The first time Damon Salvatore met Elena Gilbert, he thought she was a total bitch.
It was at an art gallery opening in SoHo that Damon was roped into attending by his friend Enzo, who at the time was banging the featured artist.
Bored out of his mind, Damon wondered around the show room looking at the stupid sculptures that looked like pieces of junkyard scrape metal welded randomly together.
After circling the room once, he spotted Elena standing alone in front of one such hideous creation and liking what he saw, he went over to her.
She immediately shot him down, walking away and leaving him standing there feeling like a fool.
That had never happened to Damon before and it was a total shock to his ego.
But it wasn't so much her dissing him that got to Damon, it was the way she looked at him like he wasn't fit to lick the soles of her Louis Vuitton's.
That's what really irked the hell out of him.
And it couldn't have come at a worst time because not even a week before Damon was so kindly put in his place and got schooled in the difference between old and new money, which he was definitely the latter.
And here Damon was thinking that all money was the same.
Not true, especially in the social circle Damon now found himself in.
He was surrounded by New York's upper-crust. Their money went back generations. They weren't rich, they were wealthy.
So Damon's little meager success on Wall Street meant absolutely nothing to them.
They weren't impressed.
And Elena Gilbert was a member of that elitist class of wealthy assholes who looked down their snooty noses at him.
She exuded breeding and culture that could only come from having grown up with money. She was a fucking snob and represented a status that Damon would never be able to obtain no matter how many millions he made.
But she on the other hand was obtainable.
Ms. Thing had a pussy between her legs just like any other woman and if he really wanted it, he could get it.
Yeah, she would be a challenge, but Damon liked challenges. He thrived on them. They only made him better.
Needless to say, the Italian immigrant who made good in the land of opportunity got the girl.
It may have taken a little time, but he got her none the less.
That was a year ago and now they were to be married in a few months.
To say that life was full of surprises was very much an understatement.
It was Sunday afternoon and just like every other man in America, Damon's attention was centered on the the football game.
Bonnie grabbed the spinach dip and bowl of pita chips from off the kitchen counter and went to join him.
Damon was a die hard football fan. He favorite time were the Patriots and they were winning at the present moment.
Bonnie sat the food down onto the coffee table, inadvertently blocking the TV and Damon growled at her.
Bonnie squeaked when she felt herself being lifted off her feet and thrown unceremoniously onto the sofa and out of the way of Damon's precious game.
Flicking the hair from her face, Bonnie righted herself, sitting up.
She kicked his leg with her bare foot. Damon ignored it.
Not liking being ignored Bonnie said the first thing that popped into her head. "I hope the Patriots get their asses handed to them!"
Blue eyes no longer looking at the television, but trained on her was enough to make Bonnie want to get off the sofa, but Damon had anticipated her move and grabbed that same small foot that had just kicked him moments ago and held it hostage in his strong grasp.
"What did you just say?"
Laughing, Bonnie tried unsuccessfully to dislodge her foot. "Let go of me!" She kicked him with the other foot and Damon grabbed that one as well.
He then pulled her to him and flipped Bonnie onto her her stomach across his lap with every intention of giving her a few smacks to the butt as punishment for uttering such a thing in his house, but he got distracted, noticing for the first time the tiny blue shorts she was wearing underneath her Patriots jersey that matched his own and how fantastic her ass looked in them.
Her ass looked like two perfectly shaped half-moons.
Damon cleared his throat, dropping his hand. He let Bonnie go.
She squirmed out of his lap, shoving his arm playfully as she sat up. "Jerk."
Damon sat forward, suddenly interested in the spinach dip and pita chips. "Maybe you should go put on some jeans or something...aren't you cold in those little shorts?"
Bonnie frowned looking at him chew. "No...I mean maybe if I was outside I would be cold, but I'm not. I'm inside where it's nice and warm."
Even though there wasn't a commercial break Damon got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator.
He twisted off the top and tipped the cold bottle to his lips, feeling very uncomfortable with where his thoughts strayed to just moments ago.
For the rest of the game, there was a weird tension in the room that Bonnie just couldn't explain, but felt none the less.
