Holy cow! Just wow, guys… Let me just start off by saying THANK YOU! The amount of positive feedback has been amazing and I am so thankful! To all who favorited and followed, and especially those that reviewed, you're the best! Please continue to let me know what you think! Every word brings a smile to my face!

Secondly, I apologize this chapter took so long for me to get out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will have some time on my hands coming up, so I will do my best to pump out the next chapter. Read on, darlings!


There was a brisk chill in the air as he strolled down the busy street. Even through the cold, there were people running and riding their bikes on the paths in the park across the street. He watched as cars and taxis sped around each other before slamming on their brakes. So far, he liked the atmosphere and promise Chicago held. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he smiled to himself as he walked. The waitress had plagued his mind all night, and he intended to return the favor. Pausing the heavy rock music that was blaring from his phone, he removed his ear buds as he neared his destination. Today would be interesting.

When the prickling at the back of her neck returned, her brows furrowed in confusion. Most vampires in the area didn't have daylight rings, so it was odd that one was there so early. Grabbing the bin of silverware, she walked out of the kitchen and into the nearly empty restaurant, only to be greeted by a familiar arrogant smirk.

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, rolling her eyes when he glanced her way upon hearing her voice. The vampire from the night before finished talking to the hostess before sauntering over.

"You know this guy?" Jerry, her on duty manager, asked after hearing her complaint.

"I met him last night… kind of," she responded. Juliet set the tub of silverware down next to the napkins on the bar's edge before stepping up to meet him. "Are you stalking me now?"

"Patience, darling. I'll get to you in a moment," he began, looking past her. "The men need to have a chat."

Her brows shot up at the dismissive comment. "Excuse me?" she exclaimed, turning to face him as he brushed by her.

He walked up to Jerry and leaned against the bar. "Are you in charge of this one?"

Jerry crossed his arms over his chest, wary of the stranger and the interest in his employee. "That is correct."

"Alright, mate, here's the deal. I'm going to borrow Juliet, and you're going to let me," he said.

After a moment, Juliet watched as her manager blinked, then turned to face her. "You can go with him."

"Oh, for God's sake," she seethed, spinning to walk away.

The vampire flashed in front of her before she could blink. "Come on, Juliet. Humor me," he pleaded, charming smile in place. "You've got permission."

"You can't just go around compelling people," she scolded, annoyed. As an afterthought, she narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you even know when I'd be working?"

Not at all trying to hide his amusement, he shrugged. "A little blonde birdie told me after a little persuading."

Cassie. Juliet knew her coworker would never tell her schedule to a patron, no matter how enamored she was with them. 'Persuading' meant one thing. "You have a problem," she told him.

"Darling, I can assure you I have many. Let's have a seat, shall we?"

She pulled away when he went to guide her to a booth. "I have work to do. You can't just come in here, snap your fingers, and make demands."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

Crossing her arms defiantly, she lifted her chin challengingly. "I can't be compelled, sugar."

The smile he gave her was full of danger as he leaned in inches from her face. "That may be true. But I can rip the hearts out of every person in this building before you'd even think to stop me."

A laugh bubbled out of her before she realized he was being serious. Looking at him incredulously, she whispered, "You're insane."

"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," he replied smugly. He gestured towards the booth and made it a point not to gloat as she sat down grudgingly. He found it absolutely delectable the way she pouted.

"So are you going to tell me who you are? Or should I just go with the names I've come up with in my head? I was thinking Sir Psycho or Mr. Superiority," she said when he sat. Juliet hated that his smirk returned in full force, and she hated it even more that she found it so damn appealing.

Reaching across the table, he scooped her hand into his before bringing it to his lips. "The name's Kol," he introduced, letting his lips brush over her knuckles. The action had the desired effect on her as she grew flustered and had to pull her hand back. He found it a small victory when she didn't threaten him as she had the night before.

To distract herself she looked down to play with her rings, when she noticed the only piece of jewelry that decorated his fingers. His daylight ring was a particular and simple design, with gold surrounding and setting the lapis-lazuli gem. It was a design she had seen only once before and it suddenly changed things dramatically. Slightly bewildered, she looked back up at his face.

