A/N: There's not much to say up here except again...thank you for all the love and reviews you keep sending my way. I really, really appreciate it. You are all amazing! And, of course, massive thanks and love to my beta Gallathea. She gives me that electric feel ;)

Music for this chap: (entire playlist is linked in my profile!)

MGMT: Electric Feel http://www(DOT)youtube(DOT)com/watch?v=UtUI5MC9tVM

oh, and massive A/N with a bunch of stuff down below. :)

Kama:

Desire; the appetite for sensual pleasure

*~*~**~*~*

Of course, Sookie never elaborated further than "Bill will be there," and it pissed me the hell off. I racked my brain for hours trying to figure out what the fuck type of date Sookie could come up with that would involve Bill. It was one thing when I had Lafayette staring at my naked body, shoving tiny pins into me, but there was no way in hell I would willingly be naked in front of Bill. For one, I didn't want to give him a complex about his own manhood, and second, there was no way I was letting that douche near Sookie if she was going to be in any state of undress.

To be fair, Sookie never mentioned that we would be naked, but she did insinuate that we would be touching each other a lot. At first, I thought maybe she signed us up for a couple's massage, which I could get on board with, except not if the douche would be the one massaging us. My overactive, Bill-saturated imagination would have to wait until Saturday, though, because that was when Sookie had said our date would take place. She told me to meet her at the studio at quarter to eleven, but I had no idea if we were staying there or going someplace else entirely. She did mention that if I was a good boy, that she would treat me to lunch. I smirked, thinking that I was never really a good boy.

I tried to push all thoughts of Sookie and our next date out of my head, since I had other things I needed to deal with at the moment. Pam still hadn't let up about giving her an office, and her incessant bitching was starting to be a bit too much. She had upped the stakes with another round of karaoke night, this time devoted to "boy bands," and I almost went into the back and killed myself after the third rendition of the latest hit from the Jonas Brothers.

For the meantime, I had told Clancy that he had to rearrange the stock room, where I was keeping Pam's desk and chair, and let him know that if he had to make a ton of noise, I would be fine with it. Pam came barging into my office bitching not only about all the noise Clancy was making, but also about the fact that he apparently stank "like hot ass on a cold day." After I complimented Pam on her descriptive analogy, I informed her that I really didn't care. She didn't take that too well, and since then, the looks I'd been receiving could cut glass.

I did feel somewhat bad, and since I had been planning on doing it anyway, had been on the phone with a contractor who told me he would be able to make a somewhat spacious office for Pam out of an extra supply closet in the back. I had been hoping to get started on the construction soon, but torturing Pam had gotten in the way. I figured it was time to let her off the hook and finally get her that office she actually did deserve.

"Hey Pam," I shouted out my office door, hoping she was near by.

"Wipe your own damn ass, Northman!" was the colorful reply I received. Well, at least I knew she was here.

"Get in here…now!" I barked, hoping that would speed things up.

Pam came in, looking ripping pissed, and crossed her arms over her chest, her defenses already up.

"What? I was just reworking the staff schedules for the next month, so your sorry ass can take your yoga class, amongst other things, so this had better be good."

I waved my hand in front of me, indicating that she should sit down. Pam sat, but not without an audible, "Hmph." I rolled my eyes, knowing that the majority of her attitude was theatrics, and the moment I told her what I had in store for her, she would be singing a different tune.

"So, if you don't have anything better to do tomorrow, I have somebody coming in to take a look at the space where you new office is going to be."

I sat there, a smug look on my face, while I waited for the squeals of happiness and choruses of, "Oh my god! Thank you, Eric!" to occur. Neither did, and Pam just looked at me with a smirk.

"It's about time," she stated flatly. I glared at her, wondering how I had even bothered to anticipate a different reaction.

"Glad you're so thrilled. If you're not into it, I can call back and cancel," I teased, as I reached for the phone.

Pam was up in a flash and covered my hand in hers, effectively slamming the phone back down.

