AN: OMG, your guy's reviews have literally blown me away and put a fire under my seat to get these chapters posted quickly.
Speaking of, I struggled with this chapter a little bit. I'll get into more details about that in the ending notes, for now I'll just point out that the POV changes a few times, I tried to make it as seamless as possible but if it's disorienting I apologize. It goes from Bonnie to Damon and then them both at the same time.
I added it in after I posted it last chapter, but every chapter will have a song tied to it and this chapter was inspired by the song Satan's Seventh Bride by Helicopter Girl, so if you want to listen to it while reading, I definitely recommend.
Anyways, enjoy!
Say can I tempt you
Can you be tempted, too
Pick up another string on your guitar
Hey can I tempt you
Or can you be tempted to
Play me like Satan's Seventh Bride
Helicopter Girl
"And there she is, my lovely student. Bonnie Bennett."
Bonnie stumbled before righting herself, her hand gripped tightly to the handle of her Telfar bag as she made her way within the room.
"The one and only," she mumbled, taking in the room she would be getting her unorthodox therapy from for the first official time. It was a sizable and spacious studio almost identical to the dance studios she would go to from childhood into high school when she was passionate about the art.
Yet it wasn't so vast that she felt uncomfortable. In fact, it was quite the contrary. The room was filled with warm natural lighting coming from large double-paned, wrap-around windows. Thanks to the studio being on the top floor of the building and the next building over being far in the distance, the place had sufficient privacy with only nature as its neighbor. Such a view was rare, especially with the practice being in an opulent yet busy part of town. Envy to all business owners, it was prime real estate.
The floors were waxed mahogany and there were plants hanging and standing in different corners of the room. On the walls that weren't windows, there were floor-to-ceiling length mirrors with long dark curtains on the sides probably used to cover the mirrors at certain times. An expensive stereo system in one corner, a ceiling-mounted television that retracted somehow to become unnoticeable, and other tools you'd find in a studio–yoga mats, and odd devices organized in neat stations.
In the center of it all was her teacher slash therapist, Damon Salvatore, the most beautiful man she's probably ever met. And that was not hyperbole, Damon was like a Michaelangelo sculpture come to life. The quintessential human male form. And she nor any other woman for that matter had to tell him as much, he already knew it. That was probably the reason why he was a sex doctor. Sex on legs teaching you about sex? Take my money, where do I sign up?
Damon was tall, which wasn't hard to be around Bonnie's elfin size, with long legs he was above average height, broad shoulders tapered down like an inverted triangle to a tapered waist. He was muscular but not obscenely so, nor was he lanky, rather he had a swimmer's build. She'd never seen him shirtless but her imagination told her he was all solid underneath his clothes. His skin was pale white, which normally would be off-putting to her, especially in the south where they lived. It was sunny every day of the week and almost everyone had a tan, however, on him, it suited him well and made the stark darkness of his hair and the piercing blue of his eyes more pronounced. His eyes were the most beautiful she'd ever seen. They were clear ocean blue in the shadows and icy gray almost silver under the light. Long thick covetous lashes imprisoned his eyes, bordered around thick expressive brows. His bone structure was perfect and classic with lips that were perpetually pink and plump as if he'd just finished kissing.
Despite the description, Bonnie was objective in her appraisal of him when they met, like looking at a beautiful piece of art, you take in all of the details and move on. Unlike the other women in the class who if given the opportunity to sleep with him the first thing out of their mouths would be, 'When?' and 'Where?', Bonnie appreciated him for what he was, her therapist, and nothing more.
Nothing that beautiful could be good anyway.
Regardless of the necessary trust required between them, Bonnie felt an inkling in her mind when she was near him that he was up to no good. After her experience with Jeremy, she would not ignore her instincts ever again.
Walking further into the room, Bonnie saw him holding his phone in his hand with it pointed toward the stereo and she realized she caught him in the middle of adjusting the music.
As she placed her bag down, she finally connected her gaze with his only to be gifted with a charming veneer and his notorious panty-dropping smirk. Her heart skipped a beat as Caroline's words floated through her head, damn her. "Didn't think you would make it."
Sighing a bit, Bonnie rolled her eyes at the man uncaring if he'd feel insulted by the action, "I'm only a couple minutes late Damon."
"Exactly, two minutes less than the sixty I cherish to gaze upon your beautiful face."
She assumed she should feel flattered if he hadn't already told her she was beautiful multiple times and flirted with her shamelessly the last time they met.
She wasn't sure he meant it, considering it was his job to get women to feel beautiful and sexy so naturally it was a part of the program. Not that it mattered, she knew what she was working with no matter if someone told her or not and cheap flattery never worked on her beforehand.
Damon seemingly decided upon what music to play as he smoothly placed his phone down and turned back towards her. However, as Bonnie listened further she realized it wasn't music at all, but ambient sounds of wildlife. A jungle perhaps hinted by the mocking caw and reeding whistles of exotic birds, ringing of insects, and deep belly growls of big cats. Bonnie would have laughed at the sudden audio change but she loved the sound of nature and often used it herself when she wanted to relax and even sleep.
"What? No comment?" Damon asked, a teasing grin upon his lips as if he expected her amusement like most would. He stalked towards her with a smooth sensuous gait that brought one's eyes to his pelvis and if Bonnie hadn't seen him move like that before even when he didn't expect eyes to be upon him, she would have thought it was unnatural and put on.
Maybe it was a little put on, but not so much unnatural.
She felt her heart accelerate as he finally stopped in front of her, too close to be professional—another thing she had to get used to, the man didn't understand personal space.
