Thanks for the reviews! Many readers were shocked at my version of human Pam (rightfully so!) but I appreciate your willingness to go with it. Now back to the good stuff. . . .

"What is all the noise at this early hour?" Bill was letting his grumpiness show. "It's breakfast," Eric said with a smile, "It seems Sookie is messy in the kitchen." I scoffed and was preparing my retort when Eric turned to me and winked. It was so chaste and sexy that I felt my heartbeat speed up and I couldn't imagine the flush my complexion was enduring.

Eric was almost giddy as we finished the crepes. He looked at Bill, "Tonight I'll take you guys to LeClerq's. It's a new lounge I know you'll love." "I think Sookie has plans tonight," Bill reported, "Her friend Tara lives in the city and they're going to . . . something or other." "It's 80s night," I added, "Just go on without me, I never get to see Tara." "Sookie's right," Eric covered, "The scene at LeClerq's is better on Saturday nights. Let's go tomorrow."

Pam walked in the room, "What's LeClerq's?" Their separate lives were blaringly obvious today too. Eric didn't bother answering her and she didn't seem to care. "Sookie what cute pjs!" she said. "Thanks . . .," I said, wanting to compliment her too, but I had difficulty discerning whether her clothes were pajamas, yoga wear, or regular clothes, so I was quiet. "Want to come to the gym today?" Pam asked. As if anyone could say, "no" to that question on the morning after Thanksgiving! "Sure," I replied.

By mid-morning I was dressed for the gym, and really looking forward to it. I was pacing around the front room, waiting for Pam, when I nearly ran into Eric. "I gather you're waiting for Pam to go to the gym?" I nodded. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she's sleeping." "Oh," I said, "is she all right?" "She's fine," Eric replied quickly and, it seemed, a little irritated. "I'd take you, but I think she has to be there for you to go, no?" "Yeah, don't worry about it." He smiled and started up the stairs. I contemplated changing but then decided to take a run around the block.

I had gone nearly a half block when I realized I would be having a much better run if I'd brought my ipod. I turned around and ran back. When I opened the front door, I heard Eric yelling and I froze, door half open. His voice was distant and I assumed he was upstairs. I knew I shouldn't but I listened, ". . . can't just sleep in your bedroom all day, for Christ's sake! There's nothing even wrong with you!" Pam's voice was full of rage, "You're not going to tell me what to do! They're not even my family, I don't care!"

My eyes were bulging out of my head and I knew this was wrong. "Why are you so cold and heartless? You have everything you want! What did I ever . . . ." I shut the door quietly and said a silent prayer they hadn't heard me. Eric had probably gone upstairs and woken her up to convince her to take me to the gym. I felt horribly guilty for leading to that fight.

That evening, Eric offered to drive me to the train station. "Sookie, let me put my number in your phone so you can call when you get back." He was already pressing in numbers, "Or if you need anything. Just call me." His eyes followed me as I put my phone away, unbuckled myself and rose from the seat, my hand lingering on the door frame. "Thanks Eric, but it might be really late. I could just call a cab." "No," he said very quickly, "I'll be up."

I met Tara outside the Pyramid Club. She surprised me by being accompanied by her new boyfriend, JB. I was happy for her, although I wasn't sure what I thought of JB. He seemed a bit basic for my friend Tara, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for the evening. When we got inside, the music was great, but the scene was very couple oriented. Those who were not coupled up were embroiled in a heated pick-up scene. I immediately felt like a third wheel and wished Tara had told me about JB so that I could have coerced Bill into coming. Bill hates dancing and is not even really a music fan, so I didn't protest when he didn't want to come. But now I really needed him with me.

We started dancing in a trio, which I thought would stave off any guys looking for a hookup. No such luck. A scruffy guy came up behind me and started grinding into me during a Bananarama song. Tara was laughing at us but I was not enjoying it. When the song was over, I made my way over to the bar queue and texted Bill: I need you. Please come, it's all couples and I can't have any fun by myself.

I assumed the wallflower position with my drink, hoping I would disappear until Bill arrived. But song after song passed and I received no text back. I could see Tara and JB having a blast and I felt truly lonely. I texted Bill again: Save me from the pickup scene. I need someone to dance with! Call me. If he wouldn't come for the sake of my having a good time, maybe a little jealousy could convince him. I had just sent the message when I felt an arm snake around my shoulders and a hand attempt to guide my elbow into the crowd, "I'm Andre. Let's dance, sugar." "I'm waiting for someone," I attempted. "It's ok, I don't mind," he said.

His hands were on my hips in a flash and I had never been so thrilled when I heard my phone buzz a moment later. I put it to my ear and pushed back away from Andre, gesturing for him to wait a minute. I walked into the entrance hall, toward the ladies' room, repeating, "Hello?" and trying to hear the caller. I felt like an idiot when I looked at the screen to see it had been a text: I kept hearing beeps. It's Eric, Bill's asleep. I'm getting on the train now. I was smiling to myself as I entered the bathroom stall. I scolded myself for being so happy about Eric's response. I should not be this happy to see my brother-in-law. I should be bummed that Bill was asleep. I took some deep breaths, reapplied my lipstick and went to look, in vain, for Tara.

As Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol was ending, I felt a hand on the small of my back. I turned to see Eric, wearing a black button down shirt and an amazing pair of jeans. I lined myself up with him, breathing a sigh of relief, and we began to dance. "Thank you," I said from my beaming smile. He leaned into me and replied, "My pleasure." It occurred to me that it would be polite to ask where Pam was, but I just couldn't make myself say the words.

