CHAPTER 2

CAROLINE FORBES

I got there on Monday morning 15 minutes earlier and I had to wait for the personnel to come to work. I sat outside his office on a chair opposite Clarissa's desk and just waited. I for some reason expected Clarissa to come to work before him but he got there first and seemed as surprised as I was to see him come and call my name. I was with my back towards the corridor when he called my name and I knew before turning to face him, that it was indeed Klaus who also arrived a little early.

"Arriving earlier than expected? I like it." He bared his dimples when smiling.

"Well, early bird catches the worm, like they say." I said smiling back and stood up.

"Yes, love, come in to my office, I have your contract ready on my desk." His tone was friendly and inviting. I tried not to put much thought into him calling me love, he's British, love, and gorgeous and so on were like parasite words.

"I have bad news some bad news for you, Caroline." He said as he took a seat behind his desk.

I was immediately alerted to the notion that maybe he had changed his mind about hiring me. Although he talked about the contract before.

"Which is?"

"Unfortunately, Clarissa won't come to work anymore."

I was startled. But I didn't say anything as he continued.

"I'm going to train you personally but I don't have time for starting with the basics, so different people in the office will help you first few days and of course if it's something more complicated, you can always ask me. How does that sound?"

"It sound good to me. The main thing is that I have someone to ask if I don't know anything or find the answer myself."

"I like the last part, take initiative, that's the spirit, sweetheart."

I looked up to him from reading the contract for a second and then continued.

"What is it?" He asked smiling.

"Nothing." I tried to be convincing but I probably failed because he stood up and sitting on the edge of the desk in front of me, he asked again, "What's wrong? Is it that I called you 'sweetheart' right now?"

"And 'love' before that." I tweeted but didn't look up right away.

Then he didn't say anything but I felt his eyes on me, so with the tip of the pencil in on my bottom lip, I looked up and he had this intensive look on his face.

Then he snatch that pencil away and said, "Please don't chew or lick the pencils, would you, it's distracting." Then he gave me another one.

Then he moved back to his seat, during which he said, "About me calling you names like "sweetheart" and "love", it's just me being British and you being a pretty girl. I wouldn't read much into it, if I were you.

"No, of course, I am not. Sorry for reacting that way and chewing the pencil."

He smiled, "Don't apologise, it's okay. So, take the contract for you and use the pencil to make changes you deem necessary and then we will go over it later."

"Great."

I started to leave and then he said, "I'm coming with you, I want to show you on your own desk how our intercom works."

He gestured for me to sit and I did and then he sat again at the edge of the my much smaller desk and started explaining, "You are going to be taking and directing a lot of call, Caroline. Some you will direct directly to my, some to other departments in the building or some other secretary in this office. But I'l show you the basic."

So he showed me the buttons I have to push, actually it was more touchable buttons on this fancy intercom machine, all the while looking at me to see if I get it and remember it. Then in the end, I showed him how it's done so he can me sure, I remember."

"Okay, that's good, you catch on quickly." He smiled reassuringly and continued, "Now, I'll send Kelly over from front desk, she will show you the programs and apps we use daily."

KLAUS MIKAELSON

I sent Kelly over and told her to teach Caroline everything she needed to know and not to worry about his own task of welcoming the guests at the front desk. I had told Clarissa on Friday that she was free to go home and pack, that I had her replacement and didn't need her anymore. I just wanted to train Caroline myself, not only because I wanted to spend more time with her, but because I didn't like some of Clarissa's habits and I didn't want Caroline to take them over. Like chewing gum at work.

I was so conflicted. On one side I wanted to flirt with Caroline and that's why pet names like "love" and "sweetheart" slipped in and I didn't understand whether she liked it or not. At the same time I had to keep it professional, because if she liked me, then that could have catastrophic results for mainly her. I just wanted to protect her. That was the most important thing I felt for her, the need to protect her. That, of course, wasn't the strongest feeling," I smiled to myself, "no, the strongest feeling was the intense desire to take her and make her mine".

** Kelly told my by 4 p.m that Caroline should now know the basics about the applications we used for work. Then I had an hour before her official work hours were over and I still needed to go get her signature to contract.

I tapped the right button and said, "Caroline, sweetheart, have you read contract by now?" I just couldn't help myself.

"Yes, Klaus, I have." And I was sure she smiled.

"Okay, come to my office then and take your draft with you."

She knocked and I told her she could come in.

She sat down on the exact same chair like previously and I asked her, "Do you want to change anything or do you have any questions."

"Just one, about business trips."

"Yes, love?" I smiled.

"The paragraph 3.4.5." She waited as I slowly took the contract and looked it up myself.

"It says that during the trips you want someone that will accompany to events. What's that about?"

"Well, Caroline, I'm always invited everywhere, I rarely go to some of those things here in New York but sometimes it's necessary for keeping good relations with other companies to go to some events, like for example banquets and I don't really want to go to these things alone, so It would be great if at least on the trips out of town you could spare me a few hours so I could take you with me. It's not mandatory otherwise but I put it in so you are aware at least that it might happen." I smiled and hoped to god she wasn't gonna object.

