Author's Note: Hey dolls! Sorry for such a long delay, but I kept getting writer's block and then I eventually just rewrote a bunch of scenes.
I also want to note that I made up fictitious countries and continents. I didn't want my story to target innocent groups for the purposes of writing a story. So please bear with me for the names I've chosen. :)
Chapter 4
Almost on cue, the elevator doors binged and out came Caroline Forbes wearing a very displeased grimace. She swiftly strolled from the elevators to the conference room as if she was wearing tennis shoes, instead of her heels. She and Katherine were one of the few women in D.C. who could run in heels without face planting onto the floor. Most have tried and many have failed.
Caroline pushed the double doors open, ignoring the fact that they were made of glass, and slammed a newspaper hard onto the big conference table set in the middle of the room. The three associates leaned forward to peek at the newspaper. Staring back at them, in black-and-white was a front coverage story on Lorenzo St. John, but most notably was the photo of Lorenzo St. John standing next to Damon Salvatore – better known as St. John's campaign leader.
Stefan frowned at the photo and looked up to meet Caroline's glare, with her arms crossed over her chest. The expression on her face was enough for him to understand what she wanted to say.
"I was planning to tell you –" He started, but she cut him off, holding a hand in the air to stop him.
"When?!" She exclaimed, while throwing her hands in the air in an exaggerated manner. "After the election was over?!"
While Katherine snickered, Stefan sighed. Bonnie wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She'd only started working there earlier that morning. She wasn't familiar with how to handle Caroline's reactions.
"Why are you worried, Caroline? We all know you're much better than Damon and that's coming from his own brother, by blood!" He tried to emphasize the latter part to boost her ego, but he did mean it whole-heartedly. He believed Caroline's success was partly due to her compassion, which is something his brother lacked. It's one of the reasons he and his brother didn't get along, like most brothers should.
Caroline huffed and blew some loose blonde strands out of her face. "It doesn't mean I shouldn't have known!"
"I'm sorry." He said, sincerely.
It took Caroline several seconds to let the steam cool down. When she saw the front cover, she thought her eyes would fall out of its sockets. She despised Damon. She didn't deny his intellect, but she couldn't understand his means to ends. Previously, while they were both working at different law firms, they were often put on cases of the opposing side. Caroline's firm was frequently attained by the plaintiff, while Damon's firm frequently acted on behalf of the defendant. Caroline and Damon went against each other so much the rivalry still continued even after they both left those law firms. Working against Damon's side all those years meant she knew he would play dirty. It was hard for her to believe he and Stefan were brothers. Stefan was much more civil and caring than Damon.
"Next time, if anything comes up that I should know about, you tell me right away. That goes for all of you." She addressed her associates, to which they responded with an obedient nod and a side of Katherine's mocking salute. "What do we have on St. John?" She asked, changing the subject.
Stefan cued up the PowerPoint he'd been working on while Katherine told Bonnie a story.
"Lorenzo St. John." Stefan started the presentation, sharing a recent profile picture of Lorenzo St. John. "Born and raised in Georgia, although he attended preparatory school in England."
"Explaining his accent!" Katherine added.
"He's the only child to a very decorated purple heart awarded sergeant major veteran while his mother was partner at one of the prestigious law firms in the South. His father was of Italian descent, while his mother was that of English."
"That's why he's so devilishly handsome." Katherine piped in again.
Bonnie and Caroline let out a small giggle. Lorenzo St. John was definitely a dapper looking fella. Caroline noticed the way he smiled the same way in all his photos, and it reached his deep brown eyes. It was rare to see many politicians smile the way he had.
"He graduated first in his class from grade school through Harvard Law. I know the guy and he's one of the most intelligent people you will ever meet." Stefan flipped to the next slide. "He's been volunteering since he was in elementary school."
"He's the male version of Mother Teresa!" Katherine exclaimed, earning her a glare from Stefan. Stefan had grown accustomed to her interruptions, but it still annoyed him slightly.