"Don't even think about it. And…thanks."

I gave her a few more details, and before I could even say bye, she was already out the door headed towards the local hardware store, claiming she needed to look at color swatches immediately. I smiled to myself, glad that I could make Pam happy, and hopefully causing things to be easier around here in the process. The rest of the week found Pam to be a slightly less bitchy version of herself, and for that, I was thankful.

I had given Pam Friday off, just in case my date with Sookie ran late and I didn't feel like coming into work Saturday. Miraculously, Pam didn't give me any lip at all about it, but that could have been because she was still riding her designer high after sniffing a fuckton of paint samples.

I spent most of Friday holed up in my office, finishing up some paperwork, and only ventured into the bar a few times to check on things. Sam had things running smoothly behind the bar, and despite the large crowd, things seemed to be peaceful, so I felt fine about hiding out in my office. I had no desire to deal with a drunk Alcide or any inebriated barflies that swarmed in my direction. Finally, after staying until two in the morning, I made it home and sank into bed, absolutely exhausted.

I woke up with enough time to grab a shower before swinging by a local café for a bagel and coffee. Glancing at my watch, I realized it was time to meet Sookie and headed towards the studio. Sookie had told me to come dressed as I would for a normal yoga class, so I was wearing a pair of gray track pants and my old Stewart/Colbert '08 t-shirt that I knew Sookie would get a kick out of.

I walked into the studio and immediately spotted Sookie at the counter talking to Bill. Bill looked like his usual douche self in a sheer blue t-shirt and pair of too-tight spandex pants that showed off his ridiculously small package. I really did not need to know what his nipples looked like, but unfortunately, that image was now seared into my brain. Asshole.

Sookie, on the other hand, looked positively fuckable. Her ass was tightly wrapped in a pair of form fitting cotton yoga pants, and her v-neck tank top showed off her toned arms and ample cleavage. Her hair, which she normally wore up, was down and fell in soft waves around her shoulders. I stared at her for a few seconds more before walking up to the two of them.

Bill glared at me as I wrapped an arm around Sookie's shoulder and kissed the top of her head in greeting. I gave Bill an impossibly wide smile just to piss him off even further.

"Hey, Bill, how's it going?"

Sookie looked up at me with a warm smile, glad that I was making an effort to be friendly to Bill. I wasn't really trying to be friendly, but if my being faux-sweet would raise his hackles, I was all for it. Bill continued to glare at me until it looked like his eyes were about to fall out of his head and steam would pour out of his ears. In fact, he was eerily close to looking like a cartoon character.

With Bill not responding verbally, I simply ignored him and turned my attention to Sookie.

"Hey Beautiful," I said, pecking her nose with my lips. "Do I finally get to know what our plans are today?"

Sookie's arms threaded their way around my waist and pulled me closer to her.

"Mmhmm…" she mumbled into my chest, and I swore I heard her take a deep breath in, as if inhaling me. "We're taking a partner yoga class!" she said with enthusiasm, and it took me a second to decide if I could get as excited as she was.

"Oh…" I said, because I still wasn't quite sure what it would entail. Sookie could sense my hesitation and described it a bit more for me.

"Partner yoga is really cool. We use each other's bodies to perform certain poses, helping each other bend deeper and delve further into them. Since your back is feeling better, I figured you were ready to try a little bit more of an intense class. With me there to support you, I think this is a good transition for you."

I nodded along with everything she was saying, and to be honest, so far, it wasn't sounding too bad. While I still wasn't yoga's biggest fan, spending over an hour with Sookie touching me all over didn't sound half bad.

"What's Bill have to do with all this?" I asked, remembering her comment from when we were at the gym.

Now it was Bill's turn to smirk as he turned towards me and finally spoke. "I'll be teaching the class. I was supposed to be teaching with Sookie," he said pointedly, staring at her a little too fiercely for my liking. "But, she backed out, so Tara will be co-teaching with me."

