A/N: Hey everyone! Just so you know, this story is going to be a lot shorter than my stories usually are. Therefore, it'll move at a very fast pace.
Thank you to D, Sophie, and Wifey for beta work.
Enjoy!
-Angie
"Thank you," Klaus said uncomfortably as soon as Tatia was out of earshot.
"Of course. Did you make sure everything's organized?"
"Yes. They should send the photos over by Tuesday."
"Good," Caroline said. "We should go. Flashing lights give me a headache."
He pushed down the urge to tell her that he was aware, instead following her out of the building to the car.
"Can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer it," she said as she walked to the driver's side and slipped in.
"I suppose," Klaus said uncomfortably, fastening his seatbelt on the passenger's seat.
"How do you know her?"
Klaus grimaced. "Do you really want to know?"
"Only if you're willing to tell me. You really don't have to."
Klaus nodded slowly. "Well, I assume that you know from Rebekah that I have quite a few siblings?"
Caroline nodded, looking confused as to where this was going (answer: nowhere good).
"All right. Two or so years ago, I met Tatia at a bar, and we hit it off. I asked her for dinner, and we began to date soon after. Just around the same time, my brother Elijah started seeing someone, but was rather secretive about who it was."
Realization was dawning on Caroline's face, and he suppressed a glare as she moved her eyes off of the road for a moment to give him a sympathetic look, opting to look away instead. He hated pity.
"Right. Long story short, we had a family dinner and both promised to bring our girlfriends to meet the family. I'm still not quite sure how she could have possibly missed that we were brothers, or perhaps she was just doing it because she's a vile scheming...Well, regardless, she made up some excuse for me and went with Elijah, which of course meant that she ended up coming to the dinner, and I saw her. It was a large mess, really. He broke up with her, but despite the fact that it wasn't either of our faults, our relationship has really never been the same. I think he fancied himself in love with her, and blames me for screwing it up," Klaus said bitterly, trying to keep his voice professional.
He didn't have any left over feelings for Tatia, but he did resent the way she'd come between him and Elijah. He looked up to see Caroline's lips pressed together. "Well, I'm glad I stepped in then. What a bitch. Oh, um, no offense."
He snorted. "None taken."
She smiled slightly. "And don't tell anyone I swore in the workplace," she said in a conspiratorial whisper.
He laughed and nodded, and made to get out but she laid a hand on his arm to stop him, though she looked a bit surprised at herself and withdrew it quickly. He shot her a questioning look and she smiled slightly.
"I know how it is. Well, not the whole significant-other-dating-your-brother thing. I don't have one of those. I just…" she sighed, pulling off her seatbelt and crossing her legs at the ankles. "When I first came to work for L'Oreal, I was there before I got hired as a marketing director at Bold, my boss was kind of an ass. He asked me out once, and I said no, and he just wouldn't get off my back. It was really awful. I wish that someone had stepped up for me, you know?"
Klaus frowned. "What happened? Surely he was fired?"
Caroline shook her head. "No, it doesn't work like that. I eventually filed a complaint, and nothing happened, so I applied for a job at Bold. Best decision I ever made, obviously."
He gave her a jerky nod, and she smiled slightly at him. He felt her gaze catch his, and he was suddenly very aware of how close they were. She seemed to realize it at the same moment, because she pulled back and grabbed the car handle, giving him an awkward smile. "Right, well. I have a meeting in about fifteen minutes, right?"
"Yes, Miss Forbes."
"I think after that conversation you can call me Caroline."
"All right, Caroline."
She nodded and walked in front of him, and he followed her to the elevators in the parking garage, trying not to stare at the sway of her hips.
XXX
Caroline could feel his eyes on her as they walked into the elevator, but strangely it didn't make her uncomfortable as it had when Damon had done it. She'd somehow become good friends with Stefan through that experience, and when he'd asked her out a few months before, she hadn't even had to think about the question too hard to say yes.
She wasn't getting any younger (even though she knew she shouldn't settle, because she was quite a catch if she did say so herself), and her work schedule was so hectic that it was nice to date someone who didn't mind.
Either way, it had ended badly, and it wasn't that she was after a new relationship (not that she wasn't over Stefan, because she'd been over him about two minutes into their first date, and had really only been hanging on out of sheer force of will), but having someone interested in her felt good.
