Sorry to have made you all wait but I wanted to uploaded these chapters together a lot of readers have said that it makes for smoother reading. Plus when I was writing it I saw it as "segment" if you know what I mean. So I'm sorry of the wait was bad. Enjoy!
Eric
Chapter XI
First Date
Lilly's pediatrician said I had been lucky my daughter had gone almost four months of life without getting sick. She explained that it was necessary so her body could build anti bodies. I didn't care. I hated to my baby suffer. I would kill if it meant she would never get so much as a cold ever again. For a day and a half she refused to eat. She only slept a few minutes at a time in between she fussed and cried nonstop. Nothing I tried made a difference. I felt useless and helpless.
My daughter's state almost made me completely forget about the plans I had. It left me cancelling later than I should but Sookie didn't seem bothered. I couldn't recall what my initial reaction when she said she had something for me. I knew I was beyond grateful when the magic soap she brought calmed Lilly and the rub in the humidifier eased her congestion enough for her to sleep. As if that wasn't enough she also brought me a steak and cheese sub. The distinction may have been made because I had been running on fumes but it was best I ever had.
What I remembered most about Friday night was Sookie kissing me goodnight. She did it because I asked but she did it again when she thought I was asleep. I was at the point of unconsciousness; in that place where I was inert and my senses were dulled but still functioning. If not for the slight shift of weight on the bed I would have thought I imagined it. But I knew I didn't and that last light peck on my lips submerged me fully into an easy sleep. I slept with the knowledge was going to make that woman mine.
The next day I woke before Lilly. That has never happened but then again she has never been sick. It was fourteen hours after I had laid her down that my daughter woke up and she was all smiles. Two years ago I would never have thought something so little could make me so freaking happy. It made me forget that two days ago I was at my wits end with my sanity in danger.
Lilly was fever free and spent most of the eating and sleeping to recoup all that she had lost. I occupied myself with finding the perfect date for Sookie and me. I got the feeling that she was a lover of music so I got box seats to a concert. The lineup was a mixture of artists from soft rock to pop and a little jazz. The outing was supposed to be a surprise but I gave Sookie one clue on Sunday night. All week she has been making guesses I didn't answer yes or no to any of them. I knew when she had finally given up because her guesses became outlandish and hilarious.
Tuesday Sookie sent me a text that said, "I got it, we are going to cross dress and paint the town red-literally?" That one made me laugh in the middle of a meeting. Leaving Maxwell Lee to shoot me worried look. Thursday I got another from Sookie that said, "Okay I was just guessing before but I know for sure this time" Just that alone had me chuckling as I headed out for the day. "Harry Potter convention in town! We'll play Quidditch. You'll be Gryffindor and I'll be Hufflepuff." The next message read.
I was laughing at the imagery so it took me a second to form my reply. "That is easily the nerdiest thing I think I have ever heard…ever"
The weather forecast for Friday had called for sunshine after a light drizzle early in the morning. It was noon and I was staring out my office window at the endless sheets of rain and the occasional flash of lightening in vast loathing. I checked and found the concert was cancelled for the inclement weather. My date was less than eight hours away and I had not come up anything that I felt was as good as my original idea.
"So what do you think?" I asked my sister. I had been bouncing ideas off her and sadly it was proving futile "The Cabaret maybe" I have heard great things about it. It would at least offer the element of music that I originally intended.
Pam was reclined in her office chair with her hands folded behind her head. Her excitement at my going out with a person that wasn't Lilly was short lived. I think it she could tell my interest in Sookie deeper than the usual sort. But mainly it was because I talked about Sookie-a lot. Being my only readily available friend Pam was doomed to listen.
"What do I know of romance" She said sounding bored. "Now seduction is a whole other story" She said wagging her eyebrows at me. Pam has been insisting that I should just get laid. Once it was out my system I would be less infatuated with Sookie.
I frowned at her. She was completely useless. It was worse because she was my only resources. If this was simply a matter of getting laid or impressing a superficial woman no one was better at that than I but this was so much more than that.
"Pam" I said in frustration. "This is important. I know it's hard but stop being a hornball for one second"
She chuckled "Alright" She folded her hands across her chest and thought about it. "Honestly I don't think she'll care. From the way you won't shut up about her I know she's down to earth so if you ask me the weather is doing you a favor"
I hadn't thought about that. I didn't just get us tickets in a box seat well not exactly. I bought out the entire thing. I was thinking it would be just us I wasn't thinking that it was over the top. Sookie might and I didn't want to make her uncomfortable or in any other way inhibited.
My sister might be right not that I would admit such a thing. "You can go back to acting like you pee standing up" I said in thanks as I exited her office.
"Ingrate" She said throwing a pen at my head. I laughed. I worked through lunch so I could leave a few hours early without putting myself behind on anything. I left my sister my car so she could pick Lilly up and I took the car seat home.
