A/N: Hey ya'll, there's a fake novel excerpt I made up within my story that Arabella is reading… Having a lot of time on her hands and after all her encounters with a certain sexy vampire… she's really feeling a little 'neglected' wink wink… As always, I hope you enjoy! Please review. I'd love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, etc…
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Special shout outs to Kimmywsmith, ellaella, Sluggysmom, aandm20, and belladu57… thank you guys for your most recent reviews!... Reviews totally make my day!
….
Since my life was providing no actual sex to speak of, I figured I'd at least read about some. So, I sat in my rocking chair on the porch, again, this time with a tall glass of wine instead of lemonade, reading my erotic romance novel (okay, fine, it was trashy, but who cares, right?) hoping to ease the ache between my legs that seemed to be bothering me since first meeting a certain fair haired vampire. Don't even get me started on why I was so turned on by him: by his piercing blue eyes, by his gorgeous face, by his beautiful body; especially his oh so gracious plenty, which I had been fortunate enough to have seen. Granted, it was dressed like it was heading for a costume party, but no one could deny it would have won 'best in show' if there were a door prize. Lord knows the things he could do equipped with what he was working with. Thank God Sookie was working and our house was off the beaten path. If I needed to come to a 'release' I could do it there, on the porch with no one the wiser. God, I really needed to call Eric. I missed his banter, his kisses, well… just him. I'd come to realize over the time spent away from him was that I had been blaming him somewhat for something that really was beyond his control. Well, I'm only human, right (well, mostly human). I figured I'd call him tomorrow though. I wanted to gather my thoughts a bit before contacting him so I didn't sound like a complete twit. Besides, it was a beautiful moonlit night and I was pretty engrossed in my book now…
"I know very well how strong you are, Lily. You are the smartest, strongest woman I have ever met. However it distresses me to think that the light within you could disappear before you've had a chance to experience all of the pleasures this world can bestow you, and I want to be there to share them with you; to be the one to give them to you." His voice dropped seductively low and her body shuddered as she was caught by his mesmerizing eyes.
Lily didn't know what bothered her most right now, that Grayson was making her body burn for his touch, or that she wanted to kill him for it.
As he sauntered over to her, ever so slowly with the swagger only someone as confident as he could, she felt the heat building between her legs. He ignited the fire in her she had thought would never burn again. Accepting the fact the battle was lost, that she would be giving in finally to his advances, she closed her eyes in anticipation of his arms holding her to his muscle laden body. Underneath her thin silk shirt, her nipples hardened, more than ready for his tongue to dance across them. Other parts of her body also were waiting for his tongue's attention. Her mind could no longer deny the passion she felt for the man before her. Her body had betrayed her already.
He had been relentless in his pursuit of her. He would settle for nothing less than her complete surrender to him, body and soul. Knowing this, she asked the only question her lust filled head could think of in a voice barely louder than a whisper… "Why?"
A slow but seductive smile appeared on his chiseled face. "How could you not understand? You are everything I want, everything." Then, pulling her into a possessive embrace he said, "I want to be the one you finally lose control with; to be the one who's name you scream in the middle of ecstasy; the only one to make you come."
Out of the blue there was a cold whoosh as Eric appeared from nowhere and grabbed the book from my hands, looked over the page I had been reading, tossed it onto the porch with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Why are you reading this kind of stuff when you could experience the real thing with me?" A smirk appeared on his face and his eyes appeared darker with his words. His smirk quickly changed to a smoldering smile which showed that his fangs had dropped.
His unexpected arrival caused me to suck in a huge breath and grab my chest in surprise (as well as hope my bra was thick enough to disguise my own super erect nipples given the fact that I was pretty turned on by what I was reading). Without thinking I exclaimed, probably a little higher pitched than I would have liked and praying to God that he couldn't smell my arousal with his enhanced vampire senses (but knowing he probably did), "Oh my God… Eric!" Embarrassment quickly rushed through me, causing my cheeks to burn fire engine red, as I thought, 'This must be what it feels like to be a teenager who just got caught about to jerk off with a dirty magazine. And why did I have to skip shaving my legs today?' What were the odds that the Viking god himself would show up, all good-looking, muscled up and brooding like the main character in my book right at this exact moment? Evidently, they were pretty good. Maybe I should play the lottery or visit a casino. Lately I have been beating the odds every time.
