My breathing picked up and my heart thumped uncomfortably with the scare. "Damon?"

His eyes fell to the ground and he frowned. "It seems your phone has broken." I followed his gaze and thought about how I wouldn't be able to call for help with no phone. He returned his eyes to mine. "I'll purchase you another one. It was my fault, after all."

"Um, thank you," I responded slowly, my thoughts running a mile a minute. I was exactly where Stefan had begged me not to be – alone with Damon.

"I apologize for frightening you…" he said with…faux? sincerity. I couldn't tell. "…Again," he finished after a few moments with a smirk, confirming the sincerity was indeed false.

I nodded. "Yeah, well, um, no problem." I lowered my head and moved to the left to get to the car door, trying very hard to steady my trembling hands and find the right key. "I guess I'll see you later," I told him, smiling gently.

He took two steps around me and leaned against the driver's door, blocking the handle and me from getting in. "Aren't you the least bit curious as to why I'm here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes low. "Not really. I figured it was just coincidence."

He chuckled and chills ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the frosty air. "Oh, Elena," he sighed. "Of course it's not just coincidence."

I bit down on my lower lip. "Then why are you here, Damon?"

He folded his arms across his chest. "I wanted to talk to you."

I glanced up at his face, his response surprising me. "About what?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Your relationship with Stefan."

I felt my temper spark slightly. I didn't know him and he didn't know me and he and Stefan were obviously not on good terms so he really had no right to intrude on our private lives. "What about it?"

"How well do you know him?"

I squared my shoulders and looked him right in the face, deciding I was tired of playing games and was just ready to go. "Well enough, I suppose."

He grinned. "Are you happy with him?"

I mimicked his stance and crossed my arms. "Quite frankly, Damon, my relationship with Stefan is none of your business."

He held up his palms and he said, "Whoa, there. No need to get catty." His words angered me more. "I was merely curious." His arms folded again.

"Okay, well, if that's all Damon, I would really like to go."

His eyes narrowed. "And where are you going?"

My mouth fell slack in astonishment. Obviously Damon didn't understand what was and wasn't appropriate to ask someone you had just met. "That's none of your business, Damon," I repeated.

"To Stefan's?"

I rolled my eyes and stepped forward, angling my body to push against him with my shoulder and open my car.

Abruptly, Damon spun me around and had me pinned against the door, his hands holding the roof of my car on either side of my shoulders. My keys fell from my hand and I stared wide-eyed into his face.

His eyes scanned over my face. "Why are you so rude to me, Elena?" My exhales were uneven and my heart pounded furiously. He bent his elbows slightly and leaned closer to me. "You really don't even know me."

I swallowed hard. "You don't know me either, Damon."

"True, but I'm not making any judgments of you based on preconceived notions due to the biased opinion of another."

I opened my mouth to answer, but instantly shut it again. I knew he was right, but I trusted Stefan and if Stefan said he was bad, then that's what I was going with. "Damon, I n-need to g-go," I stuttered quietly.

He leaned forward even more until I felt his breath flow coolly over my face. "I don't think you do," he replied with smooth authority. "Elena, I own several night clubs in the area. Would you mind accompanying me to one tonight?"

I shook my head and cleared my throat, praying my speech would come out more steady. "No, Damon. I need to go."

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and fixated his stare with mine. "Elena," he started and I could suddenly hear his voice ringing in my head. I found myself incapable of turning away and a strange pull tethered me to the ground. The world drifted away and all I could see was Damon. All I could feel was Damon. "You will come with me tonight." I nodded because I suddenly knew I would go anywhere with him.

He shoved off the car and held out his hand to me. I blinked a few times and shook my head slightly, not understanding what just happened. I stared at his hand for just a moment before placing mine in his own. Thoughts of Stefan whirled in my mind, but for some reason I was going with Damon. I was sure I didn't want to, but it suddenly felt right to. Like I had been meant to leave with him even before I knew him. With every step he took, my body was tugged in the same direction – his body the magnet and mine the iron.