In vain, Bonnie stomped down the butterflies in her stomach that reacted to his presence. She may have felt that she wouldn't sleep with him but she wasn't exactly immune to him either. Like the devil incarnate he was a lovely man with a deadly mastery in the art of seduction and he understood every way to titillate and tease a woman with a mere look. Bonnie was a normal functioning woman, with eyes and a nose. Try as she might to deny it, even if her mind was fortified her body would still react to him. He was that good. Bonnie was also a novice in this realm yet with his skills she imagined a nun would denounce her faith at a chance with Damon.
Regardless, he could pump out all the pheromones that he wanted, she would not cave.
Soon after meeting him, Bonnie understood quickly that even though this was Damon's career, he enjoyed it because he treated it like a game, however, Bonnie was not one to be played with. She would get his help and go, nothing more nothing less. He could find his amusement elsewhere.
"I actually like biophony. I use it to sleep and when I'm studying. That is if I can't go outside and hear nature directly." Bonnie lifted one side of her lips and tilted her chin towards him challengingly. She wouldn't let him intimidate her. Her insides may have been quaking especially as she got a whiff of his amazing smell, but he wouldn't be able to see that.
At this point, her muses of determination against him were becoming a redundant chant and he had barely spoken to her.
Damon leaned in further, the slow descent of his head towards hers really emphasized the difference in their height but Bonnie got over it as her thoughts focused on what he was trying to do while leaning in as if he was trying to kiss her.
Time seemed to slow as his eyes darkened from slate gray to clear blue peering deep into her own as if he was gazing into her soul and his soft expression reflected as if he were admiring the beauty of it. It was disorienting.
The heat of his minty breath showered over her suddenly tepid skin and made her lashes flutter. In only one moment, he swept her under. The warmth from the sun coming into the room at her back and his heat at her front lulled her into an enchanting bubble. Just as his nose almost touched her own and she felt the liquid heat of his tempting presence flow from her head down to her toes and back up to her center, causing it to feel warm and tight, he moved back quickly almost as if the moment never happened.
Bonnie's breath came out shakily, slow and deep as she tried to get herself together and remember where she was at. Blinking away the clouds in her mind, Bonnie looked once more into his gaze and caught a twinkle in his eye. It was always a game with him.
Locking her jaw, Bonnie stood firm, "Are we going to start or are you going to keep fooling around Damon?"
Circling around the girl, Damon's lips spread until he was full-on grinning, Bonnie couldn't ignore the appreciative appraisal of his eyes as he took her in.
This man. Or better yet, this demon.
"But Bon Bon, we've already started."
Two perfectly plucked eyebrows pointed inwards.
"How did you feel at that moment?" Damon asked, finally finishing his revolution around her and gliding his gaze like a caress up her bare shapely legs, the flare of her hips encased tightly in the spandex shorts she'd changed into downstairs, over her toned abdomen and proudly presented chest covered in a sports bra and tank top until he finally brought his eyes to her annoyed green glower. "How do you feel now?"
With him staring at her like that she felt like a piece of meat. "I feel angry and annoyed and–" faster than she could blink, Damon had wrapped one arm behind her back pulling her close, and the other laid flat on the lower part of her stomach. His hand was so large and she was so small that the full size of it stretched almost to the full size of her midriff. Her heart threatened to drum straight out of her rib cage and yet she couldn't deny the strong feelings that mounted even more from where he touched, "I…I feel h-hot all over, and frustrated." She choked out.
Damon shifted closer, peering deeply into her eyes, his stance almost threatening. "What do you feel here?" He emphasized pressing deeper into the area above her womb, and Bonnie gasped, having to reach up and grasp at his arms to stand straight. She felt a tingling sensation straight from her gut that slithered down to her womanhood. It started as a slow beat and then pulsed like a heavy drum as the pearl between her thighs engorged.
She'd never felt this way before and he was barely touching her. His touch was almost clinical, yet whatever sexual chakras he connected with were being pried apart and for lack of better words, dicked down.
It was obvious she was reluctant to say all of that, but Damon didn't skip a beat. His head tilted to the side a bit forcing her eyes to look deeper into his unflinchingly. "Be honest Bonnie, it's okay."
She bit her lip, eyes crinkling at the ends as she suddenly felt naked and vulnerable.
"It's okay, tell me how you feel, beautiful." Damon pulled her just that much closer. "Use the words that come to mind, don't censor yourself."
Nodding resignedly, Bonnie took the plunge, thinking back to the words they spoke during orientation and intrinsically knowing she could trust him, at least with this. "My stomach is tight where you're touching me and my back feels warm where your other hand is. It's hard to breathe but not in a bad way. My legs are a little shaky and heavy. I-I feel a little wet, and m-my clit is…hard." She breathed the last part out like a whisper as her tongue became dry. She wasn't sure if she imagined it but Damon's eyes darkened further and his jaw tightened. Seeing even him lack composure made her feel that much hotter and the flood was released.
The sound of the animals and now the pitter-patter of rain in the background weirdly enough made her feel more alive and her senses started to prickle with need. She felt wild and desirous.
"Good." Damon quickly released her as if he had been burned. He backed away and turned around before she could catch what his expression could be. "You've never felt that before right?" Damon stated, remembering her words to him when they met and the reason why she wanted his help.
"N-No…" Bonnie admitted slightly ashamed, breathing deeply as she tried to ignore the ache that took hold in her most sensitive regions.
"No need to feel ashamed, what you're dealing with is not all that unusual."
"Really?"
"Yup, I'm a professional so I know these things."
