A/N: Thanks for your patience. I would have liked to have had this up yesterday, but my son has been sick, I've had a bad week, and I just couldn't manage it. I also really didn't want to rush this chapter.

Anyway, here is chapter 8; I hope it lives up to expectations.

Chapter 8

While her flight to Chicago had been delayed by almost an hour; Damon's flight was almost on time, arriving only ten minutes later than scheduled. The plan was that he would check into their hotel and meet her at the bookstore. The moment he walked into the store, she knew it. His gaze found her straight away, and they locked eyes for a moment before he returned his attention to the blonde who had walked in with him. She told herself she wasn't jealous when she saw the woman give him a come hither smile and slip something into his pocket.

As soon as the blonde left his side, she approached him. He was clean shaven, and she guessed he had not long stepped out of the shower. He smelt fresh and clean, with just a hint of the cologne that she was used to smelling on him. He wore his usual attire but had replaced his t-shirt with a black dress shirt.

"How was your flight?" she asked him, once she'd introduced him to Red, the bookstore owner.

The only thing Damon wanted to talk about right now was what time tonight they could start becoming better acquainted. He didn't know how he would make it through the next few hours without having her. He hated waiting; detested the fact that he'd had to wait for the past few days for tonight. He wanted her so much that none of the numerous offers for casual sex he'd had over the weekend had appealed to him at all.

"Fine. Yours?"

"Caught up on some reading."

"What time do we finish up here?" he asked her.

"We should be done by five thirty."

"We should grab a drink afterward."

"You don't waste time, do you?"

"I don't waste time pretending that I don't want something."

No, he clearly didn't, thought Elena. He wasn't even suggesting dinner, but then what had she expected? This wasn't a date.

"A drink sounds good." She'd need one for courage anyway. "What time?"

"Eight o'clock, in the bar downstairs."

"Fine," she said, with a nod.

Just like that, the plans were made. Elena wondered whether they should have organized whose room, what position and the duration time they would be at it, since they'd just about planned everything else. No, there was definitely nothing romantic or spontaneous about what they were doing. At least she knew where she stood with him. When one of the staff approached her with a question, Elena snapped out of her lust addled brain and remembered what she was here for.

The book signing went well. Red was more than happy with the way things went, and Elena noticed that Damon's books marched off the shelves. The women literally threw themselves at him, and he flirted back with them easily. It sold books, and as his publicist that made her happy. Occasionally he would look up from what he was doing or who he was talking to, and look right at her; a look that told her he was thinking about tonight. Every time they locked eyes it made breathing just a little bit more difficult.

By the time they finished at the book store, she felt like she was on a knife edge. She could barely string more than two words together while they shared a car back to the hotel. As they rode the elevator up to their rooms, she couldn't stop thinking that the next time they stepped into the elevator together, it would be to go and do it.

"So," she said, trying not to let the nerves get the better of her. "Your room or mine?"

"Mine," he said to her. "I have the better view."

Elena couldn't deny that, though she would not be sticking around long enough to admire it. Their hot hotel sex would be over soon enough, and then she would be forced to do the walk of shame back to her room. She didn't have time to say anything more, though, because the elevator arrived at her floor.

"See you in an hour or two," she said to him, before walking out of the elevator.

She ordered a sandwich from room service, but was unable to eat much of it. After she tossed the sandwich in the trash, she decided to take a bath. The bath eased her tense shoulder muscles, and when she emerged, she certainly felt more relaxed than she had before it. She decided on a black lace bra and knicker set she'd bought over the weekend, and just to boost her confidence she added lacy top thigh high stockings to the outfit. Once she'd put on her short black skirt and her tight fitting emerald top, she reapplied her make-up and sprayed on perfume.

She walked into the bar at five minutes past eight and spotted Damon there, being hit on by a woman who looked like she could be in her fifties. The woman's top was so tight that Elena worried everything might spring free at any given moment. Fearing for Damon's safety, after all she didn't want her best client to be hit in the face with anyone's breasts but hers tonight, she walked straight up to him, slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.

He only hesitated for a moment, before kissing her back with such hunger, it left her wanting to skip drinks altogether. Once they pulled apart, she noticed the woman had disappeared. Damon smirked at her. She shrugged.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Apology accepted. Buy you a drink?"

She smiled at him, "Sure."

"Name your poison."

"Tequila," she told him.

"Shot?"

"Sunrise."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. When their drinks arrived, Damon raised his. "To mixing business with pleasure."

After two more drinks, Damon noticed Elena was starting to smile a little. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman in the room. He thought she would be ready for a change of location when she finished the drink she was on, but when she mentioned something about her college days, he saw an opportunity to ask her about her old flame.

"That's where you met your friend Matt, right?"

"We were more than friends, Damon. We were engaged."

