A/N: Okay, so I woke up with this thought in my mind this morning; what would happen if Elena had to marry Damon for some reason? I think I'm dreaming about those two every night at the moment. Anyway, I'm a hopeless romantic and I have hundreds of Mills & Boon on my bookshelf, and I thought I might try and write the Mills & Boon version of Delena. I'm talking about the 1990s Sexy style of Mills & Boon. For this story, let's say Elena is twenty-three years of age, Stefan is twenty-five, and Damon is thirty.

Locked In A Loveless Marriage

Chapter 1

"Miss Gilbert,"

Elena looked up from her chair to look at the pretty blond receptionist.

"Mr Salvatore will see you now."

Elena wiped her damp palms on her skirt and took a deep breath in, before following the secretary to Damon Salvatore's office.

As the secretary opened the double doors, Elena knew it was too late to turn around now. Not that she could turn around. She didn't want to ask Damon for help, but there was nothing else she could do; no-one else she could turn to. Stefan would be mad at her if he knew she had gone to his brother, but Stefan couldn't help her with this. Damon owned the company, and it would have to be Damon that helped her.

"Mr Salvatore," the secretary announced, "Miss Gilbert is here to see you,"

His eyes flicked upwards and rested on Elena's face for a brief moment before he turned his attention back to the papers in front of him. If he was surprised that she was here to see him, he certainly didn't show it.

"Thank you Nicole, that will be all."

Nicole left, closing the doors behind her. Elena stood there in the large room, unsure whether she should take a seat across from him, or wait to be invited to sit down. She waited for a moment, but when he said nothing, she decided to take a seat.

Did he have any idea why she was here? She was trying to be patient now, but she wanted to get this conversation over with. There was something disturbing about Stefan's older brother; something she couldn't quite put her finger on. For some reason he made her feel nervous, unsure of herself.

On more than one occasion she'd had the distinct impression that he did not like her very much. She couldn't recount any incidence where she might have given him a reason to dislike her, but maybe it was just because she was Stefan's girlfriend. She knew there was a history between the two brothers; she just didn't know what that history was.

Sitting this close to him, it was impossible not to notice how handsome he really was. Stefan was handsome, in a conventional sort of way. Damon was more the dark and dangerous type. When Damon Salvatore walked into the room, people stopped and took notice. He had an air of authority that couldn't be denied, and the way he filled out his Armani suit normally had the ladies swooning.

The papers referred to him as, Damon Salvatore – The Billionaire Playboy. He worked hard, but played harder. She'd seen photos of him out on the town with one woman after another. Lately though it had just been one woman – Caroline Forbes; a former beauty pageant winner.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was probably only a matter of minutes, he looked at her.

"Elena, to what do I owe this pleasure? Is Stefan alright?"

"Yes, Stefan is fine. It's...I have a personal favor to ask of you."

Damn it, her hands were growing damp again. He had to help her, surely he would help her.

"A personal favor," he said to her, leaning back in his chair and giving her his undivided attention, "now I am intrigued."

"My family is in some trouble. You might have seen an article in the paper about it." She looked up to see him nodding. Of course he would have heard about it. "It would seem as though we are going to lose everything."

She heard her voice wobble slightly, and shut her eyes tightly to stop any tears from forming. She had already cried enough and here was not the place for her to have another breakdown.

"Does Stefan know you're here?"

"No," Elena told him, "he wouldn't be happy I'm coming to you with this but…,"

"But?"

"He's not in a position to help us. Not like you are."

"What is it you would like me to do?"

Elena swallowed, unable to stop fidgeting with the trim on her skirt. She hated asking him for help. If her father knew she was here he would die, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I thought you might be able to help us with a loan of some kind. I know my father can make up the money we've lost. I know we can get things back on track, we just need the chance to do that."

"Elena, do you have any idea just how much trouble your father's business is in?"

"Yes,"

"Then we're talking about a very large sum of money."

She nodded. She knew it was crazy to ask, but she had no choice. Without Damon's help, her family would be ruined, and not just financially. As it was her father had started his day long binge drinking sessions again; her mother was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and Jeremy was running up gambling debts, trying to win back their money. She was watching her family fall to pieces in front of her and she couldn't allow it. She had to do something.

