to see her again to find out.