Especially when it was Klaus.
She'd told Anna that she had no intention of getting into a relationship with Klaus, and she really didn't. Sure, he was incredibly attractive, funny, good at his job, and quite nice to her, but that didn't mean that dating him was a good idea. She often caught herself wishing that he didn't work at Bold, or at least not for her directly, just because she felt a pull to him.
She walked out of the elevator, her heels clicking on the tile floor of the office building, and went to her office to drop off her purse and ready her laptop bag for the meeting.
When she came out of her office, Klaus was already in the chair at the reception desk, the phone held to his ear as he told someone very firmly that no, he was quite sure that she didn't have time that day, and that unless someone had caused a very large catastrophe he had something open on Monday at three.
She began to walk out, but heard him hang up the phone and stopped suddenly, turning to look at him. "Do you mind if I call you by your first name?"
"Not at all," he said, looking rather surprised.
"Do you prefer Nik, Klaus, or Niklaus?" she asked, trying to keep her voice business-like.
"Klaus," he said, giving her a dimpled smile.
"Klaus," she repeated, fighting down a blush at the way his eyes darkened. "Okay. I'll see you in an hour or so."
He nodded and turned back to his computer.
XXX
Caroline's meeting had run over by fifteen minutes (so far), and Klaus was starting to worry that she would be late for her board meeting later. He wasn't about to go in and get her until she was in real danger of being late, but it wasn't looking good.
He set the timer on his phone to remind him to get her if she wasn't back in twenty minutes and was about to turn back to the computer when he saw an email in his inbox flagged as important.
To: Niklaus Mikaelson
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Product design meeting
Come get me out of this meeting, please.
I love your sister, but good lord that girl can talk.
Sincerely,
Caroline Forbes
–
Chief Marketing Officer
Bold Inc.
575 5th Ave.
New York, NY
He was glad he was alone as he was unable to suppress a laugh, and wrote a quick message back.
To: Caroline Forbes
From: Niklaus Mikaelson
Subject: Re: Product design meeting
I'll be there in just a moment.
I'm glad someone does, because she certainly can make it difficult.
- Niklaus Mikaelson
–
Admin - Caroline Forbes (Chief Marketing Officer)
Bold Inc.
575 5th Ave.
New York, NY
He put a fresh pot of coffee in so that it would be near ready when she got back, and a few moments later he knocked on the door to the conference room, and everyone turned to look at him, his sister included (who had apparently been working on her death glare). "Miss Forbes? You're needed in an urgent meeting."
"Of course, Klaus," she said before turning to the rest of the people in the room. "I have to go. I'll expect the proposals on my desk by Tuesday at the latest."
She gathered her folders and sped out the door, and he followed her back to her office.
"Rough meeting?" he asked, pouring coffee into a mug and adding some cream, some carefully measured hot chocolate powder, and a drop of peppermint extract, and stirring it before pressing it into her hands.
She raised an eyebrow. "Is this like, some sort of mad scientist coffee?"
He laughed quietly. "I'm not going to poison you. Just try it."
She gave him a suspicious look and raised the cup to her lips before closing her eyes and moaning softly. "How did you do this?"
He shrugged. "I got one of those disgusting mochas you like and tried to match the taste as closely as I could with that. Now I can make them here."
And he wouldn't have to go to Starbucks.
And it won him some definite points, if the way she was looking at him was anything to go by.
"They're not disgusting," she said almost absently, still studying him. "But thank you."
"Don't thank me. I did it for my own personal convenience."
She laughed. "Either way, thank you."
She took a sip and walked to her office, her skirt hugging her hips, and he averted his eyes, clearing his throat and turning back to his laptop. "Your meeting is in ten minutes. Is there anything you'd like me to do before then?"
Like pushing your skirt up and taking you against the wall?
"No. I don't think so," she said, draining her coffee in a few large gulps and handing it back to him. "Can you make me another one of those to take to the meeting?"
"Of course."
XXX
Caroline grimaced as she drained the last of her mug and got up to walk over to Klaus's desk. It had been two months since he had managed to create the nectar of the gods in her office coffee maker, and she was now absolutely sure that he'd created a monster. His brow was furrowed as his fingers flew across the keyboard, and she realized that he hadn't heard her come in. After waiting a few moments for him to notice her, she cracked.
