Stefan didn't let me go until we were safely in the apartment. He went straight to his room, loosening his tie as he went, to change out of his mini monkey suit. I didn't know what to do so I just plopped on the couch and waited for him to come back out. He was pretty irritated, probably for a number of reasons, so I didn't bother asking about his blonde companion right away. When he came back out dressed in sweats and a gray wife-beater he sank into the couch next to me with a heavy sigh. I don't think he was looking forward to this talk very much.

Our mother and father had always had very lax, almost nonexistent, parenting techniques. I doubt he even knew where to begin. Would he begin with explaining who his friend was before he asked about mine? That is, who he assumed was my friend. Would he begin with asking about who Klaus was, or rather who he was to me specifically? Would he ignore it and let tonight go? Would he reprimand me for not telling him about Klaus or blame me for having to leave early? Although, really, that would be so far out of bounds because technically it was Klaus' fault.

"Do I even want to know?" he looked at me tiredly. That was refreshing. I'd honestly believed he'd try to pull a parent act on me. I should've known better. We were like best friends, not just siblings. We always told each other everything. But I didn't know how he'd react if I told him Klaus was a total dick who didn't take no for an answer, know the meaning of boundaries, and was possibly completely insane.

"He's in a few of my classes. Just a hopeless flirt who's relentless in his pursuit of my attention." That was a nice way to put it. "He's a player. I've been biding my time until someone else catches his eye but I think he gets off on annoying me. Who was that pretty little thing at the table?"

"That was just a girl I've worked with a few times. She's pretty nice." Stefan shrugged and didn't say anything else. He began channel flipping like there was no tomorrow. He was definitely avoiding having this conversation with me. He didn't even like tv. He much preferred curling up with a good book, or writing in one.

"And pretty cute," duh, she was a model. "You gonna ask her out?"

"After that display? No, thank you. Besides it'd be best to keep things professional. Who knows the next time we'll work together. I don't like on set tension."

I let the subject drop. He'd find any excuse to any female to not start dating again. Too brash, too timid, too tall, too short, too blonde, too brunette, professionalism, unprofessionalism, literally anything was fair game in his list of reasons to reject advances. But that was fine. One day he was going to meet a girl so amazing, so perfect for him that he'd have no choice but to give her a shot and he'll have moved on from whatever's holding him back without even noticing.

—

The next day I was lounging on the couch upside down with a huge bowl of popcorn resting on my tummy and watching Grease when Lexi texted me. I'd been right in my initial judgement of her. She was really nice, pretty cool, and a genuinely good person who just happened to like to have a good time too. She was like my twin, but with a control filter. That is, she never got too out of control like I tended to do sometimes, if pushed. I read over her text a few times. Apparently there was a house party and she wanted to know if I wanted to go.

I thought about it for a while. Last nights soiree was meant to help me decompress, let loose like the teenager I was. It was safe to say that that had been a total bust. I deserved a second chance right? Yes, yes I did. I've been behaving so well lately I deserved a treat. I texted her back saying I'd go and asked if Bonnie was coming too. Apparently she wasn't because of some prior engagement. That was okay. Sure, I was closer to Bonnie but that was mostly because we spent more time together. Lexi and I shared no classes and hardly saw one another outside of break period when we all ate. She texted me where to meet her and told me I should dress lightweight. I paid her warning no mind. I knew how stuffy these things could get, depending on the amount of people and how much I drank. Jeans and a lacy crop top would suit me fine.

When I was all ready I met Lexi by a string of little restaurants and greeted her with a smile. She knew what was up. I guessed she'd asked me to meet her here so that we could eat first, then go drink ourselves dumb. To drink on an empty stomach was to have a death wish.

Eventually we did get to the party and I was almost instantly overwhelmed. I'd almost forgotten what this kind of fun looked like. I took a second to breathe it all in, letting the atmosphere soak my pores before Lexi dragged me off to the thickest part of the crowd. An hour and several shots later, some conventional—some body, I'd lost Lexi to the bathroom line, sat myself on a random couch to rest, and I'd tied up my hair into a loose ponytail. I really needed the short break until Lexi came back. My heels were starting to hurt, I knew my thighs and calves would be remarkably sore tomorrow but I couldn't bring myself to care too much about that. I was having a genuinely good time. But of course that meant something had to ruin it. My phone shattered through my aura of bliss with its constant vibrating.

I glared at it. The stupid thing was currently displaying Stefan's text wondering where I was. He'd called twice and sent two messages before that asking me if I was okay and when he should come get me, like I couldn't get home on my own. And why was he even stressing? Did I have some unspoken curfew? Well, fuck that curfew. He was probably just reliving NY. I wasn't that girl anymore, I learned my lesson the hard way. I didn't want to go home right now or any time in the near future. It was only 12. I didn't want to reign it in away from the ledge, I wanted to let loose. In fact, I had the strong urge to just stay with Lexi tonight. She'd offered to get her DD to take me home or crash with her earlier, I should accept.

