Chapter 4

Caroline groaned as she pushed herself up from the bed and slammed her hand down on her alarm clock to stop its annoying ringing. She didn't feel like going in to work that day, but she knew she couldn't call in; one of the downsides of running an event business and having a full list of clients. She quickly called her assistant to see if there was any way she could cover for her for a couple hours so she could pull herself together more and prepare for the day. Getting lucky with the reminder of a few newer hires that could meet with the morning clients she made her way into her kitchen to get something to drink; she'd eat at one of her favorite shops or diners for breakfast. She rummaged through her closet afterwards to see if she could find anything that would cover her whole back and not be seen through; it was difficult but she managed to find one of her older shirts that she usually lounged around in.

Hours later when she felt more refreshed and prepared for her clients she made her way into her work building and went straight to her office. Her coworkers must have known by looking at her that she was not in the mood to put up with people and left her alone for the most part and only approached her if the clients were insisting they speak with her. She went over all of the upcoming events she would be organizing before compiling samples to take home with her for Stefan. She knew she needed to go and scout a few locations that some clients had chosen, but she decided to push that off until the next day since she didn't feel like moving much. She checked her emails to see the different cake and flower displays that had been sent to her, as well as went to the trial room to taste some of the cakes that had been selected so her clients would be able to decide which company they wanted their cakes from. Once everything requiring her immediate attention was finished she shut her office door and leaned back in her chair to focus on the other events in her life.

Caroline made a quick call to one of her friends, Luke to make sure everything was okay and still on track with her group's plans, but there wasn't an answer so she called the only other person that would be able to track him down. Once she was sure that his cousin would be checking on him she called her friend, Enzo, to plan the next group meeting since it was his turn to host. She had a bad feeling about Luke and let Enzo know so he could keep an eye out for him as well. Enzo told her he would get in contact with their friend, Jesse, so he could go to his house and check his regular hang-out areas. Caroline remembered how much she felt like it shouldn't have been Luke's turn to investigate and let himself be taken in, but Luke had insisted he had wanted to be next. She only hoped that they hadn't lost another friend to their cause; too many had been lost already. She didn't want to dwell on it any longer so she packed up everything she needed to take home with her and left the office.

When she arrived home she saw Klaus on the couch watching television, and went on the hunt for her brother and Rebekah. Not finding them anywhere she tossed the samples on the kitchen table and went upstairs to change. When she came back down she immediately grabbed a couple beers and took them to the living room to see if she could find out where the others were from Klaus. She didn't even get to ask before he told her that Rebekah and Stefan had left to go shopping and wouldn't be back until later. Caroline handed him a beer as she nodded and he took it with a quick thanks before he turned his attention back to the television. She could tell he looked uncomfortable being there with her by themselves, so she thought she might give him a few pointers to lift the awkwardness.

"Aurora is a crazy one… did she get clingy with you too?" Caroline asked without taking her eyes off of the television, but she still heard him chuckle at her question; she knew how clingy the girl was.

"So it was you I saw at the club?" He asked in return and she brought her eyes over to look at him with a quick nod before leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "A little warning would have been nice sweetheart… I had to run out of there without all of my clothes on." Klaus continued and she smirked at him.

"She's a regular at the clubs… and most men know to stay away from her already. Besides… I was busy." Caroline spoke and Klaus stood from his seat to go over closer to her.

"I could see that… how about we go try a few different clubs tonight… I need to get my bearings straight in this city and I wouldn't mind someone who knows the places and the people." Klaus asked before he knelt down next to her chair. She looked over at him in speculation before pulling her phone out and asking a couple different of her regulars if they were free. Finding no one available that evening she looked back at him ready to give him a rejection, but then her phone dinged again. She saw her friend Enzo was free and told him to meet them at one of the rocker joints they occasionally visited.

