I'm so happy that everyone is loving this story, its been so fun to write! Keep the feedback coming! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season, and for those of you reading Over My Dead Body, I promise I'll get back to it soon...this is just a bit of a detour!
Sookie
I think I would chalk up our evening drinks with Hashimoto to my first and only foray into the hostess business. Having been here for about seven months, I knew what businessmen expected when they saw a white girl in a bar like we were in. He assumed I was a prop, there to entertain him, no matter what body language Eric was using, which was certainly possessive enough that he probably should gotten the hint. When he stepped out and Eric asked if I was ok, I assured him that I was. I knew nothing would happen with him there, or otherwise, since I could have most certainly kicked his ass. Growing up with Jason, mad fighting skills were something I had in spades.
Nevertheless, I was glad when we hightailed it out of there, really more because I was eager to hop back in the shower with Eric, not only to get the stank of the bar off of me, but to see what his plans with that showerhead were. Spending an entire evening with his hands all over me possessively had been a bit like foreplay, and strangely arousing. Watching Eric in aggressive business mode was also pretty damn sexy.
We arrived back at the hotel after about ten minutes in the tiny cab. I never noticed how small things were until Eric was next to or in them. I slid my hand over to meet his and he stroked my palm with his thumb.
"I'm sorry about that. I should have said something."
"Its ok, really. Its not like he crossed any lines or asked me back to his place or anything. I really do get looked at like that quite often."
"Well, my meeting tomorrow is a proper dinner, with some younger associates and their wives, so it should be a better experience. That is, if you still want to come."
"Of course I do."I nuzzled my nose into his neck.
We got out of the cab and walked quickly through the lobby, and back up to our room. Things got a bit heated in the elevator and we both walked back to the room looking pretty rumpled. He swooped me up as we walked through the door and carried me into the bathroom. I began unbuttoning his shirt while he held me in his incredibly strong arms, his mouth never leaving mine as our tongues performed what was a very sexy dance.
When we were in the bathroom, he set me down, and with one quick pull, had untied my dress.
"I've been figuring out the logistics on that dress all evening." He smirked, as he pushed it off my shoulders and onto the floor. I quickly moved to undo his pants, and pulled them, along with his underwear to the floor. He quickly removed my underwear and bra and pulled me into the shower."I believe I'm owed a raincheck." He turned the shower on and grabbed the removable head, and with one of his large hands, pinned my two smaller ones above my head. With his other hand, he began running the strong jets over my breasts, alternating between them. I let out a loud moan, as he started moving the head lower. When he reached my clit, I became like a woman possessed. I tried to stifle my moans, but Eric shook his head.
"Lover, this shower is pretty soundproof. Let me know how good it feels." He leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I want to hear you scream my name."
And within about three minutes, I did. Boy, did I ever. When I had retained my wits, I grabbed Eric, and pulled him out of the shower. We made it to the floor beside the bed before I collapsed onto him.
"I need you inside me now." I hissed at him, and he complied, entering me in one quick, sharp thrust. I cried out, from the feeling of being filled completely, so quickly, but that feeling quickly gave way to very audible moans of pleasure from both of us.
"Fuck Lover, you are so hot, wet, and tight. You are fucking everything." He moaned into my mouth. The things this guy did to my ego.
I moved my mouth to his neck, and ran my tongue along it, stopping to nibble and suck on it. It was his turn to moan, as I pushed myself down on him hard, and repeating the same fucking hot action over and over again.. He reached up and squeezed my breasts, running his thumbs over my very perky breasts. I moaned as he rolled them in his thumb and forefinger, before pinching them, which set me off. I had no idea that my breasts were such a hot spot before Eric came along. I reciprocated, by reaching behind me and running my thumb along his balls, before grasping them gently and giving a little squeeze.
