I'd spent every waking moment with Elena unless I was hunting. Hell, I even went shopping with her and Caroline for a whole new wardrobe. Most normal men who were straight would've drawn the line at entering Victoria's Secret because that certain secret was one that was best kept as a mystery to the male gender, but I went in there with them. I really wanted to leave there soon after entering, though, because every piece of lingerie or undergarments I looked at were ones I pictured Elena wearing, and thus I learned the hard way that vampires could definitely still get erections.

The other reason is that the many different smells of perfume were getting unbearable to a vampire's nose.

I didn't see what she bought, but I knew it was going to take a lot of self-control if I ever saw her in it.

One particular scent of perfume caught my nose, so while the girls were off doing their thing, I made my way to the counter that made my nostrils want to shrivel up and die. There was a blonde at the register.

"Is there a fragrance that you were specifically looking for?" she asked in a cheery voice, which was no doubt mandated in her job description.

I twisted my mouth into a contemplating smile, "Not really. Like most guys, I don't know how to choose. There may be some kind of ritual that commences beforehand."

She laughed, "Well, we have testers for every bottle here on this silver tray."

"Did you see that brunette with the blonde that went around the corner?" I asked. She nodded, "Well, she's my girlfriend, and we're going to New York City for a bit. I wanted to get her something nice, but I used to live there and know how much stuff costs, so I figured I'd get her something here that she'd like."

"Hmm," she contemplated. "Well, we have three different fragrances that may just fit the occasion. They're Rare Pearls, Tattooed, and one other one." She picked each out as she said them.

She sprayed the first one on her wrist and held it up to my nose, "This one is the Rare Pearls."

I sniffed it and wrinkled my nose, "It's alright, but it smells… I don't even know how to explain it."

"Too serious and sophisticated for the trip you're going on?" she finished.

"Exactly," I said. "I never realized that perfumes could be fit into a description, but yes, that's exactly how it smells. It's not a business trip."

"Alright," she said as she held up the Tattooed bottle and sprayed it on her other wrist, "how about this one?"

She held her other wrist up to my nose, and that one was better, "I really like that one, but it seems too playful. I guess I want something that's sweet and playful, but also…sexy." Yeah, that was the word.

She smiled and handed me the third bottle that wasn't labeled, "This one is perfect then; I promise."

I held the tester up to my nose…

It was perfect!

I nodded, "Yes, this is the one."

"That's a newer one, but also one of my personal favorites," she smiled.

"What's it called?" I asked.

"It's called Vampire, by Body Fantasies."

I laughed, "I'll take this one and the Tattooed one."

Oh, the irony.