Trying to reel my senses back to something less than 'extremely heightened' and not having a real good answer to give him at the moment, I simply said to him with a heartfelt smile, "It's good to see you Eric."
Eric had been disappointed that Arabella hadn't called him, especially since the dog had been by to see her, and at her request at that. He had planned to give her a little grief, tease her a bit about it before telling her the real reason for his visit. He couldn't help himself, it was in his nature. He wasn't used to being blown off by anyone, especially not a human. But, she wasn't just human, now was she? However, seeing her warm smile, the look in her eyes that conveyed the sincerity of her simple statement, and dare he say, longing, and smelling her obvious arousal, he had to admit, but only to himself, she had turned the tables on him. He stood there for a moment, silent, lamenting the fact that tonight would not be a good night to take advantage of her state of arousal. The deal-breakers were too plentiful. For starters, she was still on the mend. When he finally took her to his bed, he didn't want to hold back. He wanted to ruin her for any others. Next, he needed to get her on board to find his maker. Godric was his main priority here, not pleasuring himself or her, as much as he had been longing to in the worst way. And lastly, telling her that her brother was missing would no doubt kill her mood, rightfully so. While lost in his thoughts, and truthfully a little distracted by the intoxicating scent of her arousal, she interrupted his internal monolog by speaking further.
"Before you say anything, I want to apologize. It wasn't your fault… what happened. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I'm sorry... I really am. I hope we're good... Are we?" I said, looking in his eyes for a clue about what he was thinking. Damn it was hard to read a vampire!
Eric clicked his fangs back and leaned against one of the wooden pillars holding up the roof over the porch, still looking sexy as all get out. He decided he would take his sweet time before finally replying to her question (oh how he loved seeing people squirm). Observing her face slowly morph from hopeful optimism to a sad dejection, he finally sighed with a smirk and said, "We're fine. You needed time to heal, and it looks like it's been good to you. I am glad to see your looking and feeling better." As he said this, he noted that the ribs had indeed healed, though they may be a little sore still, but the bruises were clearing up nicely, in fact, they were almost completely gone. Thankfully she would have no scarring from the incident. He also noted that she was healing much faster than the rate of a normal human. Interesting indeed….
I guess I somewhat deserved his, what would you call it… mind games, no, he'd probably call it 'fucking with me', right now. I could tell he enjoyed making me squirm; it was written all over that shit-eating grin on his face. Hopefully he got it out of his system as it wasn't as enjoyable for me. Even though he was an ass for making me sweat it out, he was here and we were okay; I'd take that. So, as I took a moment to appreciate the sexiness he was exuding, leaning on that pillar like a Calvin Klein underwear model, I couldn't help but wonder why is he here? Why tonight? Don't get me wrong, I was glad he was here, glad we cleared the air, but he had stayed away for over two weeks. Why now? So I said, leaning forward, but looking up at him from the rocking chair, resting my forearms on my legs and cupping my hands together, "Thank you Eric. I'm glad that you stopped by tonight, I really am, but I have to ask, what's going on?"
She was perceptive. He hoped that her intuition and smarts would help him find his maker. "Nothing gets past you. Are you sure you can't read vampire minds?" He said with a soft but slightly sad chuckle as he made his way to sit on the top step of the porch. Not wanting to talk to his back, I got off of the rocking chair and made my way to sit next to him on the step.
"You know I can't and trust me when I say I'm mighty glad I can't read your mind. Lord knows what you've seen, done, might do… yeah… I don't really want to know it all. But, right now, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't just a wee bit curious about what was going on in there." I said smiling at him and playfully pointing my finger at his head. I knew he had to have known I was aroused and we were here all alone. Normal Eric would have been on that like a dog in heat, at least I thought so. Something had to be up.
"Your brother's been out of touch with the Dallas vamps for three days. They don't know where he is." Eric said bluntly. There was no sugar coating this truth.