Stefan would just force me to reel it all back in, but I was still in total control. Okay, maybe only like half in control. Those shots had really done a number on me. It would seem that my limit was apparently meant to stay at 3 shots of vodka, 2 shots of tequila, and a four loko. I shoved my phone back in my jeans pocket and shoved my way through the throng of writhing bodies to the kitchen. Water, I needed water to simmer down from tipsy to buzzed.

I'd already downed my second bottle of water, I didn't trust the huge pitchers of water on the counter, and moved back to the living room when I felt arms encircle my waist. I whipped around instantly bringing my knee up only to be met with Klaus doubling over from where my knee connected with his groin. He sank into the nearest couch with a loud groan. I didn't necessarily regret it but I did feel kinda bad. He shouldn't have snuck up on me like that. I was technically alone at a party in a place wholly foreign to me, it wasn't my fault that my first reaction to some random person touching me would be defensive. I shove a skinny brunette away from loitering by the fridge and gather some ice and bring it back to him. He takes it gratefully.

"Hello to you too, Caroline."

"Sorry about that. Sort of." I shrugged as he sat up a little straighter to sink into the couch stiffly. I took the seat beside him. "What're you doing here, Mikaelson? First the file thing, then last night, and now here? You're seriously stalking me."

"Au contraire, love, it would appear that you're the stalker. I live here." His voice was more relaxed and slightly less pinched than it had been. The pain must be dissipating. I scoff to myself. It'd be just my luck that this would be his house. This whole week had just been one unfortunate stream of coincidences.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" the bitterness practically oozes from my words. "Do you normally have ragers like this?"

"When I feel like it." Klaus shrugged and set the ice on his crotch aside. I was kinda hoping there'd be a wet spot there but no such luck.

I'd started to make a list in my head, the pros and cons of Klaus. So far the list was considerably dead locked. But the fact that he threw parties like this was another tick in the cons list. My parents had sent me here for a number of reasons, the thing with Damon and subsequent wild antics being the main one. It was a major con that Klaus did stuff like this. While I was perfectly fine letting loose enough tonight to cross a few of my newfound boundaries I couldn't be around someone who did this wild stuff regularly. I may have extraordinary resilience but the temptation was too strong. Literally every time he was near me I felt the ever present threat of my former recklessness resurfacing. I didn't like that one bit. Who the hell was he to be able to do that anyway?

While I was distracted by my inner debate Klaus had wound his arms around me again and managed to pull me into his lap. I put my thoughts on pause and jabbed him in the chest. What was he doing? He was touchy, but not this touchy. Why was he holding me? He smelled really good. You'd expect him to smell like booze or illicit drugs but no, he just smelled like vanilla and soap. It was nice. But no, it wasn't nice he had to let go of me now. My jab had done little to deter him from holding on tight and he was even trying to hold a conversation with me I think. I thrashed around for a few seconds, trying to squirm out of his grip. Eventually I got tired of that and just went slack to lean against his chest. There was plenty of space on the sofa. I wanted to sit on the sofa. I felt his fingers brush the side of my neck gently.

"I don't think I've ever seen your hair up. It looks nice." I rolled my eyes.

More empty flattery was going to get him nowhere. Anyway there was a reason I didn't put my hair up often. It was part of my bum look. I only put my hair up when I was cleaning, studying, working out, or going to bed. Dancing had made me sweat out my curls and instead of falling flat like cooperative hair it decided to frizz up. I'd had no choice but to put it up. I felt him press the tips of his index and middle fingers into the little crook in my neck right above my collarbone. He mumbled something about clavicles being his utter weakness. I roll my eyes and tighten my jaw in an attempt to ignore the shivers running rampantly up and down my spine. Klaus leaned his head into the crook of my neck, resting there for a minute. I was surprised to say the least but figured that this would be a good a time as any to deter him. I resisted the strong urge to just leave him be and tangle my fingers in his lustrous curls and pinch him in the side instead. He jumps a little, allowing me to slide into the seat beside him.

Klaus didn't seem to be too bothered that I'd freed myself from his grip. In fact he looked perfectly fine with it as he readjusted his position in the sofa to be more turned towards me. We got to talking about any and everything. He wasn't so bad when he was acting like a normal human being. Maybe he was drunk? If so, liquor suits him well. Somehow he ended up laying flat on his back on the couch with his head in my lap. I had been absentmindedly stroking his curls when I noticed that it was super comfortable. I'm supposed to not like Klaus, I'm supposed to be regarding him with disdain and rebuffing his advances, but this felt really good.

He stopped his monologue about snowflakes mid-sentence, probably detecting that I was no longer paying any attention, and sat up. I stared at him curiously wondering what his next move would be. Tonight had started out really nice and fairly normal but it had taken a very strange turn and just continued down that path. Regardless of the pleasant and mildly innocent beginnings I knew I'd probably regret every last bit of it tomorrow.

"I'd like very much to kiss you." I stared at him like he'd lost his marbles. I already knew that. He'd made his superficial attraction to me more than clear. Was this his asking me my permission to kiss me? "I'm going to kiss you now."