"Sometimes I wonder…"
Damon came back after turning down the lights until it was just sunlight in the room. He brought with him a couple of pillows that he placed on the ground adjacent to the other. Gesturing to the object, he hinted for her to sit down as he did the same.
Once settled he spoke again, "So just now, I helped you activate your Sacral Chakra which triggers your sexuality, sensuality, pleasure, sociability, etcetera, etcetera. It's what you feel, and that's why I kept asking you to describe it for me. What you felt was arousal. Sweet, delicious arousal. The ambrosia of human life. This may have been your first time feeling it that intensely, but I'll make sure you never become unfamiliar with it again." Damon leered playfully and Bonnie narrowed her eyes back. He grinned genuinely at her consistent show of not allowing him to fuck with her. "Anyways," he pulled her small hands into his, and with crossed legs, he squared his body in a way that told her she should mirror his actions. "I want you to embrace that feeling," he whispered in a husky voice. "For the next forty-five minutes, we're going to meditate and try to completely open your sexual chakra. In order to do that, you're going to need to stay aroused the whole time."
Bonnie startled.
Damon focused his eyes back on hers and the look was nothing less than provocative.
Nervous, Bonnie decided to voice her thoughts, "How will I do that?"
"Well, you don't have to do anything. I mean just look at me." He gestured to himself with his hand, pulling her body forward and refusing to let her own hand go as he did so causing her to squawk. "All you have to do is be next to me and you'll be aroused for days."
Pulling back sharply with an annoyed huff, Bonnie replied, "Keep that up and trust me, I won't feel anything but irritation and disgust."
"Hmm, irritation like an itch you need scratching?" He parried back suggestively, eyes narrowing.
"You're disgusting," Bonnie chastised.
"I know," Damon gave her a widened gaze, emphasizing what she already knew about him.
"Look. Are we going to do this or what?" Bonnie sighed, truly not sure how she was going to feel the way he wanted her to if he kept this up.
"All in a day's work Bon, I know you get off on our banter. I'm just getting you warmed up."
Bonnie scoffed.
Damon pursed his lips in a mocking kiss back towards her.
For the next five minutes, they went back and forth, Damon still holding her hands however it wasn't until now that she noticed he had been rubbing her knuckles soothingly and their bodies had drawn closer until they were pressed knee to knee with each other. "All you've done is annoy me, Damon," Bonnie whined, ignoring his last comment about how hot she was when she was angry. "I feel like you're getting off on this more than I am."
"But you admit you're getting off?"
Eyes like liquid fire, Bonnie glared at him.
"Alright, alright. I think I got you at the energy I need to you be. Arousal hardly happens when you're relaxed–not the good kind anyway." Good kind? Was there a difference? "I needed you wound up so that that tension can stay within you. That kind comes from more intense emotions." Damon explained as if answering her silent question. "They say that there's a thin line between love and hate, here is that line." He finally released one of her hands to draw an imaginary line between their bodies. "I need you to embrace both since you understand one but you're unfamiliar with the other."
"Why hate though? I don't hate you." Bonnie countered, not quite believing his motives and still getting the feeling he just liked messing with her though she chose to trust him. She needed to trust him. Or this would all be rendered moot. "You annoy me on your best days but I don't hate you." She hunkered down more on her feelings, even more emphatic due to the trajectory of her thoughts.
Damon smiled softly at her, but it was gone within a second. "Because Bonnieee," he elongated her name obnoxiously.
"See this is what I mean, annoying."
The raven-haired man's grin was full of teeth, "annoyance, anger, hate, rage–those feeling are all in the same category, they are familiar with each other. I think we have this chemistry between us that easily allows you to get those feelings. I want to use that and in turn, help develop your sexuality. It would take longer if I tried to play on your feelings of admiration and awe towards me, although I know you feel that just as strongly."
Bonnie gave him a tight-lipped smile, fluttering her eyes cloyingly.
Damon chuckled, as per usual amused by her reactions towards him. "Once I get inside that pretty little head of yours, you will be like the clay on my pottery wheel." His eyes darkened as if he had a dirty thought that he was reluctant to profess. Odd considering it was him, so it must have been extra filthy if he finally discovered a filter for his thoughts.
The scene in Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore at the pottery wheel came to Bonnie's mind, remembering the movie she watched recently with Caroline and Elena after the breakup, and she suddenly felt her own rush of arousal flow through her at the thought of reenacting the scene with Damon pressed up behind her.
His firm thighs against her own. One strong arm wrapped around her waist, the other intertwined with hers as they sculpted wet clay together. His breath in her ear as he chuckled, laughing at the disfigured blob their conjoined hands couldn't help but make. His hips rolling against hers as he got closer in their shared stool…
Wait no–concentrate Bonnie, get your mind out of the gutter!
"Stop," Damon growled, shocking Bonnie for a moment at his change in temperament. "Stay in that frame of mind little bird," little bird "and embrace it. Stop resisting those thoughts, those feelings. Enjoy it. It's okay, it's only in your mind."
Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed, taking deep breaths she focused on the feelings Damon's words sparked within her.
Both of their hands were together now, his large palms threatened to overwhelm hers. The smooth feel of the clay wet between their hands, and the slick heat of his palm created an interesting sensation that mirrored what she thought it would feel like to have him touch and fondle her. His lips were at her neck now, kissing down it and husking a wet breath, his breathing staggered between chuckles as if his thoughts were along the same line as hers. Dirty, like the clay in their hands.