"After graduating from Harvard, he moved back to Georgia to work at a prestigious law firm and was invited to become partner after only three years of working there. He'd won so many cases and retained a long list of clients. The partners had no choice but to offer him partnership. He reluctantly bought into the firm as a partner, but left after only one year to enlist in the military. He served in the armed forces for five years, before quitting to perform missionary work in less developed countries. After helping the less fortunate for two years, he returned to the law firm, only to leave again after one year to finally run for governor of Georgia."
"He's been very successful during his term in Georgia, even winning a second term, unopposed." Katherine said.
"Where's the dirt?" Caroline asked bluntly.
"We've found nothing!" Katherine exclaimed. "Nada. Zilch! The man is clean!"
This wasn't good news. Caroline was hoping they'd find something on Lorenzo St. John. Every politician – or rather, every person – had dirt. It was just a matter of finding it. She thought maybe it would be easy, but she guessed either he really is as clean as he looks or Damon had to really work to cover up anything. She was banking on the latter. She wouldn't put it past Damon to do such a thing. After working in her line of work for years, she learned that politicians with clean closets were as rare as unicorns.
"Look harder." Caroline told them. "How are the polls?"
"President Mikaelson is falling behind." Bonnie answered, while handing Caroline a print out of the latest polls.
The numbers didn't look so good. Lorenzo was leading at 83, while Klaus was falling behind at 17.
Nothing was looking good. Damon was the opposition's campaign leader. Klaus was falling behind in polls. Lorenzo had no surface dirt to expose. Caroline needed a plan and fast.
The following day…
Katherine, Stefan, and Bonnie had just gone through security clearance. They've been patted down, scanned, and searched along with all the other White House procedures. Caroline needed all the help she could get and while the White House was equipped with qualified staff, she still needed her most trust-worthy associates at her side. Katherine kept complaining the whole way about the pantyhose riding her up in the wrong way, while Bonnie had starry-eyes the whole way. She hadn't been in the White House since she was a child and it felt empowering to walk through these halls.
When they entered the large conference room, it looked like a ballroom style set up. There were desks and chairs set up at different areas throughout the room, with photographers at one corner, and a big platform stage front and center. In the middle of it all was Caroline giving instructions to White House staff. When she spotted her associates, she quickly put them to work in separate areas.
Caroline checked her watch and was beginning to worry if Klaus would show up on time. He needed today's prep for tomorrow's Press Meeting.
"Caroline!" Someone shrieked behind her.
She turned and saw Rebekah Mikaelson nearly skipping toward her, with a huge grin plastered on her face. Rebekah pulled her best friend into a tight embrace. The nostalgia kicked in and Caroline felt tears pricking her eyes.
"I've missed you, Bex." She whispered.
It was hard distancing herself from Rebekah. Rebekah was her best friend through college and years after. She tried to remain best friends, but it just hurt too much. Rebekah reminded Caroline too much of Klaus. Thankfully, Rebekah respected Caroline's wishes and never held it against her.
"I've missed you, too, Care."
She pulled apart to hold Caroline at arm's length to check for any visible cuts or bruises, as any mother or overprotective best friend would.
"I'm so glad you decided to come back." Rebekah said, as she dropped her arms to her sides.
"Temporarily." Caroline felt the need to remind her, just like she did with Kol the other day. She couldn't give them a false sense of hope for her return. She wasn't planning on staying longer than required.
"He's been smiling lately," Rebekah confessed.
Caroline felt her cheeks warm and decided to stare at her feet to avoid Rebekah's eyes.
No. She couldn't grant herself even a glimmer of dead hope. There were many other reasons for him to smile.
"Anyway…" Caroline started, feeling the need to change the subject. "I'll need you with the Press group over there." Caroline said, pointing at the group of White House associates off in the right corner of the room.