I wrapped my arm around Sookie even tighter and took on a protective stance, not appreciating Bill's tone at all.

"I'm sorry Bill; I just told you I didn't feel comfortable teaching with you, and on top of that, I wanted to actually participate in the class with Eric."

My chest puffed up hearing that she specifically wanted to take the class with me, but my ego deflated a little upon learning she would have been uncomfortable teaching with Bill. If that jerk so much as touched Sookie the wrong way, I would ensure that he got twisted into a pretzel shape even his yoga ass couldn't get itself out of.

I gently steered Sookie away from Bill, not wanting to deal with his bullshit anymore. We found a quiet corner of the studio to sit in for a bit, and I rubbed small circles on her back to help relax her.

"I'm sorry Eric," Sookie sighed. "Bill's just upset that I backed out of co-teaching the class with him. Normally I wouldn't have minded, but ever since you and I started going out, he's kind of gone a bit overboard in his pursuit of me, despite knowing I'm not interested. I felt that teaching a class like this would just fuel his desire."

I grimaced, furious that Bill would keep pestering Sookie even knowing that she wasn't interested in him. Clearly, he was unable to get the message. I wondered if there was something I could do in class that would ensure that he understood without any doubt that Sookie was off the market.

"So, now that I know what we're doing, what can I expect in this class?"

"Partner yoga is really fun. We get to do regular poses, but with each other. We'll, uh…we'll definitely be in close proximity," she blushed.

"I think I can handle that," I let her know with a laugh.

We grabbed a couple of mats and headed into class. I immediately looked around to see who else was taking the class. I had not gotten over my competitive nature, and although it was completely unnecessary in yoga, it still made an appearance every once in a while. It was probably why I still hadn't really found much enjoyment in yoga. I mean, I tolerated it, and I appreciated how it was helping my back, but I just wasn't at the same level of enthusiasm that Sookie or her friends were.

However, sitting here next to Sookie, I found myself enjoying it just a little bit more. The other couples were of various ages, and while some looked like die hard yogis with their lean and muscular bodies, others looked like they'd be more comfortable sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of chips in their lap. Yet, everybody was there with a smile on their faces, ready to delve into this class. I looked at Sookie and couldn't help but smile seeing how excited she was.

She reached over and gave my hand a squeeze as Bill entered the classroom and made his way to the front, where Tara had already set up two mats for them.

"Welcome everybody," Tara said, as everyone settled down. "Today we're here to experience partner yoga. Together with your partner, you'll be working on breathing techniques, and working n various poses with the hopes of releasing tension and promoting the free flow of subtle energies."

Tara nodded at Bill, and he took over. "Another facet of partner yoga is touch and intimacy. Touch is an important, basic need, and this class will help fulfill that need. Intimacy and trust will be explored as well, since you will be relying on your partners to help sustain and support you in various poses."

I swore I saw Bill sneer in my direction when he mentioned the word intimacy, but it could have been my imagination. I decided not to let Bill ruin Sookie's plans and tried to focus on the class. Tara took up where Bill left off, and it was a lot easier to relax listening to her melodic voice.

"We'll start simple by just working on our breathing. Sit cross legged, or however else feels most comfortable for you. Keeping a straight spine, breathe in, filling your lungs with air, with light, with life. Hold it for a count of three before slowly exhaling out of your nose, allowing the air to push out of your body. Continue this breathing for a while and concentrate on listening for your breath, as well as your partner's breath."

I did a few rounds, focusing mostly on myself before I tried to listen for Sookie's breathing pattern. It took me a while, but soon, I was able to hone in on her inhales and exhales, and it was oddly calming. Soon, Tara's soft voice floated through again, and we began with a pose. Bill and Tara would demonstrate the pose before instructing us to try it ourselves, talking us through it as well. I was lucky to have Sookie as my partner, since she knew all of these poses and was able to whisper and let me know what to do.

