Chapter Seven: Best Friends and Special Friends

Elena

A week had passed like a blur and today was Monday; the day before their second meeting at Salvatore and Co. Elena thought she was as ready as she could ever be to face them and their adult bullying. She was relaxed, she was strong and she had the truth by her side. That was basically her mantra for the last week as she worked her ass off to prepare herself. She was confident in her strength and her abilities but hiding her emotions was not her strong suit. She always felt everything and she fully believed that that was how life should be lived. Sometimes though, when things hurt, it could be too overwhelming and she wished that she had the ability to control her emotions better. Just enough control to stop them from consuming her.

That was why she started doing yoga. First it was just a fun new thing she tried out with Caroline in college but because she always felt amazing afterwards, she just kept doing it. As she got better and learned how to control her breathing and ease into the different poses while not breaking her focus, she realized that she felt calm when she turned off the constant churning of her mind for a while. Then she had gotten her yoga teaching certificate and the reward was even greater now that she could help other people reach their inner calm as well.

Her first free yoga-class was in two weeks and she felt her spirits lift just at the thought of it. Yoga was not the only thing she indulged in though; she also did some charity work, like organizing clothes-donations for the homeless and general fundraising for their organization but her favorite part was visiting the kids at the homeless shelter two blocks away from their apartment. She loved that place and spending time there was the most amazing thing in the world for her. She had made special connections with most of the kids and she was a regular visitor but lately, she felt like she had neglected them a little, getting too wrapped up in her work.

Work took up a lot of her time too. After the smashing success of her article, she was getting assigned more work but she also got invitations from people wanting coverage for their events. She went to two smaller ones last week but on Friday, she was invited to a much talked about fundraising event hosted by some big-shot member of society. She would have been excited for an opportunity like that if she had not already had a bad experience with rich people.

Elena was lost in her thoughts sitting in the subway on her way back from work. Even though it was a Monday, she was on her way home way earlier than usual. She usually stayed for a while after her colleagues left to finish whatever she was working on. She always managed to think clearer and write better when she was not surrounded by the usual chaos of the day so she made sure that she got those moments of quiet to do her work. Today though, she needed to take a break and maybe a long bath to get relaxed and ready for tomorrow.

When she reached her stop, Elena almost missed it as immersed in her thoughts as she was but she managed to jump out of the carriage just before the doors closed. Bonnie would be at the hospital for another three hours and Caroline said she had some fashion-related event tonight so Elena expected the apartment to be empty and she kind of liked that. She really needed some time alone to soak in their bathtub and just not speak to anyone for a little while.

When she reached their building, she went inside and checked their mail box before she ascended the stairs. There were a couple of letters for Bonnie, a fashion magazine for Caroline and a letter for her… from Salvatore and Co.

She was ripping the envelope open, when she reached their apartment. She unlocked the door with her right hand and got inside while she was looking at the letter in her left hand. She realized though that she was not alone when she heard a giggle from the kitchen. It sounded like Caroline. She sighed and went to find her, deciding to read the letter when she got to her room. The moment she walked into the kitchen, she froze in her spot at the scene in front of her. Caroline was half naked sitting on the counter next to the open fridge with a guy only wearing grey slacks standing between her legs, licking cream off her fingers and kissing her. When he drew back and Caroline opened her eyes she finally saw Elena standing there in the hallway.

"Oh my God! Elena!"

The guy turned around at her outburst and when Elena recognized his face, she could finally move again so she turned around and hurried back out the way she came.

"Elena, wait! I can explain." Caroline's voice carried down the hall after her but she ignored it, trying to get away from them as fast as possible.

Stefan Salvatore!

Caroline was sleeping with Stefan Salvatore of all people and in their apartment. God, why did everyone feel the need to screw her over? She could not help but feel betrayed. She never expected anything like this from Caroline. Her phone kept ringing but she ignored it and kept walking down the street with no particular destination.

Caroline had been her friend for as long as she could remember. They used to share Barbie's clothes in kindergarten, braid each other's hair in elementary school and share every gossip, crush and secret in high school. Then they ended up at the same college where they chose almost the same major. They were inseparable and during all those years, they both knew that they could count on one another. Although many had tried to drive a wedge between them, they never succeeded because they never let anyone between them and certainly not any guys.

