"I'm not at home, Damon." Bonnie said through the phone.
"Excuse me?" He said, bracing his hand against the door frame.
Bonnie turned from the large bathroom mirror, leaning back against the counter. "Lacey and I are at a party."
He now heard the faint sound of music playing in the background.
His jaw tensed. "Tell me where you are and I'll come get you." Not liking the idea of her being at some industry party. He knew what went down at those things.
There was silence on the line for a few seconds before she spoke again."No...I don't think that's a good idea."
He dropped his hand, turning around to face the other way. "Look, I just want to talk to you, okay?"
Bonnie closed her eyes, shaking her head. "What is there left to say Damon?"
"A lot." He gritted out. He calmed himself. "You owe me this conversation, Bonnie...and I'm ready to talk, right now."
"I owe you?" She repeated incredulously.
"Damn right. I could have pressed charges against you for taking advantage of me while I was intoxicated, but I didn't!" His hissed into the phone.
Her jaw dropped. "Are you serious?!"
"As a fucking heart attack...so I suggest you get here now before I change my mind and go to the police." He threatened.
Bonnie eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what he was doing. "I'm not Elena, Damon... I know you, remember? And when you don't get your way, you resort to playing dirty... I'm not leaving this party until I'm good and ready..so deal with it!"
She hung up on him.
"Who was that guy I saw you talking to...the one with the tattoos?" Lacey asked.
They sat in the backseat of a taxicab on their way home from the party. It was one o'clock in the morning.
Bonnie stared out the window, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of Damon so she didn't answer immediately.
"The really hot scruffy looking blonde guy." Lacey supplied.
Bonnie turned to look at her. "Jax Teller."
Lacey cocked a brow. "Ooh. Someone made an impression...you remembered his name off the bat."
Bonnie scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"What does he do?" The model asked.
A frown appeared on her pretty face as she thought about it. "You know what, I have no idea. That's weird...now that I think about it, I was the one doing most of the talking."
The taxi came to a stop in front of their apartment building. Bonnie was reaching into her purse for the money to pay the fare when Lacey elbowed her side.
"It's okay Lace, I got it." She said distracted, trying to found a twenty dollar bill in the dark.
"No. Look." She said pointing across the street.
Bonnie looked up from her wallet.
Shit.
It was Damon's car.
"What is he doing here?" Lacey asked.
"He wants to talk." She sighed, leaning over the backseat to hand the driver the money. "You can keep the change." She said opening the backdoor.
"Bonnie, if you don't want to talk to him then you don't have to." Lacey said at her side once they were out of the cab.
They watched as Damon got out of his car and crossed the street.
Bonnie turned to her friend. "No, it's okay Lace. Just give us a few minutes alright?"
"Fine." She said. "But don't take any shit from him."
"I won't."
"Ladies." Damon said with a slight edge to his voice, coming to stand in front of them.
"Don't let the pretty face fool you, Wall Street. Bonnie may be a lady...but I'm hood. And you best to remember that."
Bonnie eyed her like she'd lost her mind. "Really Lace...you hood?" Pause. " You grew up in Connecticut. Both your parents are doctors."
"Well gotdamn Bonnie...he didn't know that! I was trying to scare him just in case he wanted to nut up and act a fool."
Damon rolled his eyes.
Bonnie smiled in spite of herself. Lacey was so crazy. "My bad. I didn't mean to blow up your spot."
The gorgeous model sighed. "That's okay. You didn't know. " She turned to Damon. "But just so you know...act up and I got something for that ass."
Bonnie laughed. She couldn't help it.
"Real nice." He said when she was gone. "That's some friend you got there, Bonnie." He said, sarcastically.
"Yeah, I know...she's the best."
He snorted.
She folded her arms in front of her. "Why are you still here Damon?"
"I told you...I wanted to talk."
"Right." She said, blowing out a breath.
He could see it float in the air between them. It was cold outside and her nose was starting to turn red.
"Come on, let's go." He said nodding towards his car. "I know where we can get some hot chocolate to warm you up."
