Bet Me; Chapter 7; Trust Issues
A/N: Thank you to everyone who left me a comment on FF, and here for the last chapter. I've read every one of them at least twice LMAO. My intention was to reply to all of them by now, but I have been working round the clock, writing, and re-writing this chapter every spare second I've had. It's the longest chapter I've ever written. My aim was to hit this out of the ball park, but I don't think I've quite succeeded. Still, I hope it entertains.
Thanks to my beta readers; Bex, C, and Daisy. Thanks for answering my unending questions about this chappie.
Chapter 7 - Trust Issues
"Elena," Damon said firmly. "You can't leave."
Talk about distraction, Damon thought. How was he supposed to stay focused on what he'd come here for, when he knew Elena felt the sexual pull between them. His blood pumped harder and thicker as his body reacted to this new knowledge in the most basic way. He needed to get his libido back on the leash immediately. Somehow he doubted she would appreciate seeing evidence of the way her desire affected him. She was involved with his cousin, and Von Gruber's marriage retreat, with its' cameras, was not the place to act on it anyway. Moreover, they were competing against each other to write the better article. Well, they were supposed to be. Right now she wanted to abandon the story in favor of keeping him, and the attraction between them, at a distance. He wasn't going to let that fly. She could not walk out on this story.
"I have to," she said to him, still not looking at him.
"Look at me," Damon said to her.
Elena didn't want to look at him. She wanted to get the hell out of there. This place wasn't safe for her; she felt that in every bone in her body. There was just too much that could go wrong. Unfortunately, Damon's hands were on her shoulders, holding her there.
"You don't," Damon told her. "I know this isn't an ideal situation with the cameras around, and I know you'd rather be here with anyone other than me, but this is bigger than you and me. You can't throw away everything you've worked so hard for because I'm the one you're here with."
She crossed her arms. "Shouldn't I be the one who gets to make that decision?"
"What are you going to do when Jensen fires you? It's not like he's going to give you a glowing reference."
That was an understatement. If she walked out of here, and let Jules and Brady nab the story for the Herald, Jensen would be mad as hell, and out for her blood.
"I know that," she told him."But Von Gruber saw straight through us, Damon. It's too risky."
"He said he was surprised we'd been "intimate." He has no proof he was right."
"He wants to fix us!"
"So we'll let him think his therapy is working. We just need to step up our act; show the cameras that we have no problem being intimate with each other. It's just acting, Gilbert."
Obviously they weren't just acting. She seemed to be just as affected by this situation as he did, but he was hardly going to draw attention to that fact when that was the reason she was trying to leave.
"I hate the idea he's going to be watching us."
Yeah, Damon wasn't that pleased about it either, but it seemed like it couldn't be avoided. Aside from the fact that the attraction between them would help them be more convincing with Von Gruber, they really couldn't leave now. He needed to remind her why they were there. Quickly.
"Von Gruber is a pervert who wears an orange dress. You have to think about the bigger picture," he said to her. "It's our job to uncover whatever the hell is going on here. I mean, do you really believe Von Gruber is using the cameras to assess people's relationship?"
Elena didn't even have to think about it. The whole retreat - hell, everything about Von Gruber - screamed something was wrong.
"Something's not right here, Gilbert. We owe it to the public, and to the people that come here and put their trust in Von Gruber, to figure out what's going on, and report it. Think about Mrs Lockwood. Think about Rose and Trevor. Someone needs to bring Von Gruber down. If he's hurting people he needs to be stopped."
He was right, Elena thought grudgingly. Being here was about more than beating Damon at some bet, and more than earning recognition in her field. This was about exposing a scam. People who preyed on the innocent and gullible needed to be stopped. Bringing injustice and wrong-doings to light was the most important part of her job. Her need to protect herself warred with her need to do what was right, but she already knew which one would win out. She had a duty of care to the people in Mystic Falls. Why, oh why, did this particular responsibility have to put her in a situation where she was supposed to act out being in love with Damon Salvatore?
"You care about people," Damon continued. "That's always stood out to me when I've read your pieces."
"You read my work?" she asked disbelievingly.
"I might have accidentally pulled it up on my laptop once or twice," he said casually.
Elena shook her head, but she was aware there was a small smile tugging at her lips.
Damon smirked back at her. "Don't you read mine?" he asked her.
Elena remembered all too clearly her back seat full of Chicago Sun papers; all the times she'd sat in her car and marked his articles with her red pen without finding a mistake.
"You know I never found anyone worth competing against in Chicago," he told her. "You were the best rival I ever had. And I'm sure, after what happened ten years ago, that you must want to win our bet." He gave her a lopsided grin. "You know if you leave now, you default, and that means I win."
"Damon-"
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should leave. We can drive back to Mystic Falls High School right now, and you can do laps, naked, around the football oval."
Elena knew exactly what Damon was doing. He was attempting to bring the competition back into focus between them. Competing against him was a comfortable feeling; one she was familiar with. She didn't know how she was supposed to keep that in sight under the circumstances, but she couldn't leave. Aside from losing her job, she needed to find out what was going on here.
"What do you say, Gilbert? Do we stay and work together? Or are we going home so I can watch you run around naked?"
"You'll never see me running around naked, Damon."
"If we leave here now, that's exactly what I'm going to demand. You can't welch on a bet."
"I've never welched before."
"I know," he said to her, suddenly serious. "So why start now? You must want to beat me before I go back to Chicago."
Perhaps that was it, Elena thought. Thinking about Damon going back to Chicago might be the key to getting through this week unscathed. If she could just picture him flying away on that aeroplane, she'd be okay. She only had to get through this week, and then he would be gone - out of her life for good. She could forget about him. Okay, maybe not forget about him, but he would be gone. One week, and then everything would return to normal.
"What's it going to be, Elena?"
"I do want to beat you," she said to him.
He smirked, but Elena didn't miss the way some of the tension left his body now that she seemed more willing to play along.
"I think you'll put up a good fight," he said to her, "but you're going down, Gilbert."
"You really believe you'll win, don't you?" she asked him, shaking her head.
"Why wouldn't I?" he said to her confidently. "I always win."
Elena didn't want to believe he was right, but Damon had all the advantages. He didn't seem to fear Von Gruber, or hypnosis. He wasn't struggling with their proximity. He wasn't spending energy worrying about old feelings resurfacing. He would never let attraction get in the way of what he'd come here for. He was so hell bent on reminding her of their bet, and getting the scoop, that if he realized he had once been her fantasy; that she was still attracted to him, he would use it to his advantage. She had to appear just as cold, and as focused as he was, no matter what she felt inside. Easier said than, she thought.
"This time it will be different, Damon," she told him, before turning on her heel and walking back into the building.
* * *
"Stop," Damon said.
Elena came to an immediate halt, and waited for directions.
"Now, there are twelve concrete steps in front of you-"
"Right in front of me?"
"About three feet in front of you."
Elena walked forward a little way, and then lifted her foot, as if to step up.
"Oof," she said when she collided with the hard wall of Damon's chest.
Well, she was going to assume it was Damon's chest because she could feel the outline of some spectacular muscles under the material her hands had suddenly grabbed. She could also feel energy pulsing through her. She could smell his aftershave. She may not be able to see due to the blindfold she was wearing, but her other senses were working well. She removed her hands from him immediately.
"What are you doing, Damon?" she asked.
She tried to keep her voice even, and project calm, but it was difficult. She needed to concentrate on what she was here to do, but she was far too easily distracted by him. The days where she lusted after him, and doodled his name in her journal, were supposed to be over. Keep it together, she told herself. She had to stay. She had to write this story. She had to win.
"Saving you from falling," he said to her.
If she was going to fall over it was because of his bad directions, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want Von Gruber to witness them arguing. This frustrating exercise was Von Gruber's idea for curing communication and trust issues inside a marriage. It was ironic really; working on a trust exercise with Damon. She could never allow herself to trust him, yet here she was, trying to fake it. She had to look like she was learning to trust him, while remembering she couldn't. She needed to show Von Gruber she could be intimate with her husband, while remembering it wasn't real. And if she kept thinking about how confusing all of this was; how dangerous it was, she would go crazy. She took a breath before she answered him.
