"You're late," Nora hissed as she sat down opposite Eric in the Viking's private booth at one of his restaurants at the Luxor.

He was purposely late. He wanted to set the tone for this meeting. He wanted her to know that she was not the one calling the shots. Last night when he called her to set a meeting, she sounded confident, haughty even. As though his call was something she was expecting to receive. And it rubbed Eric the wrong way.

Eric took out a white envelope from the inner pocket of his dark blue suit. "You're drunk," he replied in a clinical tone.

"Well, what do you expect? I was by the bar for more than an hour because they didn't want to give me a table until you arrive," Nora slurred, eyeing him with a contradicting mix of contempt and longing. Her perfectly manicured nails flicking against the red table mantle as though itching to reach out to the Viking.

Eric waved at the maitre d' waiting patiently at the corner.

"Are you ready to order, Mr. Northman?" the headwaiter asked as he dipped his head toward the Viking.

"Not yet, Charles. But I'd like you to get her two shots of espresso. I need her sober for this. I don't do business with a drunkard," Eric replied without sparing Nora a glance. He would have seen her grimace at his words but knew better not to talk back to the Viking in public.

When the headwaiter left, Nora leaned her rigid back to the chair, smoothing the back of her messy chignon. Her lips pressed together in a delicious pout, her eyes never leaving the Viking, who was typing at his mobile phone, legs crossed in an elegant manner.

"So… are you done slumming it with the cook?" she asked after a while.

Eric's lips thinned before he looked up and met her probing gaze with eyes colder than the North Pole itself. Nora fought a shiver, feeling a cold finger on her back. For a moment she had forgotten what kind of devil Eric Northman could be. And now, an arms-length away from him, the Viking was reminding her how easily he could render her mute with a stare.

The stagnant silence was broken when the maitre d' came back with a cup of aromatic dark coffee and placed it in front of Nora. He asked Eric if there were anything else and the Viking casually shook his head and dismissed him.

Nora eagerly reached for her coffee, anything to keep her trembling hands busy, and raised it to her lips with as much sophistication she could project under the watchful glare of the Viking. He gave her enough time to gather herself and the high-strung brunette downed all the contents of the miniscule cup in one gulp like a commoner rather than one of the glitterati she claimed to be.

The brunette put her teacup down and straightened her back. It was her night, she had told herself over and over. Eric would return to her eventually, she was only surprised that it took him a long time to do so.

"Shall we order?" she asked, composing herself in a futile attempt to gain the upperhand.

"I have somewhere I need to be, so let's cut the bull, shall we?" Eric drawled, pocketing his cellphone and placing both hands on the table, facedown.

"You just got here!" Nora whined between gritted teeth.

"I'm here with a proposition," he began, shrugging off Nora's childish wail. He slid the white envelope lying in front of him toward Nora. "This is a one-way ticket back to London. It leaves in an hour, which gives you enough time to go to McCarran and get your ass out of Vegas. You will never set foot in American soil again much less in this town. This is my town, if you try to come back here, as I'm sure you will, I will be two steps in front of you. Which brings me to option number two…" He leaned his head forward so Nora would not miss a single word.

"Do you still remember the Red Cavern?" he asked in a melodious tone, before his lips broke into a smirk. "Of course you do."

He could vividly remember all the times she had asked Eric to bring her to the Cavern and the demented way she had cheered for the Dom whenever they watched inside the Red Room. It had gotten worse when Nora found out Pam was a former Dom and ever since then she had never missed a chance to taunt Eric's second about Pam's former life, much to the Viking's dismay.

Nora's eyes widened in horror as it dawned on her what Eric was hinting at.

"I heard they have an opening for a new Sub. I'm sure you'll fit right in," he said confirming her suspicion. "And you will be a submissive – catering to every shameful and revolting wishes of the Doms you loved so much – for the rest of your life," he drawled in a smooth malevolent voice. "I will make sure of that, Nora. No one – not even dear ol' Russell – can bail you out of that shithole. But you know that already."

Nora pressed her lips together in a thin line. Gone was her sultry pout. She shot daggers at the Viking then at the envelope, as though willing it to burn into ashes before she turned her spiteful gaze back at her companion.

"You can't bully me, Eric."