"What's your business in Chicago, Kol?" she asked, trying to be casual.

"At the moment, charming you to get into your good graces," he answered.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Unlikely."

Loving her certainty, he leaned back. "Well then, how about we make a deal? If I can't get you to enjoy your time with me at least a little bit, I'll leave you alone. But if you have even the slightest bit of fun, you go out with me."

She scoffed. "Avoid having a good time with a blood thirsty vampire? However will I resist?"

Kol smirked. "So we have a deal, then?"

"Sure," she answered with a shrug.

"Right then," he started, rubbing his hands together. "So, tell me your deepest darkest secret."

Juliet found herself laughing before she could stop herself. Trying to reign in her control, she sobered up and answered him. "Why don't we start with something a little simpler?"

"Fine," he started. "What's this?" He reached across the table to tug on the bright red peek-a-boo streak that was threaded through her honey colored hair.

Her stomach fluttered, and she thought she managed to keep her poker face, but he watched as the blush crept up her neck. She ran her fingers through her hair in slight confusion. "It's called a highlight," she answered, not sure if that was the answer he wanted.

Arms crossed across the table, he kept his eyes on the strip of color. "I like it."

Nodding warily, she wanted to take the attention off of herself. "So where are you from?"

"Around."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, well if you're gonna be vague…" She went to get up but his hand was suddenly on her wrist, much tighter than the night before. When she narrowed her eyes, he quickly released her but continued to give her a hard stare until she sat back down.

"I came over from England a long time ago," he told her. "I've traveled a lot since. What about you, Juliet? Have you always lived in the lovely windy city?"

"Born and raised." She shrugged and trailed random patterns on the surface of the table. "I've always wanted to travel and go places, I just never had a real reason."

"What about a coven?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She scoffed. "Some in the area have tried in the past, but I'm not a fan. If I had family still around it might be different, but it's just me. So I'd feel off about joining any other groups." A smile played at her lips. "I like being on my own anyway. I have more freedom."

Kol grinned. "No coven, no rules, no family. Juliet, darling, you need to go out and live your life. Maybe if you're lucky a devilishly handsome fellow might just show you some things… if you asked nicely."

He was good, she'd give him that. She had to purse her lips to stop the shit eating grin that threatened to crack across her face. "I'll have to pass," she teased.

"Shame." He leaned back in the cushioned booth, eyes alight with amusement. "All I'm saying is life's too short to be tame, love."

At that, she didn't even try to stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. When he gave her a quizzical look, she continued to chuckle. "It's just, that's kind of really funny coming from you."

Enjoying her laughter, he played along. "Darling, I may be a vampire, but I assure you I can still be killed."

"Really?" Leaning forward now, she rested her chin on her palm. She decided to lay her cards out. "And how does one kill an Original?" And let the delighted thrill run through her when his seemingly permanent cocky smirk vanished and was replaced with a look of genuine shock.

"Well, aren't you just full of surprises little witch?" Curious now, he tilted his head to the side to study her. "How do you even know what an Original is? And just what makes you so certain I am one?"

Liking the fact that she had the upper hand currently, she took a moment to observe him. His hair was again perfectly disheveled and, even surprised, his eyes held a mischievous glint to them. She had to admit that he was – as he so modestly put it – devilishly handsome. "A couple of years ago, a man came to me. He needed help with a complicated spell, and through a friend, he found me. He had everything that I needed for the spell and offered me a lot more, but I ultimately helped him for one reason – I liked the guy. He was respectful and unlike most vampires, he wasn't demanding. Threatening sometimes, sure. But never demanding." Her confident smile shifted into an endearing one as she remembered. "The spell took longer than anticipated, and while he grew impatient, he was never mean. We talked as I worked and I got to know him a little bit." Shrugging, she met his eyes now. "His daylight ring was simple, but it was a design I had never seen before or since… until about five minutes ago."

Kol flexed his hand and looked down at his own ring.