"Looks like you're in luck… me and my friend will help you find a hook-up. If you want to use the additional bedroom at the apartment you can, but you have to clean the sheets before you leave." Caroline offered, and could tell from his surprised face that he hadn't expected that much. "I'll leave a note for Stefan and Rebekah but if it turns into an all-nighter then you'll need to grab a cab in the morning." Caroline finished before she stood and went to change again and leave a note like she had told Klaus. Once she was sure everything was in order they left and went straight towards her apartment; on the way she explained how it would be best to take a cab to get to the club/bar.

Once they were both seated at the bar of the club with their drinks in hand she turned to watch the entrance for Enzo. She told Klaus to start looking around to see if anyone caught his interest, but he said he would wait on one to come to him; she knew that would be a mistake on his part, but she'd let Enzo explain it to him since he didn't seem to want to take her advice. She didn't mind his company, but she was itching to get out on the floor and lose herself in the music; she knew she had to wait though. When Enzo finally showed up she breathed in relief and gave quick introductions between him and Klaus. Enzo went over a few of the most basic rules, mentioning the one she had told him, before he had Klaus gaze around to find what he wanted for the night. While Klaus was looking, she filled Enzo in on Klaus' little run in with Aurora that made him bust out laughing. They quickly stopped when Klaus started giving a direction to look and a description to narrow down his target for the evening.

Looking over in the direction he indicated, they saw he had pointed out a blonde that they both knew; both busting out in laughter again at his choice. Enzo filled him on the blonde; from her being a bartender at another club to the fact that she clung onto everyone thinking she knew them all better than anyone since she was a major in psychology. Klaus didn't pay their warning any mind and Caroline rolled her eyes at his ignorance. She shared a knowing glance with Enzo before they told him a few ways to get her to agree to go back with them. Caroline ordered another round of drinks and told the bartender to have the waitress bring them out when she gave a cue. They started their plan with her and Enzo going to the floor closer to the band on stage to start moving to the music while Klaus approached the blonde, Camille, with a sob story prepared to get her intrigued. While watching Klaus act out his part she told Enzo about Trevor since he had been the one to introduce them with a warning to not send anyone like him towards her again.

Enzo hadn't been thrilled to hear about Trevor and wanted to go track him down, but she kept him there and focused on their current situation. She enjoyed Enzo's company since he never got attached to her beyond friendship, and he was a damn good friend to have; he had helped her more than anyone in her opinion. They had met in grief counseling when he had went to move through his wife's and unborn child's deaths and she had went as part of her agreement with Stefan to get out of being hospitalized. Them and several others still met up to speak from time to time and kept in touch regularly; they needed to if they had any chance against the doctor they all had shared. No one would believe them against Dr. Shane without proof of his wrongdoings, but they hadn't been able to get any. She was still worried about Luke, but Enzo had assured her that he was fine after speaking to him earlier. Enzo distracted her with talk about a woman he had met and she knew it was only a matter of time before it got serious and she wouldn't be hooking up with him in the case.

Enzo and Caroline danced a little longer before they walked over to Klaus and Camille as they had planned. Camille seemed a little shocked to see them with Klaus but Caroline could see that she had taken the bait and would be joining them; she could see the lust in the other woman's eyes directed at Klaus. She smirked as she made eye contact with Enzo and Klaus before extending the invitation to Camille to join them for the evening. Once Camille agreed she gave the cue to the bartender and the waitress brought out the round of drinks she had ordered. Once they had stayed for another hour and knocked several drinks back, Caroline offered for Camille to keep partying with them at her apartment. Once she was sure the other woman wouldn't oppose Klaus for a night of fun they all hailed a cab and rode to her apartment. Caroline could only tolerate Camille talking about her theories of the human mind for so long and once she had given everyone a drink at her apartment she quickly escaped to her "pleasure room" with Enzo; not before showing Klaus where it was okay to fuck for the night.

