Hello my dear readers! True Blood is back, we'll see if it's a good thing...
Does anybody feel like they need to cool off? Sookie tried - just read where it got her.

Wonderfully beta'd by Breathesgirl.

Disclaimer: I'm a user and I'm not ashamed of it.

Previously:

The noise level increased the second I left but I didn't look back: Instead I stepped outside since I needed the fresh air. It was the first time I'd had to publicly talk about Bill since he left me.

The worst thing was: I couldn't just wait it out until the news sunk in and the excitement dissipated since my shift wasn't over yet. I knew I'd have to go back inside and face all those people. I would feel it as they watched me, like an animal at the zoo, and I would hear their thoughts.

I ended up swinging by a gas station and buying my favourite ice cream on my way back home from work. Yes, I was ready to indulge my weakness and throw a pity-party for one.

What depressed me even more was that I realised I could not think of even one friend that I could, or would, like to talk to in order to share my burden. I suppose that I could talk to Tara, but even she wasn't close enough with me lately for me to consider stopping by her place in the middle of the night unannounced.

How pathetic was that?

I made myself comfortable on the sofa with a spoon and the ice cream container and flipped on the TV looking for some chick flick to watch. I thought that maybe I would indulge myself in a bubble bath later.

I finally settled on some silly comedy and managed to concentrate on it enough to quiet my own mind and calm down. Right then I was glad that my home was so secluded: I could find some peace here and forget about the rest of the world. No one would distur...

"You should lock your doors," the voice said from behind me.

I jumped and shrieked: The spoon fell from my hand and made a loud clattering sound when it hit the floor.

"Eric!" I screamed, hitting him with the throw pillow which I then hugged to my chest. My heart was pounding wildly, a sound that I am sure he enjoyed hearing way too much. "You scared me half to death! Why didn't you knock?"

He grinned at me, "Now, where would be the fun in that?", he asked with a smirk.

I was still too startled to appreciate his antics so instead I asked , "What are you doing here?"

"Making you scream," he said lecherously.

DUH! Like I couldn't figure THAT one out on my own!

I was embarrassed that he'd scared me so much that I really had screamed so I was trying to cover it with irritation, "Oh, realy? Seriously, what's your excuse, Funny Man?"

"Did you read the contract?" he asked, ignoring my jab along with my question, or maybe that was his way of answering, I wasn't sure. He didn't apologize either: Typical.

"You could have just picked up a phone and called!" I wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Eric's eyes twinkled with mischief, "Kinky," he purred suggestively.

I felt my ears burning but I was starting to loosen up, "You're incorrigible," I snorted.

"You like me this way," he said smugly, resting his elbows on the back of the sofa.

I pursed my lips because, as much as I wasn't going to say it out loud, he wasn't completely wrong there.

"So, did you read it?" he asked again.

"As a matter of fact, I did," I answered.

"Did you sign it yet?"

"No, I didn't." I hesitated, "Listen Eric, we're talking about a lot of money here. Can you promise me that this is a fair offer?"

"You think I'm trying to use you? I suppose we can bargain if you're not satisfied with this proposal," he looked... I don't know, sad?

I laughed, "Gosh, no! I don't think you're offering me too little. If anything, I wasn't sure if you didn't pull the number out of thin air because of the... other part of our deal," I added a little sheepishly. "Would you really consider paying me more?"

He was staring at me as if he was trying to figure me out and shook his head, "You have no idea, do you?" he asked quietly.

I was feeling a little confused, "What do you mean?"

"You have no idea how valuable you are."

I didn't know what to say, "Does that mean you are trying to pay me less than you should?" I teased, making sure he knew I wasn't serious.

Eric smiled, "I think the offer is fair," he replied. "You would probably get more if you worked for someone with the a higher position in our power structure but you have to admit that working for me has its perks," he replied suggestively.

"And by perks you mean..."

"Do you even have to ask?" Eric smirked and waggled his eyebrows, but then he turned serious, "I'd like to think I'm a safer option for you since I'm local and I have no intention of taking over your life. I can call and ask you to come to Shreveport when I need you. I don't think that putting you in the spotlight would be a good idea, either. Of course, word travels and there will be those who would find out about you, and possibly try to seek you out, but I'm not going to advertise your gift and I'm powerful enough that any vampire would think twice before trying to take you from me."

"What would you do if someone did come after me?" I asked.