They ended up going to some twenty-four hour diner. There weren't too many people inside the restaurant, but they sat away from everyone for some privacy.
Bonnie called Lacey to let her know what was going on so she wouldn't worry.
"Thank you." She said as the waitress placed her hot chocolate in front of her.
"Thanks." Damon said when she gave him his.
"Enjoy." She said with a smile and left them alone.
Bonnie picked up hers, taking a tentative sip. "Mm, it's really good." Licking the whip cream from her upper lip before wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"What?" She asked when she caught Damon staring at her.
"Nothing." He said shaking his head. "You just look really different like that."
He didn't like it.
She looked really edgy and not like the small town girl she really was.
Bonnie reached up, carefully touching her hair. It was in a wavy fauxhawk and she absolutely loved it.
"I was in a charity fashion show tonight. They did my hair and makeup." She explained.
"I know... I was there."
Her hand kind of stilled for moment before she lowered it. "What?"
Damon took a sip from his hot chocolate, placing it back down. "I was at the show."
He'd seen her? She was practically naked walking down the runway in that second dress. And the only reason why she was able to do it was because it was in a room full of strangers.
No one knew her.
Damon did.
She swallowed hard, lowering her eyes to the mug in her hands. "Since when do you attend fashion shows?"
"Elena loves them."
"Right...Elena." She nodded. "So how is she?" She asked, clearing her throat.
When he didn't say anything, she looked up.
"I didn't tell her about what happened, Bonnie...and I'm not going to."
She frowned. "I didn't expect you to Damon...is that why you came here tonight, because you thought I would?" She shook her head. "I would never hurt you like that."
He could see by her face that this upset her. His hand reached across the table for hers. "Hey, I know that and that's not why I came, you silly girl...I wanted to see you."
He couldn't stop thinking about her. Wondering if she was okay.
"So you don't hate me anymore for what happened...for what I did?" She asked, biting her lip.
His blue eyes widened. "Hate you? Is that what you thought...that I hated you?
She nodded.
He gently squeezed her hand. "I could never hate you, Baby...for anything." He let that sink in before continuing. "I was angry because that should have never been your first experience being with someone. You deserved a whole lot better than that... and that's what I hated, not you. Never you."
Bonnie felt like crying. She squeezed his hand back, giving him a soft smile.
They talked for a little while longer when Damon noticed the time. "I better get you home. It's late."
She finished the rest of her hot chocolate, moaning softly in her throat when she was done.
Damon froze at the sound, a memory of smooth soft legs wrapping around him flooding his mind.
"You okay?" Bonnie asked as he drove her home.
His hand gripped the steering wheel. "I'm fine...why?"
"It's just you haven't said must since we left the diner...I thought maybe something was wrong."
"No. Everything's good." He said, trying to sound light.
"Does that include us...are we good?" She asked looking at him.
He slowed down, not running the yellow light and came to a stop, turning to her. "Yeah, we're good."
She smiled, facing forward once again. "Jerk." She teased softly.
He was about to call her a brat, but thought better of it.
She wasn't a kid anymore.
"Bonnie Bennett."
She turned around.
"See, I remembered your name."
She smiled up at the ruggedly handsome man. "Jax Teller."
Feeling very pleased, he nodded. "And you remembered mine." He said, looking her up and down appreciatively.
"Lucky guess." She said.
He grinned slyly. "Yeah right."
A throat cleared.
She turned at the sound having completely forgotten about the guy she'd been having a conversation with before Jax walked up interrupting them.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry...um, um..." Shit, she forgot his name.
"Steven." He supplied.
Bonnie was so embarrassed. "Right, Steven."
He walked away muttering something under his breath.
She turned back just in time to see Jax laughing. "That was not funny." She said trying not to laugh herself.
"Yes it was." He said chuckling.
This was the second time she'd seen him at one of these parties that Lacey brought her to. And just like last time, he looked so out of place, sticking out like a sore thumb in his sneakers and jeans, dark hoodie, and leather jacket.
"Crashing another party?" She asked, because that was her only explanation as to how he got inside.