"Oh. Fuck." He cried out as I felt him unload into me, filling me even further as his dick pulsed inside of me. "I totally had things under control until you did the ol' reach around." He laughed as I rolled off of him and settled into the crook of his arm. "Fuck, the things you do to me."
I laughed. "Likewise. You and my breasts are a dangerous combination." We peeled ourselves off the floor, and I winced at Eric's carpet burned back, running my fingers down the red welts. "That looks painful."
"It is, but it was totally worth it. I'm going to go fill up the tub, since our round in the shower hardly constitutes getting clean. In fact, after your screams in there, that shower is about as dirty as it gets. I'll never be able to go in there without getting hard at the thought." He winked at me. " Join me? There's room for about five in there."
"But of course." We hopped in and started filling the tub, sitting across from each other, my legs in between his. The tub was almost as deep as it was large, with the water coming up to my shoulders once it filled up. We sat there for a quiet moment, until I broke the silence. "Tell me about your family."
"What do you want to know?"
"I don't know, what are they like?I feel like your Mom already knows me, or she just has fabulous taste."
"She just has fabulous taste. My Mom is well poised, has impeccable manners, and the warmest heart of anyone I've ever known. My Dad saw her, walking from her apartment to work, over thirty years ago, and he said he was done for. He always said that she didn't have to say a word and he was already trying to figure out how to make her his. He did, but it involved a lot of very hard work on his part, which he constantly reminds her of. After two years of flying between Toronto and Oslo, on a monthly basis, she finally agreed to come back with him, after she finished her Phd, which took another two years on top of that. She teaches a couple of economics courses at different universities around Oslo, but never took a full-time position because she travelled with Dad for work as much as possible. It was always his job, but her poise and grace went a long way in securing some of his most lucrative clients, including our friend Hashimoto. One of his associates once told him that it was because such an outstanding woman like her had chosen him that he agreed to do business with him. He figured that he must be an honourable man."
"Do you have any brothers or sisters? I've never heard you talk about anyone."
Eric shook his head. "I was born a couple of years after they married, but they didn't have any luck after that. Mom had a couple of very late term miscarriages, which were very hard on her. I remember being so excited about having a little brother or sister and then having everyone quickly shut up about it after that. I think that's why she constantly worries about me. I remember her holding me, so tight after the last one and promising her that I'd never go anywhere. She always pulled out of it though. She's like a lioness when it comes to me though. I was actually surprised that she didn't do something awful to Pam when she returned her ring."
"Did your Mom really like Pam?"
Eric wrinkled his forehead. "Mom knew Pam forever, and she liked that she made me happy. The marriage pressure really came from Dad, who, I guess was remembering back to his years of chasing Mom and the importance of securing things while they were in reach. Mom and Pam butted heads on a few things, and when I told her about what had happened between us, her immediate response was the she knew that she had been hiding something. She's a pretty good judge of character, obviously better than her son."
"I think you are a pretty good judge of character. You nailed Bill pretty quickly."
"I think its improving." He smiled over at me. "What about your family?"
"As you know, I grew up with my Gran and my brother Jason. My parents were killed when I was six, when a bridge they were driving on washed out. I don't remember much about them at all, I wish I remembered more. Jason reminds me a lot of my Dad looks wise, but he's a real manwhore, which my Dad certainly wasn't. He and my mother were high school sweethearts, and the thing I'll remember most about them was their unwavering affection for one another. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, but they were always happy."
"Do you ever talk to Jason?"
"We email back and forth once and a while. He's been collecting my mail, so he'll let me know if something comes for me. He usually sends me a package for the big holidays. He emailed last week to ask what I wanted him to send for my birthday in July. He and Bill didn't get along, so that created a bit of a rift between us. He was the first person I called after I dumped him, and he tried to play it cool, but I could tell her was really happy. I guess you aren't the only one who has been a poor judge of character in the past, but I like to think I'm improving too."
"Do you think you'll ever go back, to your Gran's house, to live?"