"You said, take three steps," she said to him.
"No," Damon corrected her, "I said the stairs are three feet away. You still have half a step before you reach them."
"Okay," she said to him.
In the distance she could hear the othercouples bickering. Jules and Brady were easy enough to pick out.
"Woman, you don't listen to me!"
"That's because you're full of hot air!"
"They need marriage counselling," Elena muttered.
"I don't know why you won't hold on to me," Damon said to her.
Watching Elena walk around with a blindfold on, and not being allowed to touch her, or guide her, was far more frustrating than Damon had thought it would be. He hated the fact that she could fall over and hurt herself, but she was so stubborn, she wouldn't use him as a support. She wouldn't touch him. He turned in the direction of Von Gruber, to find him watching them. They were going to have to be very careful not to add any more fuel to Von Gruber's belief they hadn't been intimate.
"We're not supposed to use our hands," she reminded him.
"I'm not allowed to use my hands. You're allowed to use yours."
"I'm fine," she told him. "I can do it."
"Von Gruber already thinks we have intimacy issues, Elena. Do you really want to give him any more reason to believe he's right? Do you want to go into our private therapy session tomorrow and talk about our sex life?"
He watched the part of her face that was visible below the blind fold turn a soft shade of pink.
"No, but I can hear the other couples arguing. If we're too coupl-ee now, Von Gruber will be just as suspicious."
"Fine," Damon said with annoyance. She was right, but she wasn't making it any easier on either of them. "I'm going to move out of your way."
She nodded, and he stood beside her.
"Shuffle forward, until your toe hits the first step, then step up," he directed.
They managed all twelve steps without an incident. He blew out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding onto.
"That was hard," Elena said to him.
She was smiling a little, and Damon thought it was a combination of relief, and a bit of pride. Despite the fact she couldn't see him, he found himself smiling back. He had to admit he was kind of proud too. Watching and directing had not been easy, but she'd actually listened to him, and he'd effectively managed to get her up those steps with nothing more than words. They'd worked together. Ridiculously he felt like they'd achieved something.
"Very good," Von Gruber said to them.
Damon had been so focused on Elena, that he hadn't seen Von Gruber walk over to them.
"Please take your blindfold off, Elena. The two of you are finished here," Von Gruber announced.
As soon as Elena took off her blindfold, she looked at Damon, her eyes wide, and her body poised to run at the drop of a hat. Von Gruber's choice of words had obviously alarmed her, but Damon was sure the therapist was talking about them being finished with the exercise, not the retreat. If Von Gruber noticed Elena's panic he ignored it.
"I witnessed some excellent communication and listening skills right now," Von Gruber said to them. "I have no doubt the two of you will feel like honeymooners again in no time."
"That's…great," Elena said.
"Go home and enjoy dinner together. Your meal should arrive on the dot of seven. This time together is about the build-up now. Enjoy these few days of celibacy. The merest of touches. A kiss. Eating off each other's plates. I want you to seduce each other."
When Elena's gaze locked with his again, her eyes were very wide and very dark. Lust hit him with the force of a truck. He was hard in a second. What was it about her that turned him on so much? She was stunning, but he'd dated stunning women it their rivalry? Was it their history?Was it the fact that she was smart? He'd never been so easily aroused by another woman.
"Our group activity begins at ten, tomorrow morning," Klaus told them. "You will be notified of your individual session time when you get there. Should you need anything, there is a green button next to the door, when you walk in. Pressing it will bring one of my assistants to you."
Elena tried to hand the blindfold back to Von Gruber, but he shook his head.
"It is your turn to guide, Damon," he said to her.
"I thought we were finished here," Damon said.
"You are," Von Gruber replied. "Now you must return to your studio."
"Blindfolded?"
Right now Damon certainly didn't feel like having one of his senses blocked out. Lust was still bouncing around in him, making him feel edgy and slightly irritable. Build-up. Damon didn't need it. He was aroused just at the thought of spending the night with her. And that only made him feel more irritable. He couldn't afford to spook Elena any more than she was already. And he could hardly search for a willing woman to slake his lust while they were here. They were being watched.
Von Gruber smiled at him, the way one might at a child who simply couldn't grasp the concept being discussed by the adults.
"The same rules apply this time round. Elena, would you tie the blindfold over your husband's eyes."
Elena forced her feet forward so that she stood right in front of Damon. When her eyes met his, she noticed they were a far darker blue than she was used to. The dull throb of desire she'd already been feeling low in her belly kicked up a notch, so her body felt as if it was fairly vibrating with need. Her face felt too warm; her lips too dry. She covered his eyes with the blindfold, trying not to let herself be distracted by his mouth so close to hers. She stepped back as soon as she was done.
"I find it very interesting," Von Gruber started, "that you seem so uncomfortable with touching your husband, didn't reach out for him once when you were wearing the blindfold, and just now you hesitated before moving anywhere near him. Yet I can see how much you desire him."
Elena didn't know whether to be more alarmed over the fact that Von Gruber had so accurately assessed her relationship with Damon; or the fact that he had said out loud that she desired her 'husband'. She might not be able to see Damon's eyes, but she could see the tension in his jaw.
"Enjoy dinner," Von Gruber said to them. "I look forward to hearing how the evening goes, tomorrow in my office."
Damon didn't like it; not being able to see what was going on around him. However, that was the least of his concerns right now. Elena was drawing attention to them through her reluctance to touch him. They didn't need Von Gruber becoming suspect, but what worried him more was that Elena would leave if she believed she couldn't do this, or decided it was too hard.
They were going to have to deal with this attraction between them - get things out in the open. They had to use it the lust they felt for each other, and not be afraid of it. That said, even he was a little bewildered by the intensity of it; not to mention its potential to become distracting. Potential? It was already as distracting as hell. Now that Von Gruber had brought it up though, they needed to talk about it. Just as soon as they were alone.
"See you tomorrow, Doc," Damon said.
"Please call me, Klaus. Good luck."
"Elena," Damon said after a moment.
He had no idea where she was right now, and he wanted to hear her speak. He wanted to know where she was.
"I'm here. Start walking in a straight line."
He could still here plenty of noise coming from the people around them. He walked slowly in a straight line just as she had instructed him. Once the noise seemed to fade into the background he stopped.
"We're alone?" he queried.
"Yes."
"Where are you?" he asked, reaching out.
"I'm two steps in front of you."
"Come here," he said to her.
He heard movement, and then he was sure she was standing in front of him. He put his hands out. He didn't know where he'd thought he was going to put them, but he heard her quick intake when they landed on her soft mounds had his body roaring to life again. They fit into his palms perfectly. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about squeezing them, playing with them. He wanted to tease each nipple into a tight little peak with his mouth. He was now rock hard; a fact she would no doubt notice as soon as she stepped away and looked at him. Shit.
"Damon," she hissed, trying to move away from him.
His arms slid to her tiny waist before she could go anywhere.
"Damon."
She sounded completely breathless now. To be honest, he was having some trouble breathing too.
"I wasn't trying to grope you," he said to her. "But we have to deal with this better than we have been."
"Deal with what?"
"The fact that we want each other."
"We're pretending."
"This isn't pretend," he told her roughly, as his arms slipped around her waist, so he could pull her against him.
She gasped as her hips came into contact with his erection.
"I can't help it if you forgot we're acting!"
He pushed up the blindfold with one hand, and was gratified when he saw her cheeks flushed; her eyes black pools of lust.
"You want me," he said roughly.
Elena's heart was beating wildly and she was panicking. What good could come of discussing whether she was attracted to him or not? What good could come of admitting the truth? None. Absolutely none. If he knew, she may as well give him the story on a platter.
"You're delusional!"