The answer was so quick that he wondered whether she meant to tell him that at all. He knew they'd been lovers, but he'd never considered that she was going to marry the guy.

"Engaged," he repeated.

She smiled at him. "For about a year."

"What happened?" He was curious as hell for some reason.

She looked at him, as if deciding how much to say. "He decided…it just wasn't going to work between us."

"He decided?"

"He wanted something…something he thought I was lacking."

Seriously, this guy Matt was lacking. Whatever had happened between them, Damon could see Elena blamed herself entirely. She looked so damn sad right now; probably thinking about Matt finding whatever it was she 'lacked' with, Georgia. If Elena still loved Matt, their reunion would have hurt her deeply, and Damon found himself feeling angry and frustrated; angry that he couldn't tell Matt that he was a moron for hurting this woman, and frustrated because he didn't want her to be sad over this guy. He couldn't change what had happened, but he could make her feel good, at least for a short while.

"Let's go," he said to her.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Where do you think?"

She looked at him now, finally understanding. "Oh, right."

Heat seared through her as he put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the bar. Despite the two drinks she'd had, her knees still wobbled slightly as they waited for the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, he trapped her between the elevator wall and his body, and kissed her. His kiss wasn't soft or gentle; it was hot and hungry, and Elena couldn't seem to get enough. His hands skimmed down her sides and cupped her bottom, pulling her against his body so she could feel how hard he was. She was lost completely, drowning in sensations as he pressed hot kisses against her mouth, her face and her jaw, before nuzzling his face in her neck and kissing her there. When his hands slipped underneath her skirt, she murmured her approval, and when his hands found the lace top stockings she was wearing, he emitted a low growl that sent a rush of wet heat to her aching core. She trembled slightly and clung to him as his hands caressed her bare thighs.

"These for me?" he rasped, between kisses; his fingers tracing patterns along the tops of her thighs, edging closer and closer to where she wanted him to touch her.

The ding of the elevator made them both turn and look at the numbers above the door. It wasn't his floor. As the doors slid open, he grabbed her by the hips and turned her so that the back of her was pressed to his front. Another couple, clearly engrossed in their own conversation, stepped into the lift, in front of them, and the doors closed again. Feeling slightly naughty, she wiggled her backside against him. She felt Damon's hands tighten on her hips, and heard him growl softly.

"I should take you right here," he whispered in her ear, making her gasp.

One of his hands reached under her skirt again, and she bit her lip, trying not to moan as his hand stroked her through the wet lacy material of her underwear. She was unable to stop a small noise from escaping, however, when his fingers slid inside her panties and came into direct contact with her heated center. Fortunately the other couple were too busy laughing to notice. His free arm came around to encircle her waist, holding her against him while he played with her. He kissed and nibbled her neck as his thumb rubbed her clit. She felt her whole body tense with the anticipation of release. At the exact moment she reached climax, they arrived on Damon's floor. The ding of the elevator only partially covered her cry, and the other couple turned to look at them.

"Too much excitement," he told them quickly. Damon walked them out, one arm still around her waist. Elena was trembling so much she needed the support just to make it out of the elevator.

The walk from the elevator to his room was the most uncomfortable walk of Damon's life. He was unbearably hard. When they reached his room, she leaned against the wall while he fumbled to get his card out and unlock the door. As soon as the door was thrown open, he pulled her into the room, his hands diving into her hair, dragging her mouth back to his as he kicked the door shut with his boot. He'd left a lamp on in the room so he'd be able to see what he was doing. He shrugged out of his jacket and got rid of his shirt, while she pulled her top over her head, and unzipped her skirt.

Elena stood before him in her bra, stockings and panties. Her whole body flushed under his gaze. He reached for her, and had her bra off before she could blink. Then his mouth and his tongue, and his hands were on her. She cried out as he gently tugged on her nipple with his teeth, and pushed her panties down her legs. She undid his belt buckle before working to free him from the jeans and boxers he was wearing. When she touched him, he groaned and thrust into her hand.

It was a slippery slope for Damon when he felt her hand around his shaft. He picked her up with one arm and deposited her on the chest of drawers in the room where he'd put some condoms. The way she looked in her thigh high stockings, spread before him on his drawers, made his mouth dry. With her cheeks hot and flushed; her eyes bright and wide, and her lips pink and swollen from his kisses, he wondered how long he could possibly last, once he was inside her.

The feel of the cool wood underneath her backside heightened her arousal. When Damon nipped and licked her thigh above the lace of her stocking, she almost jumped out of her skin. Pressing her back into the wall, she angled her hips up, and tried not to scream when he started to lap at her with his tongue. She gripped the edge of the drawers as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

"God Damon! Yes," she cried out as she hurtled over the edge.

Damon grabbed a condom from where it sat beside her, ripped the packet open, and sheathed himself within seconds before lifting her off the dresser.

"Wrap your legs around my waist," he ordered.