"I don't think so. I just don't have the heart to sell it. There's really not much for me in Bon Temps anymore. I'd like to go back to school eventually, maybe do my masters in teaching English as a second language. I actually find teaching far more rewarding than I thought I would. I'm not sure I would want to stay here forever, but for the time being, its a pretty great way to earn a living for now."
We sat there for a while, until the water started to get cold and our hands started to get pruny. We mutually agreed that it was time to get out and Eric hopped out first, handing me over an incredibly fluffy towel. We both wrapped ourselves up, dried off and crawled into bed.
***
Eric
From the minute I mentioned my Dad trying to come up with a way to make my Mom his, I realized that I had been doing the same thing since I saw her in the train station that afternoon. The connection that we had was, more than I ever thought I'd have with someone I'd known for such a short amount of time, but it was unmistakable. I was relieved when she said she wasn't committed to returning to Bon Temps, because that would have made things quite difficult. I knew I was going to have to be patient if this was going to work out. I'd always been a patient man, but I'd have to be careful not to take things too fast. I was concerned about coming on too strong and scaring her off.
I curled up against her, as we both fell into sleep. I had wonderful dreams of her in in my house again, like earlier, reading the paper at my huge oak table, smiling up at me.
Then next few days went by far too quickly. We spent the next day at the Tokyo Zoo, and then attended dinner with some of my associates and their families. Shinji was there with his wife and baby, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of father I would be. It all seemed so far away, December, the baby, trying to work out details with Pam, but if the last few days were any indication how of time flies, it would all be here before I knew it. And then I looked over and saw Sookie holding little Mayumi, cooing at her, trying to get her to giggle and my heart melted. She brought the baby over to me and put her in my arms. It felt quite uncomfortable for a moment, but after a few minutes of her giggling and trying to grab my nose, I relaxed a bit. She felt so fragile, almost breakable.
"Eric, you aren't going to break her." Shinji laughed me, awkwardly holding his daughter.
"I'm not too used to babies I guess." I moved a hand and rubbed her tiny back, which was apparently a bad idea because she spit up all over the front of my shirt. Shinji's wife, Akiko, quickly came over and took her.
"Sorry about that. Here's a face cloth." She handed one over and I used a bit of water from my glass to dab the stain on my shirt. Sookie laughed and came and stood by my side, linking my arm with hers.
"I guess you better get used to that. I think babies do it a lot." She grinned up at me. "December's coming."
"So I'm coming to realize more and more each day."
Saying goodbye got harder and easier at the same time. It was harder because I knew that I wasn't going to see her for two weeks, but easier knowing that even when we were apart, we were still building our relationship, even when we weren't physically together. We talked constantly, setting aside a part of each of our days, every day we were apart. She became a part of me, something I didn't need to see, but always knew was there, in the back of my mind.
The next couple of visits went by quite quickly, as did the time between them. I bought Sookie's plane ticket to Norway for her for her birthday in July, which made her day, especially when I told her that I'd arranged to be in Japan the two weeks before, so we could fly back together. Her brother sent her a nice package, including about 20 letters from Bill, which she promptly threw in the garbage, without even opening them. Jason sent her some of her Gran's preserves and a few other treats from home that she had been missing. When I stayed with her, I started booking a hotel room for part of the stay, and staying in her tiny room the rest of the time. I liked sharing her space, and looking at her little nicknacks that she collected over the years. Her bed also smelled like her, and although it was very small and on the floor, I slept like the dead with her in my arms, no matter where we were. When she went to work, I often spent time with Amelia, watching movies or walking around Kyoto. Amelia and Sookie worked opposite shifts most days, so Amelia and I became quite close when she'd have to work. Her and Sookie were perfect opposites, but that's probably why they got along so well. Her Aussie boyfriend was nice as well, and the three of us would often grab a beer while we waited for Sookie to finish work.
