Chapter 18

Caroline sat at her dressing table and applied her makeup. "What for?" she thought. She had to get out. She was being watched to make sure she wouldn't do anything stupid. Stefan took most of the baby-sitting duty. Damon really didn't care.

She put on a pair of tight black jeans and a black shirt with a very deep v-neck. She layered on a few long gold necklaces. She put on her knee high boots and threw her hair up in a messy, sexy ponytail. She grabbed her purse and walked out the door. There was no need to sneak out. Her mother didn't care anyway. She got in her car and drove away.

About an hour later she pulled into a parking spot down the street of a dive bar. She flipped the visor mirror down and applied a shimmery light pink lipgloss and sighed. She got out of the car and walked up to the door.

A small part of her deep down inside questioned what she was about to do but the rest of her didn't care anymore. With a teeny tiny little compulsion Caroline was let into the bar. It was no shock to her that she turned heads as she walked across the floor. That kind of was the point. Then she saw him. His hair was short and sandy blond. He had striking blue eyes and full lips. He reminded her of him but she pushed the thought from her mind.

She flipped her ponytail slightly and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She smiled sweetly and then looked away. That should do it. She sat on the bar stool and ordered a shot of Patron. The bartender put the glass in front of her and she shot it back. The bitter tequila hit her taste buds and burned a little. She swallowed and sucked in a breath feeling the heat of the tequila warm her throat.

"You're a tequila girl huh?" he said. Caroline smiled smugly and turned to him.

"Yup. What are you drinking hot stuff?" she asked. A lot more confidence then she use to have, or just indifference.

"Beer." he said and she heard his heart beat speed up. She ordered another shot and a beer for him. She shot the tequila back quickly trying to quench the thirst that had suddenly become unbearable. She breathed to steady the urge to lunge at his exposed neck and drain him. In time she thought.

She sat and flirted with him and talked to him. His name was Joseph. He was 22 years old and in his second year of college. He had taken a year and a half off to travel the world. He had been to Germany and Italy and Australia and London and too many more to name. She let him talk about himself. He liked to do it. Even if she tried she would be unable to get a word in. But she knew what would get him where she wanted him. Caroline reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. Joseph stopped talking and looked at her. She lowered her eyelids at him, looking at him seductively.

She licked her lips. Her lips gloss was shining and he wanted to kiss her. She knew he did. His heart was beating faster. She rubbed her hand up his thigh a little more. He came in close to her and kissed her on the lips, sloppy and wet. Nothing to curl your toes over. He leaned back from the kiss and smiled at her. Caroline smiled back, empty. He stood up and and turned back to Caroline. He offered her his hand. She turned her body on the stool and gently placed her hand in his. She stood up and walked past him. She rubbed her body against his. She heard him suck in a breath, the air passing over his lips making a soft whistling sound. Caroline walked in front of him so he can check her out even more. She smirked to herself as she walked out the door. She felt his hand close around her wrist and he pulled her to him. He raised his hand and smoothed the hair out of her face. He kissed her again pressing his lips hard to hers. He held her head awkwardly and stuck his tongue deep into her mouth. Caroline opened her eyes and watched him. The knot began to form in her stomach and her flesh was crawling. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her hard to him. Caroline pressed her hands hard against his chest.

"Hey take it easy ok." She looked up in his eyes and ran her fingers down his chest. Her index finger gently ran circles around the top most button of his Polo shirt. She looked to the vein in his neck pulsing and driving her insane.

"Why don't we head over to your car." she said lowing her voice. She looked up at his lips and figured she might as well kiss him. She stretched her neck and softly pressed her lips to his. She still felt nothing inside. They walked together down the road to his car and he got in the driver's seat and she got in the passengers. As soon as he sat he was all over her. Running his hands hard over her legs and up her thighs then over her breasts. What was she doing?

Caroline had enough of this. She pushed him back on the seat and moved across the center console. She straddled him and sat on his lap facing him. He ran his hands up her back and up to the back of her head. He held her head and moved in to kiss her. Caroline pulled back, he thought she was playing with him. She forced a smile at him and ran her tongue over her teeth. She nuzzled his neck and kissed him. He groaned and pressed his hands hard into her back. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue down his neck feeling his vein pulse under her tongue. The thirst for his blood burring in her throat.

Everything about this made her miss Klaus more and more. They were such a prefect fit for one another. Caroline felt a lump growing in her throat. She pushed the thought of Klaus out her mind again. She was getting good at it at this point. Caroline closed her mouth and rested her lips agains his carotid artery the watering in her mouth maddening. She grabbed at the back of his neck and opened her mouth wide. He was in his glory.

"Oh baby you are so hot." he said before Caroline struck. Her fangs came out and she came down on his neck hard piecing his throat. He let out a loud grunt. Caroline let his blood flow freely out of his open wounds. Her body tightened and as she drank more and more of his life. He tasted a bit like beer but that didn't bother Caroline. She felt his heart rate dropping and stopped drinking, she couldn't kill him. She leaned back and looked in his eyes. She saw sheer panic there. No matter how hard she tried to not feel it was still there. She watched his head loll back and his eyes close.

"Joe. Come on Joe. Open your eyes." After a few minutes his eyes fluttered open. She looked deep into the them and told him "Be calm. You won't remember this. You don't remember what happened to you. You won't remember me. Do you understand. Tell me you understand." She said.

"I understand." he said his voice weak.

Caroline moved off of him and got out of the car. She walked down the block to her car and drove away.