"Okay, let's not change that then," she smiled and I grinned.

She then asked for the correct exemplars and after getting them she signed them quickly and I took one of them, while she got to keep the second one, the one with my autograph.

She stood up and said "Then, if there's not anything else, I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded, she turned to leave and then It hit me that she was actually going away. But I still wanted to enjoy her company.

"Caroline?"

She turned around, "Yes, Klaus?"

For the longest time we just gazed at each other, then I asked, "Truth be told I don't hire anyone without doing a little background check. How's your mom?"

Then her face fell and I hated myself for causing it.

"She's a fighter and I have still hope that she will pull through."

"I'm sorry, I lost my mother years ago, she wasn't a great mom, but she was still my mother, you know."

"I understand, Klaus, you have no idea."

I looked at her quizzically and then she explained, "I had a complicated relationship with my father, ever since she moved out to live with his boyfriend." My eyes widened for a second, she then continued, "Now he's dead, rest his soul."

Then we gazed again and I knew I had to let her go. Her sick mother was waiting for her after all.

"Okay, that's all. Get home safely." I told her and she smiled so sweetly and nodded and left.

I definitely had to get a cold shower today too.

I decided to stay in the office late today too, but then she called.

"Aurelia, I won't be long now."

"Alright, will I tell Maria to serve dinner in an hour?"

I looked at the clock and said, "Fine, I'll be there."

Then I went to get that shower to head home with heavy traffic. I hoped there would be huge traffic jams on the way.

I kissed her on the cheek as I said, "Hi, honey, how was your day?"

"You know the same, same, same, like every other business day I just wait for the weekends." She pouted.

God, I hated weekends. Nothing to do at home just sit with her and watch tv. Sometimes I took her to buy groceries or go to the park, but usually we were inside. We didn't have any intimate relations whatsoever. We tried after the accident, but it was no use, she couldn't feel a thing. Her back was completely crushed from different places.

"And how was your day. Well I have a new personal secretary. She started today." I decided that she would learn it anyway and for peace in home it would be better to tell her myself.

"Already. What happened to the last one, Clarissa was it?"

"She and her husband moved away, some little town in Nebraska."

"So, tell me, how's the new secretary?" She asked with to enthusiastic smile. I knew her, she was anything but happy right now.

"She's great, she catches on quickly."

"Is she young?"

"Just graduated from college this spring."

"Is she pretty? What's her name?"

"She's okay. Her name is Caroline. And she has a boyfriend, so I wouldn't worry If I were you." I lied as I took her hand.

"Well, you aren't me," she muttered but I decided to ignore her.

CAROLINE FORBES

"Sweetheart." I froze. I knew it was mom calling when I got home but still I froze because I was reminded of Klaus right away.

"Yes, mom."

I found her on the bed again, this time she didn't use the machine.

"How was your first day?"

"It was intense. His previous secretary didn't come to work anymore so I was left to learn from someone who hadn't been there that much herself. But your daughter learns quickly and knows how to get answers she needs without bothering anyone, so don't worry."

"And how was the boss himself?"

"He was intense as well but in a charming way."

"Is he married?"

"I don't know, I didn't see ring though."

"Just watch out that he doesn't start to put moves on you."

"Would that be so bad, mom?"

"Honey, man like him probably has so many women at his feet that he has a different woman in bed every night. I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Well, I'm no Bridzella myself, so it's okay. Don't worry about me so much."

"It's a mother's default setting."

I laughed and went make us dinner.

"Caroline, you know how to search the archives, right?"

"Yes, Klaus." I had no idea, but I was going to get one soon.

"Ok, search for a contract with Encore Electric, Inc, have it on my desk in an half an hour.

"Yes, of course."

I then called Kelly and asked her to come over and show me archive search. She did and wasn't a freaking anything like google. We tried it together and it didn't work and she said that just the company name wasn't specific enough. That I needed to know the year it was signed too. She showed me where to put it, once I had it.

(Beep)

"Klaus? I have a question?"

"Shoot?"

"I need the year"

"The year? What year?"

"The year the contract with the Encore was signed?"

Then it was eerie silence at the other side.

"Caroline, come in for a minute."

His voice sounded so serious, and suddenly my heart pounded in my chest.

Still, I knocked and went in and he gestured for me to sit down.

"Why did you lie to me?" He asked me seriously.

When I didn't answer right away, he continued, "I asked you a straight question, whether or not Kelly had showed you archive search and you asking me what year the contract was signed, shows that you have no idea what I was talking about."

Tears stung to my eyes as it was only second day and already I was messing up.

"I'm sorry, Klaus." I involuntarily sobbed. "I just wanted to impress you. I didn't think it was as easy as Google search, but I didn't think it was that difficult either."

His features now softened and he pulled a tissue box out of his drawers and walked over to me and sitting on the edge of the desk again, he handed the box to me and said, "Sweetheart, you impress me by not impeding my workflow and telling me always the truth, especially when it's work related."