Later that night Bonnie was on the phone with Lacey who was in California shooting another music video and she told her friend about what happened earlier with Damon and how odd he was acting with her now.
Lacey smiled on the other end of the phone, knowingly. "Well Bonnie, it looks like all it took was a pair of booty shorts to shatter that little girl image Damon has of you. Congratulations."
Bonnie was quiet on her end of the line, not saying anything. It didn't feel like much of a victory not if it meant Damon was going to be weird around her now.
"Bonnie?" Lacey questioned when she didn't respond accordingly.
Lacey thought the younger girl would be jumping for joy. She finally got what she wanted.
"I have to go Lace. I'll see you when you get home, okay." She said, somewhat down.
"But Bonnie..."
"Goodnight." Bonnie said, hanging up.
She didn't get one ounce of sleep that night, trying to think of a way to fix things with Damon.
The next morning Bonnie got up extra early and made Damon breakfast. She was dressed in loose fitting sweat pants and an oversized shirt with her hair up in a messy bun. She was placing his plate down on the table when Damon walked in, fixing his tie, looking like he was in a hurry.
"I made breakfast." She said, looking at him hopefully. "Bacon and scrambled eggs." She turned around to the island and grabbed her surprise. "I even have sliced red tomatoes, lightly salted with freshly ground black pepper, your favorite."
Bonnie just knew that he wouldn't be able to resist her breakfast now.
"Sorry, can't. I have to get going."
Disappointment filled her. She had hoped that this morning things would be back to normal between them, but Damon still wouldn't look at her and her disappointment suddenly turned into angrier.
"Liar." She said, swallowing hard. "You don't have to be at work for another hour which gives you plenty of time to have breakfast." Her eyes daring him to refute her.
Bonnie was tired of the elephant in the room and decided to address it head on. She wasn't going to play coy and act like she didn't know what was going on with him.
"So you finally noticed that I have a booty...frankly, I say it's about time. I'm not a little girl anymore Damon."
He froze.
"But I'm guessing what has you all out of sorts is the fact that you liked what you saw...is that it?" She asked boldly, cocking her brow.
On the outside she was as cool as a cucumber, but on the inside Bonnie was freaking the fuck out!
She couldn't believe this was coming out of her mouth.
Damon's jaw ticked and Bonnie ignored the warning glint in his blue eyes and continued unfazed. Stupidly letting her mouth write a check that her ass wasn't ready to cash, but she went with it.
"Because if that's the case, it's really not a big deal...unless... you make it one." She said with a bravado that wasn't totally fake.
Damon was speechless.
He'd known this girl since literally the day she was born and here she was standing in front of him, being somewhat suggestive, but not quite and Damon was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, wanting to believe she didn't know what she was doing, but damn if she wasn't looking at him like a woman looks at a man and that's what was throwing him off.
Having had enough of this, Damon marched over to Bonnie, quickly closing the distance between them.
When he got to her, he tilted her head back towards the recess lighting and lifted up her eyelids one at a time to check if her pupils were dilated.
"Are you fucking high right now?" Because that was the only thing that would explain what was happening right now.
"Damon!"She yelled in annoyance. "I'm not high!"
"Then what in the hell has gotten into you?!" He growled, letting go of her but still in her face.
She'd seen Damon's temper a number of times over the years, but this was the first time she was on the receiving end of it.
It could have been very intimidating if she didn't know him so well.
"Will you stop growling at me...god, I hate when you do that...you sound like some big bear!" She said, pushing him.
Damon trapped Bonnie against the kitchen island, towering over her tiny frame and she lost some of that bravado that had her spewing at the mouth only moments ago.
"And like with any bear, it's never wise to poke him with a stick."
Bonnie swallowed hard as she stared up at him.
His eyes dropped to her mouth.
For one crazy second, Bonnie thought he was going to kiss her. Her heart rate sped up and her breathing quickened, causing her chest to heave up and down.
And when his head began to lower towards hers, Bonnie softly gasped, her green eyes widening.
His mouth continued to get closer and closer to hers, but at the very last second when she could feel his warm breath brush against her skin, she jerked her head back, totally punking out.
The moment he smirked, Bonnie wanted to kick herself.
