Chapter 40

I woke to my cell phone ringing on Tuesday, I glanced at the clock as I said "hello" I already knew it would be Natasha on the other end since I glanced at caller ID. It was just a few minutes after noon. "Hey, did I wake you?" she was apologetic.
"Yeah, but I needed to get up anyway I need to go pick up the invitations for the party and go to Bon Temps, my friend Amelia is going to help me get the invitations mailed out."
"I just was checking to see if you minded that me and Justine came in early for the party? I was hoping to come in on the 24th." "Y'all come whenever you want. What does Drake say about both his girls leaving for a week or so?"
"Honestly, Sookie, Justine and I are thinking that we might take this opportunity to change our lives a little. We might stay in Bon Temp a little longer then a week. Drake has always told us that we could stay until either he tired of us or we were ready to go. Neither of us are bonded to him we were his by choice. He has been very gracious but we are thinking it might be time for a bit more normal of a life. If we are here so close to him we may not be able to wean ourselves. You know we have nothing against the vampire lifestyle, but we will never have what you have with Eric and seeing you two makes us realize we want love not just money and a great sex life."
"Whatever makes you happy is what you deserve. I know what Eric and I have is rare between vampire and human and I wouldn't trade it for the world. But I hope you can find what you are looking for. You two can stay as long as you want."
"Thanks Sook, we'll see you in about a week. Sorry I woke you." I got up, tucked in Eric and went up to take a shower. I put on shorts, t-shirt and flip flops and headed downstairs for some food. I made myself an omelet, toast and coffee. I had told Eric last night that I would go to Bon Temps today and just meet him at the club, I ran back upstairs and grabbed some clothes for tonight and headed to go pick up my invitations. I got there and they had turned out perfectly. I headed to Bon Temps. Amelia had already printed return labels and the labels with my addresses on them so we were able to get started right away. Amelia had picked up a sticker to seal the envelopes. They were red with white wedding bells embossed on them. We had all of them stuffed and stamped in less then and hour. We went to drop them off at the post office and stopped of at Sonic for a treat. My favorite Oreo Cookie Blast, Amelia had the same. I ordered another one and went by Tara's shop and took her a treat.

Amelia and I went in to see Tara and take her the treat I just wanted see how she was doing even though it had only been a few days since I had seen her, being pregnant I wanted to keep up with her. I hadn't gone in to shop but Amelia managed to find a couple of things she couldn't live without while we were there. I listened to Tara tell me about some of the houses they had looked at and then I told her about the Roof Top Garden. Amelia was wondering in and out of our conversation while she tried on what seemed like everything in the store.

We ended up talking for just over two hours. Even though it was her day off Amelia wanted to go by Merlotte's, she told me everyone would enjoy seeing me, well I didn't know about that but I could definitely go for some of their onion rings. We went in and sat in Holly's section. She came over immediately, "Sookie, you look great. You're just glowing. Engagement is sure agreeing with you." She was talking loud enough to be sure that Arlene was sure to hear especially since she had moved as close to us as she could to eaves drop. "Let me see that beautiful ring again. Arlene you have to come see this ring, I bet it cost more than your house." Holly was really egging this on.
Arlene couldn't resist the chance, but I wasn't expecting anything nice from her "Wow that certainly is different, I guess if you like gaudy and flashy then it's real nice." She walked back over to her section where her boyfriend was sitting, I let down my guard, I just didn't trust any of the FOS. Arlene was saying to Edward, I can't believe she and I used to be such good friends, it was bad enough when she was just whoring around with one of those blood suckers, now she is marrying one. I just don't know what got into her she used to be such a good girl. You should see that ring it is so tacky it has a huge ruby that looks like a drop of blood. Arlene is the only one that had caught that. Little did she know the symbolic nature of it, the blood bonding mine and Eric's hearts.
Then I heard Edward saying to Arlene, Someone needs to make and example out of them teach the rest of the fang bangers that they will be punish here and in heaven for their choices. Vampires are an abomination and anyone that lies with them deserves to burn in hell for eternity.