"I need more coffee."
He started and looked up at her, his lips curling into a smirk. "Why am I not surprised?"
They'd fallen into an easy friendship, and she was starting to really like him (and to really be concerned that her 'like' for him seemed to be turning in a more romantic direction). She just gave him an unimpressed glare and set her coffee mug down before pressing on with her other reason for getting up.
"I want your opinion on something.'
"All right," he said slowly, giving her a reproachful look.
"Wait here," she said, walking back to her office and grabbing the rough prints of the pictures Tatia had taken for the campaign with the mock-up for the ad attached, and brought them back, putting them onto his desk.
"We need three words for a slogan," she said, pointing to the top where there were two stars separating three spaces. "Any ideas?"
He looked at her and back to the picture before his eyes moved back up to her.
"Strong, beautiful, bright," he said quietly.
She blushed, and he gave her a small smirk before pointedly turning back to his computer.
That was the moment when she knew that she liked Klaus Mikaelson.
XXX
To: Bonnie Bennett
Cc: Katherine Pierce
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: CODE RED! ABORT!
BONNIE I HATE YOU THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT
-C
To: Caroline Forbes
Cc: Bonnie Bennett
From: Katherine Pierce
Subject: Re: CODE RED! ABORT!
Do I want to know?
-K
To: Katherine Pierce
Cc: Bonnie Bennett
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Re: Re: CODE RED! ABORT!
OF COURSE YOU DO OR I WOULDN'T HAVE CC'D YOU.
You know how I hired Bekah's brother as a favor? And how her entire family won the genetic lottery?
I think I'm screwed.
-C
To: Caroline Forbes
Cc: Katherine Pierce
From: Bonnie Bennett
Subject: Re[3]: CODE RED! ABORT!
In a good way, I hope?
-B
To: Bonnie Bennett
Cc: Katherine Pierce
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Re[4]: CODE RED! ABORT!
NO
-C
To: Caroline Forbes
Cc: Bonnie Bennett
From: Katherine Pierce
Subject: Re[5]: CODE RED! ABORT!
That sounds like a personal problem.
You should get that checked out.
-K
To: Katherine Pierce
Cc: Caroline Forbes
From: Bonnie Bennett
Subject: Re[6]: CODE RED! ABORT!
It's called a Klaus.
-B
To: Bonnie Bennett
Cc: Katherine Pierce
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Re[7]: CODE RED! ABORT!
Not funny.
-C
To: Caroline Forbes
Cc: Bonnie Bennett
From: Katherine Pierce
Subject: Re[8]: CODE RED! ABORT!
I laughed.
-K
To: Katherine Pierce
Cc: Bonnie Bennett
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Re[9]: CODE RED! ABORT!
You have a shit sense of humor.
-C
To: Caroline Forbes
Cc: Bonnie Bennett
From: Katherine Pierce
Subject: Re[10]: CODE RED! ABORT!
You know what would cheer you up?
-K
To: Katherine Pierce
Cc: Caroline Forbes
From: Bonnie Bennett
Subject: Re[11]: CODE RED! ABORT!
...A Klaus?
-B
To: Bonnie Bennett
Cc: Katherine Pierce
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Re[12]: CODE RED! ABORT!
I hate you both.
-C
To: Caroline Forbes
Cc: Katherine Pierce
From: Bonnie Bennett
Subject: Re[13]: CODE RED! ABORT!
My work here is done.
-B
XXX
"I'm sorry, she has a meeting then," Klaus said to the man on the other end of the line, trying to keep the smugness out of his tone.
The man sighed long-sufferingly. "All right. How about the Friday after next at four?"
Klaus clicked back and forth through the pages of the calendar boredly just to make noise, not even bothering to look at what he was sure would be a blank space. "Sorry, booked then as well."
"She can't possibly be."
"Sorry mate, nothing I can do."
"Fine. Tell her to call me when she has a minute," Stefan grumbled.
"Will do. Thank you for calling," Klaus said, his voice dripping with false sincerity before he hung up.
"Who was that?" Caroline asked, poking her head out of her office.
"Stefan. He wants you to call him as soon as possible."
Caroline snorted. "Of course he does."
"Your Mum called as well. She wants to have lunch on Wednesday. I scheduled her in. Is that all right?"
"Yeah. That's fine, thanks."