Eric was an amazing dancer. I guess I hadn't seen him dance since his wedding. He wasn't the kind of dancer who drew attention to himself, but he was smooth and sexy without being sexual. I had always heard that men who were great dancers were also great at sex. I hadn't conducted nearly enough research to draw a conclusion, in fact I'd only had one subject and I didn't really know how to rate Bill's sex skills. But as I watched Eric I felt that the correlation must be true. Eric loved to dance, and he was good at it. Come to think of it, he also loved to drive and was good at that, too. I was pulled out of my thoughts as I felt Eric's hand behind me, pulling me closer to him as a new song began.

I started to get lightheaded from the feel of his body making contact with mine. It was by no means a spectacle in comparison to the rest of the dance floor, but our bodies were very close and his hand was resting at the nape of my neck. I remembered to breathe. But I wanted more, I wanted to touch and feel him. I strategized that I could do whatever I desired if I just laughed it off like I was just having some good fun. So I slid my body up and down his, laughing obviously. But Eric wasn't sharing my silliness. His eyes were serious, burning into me, as he spun me so that my back was to him. His hands were on my hips, moving with me, pulling me to him, and I felt his breath on my neck as he leaned down.

I turned my head slightly to smile at him and in an instant his lips were on mine. It was just a brief kiss, that probably could have been mistaken for an accident. It wasn't deep, but it was wet and hot and full of desire. I felt Eric straighten up and take a step back from me but I continued to dance, pretending nothing happened. "I'm going to the bar, Sookie," he said distantly. I nodded and avoided looking at him.

I was angry at myself for letting this happen. I felt like I had provoked him. I needed to apologize so I headed over to the bar. "Eric, I'm sorry, I've had a few drinks and I didn't mean to. . . ." I said, touching his arm and standing beside him. He looked as if he were calculating a complicated equation in his head. "Me too," he said, suddenly nonchalant, "I got carried away." And, with that, everything seemed righted and we enjoyed a little more dancing, and I even found Tara again, long enough to introduce Eric and catch up a little.

I felt sleepiness overtaking me as we settled into our seats on the train. The rhythmic clacking and the scent of Eric were together so comforting that I couldn't help but lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. He rested his hand on my shoulder and we sat, breathing in sync, until I succumbed to sleep.

EPOV

I could tell from her breathing that she was asleep. My thumb absentmindedly traced circles on her collarbone, which was more of an attempt to soothe myself. I certainly hadn't been expecting to be so attracted to her when I saw her Wednesday. But it seemed like everything she was doing was turning me on, from the way she climbed into my backseat, to the way she held her fork, to the way she curled her snow white feet under my thigh on the couch. Sure, I'd remembered she was gorgeous in high school, and our French project was always one of my fondest school memories. It's probably the only reason I continued to take French in college. But, she was married to my brother now, for God's sake. It's not like I spent nights awake in bed, thinking of Sookie, who lived hundreds of miles away and spent her nights sleeping with my brother.

I bent forward, closer to her head, and inhaled the smell of her hair - the hair that I had watched my brother stroking and playing with while we watched the game today. She had come into the living room and sat at Bill's feet. I was so distracted by his motions and it was as if I could feel her hair under my own fingers, under my touch. She responded by rolling her neck and leaning into his hand, making it obvious that she enjoyed this very much. I was oblivious to whatever was happening in the game. I was busy trying to wrap my mind around my newfound jealousy. For the very first time in my life I wanted nothing more than to be Bill.

Using just two fingers, I picked up a piece of her hair close to her head and slid my fingers down to the ends. It felt like a satin ribbon and the color was the same as mine. She did not stir, so I did it again, using all my fingertips this time.

After I'd dropped her at the train station this evening, I rejoined Bill on the couch to watch more football. I told him that Pam and I had been seeing a marriage therapist. Bill seemed surprised but instead of prying, he began to drone on about Sookie, complaining that she didn't know how to press shirts properly, she talked too much, bought too many shoes, and always wanted to go out. He even said that she urged him to see a therapist, but he hadn't complied. What a fool my brother was! I began to realize that he truly didn't appreciate her and had sadly grown to take her for granted.

Bill had gone to bed when I heard the familiar text beep coming from down the hall. Initially I ignored it, but when it persisted, I snuck into his room. As I'd suspected, it was Sookie. I rushed upstairs to change and raced to the train station before replying. I hadn't even told Pam I was going. When I laid eyes on her in the Pyramid Club, wearing that short, light blue dress and impossibly high heels, my pulse sped up and I felt like the luckiest man alive. Her dancing only made me want her more. It took every bit of restraint I had to keep some distance between us. But eventually I couldn't stand it and with one hand I pulled her closer. I hadn't meant for us to kiss. I didn't want to cross any lines and cause her to feel awkward around me or, worse yet, fear or resent me.

I was looking out the train window into the darkness when I felt Sookie sliding slightly. Before I knew what happened her head was in my lap. My breath hitched and I stopped breathing for a long while, afraid to move and potentially cause any friction. I was so still that I could feel her hot breath on my inner thigh. I looked down at her hand resting on my knee and a vision flashed in my head of that perfect little hand with its pink polished fingernails wrapped around my cock. My whole body twitched and I felt myself getting hard. She stirred, rubbing her head along my lap and I struggled with my self control. Shit – I could not have her waking up to find her head in my lap and me impossibly hard. I ran my fingers through my hair and avoided touching her.

When our stop came, I managed to wake her while helping her stand, probably obscuring the fact that her head had been in my lap and effectively concealing my arousal until I could pull on my jacket. She was still groggy and so I guided her through the parking lot, my hand around her waist.

After I helped her into the car, she situated herself so that she was angled, slightly looking at me. She was on the cusp of falling asleep again she looked like an angel. I could feel her looking at me as I drove and I promised myself to avoid being alone with her for the rest of their visit. I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself.