Hi All,

Welcome to my second Trueblood fanfic - based on a mix of Season 2 of Trueblood and the second book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries.

This story picks up from where my first fan fic (Fangtasia) left off, so I highly recommend that you read that one first.

Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!

xxxx

It wasn't unusual that Eric interrupted my work by strolling in unannounced, but it was unusual that I was in his office at Fangtasia, and that I was working behind his desk.

I was there because I was frustrated. I know; no change there really.

It had been two weeks since I had been attacked by Rene, and then healed by Eric, and nothing had really changed.

That was frustrating.

I had accepted Eric's job offer but was still unsure exactly what my role was. He made me think that I would be taking some responsibility from Pam, but she was still very much present around the bar and I seemed to be 'paperwork girl', either remaining in the office or, as was increasingly the case, waking up to find parcels of invoices and purchase orders and other tasks on the door mat waiting for my attention.

Maybe I was being paranoid but I was getting the distinct feeling that I was being kept at home.

Not that that was a bad thing, now that I had my own place. Well, Kind of. It was that funny house where Eric had left me to recover from a particularly large dose of vampire blood. The place was more homely with furniture in there. I even had a bed now, in the biggest of the four bedrooms, and Eric had gotten all my clothes and belongings from Pam's house, so it was pretty close to feeling like 'my place'.

Except Eric could walk in and out whenever he felt like it.

He had also given me some stipulations regarding decorating but nothing that I couldn't get over; no building work, any changes to the big fittings like the bath or kitchen cupboards etc. had to go through him, and he chose any workmen I needed. The one thing he did say that I wasn't 100% happy with was that the largest reception room had to be made out to receive visitors. Vampire visitors. The rest of the house I could decorate in any way that suited me, but this room was for business.

I had left that room until last. It currently had one large black leather sofa (I saw it and it screamed Eric) and a low coffee table. I currently used it as my office.

Working away from the bar meant that my main point of contact was Eric. If I didn't see him, he called me. It was always business to start, but always drifted into flirting. Was it wrong that his voice was just as sexy on the phone? And yes it did give me ideas of doing bad things while he couldn't see, but I always thought 'what if he could see?'. I really wouldn't put it past him to be outside while talking to me, just on the off chance the mood would take me and he would get a front row seat.

But then my mind was still full of those kind of thoughts. I blamed Eric's blood.

For the most part.

Ok, half and half.

I am a red blooded, heterosexual woman after all.

That was another of my frustrations.

I knew the effects wouldn't last forever, but seriously, when would the dreams stop? Sometimes they were just flashes and blurs, other times it was as though it was real life. Either way, the sensations were the same, as well as the outcome. It had been almost four months since I had had sex but now I was dreaming about it on a nightly basis, and completely mortifying, the utter Sod was making me cum in my dreams. He had healed me after my attack from Rene, which I did appreciate, but he didn't tell me the affects his blood would have on me i.e. hotter than hot dreams and even more of an attraction to him, or the fact that he would be able to feel my emotions and find me where ever I was. I had found these out from Bill but had decided to keep my knowledge to myself, at least around Eric. I thought it was quite telling that he didn't give me all the information. To be honest it just made me even more resolute to show almost no change in behaviour around him. No lingering looks, no more sexy clothes around him. In fact, I made an effort to not get dressed up around him.

At the moment I was in what I think is called a 'play suit'. It would have been obscenely short if it was a skirt but it was shorts - so that was OK right?. My boobs were apparent but certainly not overly on show. It was a dark camel colour with a white flower print which I thought was cute, and was cotton so it was great in the heat of Louisiana. Paired with white plimsolls and light make-up, I was presentable but definitely casual.

Eric strolled into his office wearing his even-more-casual-looking sweat suit that he still managed to look great in. I noted his scowl at me sat behind his desk and then all my cool, emotionless cunning that I wanted to employ to get my job role and salary sorted went out the window when I looked at him properly.

"What have you done to your hair!" I squawked. The dramatic change left me wide eyed and opened mouthed.

Really smooth Alex.

"It's the new me" Eric said as he ran his hand through his drastically shorter hair, letting some fall back over his forehead like a real life shampoo advert. He walked so he was stood in front of me, I guess giving me a better look. "You like?" he asked, raising an eyebrow teasingly.

His hair had gone from an expanse of silvery blonde, rippling down his back to a couple of inches, exposing his neck and ears. My curiosity got the better of me and I reached up to feel the haircut and he assisted by bending his head slightly so I could actually reach. The short strands ran through my fingers, silky smooth, leaving my face close to his, with my hand behind his head.

I pulsed at the sudden predicament I had found myself in and a horny little thought crept into my conscious mind; would he resist if I pulled his face to mine and kissed him?

He pulled me out of my haze with a broad smile. "Your pupils say that you like it very much" he leant forward and kissed me.

Now I know that I had remained purposefully aloof to him in the last couple of weeks, and I had noted (painfully) that he hadn't pushed me for physical affection, even though flirting was at times debauched, but that didn't change the fact that he was an extremely good kisser. I know I wanted to act like the blood had no effect on me, that I had been cool towards him but when faced with his lips on mine, pressing just hard enough, moving in just the right way, who could really resist him?