Enzo hadn't been thrilled to see the damage left behind by Trevor on her back, but he quickly found ways around it; much to Caroline's delight. He stuck to either smacking or using a crop on her ass and upper thighs before teasing her with a few rough thrusts and pulling out. She liked that she could count on Enzo to know what she needed and what she liked but never try to stake a claim on her; it made him the best fuck partner she had. It also kept him around since she could be friends with Enzo and he was just as serious about casual flings as she was. Neither of them payed very much attention to what was happening outside of the room, but she knew Enzo wouldn't be able to stay for very long; just a couple hours. She didn't want him to stay over but she did want to thoroughly enjoy her night since he knew how to give the perfect balanced amount of pain and pleasure. They were in the middle of their last round for the night when they heard a knock on the door. Enzo quickly finished them off and then Caroline felt her wrists untied before she threw a robe around her to see what was going on.

Klaus POV (Backtrack about 30 minutes from the knock)…

Klaus now understood what Enzo and Caroline had warned him about with Camille; she would be difficult to get rid of. After 2 rounds of sex he tried to escape to the shower, but she followed him in there and had no interest in shower sex. Then he went to start changing the sheets like he had agreed to while he tried to block out her nagging voice and ignore the moans and yells coming from the other bedroom where Enzo and Caroline were. When he had the bed remade with clean beddings he was about to stretch out but Camille asked if she could stay the night. He quickly scrambled for an excuse but he didn't have one until he remembered it wasn't his apartment and he couldn't agree for it. He replied that she would have to ask Caroline since it was her place and watched in satisfaction as Camille took on a repulsed face.

Camille had tried to bribe him into asking for her, but he said he would probably be heading back to her other house since that was where his sister and soon-to-be brother in law was; not mentioning his brother in law to be was Caroline's brother. He let her know that either place he chose to crash she would have to ask Caroline to stay the night if that's what she wanted since neither place belonged to him. He thought for a moment she would ask when he saw her start for their room but she faltered when the noises grew from there. She quickly gathered her things and told him to call her as she scribbled her number down for him. He had no intention of ever calling her, but he waited until she had left before he threw her number away. Klaus walked back towards the bedroom he was going to occupy for the night, but he wondered if it wouldn't be better to get a cab back to the house; he didn't know how long they would be at it and he could feel sleep trying to come through.

Making his way back into the bedroom didn't drown the sounds out by much and he wondered how she didn't have noise complaints, but knew he could ask her about it later. He laid in bed for a few minutes before his body grew restless from all of the noise and he went into the bathroom to try to calm it back down. When he felt his release come out he quickly made sure it didn't create a mess before adjusting his boxers again and going back into the bedroom to attempt his pursuit in sleep again. A few more minutes later of tossing and turning with a hard-on coming back he knew it would be impossible so he decided to see how much longer it would be before there would be quiet; Caroline was tempting enough without hearing what she was like in bed. Walking a few feet from the room he was using to the one they were in he knocked on the door loud enough for them to hear over their own sounds. He had to wait another minute as the moans grew louder, and he was about to knock again when he heard a male groan and realized that they finished so one of them could answer.

"And how can I help you?" He heard Caroline ask as his eyes roamed over her appearance; she was breathing heavily while covered in sweat and a robe only from what he could see. He quickly peeled his eyes back up to hers when he remembered he was only wearing boxers and had been fighting an erection since he didn't need her to catch on to it.

"I got Camille to leave… so are you two going to continue for a while or are you almost done?" Klaus asked and watched her roll her eyes.

"He has to go so I guess we're done." Caroline answered and opened the door wider before turning to head back towards the bed. Klaus stood in the doorway and could see Caroline gathering the bedding and putting it into a hamper before putting fresh sheets and a blanket down. He almost went back to put his pants on, but Enzo walked out of the bathroom and started putting his jacket on; effectively killing the boner he was starting to have.

When Enzo started saying goodbye to Caroline, Klaus finally pulled his eyes away and noticed everything on the shelves in the room. He could still hear them talking about his upcoming date and hearing Caroline wish the man luck but his focus stayed on the variety of sex toys and different whipping tools. He had figured she might like it a little rough but not to this extent and wondered if she really used all of the things he could see or if they were there for prop. He barely noticed he had wandered into her room and was taking a closer look until he realized he was the only one there. Looking around the room again he went out to see if he could find Caroline or Enzo again but he only saw Caroline in the kitchen pouring a drink.

