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Two weeks. Two weeks had passed since Caroline had lain her terms onto the table. Two weeks of silence from Klaus. In those two weeks Caroline attended yoga, fashion shows, high tea, walking tours of London and anything she could possibly think of to jam pack her schedule. It was an obvious effort to keep Caroline from making herself a neurotic mess over a guy she had only known for a few days.
It was funny how that worked. She and Tyler had known each other for years before they developed enough of a connection to start dating. And even then, it never felt like enough. Klaus was an instant attraction. Yes she was determined to ignore it at first. He was a lady killer. His pick up lines said as much, yet Caroline had been so at ease with him. As if she had known him for years rather than a few hours.
And that was really the crux of her offer. She felt such a connection with him. He was handsome, smart, funny, had good taste in wine and clothes. God that list sounded just like a dating profile. To make the list sound a little less cheesy she added horrible at pick up lines and perverted. With those two inclusions she didn't feel that he was quite so perfect.
Womanizer by Britney Spears and Diet Mountain Dew by Lana Del Rey was on constant replay in her flat. As much as Caroline wanted to convince herself that he was totally wrong for her, she couldn't help but think that they could work so well together given the chance. Caroline wanted him and he knew he wanted her, but Caroline was only willing to be with him on her terms and she was damned if she would have him any other way.
Caroline made sure to stay away from the bar that he owned. Stefan would oblige her by meeting her at different bars and coffee shops around the city. Stefan made sure to never mention Klaus. He could tell Caroline was bothered by even the passing mention of his name which was a bit hard considering he worked for the man.
Even Kat was cautious about talking about Klaus which was a miracle in itself. Apparently the wild minx that was Caroline's friend knew enough that Caroline was trying desperately to keep it together and Kat wasn't about to have it all fall apart because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
Normally she would be talking Stefan's and Kat's ear off about the potential possibility of a relationship, but this was a whole different ballgame. Normally boy meets girl. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Girl and boy date. No this was girl meets womanizing man whore who does not do relationships. Girl offers relationship to womanizing man whore who again, does not do relationships.
Caroline wouldn't blame him if he said no. She made her offer fully conscious of his philandering ways. This was why she wouldn't let herself obsess with his silence. There was a high probably of him saying no and she would accept it and move on. And if he happened to say no she would be that much more thankful that she didn't sleep with him.
By week three she took his silence as his answer: No. She would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't care. She cared enough to throw herself a little pity party in her flat with ice cream, romance movies and tequila. She didn't want to go down the path of how she wasn't worth it for him to change his ways. She would not and could not think about that.
Towards the end of that third week her girlfriends at the magazine invited her to go out with them which Caroline gratefully accepted as it would be a nice distraction for her.
Caroline was going to go out and break hearts. Sure it was a little shallow of her to make herself feel better by dressing like a sexy minx to flirt with boys and then shut them down. After her little whatever you would call it with Klaus a girl had to do what a girl had to do to put her ego back in its place.
The purple and gray bandage dress that molded itself to her body was meant to kill on contact, the sleek fabric of the dress clinging to her curves and at the same time showcasing her legs and breasts, black strappy stilettos completing the sex kitten look. She was going to freeze (a willing sacrifice all in the name of looking hot) given it was already October in London. The strange Indian summer that had been a total fluke for the region had long since gone away leaving rain and dreariness in its wake.
With a last dab of lip gloss and a quick fluff of her curls she pulled on her coat and left to meet the girls. She was going to get drunk and enjoy this night for what it was worth. Caroline was going to shove every thought of Klaus out of her mind and just drink and dance. It was at times like these that Caroline was almost certain that Lady Gaga was her generations Dali Lama.
Caroline met the girls at a bar that was for all intensive purposes dead. Caroline was pretty sure there was maybe one other person at the bar other than the girls and that was the bar tender. So the girls got their coats and headed out the door on the hunt for a more lively bar and suddenly Caroline found herself in front of the bar that Klaus owned.
"Ummm, maybe we can go to another bar." Caroline suggested as she shifted from side to side in her heels looking at the front of the bar with apprehension.