"Please tell me you haven't paired me with that girl…"
Caroline rolled her eyes; already knowing Rebekah was referring to Katherine. They were both Caroline's best friends, but at different points of time. Caroline needed Rebekah as her best friend through college and law school, but Katherine helped Caroline when she needed it most after leaving the White House. Yet the two ladies could never get along, no matter how much Caroline tried.
"Her name is Katherine." Caroline reminded her. "And no, I haven't paired you with her. I've paired you with my newest associate Bonnie."
Rebekah nodded and gave Caroline one last quick hug before joining her assigned group.
"Presenting..." Kol beckoned everyone's attention as he entered the conference room. "President Klaus Mikaelson!" Kol pointed at the double doors as it opened and in walked Klaus, with Elijah just a step behind him. His usual secret service men stood at attention, leading him in and then marching to their posted positions around the room.
When Caroline lifted her eyes, she was met with Klaus' intense stare. It was like he was a magnet, pulling her toward him. She attempted to will herself to move, but her feet were glued to the floor.
"Caroline." He greeted her, again, with that sing-songy tune.
She wished he'd stop doing that.
"Ms. Forbes." Elijah said, snapping her out of that trance Klaus' voice always puts her in. "I see you've already gotten started."
"There's not a moment we should waste." Caroline replied.
He nodded in agreement.
Caroline felt Klaus eyes on her, but she avoided his look by staring only at Elijah and addressed him, rather than Klaus. It seemed childish, but she couldn't help herself. She had to do everything she could to avoid being trapped under Klaus' spell. She instructed Elijah to have Klaus stand at the podium while Stefan and his panel of White House associates asked him questions. The purpose of this was to prep him with any questions at tomorrow's Press Conference. Klaus obviously can't and won't remember the scripted answers verbatim, but it gave him a general idea of how to respond to the questions.
While Elijah and other staff helped Klaus set up, Caroline busied herself trying to find something in her bag, even though she didn't need anything.
"You can't avoid him forever, darling." Kol drawled, standing next to her.
"I'm not avoiding him. I just need to find something in my bag." She lied.
Kol threw his head back to laugh and decided to walk away to give Caroline a moment. She took a deep breath in before exhaling deeply. It was a habit she had picked up in recent years and it started to stick.
The prep session seemed to be running smoothly for the most part. Each panelist took turns asking questions, even adding follow up questions to some of Klaus' answers. Klaus always needed help in trying to remain calm. Although he liked to deny it, he's fallen into his opponent's traps of getting his hot-head into the mess, forcing him to illicit unrehearsed answers.
She stood behind the panelists, watching Klaus. She'd inject when necessary to correct him in either his answer or his demeanor, which he accepted without argument.
Although they were in a room together, she stood at least twenty feet away, with the panelists in between them. Every time he'd look her way, she'd catch a glimpse of his emerald eyes she used to be very fond of. Her knees got weak when he'd flash that knowing smirk. In an effort to avoid falling victim to his charm, she'd look over the shoulder of a panelist as if she needed to reread the question or she'd busy herself with something on the iPad or just walk away to help the other booths.
Everything seemed fined, until she heard Klaus raise his voice while she was helping Bonnie and Rebekah. She quickly ran over to the stage to figure out what had happened.
"You've got to be out of your mind if you believe I'd say such a thing!" Klaus exclaimed, nearly growling between his gritted teeth.
When Caroline reached his podium, she picked up the script and quickly scanned the question and answer. She sighed as she discovered which answer upset him. She expected him to react this way when she wrote it.
"I will not submit myself to the likes of my opponents." He declared.
"You have no option, but to do so. I don't know if you've been paying attention to the polls lately, but you've fallen behind drastically."
She saw a familiar muscle twitch in his jaw. That same muscle always twitched in his jaw when he was trying to calm himself down. His hands were balled into fists to the point where his knuckles turned white.