Elena realized immediately she'd made a mistake in saying that. His anger was so palpable, she almost felt afraid. She watched his eyes grow hot and cold all at the same time, and his face darken, before he hauled her against him. His lips crashed down upon hers, demanding and unrelenting. This time she refused to give in to the impulse to kiss him back. She struggled against him, pushing against his chest, but he held her there, his mouth assaulting hers. She stopped moving, stopped fighting, in the hope that that might halt him, but the moment she went completely still, his kisses softened, and in spite of herself she found her resolve weakening bit by bit. The next thing she knew she was clinging to him, and moaning as she felt the hard length of him pressing against her; his tongue stroking hers.
She almost sobbed when he pulled away from her.
"Still want to tell me you're acting?" he asked her smugly.
Elena slapped him hard, twice in quick succession. "You're an asshole." She shook her head."I don't know how I ever thought I could do this with you," she said, turning away from him.
"I'm sorry," he said to her, grabbing her arm.
Honestly, Damon didn't know what had gotten into him. She was making him crazy. Kissing her had made him crazy. Elena Gilbert was like quicksand, he decided. The taste of her, the sight of her, the way she felt against him, pulled him in against his will, and the harder he fought it, the worse he felt.
Elena fumed. How could she have forgotten what an ass he could be? He'd kissed her to prove a point!
"I'm frustrated," he told her.
"You're an asshole," she repeated, before she turned around and started walking away.
"You're right," he called after her. "I just couldn't help thinking that we've worked together fine for the past two weeks. I didn't realize it would still be so difficult for you to work with me."
Elena stopped and turned back around despite herself when she heard the disappointment and hurt in his voice.
"Being here is different to being at home, Damon" she told him. "We're working individually now. I need to work with someone I can trust."
"And you don't trust me," he said coolly.
"You said it yourself," she said to him. "You'd sell your grandmother for a good scoop. We have a bet. Our bosses have a bet. You're after the story, and you'd do anything to get it."
"What is it you think I'm going to do?" he asked her.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But after everything that's happened; after what Jules said…"
She had no idea what had happened between him and Jules, Damon thought. She couldn't judge him on that. He had, however, screwed her over twice in the past, and she thought he was going to do it again while they were here. Maybe that was why she was denying the attraction between them.
"Elena, I know I messed things up between us ten years ago, and when I came back to town to work on this story, but I'm not going to do it again. It would really suck if I went back to Chicago with you hating me again. I don't want you to leave, and I don't want you to lose your job. Maybe we could work together while we're here; keep doing what we've been doing up till now," he said to her. "We'll share what we know, and investigate together until we leave."
"You want to work together while we're here?"
"It makes sense to me. With the cameras everywhere, it will make it easier. Besides, I want to beat you fair and square," he said to her with an easy grin. "We go back with the same information, and then it all comes down to the way we write. If we look out for each other, Von Gruber won't get the best of us."
Obviously it would work out best for him if she agreed, Elena thought. She'd stay, thereby allowing him to write his article. She still wanted to leave, but she knew it wasn't really on the table as an option. No matter how uncomfortable she was here, she couldn't afford to leave the retreat without it costing her everything she'd worked so hard towards before Damon came back to town.
She nodded slowly. "Working together would be…beneficial."
He nodded.
They were both silent for a moment before she asked him, "Are you ready to continue?"
Damon looked around for the first time since he'd pushed the blindfold off his eyes. They were standing in the middle of the field they'd walked through earlier with Von Gruber and the rest of the couples. The path looked relatively straight, but he'd still rather give the whole thing a miss. Damon didn't depend on anyone else, ever, and he wasn't real keen on starting now.
"I think we can skip the blindfold routine now," he said to her.
"Uh-uh, it's your turn to do this exercise."
"You're going to walk me off the nearest bridge, aren't you?"
She couldn't help but smile. "I guess you'll have to trust me."
He smiled back at her, before taking the blindfold off his head, and handing it to her. "Put it on for me," he instructed.
"Damon-"
"You're hesitating. Every time you hesitate Von Gruber's going to notice. Elena, you need to get used to being close to me."
Elena supposed she did need to get comfortable being in his personal space. Reluctantly she walked up to him. The moment she was in front of him, however, she knew it was unlikely she would be comfortable near him anytime soon. The electricity between them didn't exactly evoke feelings of easiness. Her heart started to race as she noticed his eyes fixed on her lips; and when he lifted them to meet her gaze, she felt the heat creeping up her neck, and into her face.
"We should be making this work for us, you know," he said huskily. "Being attracted to each other should make things easier. I know I'm not delusional. Even Von Gruber can see what's going on between us."
Damon wanted her to try and trust him, and she was willing to try; but she still wasn't prepared to admit she wanted him. She wasn't going to act on it. Even if the attraction was real, the situation wasn't. They were acting the part of husband and wife because it was a requirement of their jobs. At the end of the week, they would still compete when they wrote for their respective papers, Damon would go back to Chicago, and she would be going to her reunion with Stefan.
"Von Gruber is a fruitcake," she told him.
"You're still going to deny what's so obviously between us?"
"You need to let it go," she said to him.
Damon couldn't let it go. This attraction between them made him feel crazy. He was desperate to know he wasn't the only one affected. Even though he'd seen the proof, he wanted - he needed - to hear her say it. As she put the blindfold over his eyes, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Is this about Stefan?" he asked her. "Do you think telling the truth makes you unfaithful?"
"Are you telling me your ego just can't handle the possibility that I'm just not interested?" she asked him.
"I'm telling you I can't understand why you won't admit to it, unless you think you're protecting Stefan."
"You don't need to understand, Damon," she said to him.
"So you admit there's something?"
"No."
"So it is about Stefan?"
"No."
"Did you tell Stefan we were coming here?" he asked her.
"Yes."
"Did you tell him that you would be acting as my wife, while we're here? That we'd be sharing a bed?"
"That isn't any of your business, Damon."
Elena tied the blindfold around his head, pulling it a bit tighter than necessary to see if she could distract him that way. It didn't work.
"So you didn't tell him."
"We're on a break. It wasn't relevant."
"You're on a break?"
Elena realized too late that she should never have admitted that. Somehow, she felt even more vulnerable after saying it.
"It's not permanent," she told him quickly.
"So this isn't about Stefan?"
Damon wished at that moment he could see her eyes; read her face. She and Stefan were on a break? What did that even mean? Had she made that decision, or had Stefan? He was going to assume it was Elena, since his cousin wanted to move back to Mystic Falls for her. The thought made him scowl.
"I'm not discussing this anymore," she told him.
Damon pushed the blindfold up yet again. He wasn't ready for this conversation to be over, but Elena wasn't going to give him the acknowledgement he so desperately wanted.
"Fine," Damon said to her, as their eyes locked. "But you're the one who's worried about what Von Gruber is going to do if we don't pull this off well enough. You're hesitating, and you act nervous anytime Von Gruber comes near us. You can't afford to do that, Elena. You have to stop freaking out."
"I know."
"If we're working together then I need to know you're not going to leave at any moment. I need to know you're committed, and us acting married, and everything that that entails isn't going to send you running."
She swallowed. "It won't."
"When we get in front of those cameras we can't break character."
Elena reached out and slipped the blindfold back over his eyes. "I know."
Damon felt Elena stepping away from him.
"Are you ready?" she asked him.
He didn't want to be walking around without a clue of what was around him, hoping Elena wouldn't walk him into a wall or something worse. He nodded, and started walking slowly along the path they were on; feeling more than a little irritable that not only was he being forced to do this stupid exercise, but that Elena wanted him to believe he was completely alone in everything he was feeling right now.
* * *
"Caroline and Tyler seem nice," Elena said to Damon over dinner that night.
Damon lifted his wine glass in Elena's direction. "Here's hoping he gets her pregnant while they're here."
"Damon."
"Why don't we have children, again?" he asked her.