"Did Enzo leave?" Klaus asked and she nodded as she looked at him before taking a few sips of her drink and offering him one as well. "You have an interesting room back there… I didn't take you as someone who liked BDSM roles."

"Not really into roles… but techniques are a different story. Have you ever experimented with any of it?"

"Can't say that I have love… but then again I wouldn't know for sure; I have been known to get a little rough from time to time." Klaus answered and saw Caroline nod in return.

"I've found rough to be the best in my opinion. No emotions are needed; just raw, pure fucking." Caroline stated and he found himself taking the drink she offered; their conversation doing nothing for the erection that was coming back.

"I don't see how you don't have any complaints from the neighbors… although it did come in handy with getting Camille to leave."

"Well the apartments are soundproofed so the neighbors don't hear and you're welcome. Although… next time I give you advice for your nightly selection you might want to listen so you don't have to worry about kicking them out."

"Thanks for that. Now I just have to avoid running into her since she left her number but doesn't know mine."

"Well she won't come here to look for you because this isn't your place, but if she does she will quickly learn that you have no intention of calling her when you appear with a new fuck buddy." Caroline said and he felt his nerves settle since he wouldn't have to deal with her on his own. "I need to get a shower so I'm not rushing in the morning. You got everything you need for the night?"

"And here I was hoping we could continue our conversation regarding your room sweetheart." Klaus answered as he put a hand over his chest in mock hurt as she tilted her head with a smirk.

"Camille not live up to your expectations? It sounds like she left you unsatisfied… just as we predicted." Caroline taunted him and he huffed before he let his eyes roam over her barely-covered form again. Her robe had shifted at the top and he could see part of her breasts peeking out, but not nearly as much as he would have liked at the moment. Her position against the counter had her robe riding higher on her thighs with the split being more on the side and barely shut. When his eyes came back up to hers again he didn't let it show that he was a little worried she would be mad at him checking her out. Seeing her smirk still in place he figured she either didn't care or didn't mind that he had been eyeing her. He decided to use her earlier advice and moved around the counter to stand directly in front of her with no barriers.

"And if you're right? Do you intend on rectifying that for me?" Klaus asked and watched as Caroline let her eyes roam over him. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't figure out what she was thinking like he could a lot of other women, but he didn't let it bother him as he moved even closer and daringly put his hands on her hips to lift her to the counter behind her.

"Hmm… let's see… I did warn you and a part of me is telling me to let you suffer since you didn't listen." She began as she let him rest between her thighs and he could feel his bulge press against her. "Yet… another part feels bad because you've not had very much luck here." She continued as she rolled her hips against his and he felt the urge to move fabric and take her there against the counter. "Ultimately… I like to make sure I'm safe and that there are absolutely no attachments. So unless I see clinic results and you give your word that there will be no relationship other than sex… you'll have to settle for other things… or other people."

"What other things?" He found himself asking when she had effectively pushed him back and removed herself from the countertop. She walked past him without answering except to run her nails over the skin above the waistband of his boxers. When he followed behind her she stopped him at her doorway.

"I shouldn't have to explain what other things we could do. Now another question I have is what type of an arrangement you want and how long you want it to be in place? Aside from no attachments I don't want questioned on what I do or what you see… nor do I want anything told to Stefan."

"I can agree to those terms. And I only need something casual while I'm in town… or until one of us grows bored with the other." Klaus replied and watched her nod.

"I'll drop you by the clinic in the morning on my way to work." Caroline said with a nod and Klaus almost reached for her after her dismissal but she shut the door and he heard the shower start up right after. He was a little frustrated that he would have to ease his own frustrations again, but he knew it was her own form of punishment for not listening to her earlier. In a way he felt a little anticipation building in him since he had seen some of the things lining her shelves and he was itching to try a few new things. He'd follow along with her rules, but he didn't know how long it would take to get bored of her; she was definitely different from others he had been with and it was intriguing. He decided to go take care of his little problem and then catch some sleep since it wouldn't be long before Caroline woke him up to drop him off on her way to work.