'You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is' Will Rogers
I'm full of rage just glaring at Sage, who's clearly enjoying how angry I am at her. She waves at me animatedly then steps outside the Grill. I don't know what game she's playing here but I won't be any part of it. Her smirk resembles that of 'The Grinch who Stole Christmas'. I don't care if I have to cough up five thousand dollars of my own money, I will not spend another moment alone with 'The Wicked Witch of the West' standing there in the flesh.
After jumping off the stage, I run outside to confront her. "What the hell are you up to? I won't be any part of your games so why don't you get back on your broom and return to wherever the hell you came from," I yell heatedly, getting in her face.
Although her eyes are burning with malice when she turns to me, her voice purrs, "Damon, Damon! And here I thought you'd be happy to see me."
"Have you told your little girlfriend about us?" she teases, trailing her fingers alongside my jawline.
"Stop Sage," I shout, shoving her hands away from me before stepping back.
"I want nothing to do with you. You almost destroyed my life."
"You did destroy mine. I'd watch my back if I were you," she warns before turning on her heels and strutting away.
Feeling red hot anger pulsating throughout every nerve cell in my body, I fist my hands at my sides, close my eyes and take a deep breath in an attempt to rein in my temper. Once I'm reasonably calm, I go back inside the Grill only to find that Elena is gone.
"She told me to tell you that Ric and Jenna took her home. Why in world would she ever show up here again? I knew she was a conniver the moment I laid eyes on her but you men are so taken by a pretty face sometimes?" mom admonishes, shaking her head.
"I don't know why she's here, mom. I have no doubt she has some scheme up her sleeve though. As far as being shallow, that's my past, not my present," I tell her, my eyes gazing directly into hers. Look, I need to go after Elena."
"Go on then. Jenna said they'd wait up for you. She said that Elena was upset to see that woman and I use that term loosely, not only flirting with you but also the fact that she lost her bid for you," she informs me.
"I told you mom, I don't care if I have to come up with five thousand on my own, I am not going out with Sage, not now or ever again in this lifetime. She nearly destroyed my good name and my livelihood. I'm not going to let her get away with whatever scheme she's conjured up. Surely Elena could see that there is nothing but bad blood between me and Sage. I still can't believe I was so blind to who she really was back then. An old co-worker warned me about her once but I didn't listen." I say, exhaling heavily.
"At least you realized who she was before your heart took a beating," she reminds me.
"I really need to go to Elena. I'll see you tomorrow," I tell her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Go get your girl!" she yells as I step out the door.
After what seems like an eternity, I finally arrive at Elena's home. Taking a deep breath, I get out of the car and practically run to the front door. Ric pulls it open telling me he heard my truck pull up.
"How's Elena?" I ask anxiously.
"She's having a cup of coffee with Jenna in the kitchen. Who was that woman Damon? You obviously have a history with her. Elena is just a bit shaken up after seeing that woman flirting with you."
Throwing my arms in the air, my teeth clenched as my voice rises with each syllable that comes out of my mouth, "Surely you noticed that I didn't flirt back! That woman is bad news Ric. She's the one who almost cost me everything when I worked for Finn's company when I was still living in Miami. If anyone other than Finn had been my boss at the time, my reputation would be in tatters."
"Sage?" he says, shaking his head with an air of recognition before motioning for me to follow him into the kitchen.
I exhale a breathe in relief just at seeing her face when Ric and I walk into the kitchen. I rush over to her, stoop down and pull her into my arms.
"Please don't worry sweetheart," I tell her pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Who was she, Damon?"
"I met her when I lived in Miami. At first, I was taken with her. We went out a few times. One night I invited her over for a home cooked meal, Salvatore style. While I was preoccupied with cooking, she was putting a bug in my home computer. I did a lot of work for Finn from my apartment. She was able to steal a lot of company secrets. One day, Finn called me into his office to discuss my role in these leaks. I was dumbfounded as you can imagine. As luck would have it, Finn grew up here with us, thank God. Otherwise, I think my reputation wouldn't be worth a plug nickel. If not for the guys I worked with at the time, I could very well be sitting in prison right now. I don't know why she's here but I do know that her intentions are anything but honorable and that she's up to no good. I won't let her hurt you. I promise," I explain to Elena with all the sincerity I can muster.