"Oh come on, luv. It's the only pub that has any action in it that is close to the club." Amy argued as she pulled her coat closer to her body.
"And it's only 9 o'clock. No one will be at the club yet and there is no way we are going to be the first ones there, Caroline." Eliza's brows shooting up as she gave Caroline a knowing look, their friend Olivia nodded in confirmation. Caroline gnawed on her bottom lip as she looked between her the girls and the bar, torn between wanting to tell them about Klaus so they could find someplace else and not wanting to give him enough importance that would sway a decision to go into his bar.
The girls smiled as Caroline gave in to their request with a slight nod and followed the trio inside. You can do this, Caroline. It was just a flirtation and a date. It was just a little bit of fun. Besides, he may not even be here tonight. Caroline gave a slight nod at her pep talk as they walked through the door. Pulling off their jackets they made their way through the crowd towards the bar where they somehow managed to find an open spot for them to squeeze in. They caught more than their fair share of hungry stares, each girl had made it their mission to pull out every stop tonight; short sexy dresses, fuck me heels and shampoo commercial worthy hair.
The bar tendered attended them immediately, much to the dismay of rest of the patrons who had been patiently waiting their turn. Most of the patrons reasoning the girls got served first was because the women were gorgeous, but then again there were other equally lovely ladies that the bar tender had made no preferential treatment towards. The bar tender was already setting down a rum and coke in front of Caroline and giving her a wink before Caroline even had a chance to set down her clutch. Before she could say anything he had already turned to the other girls to take their order. Apparently having been seen kissing the owner twice had some perks Caroline thought with weary amusement as she took a large swallow of her drink.
Actually the real reason the bar tender helped them so quickly was because of the hilarious effect Caroline had on Klaus. Klaus was always in a bit of a state when she was around which never happened, let alone the completely distracted manner Klaus had been in for the past three weeks which the bar tender had found endlessly amusing. To see the famous Niklaus Mikaelson come undone by a woman was something to take note of. So when he saw Caroline at the bar, he paid her the compliment of making sure she and her friends were taken care of.
Caroline blushed as the three girls gave her a knowing look. "What's your name, handsome?" Olivia called out to the bar tender. "George." He said giving Olivia a wink. All three girls turning to the blonde once they had the name asked Caroline point blank if she had shagged 'George' as they too had noticed how quickly they had been served and that Caroline hadn't even needed to ask for her drink. Caroline just rolled her eyes and mentioned something about knowing the owner. The girls all sagged at that news, hoping for a juicy bit of gossip to rile up Caroline with. Caroline was thankful that they didn't immediately jump into just how well she knew the owner to warrant this kind of service.
After their third round of drinks the girls became separated. Eliza and Amy were currently cornered by Kol who had thankfully had not noticed Caroline. Olivia was busy flirting with George between his drink orders. Apparently she really did think him handsome. Caroline smirked as she leaned back against the bar twisting to glance furtively around the bar. When she first came in she resolutely kept her eyes in front and did her best not to look around her. Apparently the plan was if she couldn't see him he couldn't see her. Too bad that sort of thinking only worked for monsters that lived under the bed and the endless protection of a comforter over the head.
Yet with each drink she would become a little bit braver and risk a quick glance around the bar. Each time her search came up empty she was not sure if she should feel relieved or disappointed. It was after her fourth quick glance around that she suddenly found a man by her side. Caroline stepped back in surprise as he leaned against the bar and gave what she assumed what he thought was a smoldering look when in reality it just made him look constipated.
"If you were looking for someone lass, you have now found him." The man said with a Scottish accent. A few snickers drew her gaze to the men gathered around the table looking like a pack of hyenas as they watched their friend go to bat with the beautiful blond. Caroline rolled her eyes and turned away slightly hoping he would take the hint.
"I'm Alan. And what might be your name, lovely?" He slurred a bit as he openly looked her over, making Caroline's skin crawl.
"Not interested." Caroline replied flatly as she took another sip of her drink. God this guy was a douche nozzle.