Elena lifted her glass before sipping her wine. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc perfectly complemented her roasted chicken. They'd been talking like this throughout their meal; trying to work out more of their back story, as subtly as possible, before their session with Von Gruber tomorrow. While they'd knitted some of it together already, they had more gaps to fill in. That had been highlighted when they'd bumped into Caroline and Tyler on the way home. Caroline had asked where they'd been married, and whether they had children. Elena had answered both questions, but it had been an awkward moment with neither knowing exactly what the other one was going to say.
Elena acknowledged they were heading for a few more awkward moments this evening. She had denied being attracted to him, but she still had to act as if she was. She needed to make sure she didn't hesitate, and that Von Gruber saw she was comfortable with the desire she felt for her husband.
"You're always working," she said to him. "We're too busy."
"Are we going to try at some point?" he asked her.
Just the thought of 'trying' was enough to make her nipples harden, and the walls of her sex flutter with anticipation. She pushed an image of a little boy and girl, both with raven colored hair, and blue eyes, out of her head. Even in this fantasy they were trying to weave for Von Gruber, thoughts like that had no place. She'd never once thought about children with Stefan in the year they'd been together, which just proved how dangerous this situation was. She couldn't afford to confuse fantasy with reality, or believe anything about this was real. If she kept forgetting, she'd soon be as besotted as she was at high school, and most likely as broken hearted too.
"They would be a nice addition someday," she said to him, focusing on her meal.
"When I cut down my hours?"
"When things are more stable between us," she told him.
"Right," he said to here."The reason we're here. To fix our marriage woes."
"That was very nice," Elena said, putting her knife and fork on her plate.
"Ready for dessert?" he asked her, looking at the pudding in front of them.
"I'm kind of full," Elena said.
"What do you want to do now then?"
"I haven't seen Die Hard 4 yet."
Damon couldn't remember the last time he'd watched a movie with a woman on a Saturday night. They were sitting on the small sofa in front of the TV. Elena was sitting so close to him their knees were touching. They had a rug over them to keep them warm, and he had causally laid one arm around her. Well it might look causal, but Damon was feeling anything but casual right now.
As the credits rolled on screen, and he thought about climbing into bed with the woman beside him, he actually felt extremely tense. He didn't really fancy having to go to bed in the state he was in. He was so easily aroused when it came to her, that he didn't know how he was going to sleep in the same bed with her. It didn't make it any easier when she had told him point blank several times she didn't feel what he did.
Damon also didn't know how they were going to handle the camera situation inside the bedroom. Obviously Von Gruber had told them to abstain, but what exactly was he expecting of them? If he wanted the build-up and the seduction between them, he wouldn't exactly be content with seeing them slip into bed on opposite sides, without touching each other at all. How far was Elena going to be comfortable with going? How was he going to control himself?
"Let's go brush our teeth," he said to her, removing his arm from behind her, and standing up.
She looked at him oddly before she followed him into the bathroom. He walked over to where the twin set of basins were, and turned both taps on, before motioning her to join him next to the sinks.
"What's our plan of attack?" he asked her.
She eyed the running water warily. "Our plan of attack?"
"When we get into bed together what do you think Von Gruber is expecting to see?"
"I don't know, Damon. A kiss. Us not sleeping on opposite sides of the bed. I really don't know."
Damon nodded. If he used that as a guide, or some kind of rough plan he might find it easier to reign himself in when they were playing out bedtime.
"I guess we're expected to believe this is the one part of the studio that we're not being recorded in. You'll have to change in here."
Elena didn't want to contemplate the idea Von Gruber had cameras in the bathroom.
"Yep, already thought of that," she told him.
"You change in here. I change out there. We get into bed and…"
"We share a goodnight kiss," she finished.
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long do we kiss for?"
The thought of kissing him again, had her heart beating a crazy rhythm in her ribcage.
"I don't know. Thirty seconds?"
"Fine."
Elena put her toothbrush down on the basin, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She'd brushed her teeth, and her hair. She was dressed in one of the pairs of pjs she'd brought with her; a camisole and shorts set. She would have felt far safer in a potato sack, but Von Gruber and his so-called team of experts might find it odd if she went to bed in one. She couldn't put off getting into bed with Damon any longer.
Ideally, she would have liked to have waited until he was asleep before she stepped out of the bathroom, but he was waiting for her; ready to continue their act. Hopefully it wouldn't show up on the cameras how anxious she felt right now. She'd spent the whole time sitting next to him on the couch, at least partly aroused.
"Elena. Darling. Do I need to come in and get you?"
Damon sat up a little as Elena opened the bathroom door. He'd had an erection just imagining what she might wear to bed tonight, and now that he could actually see what she was wearing, he was throbbing painfully in his black, satin boxers. God, he wanted her. She wasn't wearing a bra under the singlet top she had on, and he could see the full outline of her perfect breasts. She avoided his gaze as she made her way to the bed.
She slid into the bed, and Damon reached over and picked up the remote on the bedside table. Damon pressed the button, and the overhead lights went out.
"Do you think he can see us?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he said to her.
It was the first time all day Damon actually felt a little reluctant to touch her. She laid there as he rolled onto his side, and when he was next to her, she reached out and put a hand around the back of his head, pulling him down to kiss her. Her lips were soft, and pliant underneath his. It was just supposed to be a goodnight kiss, but when her lips parted, and she slowly rubbed her tongue along the length of his, his ability to show restraint flew out the window. As if he had no say over it, one of his hands came up to fondle her breast, his thumb circling the hard little peak. And when he heard her moan of approval, his hand moved down to the tiny gap between her cami and shorts. He stroked the smooth, satin skin of her belly; felt it quiver under his touch.
They should probably be stopping now, Damon thought; but instead their kisses were getting more, and more intense. He was so hard now that he had to shift to give himself more room. Her grip on him tightened as if she didn't want him to go anywhere, and he couldn't resist sliding one hand between her legs to caress her through her shorts. She was going to stop him any second, he thought. But she didn't. Her legs fell open for him, and he could feel her trembling as his index finger ran over her lightly. She was radiating warmth down there. His hand drifted back up to her belly, and this time slid inside her shorts and underwear to explore her further. When he felt how hot and wet - how ready - she was for him, he thought he might explode.
Elena knew she needed to stop this insanity. They were being watched! However, as he began to touch her, she found she lost the ability to communicate with anything other than pleasure filled noises. Between the build-up, and the arousal she'd been experiencing around him all day, the anticipation of the inevitable climax she was heading towards was much stronger than the need to stop. He rubbed circles over her sensitive bundle of nerves, slowly at first, then with increasing speed and pressure, before slowing down again. Her body was shaking in desperate need of release; her skin damp from perspiration as he played with her.
She pulled her mouth away from his. "Damon," she whispered feverishly.
"No. Don't stop," she told him when he paused. "Please don't stop."
Her body was as taut as a string on a violin, as resumed touching her; this time caressing her swollen clit with his thumb as he moved two of his fingers towards her slick entrance.
He kissed her passionately as he pushed them inside of her. Her cry swallowed up by his mouth as he used his fingers to increase her pleasure; pumping them in and out of her as much as her the confines of her shorts would allow. Time seemed to stand still as her body was pushed closer and closer to the edge. When she reached the very top, she sobbed out his name, her orgasm hitting her with such intensity it seemed to go on, and on, and on; her body shaking and trembling. Then he removed his hand from between her legs.
The reality of what she'd done set in so fast it made her feel sick. She practically sped into the bathroom to see if she could empty the contents of her stomach in the toilet, but the nausea passed just as quickly as it had come on. She walked over to one of the basins, turned on the water, and splashed some on her face. When she looked up she was horrified by her reflection. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were too bright. She glared at herself in the mirror.
"How could you let him do that?" she asked her reflection angrily. "How could you do that?"
She'd just spent all day trying to convince him she wasn't attracted to him, only to reveal she'd been lying the first moment they got into bed together. She had no excuse to give him, or to console herself with. If she left the retreat now, he would know it was because of him - not because of Von Gruber. She didn't need Von Gruber to hypnotize her into doing something stupid - into performing for the camera in their room. All she needed was for Damon to touch her, and she was a complete and utter brainless twit. She'd practically begged him to touch her. She'd certainly pleaded with him not to stop.