"Good, good girl." Damon husked in a whisper. His breath felt closer as if it was almost caressing her ear and Bonnie had to fight to not whimper out ridiculously. "Let go," He growled.
"Mmm," Bonnie let out a pinched moan. Instantly feeling shame at the feelings he conjured within her. Her eyes were closed tightly and her form was shaking slightly as she held onto his large hands. Her breathing turned harsh and she had to beat down everything within her that tried to get her to stop the lava flow of want and need that poured out of her.
"Let go, Bonnie." Damon pushed.
"I-I can't," Bonnie whimpered, lips trembling.
"Yes. You. Can."
"Mmmmh," She released as much as she could, feeling like the ocean right before a storm, the waves within her body felt tumultuous. Even though with her eyes closed she couldn't see Damon she could feel him. It felt as if their energies and their auras were caressing. It was extremely intimate despite them only touching hands and knees, she felt connected to him in ways she'd never felt before. "Fuck," she whispered heatedly, her body felt like she was being strummed as if she were a guitar.
For thirty minutes more they continued like that and by the end of it, Bonnie was sure that was the most carnal thing she'd ever done.
.oOo.
"So, this time again next week?"
Pale hands caressed the soft caramel skin on her face and Damon had to fight himself not to pull her closer.
They were in a professional setting and yet sometimes he forgot that he had to be that.
They had just finished their session and Bonnie seemed invigorated. Anyone else would probably feel frustrated after sitting in a state of constant arousal for half an hour, but Bonnie was ostensibly happy. Clients of his weren't used to feeling that way–or better yet, letting themselves feel that way, so when he was able to charge that feeling inside of them it became new and euphoric. Opening any one of your chakras was known to bring feelings of elation and excitement and the Sacral Chakra located in the pleasure zone meant that feeling was even more so. It probably felt like taking a shot of dopamine and expresso mixed together.
So basically, Bonnie was buzzing like the Energizer Bunny and Damon found her incredibly adorable.
Seemingly coming down from her high, beautiful jade eyes twinkled up to him in wonderment as he pulled her chin forward. Slowly her full, kiss-worthy lips with a cupid's bow that shot an arrow into his heart pulled up into a breathtaking smile.
He was smitten.
Damon never had a chance, ever since the day they met.
She had come into his introduction class as quiet as a church mouse. If not for his deep-rooted radar when it came to beautiful women he wouldn't have even noticed her. And boy was she beautiful. Her outfit was unremarkable, just black leggings and a purple cropped tank but it fit her body like a glove and gave him an eye full of the package her small body held. With dangerous curves starting from her calves to the s-curves of her hips and waist and full breasts, her body was made for sin. It helped that her face was equally as beautiful. There was something captivating about her and her heart-shaped features surrounding spellbinding emerald eyes. With her widow's peak, she gave him the impression of something ethereal yet dark like an enchantress, but as she fluttered around trying to find a spot to sit, skittish about what she should do, he suddenly thought of a bird—a raven, perhaps.
He wasn't impressed with just her looks, he saw beautiful women on the daily, seduced and bedded them easily, but that was getting old. It was still five years in the future, but the big three-oh was knocking at his door and he found himself less and less inclined to fucking around, he wanted a woman that could truly challenge him and that he could be himself around.
Unfortunately with his occupation, that type of woman was hard to find. Ironic considering women flooded through his office on the daily.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Damon Salvatore, your local sexologist, sexpert, or whatever you'd like to call me. Although I prefer, sex-god," He gave a salacious look at the giggling women before starting the lecture and going through his typical spiel about what the women and a few men who'd joined the class, were to expect. His therapy, despite his many jokes and the topic of sex, had little to do with actual hands-on interaction with others. It was more about getting in-tuned with yourself and understanding your own body and mental state. Sometimes they would feel his touch, but it was more to help guide and less to stimulate. There was going to be a lot of meditation, mindfulness, and focusing of the mind. They will spend hours breathing and feeling their senses, staring at objects, and taking in all of their details until they could understand them like the back of their hands or staring into the eyes of a partner until they could form a connection without touch. There would even be sessions where they talked about why they felt disconnected from their intimacy and delve deeper into the root of the issue.
Everyone seemed on board, probably since most of them had read his book or had seen his interviews. His practice was well known worldwide after all.
All were riveted except for the young lady who had sat in the back of the room nervously. When he'd asked if anyone had questions she was the only one to raise her hand.
"That sounds great and all, but how exactly is any of that supposed to make me want to get intimate with a partner? Help me enjoy sex?" Like the natural skeptic that she was and like Damon would soon come to find out, she wasn't totally convinced about his methods. "Staring at the wall for an hour and breathing while I pay you a ridiculous fee just sounds like a scam." Despite her earlier meekness, Bonnie showed Damon that she wasn't without a voice and wasn't easily swayed.
It was probably due to her second-guessing and self-righteousness that she couldn't get laid, Damon mused.
A handful of the women around her sent her annoyed glares and unimpressed expressions but it didn't dismount Bonnie one bit from her high horse. That got Damon's attention. He was used to arguments against his practice. It was unconventional and left too much to chance to be factually based. When it came to things dealing with spirituality, auras, energy, and chakras naysayers came by the dozens. If he was in the mood, he'd be up for a good debate and list the reasons why this form of therapy worked. Other days he couldn't be bothered and told the person if they couldn't have an open mind then they could let the door hit them on the way out.
In this case, he felt more inclined to the challenge, taking in the set to Bonnie's jaw and the square of her delicate shoulders, but most of all her defiant gaze that didn't fall away from his own like he was used to people's doing. Tense seconds passed and without words she gave to him as good as she got and never wavered.