Stefan wanted to help her, but he hadn't the money or position to offer it to her. She'd met Stefan at a fund raising event a year ago and it had been love at first sight. She was hoping that he might propose to her sometime soon. Maybe Damon would see this as an opportunity to help out his future sister-in-law.

"I wouldn't ask, but there is no-one else."

"So I am your last lifeline then?" he asked her.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Damon, I wouldn't have come to you if there was another option. I know I'm asking you for a lot, but I have to ask. We will pay every cent back, once we get the money back."

"What if you don't get the money back, Elena? What happens if I loan you this money and it makes no difference?"

"Then I'll come up with some other form of payment."

His eyes widened a little, and she reddened. She hadn't meant it to sound like that.

"I mean, there must be some way to repay you, I'll work in your company, be your personal assistant, be your maid. I'll do anything. I promise you that I will find a way to repay the debt."

"We're talking about a huge loan and I don't need a maid, or an assistant or another employee, I already have those."

"There must be something you need."

Again she blushed at the words coming out of her mouth and he smirked.

"No, I get plenty of that," he told her.

She was feeling far too hot. She could only imagine how many women he'd slept with.

"Of course, I didn't mean to insinuate…I just mean there must be something you don't have. Something you want."

Damon stared at the beauty before him, and wondered what she would say if he told her the only thing he wanted was her. He knew she was madly in love with his idiot brother, but she was only going to end up with a broken heart dating him. Stefan was the true playboy of the family and Damon had caught him with his pants down on more than one occasion whilst he was supposedly with Elena.

His brother was a prat. He only put up with him because his father had made Damon promise to look after him. Stefan got himself into trouble and Damon had to get him out of it. His parents had spoiled Stefan and coddled him and now he had Elena too. Stefan got everything he wanted, even Katherine.

Damon inwardly shuddered as he remembered the day he'd found Stefan and Katherine in bed together. He'd just been out ring shopping and had planned on proposing to Katherine that night. Needless to say when he'd found Katherine with her legs wrapped around his brother, he'd decided against it.

That day he'd realized that love was for fools. It wasn't worth it. And as for his brother, well he pretended for the most part that he didn't have one of those. He'd given him a job in the company, he'd get him out of trouble if he needed it, but that was it.

When Damon had first met Elena, he'd been mad with jealousy to begin with. Here was this wonderful, warm and caring woman, and she loved Stefan. He had wanted to warn her off Stefan, but it was her choice and he knew she wouldn't have listened to him anyway. So most of the time he ended up trying to avoid her.

Now she was here and she wanted his help. She was offering him anything. Well he had no need for love, didn't want any part of it; but he did want her. He wanted her in his bed and by his side and he saw his opportunity to take that now. Was it just to get revenge on his brother? No, though that would be a nice little side effect. Elena had passion and beauty; she was caring and nurturing, and lately he'd decided that he wanted a family. He wanted a wife.

He was tired of the constant merry-go-round of dating. He had need for someone to slake his lust and to entertain his investors, and travel with him. He wondered how amenable she would be to the idea.

"There is one thing that I would like," he said to her slowly.

"Anything," she told him, "I'll do anything."

"I wouldn't agree too quickly," he warned her. "You may want to think this over first. I don't believe in love and happy ever after, however, it has been brought to my attention that a…wife could be useful to me. It helps with the business side of things. Often I'm in need of someone to travel with me or to entertain associates."

Elena felt all the air leave her lungs. A wife. He wanted a wife? And did he just say he didn't believe in love?

"Are you serious?" she asked him.

He laughed lightly.

"I can see that I've surprised you. That is my offer, however. Take a day or two, think it over and let me know."

He was talking about marriage so casually, as if it was nothing but a convenience.

"That's the only thing you want?"

He had to be joking. What about Stefan? What would Stefan think? She'd been hoping to marry Stefan one day, not Damon.

"Yep, that's it," he told her.