An hour later I found myself sitting in the VIP section of an exclusive nightclub. Nearly as soon as we had arrived, Damon had needed to take care of some business and left me alone. I used that time to study the large room. It was completely circular in shape and a plush, black couch formed itself along the wall all the way around. In the center of the room was a large, round, knee-high glass table. Several drinks, all still full, sat on top of it. The dark red walls were decorated with flowing, black sheer curtains. At the entrance of the room, one of those curtains were set up nearly like a shower curtain and could be pulled out to act as a partial barrier. However, if that curtain did not grant enough privacy, an actual wooden door was hidden in the wall and could be slid out and locked. Currently, the door was shut but not locked.

The thick walls of the round room muffled the blaring music coming from the dance floor and made it much easier for me to think. I didn't understand how I had gotten where I was. I wanted to leave and go to Stefan's, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Every time I tried to think about why I had agreed to come, my mind went blank, I started to feel slightly lightheaded, and then I would give up and my thoughts instantly went to something else, almost like my mind wouldn't allow me to bring up those thoughts. It confused me but something in me told me not to dwell on it.

I began to think about Damon and how, honestly, he scared me more than anyone else ever had. I knew that I couldn't trust him and in the back of my mind, I knew something bad was going to happen with me being here. But also when I thought about Damon, I couldn't help but feel sensations nearly like butterflies in my stomach. His stare made me uncomfortable, yet it made me feel alive. Physically, Damon was incredible. Whereas Stefan was handsome, Damon was…sexy. Previous psychology classes had taught me, however, that the only reason I felt that way was because many women found dangerous equal to sexy. That's why so many women found themselves in unfortunate situations – parts of us were drawn to men like that despite our better judgment.

But his eyes…

Just as my train of thought led to that, the door slid open and Damon stepped in. He shut the door back and turned to me. "Sorry, that took so long. There were some…problems," he told me.

I shrunk back into the couch and hugged my purse a little tighter to my chest. "That's okay," I nodded, only answering to be polite.

Damon crossed his arms and took a few steps toward me. "So, Elena, I figured we could get to know each other here much more comfortably than by your car."

My eyes fell to the ground. "Well, that's nice of you to offer, Damon, but as I'm sure I've already told you, I really need to get going. I have work tomorrow." It wasn't a lie.

He chuckled. "I promise not to get you home too late, Elena. Here, let me take your coat and purse and hang them up so you can get a bit more comfortable." I eyed him suspiciously and didn't move. His grin grew. "Elena, relax. I just want to get to know the girl who's dating my brother. And who knows, maybe you'll learn that I'm not really that bad of a guy."

My eyes returned to the floor. Maybe he was right. It was unfair of me to not give the guy a chance. And Stefan hadn't told me that Damon had really done anything dangerously wrong. From what he had told me, I assumed their bad blood came from simply wanting to be with the same girl. I sighed and handed him my purse, then shrugged out of my black pea coat. He took it and walked over to several hooks hanging by the door. When I looked down at my clothes, I felt myself blush. I was still wearing my work clothes – black dress pants and a button down 3/4-sleeve shirt. My gold nametag was still attached. None of this was appropriate club wear. I could only imagine how awful my hair looked after a hectic shift as it hung in a lose bun.

Damon walked back across the room and sat on the couch sideways so that one leg was bent under him as he faced me. He propped his elbow on the back of the couch. I couldn't help but notice the way his eyes glistened under the low light of the room.

"So, tell me about yourself."

My brow furrowed. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with the basics. Who are you?"

I looked over at him. "You know who I am."

He sighed. "I know you're a girl named Elena. So tell me who Elena is."

I looked back down. "Um…I'm a 21 year old college student originally from Mystic Falls, Virginia. I…"

"Really?" he suddenly interrupted.

I looked up at him. "Really what?"

"You're from Mystic Falls?" I nodded. "That's where Stefan and I are from."

Like when he had informed he was Stefan's brother, my face fell in confusion. This was, again, another thing Stefan had never mentioned to me. "Stefan didn't tell me that," I admitted. I looked up at him. "It seems like Mystic Falls is a pretty small town. My family knew nearly everyone, but I had never heard of the Salvatore's before meeting Stefan."

