Do You Trust Me?

Elena, Damon, and Stefan arrived at Midnight Hour, a dance club. All were properly attired in some fun, going-out clothes. Even if Damon's outfit was his trademark black V-neck and dark jeans; it still worked, right?

Damon looked up at the neon lights of the sign. "I thought you said she wasn't a stripper."

Elena rolled her eyes at him. "It's not THAT type of dance club."

Damon replied, "So what, she's a bartender? She didn't really strike me as the hot bartender type."

Stefan smirked at his brother. "Don't try and pretend like you weren't attracted to her."

"I didn't say she wasn't hot," Damon pointed out. "Just that she wasn't the hot bartender type."

They had walked into the club, a loud song already blaring with its beat, and Elena was searching around for Poppy. But Damon spotted her first.

This girl that was walking towards their little group was a complete transformation from what he had seen earlier at her house. Her hair was in loose curls, framing her face perfectly. Her eyes were bold and lined in black; her eyelashes looked impossibly long. As Damon's eyes traveled downwards, he saw a gold locket dangling from her neck, nestling right in her cleavage. She was wearing a sapphire blue dress that fit her like a second skin with a sweetheart neckline that outlined her plump breasts. Her stiletto heels, that seemed to be at least 4 inches high, were the same shade of blue.

As she reached them, Damon called out snarkily, "I don't think your heels are high enough."

Poppy flashed a saccharine sweet smile at him. "Don't worry, they're long enough for me to stab one in your chest if I have to."

Elena tried to play peacemaker. "Alright, guys, I know both of you got off to a bad start, what with Damon being an ass and all, but let's try and have fun tonight!"

Stefan had to ask. "So what is it you do here, exactly.... dressed like that?"

"It's pretty obvious, right? She takes off her barely-there dress." Damon's input was met with glares from Elena and Poppy, and an eye roll from Stefan. Funny, he got these responses a lot.

"This isn't a strip club, Damon," Stefan said for what probably was the hundredth time.

Damon snorted. "Could've fooled me. Looks like a stripper pole right over there."

Poppy sighed. "To answer your question, Stefan, and to completely ignore your pervert brother, I do dance here, but it's not a strip dance. You know in those dance movies where people like make a circle around a dancer or a duet of dancers or something like that? Well, it does happen here. Some clubs hire people to be the dancers in those circles - kind of a way to make it exciting and more popular to come here. I happen to be one of those dancers." Poppy put a hand to her forehead. "But I guess I won't get paid tonight because I can't find my partner and I don't have a solo ready, so."

"There isn't anyone that can take his place? Like a back-up?" Elena questioned, concerned. She knew that Poppy was saving up for a place of her own, and every little bit counted.

"I'm trying to find one of the other dancers, but I can't," Poppy answered.

"I could do it."

All three heads turned to Damon, incredulous at his offer. "What?" he asked, slightly offended. "I've been alive for over 150 years. I think I can follow along to a dance."

"Are you serious?" Poppy asked, latching onto any chance to save her night. "You don't even have to do much; I basically do all the work."

"That's what I like to hear," Damon smirked at his own joke.

Poppy tried not to smile, but dirty humor really just got to her.

"Well, if you're ready?" she questioned. "All I have to do is walk onto the dance floor and the DJ pretty much cues up the music, and there are ringers out in the audience to start making a circle..."

"Ready when you are, milady," Damon teased.

She grabbed his hand and led him out onto the dance floor. The familiar music Poppy had been practicing to filled the air and she turned to grin at him. "I think maybe you're the perfect partner for this song."

Damon wondered at why she said that, but then the lyrics started, and he laughed aloud at her statement.

"Baby, I'm preying on you tonight, hunt you down, eat you alive... Just like animals."

And just as Poppy said, she did most of the work. She whirled and twirled and grinded; she gyrated, shook, and stepped. Their bodies entwined and released, slide side by side... and Poppy remembered why she had started dancing in the first place. It was the strangest thing, but dancing with Damon was like dancing just by herself, almost. They moved in tandem; they had one mind while dancing. Eye contact was strong during the dance, and when it got to the last bit of the song...

"You can't deny the beast inside."

Poppy knew instinctively then that someday, she and Damon would have sex. And it would probably be the best sex of her life.

When the last bits of the song ended and they parted, Poppy couldn't look Damon in the eye. She swiftly walked off the dance floor, barely able to smile at people as they told her how amazing that was. She ran to the bathroom for a few minutes of refuge.