CHAPTER 9 – PRELUDE

"However, technically you're still available, since you have yet to commit."

I made an effort to enunciate my reply very carefully. "Available?"

"Up for grabs. On the market. Ready for action. Putting out the vibe."

He was just jerking my chain now. Two could play that game. "Fine, I don't care, give me an escort, send me in a car or a cart or whatever. Just don't send your girlfriend as a chauffeur."

A stunned silence issued. Jim's eyebrows came together. Judging by his expression, if Jim had been in cat form, every hair on his back would've stood up. "My girlfriend?"

Jennifer kept a perfectly straight face.

In for a penny, in for a pound. "You know, short, glasses, Indonesian, drives like a demon from the lowest bowels of hell?"

"She isn't my girlfriend."
"Oh, so she's still up for grabs? Fair game?"
"Putting out the vibe?" Jennifer added.
Jim turned and walked away without a word."

- By Ilona Andrews, Kate Daniels Series

"People will sometimes find themselves attracted to others, that's just who they are. It's what they do with that attraction that defines them."

By Donna Lynn Hope

"The law of attraction is this: You don't attract what you want. You attract what you are."

By Wayne Dyer

"Desire is easy to fight. Especially when the only weapon desire possesses is attraction. It's not so easy when you're trying to win a war against the heart."

By Colleen Hoover

"I think I'm speaking for everyone when I say, if all you're going to do is switch back to brood mode, we'd rather have you evil. Then, at least, leather pants."

- By Joss Whedon, Angel

"But the second she opened her eyes and looked at me, I knew. She was either going to be the death of me or she was going to be the one who finally brought me back to life."

- By Colleen Hoover

"His attention felt more like an irrepressible gravitational pull than mere interest."

By Blakely Bennett

"The problem with human attraction is not knowing if it will be returned."

By Becca Fitzpatrick

A/N: As usual the incredible kleannhouse beta'd this chapter for me. I can't thank her enough. Any remaining errors are all mine.

I ran for over an hour. I had to stop because I didn't want be the exhausted for tonight. I needed to be alert and ready for anything.

The realization that I was in love with Eric hadn't been easy for me to swallow. I hadn't planned it, I guess nobody plans to fall in love, it just happens. To be honest, my life would be a lot easier if that weren't true. However, I had been rational about it, I had admitted it to myself and that had given me a new sense of peace. My anxiety was mostly gone and I would have to wait to contemplate more about Eric. We had a job to do soon enough and I was determined to be successful at it. Nothing would distract me, or so I thought.

I had taken a long and hot shower which had also helped me relax. I had come out, put on lotion, my robe and was now reviewing the items that were strewn on my bed. I had my gun, my iPhone, my driver's license, some cash, my house keys and a small hair brush with a ponytail holder that I usually carried everywhere. I had also added a gaudy looking long necklace with a big locket on it with a small transparent crystal imbedded on the front. It was hideous, but that was my secret weapon. It was actually a hidden camera. The camera was hidden inside the locket and if you pressed a button on its side the camera would record high resolution video for about half an hour and also take still shots every 5 seconds while it was on. I didn't want to put the necklace on until I was ready; it would look tacky as hell. So I'd put it on when we arrived at the club. I didn't plan on taking all that was currently on my bed inside the club. I'd put all of it into my clutch and leave it in Eric's car, with the exception of the camera and my fake ID.

Eric had a fancy black (of course), Land Rover Sentinel with the windows tinted and it was also completely armored. It was a ridiculous SUV really. It was like a tank dressed as a tuxedo. Very nice, but totally overkill. It was more suited to war zones and high target figures, like heads of state. But who was I to judge.

I had asked him the first time I was in his truck if he was just that paranoid or if he was compensating for something. I also told him jokingly that he should have just gotten a big ass Hummer. He told me that he had bought it when he had moved back to town at a very reasonable price from a friend of his that was moving overseas. He had stated that his buddy was the paranoid one and since he had two small children he didn't like taking any chances with the safety of his family. Eric didn't say it, but I had understood that his friend most likely had PTSD and a classified job. I didn't ask any more questions after that.

