Model Behavior

by Erin Salvatore

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story belongs to me.

Note: Well, isn't this just like me? I'm in the middle of writing one story and I come up with an idea for another. Well, it's an AU/AH story, and it's Klaroline. The plot revolves around Klaus as a photographer and Caroline as a gorgeous young model (and by that, I mean she's a college student) that he falls for. Don't ask how I come up with stuff like this, it just happens. No spoilers, just follow along.

Chapter 1

Virginia State University – Monday Afternoon...

Caroline Forbes sighed heavily as she walked toward her next class. She was thinking about the horrible weekend she had, mostly because she saw her asshole of a boyfriend, Tyler Lockwood, kissing Vicki Donovan at a party they had attended together. The nerve of him! They had been dating since their freshman year in high school and it had been rumored that they would end up together. However, after the bullshit he pulled, there there was no way in hell Caroline would subject herself to being Mrs. Tyler Lockwood if that was what she had to look forward to.

"Hey, Caroline, wait up!"

Caroline stopped walking and turned to see her best friend, Elena Gilbert, coming toward her. Elena had been dating Damon Salvatore for about two years now and couldn't be happier. Of course, Caroline sort of envied her, not because she had a hot boyfriend, but she and said hot boyfriend had a solid romance, something she wished she had with Tyler.

"Oh, hi, Lena," she replied. "I'm sorry that I've been a bit out of it today, but I just had a very shitty weekend."

Elena nodded. "Let me guess, Tyler?"

"Yeah," said Caroline. "I invested four years into him and what does he do? He goes and swaps spit with that slut, Vicki Donovan!" She sighed again. "You know what? If that's what he's into, good luck to him. I hope he gets herpes or gonorrhea."

Elena nodded again, trying to think of something to help Caroline take her mind off of Tyler's recent round of bullshit. That's when she saw something on the bulletin board. Curious, she went over to it, Caroline following along behind her.

"What's that, Lena?"

"Something that will help you take your mind off Tyler and make you feel better about yourself," her friend replied. "Look at this, it's a poster to advertise a local photographer. Apparently, he's looking for a model."

Caroline took a closer look at the poster. It said, "LOOKING FOR A FUN WAY TO MAKE EXTRA CASH? MODEL NEEDED FOR PROJECT BY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER! EARN UP TO $1,000! CONTACT KLAUS SMITH!"

"You should definitely call him," said Elena. "If I remember correctly, you used to model quite a bit."

"Yeah, when I was in preschool," said Caroline. "Besides, how do we know that this guy isn't some crazed sex fiend who's using this ad to lure an innocent young woman like me into a trap or something? You hear about stuff like all the time."

"The only way you're going to find out is to call him," said Elena. "And, if you'd like, Damon and I can do this with you. I mean, we just entered a photo contest in the paper last month, the grand prize of which is a romantic vacation in Hawaii. What have you got to lose, Caroline?"

Caroline said nothing, just looked at the poster once again. Even though she was reluctant to go through with it, something told her that she'd like it and if this Klaus Smith was hot, he'd help to take her mind off of Tyler.

"You know what, Elena?" she said. "You're absolutely right, what do I have to lose by calling this guy? I could get some extra money, and relax for a few hours. Who knows, this Klaus guy might be amazingly and ridiculously hot, maybe even hotter than Tyler?"

"That's the spirit," said Elena. "Would you like for Damon and I to do it with you?"

"Tempting, but no," said Caroline. "I think I'd like to do this on my own."

"Okay," said Elena. "But, the offer still stands if you change your mind."

Caroline tore off one of the tabs with Klaus' number on it. "Thank you, Elena. I appreciate it, really. I'll keep your offer in mind, though. Good luck with that contest that you two entered. I hope you win, because you guys take such beautiful pictures."

Klaus' Studio, Downtown Petersburg – Later that Day...

Klaus Smith rushed about to get his studio ready. He had gotten a call earlier in response to the ad he had posted at the university. She sounded pleasant and he looked forward to working with her, especially since he had been going through a bit of a dry spell lately.

"Take it easy there, Niklaus. Wouldn't want you to tire yourself out before the young lady gets here."

Klaus was brought out of his reverie by voice belonging to his brother, Elijah. He had been watching Klaus go about his task for the past hour or so after getting off the phone.

"I want the place to be presentable," he replied. "Don't forget, this was the first real bite I've gotten since I placed that ad all around the university." He sighed. "I've been stuck in this damn dry spell for months now, and this new model is going to help me break out of it."

"Well, I hope you're right," said Elijah. "I just hated seeing you all frustrated like that."

Klaus smiled. "Thank you, Elijah. I appreciate it."

That Same Moment...

Caroline tried to ignore her pounding heart as she made her way to the entrance to Klaus' studio, the dress she was going to wear in a garment bag over her shoulder. She checked her watch and saw that it was nearly 7:00, the time they had agreed on over the phone. She couldn't get over how sexy he sounded over the phone. That thick British accent of his made her shiver all over. She wondered if he looked as sexy as he sounded.

Get a hold of yourself, Caroline, her mind scolded her. You're not going to marry the guy, you're just going to pose for him. Besides, he's either gay or already has a girlfriend. You don't need that kind of drama anyway, given the shit you're presently going through with Tyler.

After what seemed like forever, Caroline arrived at the door. Steadying herself, she knocked to announce her arrival and about five minutes later, she was greeted by the most gorgeous pair of greenish blue eyes that she had ever seen on a man. He also had short, slightly curly dark blond hair that she was tempted to run her fingers through, a body that was made for hours of passionate, primal sex, and lips that were begging to be kissed.