I loved her. I knew it because I could feel it in my bones, when I was with her and when I wasn't. Every time I left, it was a littler harder to pry myself away from her, even though it meant I could immediately start counting the days until I saw her again.
Pam's pregnancy was progressing well. She was starting to really show and I went to every doctor's appointment that I could with her. It was amazing watching our baby on the monitor each time, squirming and moving around. I was still concerned with how Pam was going to react to Sookie though. She didn't really like to talk about her and I, which I found a bit disconcerting, and always refereed to her as the teacher, never Sookie. Before I left to fly back to Japan, when I was going to bring Sookie back with me, I invited Pam over for lunch.
"Pam, as you know, I'm bringing Sookie back with me for a month. We'll be back together in a couple of weeks and she wants to meet you."
"Are you serious enough that its worth it? I'm a lot to deal with, and especially in my current state." Pam had been a bit of an emotional wreck over the past couple of weeks, switching from tears to fury at the drop of a hat. I knew it was the hormones, but she'd been quite impossible.
"Yes. If I have my way, she'll be around as much as she's willing to be. I want you and her to be comfortable with each other, for me and for the baby."
"Then fine. You better warn her beforehand though, because I can't promise to be on my best behaviour." I realized that it had been easy for Pam to deal with me moving on, because she never had to see it, beyond a couple of pictures in the hall when she came over for lunch. She pretty much had me as much as she wanted me, when I was in Oslo.
"Pam, I love her. I trust you will be on your best behaviour. Things have been very amicable between us, but if you create problems, then I cannot promise they will continue to be." I looked at her, and she knew from my tone that I was serious.
"Fine Eric." She rolled her eyes at me. I'd be glad when she had this baby and went back to her normal, usually pleasant self, even with her usual sarcastic streak.
My mother, on the other hand, was beyond thrilled to meet Sookie. She had me email her and get a list of all her favourite foods and things she wanted to do while she was here. I knew they'd get along, because Mom had already been commenting on a change in my manner, which she had decided to contribute completely to Sookie's influence.
Secretly, I hoped that after a month here, she'd decide she wanted to stay forever. I had to cut back on my Japan time in the fall, to once every three weeks to focus on Hong Kong and I had promised Pam and Mom that I would stick around in December, since the baby was due mid-month. We hadn't discussed it yet, but I hoped her coming here would help to broach the topic. I knew her school was closed for a couple of weeks at New Year, so I was planning to buy her a ticket here for Christmas.
I spent most of my time in Japan before we headed back sorting out all the business I needed to, in order to take a month off. I met her in Kyoto two days before we were booked to fly out of Osaka. I arrived at her apartment and let myself in (with Bill's spare key ironically) before she got home from school, with a very large bouquet. It was about a million degrees, so I cranked the air conditioner to wait for her.
She arrived, very hot and sweaty about a half hour after I did. "Thank god you turned the air conditioner up. Its unbearable out there. I'll be really glad to get out of here for a bit." Kyoto lay in a valley, so the heat was pretty stagnant, which made it all the more unbearable.
"I missed you, and I'm excited to get you out of here for a bit too." I smiled and pulled her in for a kiss, which we both broke quite quickly, due to the unbearable temperature of the other's body.
"I don't suppose you want to head up to Osaka tonight? Once Amelia gets here, its going to be unbearable with four people in this apartment, and Tray's just back from Australia, so I'm sure he'll be over."
"Sure. I didn't book a hotel here, but I can book one there just as easily. Do you want me to help you pack?"
"No, two of us moving in here will be too hot. You sit down and I'll pack." I folded myself onto her futon and watched as she filled her suitcase. I watched as she critically examined her clothing, tossing in the odd piece here and there. After a few minutes, she humphed herself down on the futon beside me.
"I don't have anything to wear. Your family is going to think I'm a slob." She laid down, looking at the ceiling.
"Don't be silly. My Mom hasn't stopped talking about meeting you in four months. They will both love you. You are wonderful and charming and I love you, so they will love you."