If it had been anyone else, Klaus would have yelled at his campaign leader and fired him, whilst black balling him from ever working in politics – or anything else – ever again. But it was Caroline. He's had more than his fair share in yelling at Caroline, but he could never strip her of her career. Even if he tried, he couldn't. She was a darling in D.C. and most of East Coast. Everyone knew her and wanted to be her client if they needed help.
It was the main reason Klaus hired her as his campaign leader. No one else could help him restore the legacy he had built.
"Like it or not, you'll need to listen to what I say. I'm only thinking of what's best for you."
His lips were still pressed into a hard line, trying to bite his tongue from saying something that would make her leave. He needed her.
She sighed as she tried to compose herself. "There's no other way." She said, as she placed the script back on the podium.
It was the sad truth. At first, Klaus was a beloved President. Caroline had America fawning over his platform. Thousands of Americans had high hopes when President Klaus Mikaelson rose to the ranks, but he got bloodthirsty. Midway through his term, Klaus had started a war with Oakmont following the terrorist attacks and threats from Oakmont's President.
At the time Klaus had no option, but to fight. Initially, Americans stood proudly as they waved their soldiers goodbye, but now, this war has gone on far too long. Hundreds of Americans have died since the start of the war and many people blame Klaus for not pulling out of Oakmont.
There've been rumors of his plans to raid Corbourne, the adjacent country of Oakmont. U.S. Intelligence has recently discovered Corbourne and Oakmont are working together to strengthen their forces against the U.S. Unfortunately, many Americans believe it's just a rumor, believing President Klaus Mikaelson is just looking for new blood to continue a pointless war.
"Have this rewritten or I will–"
"Or you will what?" She interrupted him. This time, she stepped up to him getting as close to him as she could, reaching his eyelevel. She felt his hot heavy breaths on her, as he tried to calm himself. She tried to keep up her front, not wanting to easily give in to his plea.
Everyone stopped what they were doing once she raised her voice to challenge him. Caroline was the only person, outside the Mikaelson family, to ever dare challenge Klaus – even before he was President.
Loud gulps, widened eyes, and gaping mouths went around the room. The White House staff were accustomed to the President's anger tantrums. They feared what would happen next.
"Watch yourself, Caroline." He warned, in a low voice.
Of everyone in this room, she would be the one – the only one – brave enough to stand up against him. It was one of things he loved and hated about her.
He let out a deep breath that he'd been holding in an effort to release his rising frustration.
"There's no other option?" He asked, in a more leveled-tone.
She shook her head slowly.
Klaus let out a sigh. "Well, then…" He conceded. "I guess I have no choice. Let's hope for your sake that this question is not asked." He picked up the script and reread the answer. "Let's cue this question again."
Caroline walked off the stage and headed to the back of the room to grab a water bottle at the refreshments table, as the panelist resumed their mock conference.
"I don't know how you do it," Kol said behind her.
She closed the bottled water after taking a refreshing sip. She furrowed her eyebrows at him in confusion.
He pointed over at his brother. "Of all the people in this world, you are one of the few who can tame Niklaus."
She frowned at the use of his words. Not once did she think she was taming Klaus.
"It's a good thing, darling." He continued, trying to reassure her. "In fact, I think it's one of the best reasons to have you as his campaign leader."
"I just hope me being back doesn't hurt his image." She confessed.
Before she accepted, she considered all possibilities that may end up hurting him if she resumed her position as his campaign leaders. Rumors may resurface and destroy their careers.
"That is in the past. So long as it stays in the past, I don't see why it should be a problem today."
"How very Elijah of you to answer." She said, in a mocking tone.
He rolled his eyes at the comment. Elijah and Klaus have been trying to teach Kol to rephrase his answers. It became such a habit, he'd started to use it in normal conversations.
"I'm not one to be blunt about all that emotional rubbish, but I don't want you and Klaus to –"
"It won't happen." She cut him off short, already knowing what he would say.
She excused herself to work with another team, but Kol knew her too well. He caught a glimpse of heartache that crossed her features for a split-second at the attempted mention of her relationship with Klaus. It's been years since then and yet it still hurt her all the same, to this day. He sighed and shook his head, thinking about his brother and his friend.
Such two unfortunate souls – never meant to be together.
Damon glared at Enzo for taking his sweet time talking and taking pictures with his voters. They were originally scheduled to fly to Washington, but were rescheduled to make an appearance in one of the less developed towns in California. Their whole campaign team spent the whole day helping the town replant their vegetable fields and helping out at the local schools.
Damon paid some news crews to broadcast Enzo's charity work. Though Damon saw it as a marketing idea, Enzo truly cared about helping these people. He could care less if it was broadcasted it or not. It wasn't meant to be a show, even though that's how Damon saw it.
"We're on a schedule," Damon reminded Enzo, when they finally got into the tour bus, after nearly dragging Enzo away from the crowd. "We can't afford to be late for tomorrow's conference!" He stressed. "Tell me you rehearsed the prep questions with the Lockwood boy."
Enzo nodded. "Don't worry, Damon. I was the one who re-wrote most of the answers."
Damon's eyes widened in disbelief. "You did what?"
Enzo was about to answer but Damon held his hand up to stop him.
"This isn't some high school debate, Enzo. You can't just answer whichever way you please. You must remain diplomatic in your responses."
Enzo rolled his eyes at his best friend's lecture. He certainly didn't need Damon to lecture him about diplomacy and politics.
"I have it under control, Damon."
Damon decided it wasn't worth the effort to argue with him. He was exhausted after such a long day and he needed his rest as much as Enzo did.
"See any woman you like?" Damon asked, casually.
Enzo smiled at the change of subject, not because he had a woman in mind, but because for the first time in a long time, his best friend was actually having a conversation with him that didn't involve politics. Although he appreciated Damon's enormous amount of help through his campaign, he also missed having fun with Damon as his friend and not his campaign leader.
"Many of them were easy on the eyes." Damon continued.
Enzo chuckled. "It takes much more than a pretty face to catch my eye."
Damon laughed and then launched into a story about some news anchorwoman that flirted with him earlier that day. Enzo listened to him, until they both drifted into sleep.
The day went by quickly and before they knew it, Klaus was already running late for his next meeting. Caroline silently thanked Elijah for nearly dragging Klaus out of the conference room to get him on his way for his next obligation. She wasn't sure she could be in the same room as him any longer. Kol waved a quick goodbye to her before following after his two brothers.
Most of the staff started to pack away and the setup crewmembers were beginning to disassemble the equipment.
"Well, I should get going." Rebekah said, as she pulled Caroline in for an embrace.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Bex."
Rebekah nodded and then walked out the doors, in the same direction as her siblings.
"The President should be ready for tomorrow." Stefan said.
He, Katherine, and Bonnie were making their way towards their boss.
"Thank you guys, so much!" Caroline said, appreciatively.
"You're welcome." Bonnie replied, with a sincere smile, which Caroline returned.
"Have you seen the news?" Katherine asked.
Caroline shook her head.
Katherine prompted the news on her tablet. Tonight's coverage featured Lorenzo St. John's community outreach earlier today. There were videos of him getting on his hands and knees helping the community plant their garden and other videos of him reading and teaching children in the elementary schools.
"I'd hire him to do my garden work." Katherine said, snickering unashamedly as she watched Lorenzo St. John digging holes into the garden to plant some vegetables.
"You don't own a garden, Katherine." Stefan said, with a slight annoyance only Caroline picked up.
She always noticed the way Katherine flirted with Stefan, and the way Stefan would let his jealously boil when Katherine talked about other guys in front of him. They had a fling, many moons ago, but Katherine refused to settle down. Though Stefan tried to hide it, Caroline knew he was heartbroken. Katherine claimed she was still too young to be tied down, but Caroline knew Katherine was too scared to be vulnerable with Stefan. Caroline didn't blame her, for she herself had the same fear.
Caroline was an expert when it came to handling chaos, especially when it involved the press. Remaining calm and composed came naturally to her. However, that's only when the subject of matter had to do with her clients, and not herself.
Today, the focus went to her and the press had high interests in her working with the President, again. The reporters were hungry for information, stampeding toward her and nearly boxing her into a corner. She's dealt with this situation many times before, so her typical response was rehearsed and memorized, it was almost robotic. She smiled confidently for the cameras and emphasized her professional platonic relationship with the President.
Before they had a chance to resurface old rumors, Stefan and Katherine gripped her elbows tightly and escorted her into the building as swiftly as possible, with Bonnie trailing behind.
Once inside, Katherine and Stefan let go of Caroline, allowing her to settle.
"You two go ahead. I'll be right behind shortly." She told them.
Her associates studied her, to confirm that she was in fact well enough for them to leave her alone. She nodded at them and waved them away. As they walked away, she spotted an empty conference room and immediately went over to let herself in.
The room was empty and she was finally alone with her thoughts. Her breaths were returning to a steady pace. The chilling nervousness diminished and she felt the overwhelming anxiety run its course.
When the door opened, she turned around, ready to shoo them away. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now.
"Hello, I'm Enzo."
She's never met him in person until now. The commercials, news, and posters stayed true to his handsome good looks and dashing smile. The wrinkle on her forehead smoothed out and the corners of her lips pulled up a little. She felt embarrassed for reacting like the other girls that have fallen for his smile, but she couldn't help herself. He carried a smile that reflected upon others.
He held out a hand and she reached out to shake it for the sake of being professional and polite.
"It's nice to meet you."
She tried to pull her hand back, but he held onto it. His hands were somewhat rougher than the usual soft hands she's shaken from her rich male clientele.
"I'm gonna need my hand back." She told him as politely as she could muster. She glared at him, but held her smile, trying to remain diplomatic. "I've taken kick boxing classes and I'm not afraid to demonstrate." She warned him. She really wasn't in the mood for this, not now.
He wore an amused grin. "I expect you'll have fun doing so." He played along. "After I let go of your hand, how long will it take for your knuckles to acquaint with my jaw?"
"Who says I need both my hands free to punch you?" She challenged.
He laughed again, this time it was louder, and it filled the empty room chasing away the doubt and anxiety she felt earlier.
"So you don't want to let go?"
She glared at him and immediately pulled away from his loosened grasp. As soon as her hand was free, she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. She squinted her eyes as she studied him, trying to judge his character. He smiled at her and unwarrantedly she felt the warmth it offered. It was a rare genuine smile, considering the fact that hardly any politician wore it, except maybe John F. Kennedy.
"Do girls actually fall for this? This whole 'trying to be charming' thing?"
"Who says I'm trying, Caroline Forbes?" He replied, curling his lips.
She scowled at him. She wanted to call it how she saw it: He was just as arrogant and pompous as the rest of the politicians she's met and Klaus was the King at it. Hell, he reminded her so much of Klaus when they first met. But her gut told her she was wrong and she always trusted that raw gut feeling that drove her decisions. While most politicians carried a haughty tone and entitled attitude, Enzo had a sincere playfulness in his tone. There were no traces of demanding displays of dominance over her. Not to mention the smile he wore was unmistakably radiating warmth that made her feel less anxious and more relaxed. A small laugh escaped her as she shook her head, not believing she was actually falling for this – his looks, his charm. Then it dawned on her.
"I don't remember introducing myself."
He grinned. She really wished he would stop doing that.
"Everyone knows who you are. You are the Caroline Forbes, the fixer." She smiled at the compliment. Her fame was due to her high profile clientele. He stopped to stand only a foot away from her. "And it looks like I'm probably one of the few people who fixed the fixer."
She cocked her head to the right, again, not following.
"You're smiling, now, and I even got a good laugh out of you."
Uncontrollably, she laughed again. Strangely enough, she found herself feeling more relaxed than she had when she came into the room. He was definitely something else, but she wasn't sure what.