The whole time his face had been impassive, not giving his patrons nor Bonnie any idea of the nature of his thoughts or feelings in response to her criticism. Slowly, his lips grew into a devastating smirk and his eyes twinkled. A few sighs and cleared throats were heard around the room but Damon and Bonnie paid them no mind. "I think a demonstration is in order. Perfect timing little miss…"
"My name is Bonnie Bennett," she cut him to the quick, obviously not liking the nickname.
"Little Miss Bonnie Bennett," Damon corrected himself and Bonnie glared. "How about you come to the front of the room and I show you firsthand how this therapy will help you develop."
She seemed hesitant at first but slowly made her way to the front.
If from far away she was a beauty, up close she was an absolute knock-out and Damon had to stop himself from staring for too long.
This would be easy on his part.
She on the other hand. He could tell despite her attractiveness in spades, she was not a woman that owned her sexuality–obviously since she came to the class. What he could also tell though, was that she was scared. What of? He would find out in a hand full of sessions and hopefully get her to loosen up, but it was obvious as day to him that was the root of her problems, her fear.
People typically had a litany of reasons that hold them back from sexual liberty. Stress, depression, a cluttered mind, PTSD, lack of self-awareness, anxiety, and the list goes on. Even a plain lack of knowledge due to a religious background or whatever the sort could repress one's innate desires and despite relinquishing that faith and moving on, subconsciously the mind could still be holding back because it fears the sin. Fear was one of the most common reasons, but it was down to the person on what exactly they were afraid of.
Once Bonnie was standing in front of him, Damon gave her his most disarming expression. "May I touch you?"
A perfect eyebrow quirked up.
"Nothing inappropriate, I promise." Damon opened his palms showing he wasn't a threat to her or her person.
A haughty nod was all he got in reply.
He could tell she was nervous but she gave a good front and it made him all the more intrigued by her.
With easy movements, he took hold of her arms—reveling for a moment in how soft she was, before gently pulling her to his side and turning them to face one another.
Bonnie let out a soft breath and Damon had to bite his lip to keep his grin in check. He hardly knew the girl and he was this enamored by her. Being as attuned as he was to the human flesh, he could tell with just that touch alone that she was very reactive towards him. Gliding his hand up her arm to her shoulders as he walked around her, he watched with rapt attention as goose bumps rose upon her skin. If he had the eyes of a vampire, he would probably be able to see the slight tingle of her skin as her nerves fired as well.
He felt it too, within his own flesh, the spark that zipped from his fingertips to his nose and made his palette dry. As he walked behind her he placed his hands on her shoulders, taking her in.
"Look at the plant in front of you, can you describe it to me? Do you know its name?"
"It's…it's a passion flower."
"Hmm," Damon hummed the sound close to her ear, "now how did you know that?"
The exotic purple petals with bulbous yellow anthers and wavy alien filaments were unmistakable to a trained eye like herself. "I garden..my grandmother was a florist." The flower was hypnotizing when you stared at it for too long, it looked otherworldly.
"Describe how it looks, give me every detail."
"It has green leaves growing from a vine wrapped around the wooden post you have it hanging on. The flower itself…has purple petals, there are long stringy filaments coming from the petals and yellow anthers."
"What else?"
Furrowing her brow, Bonnie thought harder. "There are different tones of purple in the petals, light purple—lilac, to dark plum."
"And…"
"What else is there?" Bonnie huffed.
"Look harder." Damon urged.
Not seeing the point but curious about what he thought she'd get out of it, Bonnie continued on giving him the most minute and redundant details of the flower until she was stuck staring at the thing trying to find any other detail she may have missed. Small footsteps drew her closer to the plant, her focus was completely on it to the point her brain almost started to hurt.
Just when she was going to voice her waning thoughts, Damon once again took over her field of view forcing the girl to gasp. It was almost disorienting. He stepped in so quickly that her eyes needed a moment to adjust from the hyper-focus they had on the plant now onto him. He wasn't an arm's width away either, he was extremely close, causing Bonnie's first instinct to back up, to kick into overdrive.
Seemingly reading her actions before she did them, he braced his hands on her shoulders and kept her in place.
"Now…describe how my eyes look."
Bonnie blinked her eyes a few seconds until his demand registered in her brain. "Are you serious?"
"Stop thinking. Just do it."
Taking an exasperated deep breath. The small woman closed her eyes tight questioning everything at the moment before finally opening them again and gazing into his piercing stare. And that's where she would start in her description. As if her mouth had a mind of its own, she couldn't stop it from saying the things that flooded as thoughts from her brain. "Your eyes are piercing, I've never met someone with such an intense gaze before."
Although Damon was pleased that she was so impressed by a feature of his, he didn't let it show on his face, continuing to stare at her unwaveringly.
"I feel snared and hooked in, it's scary but somehow…comforting." Bonnie swallowed, wondering why she was telling him all of this. "That's how I feel but what I see is a color that's hard to describe, not blue, not silver, something in between maybe." It was as if anything else outside of his eyes had faded to black. All she could see were his eyes. She felt like Alice falling into the rabbit hole, an endless drop into nothingness. His eyes seemed to grow bigger, and get closer. Bonnie felt trapped and absorbed…hypnotized. She felt her mouth continuing to move, but she couldn't hear the words she was saying.
She watched as his eyes dilated, making the bluish-silvery rings smaller until she was staring into an abyss.
What was it that they said?
When someone's eyes dilated they were falling in love?