As it was I didn't resist him, at all. In fact I found myself deepening the kiss, parting his lips with my tongue and savouring the sensation. I also enjoyed the feeling of stroking down through his shorter hair and down his neck. He smelled different. I couldn't put my finger on it but he just smelt delicious. I realised he tasted different too. Not unpleasant but it was familiar...

I pulled away immediately but was a bit embarrassed to the reason; what did I expect him to do, starve?

He raised his eyebrows in question.

"You fed" I said in response.

He looked at me for a moment before he smiled "And you mind?" He leant down to continue kissing me but I stepped away from him. He had fed, and I had tasted the blood, and that was a bit too weird for me.

"No." I said, giving myself a little time to think of better excuse than 'Ew, it's gross'. "I just came here because I wanted to speak with you" I sat back down in his chair as I said, "regarding work".

"Work" he said, looking down at me, and not in the flirty way he had been either.

I raised my chin and kept my resolve. "Yes".

With my response still on my lips he lifted me up out of the chair, marched me around his desk and sat me back down on one of the padded chairs on the other side of his desk. Within the blink of an eye he was sat in his chair and had assumed his 'man in charge' pose.

"Now, to business." He smiled coldly, smugly and cut off my objection with a mini monologue "Go through the applicants for a new dancer and a barmaid. Cross reference by previous applications and fan mail. I want a blonde dancer and a Hispanic barmaid. Get Bobby to do the background checks. The papers are waiting for you at the house, where I had expected you would be waiting" I noted the coldness to the tone before he continued "Make arrangements for a flight to Dallas; private jet with Anubis Air. Two humans and a vampire travelling tomorrow night. Keep the return journey open. Then book two light-tight suites at Hotel Camilla." He paused and frowned before continuing "And I don't want any of the donor deals they're offering. Just the suites."

I had to literally shake my head at all the detail. "Now say all that again remembering I'm human."

He rolled his eyes and got out his phone, "I'll send you an email". I had no doubt he wrote the whole thing up in seconds and sent it over to me. I heard the computer ping which just confirmed my suspicions.

"Anything else?" I laughed

"I want confirmations of bookings by 3 am tonight and three candidates for each of the roles by midnight tomorrow. Bring them to the bar." He paused and thought a moment; it felt like he was looking straight through me for a second. He continued in a faux annoyed voice, but it didn't match his face. Eric looked distracted. "And don't wear that again."

"I like it" I said indignantly.

"I don't" he replied absently, already typing away at the computer.

I could have continued but I told myself to stay on track "Eric, I actually came here to speak to you about work"

He looked over from the computer screen to me and then said "You've been doing a commendable job" and went back to typing.

I frowned at his attempt to say what I wanted to hear in order to, I presumed, get rid of me. "Nice try Eric but I'm serious. I would like to have your attention so we can have a professional conversation."

"You would have my full attention if you took that off" he answered without looking up.

"Very professional"

He smiled and sat back in his chair. "Speak"

"What is my job role?"

"You are my Daytime Liaison"

"No I'm not. That's Bobby's job"

"Would you like me to fire him?" he asked deadpan

"No!" I immediately said, thought about it and said more honestly "I don't want to do Bobby's job"

His smiled widened but he didn't push me to elaborate. "Perhaps an Administrative Assistant then?"

"Perhaps an Executive Assistant?"

"It's just a job title"

"Then Executive Assistant it is" I smiled and relaxed back into the chair. This was more how I had seen the conversation going. And Eric was acting just as I imagined. "And salary?"

"What were you thinking?" He asked, his eyes studied my new seating position and I just knew that he knew I had a whole plan for this.

"I want more than Bobby"

I saw his jaw tighten and I resisted the urge to smile. I knew for a fact that Bobby had been given a raise just before I had arrived (I'm sure I had a valid reason to look into the pay role files…). I knew that asking for more than him would not be what Eric expected, and I was fully prepared to haggle down from there; my actual goal number was below Bobby's salary anyway, but I assumed I was more likely to get that if I started higher.

"Do you know how much your working papers alone cost?" I was brought down from my somewhat smug mood by the icy edge to his voice, but I refused to let it scare me.

To be honest, I didn't know anything about the visa he had arranged for me, and didn't really want to know how he had gotten it so quickly "I'm an investment."

We shared a long moment just looking at each other. I tried to concentrate on not looking like anything that would make Eric more upset or suspicious. The more he looked the more I thought he might actually tell me to fuck off

"You will be paid the same as Bobby and as my Executive Assistant, you will be expected to deal with more than the invoices and personnel" Well, that was what I wanted but why did it sound like a threat? "You will arrange your own health insurance and you will be back paid by two weeks."

That was an amazing deal but I didn't want to show any signs of elation in case he bit my head off. Literally. This was definitely not like I had imagined in my head. I had imagined we would cement the deal in a whole different way, but I blamed that on the blood...

Eric was still staring at me, right at me and it was completely chilling.

"I will see you in the bar tomorrow with the job candidates."

I was most definitely, and curtly, dismissed. It felt very strange that I had gotten all I wanted from the meeting and was now leaving with an overwhelming relief to be out of his company. That was a new one. Nevertheless, I decided to quit while I was ahead and leave him to the strange moodiness that meant he could kiss me one minute and look like he wanted to break me the next.

"And remember Alexandra" his voice was clipped and slightly accented, and stopped me just as I was turning out of the office door. I turned (against my instinct to run away) to see he still had his arctic face on "I don't want to see you in that thing again."