Not wanting to shatter the moment between them, he grinned at her and said, "I'll leave you be, Miss Caroline Forbes." He nodded at her slightly, almost imitating a shy bow too royalty.
Right before he slipped out the door, he winked at her, which earned him another smile. Even seconds after he left, her eyes and smile were still fixed on the door.
Katherine noticed Caroline coming toward her with a subtle low pink hue on her cheeks – a sight she hasn't seen in years. She squinted her eyes as she judged her blonde friend's sudden perkiness.
"Oh God! Don't tell me you and the President decided to do a quic-"
Caroline slapped Katherine's arm before letting her finish. "There are people everywhere, Katherine." She reminded her. "Someone might overhear you!" She chided.
"You should be mindful! What if someone seen you two! Stefan and I nearly had to claw you out of the news crew bee nest earlier."
Caroline shook her head. "Katherine, I haven't seen the President at all today."
"Then why were you smiling?" Katherine asked.
Caroline ignored Katherine's curiosity momentarily when Bonnie and Stefan came to give her updates on the President. When they were done, Bonnie told Caroline the President requested to see her in his dressing room.
It didn't take long for her to find his dressing room. It was the only dressing room, down the hall, decorated with tons of security. Standing outside, she spotted one of the President's most trusted secret service guard – Mathew Donovan.
"Hi, Matt." Caroline greeted him, with a smile.
As always, Matt never looked straight at her, but returned a small smile with a slight nod of acknowledgement. It was his duty to be at attention, every second of every day to protect this nation's president. Though, he always appreciated Caroline's greeting. She was the only one to ever greet him. It was nice being acknowledged as a person, rather than an object of defense.
Caroline assumed Klaus told them he expected her, since the other guard opened the doors to allow her to enter. She took a deep breath before proceeding inside. The guard closed the doors when she entered, confining her into a room with him.
There he was – standing in front of his mirror, leaning his hands against the dressing room table. He was dressed in his black suit and tie, with his hair combed back neatly.
"Caroline." He greeted her, as he looked at her through the mirror.
"Mister President." She returned.
He laughed at the title. "We're far past formalities, Caroline." He said, as he turned around to face her.
He gazed at her, like he normally did and she found it hard to avoid his lingering eyes in such a small room. She walked over to one of the tables to the side of the room. She picked up the script she worked on and flipped through the pages, turning her back to him.
"Have you been rehearsing?" She asked.
"Yes." He answered softly, with his lips brushing her ear.
His steps were so quiet. She didn't hear him coming behind her. Suddenly, her body became very aware of his closeness and she froze, afraid that if she'd move even an inch, she'd come into contact with him and knew she'd lose all control if she did.
"Have I mentioned how delightful it's been having you around?" He whispered, in that hoarse voice that she loved listening to in bed.
"Please, Mister President, we shouldn't…"
Her voice faltered when she felt his arm snake around her waist to reach for the script. He purposely, brushed his arm around against her waist, tempting her.
She slowly spun around to meet his face with that smirk she loved and hated. His emerald eyes trapped her in that spell she's tried to run away from, forcing her gaze to lock with his.
He'd forgotten how her beauty managed to take his breath away. He missed admiring her rosy cheeks, contrasting her porcelain complexion and feeling her soft long blonde locks tangled in his fingers.
Mustering the little strength she had, she tore her eyes away from his gaze and stared at her feet.
As she looked down, her hair fell past her face, covering her eyes. Unable to stop himself, he used one hand to lift her chin up to meet his eyes again, while he used the other to tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear. A cold chill ran down her spine when his fingers brushed across her forehead and traced her ear.
In that moment, she felt like there were no walls, no boundaries stopping them from being together. She was in the place she longed to be – in his arms. Their intimacy never acknowledges the rest of the world. He wasn't the President and she wasn't his mistress. None of that mattered. For no matter how much she tried to deny it, she was under his spell and she wondered when she'd break free, though at the same time she wasn't ready to admit it was what she wanted from him. One thing she was sure of was the explicit intimacy she shared with him and only him.