Our first pose was an easy one, called Triple Hill. Bill and Tara demonstrated it first. They bent forward at the waist while facing each other, allowing their hands to meet and stretch upwards as their faces grew closer together. It looked simple enough, but when Sookie and I attempted it, we had some trouble. Both Bill and Tara were around the same height, what with Bill being the shorty that he was. I, on the other hand, towered significantly above Sookie, so finding our point of balance was a little tricky.

Finally, after a bit of finagling, we were able to do it. Our foreheads were almost touching, and I could feel her breath wafting towards my face. It smelled of sweet mint, and I had to bite back my tongue from sweeping out across her lips to taste her further.

We held this pose long enough that I started to feel a slight burn in my shoulders, but it was a good feeling and not unpleasant at all. Our next pose was a double standing forward bend, which caused a good amount of giggles throughout the class. Most people were lined up with their asses touching, but because of our height difference, Sookie's ass nestled into my thighs while my own stood up in the air all by its lonesome. I couldn't help but laugh, looking at Sookie upside down, our faces pooling with blood. Sookie laughed back, and I swore I felt her wiggle her ass against my legs. I tried to cock an eyebrow to silently question her, but being upside down made that a bit difficult, so I had to let it go for the moment.

We did a few more poses that ranged from Sookie sitting on my back and pulling my arms in a stretch that felt really good to standing up and using each other for balance in tree pose. Feeling different parts of Sookie's body pressed up against mine was incredible. Despite being clothed and surrounded by a group of people, including Bill, I was still incredibly turned on.

When we were standing in tree pose, our hands pressed together, and whether it was from simply being next to Sookie or concentrating on not falling down and making a fool of myself, something inside of me felt charged. Weird tingles spread throughout my body, and I wondered if Sookie could feel them too, since she looked up at me, giving me a wry smile.

I didn't have much time to think about it, since Tara and Bill had us sitting back down for some final poses. I had to sit with the soles of my feet together, while my knees splayed out to the sides. I remembered this pose from Sookie's class and knew I could bend pretty far to achieve a good stretch. I wondered if Sookie was supposed to press my back down to help me stretch even further.

Instead, Sookie sat down in front of me, her legs opened up. Tara instructed the person in the butterfly pose to lean forward and wrap their arms around their partner's waist. Then, the partner was to reach out and grab a hold of our lower back. It sounded complicated, but Sookie guided me into the position, and soon, my face was smack dab in her crotch.

I leaned in, and my forehead brushed up against the inside of Sookie's thigh. I figured if I didn't move any further, this would be okay, and we could move into the next pose without me wanting to ravage Sookie right then and there. Unfortunately, Sookie then leaned over me, placing her hands on my lower back, her fingertips grazing the skin peeking out from my pants. Her movement pulled me closer into her, and soon, there was nowhere for me to move any further without trying to crawl up into her uterus.

I was pretty certain that yoga shouldn't be causing a rock hard erection, yet that was exactly the outcome of this pose. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but I only succeeded in making things worse. On my inhale, I caught the sweet, musky essence that exuded from in between Sookie's legs. The heady aroma was intoxicating and only further fueled my lusty urges. I was so close to Sookie's heat that I knew she would feel it if I flicked my tongue out. Instead, I exhaled, trying to will myself to calm down. Apparently, breathing out was also the wrong move to make, since the moment I did, I felt Sookie shudder around me.

"Eric…" I heard Sookie whisper, so softly that I knew nobody else around us could hear.

"Yes?" I managed to get out, although how I was able to even form that one word at the moment was beyond me.

"I, um…I think we need to move on to a different position."

I nodded in agreement, and as I did so, the top of my head inadvertently brushed up against the apex of Sookie's thighs.

"Uhhh…"

Sookie's not so quiet moan went straight to my groin, causing my already straining cock to pulse harder as all the blood in my body shot straight there. There was no way I was about to unfold from this pretzel-like position, only to have the rest of the class stare at my uncomfortably erect dick.