I knew he had already told me as much when he'd first proposed our deal but I needed to hear him say it, "You're mine now," Eric said firmly, "and I protect me and mine."

I tried to ignore the fact that he didn't sound as if the "mine" thing was just for appearances but I couldn't stop the shiver it sent down my spine either.

"Why did you offer me so much money then?" I asked, genuinely curious. "You know I wouldn't know the going rates for a 'consultant' of my calibre so it wouldn't have mattered if you had offered me half the rate you're suggesting, right?"

He smiled again, "I wouldn't want you to feel cheated and quit when someone else makes you a better offer. I've learned over the years that underpaying my employees is never a good idea."

Eric was many things but stupid wasn't one of them. I shook my head, "I still don't believe that you came here tonight, all the way from Shreveport, just because you wanted to ask me if I signed the contract. You could have done that over the phone."

His smile morphed into a grin and he leaned over to close the distance between us, "You didn't really think that I would wait a whole week to see you again, did you?" His voice dropped seductively and my heart sped up. Damn it!

I had no doubt that the kind of seeing me he was talking about was the same kind that would allow Sam to detect it with his stronger shifter senses and involved me and Eric, and some horizontal (or vertical) surface. What it didn't involve, were clothes.

"So you decided that you could just intrude on my evening without asking me beforehand?" I huffed without any real irritation, arguing just for the sake of the banter.

Eric glanced at the TV screen where the heroine was weeping in the arms of her best friend and then looked quizzically at me and my ice cream box: I hurriedly shut off the TV.

"What were you doing?" he asked inquisitively.

I quickly replied, "Relaxing."

No reason to let Eric know that I had been feeling sorry for myself.

He brightened, "I can help you relax," he offered happily.

I chuckled, "I had a feeling you'd say something like that."

"I'm sure I could do a better job of relaxing you than a crappy movie and cold food."

His sarcasm, while noted, was not appreciated.

"This is ice cream, Eric," I corrected him, amused, "It's yummy. There is nothing like ice cream and watching mindless movies to lift a girl's spirits when she's upset."

I bit my tongue. Fudge. Me and my big mouth! Could I not have just stayed quiet? The look Eric gave me said he hadn't missed my slip up: he heard what I'd just revealed to him about my recent mood. Thankfully he decided to take a different approach other than questioning me about it.

He took me by surprise when he dipped his finger in my ice cream and raised it to his eye level, "You're telling me that this is better than me?" he asked skeptically.

I held my breath and stared at him with wide eyes. Bill used to get hysterical whenever I would try to eat, or God forbid cook, something around him. He had claimed that food was disgusting to him and had been making me brush my teeth after dinner or before I kissed him. I even remembered that once, when I walked into his living room with a lollipop in my mouth, he had turned green. You don't have to be a telepath to know what most guys tend to think about when they see a girl sucking on a lollipop. He certainly would not have willingly touched any kind of human food, even ice cream.

I don't know if it had something to do with Eric's age or not but he didn't seem to be affected that way. Sure, he stared at his ice-cream covered finger as if he were contemplating an alien life form, and by the look on his face it was obvious that he didn't consider the sticky substance something edible, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I imagine he wouldn't have acted any differently if it had been paint on the tip of his finger.

Eric looked back at me and raised his eyebrow in challenge, "Really, Sookie?" he said putting the finger in front of my face, "I certainly look better," he dead-panned.

I snorted, but he continued: "I also smell better." God help me, he smelled the ice cream. "Surely you'll agree, that I feel better.

...ooo-kaay.

"...What's more important, I would bet that I even taste better."

I'm not going to drool. I'm not going to drool.His meaning was unmistakable and the emphasis he put on taste sent my lady bits into overdrive.

I caught his hand to stop him from waving it right in front of my eyes, "Okay, that's enough," I laughed.

I wasn't thinking: I wasn't even aware of what I was doing when I put his finger in my mouth and pretended I was going to bite it off. I realised what I had done only when I felt Eric freeze. I looked up slowly, still with my lips wrapped around his finger.

His eyes were burning holes into mine and he was standing there completely immobile. I sucked the ice cream off and released his now clean finger with a soft pop. We stared at each other for a minute in deafening silence, with me still holding his wrist, before Eric slowly moved his hand and, without breaking eye contact, dipped his finger again and presented it to me.

Don't kill me! Why not? Because the next chapter actually does start with the continuation of this scene! If you kill me now, you'll never read it...