Apparently so. He leaned in towards me slowly and I felt my heart skip a few beats in anticipation. When his lips finally met mine I couldn't help but smile. They were soft and gentle and nothing like last time. The only other time we kissed he'd been eager and rough and quick to try and establish dominance. If I had to describe it, this kiss was a slow, long drag from a 12 inch bong on a Saturday, and the last kiss was a quick joint before class on a Monday. His lips moved rather sensually with mine, he was making very smooth, fluid, deep movements. He'd somehow maneuvered his hand to caress the side of my face. If my hair was down I'm sure he would've been playing with it a little by now. Eventually we came up for air but there was a thick tension in the air. Neither of us spoke. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye while I was still catching my breath but his eyes were closed and he was taking really deep breaths, I think he was trying to collect himself. I'd be damned if I let him do that. I liked being able to make him lose his composure, it sent sparks of adrenaline through my veins. Plus, it was my revenge. If he could rattle me, surely I could unravel him.

I moved over to straddle him, placing my hands lightly but firmly on his shoulders. His lips parted ever so slightly as he stared up at me from under his thick lashes. I caught that his eyes had darkened with what was probably lust and the fact that his breathing hitched ever so slightly. It made me feel delightfully powerful, having Klaus Mikaelson be putty in my hands. I purposefully move towards him sluggishly, in absolutely no rush to resume our…whatever this was turning into. I brush my lips against his briefly, but bypass his attempts to kiss me and instead direct my attention to his neck. I move my mouth up the length of his neck, from his collarbone to his earlobe, deliberately nibbling at one particular spot before making my way up to nipping at his ear. I move back down to the spot I'd scathed earlier and begin to kiss his neck in languid, soothing movements. His breathing had gotten shallower and I could tell he was holding back a moan.

It doesn't take long before I feel him harden beneath me. It probably wasn't very nice, or very wise, but I couldn't help but to succinctly grind against him. He placed his hands firmly on my hips, most likely to still me. I ground into him again, playfully this time, and he dug his nails into me, a warning. I abandoned my work on his neck and dove into kissing him again, immediately gaining entrance to his mouth. I stealthily placed my left hand over his right and began to guide it, first under my top, then up…up…until he growled impatiently and pulled away from me.

"No." Klaus ran his hand through his hair a few times, tousling it in a way that I found actually kind of cute. It completed the whole disheveled look he had going on right now.

Did he honestly just say no to me? When did I step into an alternate universe? An odd feeling swam through me and settled in the pit of my stomach. My head was swarming. I recognized the disgusting feeling as rejection. I wasn't exactly a stranger to rejection, it was a part of life, but somehow coming from Klaus it was like I'd just bit into cyanide. It was entirely unpleasant. I wanted to slap him into next week but just peeled myself away from him, or at least I tried to. His hands on my hips held me firmly in place. I glared at him.

"Come now don't be petulant, love. It doesn't become you." He reached up to caress my face with the back of his hand lightly. "I was simply halting progress before you crossed a particular line."

"How chivalrous." I deadpanned, completely sarcastically. "What if I meant to cross that line?" something glinted in his eye then, bright and mischievous.

"Ah, that would be the point of no return."

I bit my lip and stared down at him for a second. It was really tempting. He was really tempting. Dare I say fuck it? Dare I throw caution to the wind? No, that would be irresponsible. That would be proving my parents right in thinking I was a disreputable child incapable of good decision making or change. Had I met Klaus back home I'd have secured him as a bedmate by now. I'd have thrown all my scruples, not that I had too many back home, out the window and fucked Klaus until he couldn't remember his own goddamn name, just mine and perhaps God's. Alas, this wasn't back home where I had nothing to lose and nothing to prove. It'd be beneficial for me to set down some rules. The way I see it I just really needed to get him out of my system.

"Let's be clear. This is a one time thing, no strings attached right? This is purely physical attraction that's reached its zenith. No tying down emotionally. Of course, physically is a different story. Promise?"

"I give you my word."

"Good."

I got back to work impatiently devouring his lips. He hoisted me up and began carrying me somewhere, presumably somewhere more private. Just then I remembered that this was his house. He was probably taking me to his room, provided it hadn't been invaded by over zealous partygoers already. Then again this was Klaus, everyone here was probably well aware of which lines not to cross, like destroying things for instance. There were red cups and empty beer bottles scattered around, but the floor was clean and the furniture and walls remained in tact. For such a good party, it was rather tame destruction wise. His maids would breeze right through clean up. Of course, getting out any rings left by the cups or spilled drinks may prove to be a tad bit tricky. Some of these drinks the others were thinking up were outrageously complicated and would be super sticky if spilled.

I'm abruptly pulled from my, admittedly strange, thoughts when I hear a door bang loudly as Klaus kicks it shut. He pulls away from me after placing me on his bed. I notice that he already has condoms placed out in the open on his bedside dresser. I'd think it's rather presumptuous if I hadn't already assumed that Klaus was a man slut. The easier the access the better, no time wasted and all that. He came back a second or two later with a huge glass of water. I disregarded it and roughly pulled him onto the bed with me.