"I promise you there is nothing on God's green earth that could ever make me spend another moment alone with her. I won't."
"I just really wanted to win that bid for you. I'm sorry I left but I just felt so overwhelmed and inadequate. She's beautiful and vibrant. Just look at me Damon. I can't compete with her," she says shaking her head as her eyes begin to glisten.
"Hey, no more of that Elena. You're everything I never knew I wanted until you came into my life. Please don't doubt yourself so much. It's you, Elena, there's no one else," I tell her then pull her back into my arms. As she pulls back, our eyes lock for a long moment. She cradles my face with her palms then presses a mind numbing kiss to my lips, teasing the seam with her tongue.
I open up and deepen the kiss causing electricity to surge throughout my body. I pull back completely out of breath.
"Whoa," I whisper and drop another quick kiss to her lips. When she turns her head to the side to try to hide a yawn, I smile.
"You're tired?"
"Just a little," she says softly, "but I don't want to go to bed yet."
"Do you want to come back to my place or would you rather be by yourself tonight?"
"I want to go home with you."
As my smile grows, I stand up. "Where's your jacket? It's a little chilly tonight. We can't have you getting sick."
"It's in the hall closet."
I step away to grab her jacket then drape it over her shoulders. "You ready?"
Just as she nods, I get behind her and wheel her outside. "I'm so glad we built these ramps. And you know what, mom called me while I was driving over here. She said we made more than enough to buy that elevator. I had to pull the phone away from my ear because she was screeching so loud," I chuckle.
"I need to thank her. She really went all out to help me."
"You should have heard her. She was positively giddy when she was telling me," I reply, laughing. "I love my mom."
Elena smiles then looks away. Reaching over, I give her arm a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she starts before turning her eyes back to mine. "I just miss them so much sometimes, especially after everything, you know?"
Nodding, I entwine my fingers with hers and continue driving.
Elena is dozing quietly by the time we arrive at my place. I should've just tucked her in and let her sleep tonight. Selfishly, I'm glad she wanted to be with me. Realizing how tired she is, I'm just going to enjoy holding her in my arms while she gets some rest. Plus I need to figure out what Sage is up to. I'm going to have to give Finn a call tomorrow and see if he's heard anything about her whereabouts and who she's working for now. As far as I knew, she was still living in Miami.
"Elena sweetheart, we're here," I whisper waiting for her to stir.
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm more tired than I thought."
"No worries. Let's get you inside and we'll just sleep okay? I just want to feel you in my arms."
"Damon?"
I take her hands in mine then steal a kiss from her full lips. "I care about you so much Elena. We haven't been together very long but my feelings for you have just exploded. Every fiber of my being ignites when I'm with you. I can't explain it but what I do know is that I've never felt this way for anyone before you."
"I can't deny that I'm feeling all kinds of new and wonderful things too, Damon. I'm just afraid after what Matt did," she whispers just as our foreheads meet.
Pulling back, I cup her face in my hands and look directly into those disarmingly beautiful eyes, "I'm not Matt. I would never just walk away, Elena. I'm not blind to the fact that you have special needs. I'm also under no illusions that we won't face challenges that other couples will never have to think about but I'm in this if you'll have me?"
I stare into her eyes for another long moment before placing my lips on her ear whispering, "I think I'm falling in love with you."
When I pull back, her mouth is agape, her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears. She turns her eyes down for a second before raising them back to me. "I think I'm falling in love with you too. Please don't hurt me like he did, Damon. I don't know if I could go through that again. Promise me?" she pleads.
Shaking my head back and forth, "I promise." Feeling my eyes moisten with tears of my own, I press my lips to hers.
This crossed the 100 review mark! Thank you, all of you so much. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Thank you Eva. You helped make this story what it is. Please give 'Pieces of Eight' a look. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Happy Spring and I'll talk to you next week.