A sharp gasp pierced her ears and brought Bonnie back to her senses. Suddenly she could hear the breathing of the man in front of her. Heavy and lethargic as if he'd just got done swimming numerous laps, she could also hear the restless movement of the other people in the room. She could feel Damon's breath on her skin and she could feel his shirt beneath her fingers, tightly bunched in the fabric. Her vision also seemed to be able to pick apart not just his eyes but the rest of his features as well, and it helped her realize belatedly that they were nose-to-nose. Continuing to look into his gaze, she could see the reflection of herself noticing her eyes were just as dilated as his, a black abyss took over her iris' as if she were on drugs.
Breathing deep, she felt the brush of his lips against hers and a tingle swam straight from the slight touch straight down to the juncture between her legs.
Bonnie gasped, pulling completely away from him, and took multiple steps back.
She couldn't believe she was that close to kissing him!
A guy that she just met! Better yet, he was her therapist…and they were in a room full of people no less. He must be furious with her!
Damon for his part was looking at her strangely, although thankfully he did not seem angry she couldn't read his emotions even if she had a body language guide.
"I-I didn't just try to kiss you did I?" Bonnie could count on one hand the number of guys she'd kissed, it was three and one of them wasn't even willingly. In third grade, Ben McKittrick laid one on her during recess like he was enacting a gorilla warfare attack. The boys in her class had planned to kiss the unsuspecting girls they thought were cute as a big prank. The other two she kissed were obviously Jeremy and lastly her date to her senior prom, Jesse Witmore. On all occasions, the guy was the one to initiate because she would never have taken the leap.
In her right mind, she would never have tried to kiss Damon, a virtual stranger.
Never.
Right?
Damon nodded his head slowly, finally, he got his breathing in order, tensing his jaw and flexing his hands that were at his sides.
Bonnie shook her head in disbelief, running fingers through her wayward strands of hair.
"You sure did honey." A slightly older woman stood at the front of the room in one of the best positions to see everything go down. "It was really hot too, would give my Passionflix subscription a run for its money. You were about to lay a big one on him if my friend Stacey over here didn't open her big fat mouth." The woman gave a side-eyed glance to her blushing friend.
Damon, listening to all of this, wanted to give his own glare to the woman that distracted Bonnie from what she was doing. Although, he had just as much a reason to thank her that she stopped them from crossing a line, especially during the introduction session of his therapy program. He really didn't need people thinking that this was what they were paying for or what they were going to get.
At least, not without buying him dinner first.
Damon snorted.
He had never let it escalate this far with a student before, but as soon as he connected with Bonnie while staring into her eyes, he felt he no longer had control over his body, as ridiculous as it sounded, he truly felt at that moment that it was hers to take. What the absolute fuck?
What Bonnie didn't realize she was doing while locked in his gaze would haunt him. The way her small hands wrapped around his arms, dragging them up across his shoulders and down his chest, has his toes curling and his dick tapping against the zipper of his jeans just thinking about it. It was laughable, really. She barely touched him and he was already half-mast. When she pulled him by the shirt towards her sinful body and continued to look at him with that bewitching look in her eyes, he was a goner. It took everything in him not to claim her lips but he held fast, letting go of his hands on her shoulders afraid if any part of himself were touching her that he would lose all reason.
And the words she used to describe his eyes, Absolutely beautiful, you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen, squeezed his heart. He was more than surprised and impressed by his self-restraint. When their lips brushed and he felt the sensation of desire so thick he could taste it, flood over him, Damon had leaned in ready to risk it all and kiss this dangerous woman but she got away from him causing the man to growl deep in his throat as she moved. He had to take a moment for this new feeling that took over him, it felt predatory and ravenous. It was overwhelming, a feeling he'd never felt before and he was worried about what he would do if he didn't take the time to compose himself.
One thing he was sure of, he wanted her.
Bad.
Having little experience with true romantic love in his life, Damon couldn't say what he felt was that so soon, like some sorta cliche love at first sight, but he would not be surprised to find a floating, diaper-wearing baby, giggling at his discomfiture after he'd shot a heart spiked arrow at him.
After the woman helped Bonnie realize she was the aggressor in that kiss and based on what he could tell from her persona beforehand, he was expecting a predictable sight. Maybe continued denial, anger, even accusations to be thrown here and there.
What he wasn't expecting were tears.
And a wobbly smile.
"Uh…" He wasn't sure what he should do. He barely knew the girl and even though his instinct was to comfort her—he'd never felt that instinct before for a stranger and didn't know what to do with it, he was worried she wouldn't accept it. Instead, he put his hands up placatingly, moving closer to gauge her mood.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sad. I don't know why I'm crying." Bonnie laughed, looking around at the shocked and confused faces, none more so than Damon's in front of her. "But, I'm just so happy!"
"Really? I couldn't tell." Damon gave her incredulous eyes.
"I mean, I've never done that before." Bonnie smiled meaningfully at him and Damon couldn't help but slightly smile back despite the lunacy of the situation. "Thank you. I'm sorry I questioned you before. I would like to take your therapy sessions."
A second passed of them staring at each other until his infamous smirk was back in place. "No problem squirt, I'm more than happy to take you on."
After that, the meeting continued as planned. Everyone decided they wanted to join which was unusual since at least one or two stragglers always bowed out. He could thank Bonnie for that. Her helping with his demonstration gave people confidence that Damon could actually help them.
His sessions usually had five to ten people per class and he would employ an assistant or two to help in places where he couldn't be everywhere at once, but when Bonnie came to him after class she let it be known that wasn't exactly what she wanted.