"Come now Miss Not Interested. Let me at least buy you a drink." Alan said as he leaned into her. Caroline was ready to push him away when she felt a warm hand slide against the small of her back. Great, just what she needed, another ass hat to deal with. Right as she was about to move away the voice of the man who held her froze Caroline in her place.
"You're standing awfully close to my girl, mate." Klaus growled as he pulled Caroline against his side. Alan turned to face the man who was moving in on his turf. After all he was talking to the bird first, his voice reflecting his annoyance at being interrupted.
"She isn't..." Alan almost choked as he came face to face with Klaus, the Scotsmen's face losing all color as he stood gaping at the man before him.
Klaus gave him a hard smirk, his eye brows lifting as he asked with an almost casual air. "She isn't what?"
Alan swallowed hard and tried to answer without wetting himself. "Sh sh she isn't interesssted." And then realizing how badly that sounded he quickly amended. "She isn't interested in me." Klaus gave a nod of approval and leaned in menacingly.
"And don't you forget it, mate."
Alan nodded hard enough that you would think his head was going to fall off his neck as he scrambled back to his friends, all of them looking as if they had just avoided the gallows.
Caroline watched the whole exchange with confusion. Alan had been terrified of Klaus, like really truly terrified. Sure Klaus was a good sized man, but it wasn't like he was a body builder. It made no sense. Plus even if they knew Klaus was the bar owner, they still shouldn't be that scared. The worse he could do was to have his bouncers rough them up a little and throw them out. Right?
Caroline pushed those thoughts away for later; she had bigger fish to fry. Twisting out Klaus's arms she whirled around to face him, a finger going to poke his toned chest, her bright eyes flashing. "What the hell did you mean your girl?" Caroline said, ignoring the heated look he gave her and focused solely on her anger.
"That you're my girl, sweetheart." Klaus said simply enough.
"No, that is not what that means, Nik!" Caroline snapped. "Three weeks. THREE WEEKS of radio silence from you and then you just waltz over here and tell some stranger that I'm your girl when you can't even tell me that I am your girl. That is so not cool, and if you think that you can get away with a stunt like that you are sorely mis-." Klaus chose to silence Caroline at that moment by pulling her into his arms and covering her mouth with his own with a scorching kiss.
His lips moved slowly against her own, teasing, taunting her until she would part her lips for him. A soft moan was shared between them as she parted her lips for him and his tongue slid into her mouth. He could never get over how sweet she tasted when she had been drinking. His rough hands slid along the creamy flesh of her arms, fingers curling around her elbows to pull her softness against his own hard body.
He kissed her just a moment longer before Caroline came to her God damn right mind and bit into his lip hard, causing him to pull away from her, the lovely blonde shooting him such a glare that if looks could kill he would indeed be dead. Klaus growled at her with sexual frustration and anger, he was so turned on by her fierce nature and at the same time angry at her audacity.
Taking her hand he dragged Caroline through the crowd to the back of the pub towards the offices that were closed off from the public. Opening one of the doors he threw her inside and then stalked inside himself slamming the door closed behind him.
Caroline stumbled inside and then turned to face Klaus, standing her ground resolutely. She would not let this heart breaker intimidate her. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me. … if you think I am just going to excuse your behavior these past three weeks you are sorely mistaken. I waited for an answer. For three weeks I waited for your answer. You should have at least had the decency to tell me yes or no to my face. Not to answer me with some caveman stunt you pulled out there." Caroline growled.
Caroline had every right to be angry. Klaus had spent the past three weeks vacillating between wanting to agree to her terms to turning her down flat out. He couldn't make a choice. He was angry that he even had to make a choice. He didn't date women. Even the ones he slept with, most of them he picked them up at the pub and took them home the same night. He didn't need to date. How many times had he held his phone in his hand, his thumb resting just above Caroline's number to call her and tell her no only to slam the phone onto the table? He couldn't bring himself to shut the door on that chance to be with Caroline.
Klaus was obsessed with the idea of dating Caroline truth be told, to be able to pull her into his arms for a kiss whenever he wanted. He enjoyed his time spent with her. She was so light and bright and everything he wasn't. The thought of Caroline giving herself to him willingly pulled at him. Klaus wanted to sacrifice his pride and do as she asked for the chance to have Caroline in his bed. Yet his pride had other ideas. Again he would find his phone in his hand only to throw it aside unable to call her to tell her that he agreed to her terms.