Shit, I was jumpier than a hooker in church. It threw my confidence out the window. I had spoken to Sookie every day this week. Sometimes via text messages or email but I called her at night or she would call me. With that in mind I wouldn't have thought I would be nervous about seeing her but if there was any way to describe what I was feeling as I got dressed it was nerves. But as wound up as I was now I knew once I saw Sookie I would be completely at ease. She seemed to easily able to bring that out in me.
I debated over what car to bring but in the end took my corvette as not to draw too much attention to us while we were out. The drive to Sookie's house was not long. She lived in a small apartment complex outside the downtown business district. I parked as close to the entrance as I could then I risked the flow of steady rain to her front door.
Sookie did not answer the first ring of the buzzer. I pulled out my phone for the first time all evening. Usually I was very in tuned with it because of Lilly but because my sister had her I was lax. It now occurred to me that Sookie may have called to cancel or change our plans and I would have had no idea.
"Smooth Northman real smooth" I said looking at my phone. I was both disappointed and comforted that she had not tried to reach me. I tried calling her maybe she didn't hear the door. The phone rang and went to voicemail. I was hanging up when I heard a knock on the other side of the glass door. Sookie was opening the door with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Hi" I said feeling relieved. "What happened?" I asked tucking a few strands of hair from her face. Then I pulled off my suit jacket and draped it around her. She looked like a half drowned cat- albeit a cute one. She was soaked from head to toe and she looked a little cold.
"I locked my purse in the car and my car keys in my apartment" She answered sounding more embarrassed than anything else.
I pulled her into my arms without thinking. I wanted to make her feel better and keep her warm. Her arms wound around my waist and she leaned into me. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased. "I'm sorry. I ruined your surprise and the evening" She said. It was the first time I have heard her sound so down. I didn't like it because I didn't care about our evening. I was just happy to see her. The circumstances didn't matter.
"No" I said pulling away to smile at her. "The rain did that"
"Really?" She asked.
I kissed her forehead and nodded before reluctantly pulling from her. "Come on" I said.
"Where are we going?"
"My place" I replied. "So you can get out of those clothes" The loft apartment I had in Shreveport was closer but that's where Pam and Lilly were.
"I feel we need to address the whole 'no funny business' thing Northman" Sookie said with a smile.
I was confused until I realized I had just told her I wanted to get her to my house so she could get naked. Some might call it a subconscious desire but it was just bad wording-honest. I was happy she wasn't affronted by it even better she found it funny.
"I know what my ponytail says but I'm not that kind of guy" I replied in mock innocence.
Sookie chuckled and continued to let me lead her to the door.
"I'll give one more guess" I said with as we got in my car. The down pour had lessened during the few minutes I had spent inside the apartment building but the rain was still heavy.
Sookie smiled brightly which was the reaction I wanted. Despite what I said she still seemed perturbed at the turn of events but now I had successfully distracted her. "Okay" She began "For it to be affected by the rain it had to have been out doors" She was clearly enjoying the little clue the circumstance had provided. "You're sure there's no Quidditch involved" She made it sound like an open ended question.
I chuckled. "Positive"
"Hmm…Then it has to be the concert at the garden" She said in triumph.
Either she was a mind reader or…I turned to see her waving two tickets at me. I smiled. She still had on my jacket and the envelope in the breast pocket given how big it was on her it was almost eye level.
"Good guess" I said.
"Thanks" She said.
During the drive we talked about the bands that were supposed to perform. I found that we had slightly similar but vastly opposing tastes in music. The playlists on my I-Pod were named by my mood with some songs overlapping. Depending on what mood I was in the music differed greatly from indie to rock and even classical music. Sookie on the other hand enjoyed anything she could dance to.
By the time we were pulling in front of my house we had both forgotten what it was we were supposed to have done tonight. Once I handed Sookie a stack of fresh towels and pointed her towards the bathroom. Then I put her clothes in the dryer while she showered. In an attempt to keep from thinking about her naked body I began making dinner. I was wondering if this is kind of thing that happened when people were dating and the relationship wasn't yet physical; to look and not touch to wonder and know. It was not an unpleasant feeling just slightly painful. Still there was something exciting about the anticipation even with the fact that I haven't had sex in…
"Thanks for the loan" Sookie said looking down at herself. She had on a pair of my boxer shorts and t-shirt. It was the best I could do. She looked sexy in a simple way.
"Looks better on you than it ever did on me" was my honest reply. "I'm making dinner" I said as if it wasn't obvious but I had to stop staring at her.
"You can cook" She asked in so much shock it was insulting.
"I'll have you know I can do anything" I said smugly.
She rolled her eyes. "I'll help" She offered.
The recipe I had in mind was one my mother used often. It was quick and easy. It has been a long time since I last attempted it but I felt it was ingrained in me. I manned the frying pan and Sookie began making the salad.
"That smells good" She said sliding up next to me close enough for her breast to brush against my arm. I was intent on keeping my hands to myself but that little gesture sent little shivers up my spine. That slight pain that went with looking and not touching kicked up a notch. Unable to resist more contact I cut a piece of the fish and fed her. I tried very hard not to get carried away by the fact that her tongue and lips made contact with my finger. "Tastes even better" She said. Everything in me wanted to know how she tasted.
