Chapter ten
Caroline had been feeling sexy when she had initially put on the dress but now that they were in the backseat of the Bentley alone, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Every time she shifted in her seat, Stefan's eyes would glance over to her before quickly looking away. Levi had been oblivious to the obvious tension in the air car and was too busy playing with Stefan's IPhone.
A slight drizzle began to fall from the gloomy grey skies. She had always been a fan of the rain but the last few weeks there had yet to been a good and proper thunderstorm. A small buzz emitted from her clutch. She open her clutch and proceeded to pull out her phone. Her stomach dropped when she saw the name on the screen. Klaus.
"What's wrong?" Stefan asked stiffly.
Caroline glanced up, Stefan could see the slight flush of her skin disappear and a look of pure terror etched on her face.
"It's Klaus. Have the papers already been delivered?" Caroline asked numbly.
Stefan reached over and grabbed her phone from her hands and answered,
"Can I help you?" Stefan asked through gritted teeth.
"Stefan?! Who the fuck do you think you are?" Klaus spat.
"I'm me of course. And I think you should take this cue right now and hang up. We'll deal with matters the good old fashioned way without the cops involved." Stefan spoke in a matter of fact tone.
Caroline couldn't help but notice that his fists were clenched tight one around her phone the other on his thigh.
"You wouldn't dare, Salvatore?!" Klaus said with a sudden fear in his voice.
"You have no idea what I am capable of. Leave her alone and this time I'm warning you, make contact with her, her son or her mother and I will make sure you rot in hell." Stefan breathed heavily before cutting him off.
Stefan breathed in deeply again trying to get a reign on his anger. Klaus had always evoked that response on him. He proceeded to hand, Caroline her phone.
"Problem solved." He said stiffly before glancing out the window.
Caroline placed her phone back into her clutch. Levi abandoned Stefan's phone and scooted closer to Caroline.
"Are you okay, mommy?" He asked with concern.
It killed Caroline to know that her son knew so much that he sometimes even for a four year old was so adult like.
"I'm fine sweetie." Caroline gently ran her fingers through his tuff of sandy curled hair.
The Bentley sudden came to a stop. Caroline looked out her window and was greeted to the sight of Mike's Kitchen, a five star restaurant that she had always dreamed of eating at when she would drive past it.
Stefan opened his door and walked around the car to her side of the door and opened it for her and Levi. Levi immediately grasped both Stefan and Caroline's hand as they walked towards the gold swooping doors. A matrodier opened the doors for them and they walked into a modern dining suite that looked like something out of a movie. Lush blue and white leather seats and the smell of delicious fumes of divine foods.
Stefan steered them towards the back part of the room where a leggy blonde was seated with two other men beside her on each side. Caroline immediately recognized the one man, it was Damon and the other was also a tall lithe yet athletic build man with dark hair and brown eyes.
"Stefan!" The blonde spotted them and walked up towards them.
"Lexi." Stefan smiled and hugged the blonde.
Caroline stood back awkwardly not sure as what she was supposed to do. But Lexi pulled out of Stefan's embrace and proceed to swoop Caroline into a hug.
"Caroline it's so great to meet you. Stefan has had hearts in his eyes every time he has spoken about you." Lexi pulled away from her bug before leaning down and giving Levi a high five who eagerly returned the gesture.
"Caroline this Alexia Branson. She is my closest friend and runs her own company, Branson Writing in Italy." Stefan placed his hand at the small of Caroline's back.
Caroline could feel herself breaking out into goose bumps.
"It's nice to meet you." Caroline answered politely.
Lexi grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her across to the table.
"Caroline this is my husband, Elijah and that's Damon." Lexi said as Caroline shook both Elijah and Damon's hands.
"We've met before." Damon smirked as he sipped his wine.
Stefan shot Damon a filthy look before pulling a chair out for Caroline. Levi proceeded to sit on Stefan's lap.
"Well thank the pope she had good tastes and didn't choose the seedy Salvatore brother." Lexi quipped.
Damon chuckled.
"Lexi my brother isn't as innocent as he seems."
Stefan ignored his brother's quip and soon the table erupted into life as the conversation flowed. Caroline was surprised to see how open and light hearted Stefan was in Lexi's company. They all made a fuss over Levi, each taking their time to socialize and play with the young boy who was just loving the attention.
"So Caroline, Stefan tells me you're keen to be a writer?" Lexi asked.
Caroline nodded and smiled.
"It's always been my dream to write. It's why I was drawn to the company. Stefan's dad has an amazing branch in Italy." Caroline answered truthfully.
Stefan shifted into his seat and placed his arm around Caroline, which she was sure looked like an affectionate move but she knew better. It was calculated. They needed to look like they were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.
"Well I'm sure Stefan has informed you of his own dreams. He's planning on opening his own photography magazine and school." Elijah smiled as he ordered another round of drinks.
Caroline shifted in her seat uncomfortably, they hadn't discussed what would happen with her career. Caroline had put the pieces together that Lexi was Stefan's friend that would hook her up with something but she wanted to earn stripes. She had always been a fighter for the things she wanted in her life. Since her teenage years she had been over ambitious and a hard worker.
"I wouldn't expect, Stefan to give me a job. I want to start up on my own really. Work my way to the top." Caroline said stiffly.
Stefan gripped her shoulder tightly. He pulled her in close to his body and whispered into her ear,
"Careful, Forbes" He whispered before moving and placing a kiss on the side of her cheek. Caroline flushed feeling the heat of his breath against her skin.
"Caroline doesn't realize how talented she is. You have to see her reports she did back in the day at her high school magazine. It's amazing how she could make something so simple as disputes over cafeteria food sound like she's talking about witnessing something majestic." Stefan stated simply as he reached for his wine.
Caroline glanced sideways at him. He had done his background research on her. She had never mentioned to him that she had written for her high school magazine.
"Do me a favor and email me those Stefan. I can definitely make a plan if it's as good as you say." Lexi smiled.
Caroline stifled a yawn as she walked out Mike's kitchen two hours later. Levi was tucked in Stefan's arm dead to the world in sleeping wonderland. Caroline was exhausted physically and emotionally. Things had been tough that was for sure, she was still working on the whole concept of how her life was going to take a dip and a big one at that.
"Stop thinking so hard. You're giving me a headache." Stefan quipped when they sat seated in the Bentley.
Caroline glanced at him under hooded eyes before looking outside the window.
"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked amused at her reaction.
Caroline turned and sighed deeply.
"It's just I haven't really given much thought to this. How many people we would have to lie to? I don't know if I can keep putting up this front and we haven't even started this properly and I'm already exhausted." Caroline shifted.
Before Caroline could look away Stefan grabbed her chin gently but firmly. Caroline gasped as his green jade eyes sparkled with something primitive and dark.
"You won't and you can't back out of this Forbes. You're in with me now, no turning back."
Caroline was about to argue and tell him she wasn't with him at all. When his lips descended on her.
It was bruising. It was sensual, hard and all consuming. She couldn't control her breathing, it sped up and she could hear his breath hitch as he gripped her closer and pulled her in tight into his embrace. Stefan wasn't entirely sure what he was doing but she had been suffocating him since she put on that figure hugging dress. But he knew he needed to control his urges and he needed to stop this even though he didn't want to.
Stefan pulled away slowly, separating their lips as they peeled away slowly from one another.
"Are you exhausted now?" Stefan asked as he pulled away before removing himself away from her.