"Hello, beautiful. What do I owe this pleasure." Damon greeted her as she walked back into the studio after changing clothes in the locker rooms provided downstairs. Instead of her workout clothes, she was dressed for the hot weather in a very feminine and pretty, green, flower patterned, cami dress. The neckline dipped low and showed off the bones of her clavicles accessorized with a long and dainty gold necklace that lead his eyes to the fullness of her breasts. Her dress ended just above the knee showing the glowing skin of her amazing legs. Pretty small feet were held in brown sandals. Her hair which was in a ponytail before, flowed down in thick effortless waves past her shoulders. She was small and petite but gorgeous all the same, like a doll. "That's what Bonnie means right? Beautiful." Damon's mouth tipped up knowingly while his eyes kept shamelessly raking her form, he couldn't get enough of her.
She matched his expression with her own tilt to her lips, green eyes peering at his suspiciously. "You know French?"
"Je peux parler quelques langues." I can speak a few languages.
"Moi aussi, que peux-tu dire d'autre?" Me too, what else can you say? Bonnie parried, her smirk growing wider.
Damon's eyebrows got lost in his hair, he hadn't been expecting that.
"I can speak French, Italian, and some Portuguese. What about you?"
"Italian? My friend taught me this, 'Amo le lingue latine sulla mia lingua.'" I love Latin languages on my tongue.
Damon narrowed his eyes at her, fully turning away from his bag that he was in the middle of packing, and turned his body towards her. "Are you sure you need this therapy?"
"What do you mean?"
He was feeling hot under his shirt. That phrase certainly made him think of other ways she could use her tongue, and the innocent way she said it with excitement and a desire to impress him, made his heart skip a beat.
"Just…that I've never heard anyone speak my mother tongue so seductively."
Bonnie blushed prettily, shifting her gaze away from him.
At her altered attention, Damon felt bereft, suddenly feeling like he wanted her gaze on him always.
With that thought in mind, he asked another question, "What other languages do you know?"
"Well I learned that Italian phrase for a reason," Bonnie shifted her eyes towards him meaningfully, but what he read was something more salacious than he was sure she intended. "I can speak Spanish, French, a little Italian, and Japanese."
"Japanese? That's not a Latin language." Damon quirked his brow.
Bonnie sashayed her hips a few times playfully like a puppy wagging its tail, letting the ends of her dress lift and sway with her movement teasingly. "That was just for fun."
Damon watched her clearly amused. He shook his head after a moment, wondering how this girl could be so naturally tempting and yet lack the awareness of her actions.
"So you like learning sexy languages? Are you a polyglot?"
"I like to learn languages sure…but I'm not sure that I'm a polyglot." Bonnie chuckled. "My grandmother was a French professor at Witmore and she taught me different phrases in different languages growing up. So I guess you could say I got the love of languages bug from her."
"I thought you said she was a Florist." Damon gave her a dubious look.
"She was many things," Bonnie replied cryptically, raising her eyebrows.
Damon raised his own while tilting his head up in a way that read, 'Oookayy.'
"Many people tried to call her witch and said she used magic because it was impossible all the things she was able to do. Sometimes it seemed like she was in two places at once. She was an amazing woman." Bonnie felt the familiar tingle in her eye that she got when she talked about her grandmother, it made her wonder why she was telling all this to Damon, a man she just met that same day. Considering she attempted to kiss him earlier she could gather there was just something about Damon that made her nonsensically comfortable. He made her skin tingle and her stomach go in knots when he was close but those feelings didn't push her away, contrarily, they made her want to come closer. She'd never felt this way before and she wasn't sure that she liked it.
Shaking her head at her thoughts, Bonnie went back to their original topic, "What about you? Are you a polyglot?"
"Hmm, polyglot: knowing or using several languages," Bonnie was stunned that he could recite dictionary definitions on a whim, "technically I guess sure, but I wouldn't go around saying I was. I was forced to learn French by my mother. She was half French and Italian." Damon sighed, taking a few steps back and forth as he thought about his past, "We lived in Italy until I was eight and my younger brother was two, and then we moved to the States. My first language is Italian, second French."
"What about Portuguese?"
Damon's face morphed into Cheshire-like grin, "I had this girlfriend, once…" Black eyebrows wiggled appreciatively.
"I think I get the picture." Bonnie scoffed.
Damon laughed, "She taught me a few phrases during our more heated moments," Bonnie snorted, "And I thought, heck, I already know two of the sexiest languages known to man, why not add another." He winked.
"Hmm, well aren't you charming."
"I've been called worse," Damon's eyes widened at her, obviously amused by their banter. "You know you sure don't hold your tongue, you love to call me out. Not very polite of you, Bennett." The handsome man rubbed his lip thoughtfully before snapping his fingers as an idea came to him. "I'm going to name you Judgy!"
Bonnie groaned, taking steps away from him in a vain attempt to distance herself away from his words, "Please don't, I have a name, Damon. I'm not some lost, abandoned dog." She intoned, her words succinct.
"Ooh, and since you hate it, all the more reason."
"Is this how you treat all of your clients? Are you mad because I called you out earlier?"
"Not made and nope, just you."
Sparks flew as they stared at each other and Damon wasn't sure if it was completely malicious on her part or if she felt the sexual tension as well. Leaning against the wall behind him, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"As much as I love our witty banter, what brings you back to Estudio de Damon?" So absorbed in her presence and how easily they verbally sparred, Damon was slightly taken aback as he realized how much information he gave to her about himself. Hell, he had dated a woman for a year, and only after the ninth month did she learn Damon spoke more than just English. It just occurred to him that Bonnie wanted to do more than just chat with him.