"Bullies play with pranks and I assure you, Nora, this is no prank."

"Even if you get rid of me, it will never be over. This is one game you're bound to lose, Eric," she spat with so much venom. "Russell wants her."

A dark shadow passed Eric's blue eyes but it was too quick for Nora's misted vision to see. "The question is, Nora, who do you think wants her more?"

He never waited for a response when he stood up from his chair and started clasping the button of his dinner jacket. "Because of our history together, I strongly suggest you take my first offer." He flicked his index finger in the air and not a minute later Pam strutted in with a wolfish grin.

"Pam will drive you. That flashy car you almost hit her with, it's being totaled as we speak. If I were you I'd fly out of here while I still can. Because if there's one thing Russell loves as much as his money, it's his car collection," Eric said before he took Nora's branded clutch off the table and started rummaging through her belongings. He found her mobile phone and pocketed it without preamble. He put the purse back on the table and turned his mocking gaze back to the gaping brunette. "Be nice to Pam. If it were up to her, you'd be halfway to the Cavern by now. Don't give her a reason."

Pam's grin spread even wider as she sat to the chair vacated by the Viking. "They're gonna love you there, bitch, and I'm gonna enjoy watching you scream for help that will never come. In fact, I'd even pay for the first show."

"You're doing all these because of that whore?" Nora snarled her face contorting into an ugly grimace.

Eric's hand fisted before it pounded on the table, knocking over the miniature cup and saucer. Some of the patrons in the tables around them threw cautious glances their way as Eric leaned over to Nora. "Call her a whore one more time and my first offer is off the table," he threatened in a low voice.

Pam, who seemed unperturbed by the Viking's sudden loss of control, leaned languidly back in her chair, staring with taunting eyes at the nervous brunette. "Come on, Nora, make my day and say the word. I dare you."

Nora hurled an articulate line of profanities at Pam before she rushed out of her chair to follow Eric who was already making his way out of the restaurant with long purposeful strides.

She almost tripped over her high heels as she jogged toward the Viking. She was panting for breath when she managed to catch up to him at the lobby. She grabbed his arm and with all her fragile strength, whisked him to face her, eliciting furtive glances from the other diners who were making their way inside the restaurant.

She knew it was pointless to argue with him, much less negotiate with his proposal. She only had one question that she feared she already knew the answer. "Do you love her?"

Eric didn't reply as he met her pleading gaze. He didn't need to utter a word. His silence spoke volumes. The way his eyes softened told her everything. He never had that look before, not when he was with her, not even when he was making love to her.

No.

It wasn't making love. As spectacular as they were in bed, Eric never made love to her. They fucked. Like champions. Like primal creatures guided by nothing but lust.

He yanked his arm to get her hands off him before he strolled out without looking back. Nora's hand fell to her side as she watched him walk away. She didn't realize she was crying until Pam took her elbow with gruff force and whirled her around to face the reporter Alicia and the very same photographer who had taken Nora and Sookie's photos the other day.

'Sodding cunt.'

"Smile for the camera, Nora. I'll send you a copy of tomorrow's society page in London… or the Cavern. Your choice."

Nora didn't even try to cover her face when the bright flashing lights hit her eyes. She had no more strength to fight a losing battle. She could only hope Russell would be able to avenge her.


E/S

'Russell wants her.'

Nora's words rang over and over like a broken record in his head. It had been a couple of hours since he had returned to the North. He wanted to go and check up on Sookie in the control room but he didn't like her to see him distraught. Unhinged.

He took out Nora's phone and started scrolling through her call register and text messages. Just as he had expected there were a number of calls made to Miami and Macau. She was smart enough not to put any names in her contacts list, but she was still careless as shit as to not erase the numbers completely. Amateur.

The private investigator Eric had hired to follow Nora when he got wind that she was back in Las Vegas was very efficient. He managed to give Eric information as to who was backing her up and her expensive way of living.

Eric should have known Nora would run straight to Russell when he turned her down.

'Ungrateful bitch.'

He made a short call to Muscat making sure everything was going according to plan regarding Felipe, before he sank back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

'Russell wants her.' There was the scornful voice again and he despised how easily it could unnerve him.