"Just remember Baby, having a woman's body doesn't necessarily make you a woman. Don't be in such a rush to grow up." He said and then had the nerve to pinch her cheek.
Bonnie growled, pushing him off her.
Damon laughed, straightening his suit jacket and tie.
That would teach her. Next time she'd think twice before playing games with him.
Bonnie was fuming.
How could she let him punk her out like that?!
Bonnie was so mad with herself. But she was even more mad at Damon which was why when the phone rang and the caller Id displayed Hadley and Hardison she didn't pick up.
The answering machine picked up and seconds later Damon's voice filled the room. "Bonnie, I know you're there, so pick up the phone. I got something important to tell you." He waited a few seconds and then continued. "Fine, be that way...a law firm in the professional building where I work is looking to hire a receptionist. I got you an one o'clock interview for today. Bonnie? You there?"
At his office, Damon sighed into the phone, hanging up. He sat at his desk, wondering if she would go.
Hearing about that job couldn't have come at a better time. It was perfect for Bonnie. Of course he had to call in a few favors in order to get her the job, but she didn't need to know that it was already hers. She still had to technically interview because it was protocol.
Damon desperately wanted to get Bonnie away from Lacy. That girl's influence on her was not acceptable and what happened that morning just proved it.
About a quarter to two, Janice buzzed into his office. "Mr. Salvatore, there's a Ms. Bennett here to see you."
Damon smiled. "Show her in."
Moments later, Janice was ushering Bonnie into his office. Damon's eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.
Bonnie was dressed in a form fitting, black skirt suit with matching three inch Mary Jane pumps and her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail.
She looked very corporate America, fitting in perfectly.
"That will be all Janice, thank you."
His assistant closed the door.
"So are congratulations in order?" He asked from behind his desk, knowing damn well that they were.
Bonnie walked around his office with a frown on her face. Just like with his apartment, Damon's office wasn't him at all. It was too damn modern and sleek looking. This had Elena written all over it.
"I don't know." She said, not looking at him but at a really ugly vase instead. She was still somewhat embarrassed about what happened that morning.
"The guy who interviewed me said I would be hearing from HR in a few days. But I doubt if I'll get the job... it pays like thirty-five thousand a year. They're looking for someone with experience, which I don't have."
That damn Donaldson, Damon thought to himself, his jaw tensing. But then he cooled his jets. He realized that the man was just trying to make things look legit. Bonnie would probably get the call within a day or so saying she got the job.
"You never know, so don't be so pessimistic." His eyes traveled over her business attire once again. "So where did you get the clothes?"
Bonnie smiled for the first time, turning around to face him. "This suit is amazing right?" She said pressing her hands down the sides. "I borrowed it from Lacey's closet. She left me a key to her apartment so I can feed her cat while she's away."
"So have you had lunch yet?" He asked, not wanting to discuss the model.
"No, I was too nervous over the interview to eat anything." She said, finally forcing herself to make direct eye contact with him.
"Then let's go eat. There's a terrific deli just down the block that makes delicious hot turkey sandwiches." He said, getting up from his desk and grabbing his jacket.
By the end of the week, Bonnie received the call from human resources. She couldn't believe it. She got the job! Bonnie was in shock all day. She couldn't wait for Damon to get home, so that she could tell him the great news.
She'd gotten over her embarrassment of what happened with him days ago, but their dynamic was forever changed because of it.
When Damon walked through the door that night, all of that tension between them was forgotten as she ran to him, jumping into his arms.
"I got the job!" She screamed happily, wrapping her legs around him and hugging him tightly.
It had been years since she did that. Damon laughed, happily. "See, I told you. Congratulations!"
"I can't believe it Damon...I can't believe they actually hired me!"
"Why wouldn't they, Baby...you're amazing." He said, burying his face in her hair.
Bonnie pulled back at that exact moment and the corner of her mouth brushed against his.
Both of them froze. Their warm breath were the only thing that stirred as they stared at each other.
"Bonnie?" Damon whispered on a strangled breath, looking at her like he was truly seeing her for the first time.
Not punking out this time, she firmly pressed her lips against his.