My grandmother didn't raise me for a dummy and I knew when to stand and fight and when to bail. I was going with plan b. I tried not to scuttle after her like I was scared chicken shit, but I was, and that was that. This vampire just stopped the pay out process on my life insurance policy and I was willing to bet on her rather than the snarling ball of leather and lace behind me. Granted, she may kill me once we got inside, but at least it would be a more private affair. I could hope, couldn't I?

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SPOV

I followed the blond vampire into the bar. Once I got inside, it wasn't so bad. The bar had gray walls and flooring, but the furniture was red. Circular booths were in the corners, high top bar tables along the perimeter walls. There was a small dance floor at one end where the DJ booth stood and the other end was a huge bar. I was led to a booth on the far side of the bar, right smack in the middle of the mayhem. Blondie gestured for me to sit and promised to be back shortly. I took the time to observe.

The bar was being run by a single person. Watching the lone bar tender serve drinks in warp speed, I realized they were vampire as well, and that accounted for how they managed to keep everyone served despite the lack of back up. The wait staff appeared to be human. Pretty women dressed in flowing, black dresses with pale make up and fake puncture wounds drawn on their skin. I think the desired look was gothic but it came off as just creepy. This was definitely not my bag. Alot of the patrons were human, most dressed in dark colors as well. They watched the vampires stroll through the bar, some stared with desire, some with longing and others with giddy child like expressions displaying their excitement to see the walking dead on exhibit.

The music was typical. Loud club music, of a darker than usual nature, was being mixed up by the DJ. Several people were on the dance floor tearing it up and having a good time. Looked like most of the dancers were college kids out for a good time with the occasional shit faced couple dry humping here and there. The corner booths were taken up much the same. Two had roudy college kids, one was filled with couples rounding first and second base oblivious to the fact that they were in public and one had a group of pretty girls doing shooters in salute.

Once I'd scanned the entire crowd, I realized I couldn't see Northman or Blondie. Warily, I signaled a passing waitress and ordered a drink. Tonight called for a buzz and I was answering in kind.

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EPOV

Pam came strolling back into my office and planted herself on my leather couch, laughing. I figured if I ignored her long enough, she'd either elaborate or leave. I'm not sure which I wanted at the moment. I kept working on pay roll at any rate.

"Eric, she is quite feisty. If she behaves like this all of the time, I'm surprised you haven't drained her yourself."

I cocked an eyebrow, inquisitive.

"When I got to the door, I heard Felicia tell her to follow her. But your reporter had other things in mind. She actually asked Felicia, in front of the whole banger brigade what made her fucking think she took orders. It was too much. Once I heard Felicia snarling, I had to step in of course, but that's where it really became amusing. I actually had to step in between them because your human was standing her ground. It was hilarious. I could only lure her to follow me because I threatened to leave her outside with Felicia and I think only her instinct to survive the night made her comply."

I resisted the urge to smile and did a great job of looking annoyed instead. "If this is the case, perhaps you should go back out there and make sure she doesn't get herself killed. Those incidents cause alot of paper work and I'm too irritated to have to deal with that scenario tonight."

"I can see why you've taken to her. She is pretty... in an untamed mustang kind of way." She rose and walked to the door, pausing before she opened it. "Eric, don't hide out all night," and then she left.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SPOV

Half of my long island iced tea later, Blondie came back out into the bar. She walked with feline grace, scanning the bar, nodding occasionally and reached my booth. As she slid in to sit across from me, she spoke. "Ms. Stackhouse, I am Pam, Eric's second in command. It is my pleasure to make your acqaintance." I didn't know if I should shake her hand or not, so I went with not. At least she was making an effort to be friendly, fake or otherwise, so I ran with it.

"Pam, please call me Sookie. It is a pleasure to meet you as well." I could tell I was under her examination, but she managed it without making me feel like a cheeseburger.

"I see you are giving Eric a hard time. Are you a natural bitch or is this a learned skill?" And this, I knew, was as genuine a compliment as this lady was going to give me. I told her it was a combination of the two and she laughed. I could like this one. I signaled the waitress for another drink and when it arrived Pam visibly sniffed it. "You're awfully small to be drinking something comprised of mostly alcohol with just enough coke to give it color. Do you plan on remembering the evening?"