Elena did as she was told, feeling his erection underneath her as he walked them the few feet to the bed. Once she was lying down, he positioned himself quickly. The air left her lungs in a rush as she felt him thrust into her, joining his body with hers; her inner muscles clenching around him.

"Yes," she said to him. "God, yes."

"Elena," he said tightly, "how long has it been for you?"

Elena could barely comprehend what he was asking or why he was asking. She looked into his eyes, but her brain felt like it had melted from the heat between them. All she knew was that he was inside her and she needed him to move.

"I don't know…two, maybe three years," she whispered, hoping he would shut up and do her. Who could think at a time like this? "Please, Damon, don't stop," she pleaded, moving her hips, very much enjoying the feeling of being filled by him.

Damon wasn't any more capable of stopping this than he was of choosing to draw his last breath; but he'd had no idea that it had been that long for her. She was so incredibly tight around him, and when she moved like that, his control was pushed to the limit. The tension that had been building in him since he first saw her had to be released.

"Relax," he said roughly, "I'm not stopping."

Elena would have sighed with relief if she wasn't so busy holding onto him for dear life as he started to move inside her. He started off slowly, but his pace built quickly, leaving her breathless and panting from the pleasure he was bringing her body.

"Feels so good," she moaned.

Damon did his best to make it last for as long as he could, but when he felt her start to climax around him, he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Elena," he called, as his body found the release it had been craving all day.

Once he felt he could move again, he rolled off her, and walked into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When he walked back out again, he found Elena getting dressed. She looked at him for a moment, and smiled shyly, before she slid her skirt up her legs and zipped herself up. As he moved to put his jeans on, he noticed she'd left her underwear on the floor.

Elena didn't know quite what to say to him as the two of them stood there looking at each other. What was the etiquette after a once off like that? 'Katherine is a lucky woman,' didn't seem quite right, and neither did, 'thanks for the three orgasms; you've probably ruined me for all other men.'

"I had no idea it had been that long for you," he said to her, finally breaking the silence between them.

Elena wondered briefly if she should have told him, before deciding it was none of his business. He'd told her they should sleep together for the sole purpose of taking the edge off; to ease the tension between them. Seeing him stand there in nothing but his jeans, however, made her want to dive back into bed with him again. Her body was still humming from his touch, and instead of feeling completely satisfied, her body felt as if it had been awakened after a period of hibernation, and it was screaming out for more.

"Does it matter? Would it have made a difference?" she asked him, slightly disconcerted by the ongoing arousal she was experiencing.

Damon shook his head, but inside he wasn't so sure. The attraction between them was through the roof; but being the first lover she'd had in years didn't feel as casual as he'd told himself this one time would be. Even now, there were some blatantly possessive thoughts running through his head about the woman in front of him, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Well, thanks for breaking my drought," she said to him, before walking up and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Before he thought better of it, he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her properly. She responded passionately; thrusting her tongue into his mouth, lacing her hands around his neck, and pressing herself against him. He hardened instantly, and he knew he had to have her again. His hands ran over her backside, moving her towards his bed while his mouth found the valley between her breasts. When they fell onto the bed together, she ended up on top of him. He rolled her underneath him quickly, enjoying the feel of her body against his far too much. His hands had just reached under skirt, when she cried out for him to stop.

"Once," she said to him breathlessly. "You said once."

She was right, he had said once. He couldn't think about that right now, though. He ached for her again, needed her again.

"What's once more?" he asked her.

He thought she was going to say no, but then she nodded. Not wanting to give her any time to change her mind, he leaned over her to the set of bedside drawers in his room, and took out a condom. She hiked up her skirt, while he pushed his jeans down and put the rubber on. When he entered her, he groaned out load at how good she felt. This time he didn't hold back.

Elena felt close to the edge the moment she felt him thrust into her. He didn't take it slow this time, and she didn't want him to. It seemed that their first time together had merely been a warm-up for this energetic, wild and uncontrolled mating. Every stroke of his body into hers took her higher and higher, and when he reached between them and thumbed her clitoris, the intense pleasure of it all made her scream his name.

The look of pure ecstasy on her face was more than enough make Damon feel he'd been to the moon and back as his own release was ripped from him.

For several minutes they lay side by side on the bed, panting. Eventually she got off the bed. He sat up and watched her put her underwear on, before she walked to the door.

"I'll meet you in the lobby at seven am tomorrow," she said to him, not really making eye contact.

"I'll see you then," he said to her with a tight smile.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I didn't have time to thank you all, but please know I have appreciated all your comments. I have really enjoyed people saying how deluded Damon and Elena are in this, and every time I read that, I laugh. Their 'delusions' have been a constant source of amusement to me :)

Okay, so it's Saturday here in Australia. Wishing you all a very happy and safe weekend. Thanks for reading, and please review.