"Right, about that." As if she just realized herself that she had completely forgotten her purpose for coming in exchange for talking with him, Bonnie brushed a hand through her hair and looked around. "I wanted to talk about your therapy sessions. While I've realized that your teachings have some basis behind them, as unorthodox as they are, I don't know if the regular class for me will be enough."
Damon pushed off against the wall he was leaning on and nodded his head towards the door beside him. With brows furrowed in thought, he spoke, "Come with me, let's talk in my office."
Bonnie followed behind him, noticing for the first time how the sun was setting in the sky. She had been at the studio for an hour for the orientation, and now it was rounding the thirty-minute mark after it finished and she was still there. Luckily she didn't have plans that night but it was still a surprise for her at how fast the time was flying.
Once they were settled in the room, with Damon in front of her sitting at his desk and she in one of the chairs across from him, they got back to speaking. "So what can I do for you, Judgy?" Damon started, ignoring her frown.
The office was nice and just like the rest of the building it felt cozy yet reductive with a masculine touch. The colors were neutral and the lines were sharp. She wondered idly if Damon designed the interior of his business or if he paid someone to do it. Nothing really felt like it was personal to him. No family photos, pictures of a girlfriend or otherwise.
"I want to get as much out of this as possible. I went through a really bad breakup recently and I just never felt like I could understand my sexuality during the relationship. Intimacy with my partner was very difficult. I don't want to continue to hold that burden and I want to relinquish that along with the relationship." Bonnie sighed, feeling good that she let that out. "I want you to do this for me so if you want more money in order for me to get the proper help I need, I can give it to you."
"Oh, so you finally don't think this is a gimmick anymore? A hoax." Damon singsonged with bright eyes and waving hands.
"Listen, I'm not the kind of woman to beg, and I'm certainly not the kind who normally goes to these kinds of lengths," she answered voice sharp like a knife and green eyes just as pointed, stabbing his ass down along with his jaunty misgivings. "However, I can admit when I'm wrong…and I was wrong today to judge." Damon's expression was nothing less than self-satisfied but Bonnie ignored him preferring to force her words out, "I really need this, okay? For the longest time, I repressed myself and kept myself distanced from relationships, platonic ones as well as romantic because I was so afraid of letting myself trust people. I want to make connections with people and I want to start fresh. If there's anything you can do to help me. I really want to try."
"What was that demonstration for you, why did it change your opinion so profoundly?"
"That moment between us might have seemed insignificant, or weird—I…apologize for almost mauling you, by the way," Damon didn't look like he needed the apology, and voiced as much. Bonnie continued, shaking her head, "however, for me, it solidified the fact that you can help me. I've never initiated something like that with someone else before. I hardly even like touches and hugs from my friends. For me to connect with whatever sexual energy you mentioned earlier and almost kiss you…that is a clear enough sign to me that I can get better here."
Damon stared a Bonnie for a beat, taking in her words and how emphatically she said certain words like afraid and start fresh, he was able to see what she was really trying to tell him. She wanted to relinquish control and give it to him. He was going to be the first actual person she trusted not just with her body but her mental health.
He could tell that this was a big deal for her, he could see from her actions throughout the day that she liked control and needed a clear rationalized path to embark on before doing anything. As someone who was also somewhat of a control freak, he knew this was not an easy decision to be made.
It was a lot of pressure but Damon Salvatore never backed down from a challenge. In fact, he reveled in them.
"You don't have to pay extra."
"What?" She didn't know what she expected him to say but that certainly wasn't it.
"Instead of the group meetings, I want us to do one-on-one sessions." Damon pushed back in his chair, leaning into it and crossing his well-defined arms that hugged tightly in his black Henley. Bonnie was distracted by the movement. "I don't often do this, because my practice has grown pretty popular through the years so it gets harder to spend time with just one person. Lucky for you, we are in a down season right now. As I prepare to open my new office in New York, I've taken fewer sessions and have a little more free time. That's where you'll come in. I can work with you in between other classes a couple of times a week for an hour. If you would like."
There was a pause and then,
"I'm not going to lie, I feel a connection with you, Bonnie." Damon's blue peered curiously into Bonnie's green. "I feel like I can help you a lot. Some may call me impulsive so I may regret this decision, but I want to make you an exception and I want to do this."
"Wow, I don't know how to thank you, Damon."
"Don't, rather I should thank you for blessing me with more of your beauty." He smiled charmingly.
Bonnie blushed, looking down at her hands before looking back at the devilishly handsome male in front of her from under her lashes.
He was very dangerous, indeed.
"Now, let's go over some basic information and I'll let you go."
"Sure."
AN: So, how was that?
This will probably be one of the longest chapters for this fic, mainly because I wanted to get a couple of their important sessions out of the way. The therapy part isn't over yet and the next chapter will continue from where we left off. I got inspired by a review to flesh out their agreement a little more (thank you dreamsaslightasfeathers 3) and so I'm going to add a bit to it.
What was frustrating about this chapter-besides writing Damon's personality and not making him completely OOC, I'm sure I failed-was writing the therapy. Guys, this is fake therapy to a T, okay? I'm doing research of course, but I'm exaggerating things a lot to fit the story. I don't think you can open a chakra in 30 minutes on your first try, lol, but obviously since this fic is going to be short, I made miracles happen. Please take most if not all of the teachings with a grain of salt.
Overall, I hope y'all enjoyed! Next chapter is more Bamon but also Caroline and Elena will officially make an appearance! Please anticipate more to come!