I had, however, told him that his vehicle was not a good choice for undercover work. The type of jobs we did where we followed people, had stake outs and needed to not be noticed. His car got a lot more attention than mine, although you couldn't tell it was armored just from looking at it, unless you knew what a Sentinel was, which I hadn't. I was pretty ignorant when it came to cars; I had no interest in them besides them being useful apparatuses. Opening the very heavy door for the first time was the way I had found out. The tinted windows could be advantageous sometimes in our line of work, but my car was more ideally suited for it. I had a 3 year-old Toyota Camry. A very popular car that didn't call attention to itself, unlike Eric's showy one.

I would need to ask him to carry my ID for me in his wallet, in case we were carded, which I very much doubted would happen. It might have been silly to plan to bring my gun along since I certainly wasn't going to take it into the club with us and I had no plans to use it or any feeling that I might even need it. I would leave my bag with the gun and the rest of my personal belongings inside his SUV. Eric would be with me. He was more dangerous than any weapon I could bring.

I had once asked Eric why he didn't carry a gun. He was an ex-soldier, it seemed to me that not only must he have been good with guns but that he had had a close personal relationship with them. They were instruments of war and he was a warrior. One way or another.

To my surprise, Eric had told me that he wasn't that fond of guns. They were just tools to be used only when needed. He said he was very good with them and had no problem using them if it was required, but he didn't see the necessity to carry one. I could understand that. Eric's size and imposing figure were great deterrents. Plus, he could radiate menace like no one else I knew, when he wanted to. I had seen it. Unfortunately, my looks didn't provide me with the same protection. I just didn't look that scary or intimidating.

However, he had said something that if I hadn't known him and trusted him; it would have chilled me to the bone. He had said: "I don't need a gun…". Then he had hesitated and paused. But I knew what the rest of his sentence was: "…to kill someone.". He was not content with that response, so he added: "They also make noise. There're better, faster and more silent ways to get the job done.". Damn, if that hadn't been unsettling. True, but nonetheless somewhat creepy. I couldn't fault his logic though. So, I had never again brought up the subject of him and guns.

Nevertheless, my Glock was like my security blanket. I always had it on me, with the exception of when I went to the dojo and when I was home. I did leave it by my bedside table and I also had other guns stashed around almost in every room of my house for protection. I had called Eric paranoid, but I was starting to figure out that I was the one who truly was. I hadn't had Eric's training, nor his experience. If a weapon was needed to defend myself, which had been proven fact by an "incident" that had happened shortly after Eric had started working for me then I would protect myself by any means necessary. After that, I had been even more attached to my G17.

With that decided, I applied some volumizing mousse and proceeded to blow dry my hair with a diffuser, to give it more volume with some waves to get a sexier look. Then, I did my make-up. I applied a lot more than I was used to. I did a fairly decent black and gray smokey eye and put on some matte reddish lipstick. It was a bit too much. One of the rules I followed with make-up was that if you accented your eyes, you did a neutral lip and vice-versa. That was also a good rule for clothes. If you were wearing something low cut, it shouldn't also be short. If it was short, you made sure there was no cleavage showing. It was a matter of balance, of looking sexy and not vulgar. I would be breaking both rules tonight. It was a requirement to get this job done. I would be playing the ditzy blonde and vulgar would go a long way to sell it and help with my acting. I considered it a costume. A suit of armor, really.

I had left my dress, shoes, and my small diamond stud earrings for last. But now with my hair and make-up done, and my purse ready, I just needed to put on the rest of my outfit. I had never used the dress before. I had gotten it years earlier when out shopping with Amelia. She was in a phase at the time where her major concern about me had been my love life. So, she convinced me to get the damn dress to use it at a club or while out on a date. The problem was I always hated clubs and never went, plus I didn't think they were the right place to find a guy for me; even if that was what I had wanted, which it wasn't. Another issue was that the dress was way too sexy for a first date. It'd give the wrong impression, and my looks already worked against me in that department. If being thought of as a bimbo bothered me, wearing that outfit would not help my case. But, I had bought it, mostly to shut Amelia up, although I had to confess it was a pretty dress, even if it wasn't exactly my style and way too sexy for me.