He nodded and turned back to the computer, filtering through emails.
He heard Caroline's soft sigh from behind him, and turned to see her walking shoeless towards the coffee maker, her brightly colored toenails wriggling against the carpet.
"Everything all right?"
"Yes. Just tired."
He nodded. "I can imagine."
"There's just been a lot going on," she continued, pouring herself some coffee and measuring out a tablespoon of hot chocolate mix and the exact amount of cream and peppermint he'd showed her before stowing it back in the fridge and drinking from her mug, setting it back down on the desk so that she could wave her hands as she ranted. "I have to finish the last drafts for this campaign, and your sister won't leave me alone about the colors for next season. I love her to death, but she's so intense-please don't tell her I said that."
"Wouldn't dream of it, love," he said without thinking at the term of endearment.
She froze, looking over at him with wide, surprised eyes, and he resisted the urge to wince. "Sorry. I didn't mean–"
He'd always been able to tell that she was an easy blusher, and she was doing quite well at fighting it down from what he could tell. "It's fine. Slip of the tongue," she said, giving him a small smile. "It happens to everyone."
She excused herself to her office without another word, forgetting her coffee mug on his desk, the door closing softly behind her, and he could have sworn he heard her mutter a low fuck.
That was the moment when he knew for sure that Caroline Forbes liked him just as much as he liked her.
XXX
Caroline ran a hand through her hair, distractedly, trying to figure out what to do. He clearly liked her, and she liked him, and this was not supposed to happen.
She knew that he'd be looking for another job soon, and she couldn't date him until he did. She tried to remember the conversations they'd had over the past five months about what he wanted to do, and she couldn't remember.
She bit her lip, trying to come up with a plan.
Regardless of whether they ended up dating or not, he needed to go soon. She valued her beliefs that co-workers should not date, especially if there was a large imbalance of power, and she intended to stick to that.
To: Rebekah Mikaelson
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject Your Brother
Hey Bekah,
Has Klaus ever said what he was hoping to do after he left Bold?
To: Caroline Forbes
From: Rebekah Mikaelson
Subject: Re: Your Brother
We were focusing more on getting him a job to start with before branching out to having a job his little sister didn't have to bribe her friend for.
Baby steps. You know.
To: Rebekah Mikaelson
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject Re: Re: Your Brother
Okay. Say I'm willing to write him a glowing recommendation letter to anywhere he wants.
To: Caroline Forbes
From: Rebekah Mikaelson
Subject: Re[3]: Your Brother
To be honest, I'd probably just try to get him transferred to work with Alaric.
To: Rebekah Mikaelson
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Re[4]: Your Brother
You're a genius. Thanks Bekah
To: Caroline Forbes
From: Rebekah Mikaelson
Subject: Re[5]: Your Brother
I do try.
XXX
To: Camille O'Connell
From: Caroline Forbes
Subject: Job Opening
Camille,
I'd like to get a meeting with Alaric at some point in the next week to talk about a possible transfer for my admin, Klaus Mikaelson, to replace Grayson now that he's retired.
Could you give him a call to set something up?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Caroline Forbes
–
Chief Marketing Officer
Bold Inc.
575 5th Ave.
New York, NY
To: Caroline Forbes
From: Camille O'Connell
Subject: Re: Job Opening
Dear Caroline,
Of course. I'll do that as soon as I can.
Thank you!
-Camille O'Connell
–
Admin - Alaric Saltzman (Chief Financial Officer)
Bold Inc.
575 5th Ave.
New York, NY
Klaus frowned, rereading the email that had just come into Caroline's inbox. Why was she trying to transfer him? Had he offended her? What if he'd been wrong and she didn't like him?
He heard Caroline's office door open, and he realized that she had a meeting in ten minutes he'd forgotten to remind her of.
"Sorry, Miss Forbes," he said stiffly. "I forgot to remind you. You've a meeting in about five minutes."
She seemed a bit taken aback by his formal address, but her face cleared quickly. "I know, Klaus. Thanks."
A/N: Thanks for reading! How are the emails going for everyone? Do we still like them? Is the sexual tension good? Do we like how their relationship is building? How are we feeling about the plot? Any predictions?
Let me know what you think! :)
This story is not super angsty. Don't worry, they'll get their shit together pretty quickly.
Hugs!
-Angie