"Ah, well, it was before your time and we were always a private family."

Before my time? My brow furrowed deeper. "So, you mean you left at an early age?" That was the only assumption I could come up with.

He looked like he was about to say something when suddenly his grin appeared and he just nodded. "Yes. At an early age."

Something about our conversation was very off putting and left me feeling suspicious.

"So, you said your family is well known in Mystic Falls. What's your last name?" There was an anticipating gleam in his eyes as if he was expecting a certain answer.

"Gilbert," I responded slowly.

His eyes grew a bit more. "Really?" he said with a small laugh. He shook his head and leaned back a bit. "This really is a small world," he muttered to himself.

I suddenly felt very uncomfortable with talking about myself and decided to take the focus off of me. "And tell me about yourself, Damon."

His mind seemed to be elsewhere as he spoke. "Well, I'm 25 and, as you know, Stefan's long lost brother. I travel a lot and own several businesses, one of which being this night club." He turned his eyes to me. "I'm really very a simple man," he smirked and I had a feeling that statement was not true. He turned away and it was obvious he was returning to whatever thoughts he had before.

I worried my lower lip with my teeth for a moment as I watched him and worked on finding the courage to ask him what I had wanted to know since the previous night. Finally, I took one deep inhale and went for it. "What happened between you and Stefan?"

I watched as his jaw stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and he turned to me. "It's quite a long story, Elena."

I shrugged. "It's apparent you have no plans of letting me leave anytime soon anyway." I was shocked with how certain I was about that sudden realization but I didn't let it show on my face.

He smiled softly and laid his head in the palm of his hand, still propped up by his elbow on the couch. He lowered his eyes as he thought for a moment and when he looked back up, my breath caught in my chest. His blue eyes were suddenly deep with a new passion burning behind them. "What happened between me and Stefan was a girl named Katherine."

I was relieved that he was at least confirming what Stefan had told me.

I tilted my head slightly as I studied his face. "You both loved her." It wasn't a question.

He sighed and nodded. "Yes." It was then that I saw sorrow flash in his eyes briefly.

"So…she didn't choose one of you?" I asked softly.

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "She died."

My heart paused for a moment at his words. I suddenly understood why this was not a topic Stefan was comfortable speaking about. Like I had told him, we had only known one another for two months. Discussing something this deep now would have surely been too soon. "I'm sorry for you loss," I whispered.

He only nodded and leaned toward the table, grabbing a random drink from the bunch. In one quick motion, he downed the glass and sat it back on the table. "You never answered my earlier question," he said as he moved his elbow back to the top of the couch.

"What question was that?"

"Are you happy with Stefan?"

I stared at him as the random question brought me up short. "I am."

"And he's happy with you?"

I shrugged. "As far as I know."

Abruptly, a plotting glint entered his eyes and he said, "He definitely deserves this then," before leaning forward and pressing his lips against mine.

My eyes grew wide and my mind went blank as he kissed me. I was frozen in my seat for several seconds before I finally tried to push him away. Damon's hands went up to hold the sides of my face and he pulled away slightly.

"What are you d-?" I started, but his lust-filled eyes pulled me in and he interrupted me.

"Elena, kiss me," he commanded in a velvety tone. Just as before, the words echoed in my mind and I felt the urge to kiss Damon.

I didn't know what made me decide this course of action, but it felt like the right thing to do. I closed the gap between our lips and was surprised to find how soft his lips were despite the hardness that appeared in his face. Whenever I tried to question why I was doing this, my thoughts washed away and once again I was marveling at how amazing his lips were.

His hands tightened slightly against my jaw and his lips parted. Mine did the same and I sighed softly as his tongue found mine.

It took only a minute or so before I was completely lost in his kiss, my hands roaming over his back and through his hair. When I finally needed to pull away for air, his lips continued kissing down my throat and up again. The nerves in my body were becoming ultra sensitive and I could feel his fingertips lightly graze down my arms and to my hips. I closed my eyes and basked in the feeling of electricity coursing through me.

In a far away portion of my mind, I was comparing Stefan's sensual kisses to those rough ones of Damon's. I couldn't decide which I preferred.