"Excuse me? He said, frowning slightly. "I was invited here."
"Oh really." She said, cocking a brow, not believing him.
"Really."
"By who?" She challenged.
"Who else, the host."
Bonnie didn't know who that was so she let it go. "Mm hmm."
He chuckled. "So how did you get in?" Turning the tables.
"I came with my friend...she's a supermodel."
"So what, I'm supposed to be impressed now or something?"
"No. But she's in the industry and that's why I was able to get inside. I wasn't trying to brag or anything, I was just answering your question."
"Well thank you for clarifying." He said, his smile returning as he stared down at her.
"You're welcome."
"Oh my god, you're actually nervous aren't you?" Lacey said, feeling excited by the realization.
She was leaning against the bathroom door watching Bonnie get ready for her date with Jax.
Unplugging the curling wand, Bonnie placed it to the side of the counter to cool off. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm starting to sweat and everything."
Lacey knew why and said so. "You like him."
Bonnie snorted. "Well oh course I like him. I wouldn't be going out on this date if I didn't." She said, using her shirt to fan herself.
"No. I mean you like him, like him...you weren't all flustered like this with Matty Blue Eyes."
She stopped fanning herself as she realized Lacey was right.
The model didn't even try to hide her grin as she left the bathroom. "It looks like Damon Salvatore finally got some competition." She muttered under her breath.
Bonnie wasn't going to lie, when they first entered what looked to be some seedy bar, her nose rose so far up in the air she could smell the fumes coming off the airplanes flying in the sky.
So this was his idea of a date? A first date?
"Does something stink?" He asked, taking off her coat.
"No." She said somewhat with a pout.
"Oh I get it, you were expecting some expensive, fancy restaurant, right?"
"No. Not with the way you're dressed." She said rolling her eyes at his jeans and leather jacket.
"And what's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"
"I don't know who you're trying to be, a thug or a biker."
"I'm just being me, Bonnie and if you have a problem with that then maybe I should take you home now, that way neither one of us wastes our time."
She swallowed hard. She didn't want that because she really did like him. Bonnie didn't know why she was tripping.
She spotted the pool table and nodded towards it. "You play?"
"Yeah."
"Well, can you teach me?"
3 HOURS LATER...
"In your face, Jackson Nathaniel Teller!"Bonnie taunted, when she made her shot.
"I regret telling you my full name." He said, but he was smiling as he said it.
He went to her, taking the pool cue from her hands.
She swallowed hard when he backed her against the pool table.
"Did you have fun tonight?"
"Yes." She answered, tilting her head back because he was standing so close to her.
And she really did. She learned how to play pool and her belly was full of french fries and buffalo wings... and not once did she think about another set of blue eyes.
"Would you like to do it again?"
She bit her lip. "Are you asking me for a second date, Jackson Nathaniel?"
"And what if I am?"
"Then the answer is yes."
SOME WEEKS LATER...
Damon could hear the loud banging music coming from Lacey and Bonnie's apartment as soon as he stepped off the elevator.
The door wasn't even closed when he walked up to it, so he just pushed it open walking in.
The loft was packed with people dancing, talking, laughing and drinking. Everyone having a good time.
Damon spotted Lacey standing in the kitchen with some kind of tiara on her head and she had a sash across her shoulder that read Happy Birthday.
Well that solved the mystery of the party.
His blue eyes searched for Bonnie, but he didn't see her and then some people moved out the way and he saw that she was on the balcony and he started towards her.
But he stopped just a few feet shy of the sliding glass door when he saw that she wasn't outside alone.
She was with some guy in a leather motorcycle jacket.
Damon didn't know what made him stop, but he did.
Maybe it was because she was smiling up at him and he'd never seen her smile like that at another guy. That wasn't him.
Damon watched as Bonnie reached up and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind the guy's ear. He said something that made her laugh and she playfully pushed him.
The guy pulled Bonnie to him, hugging her. Burying his nose in her hair.
He watched as she pulled slightly away, tilting her head back and the guy leaned down to kiss her mouth.
Swallowing hard, Damon turned away and left the party.