Sookie made the salad and I watched her. I noticed innocent things like the slight smile on her lips as she hummed and concentrated on chopping tomatoes. I also noticed other not so innocent things; like how my oversized t-shirt wasn't enough to hide the curves of her breasts. Her legs I noticed were lean and shapely. She reached on her tippy toes to reach a glass and I watched the way the motion make her breast giggle and her back arch. I took a deep breath. Apparently wanting someone on a deeper level than flesh didn't mean you didn't lust after them like crazy. It was good to know. In my case I think I was past lust and was just hungry for her.
Sookie made a call to the super of her building but was yet to hear back. If she didn't hear back from him after dinner she would try her cousin who had spare keys to her apartment. She hadn't gone to them first because they owned a club and being Friday night they were busy. I didn't care. I was in no rush to have our night end.
After dinner we moved to the sitting room and tried to watch a movie. The key word was tried. The opening credits were still rolling when I found her presence to be too much. I kissed her deeply. My hands held her face to mine. I had been dying to do that all night and I had been thinking about it all week. I told myself I just wanted to kiss her I contented myself with but I failed. I wanted her like nobody's business. I leaned into her and she leaned back until she was lying on the couch. Our bodies were aligned; I moved her leg to wrap around my waist all without breaking my kiss. My hand cupped her breast and she arched her back and let out a soft moan; I kissed her neck and nibbled on her ear lobe to give me a chance to control myself so I wouldn't rip my clothes off her. I wanted to take my time.
I slipped my hand under the shirt and held her hip firmly. Her body tensed. I looked up at and in her eyes I saw hesitation.
"I…I'm" She looked away. I knew with a little persuasion I could get my way but I stopped. I didn't want her to do anything with me that she would regret. I hadn't planned on coming on as strong as I did I just lost it a little.
"We don't have to" I said kissing her lips lightly. "I need a minute though" I buried my face in her shoulder and tried to calm down. Her hands ran through my hair in a soothing manner.
"I'm sorry" she said. I pulled up and looked at her with her face in my hand.
In the conversations we've had I knew she was a strong confident woman that wouldn't take any shit from anyone. But other times she seemed insecure and vulnerable. I had never saw proof of that until now. The look she gave me now told me she was expecting me a rejection. There were already the beginning lines of hurt in her eyes. Any moves to take our relationship to a physical level would be on her mark. Not only did I not want her to do anything she would regret I never wanted her to look at me like that again. It left me feeling like I had wronged her in the most irremediable way.
"No" I kissed her lips again and lingered there. I didn't move until I felt her body relax under mine. "Don't ever apologize for telling me how you feel" I moved my hand from under her shirt and straightened it.
My erection was somewhat less massive after a few minutes. "Come" I pulled her off the couch with me. She was going to get an extensive tour of the house it would help me calm down.
Most of the first floor was living space and my gym was off closest to the garage. The second floor had my office and guest rooms but we found ourselves in the den. It was where I spent most of my lounge time. Nothing in here was chosen by the interior decorator. It was all me. The walls were a deep cerulean with white lush carpeting. The furniture was comfortable and bright with colors ranging from yellow to red including the plush pillows spread around the floor. It was the most personal room in the house. It held pictures; trophies; and diplomas belonging to myself, Al and Pam and Godric as well.
Sookie entered the room and looked around in polite interest. "Where was this picture taken?" She asked. She was standing in front of an image of Pam, Alexei and I. I smiled because I looked so young and Al was still the runt of the litter instead of Pam.
"Brazil" I answered. It was when Godric first came for us after the death of our mother and it was the first time the three of us had real reason to smile. I was sixteen Pam was fourteen and Al was seven. I looked away before I could start to read into all the things the picture couldn't hide because we weren't happy we were thankful. We weren't visiting we were running.
"Where else have you been?" Sookie asked.
"Most of Europe" I said. She rolled her eyes. "What? Not impressed"
"It doesn't count you're from there originally it's like me getting points for travelling to Mississippi" I laughed
"Okay what about Thailand?" I said feeling pleased when her eyes lit up.
"Two points" She said with bright smile. I shook my head but couldn't help but smile. She was easily excited but yet at the same time she was not easily impressed. "And just because you don't get points for Europe doesn't mean I don't want to hear about it" She declared.
I sat on a pillow and pulled her down with me.
"Where do you want to hear about?" I asked. Resting my head on her lap with her fingers intertwined with mine.
"Your favorite places" She answered. That was easy. I told her of home she asked for the smallest details about the things that I liked most; the water; the clean salty sea air; the snow and cold. I described it all. I was telling her about Tuscany when Pam came.
It seems these two can't get right. And we know Pam is up to no good
Also with the Pam and Dermot thing, I need some help. I am writing Dermot as being from Ireland originally so problem is; I need to authenticate some of his manner of speech. Solution: a reader with some free time from the Emerald Isle. It won't be anything to daunting I assure you just exclamations; insults; slang and the like.