Damon's mouth moved back up to find mine and I quickly accepted his tongue again. His hands on my hips slowly slid up my sides and I felt him brush the outside of breasts with his thumbs. My center began to grow wet and a moan threatened to escape me. My heartbeat began to race.

All I once, I realized what I was doing and pulled away. "Damon, I can't," I panted.

He opened his eyes, his breathing rough as well, and shook his head slightly. "Why not?"

"I'm with Stefan, Damon." The reality of the situation crashed down on me. I had only met Damon the previous night. I didn't know him. I shouldn't be feeling…anything for him. Why was I even here? It frustrated me that I couldn't recall. And why was I actually kissing him? I didn't have that answer either. I frowned as I realized something must be wrong with me. If I was willing to do those things, was I really as in love as I thought I was?

Then his words from before entered my mind: He definitely deserves this then. Before I thought Damon meant Stefan deserves being happy with me, but now I suddenly understood that he meant deserves to have his heart broken by me being with Damon. He was using me to get at Stefan. Another piece of their puzzle fell together – Damon must have been with Katherine first. He had his heart broken first. The anger growing inside of me about the current situation didn't allow for much sympathy to shine through. My eyes snapped to his. "I'm not Katherine, Damon" I spat. "When I'm with someone, I don't do…this," I finished, motioning with my hands between the two of us.

His sly crooked smile returned and it only made me angrier. This was not the time for him to smirk! "You're an intuitive one, aren't you?" he teased.

I clenched my teeth together and pushed off the couch, heading for my coat and purse. Before I knew it, Damon had stood and grabbed my arms. He spun me around and gently lifted me. I was sitting on the back of the couch against the wall, my shoes getting dirt on the cushions. Damon was knelt with his knees on the same cushions between my legs, his face level with mine. He eased up the grasp he had on my arms and stared at me. My mind was whirling. All of that movement had happened in less than 3 seconds. Apparently that stealth ran in the Salvatore family.

His gaze was powerful and it made me feel like I was melting. "What are you doing?" I whispered timidly.

He tilted his head slightly. "Elena, there's nothing wrong with this," he said slowly, mimicking my earlier motion with my hands. "And normally, I wouldn't put this much effort into it…but I like you." He lifted an eyebrow slightly and his eyes roamed over my face. "There's…something about you." His eyes found mine again. "I understand why Stefan is so smitten over you."

I felt my body start to quake slightly as adrenaline pumped through me.

He leaned forward and allowed his breath to wash over my face. "Elena," he started, and although he was speaking softly, the voice was there in my mind again. "You will allow your body to do what feels right. Do you understand?" I nodded.

Just as quickly as before, Damon's lips were pressed against mine and the fire from earlier sparked along my skin. I had the urge to wrap my fingers into his hair, and I did so without thought. I suddenly needed his tongue in my mouth and my lips instinctively parted. I felt him grin against my mouth before deepening our kiss.

His hands moved from my arms up to my jaws, then down the sides of my neck. He leaned forward and pushed his body against mine causing me to become aware of the arousal I felt between my thighs. I moaned from the contact. His hands continued down until I felt them cup my breasts and massage on the outside of my shirt. Instantly, my nipples hardened and I moaned again.

Damon leaned away from our kiss, his breathing heavy, and pulled his shirt over his head.

The sight of his chiseled chest made me blush and I wanted so badly to touch it. Right away, my hands followed my mind and my fingertips brushed over his hardened abs. Damon smiled then his hands went to work at the buttons on my shirt. Once they were all undone, he pushed the white fabric off of my shoulders and kissed over my chest. His hands then slid around to my back and he unhooked the clasps of my bra. He leaned away and allowed it to fall from my arms.

I heard his breath hitch and I looked down at him fearing something was wrong. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, looking up at me from under his long eyelashes. I bit down on my lower lip and watched as he slowly leaned forward and pulled one of my nipples into his mouth.

Instantly, my hips bucked slightly and I groaned. His other hand came up to rub at my other nipple, gently rolling it between his thumb and index finger. He sucked a little harder and my hands flew up into his hair, holding him against my chest. "Damon," I moaned, my head falling back against the wall.