The dress was white leather. It was buttery soft and beautifully cut. It hugged my figure in all the right places, or wrong ones, depending on the perspective. It was tight, especially this many years later, since I had gotten a little more muscular. I was lucky it still fit. The dress was rather simple in a way. It had thick straps, which would have been great if I could wear a bra with it, but I couldn't. My back was almost completely bare. The back of the dress had a very deep V that started wide at my shoulder blades and grew smaller as it went down almost to my butt. The part covering said asset had a silver zipper right in the middle and all the way down. It was the only way I could get into it and also added another layer of sexiness. Men looked at that zipper and fantasized about opening it. The front was tamer, the shoulder straps would help, but there was also a much smaller, but equal V cut, between my breast. Not a very low one, more like a little tease. It was also a lot shorter than what I was comfortable with. It stopped mid-thigh. I had never shown so much skin before if I wasn't on the beach or at the pool.

Don't get me wrong, the dress was not exactly vulgar. The material, the cut, the color, and the price tag made it sexy as hell, but it avoided the vulgarity most other similar outfits would have. It was the best I could do for tonight and I was pretty sure it was enough. I hadn't even considered going out to buy a sluttier outfit. I had to draw the line somewhere. Plus, it was exciting to wear a dress that I had never had the balls to do before. And I couldn't wait to see Eric's reaction to it. He had never seen me showing so much skin; he was used to seeing me in my professional and very prim business suits, which barely showed anything. My suits were actually custom made to hide my shoulder holster and gun. No need to scare my clients or sources, plus it was always better if people didn't know you were armed; the element of surprise always worked in my favor.

I wasn't going to deny that when I suggested Eric wear a black wife beater and black leather pants, it had come directly from my fantasies. Maybe I had watched too much Buffy, which I admit I did, and Angelus had gotten to me. And there was that other vampire show on HBO I was not a big fan of, but the main guy had worn that outfit once in a scene I had seen and it was branded in my memory. To me it signified an extremely sexy and powerful look. Plus, Eric liked black. He liked black a lot. I could only guess why.

I had taken some courses in image consulting, and they had been very useful. It had nothing to do with fashion, but what your clothes said about you, what first impressions people would get from your style, and what psychological effects colors had on other people. Most people don't know that what we 'say' only represents 7% of how we are perceived. Our body language, 38%; and our looks up to 55%. Dressing appropriately gets you noticed and listened to. If you're perceived negatively, you won't be heard. That had been a revelation and valuable knowledge to have.

For starters, black was the absence of light. Black absorbs all light in the color spectrum. Black is often used as a symbol of menace or evil, but it's also popular as an indicator of power. Black reflects authority and dominance, which is why I had so many black suits and that it was the color of the uniforms most government agents usually wore. Black clothes can attract those who like to be with an authoritative person, by wearing black often in the presence of those people, they may start to admire you. Black can also indicate that you are independent. Some people wear black in order to give others the impression that they are strong and capable. Men who wanted to stick to masculine values and show that they are manly enough might try to avoid bright colors and go for dark colors such as black. Black can also make a person seem more mysterious. Black was also associated with death and mourning in many cultures. It's also connected with unhappiness, sexuality, formality, and sophistication. It really was kind of the perfect color for Eric.

White reflects innocence and purity. It's the color used for wedding dresses to give the impression of virtue. In our minds white is usually associated with good while black is usually associated with evil. However dark isn't always a bad thing. The reason many women love dark clothes on men is that they want to be with men who seem dangerous and strong. I completely understood that. I was one of them, after all.

Blue, on the other hand gave the impression of trustworthiness and loyalty. It was a great color to wear to job interviews and business deals. But, I digress.

So, with him in black leather and me in white, we would make a striking sight. Especially with both of us being blonds with the same shade of hair color, blue eyes and a difference of height. When I told him his outfit would complement my own, I hadn't been lying.

I think I did have some sort of leather fetish now that I thought about it, although it was mostly focused on my fantasies with Eric wearing it. I was feeling a great anticipation to see him. And I didn't have long to wait. He would be arriving in roughly 15 minutes to pick me up.

I put on my dress, my earrings and my nude peep-toe high heeled Louboutin's. The nude color and the huge height of the heels would make my legs looks miles long. I went to stand in front of my full body mirror and critically analyzed my outfit.