I was thinking to myself, Arlene doesn't have room to talk she was the one shacked up with a murder and she didn't even have a clue. At least I knew who I was dating and what they were. They both turned to look at me mouths gaping. Simultaneously I heard "oh shit". I put my shields back up. OK, so there was something I was going to have to be careful about. Apparently I could project my thoughts without much effort at all. I had done this a couple of times but only with another telepath, looks like one more gift I get from combining mine and Eric's blood.
"Sookie, what's up?" Amelia was looking at me and had laid her hand on my arm.
"I was just listening to Arlene and Edward for a minute. You know the same old same old FOS crap… vampires are an abomination I am an abomination by association." I was going to have to try this projecting on someone else. I wondered if Amelia would let me practice on her. To this point Sam still hadn't come over and said anything to me. He was behind the bar making himself look busy. A couple of the other regulars came over to me to tell me how nice it was to see me and tell me whatever I was doing to keep it up because I looked great. Sam actually made an audible hmmph to the first person that said that. I'm not sure if anyone else actually heard him, but I did. Amelia and I shared a large order of onion rings, we both had ice tea. No one had ever been able to replace Lafayette in the kitchen but Terry Belfluer was taking a lot of the evening shifts in the kitchen when he wasn't filling in behind the bar for Sam so he was getting pretty good. Sam didn't like it much but I wondered back to see Terry and give him a hug and told him the onion rings were perfect. Terry seemed to be having more good days then bad one's anymore. I guess him staying as busy as possible helped keep his war demons at bay.

Sam walked into the kitchen just as I was about to walk out, "Can I see you in my office?" more of a demand then a question. I followed Sam to his office, he shut the door once I had walked in. He grabbed me and hugged me tight. He drew back at arms length, "Sookie, I miss you. I am sorry to be such a jerk. I guess somewhere deep down in my heart I had hoped that we would end up together some how. With that said. I don't want to loose you out of my life and if a friend is all I can have then I will take it. Everyone is right, you look great. Life with Eric is really suiting you. I just want you to know, if you ever need me all you have to do is call and I will be there. I hope someday I can find someone to fill the spot in my heart I have been holding open for you all these years. I don't have anyone to blame but myself for not telling you sooner how I felt. Like I said, if you need me I will be there, if you ever need a job all you have to do is say the word. Sookie, I will always care for you."
I grabbed Sam and hugged him. "Thank you Sam, you don't know how much this means to me. You'll come to the engagement party and the wedding, right?"
"Yes, I'll come." "I am glad we had this talk, Sam, I really am. Right now I need to go. It's getting late and I want to see my brother before I leave town."
"Sure, I understand. I'll see you later," another quick hug from Sam and he opened the door for me. I went out to the bar to find Jason sitting with Amelia, Holly and Hoyt.
"Hey sis how's it going." Jason had a big smile on his face. It was nice to see him at least pretending to be himself. I wanted to dive into Jason's mind and find out if it was an act or if he really was ok, but I promised myself to stay out of family and friends minds unless I thought it was an emergency.
"Hi Jase, I was just about to head out to see you. Glad we didn't end up missing each other. How are you doing?"
"You know, I am ok, I have my friends and my family and I'm gonna be ok." He scooted the chair out for me to sit down. The five of us sat around and talked for a couple of hours since Holly was off and her little boy was with his dad. We were self sufficient waiting on ourselves. It was getting late and I wanted to go back to the house and get ready so I could meet Eric at the bar.
"I guess I better get going I am going back to Shreveport tonight. I am going to start the training for my new job and I still have to go back to the house and get ready before I head back."
"Sookie, that's an awesome car," Hoyt was checking it out, "what did you do with your Nova?"
"Thanks, it's Eric's car but since I moved in with him I have either been driving it or his Escalade. My Nova is just sitting at the house and Amelia starts it up a few times a week to keep the battery charged."
"Holly's car is on it's last leg, you decide you wanna sell the Nova you let us know and we could probably scrape together the money to take it off your hands. I know you and Tara both took good care of it."