Quickly, Damon pulled back, grabbed my hips, and turned us around. He sat on the seat of the couch and my knees straddled his waist. The swift movement caused me to lose my breath and I inhaled sharply as his mouth found my breast again.

I felt his tongue roll over the peak and instinctively I pushed my hips down, grinding myself against his obvious erection. This elicited a moan from him and I smiled slightly.

I leaned away from his mouth and sat down on his lap. He looked at me questioningly and I moved my hands down his chest. My slender fingers found the button of his jeans and I undid them. Slowly, I unzipped the zipper and he lifted under me so that I could pull down his pants and boxers. His member slipped out and I let go of his pants. He watched as my hand wrapped around the tip of it then slid down and a throaty groan bubbled out of him.

He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me to him again, trapping my hand between our bodies. He kissed my chest once more and then I felt his hands move to my stomach.

I leaned away to give him better room to work and he did as I had earlier: unbuttoning my pants, unzipping them, then sliding them down my legs. I stood for just a moment so they and my panties could fall to the floor, then he pulled me back on top of him.

As I positioned myself above him, his erection grazed my center and I sucked in air. I wanted him so badly and my body moved in correlation to that.

I looked down my nose at him and waited for him to make eye contact with me. When he did, he smirked and it sent chills through me. I sucked in my lower lip and in one quick movement, impaled myself on his hardened member.

Both he and I moaned simultaneously.

His hands moved up my chest to knead my breasts as I slowly used the strength of my legs to lift back up his erection. Again, I let myself drop on him and felt my body tremble with arousal.

I began to repeat the action and in just a few moments I found my pace. I angled my body so that my clitoris found friction with his pelvic bone during each motion. Beads of sweat popped up along my hairline as moved and I lifted my hands to undo my bun and allow my hair to cascade down my back.

Damon moaned my name below me and it sent me into a frenzy, causing me to increase my pace on top of him. A small moan and gasp escaped me with each downward thrust. I felt my lower abdomen tighten as I went faster and I knew I was close to my climax.

Damon's hands dropped from my breasts to my hips and he gripped tightly. He groaned and his head fell back, indicating to me that he was close as well. "Fuck, Elena," he moaned.

My hands found the back of the couch and I dug my nails into the fabric. It took two more lifts before the sensitivity I felt throughout my body concentrated at my clitoris, it grew hot, and then a burst of waves pulsated through my body. "Unghhh!" I cried out, my head falling back.

As my muscles tightened and contracted, I felt Damon reach his own breaking point and he lifted his hips as he began to pump under my skin.

Once my orgasm subsided, I collapsed against Damon's chest, breathing hard. His hands wrapped around to my back and he held me against him.

We sat like that for several minutes before I sighed and climbed off of him. He groaned as his penis slipped out of me.

I stood in front of him and tried to gather my thoughts. Why had I just done that? Yes, it felt…unbelievable, but had I not just told him that I didn't do this? That I was with Stefan? I was positive I had told him this so why had I just had sex with him? My head began to ache and I ran my fingers through my hair. Really, it didn't matter why I had done it. The fact that I had was bad enough.

Tears prickled at my eyelashes and my face grew very warm. Stefan was going to hate me.

Suddenly, a cell phone began to ring at my feet and I jumped a little. Damon bent down to grab his jeans and he pulled out the phone. Flipping it open he greeted the caller. "Well, hello, Stefan."

My heart stopped as I heard Stefan's voice call loudly through the phone. "Where is Elena, Damon?"

Damon smirked and looked up at me. "Standing right here," he answered.

"Give her the phone," Stefan commanded.

Damon chuckled. "Well, you may want to let her get some clothes on first."

Authors Note: Does anyone else think it's, like, really hot in here? ;P

Review, people! Let me know what you think!

Follow me on twitter if you'd like updates on the story: APhobiac.

See you next chapter!

Also, I hope some stuff in this chapter wasn't too hard to follow. Yes, he was compelling her. That's why she wasn't able to think about what brought on some of her actions. She doesn't remember him telling her to do it.