"Sookie," I did my best to whisper as quietly as I could. "I…um, I need to uh, stretch for a bit longer. Give me a sec?"

I tried to convey to her my need to remain covered for a bit longer, and she caught on, scooting back enough so her pussy wasn't directly in my face, taunting me like a delectable five star meal, and I was able to breathe in a few gulps of fresh air, hoping that it would clear my brain, allowing my blood to pump freely all throughout my body and not stay stagnant in one spot.

After another minute of focused breathing and picturing Bill naked, my hard on successfully wilted, and I was able to sit up. When I did, I came face to face with Sookie, who was looking at me with darkened eyes and a flushed complexion.

"Are you okay?" I asked, and did my best to suppress a grin as she bit her lower lip before nodding and huskily whispering out, "Uh huh."

Clearly, that little pose did a number on her as well. With my own problem gone for the time being, I thought it might be fun to tease Sookie a bit more. I leaned over towards her, my lips ghosting her ear as I whispered, "That pose was really enjoyable for me. It really hit me in all the right places. But, do you know how I think it could be better?"

Sookie gulped before shaking her head back and forth furiously. I smirked, loving my effect on her.

"I think we should try this again, in the privacy of one of our places…naked."

Sookie's hand shot out, and she gripped my arm tightly. In fact, she had such an iron grip on my arm that it actually hurt for a second, before I attempted to loosen her fingers.

I cocked an eyebrow and looked at her, wondering what was going on in that mind of hers.

"Don't say things you don't intend to follow through on, Eric," Sookie cautioned.

My girl was game! I loved seeing Sookie turned on with no option for release at the moment, and I knew it would only cause things to be hotter later on. I was about to whisper something else to fuel her fire, but before I was able to, she spoke once again, this time in a normal voice so everyone else could hear.

"Oh, and we're having lunch at my place, so if you want, we can work on that pose you were hoping to try again."

My mouth flew open at her brazen attitude. I looked around, and of course, nobody was paying attention to us, or would have thought her remark was naughty, since they hadn't heard the rest of the conversation. Now it was my turn to clamor for the class to be over, eagerly anticipating just what exactly Sookie had in mind for lunch.

Instead of continuing our conversation, we were interrupted by Bill, who led us through a guided meditation before having us relax in corpse pose. Of course, there was no relaxing on my end, and without even opening my eyes, I could tell the same held true for Sookie. I could hear her breathing raggedly, almost panting. Our pinkies grazed while our hands lay side by side, and those electric sparks I'd felt before came back in full force. Had I not thought we would cause a scene, I would have grabbed her by the hand, tossed her over my shoulder, and hauled ass to her apartment. Instead, I had to settle for listening to the tick tock of the clock, which taunted me as it reminded me that we still had five more minutes before we could escape.

A/N: Yeah...you all want to take a partner yoga class with the Viking now, don'tcha? ;)

A good link with a slideshow of some of the poses I used in the class: http://www(DOT)fitsugar(DOT)com/2738905?page=0,0,0

oh, and next chap will sadly not be an EPOV, but will be *2* different POVs. Hmm...who could they be?

Now, on to "business" ... *sings* "Let's get down to business, it's business time. It's business....it's business time!"

*self pimpage* If you didn't already know, I entered the slash/backslash contest which ended yesterday. The 1st round of voting begins December 7th - You can go here to vote then: http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/u/2110516/Slash_Backslash (don't worry, I'm sure I'll pimp this out again next week, hee hee.) The contest has over 60 awesome entries, including some by a handful of SVM writers! You can read (and review!) my fic, The Usual here: http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/5481211/1/The_Usual
(link also in my profile):

Also... TODAY is the LAST day to vote in the Eric and His Great Pumpkin contest I'm hosting with Zigster. Please go to: http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/u/2089903/Eric_and_his_Great_Pumpkin to vote for your favorite!