A month of Bliss

chapter 2

Elena agreed to meet Damon at Bree's café on 22nd street. She had never been there before and had always wanted to go.

As promised, he was waiting for her at one of the booths. He looked just as gorgeous as Elena had remembered him an hour ago.

"Hello again Elena," he greeted with a smirk.

Elena said nothing in response. She sat down then a waitress came over to take their order. Elena noticed she eyed up Damon in a very wanton fashion before leaving to get their orders.

"So, Salvatore…am I pronouncing it right?" she asked him.

He laughed. "Yes, I'm Italian on my father's side."

"Ok, Mr. Salvatore, why did you want to ask me out if you don't mind me asking?"

"Please just call me Damon. Mr. Salvatore is my father and I personally don't like the name," he said with a smile.

"Ok, Damon. Why did you ask me out of all the other pretty girls in the bank?"

"You intrigue me," was his simple answer.

"How so? I mean you are an attractive man-"

"So you've noticed," he laughed lightly. "I'm sorry Elena, I don't mean to come off as cocky but it does come out sometimes. I meant to say it was your beautiful brown eyes that caught my attention. And I want to ask you something."

Elena didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask her something? Another date?

"Well, what is it? The suspense is killing me," she smiled a little.

"Well, I help people for a living. Well, if you call it a living, I do it for free but it has its benefits," he began.

"Oh, are you a psychologist or something?" she asked.

"Something like that," he responded with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Well what then?" Elena was beginning to get impatient. He seemed to be taking his time trying to tell her what he did.

"Well I help people, women specifically. It's kind of like a service if you want to call it that. Every month I invite a woman of my choosing to come live with me. The women I choose have problems such as nervousness, skittishness, getting out of an abusive relationship, stuck in their work; the list goes on and on. I help them in any way that I can to help them become better and learn to love themselves again and improve their lives. We talk about her problems or I help them see them then I try to make them better."

Elena was in shock. Totally not the answer she was expecting to hear. Once she got over her initial shock, she became angry. A woman living with a man for only a month screamed one phrase: they only stayed with him because he's good in bed. Well, Elena wasn't fooled for one minute.

"Look Damon, I don't know where you came up with this little story to get me into the sack but I'm not doing it. You can look for your house calls elsewhere!" And just before she was about to leave he gently grabbed her hand.

"Please just hear me out. It's nothing like that at all, I promise," he said calmly. Damn his voice, he had the capacity to pacify a wild tiger. Elena had no choice but to sit down.

"Okay, this service…..what does it involve?" she asked him. She wasn't at all convinced this service was about helping women but about screwing them and getting him laid.

"I'll give you an example then. I once found a woman who was physically and emotionally abused by her boyfriend. She had no self-confidence and was very skittish. She lived with me in January, I helped her build her self-confidence up by talking about it, and helping her realize none of it was her fault. Once I helped her come to terms with it, she became more open and honest with me and I just helped her by staying with her and comforting her. It was a very successful month," he said proudly.

Elena was shocked at his honesty but wasn't fully convinced. She agreed to have lunch with him and hear him out and that alone was risky of her.

"Okay, so what do you want in return?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I tend to be really blunt so I'll just ask: do you want sex in return from these women? Do you sleep with all these women?" she asked somewhat angrily.

"The sex is optional. But yes, if it will help the woman in her treatment," he said it as if he was talking about the weather.

"But don't you think that's….wrong. You're exploiting women for sex!" Elena exclaimed.

"Whoa, I'm not forcing them in any way! I always use protection and during the process of sex I help them become better and more confident. I help them take their pain or their fears of sex away. I show them that not all men are mindless brutes and pigs that will rape them. Then when the month is done, I send them out into the world brand new, more confident, loving women."

"So…..what does all of this have to do with me then?" she finally asked after a brief pause.

"I saw you today at the bank. I have a keen eye for spotting people in a crowd who are lonely, hurt, and vulnerable. I saw you and you are one of those people."

"I am not and how dare you? You think after one chance meeting you know everything about me? Who gave you the right?" she asked furiously.

"Am I wrong?" he questioned back. When Elena didn't give an immediate response, he put his hand over her own.

"Look Elena, it's optional. I was just going to let you know that if you wanted me to help you I'm here. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I was just offering my help. But hear this…I looked into your eyes today and I saw immense pain and suffering. I just want to take that away from you so you can have a happier, more fulfilling life." He spoke so calmly and gently to her that Elena found herself believing every word he said.

He stood up and put a twenty on the table for the coffees they had.

"You still have my number I presume?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then you know where to reach me if you change your mind." And with that last line, he walked away.