"But I don't love you," she told him. "Surely you don't believe in marriage without love."

"Love is for people that want to lose themselves in another person, and don't care about losing control over their emotions."

"Is that what you think? That love is for people who are weak?"

"Ah, I didn't use the word weak, you did. But I do believe that love is something that I can do without."

"So if we get married, you're saying that love wouldn't be part of the equation?"

"Correct. I was in love once; it ended badly to say the least. I've no desire to repeat that."

She shook her head. He was just giving up on love so easily. It saddened her to think that he would go through his life not loving someone. Whoever had done this to him was a real piece of work.

"I rarely see you without female company, why don't you ask someone else to marry you. In fact, aren't you seeing Caroline Forbes at the moment?"

"We've been seeing each other, but lately she's wanted more that I'm able to give her."

"You mean like love?" she asked him.

"Yes," he returned quickly.

"What makes you think our marriage would be any different? What if I fall in love with you or you fall in love with me?"

"I'm not going to fall in love with you, Elena, just so we're clear. And you'd do well not to let yourself fall in love with me. We would have an understanding."

"What about Stefan?"

"Ah, Stefan. I would expect you to keep this deal between the two of us."

"As if I'd dream of telling him about your suggestion. He'd be horrified."

"Tell him you had a change of heart and you realize I am the more superior brother."

He smiled at her again. It was obvious he had no regard for his brother's feelings.

"This is ridiculous; insane. I can't just dump Stefan and marry you. What would everyone say?"

Damon waved a hand as if to shoe the matter away.

"I have money; people will say what I tell them to say."

She was torn. On one hand she knew he was her salvation, her family's way out, and on the other she couldn't imagine being married to him, of giving up Stefan.

"I'll even sweeten the deal for you," he said to her now. "If you agree to become my wife, the money won't be a loan; it will be a gift to your parents for the bride I'll be receiving. In return I want an heir, someone to take over from me when I want to retire."

Effectively he would be buying her services. He was likening her to common prostitute. Yet, his offer now would mean the end to her family's trouble. With the money as a gift instead of a loan, her family would be free from financial ruin.

"I would be expected to share your bed then?"

"Naturally. It's a wife's duty to satisfy her husband, and you will satisfy me."

His words took her breath away as she pictured them naked together, tangled in bed sheets.

"How long could I expect this arrangement to last for?"

"I would consider it a permanent arrangement."

"In that case, you will be faithful to me," she told him. "I won't have you out there making a mockery of me by sleeping around."

Her parents would be horrified if she became the joke of the town.

"You don't get to dictate what happens in our marriage, but rest assured I will be discreet should it come to that."

He was openly admitting to her that he intended to have affairs, or keep a mistress, whilst she was expected to stay at home like some dutiful wife that he would never love. The idea made her sick to the pit of her stomach.

Her phone rang, and she looked at the screen. It was her mother. She had told her mother she wouldn't be available this afternoon, so if her mother was calling it must be urgent. She looked at Damon and he motioned for her to pick it up.

"Mom, is everything alright?"

She could barely understand her mother through the sobs coming down the line, but eventually she pieced together what her mother was trying to tell her. Her father had just tried to kill himself with sleeping tablets. He was in hospital, and she should come now; her family needed her.

As she hung up the phone, she noticed she was shaking. Damon was by her side in an instant, asking her if he could get her anything.

"Hospital, I have to get to the hospital."

"Of course, I'll have my driver take you."

A moment later she heard him on the phone, "Nicole, cancel my meetings for the rest of the afternoon. Yes, even the Barroway meeting."

The next thing she knew, he was ushering her out the office door and into the elevator. He kept his hand on her back the whole time. Finally they were in his car, both of them in the back seat as the driver sped them towards the hospital.

This was exactly the type of thing that she had hoped to avoid by coming to Damon. If she married him, her life would be over, but it was a small price to pay for the happiness of the three people she loved most in the world.

She turned to him now to find him watching her.

"I'll do it," she told him quietly, "Whatever you want, I'll do it. Just please save my family."

A/N: Please review if you think you'd like to read more.