"Tell you what Holly, I will sell it to you for the same price Tara sold it to me when I really needed a car and she got her new Camarro." I knew that they might not think that was fair but were they gonna be surprised.
"I don't have a whole lot of extra cash Sookie, but I'll see what I can do." Holly was a little hesitant.
"Why don't y'all come out real quick and take a look at it. Then we can talk."
"Ok, we can do that," I knew Hoyt was willing to help her if she needed it. We got to the house and Hoyt looked it over and he and Holly took it for a little drive to make sure she liked it. "I like it fine Sook, how much you want for it." Holly was a little worried still she couldn't afford it. "I told you I would let you buy it for the exact price Tara did me when I was in real need for a car. You think you could swing $1.00? I can sign the title right now."
"Sookie, are you serious? You can't sell me a car in great condition for $1.00!" Holly was beside herself. "I need to let you know that I did have to have a little under carriage work done to it, nothing major I had run over something. Seriously, I have my bill of sale form Tara I can show you. So do you want it?" I smiled.
"Oh, Sookie, you don't know how great this is. I can't believe you would do this for me."
"You and Cody need reliable transportation and I don't need it anymore. I think it will make a good little family car for you two. Come on in and I will sign the title and write you up a bill of sale. If Julie down at the courthouse gives you any flack you just have her call me on my cell phone." I am a firm believer of passing on good things and this just felt right. I told Holly to leave her old car and come back and get it when she and Hoyt could and they pulled it over near the trees to be sure it was out of the way.

I went in and got ready for work. My first night at work in a little over a month. I dressed for working at Fangtasia, I wore tight black pants and tucked them in to my knee high low heeled boots with a white corset style top with sleeves that were tight to the elbow and then flared out. The corset laced in the front with black ribbon. I left my hair down and curled it on the ends. I put on mascara, eye liner and dark red lipstick. Yep, I fit the part. I walked of my room and Amelia just looked at me. "Give me a break I am going to work at a vampire bar, I gotta look the part."
"Then you look great." Amelia smiled and shook her head.
It was just getting dark as I left Bon Temps and I could feel Eric waking up. Then my phone rang. "Lover, I just wanted to check on you and make sure everything was ok."
"I am fine. I am on my way back to Shreveport I will meet you at the club. I am planning on working tonight, that ok?"
"If that is what you wish. Did you get everything done you needed to today?"
"Yes, the invitations went out and I hung out with Amelia, my brother and some friends and Sam and I had a talk. Oh, and I sold my Nova for $1, the same price Tara sold it to me when I needed a car."
"You and the shifter had a talk" I don't think he heard any other part of the last comments.
"Yes, he gave us his best wishes and said that he wanted us to remain friends."
"Lover, you have more men in love with you that want to be your friends then I know what to do with." He was not being funny.
I thought I should try and lighten the mood, "Well if anyone knows how irresistible I am it should be you. Lucky you though you are stuck with me forever."
"Do you mean that, forever?"
"Yes, I mean that and I mean what it implies when that day comes." It was the first time I admitted that when the time came so that we could be together that I was willing to let Eric turn me.
"Sookie, I love you. I will see you soon. Be careful." He hung up without me being able to say another word.

I pulled up behind the bar and parked next to Eric's Escalade. Just as I was almost at the door I got a strange feeling I wasn't alone. I stopped and looked around and saw no one. I let down my shields in search of anyone or anything else out there with me. I searched for Eric in my head calling to him without words, I guess we would see if I could project to him like I did at Merlotte's. I felt someone, I could pick up a low brain wave and it was human but not like any human I had ever encountered before, such control over his or her mind or somehow had it shielded. It seemed like maybe 10 seconds and Eric flung open the back door and I just about jumped out of my skin.
"Lover, are you ok?" He towered behind me and he was searching the parking lot for whatever had me spooked.
"I'm ok… let's go in." I took his hand in mine and we went into his office.
"Lover, I felt you in my head. When did this come about?"
"You could hear me calling you to come out back?"