He'd tried to persuade her earlier today to admit she wanted him. She would never be able to lie to him again. He knew exactly how much he affected her now. How could this ever be good for her?
Thanks to my beta readers; Bex, C, and Daisy. Thanks for answering my unending questions about this chappie.
Chapter 7 - Trust Issues
"Elena," Damon said firmly. "You can't leave."
Talk about distraction, Damon thought. How was he supposed to stay focused on what he'd come here for, when he knew Elena felt the sexual pull between them. His blood pumped harder and thicker as his body reacted to this new knowledge in the most basic way. He needed to get his libido back on the leash immediately. Somehow he doubted she would appreciate seeing evidence of the way her desire affected him. She was involved with his cousin, and Von Gruber's marriage retreat, with its' cameras, was not the place to act on it anyway. Moreover, they were competing against each other to write the better article. Well, they were supposed to be. Right now she wanted to abandon the story in favor of keeping him, and the attraction between them, at a distance. He wasn't going to let that fly. She could not walk out on this story.
"I have to," she said to him, still not looking at him.
"Look at me," Damon said to her.
Elena didn't want to look at him. She wanted to get the hell out of there. This place wasn't safe for her; she felt that in every bone in her body. There was just too much that could go wrong. Unfortunately, Damon's hands were on her shoulders, holding her there.
"You don't," Damon told her. "I know this isn't an ideal situation with the cameras around, and I know you'd rather be here with anyone other than me, but this is bigger than you and me. You can't throw away everything you've worked so hard for because I'm the one you're here with."
She crossed her arms. "Shouldn't I be the one who gets to make that decision?"
"What are you going to do when Jensen fires you? It's not like he's going to give you a glowing reference."
That was an understatement. If she walked out of here, and let Jules and Brady nab the story for the Herald, Jensen would be mad as hell, and out for her blood.
"I know that," she told him."But Von Gruber saw straight through us, Damon. It's too risky."
"He said he was surprised we'd been "intimate." He has no proof he was right."
"He wants to fix us!"
"So we'll let him think his therapy is working. We just need to step up our act; show the cameras that we have no problem being intimate with each other. It's just acting, Gilbert."
Obviously they weren't just acting. She seemed to be just as affected by this situation as he did, but he was hardly going to draw attention to that fact when that was the reason she was trying to leave.
"I hate the idea he's going to be watching us."
Yeah, Damon wasn't that pleased about it either, but it seemed like it couldn't be avoided. Aside from the fact that the attraction between them would help them be more convincing with Von Gruber, they really couldn't leave now. He needed to remind her why they were there. Quickly.
"Von Gruber is a pervert who wears an orange dress. You have to think about the bigger picture," he said to her. "It's our job to uncover whatever the hell is going on here. I mean, do you really believe Von Gruber is using the cameras to assess people's relationship?"
Elena didn't even have to think about it. The whole retreat - hell, everything about Von Gruber - screamed something was wrong.
"Something's not right here, Gilbert. We owe it to the public, and to the people that come here and put their trust in Von Gruber, to figure out what's going on, and report it. Think about Mrs Lockwood. Think about Rose and Trevor. Someone needs to bring Von Gruber down. If he's hurting people he needs to be stopped."
He was right, Elena thought grudgingly. Being here was about more than beating Damon at some bet, and more than earning recognition in her field. This was about exposing a scam. People who preyed on the innocent and gullible needed to be stopped. Bringing injustice and wrong-doings to light was the most important part of her job. Her need to protect herself warred with her need to do what was right, but she already knew which one would win out. She had a duty of care to the people in Mystic Falls. Why, oh why, did this particular responsibility have to put her in a situation where she was supposed to act out being in love with Damon Salvatore?
"You care about people," Damon continued. "That's always stood out to me when I've read your pieces."
"You read my work?" she asked disbelievingly.
"I might have accidentally pulled it up on my laptop once or twice," he said casually.
Elena shook her head, but she was aware there was a small smile tugging at her lips.
Damon smirked back at her. "Don't you read mine?" he asked her.
Elena remembered all too clearly her back seat full of Chicago Sun papers; all the times she'd sat in her car and marked his articles with her red pen without finding a mistake.
"You know I never found anyone worth competing against in Chicago," he told her. "You were the best rival I ever had. And I'm sure, after what happened ten years ago, that you must want to win our bet." He gave her a lopsided grin. "You know if you leave now, you default, and that means I win."
"Damon-"
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should leave. We can drive back to Mystic Falls High School right now, and you can do laps, naked, around the football oval."
Elena knew exactly what Damon was doing. He was attempting to bring the competition back into focus between them. Competing against him was a comfortable feeling; one she was familiar with. She didn't know how she was supposed to keep that in sight under the circumstances, but she couldn't leave. Aside from losing her job, she needed to find out what was going on here.
"What do you say, Gilbert? Do we stay and work together? Or are we going home so I can watch you run around naked?"
"You'll never see me running around naked, Damon."
"If we leave here now, that's exactly what I'm going to demand. You can't welch on a bet."
"I've never welched before."
"I know," he said to her, suddenly serious. "So why start now? You must want to beat me before I go back to Chicago."
Perhaps that was it, Elena thought. Thinking about Damon going back to Chicago might be the key to getting through this week unscathed. If she could just picture him flying away on that aeroplane, she'd be okay. She only had to get through this week, and then he would be gone - out of her life for good. She could forget about him. Okay, maybe not forget about him, but he would be gone. One week, and then everything would return to normal.
"What's it going to be, Elena?"
"I do want to beat you," she said to him.
He smirked, but Elena didn't miss the way some of the tension left his body now that she seemed more willing to play along.
"I think you'll put up a good fight," he said to her, "but you're going down, Gilbert."
"You really believe you'll win, don't you?" she asked him, shaking her head.
"Why wouldn't I?" he said to her confidently. "I always win."
Elena didn't want to believe he was right, but Damon had all the advantages. He didn't seem to fear Von Gruber, or hypnosis. He wasn't struggling with their proximity. He wasn't spending energy worrying about old feelings resurfacing. He would never let attraction get in the way of what he'd come here for. He was so hell bent on reminding her of their bet, and getting the scoop, that if he realized he had once been her fantasy; that she was still attracted to him, he would use it to his advantage. She had to appear just as cold, and as focused as he was, no matter what she felt inside. Easier said than, she thought.
"This time it will be different, Damon," she told him, before turning on her heel and walking back into the building.
* * *
"Stop," Damon said.
Elena came to an immediate halt, and waited for directions.
"Now, there are twelve concrete steps in front of you-"
"Right in front of me?"
"About three feet in front of you."
Elena walked forward a little way, and then lifted her foot, as if to step up.
"Oof," she said when she collided with the hard wall of Damon's chest.
Well, she was going to assume it was Damon's chest because she could feel the outline of some spectacular muscles under the material her hands had suddenly grabbed. She could also feel energy pulsing through her. She could smell his aftershave. She may not be able to see due to the blindfold she was wearing, but her other senses were working well. She removed her hands from him immediately.
"What are you doing, Damon?" she asked.
She tried to keep her voice even, and project calm, but it was difficult. She needed to concentrate on what she was here to do, but she was far too easily distracted by him. The days where she lusted after him, and doodled his name in her journal, were supposed to be over. Keep it together, she told herself. She had to stay. She had to write this story. She had to win.
"Saving you from falling," he said to her.
If she was going to fall over it was because of his bad directions, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want Von Gruber to witness them arguing. This frustrating exercise was Von Gruber's idea for curing communication and trust issues inside a marriage. It was ironic really; working on a trust exercise with Damon. She could never allow herself to trust him, yet here she was, trying to fake it. She had to look like she was learning to trust him, while remembering she couldn't. She needed to show Von Gruber she could be intimate with her husband, while remembering it wasn't real. And if she kept thinking about how confusing all of this was; how dangerous it was, she would go crazy. She took a breath before she answered him.
