this is a respectable fucking neighborhood!

He watched as she spoke to the group of people who were openly charmed by whatever she was saying, and he felt the growing envy in his chest that he wasn’t one of them. 

Fuck it, he didn’t care how obvious it would look. He stood up and raised his drink to finish off when someone walking by bumped into him, causing it to spill down the front of his shirt. The people next to him exclaimed in shock and tried to call out to the retreating figure for an apology, but Klaus shook it off, excusing himself to clean up with barely concealed glee.

His first instinct was to beeline towards where he’d last seen her, but she was nowhere to be seen, lost in the crush.

He made his way towards the restrooms instead, plotting how to steal Caroline away without fueling any gossip. He didn’t particularly care if the whole world knew they were more than business partners, but she’d been increasingly reluctant to make any official statement the more they speculated. She really was quite a petty and stubborn little thing, sometimes. He loved it.

His hand had barely turned the handle of the door when for the second time in as many minutes he was shoved from behind. A slew of curses were on the tip of his tongue, but the whirlwind of movement was accompanied by a familiar head of blonde hair and citrusy perfume.

“Caroline? What are you do—?” 

She cut him off with a hard kiss, shocking him with her boldness. The sounds of the party suddenly seemed far more distant than just beyond the door he was currently pinned to, while the click of the lock she turned into place echoed like a gunshot. 

“Finally,” she breathed against his jaw, “what took you so long?” She didn’t wait for an answer, which was fortunate since the chances he’d be able to form one were nonexistent the moment she bit down on his lower lip. 

His initial shock was quickly wearing off the more she pressed into him, her little moans becoming more desperate when he slid his hand into her hair to pull her closer. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her until she was on her toes, the perfect height for her to feel the effect she was having on him.

His fingers brushed up against the top of the zipper of her dress and he couldn’t help pulling it down. Just enough for him to slip his hand in and stroke the back of her shoulder. 

“Oh god, please tell me you have a condom. Please.” Any other time the breathless demand might’ve made him chuckle, but after two weeks apart, her urgency matched his own.

“If I’d known you missed me this much, I might’ve grabbed some, but I rushed straight here from arrivals.” She growled in frustration, rolling her hips into his enough to make him shudder.

“Ugh, you stupid idiot,” she complained between kisses, shifting the slit in her dress until she could hitch her leg higher up his waist. “Can you just…” she trailed off, reaching feverishly for his belt. “…just pull out?” 

Klaus’ control was already at dangerously low levels, but he felt it slip almost entirely out of his grip at her question. The thought of taking her like that turned his blood to liquid fire, every single muscle tensing as all the reasons why he shouldn’t fuck her right here during a party full of their colleagues completely evaporated. He wrapped her hair around his fist and pulled slowly until she was looking up at him. The need to both possess and shelter her from his baser urges warred within him.

“Don’t fucking tempt me, sweetheart. I can’t deal with your teasing right now.”

“Who says I’m teasing?” She leaned up to lick his neck, and with all the remaining strength he had left, he grabbed her shoulders and held  her at a distance.

Uncertainty flickered in her eyes, but he didn’t have enough remaining willpower to explain in detail just how close his restraint was to its breaking point.

“Go get the car and wait for me.” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to gauge if she’d heard him right.

“What?”

He pulled the valet ticket from his pocket and forced it into her hand.

“I need more than a quickie in the bathroom after two weeks, Caroline.”

Seeing that he was serious, she let her head fall back with a frustrated groan.

“Fine. Do you have any cash on you?”

“For the valet?” he asked, distracted by the scent of her shampoo. She shook her head, diffusing the fragrance even more until he felt like he was breathing in pure sunshine.

“No, I told Enzo I’d give him fifty bucks if he spilled your drink on you.” Her smile grew in the face of his confusion. “I don’t think he would’ve been so eager if I told him it was because I wanted to lure you in here to mess around, though.” Klaus let out a laugh, realizing that he hadn’t felt this overwhelming sense of ease and lightness since the last time he was in her presence. It was the part of him that only seemed to exist when he was with her, and although she’d probably scold him for putting it that way, it was the truth.

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, not trusting himself with anything more at the moment.

“I’ll take care of it, sweetheart. Just meet me at the back entrance in five minutes.” She eventually left after a few more attempts to start their reunion right there, but the only thing stronger than his need for her was the need for her in the privacy of their bed at home.

He left the bathroom soon after, still half hard and resigned to the fact he’d probably stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Spotting the back of Enzo’s head at the bar, he made his way over and tapped him on the shoulder. If he was relishing the moment Enzo understood he’d played a part in him having what was looking to be a very good evening— well, he wasn’t above a little pettiness.

Enzo’s expression fell to one of casual annoyance when he saw who it was.

“What do you want?”

“Just to settle up and say thank you,” he replied with a smile, reaching into his wallet to pull out a hundred dollar bill and offering it up to him. At his raised brow, Klaus tucked the money into his inner coat pocket with a condescending pat.

“Caroline and I are both very appreciative. But especially me.” 

Klaus watched as understanding slowly crept over the other man’s face, clearly disappointed that the purpose of Caroline’s request was probably driven by motives that didn’t exactly match his own. Klaus found his look of self disgust more gratifying than he probably should, but in a cold war such as theirs, any trivial win was still a victory.

“Tell Stilts we will be discussing boundaries at brunch tomorrow,” he managed through gritted teeth.

Klaus laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Consider those plans cancelled. We’ll be busy.” 

Klaus headed towards the exit, leaving a very obviously grossed out Enzo without another word. He was too busy mapping out the fastest possible route to his apartment.

Two weeks was a lot to make up for, and now he also needed to come up with a plan that was good enough to pass on mimosas, waffles and gossip. He definitely had his work cut out for him.

The air was chilly as he stepped outside, but when he saw Caroline leaning against the passenger side door waiting for him with a smile, the heat that had started simmering below his skin the moment she pushed him against that bathroom door threatened to completely engulf him.

“Ready?” she asked, tossing the keys at him with a flirty smile.

“Are you?” he countered with a mischievous grin, opening the door and helping her in. “I haven’t forgotten all the promises you’ve made.”

Her eyes widened slightly. 

“Klaus,” she began sternly, trying very hard to suppress the blush spreading across her cheeks and the laughter in her voice. “There’s a difference between sexting and actual promises, you know.”