'She's mine. Mine. I want her more!'

His dark musing was interrupted by the knocks on his door. He jumped off his chair and dashed to open the door. All his brooding thoughts were forgotten as soon as his gaze landed on her. Everything's right in the world again, he thought and almost whacked his head for being such a sap. When did he become so emotionally unstable?

"You didn't really need to knock, you know?" he said fighting a smile that was itching to break across his face.

God, she looked priceless in that floral halter dress under a sheer black cardigan. He wondered how she seemed to project that much innocence in almost everything she wore. He stopped the urge to blurt out something ridiculously plebeian like 'you're so beautiful,' because he knew it would only make her cringe and roll her eyes. She was not a fan of flattery. Those were empty words. She deserved more.

She beamed at him and he swore that single gesture could make him come in his pants. "I'm only givin' you enough time to hide your girls under the table."

"Girls?" he asked mischief evident in his eyes. "I haven't done a three-way in years."

Sookie threw him a dirty look before she pushed past him and glided inside his office. "That's too much information."

"Hey, you're the one who said girls."

"Because I keep forgetting what a horndog you are."

"Then let me remind you…" he whispered, moving behind her, snaking his arms around her middle. He brushed her loose braid over her shoulder before he buried his nose in the nape of her neck. "You smell so damn delicious." The throbbing erection in his pants pressed against her back and ached to be buried inside her.

His warm breath against her skin made her shudder. He loved making her shudder. He loved the way she responded to the mildest of touch. He hooked his fingers in the neckline of her cardigan and pulled it off her before he let it drop to the floor.

Her breath hitched when the cool air hit her bare back. "You're just…" she rasped before she swallowed thickly, "… hungry," she finished.

"I am. And I'm going to enjoy having you." He kissed the back of her neck before he pulled back to untie the string that was holding her dress together. Sookie gasped when she felt his palm cup her breasts over her strapless bra before they slithered to her back to unzip her. The soft fabric slid down and pooled at her feet.

Eric knelt on the carpeted floor as he trailed kisses on her back, relishing the way her skin prickled against his lips.

"Eric…" she said huskily. "I'm almost naked and you're still fully dressed."

He smiled against her back before he slowly turned her around to face him. His face dangerously close to her heaving chest. "Didn't you know it's not proper etiquette to eat naked?"

He saw her jaw twitch as though aching to say something witty or sarcastic but no words came out of her mouth when he unlatched her bra and flung it across the room. He started flicking his tongue on one of her peaks, eliciting a sharp gasp from the Southerner, while his other hand gently massaged the other.

His free hand grazed her bare thigh, making its way between her thighs. He felt her leg stiffen when his finger stroke the moist flesh under the cotton fabric of her underwear. His mouth left her perky nipple as he began leaving a burning path of kisses down to her navel.

He hooked his thumb into the waistband of her panties and pulled them down to her feet. He was mildly surprised when she offered no resistance and stepped out of her impending garment. He looked up and saw her staring at him with hooded eyes, her lips parted in anticipation.

He couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face before he stood up and captured her mouth and sank his tongue deep. She tasted sweet, like cherries and chocolate. He could kiss her all night if he didn't have other plans in mind.

He released her mouth and in one fell swoop carried her in his arms bridal style and sat her on his lap behind his desk. His manhood that was pulsing against his pants was becoming more insistent. He latched his mouth on hers again, this time it was rougher, more demanding. She had to draw back to gasp for air but Eric was relentless as he fisted his hand in her hair and pulled her lips back to his.

'I want you more,' he chanted in his head as his tongue speared into her mouth. 'He can't have you. No one can.'

It was like all his pent up anger came back like wildfire, burning him from the inside.

"Eric…" she gasped when she broke their kiss again.

With one arm he swiped the closed laptop off his desk along with all the papers strewn beside it. Sookie yelped in protest but he swallowed the objections she wanted to hurl at him as he kissed, more like devoured, her mouth, feverishly and hoisted her up the thick mahogany.

He pulled his face back, cupping her cheek with one hand. "I want you so much," he said in a throaty voice before he bit the soft skin of her ear. He felt her tremble as she took a sharp breath before gently pushed her down to lie on the hard wood. His hands trailed down her body, pausing at every curve of her nakedness, before he sat back in his chair and slung her legs over his shoulders.