Caroline sleeping with Stefan was not in itself the issue here because as betrayed as Elena currently felt, she always wanted her friend to be happy and she would have eventually accepted their relationship if Caroline only had told her. She thought they told each other everything no matter what but apparently she was wrong.

A little while later, Elena found herself at the yoga-studio. The manager had given her a key because her class started early in the morning before his shift started and she sometimes came here to prepare herself before class. She unlocked the door and went inside, thinking that she might as well stay here for a little bit and maybe do some yoga to calm down.

The idea of facing Caroline and having to listen to her defend herself kept her from going back home so she ended up spending the night, sleeping on a yoga mat.

Damon

Andie Starr, a former stripper, now owner of the biggest club in Manhattan. Her girls were the best there were and her alcohol the most extravagant. The place was basically every straight guy's dream and every night the club was packed. Tonight, Damon found himself in the VIP section of said club with a tall redhead striving only for his attention. Her hips were swaying to the music and the growing amount of showing skin was glistening in the dim lights. She was a vision to behold which made it easy for him to lose himself in the sight.

"Mr. Salvatore. I hope you're enjoying yourself tonight." The voice came from behind him as two feminine hands slid down the front of his chest. He recognized her immediately, Andie Starr. She was what one could call an old friend of his and he would have recognized her voice anywhere.

"Always, in your company, miss Starr." He said turning around, his smirk already in place. He took her hand and kissed it before he invited her to join him. The redhead kept dancing unaffectedly.

"So what brings you here after all this time?" She asked.

It was almost three years since the last time he had been there. Before that, he used to come regularly to the club which used to be one of his favorite hangout places.

"I missed you of course," he finally said.

"Don't try to charm me, Salvatore. I know you. I also know that you're not gonna tell me anything so I'll just stop asking."

That was why he liked her. She understood his moods before he even realized what he wanted.

"I know you know me but maybe you would like to get reacquainted with me," he said hinting not so subtly at what he wanted.

"Maybe I would," she said.

Next thing he knew, Damon found himself in the elevator on his way to his new apartment. His mouth was working its way along her neck and his hands were everywhere on her body while she was running her nails along his shoulder with one hand and tugging on his hair with the other. She was his first ever real sexual experience, back when he was a gangly teenager and she would always have a special place in his memory. She was the one who taught him the secrets of how to pleasure a woman and hold off on his own pleasure until she was fully satisfied. He owed her all of his later conquests but she also got to have a taste of her own creation once in a while. They used to find each other every now and then to revisit those two months when they first met.

He was 16 that summer when he was staying in the city and some older guys, he knew snuck him into the club where she was working at the time. He had some previous experiences, if you could call it that, with some girls at school but when he saw her twirling around that pole and slowly revealing more and more of her creamy white skin and those long legs, he was mesmerized.

When he found himself a couple of days later in her arms, he could not believe his luck. She was in her early thirties, a fully grown woman who was hot as hell and now 11 years later, she was just as hot.

They were finally in the apartment now and Damon could not wait to get her out of that dress. It was formfitting and short but conservative compared to what she used to wear back in the day. His hands worked their way to the zipper at the back while his mouth was still fully engaged now ravaging her lips. He meant to do it slowly but when he first got to feel the skin on her back, he pulled the zipper down the rest of the way and he only needed to tug the dress once before it slid down and revealed her for him.

When they first met, he never would have expected her to ever go for him but she did and on top of that, she gave him all the keys to a woman's body and thus heaven.

Later when he got the full reins of his trust fund, he made sure that she never had to strip for anyone she did not like anymore. That was how she now owned the best club in the city with girls working for her. He knew he always had a place in her club and from time to time in her bed… or his bed. Like right now where she was sprawled on his bed with his head between her thighs. He was working his magic and she was writhing underneath him, one of her hands planted firmly in his hair pulling him into her and her other hand holding on to the sheets trying to find some leverage.

In his hands, she was like an instrument and her screams of pleasure were his symphony. Tonight he got to lose himself in the symphony of Andie Starr.

AN: Thanks for reading. Please be kind and tell me what you think.