"Hold on." She rolled over to look at me. "What did you just say?"
"I said that I love you, so they'll love you." I stopped myself, realizing that I hadn't told her that before. I had thought it almost every day for a couple of months now, but I hadn't said it, for fear that it was too soon. I ran my hand over my mouth, anxious to hear her reaction.
"I thought that's what I heard." She took my face in her hands, and although they were sticky, her touch felt as wonderful as it always did. "I love you too. I've been a bit nervous to say it, because I didn't want to scare you off. Now get up, and tell me about the weather in Oslo this time of year. Do I need to take a sweater?"
And just like that, we'd said it. "Yea, I would take a couple. Its nowhere near the temperature here, and the nights are a little cool. Now hurry up, so I can get you to Osaka, so we can spend the rest of the night in central A/C." The room-sized one in their apartment was really terrible. She picked up the pace, left a note for Amelia and we were off.
We spent the next day in Osaka mostly in the hotel room and underground, hiding from the sweltering heat. We picked out some sweets to take back for Mom and Dad, and Sookie picked out a box of candy for Pam, that I remembered her liking. I was scared shitless about the two of them meeting, but I was doing my best to hide it. I remembered Pam's reaction to a few of my girlfriends when we weren't together and it was usually terrifying enough to drive them running for the hills. I hoped our very final breakup would soften her a bit, although I had my doubts.
The next day, our flight was at 7am, so we got up very early. I smiled at Sookie as she fussed and mussed, knowing my parents were picking us up at the airport that evening here, but what would be late morning there.
"Lover, after a 12 hour flight, they don't expect you to look perfect, or even be coherent. Both of them have taken this flight hundreds of times. They'll drop us off at my house, we'll go nap, and then meet them for dinner. You'll have loads of time to unnecessarily fuss over your gorgeous looks then." I had tried to convince them to let us get a taxi home, since my car was getting serviced, but they were having none of it.
"I know, but I want to make a good impression. I'm not relying on your logic that they will love me by default because you do." She blushed and smiled over at me, as she did whenever either of us had dropped the love bomb over the past couple of days. I smiled back at her, happy that I had finally said it, and remembering what spectacular sex it had led to many, many times since.
When she was finally done, we got a cab to the airport and narrowly made our flight. Once we were seated, we both slowly faded into sleep. I was glad I'd booked business class, so we could both get a bit of shut eye. I really needed the extra leg room.
After about 6 hours, Sookie finally woke up. I had been sleeping fitfully, as I usually did, but she was out like a light.
"Did you take something before you got on the plane? Once of the stewardesses stopped by to see if you were ok."
She laughed. "Nope, this is how I fly. Something about the motion makes me sleep like a baby."
"I wish I could sleep like that. Now that I have you awake Lover, what are you thoughts on the mile-high club?" I murmured the last part in her ear.
She smacked my arm. "And look all messy and smell like sex when I meet your parents for the first time? Buddy, you are dreaming." Now she leaned over and murmured in my ear. "But all bets are off once we get to your house."
I raised my eyebrow. "You drive a hard bargain Stackhouse."
After about four more hours, and a terrible Adam Sandler movie later, Sookie turned to me. "I don't know how you do this flight every couple of weeks and then turn up at my apartment so perky and wonderful, especially since you don't sleep."
"Its all you Lover, all you." I wrapped an arm around her. "Shinji just remarked the other day how much more pleasant I was than usual. I hadn't even noticed."
She curled into my arm, and took my other arm in her hands, slowly dragging her fingers across it. "This is what my Gran used to do, to get me to sleep when I was little. You should try and get a couple of hours in, so you can make good on your promise when we get back to your place."
Her magic arm voodoo worked. I was out like a light in ten minutes. When I woke up, the announcement for our descent into Oslo had just sounded.
"Are you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." She squeezed my hand and I shot her a reassuring grin.