Sookie propped herself up with her elbows, following Eric's movements. Eric planted an open-mouthed kiss on the side of her thigh and she jerked her head back from the tingling sensation.

"Look at me," Eric ordered and Sookie reluctantly obliged. Her eyes fluttering close every time Eric's lips came dangerously close to her mound.

He was teasing her and it warranted him his desired response as Sookie groaned and squirmed against the polished wood. "Please …" she begged.

That was all he needed to hear as Eric buried his face between her thighs and used his skillful mouth, flicking her with quick then languid strokes. Sookie was a boneless mess under his ministration. He felt a sudden surge of pride when her hips bucked and jerked. He heard the muffled moan she made when she came and he felt her spasm against his face.

With her elbows still perched on the edge of the desk barely holding her up, she watched him strip in a painstakingly slow manner. He saw her grit her teeth like she was resisting the urge to scream at him to hurry the fuck up. His lips tugged slightly at the corner. He knew the love and hate thing Sookie had for his lopsided smirk and when her eyes darkened and she darted her tongue to lick her lips, he knew it was mission accomplished.

"You're loving this, aren't you?" she asked in exasperation when his smirk became more pronounced.

He kicked off his shoes and pushed down his dark slacks, along with his boxers. He took a foil packet from the bottom drawer and he almost didn't see the way Sookie bit her lip with a pained look on her face. She must have thought it was customary for him to have sex with stray sluts in his office when the truth was she was the only girl he ever contemplated fucking there. He wanted to appease her but he thought it would be better to show than tell.

He bent to catch her bruised lips, nipping at her bottom lip, before he whispered, "I love everything about you."

"Prove it," she challenged her hand trailing over his rippled stomach.

She always said that Eric was the one with all the words when she was that could make or break him with her bon mot. She was a spitfire. She was his spitfire. He gripped her ankles, harder than he was supposed to, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. With a swift stroke he buried himself to the hilt inside her.

She was slick and inviting and tight around him and fuck, it was testing his stamina. He thought maybe he should cut back from drinking scotch. And maybe he could add another half hour in the treadmill next time he was in the gym.

'Fuck it, Northman, you're in heaven and you're thinking of the fucking treadmill!'

Maybe it was his mind's way to fend off his orgasm because Sookie's torturous moans and gasps were surely not helping. He felt her clench around him and he gritted his teeth so as not to come with her. He wanted to prolong this. As long as he could. Because as long as he was inside her, he knew no one could take her from him.

He lifted her off the desk without pulling out of her and carried her toward the couch. She was straddling him, moving up and down, and the sly minx was back on top, dictating the tempo. Urging him to let go. But he wouldn't.

He tackled her and laid her down on her back in the upholstered sofa. He kissed her savagely and sucked at the skin below her neck, brandishing her. Sookie was lost in a lustful stupor that she didn't realize what Eric was doing. He knew she would gripe about the hickey later, but he didn't care. She could throw a fit, that would put Pam's hissy ones to shame and he knew it was still worth it.

But in the end, she still won. At her third climax she dragged him with her. Eric came with a grunt, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt Sookie's nails digging in the skin of his back. Her fingers moved up to the back of his head and weaved her fingers through his hair. She was still panting heavily against him when she said in a hoarse voice, "I love you. You know that, right?"

He pulled back to look at her. To see if she were mocking him and was utterly relieved when he saw that she wasn't.

"Remind me again in a few minutes," he said, his eyebrows waggling seductively.

Sookie's gusty laugh filled the room and it warmed him like a fur blanket. If he could make her laugh like that then he would gladly mash up a Nike and an Adidas and he would just do it, because impossible was nothing. He rolled on his back and pulled her on top of him.

'She's mine. I want her more,' he echoed his previous thoughts. Russell could pull all the tricks known in the book and she would still be Eric's. Nothing would change that. At that moment he came to a decision. He was done hiding her. Russell had already thrown the gauntlet. It was time for Eric to pick it up and suit up.

If Russell wanted her, then he could come and get her. Eric would like to see him try.


A/N: I don't own Eric.

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Love, love, love! Happy 2013!