I nodded.

"Okay, now that's settled, I still need the contract, and as we are doing that kind of searches all the time, I will show you how it's done." He turned his computer around and showed it to me, I leaned closer to see and damn he was so close now. "Ok, so we have so many contracts over the world with different other companies that there's no way to know what year anything was signed." He looked at my reaction and I just nodded. "But as you already understood company name isn't enough, so using that lovely google search, you can find the CEO or president or whatever of that company and put it right here and there you go."

He smiled as he watched it sink in. God, why was he so close, and that wonderful smell of him and that British accent and….

"Caroline?"

"Yeah?" I was pulled out of my distraction and he chuckled like he had seen why I had trouble focusing.

"I said, If you don't specify, then you choose the latest contract. With Encore Electrics it's re-signed this year, so print this one for me." He turned the laptop around and stood up and went back to his seat. "After leaving it on my desk, you can go have lunch. I, on the other hand, have a meeting out of this building, so if anyone calls you just tell them I'm out of office. That's it, see you in an hour and a half or so." With that he led me out of his office and left his office a bit later.

I was so mad at Kelly right now but I knew how to get back at her, I just had to wait till the next day.

Then the phone rang and it was a out-of-office call and I answered, "Mikaelson Enterprises, CEO office, how can I help you?"

"Hello, you must be his new personal secretary, Caroline, right?"

"Yes, Caroline Forbes, how can I help you?" I repeated my question patiently.

"I would like to talk to Klaus, tell him it's his wife."

Wife!? Oh, I should have known better, the ringless finger didn't mean a thing nowadays. I was so disappointed because part of me hoped…

'Never mind. If he's married, then he's married, meaning he is off limits, no matter how much I like him,' I thought.

"Caroline, are you still there?"

"Yes, yes, he's out of office right now."

"I see, did he say how long he'd be?"

"I believe he said hour and a half."

"Okay, I'll call later then. Don't tell him I called. It was nice to talk to you, Caroline."

"You too, bye."

**After getting myself a salad that I didn't have time to eat during the lunch hour, I was just playing around with that stupid archive system when he came back and asked, "Did I have any calls."

"For you personally." I said coldly and so professionally as I could looking at my screen at only glancing at him for a second.

"I see. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Klaus." I replied.

"You aren't still upset about the archive problem?"

"No, Klaus."

"Alright, I'll be in my office when anyone needs me."

"Okay, Klaus."

KLAUS MIKAELSON

Something was off with her, I couldn't put a finger on it, but something was definitely wrong, because that was another person sitting at my office door. Cold, distant, trying to be way too professional. I knew that it wasn't the archive thing before lunch time, so what had I done now?. I wanted to test her, to see if her coldness was directed at me or something or someone else. Then I remembered that I was suppose to go on a little business trip with Clarissa next month and although most was done, there were some small things to do, so I decided to start with that.

I tapped the intercom and asked her to join me in my office.

"Caroline, I forgot to tell you there's a trip already in place I was suppose to go with Clarissa, but now I need you to come with me, it's next month."

"So?"

My eyes widened, if I wasn't so worried about her, about us, I would have called her out on being too familiar and even arrogant.

"So, I need to know that you are free those days, 20th until 23th?"

"I'm sure I am. Wait that's right before Christmas."

"So?" I copied her.

"Don't you have plans with your…."

That was it. I knew that she knew. I wasn't gonna let it go.

I stood up and went to where she was standing and circling her like a prey, I asked "With my what, Caroline?"

"With your family, khm, that's what I was gonna say."

"Hust couple of hours ago I told you not to lie."

She didn't say anything, so I continued, "My wife called, didn't she?"

"Yes," she muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?"

"She told me not to tell you, okay." She replied impatiently.

"But you work for me, right?"

"Right."

"Why are you upset with me?"

"I'm not."

"Because I happen to be married?"

"Definitely not."

"Don't lie to me, Caroline. You are angry cause I'm married. The only thing I want to know is why?"

"If you are asking, then you already know." She said so quietly that I almost didn't hear it.

"Repeat that please."

"You already know, Klaus."

She replied and started to leave but I grabbed her arm and yanked her back very close to me.

"I do know. It's because you like me as much as I like you."

She looked me in the eye then, her eyes widening in surprise.

"That's right. I like you. More than like, Caroline."

"It doesn't change the fact that you are married." She was so close to me now, I could just lean in a little bit and I could kiss her. She closed her eyes, probably think the same thing. Instead of doing thatl I leaned closer to her and I whispered seductively to her ear.

"What does it matter, love?"

Then she kicked me in the groin and it was bloody painful.

As I instinctively grabbed it and looked at her, she said emphasizing every word, "IT-MATTERS-TO-ME-KLAUS!".

And before I had time to react she didn't just leave my office, she left the building and I thought I deserved it. I should have explained myself more. Right now, I came on to her like some player.