"His name was Elijah Mikaelson. And unless you stole his ring off of him, I'm assuming you have the same ring because you're one of his brothers."

After a pause, he clapped slowly, his amusement back. "Well done, darling. I must say I'm impressed."

"Well, I live to please," she joked back, immediately regretting her choice of words.

Instantly his eyes turned dark. "I certainly hope so."

Uh oh. Ignoring the clench that squeezed her gut and sent heat through her system, she cleared her throat. "From what I gathered from Elijah, which wasn't much, you seem to have some family issues. That why you're here, isn't it? Running from them?"

"I don't run," he growled. The sudden harshness in his voice made her flinch.

"Simmer," she said, holding up her hands in surrender. "Was just guessing."

"Well don't," he warned. The smile that crossed his features was menacing. "I'm not Elijah. I'm not as noble or honorable."

She folded her arms over her chest defiantly. "Noted. And so we're clear, the warning goes both ways. I'm not as nice as I look, either."

Kol grinned. "Good to know. Well, now that we have the threats out of the way, I believe that would be the end of your shift," he informed her.

"What?" she exclaimed, looking down at her watch. Sure enough, time had flown by and her shift was now up. Time flies when you're having fun… Not liking that thought, she stood and went to head to the back. Kol was suddenly in her way.

"If I'm not mistaken, you smiled. Several times. I'd count that as enjoying yourself, wouldn't you?" His hand came up to brush her red streak out of her face and it made her freeze.

"Hardly."

He clicked his tongue. "You shouldn't lie, Juliet," he chastised playfully.

Fighting the urge to smile, she rolled her eyes and huffed out an annoyed breath, feeling her lips twitch anyway. "Fine. You win, Kol. Happy?"

"Very much so," he gloated.

"Right. Well, I'll go get my things. Be right back."

She walked back to the kitchen and into the staff room. When she knew she was alone, she leaned against the door and let out a puff of air. "It's one date. You've been on dates before. Just… not with an incredibly hot and dangerous Original vampire." Groaning, she snatched her coat off the hook and shoved her arms in. "It's not high school, man the hell up. You're a grown ass witch." After she grabbed her purse, she took a steadying breath and headed back into the restaurant.

Sure enough, he was by the front door waiting for her. Shoving off the wall, he followed her out when she brushed past him. Once they were outside, she turned to face him. "Alright, here are the terms," she started, folding her arms in front of her to keep the warmth in. The wind blew her scent towards him and made his fists clench as it had the night before. "We're going to a club. Its fun, still a date, but nothing romantic or cutesy or whatever."

"Yes ma'am," he agreed, giving her a mocking salute.

Smirking, she continued. "I'm off tomorrow. You can pick me up at 9."

He stepped closer to her. "Right. Let's get you home then, so I know where you live," he suggested.

"Ha! Uh-uh. I have things to do and you seem like the distracting type." Biting her lip, she thought about her next words and if they were a good idea. Then decided, screw it. "I'll text you my address."

Agreeing, he moved quickly. "Guess you'll be needing my number." Before she even had a chance to reach for her phone, he had plucked it out of her back pocket.

Seeing the familiar phone case in his hands unnerved her and she blinked before deciding it would be best to just not comment. She knew he was just showing off. Rolling her eyes, yet again, she shifted from side to side and waited. Smirking victoriously, he quickly tapped in his phone number and name before hitting "call" so he would have hers. "Are you done?" she questioned, trying to hang on to her annoyed demeanor.

Kol looked up at her with dark mischievous eyes. "I suppose." He took a step closer to her and watched as she grew wary. Slowly he reached behind her to slip her phone back where he took it from.

Her breath hitched at his closeness and at the deliberate way he moved. She knew he was doing this to throw her off, and she seethed because it was working. He smelled of sandalwood and something fresh, and it enveloped her and made it hard to focus. Juliet yelped when he suddenly grabbed a handful of her bottom and pulled her flush against him. Her hands came up to rest on his chest defensively.