"Hi," she said. "I'm looking for Klaus Smith."

The man nodded. "You've come to the right place, love. I'm Klaus Smith." He stepped back and opened the door further. "Come on in, I've been expecting you. Excuse the mess. I've been cleaning my ass off since we spoke earlier."

Caroline walked in. "Oh, I don't mind. Trust me, I live in a dorm, so messes don't scare me." Remembering her manners, she added, "I'm Caroline Forbes, by the way."

Klaus nodded again. "A pleasure to meet you, Caroline. I must admit, I didn't think anyone would reply to my ad so quickly. I only put it up this weekend."

"Well, I was a little reluctant at first, since I wasn't sure if you were legit or not," said Caroline. "But, my friend, Elena, convinced me to give you a call."

Klaus gave no verbal response, just nodded again and looked at her. She was beautiful, with long, golden blond hair that he wanted to run his fingers through, dazzling blue eyes that a man would have to be blind and stupid not to get lost in them, a body that he imagined himself caressing as he made slow, tender love to her, and lips that he longed to kiss and nibble.

Control yourself, Klaus, he thought. She's not here to be naked with you in your bed. Besides, you don't know if she's got a boyfriend or not.

"Where can I change?"

Her question startled him out of whatever trance he was in. "What?"

Caroline held up the garment bag for him to see. "I said where can I change? I brought a suitable dress to wear for this."

"There's a bathroom over there," said Klaus. "Take your time, I'm in no hurry."

Caroline nodded and went toward the bathroom to change out of her street clothes and into her dress. Klaus watched her go and tried not to undress her with his eyes, but failed miserably in the process. Shit, something told him this was going to be a long night. Shaking his head, Klaus then went about finishing his cleaning and put the props in their necessary places.

Five minutes later, Caroline came out of the bathroom in a strapless green dress that she hadn't worn in quite a while. Although it showed some skin, it was tasteful. No sooner did she step out than she ran into another man who looked like he was about Klaus' age, or possibly older, with short, brown hair that was parted down the middle, and brown eyes. He was attractive, to say the least, and she wondered how he could walk around looking the way he was and not have women mobbing him. In fact, she wondered the same about Klaus.

"You must be the young lady that Niklaus told me about," he said. "I'm Elijah, his brother."

"Caroline. Pleased to meet you, Elijah," she replied. "Are you a photographer too?"

Elijah shook his head. "No, I'm an interior decorator. But, Niklaus does let me have a few of his pictures for the places I design." He checked his watch. "Speaking of, I'm supposed to meet with a client at 8:30. If I hurry, I might just make it."

"Well, don't let me keep you then," said Caroline. "It was nice meeting you, though, Elijah. Good luck with your client."

Elijah smiled at her. "Thank you, Caroline. And I wish you the same with my brother."

That being said, Elijah nodded good-bye and walked out of the apartment. Once he was gone, Caroline went to where Klaus was finishing the set up. She smiled when she saw how nice it looked, which seemed to give her a good impression.

"I'm ready, Klaus."

Klaus turned and saw her, his heart skipping a few beats. Shit, she was even more beautiful than she was when she first walked in. It took all the strength he had not to grab her arms, pull her to him, and kiss her.

"You look beautiful," he said. "That was just what I was going for with this shoot."

Caroline smiled again at his comment. "So, uh, where do you want me?"

"In my bed, naked," was what Klaus was tempted to say, but said instead, "On the couch that I set up for you. And remember to relax and have fun. That's the key element I'm going for other than beauty."

Relax? Was he serious? There was no way Caroline could possibly relax with a gorgeous man like Klaus standing a few feet away from her and snapping pictures with his camera. In fact, she was trying to resist the urge to pounce on him and kiss him savagely as she ripped his clothes off. However, she nodded and went over to the couch. Once she was ready, the shoot began.

Over the course of the next hour or two, Caroline struck a variety of poses with every flash of the camera. At one point, it looked as though she were making love to the camera, but Klaus didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that they were both having fun.

2 Hours Later...

Caroline was in awe of how well the shots came out as she looked into the window of Klaus' digital camera. She was in her street clothes now and her dress was in the garment bag.

"Wow, I love them," she said. "Klaus, you're awesome!"

"Why, thank you, Caroline," he replied. "The camera seems to really capture you just right." He looked at her. "You're the perfect model and I think we work well together."

Caroline smiled and then looked at the time. It was nearly 11:00, and she had to get back to her dorm so that she could get to bed and rest up for the next day. She grabbed her garment bag and head for the door, Klaus following behind her. He wanted to make sure that she got out okay.

"I had a great time," she said. "I'm glad I listened to Elena."

"Likewise," he replied. "I'll give you a call sometime." He saw the look on her face. "That is, if you don't want me to."

Caroline shook her head. "No, it's okay, I don't mind."

Klaus smiled and before he knew what was happening, he gently grabbed her hand as she reached for the door knob, leaned in and kissed her softly. Caroline blinked at first, but then returned his kiss, letting herself melt at the feel of his lips on hers. Several minutes passed before she stepped back, breaking the kiss.

"Good night, Klaus."

Not waiting for him to reply, Caroline opened the door and walked out. Klaus shut the door behind her as soon as she was gone. He licked his lips and tasted her there. He also looked down at himself and saw that he was hard as a rock. Shit, what was it about Caroline Forbes that was making him feel like this? Whatever it was, he wanted more of it.

Note: Thus begins another Klaroline story. There will be romance in here as the story progresses, so don't worry.

Enjoy and let me know what you think! ^_^