"You said, take three steps," she said to him.
"No," Damon corrected her, "I said the stairs are three feet away. You still have half a step before you reach them."
"Okay," she said to him.
In the distance she could hear the othercouples bickering. Jules and Brady were easy enough to pick out.
"Woman, you don't listen to me!"
"That's because you're full of hot air!"
"They need marriage counselling," Elena muttered.
"I don't know why you won't hold on to me," Damon said to her.
Watching Elena walk around with a blindfold on, and not being allowed to touch her, or guide her, was far more frustrating than Damon had thought it would be. He hated the fact that she could fall over and hurt herself, but she was so stubborn, she wouldn't use him as a support. She wouldn't touch him. He turned in the direction of Von Gruber, to find him watching them. They were going to have to be very careful not to add any more fuel to Von Gruber's belief they hadn't been intimate.
"We're not supposed to use our hands," she reminded him.
"I'm not allowed to use my hands. You're allowed to use yours."
"I'm fine," she told him. "I can do it."
"Von Gruber already thinks we have intimacy issues, Elena. Do you really want to give him any more reason to believe he's right? Do you want to go into our private therapy session tomorrow and talk about our sex life?"
He watched the part of her face that was visible below the blind fold turn a soft shade of pink.
"No, but I can hear the other couples arguing. If we're too coupl-ee now, Von Gruber will be just as suspicious."
"Fine," Damon said with annoyance. She was right, but she wasn't making it any easier on either of them. "I'm going to move out of your way."
She nodded, and he stood beside her.
"Shuffle forward, until your toe hits the first step, then step up," he directed.
They managed all twelve steps without an incident. He blew out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding onto.
"That was hard," Elena said to him.
She was smiling a little, and Damon thought it was a combination of relief, and a bit of pride. Despite the fact she couldn't see him, he found himself smiling back. He had to admit he was kind of proud too. Watching and directing had not been easy, but she'd actually listened to him, and he'd effectively managed to get her up those steps with nothing more than words. They'd worked together. Ridiculously he felt like they'd achieved something.
"Very good," Von Gruber said to them.
Damon had been so focused on Elena, that he hadn't seen Von Gruber walk over to them.
"Please take your blindfold off, Elena. The two of you are finished here," Von Gruber announced.
As soon as Elena took off her blindfold, she looked at Damon, her eyes wide, and her body poised to run at the drop of a hat. Von Gruber's choice of words had obviously alarmed her, but Damon was sure the therapist was talking about them being finished with the exercise, not the retreat. If Von Gruber noticed Elena's panic he ignored it.
"I witnessed some excellent communication and listening skills right now," Von Gruber said to them. "I have no doubt the two of you will feel like honeymooners again in no time."
"That's…great," Elena said.
"Go home and enjoy dinner together. Your meal should arrive on the dot of seven. This time together is about the build-up now. Enjoy these few days of celibacy. The merest of touches. A kiss. Eating off each other's plates. I want you to seduce each other."
When Elena's gaze locked with his again, her eyes were very wide and very dark. Lust hit him with the force of a truck. He was hard in a second. What was it about her that turned him on so much? She was stunning, but he'd dated stunning women it their rivalry? Was it their history?Was it the fact that she was smart? He'd never been so easily aroused by another woman.
"Our group activity begins at ten, tomorrow morning," Klaus told them. "You will be notified of your individual session time when you get there. Should you need anything, there is a green button next to the door, when you walk in. Pressing it will bring one of my assistants to you."
Elena tried to hand the blindfold back to Von Gruber, but he shook his head.
"It is your turn to guide, Damon," he said to her.
"I thought we were finished here," Damon said.
"You are," Von Gruber replied. "Now you must return to your studio."
"Blindfolded?"
Right now Damon certainly didn't feel like having one of his senses blocked out. Lust was still bouncing around in him, making him feel edgy and slightly irritable. Build-up. Damon didn't need it. He was aroused just at the thought of spending the night with her. And that only made him feel more irritable. He couldn't afford to spook Elena any more than she was already. And he could hardly search for a willing woman to slake his lust while they were here. They were being watched.
Von Gruber smiled at him, the way one might at a child who simply couldn't grasp the concept being discussed by the adults.
"The same rules apply this time round. Elena, would you tie the blindfold over your husband's eyes."
Elena forced her feet forward so that she stood right in front of Damon. When her eyes met his, she noticed they were a far darker blue than she was used to. The dull throb of desire she'd already been feeling low in her belly kicked up a notch, so her body felt as if it was fairly vibrating with need. Her face felt too warm; her lips too dry. She covered his eyes with the blindfold, trying not to let herself be distracted by his mouth so close to hers. She stepped back as soon as she was done.
"I find it very interesting," Von Gruber started, "that you seem so uncomfortable with touching your husband, didn't reach out for him once when you were wearing the blindfold, and just now you hesitated before moving anywhere near him. Yet I can see how much you desire him."
Elena didn't know whether to be more alarmed over the fact that Von Gruber had so accurately assessed her relationship with Damon; or the fact that he had said out loud that she desired her 'husband'. She might not be able to see Damon's eyes, but she could see the tension in his jaw.
"Enjoy dinner," Von Gruber said to them. "I look forward to hearing how the evening goes, tomorrow in my office."
Damon didn't like it; not being able to see what was going on around him. However, that was the least of his concerns right now. Elena was drawing attention to them through her reluctance to touch him. They didn't need Von Gruber becoming suspect, but what worried him more was that Elena would leave if she believed she couldn't do this, or decided it was too hard.
They were going to have to deal with this attraction between them - get things out in the open. They had to use it the lust they felt for each other, and not be afraid of it. That said, even he was a little bewildered by the intensity of it; not to mention its potential to become distracting. Potential? It was already as distracting as hell. Now that Von Gruber had brought it up though, they needed to talk about it. Just as soon as they were alone.
"See you tomorrow, Doc," Damon said.
"Please call me, Klaus. Good luck."
"Elena," Damon said after a moment.
He had no idea where she was right now, and he wanted to hear her speak. He wanted to know where she was.
"I'm here. Start walking in a straight line."
He could still here plenty of noise coming from the people around them. He walked slowly in a straight line just as she had instructed him. Once the noise seemed to fade into the background he stopped.
"We're alone?" he queried.
"Yes."
"Where are you?" he asked, reaching out.
"I'm two steps in front of you."
"Come here," he said to her.
He heard movement, and then he was sure she was standing in front of him. He put his hands out. He didn't know where he'd thought he was going to put them, but he heard her quick intake when they landed on her soft mounds had his body roaring to life again. They fit into his palms perfectly. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about squeezing them, playing with them. He wanted to tease each nipple into a tight little peak with his mouth. He was now rock hard; a fact she would no doubt notice as soon as she stepped away and looked at him. Shit.
"Damon," she hissed, trying to move away from him.
His arms slid to her tiny waist before she could go anywhere.
"Damon."
She sounded completely breathless now. To be honest, he was having some trouble breathing too.
"I wasn't trying to grope you," he said to her. "But we have to deal with this better than we have been."
"Deal with what?"
"The fact that we want each other."
"We're pretending."
"This isn't pretend," he told her roughly, as his arms slipped around her waist, so he could pull her against him.
She gasped as her hips came into contact with his erection.
"I can't help it if you forgot we're acting!"
He pushed up the blindfold with one hand, and was gratified when he saw her cheeks flushed; her eyes black pools of lust.
"You want me," he said roughly.
Elena's heart was beating wildly and she was panicking. What good could come of discussing whether she was attracted to him or not? What good could come of admitting the truth? None. Absolutely none. If he knew, she may as well give him the story on a platter.
"You're delusional!"
Elena realized immediately she'd made a mistake in saying that. His anger was so palpable, she almost felt afraid. She watched his eyes grow hot and cold all at the same time, and his face darken, before he hauled her against him. His lips crashed down upon hers, demanding and unrelenting. This time she refused to give in to the impulse to kiss him back. She struggled against him, pushing against his chest, but he held her there, his mouth assaulting hers. She stopped moving, stopped fighting, in the hope that that might halt him, but the moment she went completely still, his kisses softened, and in spite of herself she found her resolve weakening bit by bit. The next thing she knew she was clinging to him, and moaning as she felt the hard length of him pressing against her; his tongue stroking hers.