Kol leaned in close, loving the way her heart pounded in her chest, and the way her eyes became dark and hooded at his proximity. The desire to explore all of her suddenly overcame him – to feel her beneath him, to watch as her face as he made her come undone, and to hear all of the sounds he could coax out of her. To feel her warmth against him now would have to be enough for the moment, he told himself, showing excellent control.

He wanted to see how far he could push her, so he brought up his free hand up to run through her hair. The light touch coupled with his strong hand on her ass made her forget everything – just completely fried her brain. When he leaned even closer her eyes fluttered closed as she thought he might actually kiss her. Kol brushed his nose against hers, before moving to her ear. He was again hit with the smell of plum and freesia and gripped her bottom just a little tighter – earning himself a small sigh from her.

Smirking, he decided to end his game. "I thought no one touched you without your permission, love."

With a gasp, she snapped out of her daze and felt power surge through her in a rage. But before she could lash out at his laughing pompous ass, he vamped away leaving her fuming and frustrated – in more ways than one. Groaning, she stomped her foot – not giving a damn how childish it was – and turned away to storm to her car. She had to get a lid on this thing before it got out of control. He would not hold any power over her, she wouldn't let him! It hadn't even been twenty four hours yet and she was already swooning at his touch. Steaming, she promised herself she would regain the upper hand by the time he picked her up the next day. Finger tips tingling with magic, she yanked her car door open and got inside.


"So then he says, 'it wasn't my fault, you shouldn't be mad'! Can you believe that?" Cassie exclaimed. When she got no response, she looked up from her muffin to see Juliet staring into her hot chocolate; completely zoned out. Amused, she wanted to see if her friend was paying any attention to her. "And then the elephant wanted to steal my butterflies!"

It took a moment, but the absurdness of Cassie's words hit her and she looked up with a furrowed brow. "What?"

Chuckling, she sat back. "Jeez, Jules. You didn't hear a damn word did you?"

Embarrassed, Juliet shook her head. "I'm so sorry. Just… kind of distracted today."

"Yeah, I can see that. You never space out, especially during yummy boy gossip," she teased. "What's up?"

Juliet chewed her lip a moment before deciding to answer. "The British guy from yesterday came back today."

"What?!" she screeched, leaning forward to lean over the table. Her outburst earned her some disgruntled looks from others in the café, but she couldn't care less. "And this wasn't the first thing you said to me why?!"

"I don't know! It's not that big of a deal."

"Psh! Puh-lease. This is way more interesting that the latest with me and Robbie!" Getting comfortable, she beamed at her friend. "Spill."

"He's a prick," she said simply. "An arrogant son of a bitch who thinks he owns the world."

"Well shit, look at him! He's all kinds of delicious and he can own whatever he wants as far as I'm concerned." At the look Juliet gave her, Cassie smirked and shrugged. "I'm dating someone, I'm not blind."

"Yeah, well he came in, demanded to talk to me, and then we made a deal. That I lost. Now we're going on a date tomorrow night," she said, spitting the last part out as fast as she could.

Cassie stared at her, jaw agape and with wide eyes. "Juliet Summers, it's like I don't even know you! Seriously, how did you NOT tell me this right away!"

"Because he's -"

"Charming, attractive, British? Yes, I know."

"How about insufferable, a stalker, and probably crazy?"

"Honey, you're going to tell me you don't have a little crazy in you?" Juliet's lips twitched, making her friend smile. "Plus, you know he's gorgeous and you know you want in his pants. I applaud you for going as long as you have without getting laid, but it's time to break that streak."

"Jesus, Cass!" She rubbed her temples at her friend's complete lack of tact. "Let's just openly talk about the fact that I haven't had time for any kind of relationship which has led to my current dry spell."

Cassie snorted. "Time has nothing to do with it. You just don't sleep with every guy that shows interest – which is a good thing!" Wiggling her eyebrows, she continued. "But damn if this guy won't scratch your itch. Besides, you already said yes to the date!"

Shaking her head, she reached for her hot chocolate that was cooling and saw her phone light up. "More like forced to say yes to the date."

"Like you're really upset about it," Cass teased as Juliet brought her cup to her lips.