And though he'd never readily admit it, he felt the same for her. He's never felt the way he has for Caroline with any other woman, and yet he could never grant himself the willingness or build the courage to admit such vulnerability to her or the world. He may have fallen victim to cupid's arrow, but he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight and it was the same fight Caroline's been rivaling all this time.
A loud knock on the door was enough to tear the two apart just in time for Elijah and Kol to enter.
Caroline avoided Elijah's disapproving glares, while Klaus cleared his throat and straightened his suit.
"It's time." Elijah told Klaus.
Klaus bid his goodbye to Caroline and followed Elijah out the door. Kol told them he'd follow them shortly after he noticed Caroline's rosy cheeks.
"I thought it wasn't happening." Kol teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
"It's not!" She protested, while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Someone should tell your face that," he continued to tease her like he would Rebekah, referring to her rosy cheeks.
"I have to find my associates." She said, excusing herself.
Caroline and her associates went out the back way at the end of the Press Conference to hide from any news crew. She was grateful that questions about her and Klaus never came up during the conference. It would have only hurt Klaus' popularity more. When the four returned to their office, they all sat in the conference room checking the polls and feedback following the conference.
Lorenzo St. John was as charming on stage as he was on television. Every woman in the room had infatuated stars in their eyes, while the men were not so far from following the Democrat. It was amazing to see how effortless he answered those questions. He didn't need to throw shame toward President Klaus. The audience did it for him. There were still some Republicans fighting for a republican president to stay in office, but Klaus was their least ideal candidate at the moment.
Caroline left the office early to retire for the night, but not before she went to the nearest spirit store to pick up a bottle of bourbon. She was in dire need of a drink, but remembered that she had no bottle at home.
She had to refrain herself from jumping up and down when she picked up the last bottle of bourbon stocked on the shelf for the night.
"Great choice," someone said behind her.
When she turned around, Enzo was standing opposite of her, wearing that charming smile that never seemed to leave his face. She wondered if his cheekbones ever hurt from smiling so much.
"Mr. St. John." She greeted him, trying to hide the bottle of bourbon behind her. She was a little embarrassed to be caught in public buying bourbon, no less! Clearly not a drink for a lady of her status. She usually had them delivered, but her next delivery wasn't until next week and she didn't have an ounce left at home.
"Please, call me Enzo." He said. He noticed her hiding the bourbon and couldn't help but chuckle at her embarrassment.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, curiously.
"I was in need of some bourbon." He confessed.
"Don't you have minions to fetch you a drink?"
He laughed at the nickname. "I don't refer to them as minions. Besides, I needed a walk and some fresh air. It gets stuffy in the office and like I said, I wanted to buy a bottle of bourbon."
She smiled at him teasingly when she remembered she picked up the last bottle. "Well, too bad. It's mine."
"You haven't yet paid, so it still belongs to the store." He replied, with a smile that met his smoldering dark eyes.
"Well, it's in my hands." She said, sticking out her tongue, refusing to forfeit the bourbon.
He laughed at her playful manner. It's been so long since he's interacted with a woman who smiled and laughed, not because of their admiration of his looks, but because they were just playing and having fun.
"As much as I'd enjoy prying your fingers off that bottle, Damon would only lecture me later for acting like a child at the store."
The mention of Damon reminded her of her position against him.
What on earth am I doing? She asked herself in her head. There she was practically flirting with the opposition so casually. The lightness in the air vanished, as she composed herself professionally.
"Goodnight, Mr. St. John."
Enzo stared after her, confused with her sudden change in attitude. He thought they were joking around and maybe even having fun. He started to worry if he had somehow offended her. It wasn't until he was about to walk away when he noticed she had left him the last bottle on the shelf.
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xoxo,
britannia