She almost sobbed when he pulled away from her.
"Still want to tell me you're acting?" he asked her smugly.
Elena slapped him hard, twice in quick succession. "You're an asshole." She shook her head."I don't know how I ever thought I could do this with you," she said, turning away from him.
"I'm sorry," he said to her, grabbing her arm.
Honestly, Damon didn't know what had gotten into him. She was making him crazy. Kissing her had made him crazy. Elena Gilbert was like quicksand, he decided. The taste of her, the sight of her, the way she felt against him, pulled him in against his will, and the harder he fought it, the worse he felt.
Elena fumed. How could she have forgotten what an ass he could be? He'd kissed her to prove a point!
"I'm frustrated," he told her.
"You're an asshole," she repeated, before she turned around and started walking away.
"You're right," he called after her. "I just couldn't help thinking that we've worked together fine for the past two weeks. I didn't realize it would still be so difficult for you to work with me."
Elena stopped and turned back around despite herself when she heard the disappointment and hurt in his voice.
"Being here is different to being at home, Damon" she told him. "We're working individually now. I need to work with someone I can trust."
"And you don't trust me," he said coolly.
"You said it yourself," she said to him. "You'd sell your grandmother for a good scoop. We have a bet. Our bosses have a bet. You're after the story, and you'd do anything to get it."
"What is it you think I'm going to do?" he asked her.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But after everything that's happened; after what Jules said…"
She had no idea what had happened between him and Jules, Damon thought. She couldn't judge him on that. He had, however, screwed her over twice in the past, and she thought he was going to do it again while they were here. Maybe that was why she was denying the attraction between them.
"Elena, I know I messed things up between us ten years ago, and when I came back to town to work on this story, but I'm not going to do it again. It would really suck if I went back to Chicago with you hating me again. I don't want you to leave, and I don't want you to lose your job. Maybe we could work together while we're here; keep doing what we've been doing up till now," he said to her. "We'll share what we know, and investigate together until we leave."
"You want to work together while we're here?"
"It makes sense to me. With the cameras everywhere, it will make it easier. Besides, I want to beat you fair and square," he said to her with an easy grin. "We go back with the same information, and then it all comes down to the way we write. If we look out for each other, Von Gruber won't get the best of us."
Obviously it would work out best for him if she agreed, Elena thought. She'd stay, thereby allowing him to write his article. She still wanted to leave, but she knew it wasn't really on the table as an option. No matter how uncomfortable she was here, she couldn't afford to leave the retreat without it costing her everything she'd worked so hard towards before Damon came back to town.
She nodded slowly. "Working together would be…beneficial."
He nodded.
They were both silent for a moment before she asked him, "Are you ready to continue?"
Damon looked around for the first time since he'd pushed the blindfold off his eyes. They were standing in the middle of the field they'd walked through earlier with Von Gruber and the rest of the couples. The path looked relatively straight, but he'd still rather give the whole thing a miss. Damon didn't depend on anyone else, ever, and he wasn't real keen on starting now.
"I think we can skip the blindfold routine now," he said to her.
"Uh-uh, it's your turn to do this exercise."
"You're going to walk me off the nearest bridge, aren't you?"
She couldn't help but smile. "I guess you'll have to trust me."
He smiled back at her, before taking the blindfold off his head, and handing it to her. "Put it on for me," he instructed.
"Damon-"
"You're hesitating. Every time you hesitate Von Gruber's going to notice. Elena, you need to get used to being close to me."
Elena supposed she did need to get comfortable being in his personal space. Reluctantly she walked up to him. The moment she was in front of him, however, she knew it was unlikely she would be comfortable near him anytime soon. The electricity between them didn't exactly evoke feelings of easiness. Her heart started to race as she noticed his eyes fixed on her lips; and when he lifted them to meet her gaze, she felt the heat creeping up her neck, and into her face.
"We should be making this work for us, you know," he said huskily. "Being attracted to each other should make things easier. I know I'm not delusional. Even Von Gruber can see what's going on between us."
Damon wanted her to try and trust him, and she was willing to try; but she still wasn't prepared to admit she wanted him. She wasn't going to act on it. Even if the attraction was real, the situation wasn't. They were acting the part of husband and wife because it was a requirement of their jobs. At the end of the week, they would still compete when they wrote for their respective papers, Damon would go back to Chicago, and she would be going to her reunion with Stefan.
"Von Gruber is a fruitcake," she told him.
"You're still going to deny what's so obviously between us?"
"You need to let it go," she said to him.
Damon couldn't let it go. This attraction between them made him feel crazy. He was desperate to know he wasn't the only one affected. Even though he'd seen the proof, he wanted - he needed - to hear her say it. As she put the blindfold over his eyes, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Is this about Stefan?" he asked her. "Do you think telling the truth makes you unfaithful?"
"Are you telling me your ego just can't handle the possibility that I'm just not interested?" she asked him.
"I'm telling you I can't understand why you won't admit to it, unless you think you're protecting Stefan."
"You don't need to understand, Damon," she said to him.
"So you admit there's something?"
"No."
"So it is about Stefan?"
"No."
"Did you tell Stefan we were coming here?" he asked her.
"Yes."
"Did you tell him that you would be acting as my wife, while we're here? That we'd be sharing a bed?"
"That isn't any of your business, Damon."
Elena tied the blindfold around his head, pulling it a bit tighter than necessary to see if she could distract him that way. It didn't work.
"So you didn't tell him."
"We're on a break. It wasn't relevant."
"You're on a break?"
Elena realized too late that she should never have admitted that. Somehow, she felt even more vulnerable after saying it.
"It's not permanent," she told him quickly.
"So this isn't about Stefan?"
Damon wished at that moment he could see her eyes; read her face. She and Stefan were on a break? What did that even mean? Had she made that decision, or had Stefan? He was going to assume it was Elena, since his cousin wanted to move back to Mystic Falls for her. The thought made him scowl.
"I'm not discussing this anymore," she told him.
Damon pushed the blindfold up yet again. He wasn't ready for this conversation to be over, but Elena wasn't going to give him the acknowledgement he so desperately wanted.
"Fine," Damon said to her, as their eyes locked. "But you're the one who's worried about what Von Gruber is going to do if we don't pull this off well enough. You're hesitating, and you act nervous anytime Von Gruber comes near us. You can't afford to do that, Elena. You have to stop freaking out."
"I know."
"If we're working together then I need to know you're not going to leave at any moment. I need to know you're committed, and us acting married, and everything that that entails isn't going to send you running."
She swallowed. "It won't."
"When we get in front of those cameras we can't break character."
Elena reached out and slipped the blindfold back over his eyes. "I know."
Damon felt Elena stepping away from him.
"Are you ready?" she asked him.
He didn't want to be walking around without a clue of what was around him, hoping Elena wouldn't walk him into a wall or something worse. He nodded, and started walking slowly along the path they were on; feeling more than a little irritable that not only was he being forced to do this stupid exercise, but that Elena wanted him to believe he was completely alone in everything he was feeling right now.
* * *
"Caroline and Tyler seem nice," Elena said to Damon over dinner that night.
Damon lifted his wine glass in Elena's direction. "Here's hoping he gets her pregnant while they're here."
"Damon."
"Why don't we have children, again?" he asked her.
Elena lifted her glass before sipping her wine. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc perfectly complemented her roasted chicken. They'd been talking like this throughout their meal; trying to work out more of their back story, as subtly as possible, before their session with Von Gruber tomorrow. While they'd knitted some of it together already, they had more gaps to fill in. That had been highlighted when they'd bumped into Caroline and Tyler on the way home. Caroline had asked where they'd been married, and whether they had children. Elena had answered both questions, but it had been an awkward moment with neither knowing exactly what the other one was going to say.