I tried to stifle my laugh. "Hey, when I work, I work hard. When I play, I play hard." Pam appreciated this. She turned in her seat to look toward the door she had entered the bar from and I saw Eric. He was in his element. He surveyed the crowd, made eye contact with Pam, gave her a short nod, and spied the corner booth at the opposite end of the bar. He walked over to the DJ, spoke quickly, and strode through the dance floor, past Pam and I toward the corner booth of college girls. The next song began to play, Type O Negative's Christian Woman. My interest kicked in. I watched Eric approach the girls and the brunette in dead center of the group, tucked into the corner, paused mid sip into her drink and went pale. Her friends stiffened, torn between watching Eric and eye balling the brunette that Eric was stalking. And he was stalking her alright. It reminded me of National Geographic episodes featuring female lions showing their cubs how to hunt.

Eric stepped onto the booth's seat and then onto the table. He stood, feet shoulders width apart, with his hand down to invite the girl to stand up with him. She shook her head, a pitiable attempt at declining. I shot Pam a glance and snorted. She smiled. We both know how well trying to turn down Mr. Frosty went. When I looked back to Eric, he crouched down in front of the girl, took her drink from her hand and set it down. He then took her hand in his and lifted her to stand in her seat. Once she complied he stepped down from the table and led her onto it so she could abandon her friends and their jealous stares. He guided her down and to the dance floor. His hand was on her lower back, gently assuring her and preventing her from running away.

I lowered my shields and tried to focus on the girl. If Eric was scaring the crap out of her, I was going to go nuts. She giggled as he leaned his mouth to her ear and I heard, "Yes, I trust you.." As the sexy vocals came across the bar, Eric turned the girl to face him and they began to dance. His hands were on her hips and he started her out slow, in time with the lyrics. Every person in the bar was still and silent, even those surrounding the couple on the dance floor. Likewise, I couldn't peel my eyes from them. They were barely moving, rolling their hips in time with the lyrics, Eric was being gentle with her.

"And between her thighs..."

Then all hell broke loose. Eric snatched the girl to him, one hand on her hip, one tangled in the hair at the back of her head. He yanked her over his thigh so she was straddling it and they began to move to the music. He had my full attention. I watched his agile body move with the girl. It was filled with inuendo, but not dirty. It was sensual and erotic, but not sex. His body was worshipping the girl's, and her body was ministering to his. He turned her in his arms and they writhed together with her back pressed to his chest. An angelic bliss covered her features. Eric slid his hands up the sides of her body as she swiveled her hips down the front of him. He took both of her hands into his and led her back up to him to face him. He pressed his forehead to hers, hands entangled in her hair, hips guiding both of them to the beat.

As the song began to close, Eric turned the girl again and leaned his head over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "Yes, I still trust you." Hell, I was trusting too at this point. Yahoo, get em girl! He took her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it while she continued to swivel and rub her back against him. He turned her palm to his lips and placed an open mouth kiss on it and trailed it down to her elbow in kind. Just when I was about to get grossed out imagining him drooling on her, I heard, "Yes," from her mind. I looked more closely and realized he wasn't drooling on the girl, he'd opened a superficial cut into her skin and tiny amounts of blood were forming a line on the inside of her forearm. Once he reached her elbow, he slid the tip of his tongue along the blood line as he brought her hand back down to his lips. He'd sealed the wound. The whole bar opened up in applause and Eric smiled into the girl's palm as he gave it a final kiss. He spun the girl in front of him, as if to display her beauty and her safety to the bar and then led her back to the booth, onto the table and lowered her back to her seat. Her friends immediately began giggling and talking to her quickly.

I put my sheild back in place as Eric walked to our booth. He was looking downward, as if to hide the beautiful smile on his face as he laughed to himself. He sat across from me and his eyes met mine briefly before he scanned the bar with a lack of true interest. Pam chimed in, "Eric, you know how much I hate when you do that. You get them all riled up and they chase the rest of us around the bar like lost puppy dogs. It's annoying."

"Maybe, but it's good for business and keeps them happy," he replied.

I asked, "Is that why you did that? To boost business?"

He leveled a glare at me. "No."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because that one is special," he said as a tilt of his head indicated the direction of the girl's booth.

"Why her?" I wanted to know, needed to know.

"Because she is not afraid."

"And the others?"

"They wanted to be."

Then I knew. I knew with every cell in my body. I wanted Eric to touch me that way. I wanted him to want to touch me that way. I wouldn't be afraid either.