I couldn't dispute that I looked good. A lot more sensual than I usually did for sure, but the whole thing was working for me. I wasn't ashamed of my body, yes I was modest, but I had worked out very hard to have the body I did and I was proud of it. It wasn't just genetics, although that certainly played a chief part in it, but it was also the result of much tougher line of work and dedication. The dress suited me, especially if I planned on seducing someone or just attracting attention. I looked hot and sexy as hell. Not words I was use to describing myself. It was a lot more suggestive and racy than my usual attire. The hair, make-up and shoes completed the look perfectly. I looked ready to go out to a swinger's club or even a regular night club. The outfit certainly gave the right vibes of a woman on the prowl. Available. Up for grabs. On the market. Ready for action. I was putting out the vibe. I hardly recognized myself. This was sexy kitten Sookie and not badass PI Sookie. Well, it was a ruse and I looked the part. Plus, I was as ready as I was ever going to be.

I was also getting excited. I always did when working a job, especially one as intricate as this one. I lived for my work. I did get off on it. I enjoyed the adrenaline and the unpredictable nature of it. I craved it.

I was still admiring myself in the mirror when I heard the doorbell ring. I looked at the clock on my night table and saw that it was 7:15 pm on the dot. Eric was always very punctual. It had to be him, I wasn't expecting anyone else. He could have just texted me saying he was outside and I would have gone out to meet him at his car. This wasn't a date, but Eric was a gentleman and maybe, just maybe, he also wanted to get a good full look at me in my current outfit before we left for the club.

My excitement grew and I felt butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to think they were because I was excited about the job, but if I was being completely honest with myself, it had to do with my wish to see Eric in his outfit and his reaction to mine. That wasn't the best way to start a professional night out, but I was human and I was allowed my feelings. I just had to be careful not show them to him.

I took one last look in the mirror, fluffed my hair, grabbed my clutch and descended the stairs. I padded carefully to the door and looked into the peephole. I knew it had to be Eric, but it never hurt to be sure.

It was indeed him and what I had seen briefly through the peephole had me almost flinging the door opened in my haste to get a good look at him. I barely managed to control myself, however I succeeded in getting the door opened in a mostly casual fashion. What waited for me on the other side gave me heart palpitations and I was sure my body temperature had risen considerably.

WOW.

Eric looked mouth-watering and so gorgeous, I almost stopped breathing.

I had no other way to describe how hot, sexy and delicious he looked. The wife beater and the leather pants looked like they had been painted on him. Like a second skin. I realized I had never seen Eric show that much of his skin or body before. Sure, he usually wore t-shirts and jeans that were a little tighter than strictly necessary. But, the pants and the top he had on now left very little to the imagination. Just the sight of his exposed shoulders and bare arms were unbelievably sensual. And, shamefully, I had to confess I noticed the bulge in the front of his pants. It was impressive, especially since it looked like it was at rest, to put it politely.

He looked like the sexiest man in the universe. Like a wet dream come true, my very own wet dream. I actually had had some dreams that featured this very same look. He was indeed sex on a stick. I was almost drooling at the marvel that was Eric. If I had less self-control or was less professional, I would have jumped into his arms and asked him to ravage me on the spot, the job be damned.

My eyes roamed his body hungrily, taking in the resplendent view. I was actually speechless, which was not my usual response to anything.

Eric was speechless too. Dazed. He looked like he had been hit on the head by a mallet. His eyes also couldn't stop roaming all over my body and face. At least he was polite about it; his eyes passed over but never fixated on my breasts. He looked like he was scanning me to memorize everything he was seeing. Like he was taking a mental picture because he planned on painting my likeness in the future and wanted to be very accurate about it.

I took that as the compliment it was, and my reaction to him was very similar. I put a lid on my desire to grab my phone and snap a picture of him. For further examination; and to put it crudely, for my spank bank. But I did plan to never forget what I was seeing.

After a couple of minutes of us pretty much ogling each other a little awkwardly, Eric finally broke the silence.

"Sookie, you look…" He hesitated like he couldn't find the right word to describe what he wanted to say or he was just being careful. He continued.