"Yes, can you read my thoughts too?" I checked for a second, closing my eyes and concentrating.
"No, I can't read your mind. Try sending me a direct thought from my mind to yours, let me see if I can hear that."
"Ummm, you look great, I can't wait to taste you later."
"I might have to have a little taste myself later," I answered him audibly.
"Sookie, I don't know what to think about this. We can have complete conversations with you projecting your thoughts into my mind and then receiving mine. We mustn't let anyone know of this. Now what was going on outside, I didn't see hear or smell anyone."
"I could feel someone out there. I really think it was a human but I couldn't get in their mind. They were emitting very low brain waves or were shielding somehow. It really kind of spooked me. I'm ok now. I think I am just ready to get to work."
"What ever you want. Pam can start showing you around and then we can call a meeting tomorrow before we open and we can talk to the staff."
Eric called Pam into the office, "Pam, start showing Sookie what duties you want her to take over. Make sure all the wait staff is here for a meeting tomorrow at sundown. We will have a meeting to introduce Sookie to the staff and explain her function as Manager of the human staff. You two put your heads together and come up with a title for her and order business cards. She already has her Fangtasia business credit card for anything she needs."
"Come on Sookie, let's get busy. The first area I want to show you is the gift shop and I am more than happy to get this handed over to you. You will have much better luck working with the girls and doing inventory accurately during the day hours instead of trying to get them to stay after closing time and getting an accurate count. Remember, you're the boss, you don't have to do any of the physical work yourself that's why we have employees. You look great tonight by the way."
"Thanks Pam, so do you." Pam always looked great. Tonight she wasn't here to entertain the patrons so she was wearing black slacks with a pale yellow Polo shirt, black loafers with a matching belt. She looked like she walked out of a Dillard's catalog.
"We have a shift of two girls covering the shop and a third that fills in when needed. Jennifer is working tonight she is our fill in she also takes shifts as a waitress. She is will go with anything with fangs. Our main girl is Savannah, she is very cute and very petite and can sell something to just about anyone that walks in. We give a bonus check of $100 for every $2000 of product sold per month and she receives at least $300 a month in bonus. She usually is not available for inventory because she is in school, but with the way she sells merchandise we give her that slack. Our third girl works only a one night a week and then she also fills in as needed at the bar, her name is Samantha. She is a really great bartender, for a human."
"So what is it that is my job entails when it comes to the gift shop?"
"You will make sure that the girls balance the till nightly, you will make sure monthly inventory is done and order stock as needed. You will schedule the girls, the schedule is pretty set except when someone calls in sick or has vacation. You will need to keep up with sales and put in for their bonus checks. They receive bonus checks the first paycheck for the first full week of the month, this is for the full previous calendar month."
"OK, got it. I can do this. What else will my duties include?" I hoped I hadn't bitten off more then I could handle.
"You will schedule and approve time cards for all the human staff. We will take it slow and I will work with you closely until you are comfortable with everything. Sookie, I really am pleased that you are here, you make Eric happy."
"Thank you Pam, I am glad to be here and I really appreciate your support for us." I followed Pam around for the rest of the night and I took notes and listened. We went into the gift shop and collected the till when Jennifer was finished balancing and compared it to the sales receipts. Pam took me into the office and gave me my login and password for the computer which I had to personalize and then showed me where to input the sales into the system. Then she showed me where the safe was and gave me the combination. It was very large safe behind a secret panel behind Eric's desk. She told me that they usually took deposits to the bank once a week. Eric came in and wrapped his arms around me from behind and I leaned back into him. It was a great feeling.
"Are you ready to go home?" he said and he nuzzled my neck.
I looked at Pam, "I'm not sure. What else do we need to do tonight Pam? I don't want to leave any part of my job undone." "Lover, whatever it is it can wait or Pam will take care of it." Eric pulled me tighter.
"No, you hired me to do a job. I will not leave my work for Pam, that is the whole reason for me to be here is so that she won't have so much to do and if she doesn't teach me everything I need to know then I will be letting you both down. I believe in doing the best job I can and if that means you go home without me or have to wait on me then that's what it takes. I want to be a part of the success and do a great job and earn my job. I don't want people saying things like she only has her job because she sleeps with the boss. I want to earn respect."