Everyone knew something was up with Klaus. He was distracted, irritated and angry. A few of his men made a joke about that time of the month and were rewarded with black eyes and split lips. The jokes died down quickly after that.
He refused to say yes or no, so he stayed in this limbo that dragged on day after day until the night she walked into his bar looking like one of those deadly sirens that lead sailors happily to their deaths. Her long blonde curls tumbled and bounced across her slender shoulders like a waterfall of sunshine. The tight purple and gray dress leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination and answering every single question his dark fantasies about her had brought to mind. She was absolutely stunning.
He was amused as he watched her cast quick glances around the bar. Caroline's delectable little body becoming tense as she would gather her courage and look around the room again and again. He knew she was looking for him and Klaus was perfectly content to watch her all night. It was only when Klaus saw one of the patrons of the pub approach her that he started to feel his blood boil. The tosser actually thought he stood a chance with his Caroline. Klaus could tell from her body language that she was not only uninterested but also uncomfortable. Before he even knew what he was doing, Klaus had gotten up from his table and was moving to her side. He hated the thought of some bloke trying to get with Caroline. He wanted her and he was done trying to fight it.
The whole event having led Klaus to this very moment; Caroline spitting fire at him and demanding to know why he acted as he did. So he opted for sharing his thoughts in hopes that it would appease her.
"I know I should have, but I couldn't stand to see another man touch you." Klaus growled. This whole conversation left him restless, his fingers clenching into fists as he moved to start pacing around the room, unable to stand in place any longer.
Blue eyes unable to resist flicking over him as he moved back and forth across the room like a restless wolf. She couldn't help but appreciate the way his muscles moved under his dark gray long sleeve v neck which show cased his collection of necklaces. And let's not forget the pair of dark pants that did unspeakable things to his amazing ass. Did he run? Because an ass like that… no Caroline! Pay attention. You are pissed off remember? Do NOT get distracted by the gorgeous man with an amazing ass.
"So you were jealous? That's it?" An incredulous look crossing Caroline's beautiful face at the confession that Klaus would suddenly agree to her terms just because he was jealous.
"Yes! No! I don't know, Caroline!" Klaus growled as he continued to pace from one side of the room to the other, unable to face the beautiful siren that stood before him. "All I know is that I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else at your side other than me." Klaus said quietly, his confession almost shameful to his own ears. "I fancy you."
And suddenly Caroline was in his arms, her mouth attacking his with a ferocity that left him breathless. Her slender arms curled around his neck, fingers sliding into his sandy curls tugging his head back to an angle that would allow her better access to his mouth. Klaus groaned against her lips and the moment his lips parted she slid her tongue into his mouth deepening the kiss at once. Klaus flattened his hands along the sides of her hips and slid his hands up along her sides until he was able to tease the sides of her breasts with his thumb making Caroline hum delightedly against his mouth.
Caroline broke the kiss to pull his bottom lip into her mouth, nibbling on it gently as if to make up for her cruel treatment from earlier. One of her hands fell from the back of his neck to slide against his chest, her fingers wandering the necklaces at his throat, something she had wanted to do since she first saw him wearing them three weeks ago.
Pulling away from the kiss she smiled up at Klaus almost shyly as he lifted a hand to brush back the curls away from her face. "I like you too." Caroline's smile turning into a grin as Klaus dimples made an appearance at her confession.
"Does this mean I get a second date, sweetheart?" Klaus asked with a smirk as he pulled her a little closer, dropping his head to nuzzle the soft curve of her neck, the feeling of his stubble against her skin making her shiver.
"Yes, but you have some groveling to do first." Caroline chided as she pulled away from him watching as Klaus dropped his head, lifting his lashes to give her his best puppy dog look. Caroline just smiled and shook her head as she would not be undone by that look.
"Groveling." Caroline pointed her finger at him to emphasize her point and with that Caroline turned to walk out the door and back to her girls unable to keep the huge smile off her face.