"…like a vision. I… Well, you look like an angel…You're just missing some white feathery wings coming out of your back. You…" He stopped suddenly.

I had never seen Eric tongue tied before. He was a very eloquent man. It was deeply satisfying to my ego, not to mention to my newfound feelings for him, which I had been trying very hard to forget for tonight. But when he looked like this, all I wanted to do was fuck him and lick him and rub myself all over him.

I managed to rein in those impulses and smiled at him.

"A very naughty angel, I'd think. I don't see anything angelic about the way I look."

"I do." He said with conviction and a very intense look. He went on.

"If you don't like the comparison to the catholic angels, I'd say you look like a goddess, Aphrodite or Venus, depending on your preferred Pantheon."

Oh.

That was a hell of a compliment. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of sexuality, infatuation, beauty and love. Venus was her Roman equivalent.

My heart started beating so fast after hearing that that I had the irrational fear that Eric would hear it too.

So, because I'm me and can't keep my mouth shut I had to give him a worthy reply.

"Well, and you look like a fallen angel. Lucifer, the morning star."

"Are you comparing me to Satan?" Eric asked.

When he put it like that…

I could salvage this but it would cost me some pride and uneasiness about what he would think of what I was going to say next. But, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Not the Devil, Eric. Lucifer before he fell. He was considered the most beautiful angel in Heaven. Here are some passages from Ezequiel I remember from my catholic upbringing: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.". That was God speaking about him. He later says: "Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.". So, yeah, you could be a just fallen Lucifer, especially in this outfit. I guess the only thing missing to complete my analogy are massive black wings coming out of your back. Or, if you prefer I could say you look like the god Eros."

Eros was the Greek god of sensual love and desire.

Eric froze and I felt his penetrating stare. I almost lowered my eyes, it was too intense. So, to change the mood I gave him a very self-satisfied smile. Like I was saying: There! Take that.

"You're always surprising, Sookie. I never can predict what will come out of your mouth or how you'll respond to something I've said. Although, you usually joke and quote something."

He smiled widely.

He did have a point and he really knew me well. I sometimes used humor and quotes as a defense mechanism, though it was mostly just a crucial part of my personality.

Well, I needed to change the subject fast and we had to get going, but I just couldn't resist commenting again on his looks. I wanted to make a joke to change the vibe, as he had so wisely noticed is one of my modus operandi. But, then I blurted out, without much thought:

"You look good enough to eat." I had actually meant lick in my head, but I was glad my brain filter had at least worked on that part. Not satisfied, I continued unfiltered.

"I'm resisting the urge to ask you to twirl around so I can get the full effect. From the front and back."

Fuck! That had been a little too much, hadn't it? I thought it had come out playfully, but I had meant every word. I couldn't wait to check out his mouth-watering butt in those pants. Sometimes being a very talkative and honest person was to my detriment.

Eric raised an eyebrow and then smirked. He looked intently into my eyes and then very gallantly spread one of his arms out in the direction of the street, while moving his body sideways on the other side of my door, and said:

"Please, after you."

Well played, Eric, well played. He had just told me in only three seemly polite words that he wanted to check out my butt too and had at the same time dared me to walk out first in front of him.

Now, if he thought I was going to be demure, shy away or be embarrassed, he would be very disappointed. I never ran from a dare, especially one that was as plain in his eyes that were sparkling like stars at that moment. I was not ashamed of my body or my outfit. I was a confident woman, it wasn't like he wasn't going to have an opportunity to see the whole thing tonight anyway and soon, so why should I postpone something that was inevitable and back out from his challenge?

So, I replied sweetly and gave him my most modest and ladylike smile.

"You're too kind, thank you."

As I proceeded to walk past the threshold and him, I walked out into the night without looking back and holding my head high; and admittedly moving my hips and body in the sexiest way possible without looking like I was trying too hard.

I could swear I had heard a sharp intake of breath from Eric when I had passed by him. I smiled to myself and put a little more pep in my step.

I was starting to think tonight was going to be a lot more fun than any other job I had ever done. I could hardly wait to find out how this night would unfold.

A/N: I'm now also posting on WordPress and on AO3 – Archive of Our Own under this same name. And my twitter is also back up and being updated.