"What! What happened?" I asked incredulously. I knew in the back of my mind that this could happen. But suspecting something can happen and it actually happening are two completely different things.
"They don't know. There are also two vampires who have gone missing as well." Eric added, not wanting to get into detail about who they were exactly, nor the importance of one of them in particular.
"Oh my God. I can't lose Jason; I just can't. I want to help find him. He and Sookie are all the family I have left now… I…I… I can't lose him. What can I do?" I said with a tear falling down my face. When was my family gonna catch a break?
Eric looked over at Arabella and saw the tear falling down her face. He gently brought his finger up to wipe it away and as he did, brought the tear, which now was on his finger, up to his mouth. Even her tears were like perfection. He could only imagine what her blood tasted like. He then brought her body closer to his by placing his arm around her in a gentle embrace, not wanting to aggravate her ribs, which she responded to by snuggling even closer. Unable to hold the tears back any longer, and trembling in her sense of potential loss, she now was the physical manifestation of the feelings he was trying so hard to conceal from the world about his own situation. Godric and Pam were the only family of consequence he had left. He couldn't bear the thought of losing them either.
While keeping his stoic face in check, but internally feeling a raging sea of emotions, he said in reply to her question, "I plan on going to Dallas shortly to evaluate the situation. I could use your help, and Sookie's. Your talents would come in handy in trying to figure out just what the hell is going on. Also, if you agree to help find the two missing vampires, it would assist in getting the full cooperation of the Dallas nest in finding your brother." He needed her to be on board to help find Godric.
"You can count me in, for sure. I'd do anything to make sure my brother is safe and sound." I said, stifling my sniffles and sitting up a little straighter.
"Good. I will make the arrangements. Make sure to pack so that you can go whenever. I'm not exactly sure when we're going to leave, but I want you to be ready to go the minute I get the go ahead from Dallas." Eric said mysteriously.
"Why can't we leave now? I don't understand." I said, wondering what the hold-up was.
He didn't want to reveal too much about vampire society, but he felt this was not that big of a deal to divulge, so he said, "Vampires who live in nests are used to one another; they trust each other completely; outsiders have to either earn their trust over time, or have a specific 'in'. If a vampire from another area wants to visit, no matter the reason, the entire nest has to approve. I'm not foreseeing a problem with getting approval, as we have a good 'in', but we still need it before we can go poking around. To appear without approval would be seen as a serious insult to the nest that could result in some unfortunate consequences… for us." Eric hated that he had to conduct himself within the confines of vampire protocol in this situation, but to ignore it altogether would make the bad situation even worse.
"Okay, I think I get it, but we are definitely going to get the go-ahead… right?" I asked anxiously. I didn't want to just sit here and do nothing, nor did I trust that the Dallas vampires would really care what happened to my brother, especially if they had two of their own missing at the same time. He was just a lowly human. We were interchangeable, replaceable, and inconsequential, at least that's what Sookie had told me about how most vampires see us; we were kind of like the fish you get at the pet store; flush the dead one down the toilet, buy three new ones the very same day to take its place. They didn't need Jason; they could just put another human in his place at the Fellowship of the Sun. Besides it sounded like they had their own worries as well.
"Yes, like I said, I don't see a problem." Eric said aloud, but then to himself said 'except them taking too damn long.'
"Good. I'll be ready when you need me. Is there anything in particular that I should bring?" I asked, not knowing what one wears to a vampire nest. In Style, Vogue, Cosmo… could you throw me a bone here?
"Dallas vamps like to dress well. I would bring your best with you. If you feel you need some items, I could send Pam to go shopping with you tomorrow." Eric replied in earnest. The intention was not to offend Arabella. He had no problem with the way she dressed, but then again, she would look good in a potato sack. However in Dallas, you needed your A-game.
After thinking about his comment for a moment, I replied, "Ummm, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to come by and let me know if what I have is good." I could take a stab in the dark and guess what would be appropriate, but Pam would know for sure. Why chance it? I wanted these Dallas vampires to help me with my search for my brother. If I had to play dress up, so be it.