"Lover, you are right. I understand how important this is to you. I have just gotten used to having you to myself. I will wait until you are ready." Pam was smiling and giving a look of approval. Pam kept me busy for about 15 more minutes. Eric and I headed home, I followed him since we were in separate cars. We pulled in and Eric opened the back door for me to go in first. I walked in through the kitchen and stopped cold. I felt that same feeling again, that feeling of someone being present with that low brain wave. "Sookie, what is it?"
"Eric it's the same thing as outside the bar. I feel a presence I am picking up a low human brain wave. This is freaking me out." "I don't hear or smell anyone. You stay here and if you need anything you let me know. I will check the house and the yard. I will be right back." Eric walked into the living room and into the game room and out the back doors to the pool. He checked the pool house then came back in.
"You can stop. It's gone." It had me really puzzled. Eric walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me and I held him back. He bent and kissed me lovingly which quickly became passionately. I tugged at his shirt and untucked it and bent to kiss just above his pant line and pushing his shirt up I was kissing my way up. When the shirt reached his shoulders he pulled it the rest of the way off and tossed it to the floor. I ran my fingers up and down his back applying just a little pressure with my nails while my mouth kissed and nipped at his nipples and he ran his hair through my hair. I kissed my way back down his stomach pulling my hands around to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants and slide them down to his ankles slowly kissing my way down even further but not taking him into my mouth as he anticipated. I kept pushing his pants down and kissing down his leg and then having him step out of his pants I pushed his legs apart and began kissing my way up the inside of his leg. I slightly pushed the leg of his boxers up and I bit him in one of his favorite places on me, his inner thigh. His hands tensed in my hair and he moaned. I sucked in his blood like an alcoholic that hadn't had a drink in a day. I pulled away licking the few drops of blood that trickled before the wound began to heal. He pulled me up to my feet and kissed me while he began pulling my shirt off. He was getting much better at not destroying my clothes. Before I knew it I was standing in the living room naked and Eric was feeding from me, attached to my breast. He was on his knees in front of me my hands in his hair. I pulled him into me harder and he sucked harder. He slid his hand between my legs and began massaging my nub and slid two of his fingers into me. I pulled his head back and he took a quick lick of the blood drops and before our eyes my wound began healing almost as quickly as his. He leaned me back against the back of the couch and pulled one of my legs up over his shoulder and moved his head between my legs. His tongue began moving up and down my nub and sliding in just in front of his fingers. I began moving my pelvis matching the rhythm of his fingers and his tongue, I threw my head back and pulled his head into me and came hard. He slid his fingers out licking my juices from them then moving his head back between my legs to clean me up. He stood picking me up to wrap my legs around him and he entered me. I began using my legs to lift myself up and down on his huge shaft. He walked into the game room, with me still riding him, he walked out the back door and walked into the pool. We made love in the water and still not finished Eric picked me up and moved us into the hot tub and I sat on his lap with my back to his chest and I began pounding myself down on him with everything I had in me as I felt myself reaching my peak I reached behind me and dug my fingernails into Eric's sides, he moved one of his hands between my legs and began massaging my nub, we both came so loudly I was afraid we woke the neighbors. We sat in the hot tub just being with each other then Eric broke the silence. "Sookie," he gently put his hands on my face and looked into my eyes, "did you mean what you said on the phone, you want to be with me forever? I just need to look into your eyes and have you tell me face to face. You will be mine forever. One day you will allow me to turn you and we will live together for eternity."
"Yes Eric, I meant it. I can't tell you when, but when it's time I think we will both know and eternity will be ours. I never thought I would consider being a vampire and living for hundreds or thousands of years, but I can't imagine only having 10 or 20 or even 40 years with you." We held each other in silence for a while and then I began to really prune up so we went inside and he grabbed a blanket out of the closet in the game room and we snuggled our nude bodies on the couch and watched a movie just being together.