Elena acknowledged they were heading for a few more awkward moments this evening. She had denied being attracted to him, but she still had to act as if she was. She needed to make sure she didn't hesitate, and that Von Gruber saw she was comfortable with the desire she felt for her husband.
"You're always working," she said to him. "We're too busy."
"Are we going to try at some point?" he asked her.
Just the thought of 'trying' was enough to make her nipples harden, and the walls of her sex flutter with anticipation. She pushed an image of a little boy and girl, both with raven colored hair, and blue eyes, out of her head. Even in this fantasy they were trying to weave for Von Gruber, thoughts like that had no place. She'd never once thought about children with Stefan in the year they'd been together, which just proved how dangerous this situation was. She couldn't afford to confuse fantasy with reality, or believe anything about this was real. If she kept forgetting, she'd soon be as besotted as she was at high school, and most likely as broken hearted too.
"They would be a nice addition someday," she said to him, focusing on her meal.
"When I cut down my hours?"
"When things are more stable between us," she told him.
"Right," he said to here."The reason we're here. To fix our marriage woes."
"That was very nice," Elena said, putting her knife and fork on her plate.
"Ready for dessert?" he asked her, looking at the pudding in front of them.
"I'm kind of full," Elena said.
"What do you want to do now then?"
"I haven't seen Die Hard 4 yet."
Damon couldn't remember the last time he'd watched a movie with a woman on a Saturday night. They were sitting on the small sofa in front of the TV. Elena was sitting so close to him their knees were touching. They had a rug over them to keep them warm, and he had causally laid one arm around her. Well it might look causal, but Damon was feeling anything but casual right now.
As the credits rolled on screen, and he thought about climbing into bed with the woman beside him, he actually felt extremely tense. He didn't really fancy having to go to bed in the state he was in. He was so easily aroused when it came to her, that he didn't know how he was going to sleep in the same bed with her. It didn't make it any easier when she had told him point blank several times she didn't feel what he did.
Damon also didn't know how they were going to handle the camera situation inside the bedroom. Obviously Von Gruber had told them to abstain, but what exactly was he expecting of them? If he wanted the build-up and the seduction between them, he wouldn't exactly be content with seeing them slip into bed on opposite sides, without touching each other at all. How far was Elena going to be comfortable with going? How was he going to control himself?
"Let's go brush our teeth," he said to her, removing his arm from behind her, and standing up.
She looked at him oddly before she followed him into the bathroom. He walked over to where the twin set of basins were, and turned both taps on, before motioning her to join him next to the sinks.
"What's our plan of attack?" he asked her.
She eyed the running water warily. "Our plan of attack?"
"When we get into bed together what do you think Von Gruber is expecting to see?"
"I don't know, Damon. A kiss. Us not sleeping on opposite sides of the bed. I really don't know."
Damon nodded. If he used that as a guide, or some kind of rough plan he might find it easier to reign himself in when they were playing out bedtime.
"I guess we're expected to believe this is the one part of the studio that we're not being recorded in. You'll have to change in here."
Elena didn't want to contemplate the idea Von Gruber had cameras in the bathroom.
"Yep, already thought of that," she told him.
"You change in here. I change out there. We get into bed and…"
"We share a goodnight kiss," she finished.
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long do we kiss for?"
The thought of kissing him again, had her heart beating a crazy rhythm in her ribcage.
"I don't know. Thirty seconds?"
"Fine."
Elena put her toothbrush down on the basin, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She'd brushed her teeth, and her hair. She was dressed in one of the pairs of pjs she'd brought with her; a camisole and shorts set. She would have felt far safer in a potato sack, but Von Gruber and his so-called team of experts might find it odd if she went to bed in one. She couldn't put off getting into bed with Damon any longer.
Ideally, she would have liked to have waited until he was asleep before she stepped out of the bathroom, but he was waiting for her; ready to continue their act. Hopefully it wouldn't show up on the cameras how anxious she felt right now. She'd spent the whole time sitting next to him on the couch, at least partly aroused.
"Elena. Darling. Do I need to come in and get you?"
Damon sat up a little as Elena opened the bathroom door. He'd had an erection just imagining what she might wear to bed tonight, and now that he could actually see what she was wearing, he was throbbing painfully in his black, satin boxers. God, he wanted her. She wasn't wearing a bra under the singlet top she had on, and he could see the full outline of her perfect breasts. She avoided his gaze as she made her way to the bed.
She slid into the bed, and Damon reached over and picked up the remote on the bedside table. Damon pressed the button, and the overhead lights went out.
"Do you think he can see us?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he said to her.
It was the first time all day Damon actually felt a little reluctant to touch her. She laid there as he rolled onto his side, and when he was next to her, she reached out and put a hand around the back of his head, pulling him down to kiss her. Her lips were soft, and pliant underneath his. It was just supposed to be a goodnight kiss, but when her lips parted, and she slowly rubbed her tongue along the length of his, his ability to show restraint flew out the window. As if he had no say over it, one of his hands came up to fondle her breast, his thumb circling the hard little peak. And when he heard her moan of approval, his hand moved down to the tiny gap between her cami and shorts. He stroked the smooth, satin skin of her belly; felt it quiver under his touch.
They should probably be stopping now, Damon thought; but instead their kisses were getting more, and more intense. He was so hard now that he had to shift to give himself more room. Her grip on him tightened as if she didn't want him to go anywhere, and he couldn't resist sliding one hand between her legs to caress her through her shorts. She was going to stop him any second, he thought. But she didn't. Her legs fell open for him, and he could feel her trembling as his index finger ran over her lightly. She was radiating warmth down there. His hand drifted back up to her belly, and this time slid inside her shorts and underwear to explore her further. When he felt how hot and wet - how ready - she was for him, he thought he might explode.
Elena knew she needed to stop this insanity. They were being watched! However, as he began to touch her, she found she lost the ability to communicate with anything other than pleasure filled noises. Between the build-up, and the arousal she'd been experiencing around him all day, the anticipation of the inevitable climax she was heading towards was much stronger than the need to stop. He rubbed circles over her sensitive bundle of nerves, slowly at first, then with increasing speed and pressure, before slowing down again. Her body was shaking in desperate need of release; her skin damp from perspiration as he played with her.
She pulled her mouth away from his. "Damon," she whispered feverishly.
"No. Don't stop," she told him when he paused. "Please don't stop."
Her body was as taut as a string on a violin, as resumed touching her; this time caressing her swollen clit with his thumb as he moved two of his fingers towards her slick entrance.
He kissed her passionately as he pushed them inside of her. Her cry swallowed up by his mouth as he used his fingers to increase her pleasure; pumping them in and out of her as much as her the confines of her shorts would allow. Time seemed to stand still as her body was pushed closer and closer to the edge. When she reached the very top, she sobbed out his name, her orgasm hitting her with such intensity it seemed to go on, and on, and on; her body shaking and trembling. Then he removed his hand from between her legs.
The reality of what she'd done set in so fast it made her feel sick. She practically sped into the bathroom to see if she could empty the contents of her stomach in the toilet, but the nausea passed just as quickly as it had come on. She walked over to one of the basins, turned on the water, and splashed some on her face. When she looked up she was horrified by her reflection. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were too bright. She glared at herself in the mirror.
"How could you let him do that?" she asked her reflection angrily. "How could you do that?"
She'd just spent all day trying to convince him she wasn't attracted to him, only to reveal she'd been lying the first moment they got into bed together. She had no excuse to give him, or to console herself with. If she left the retreat now, he would know it was because of him - not because of Von Gruber. She didn't need Von Gruber to hypnotize her into doing something stupid - into performing for the camera in their room. All she needed was for Damon to touch her, and she was a complete and utter brainless twit. She'd practically begged him to touch her. She'd certainly pleaded with him not to stop.
He'd tried to persuade her earlier today to admit she wanted him. She would never be able to lie to him again. He knew exactly how much he affected her now. How could this ever be good for her?