Smiling, she took a sip and unlocked her phone. And started choking on her drink at what she read.

Been thinking of my hands on you, love?

"Jesus Christ," she said between gasps.

"What? What is it?" her friend pried. Juliet continued to stare at her phone as she tried to gather her bearings. "Oh my God, is it him?"

"Uhm, yeah," she answered, snapping out of it. When Cassie demanded to know what he said, she felt her face flush. "Nothing, he was just checking up on our date tomorrow," she lied, fingers doing a dance over the screen as she tried to figure out how to reply.

"I call bullshit. Look at your face!"

Quickly she typed back a response. Oh honey, I forgot all about you.

Biting her lip, she looked back up. "It's nothing. Really!"

Crossing her arms, she tilted her chin. "You are good at many things. Lying is not one of them."

"He's just…" she searched for the right word. "Being vulgar."

"Oh!" she squealed scooting her chair closer. "I love vulgar!"

Juliet laughed and shoved her friend away. "Piss off." Her phone went off again and she snatched it up before Cassie could grab it.

I highly doubt that. The way you felt against me? I know I certainly haven't forgotten.

She pursed her lips as a sigh threatened to escape. This was not good. "So, I gotta go."

"What? No! You can't leave me hanging like this!"

"Oh yes I can. Sorry babe," she said. She stuffed her phone down her shirt so Cassie wouldn't attempt to grab it and shoved her coat on. Taking one last gulp of her hot chocolate, she blew a kiss at her best friend and with a wink, ran out the door. They had gone window shopping when she had gotten off of work, which had successfully taken her mind off of Kol – for the most part. But when they had gone to their favorite café a couple of blocks away from her townhouse, it was hard to keep her mind off of him and the many schemes she was thinking up in order to win their next round. Reaching for her phone, she didn't try to resist the tickle that fluttered in her stomach as she re-read his text.

It won't happen again, she sent back.

As she walked, she ticked off things on her mental list of things to do the next day – at least she tried. But now that he had brought it up, she kept going back to the way he had held her earlier.

Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it. You were nearly trembling. Frustrated at his comment, she began responding. Before she could hit the send button, however, he had sent another text. I can be patient. But when I want something, I get it.

She rounded a corner on autopilot as she furiously typed back. A) I hope you realize what an ass that makes you sound like. And B) what is it you want exactly?

Juliet skipped up the few steps to her door and dug out her keys. Her townhouse wasn't much, but it had character, it was in a safe neighborhood, and it was hers. That was all she could ask for. Sure there were larger units, she thought as she pushed open the door. But her one story home was large enough and had lots of space, so she was happy. And the rent wasn't half bad either.

She felt her phone vibrate as she was trying to yank her shoe off and looked down at his reply.

You.

She nearly lost her balance. Muttering curses under her breath she debated whether she should flirt back or shut him down. The man was driving her crazy! Deciding not to let him know he was getting to her, she responded with – That'll never happen. One date, remember?

After locking her front door, she headed to her bedroom down the front hall. She was going to have a long day tomorrow, and sleep was calling her name. As she started preparing for bed, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him. Yeah, Cassie was right. It had been way longer than she wanted to admit since she had last had sex, and she decided to blame the fact that she even accepted the date on that depressing fact. Glancing down when she got his next text, she tried to tell herself she wasn't interested.

Oh, I beg to differ. By the end of this, I'll have you beggingfor me.

This time, she did whimper – and hated herself for it. She again tried to remind herself that it was just because it had been a long time since she had any action. But some small part of her knew it was him, too. She'd make him pay for teasing her, she told herself that much. Wanting to play it cool, she answered with – We'll see about that. Goodnight, Kol.

Juliet set her phone on her nightstand and went about her business. She never thought a witch like her would ever be caught up in a game like this with a vampire. It would be interesting to see where this went, to say the least. When she finally flicked her light off and climbed into bed, she reached over to set the alarm on her phone and saw she had one last text.

Goodnight, my sweet Juliet.


Okay, so I pinky promise that the good stuff is coming, so bear with me! Very soon! Please review and let me know what you thought. Love you all!