"I will arrange it." Eric said, relieved she didn't take offence, as none was meant.
"I need to tell Sookie. I know she'll want to come as well, I'm sure. She's supposed to come home after work with Bill in ahhhh (I glanced at my watch to check the time.) about 45 minutes. Do you want to stay? I can heat you up a True Blood." I said, not wanting him to leave in the least.
Truthfully, Eric hadn't planned on leaving just yet. He wanted to make sure that Sookie would be able to come as well. Having two telepaths at his disposal would always be better than one. And while he didn't really want a True Blood, he knew he needed some sustenance and Arabella didn't appear to be offering. But, even if she were to at this moment, he would have to decline as she still needed to heal a bit. Not knowing what they would encounter in Dallas, he wanted to make sure she was in as good of health as possible. Taking blood from her now, while tempting as always, was not the best idea. Not until she was healed. So, sighing, he said, "Yeah, I'll take one." He'd have to finish it before Bill arrived though. He didn't need to give Bill any fodder for jokes. He'd given Bill shit in the past for drinking that vile stuff.
I knew we only had one blood type in the house right now, the kind that Bill drank, so unfortunately I couldn't offer Eric a choice, not that I knew the type he drank anyway. I never asked what, or more to the point who he ate. He wasn't getting blood from me, but I was no fool; I knew he got it from somewhere. It was just something I really never wanted to think about. I didn't particularly want to dwell on it right now either. Blissful ignorance would be fine for me on the topic, for the moment. There was so much else to worry about. So, I got up, walked into the house, warmed up a Blood, and came out shaking the bottle so that there weren't any extra hot pockets in it. It was a trick that Sam told us about at work. Evidently vampires like an evenly heated drink, like it would be if it were straight from the source.
I sat down next to Eric and handed him the bottle. He took it and consumed it all in one gulp. I guess it wasn't the type of thing you savor like a glass of cognac or really good tequila. It probably was more like a cheap wine or cheap beer. Tastes like shit, but gets the job done.
Once he finished the Blood, he set the bottle aside, behind the pillar nearest to him, and silently put his arm around me again, gently pulling me closer to him. And, there we sat on that step in a comfortable, comforting silence. His quiet demeanor now seemed a little off for him, but having him here, holding me close, had a calming effect that I very much appreciated. For some strange reason, I felt I was doing the same for him, but I didn't know why. This is how we looked when Sookie and Bill finally arrived.
…
"Are my eyes deceiving me? Is that my sister and Eric sitting, no make that huddling together, on our front porch?" Sookie asked Bill as she drove her dilapidated car down our gravel drive.
"No, your eyesight seems to be just fine. Unfortunately we may need to have your sister's head examined though." Bill said sadly. He knew Arabella had effectively cut Eric out of her life for the past couple weeks and had hoped it would lead to a more permanent separation. Being with Eric was not in her best interest, of that he was most certain.
Sookie sighed, knowing that an Eric visit usually meant some sort of trouble, and said. "Well, let's go see what that is all about." She then pulled the car to a stop near the house. As the two got out of the car, both had a look of curiosity on their faces, wondering about the situation before them.
"Sooooo, what's going on with you two?" Sookie asked apprehensively, and to be honest, not really knowing if she wanted to know.
Jumping out of Eric's embrace and running to hug Sookie I said, "Jason's missing. The Dallas vamps haven't heard from him in three days."
Sookie broke our embrace as she started shaking her finger at Eric and shouted, "You bastard! This is all YOUR fault Eric! You sent our brother there probably knowing he'd get hurt, or worse. I wish my family never met your undead guts!" And then turning to me, she yelled, "And you, sitting here with this… this asshole, cuddling… what the hell are you thinking? If anything happens to Jason, it's because of him."
I understood why Sookie was so upset, but didn't appreciate getting yelled at. I wasn't the enemy, and truthfully, neither was Eric. So I, as calmly as I could (I was shaking a bit to be honest out of my own bubbling anger towards her rant and fear for Jason's safety), responded to her rant, "Sookie, you and I both know that Jason made his bed and had to lie in it. He knew the risks and went to Dallas willingly, to clear his name. For goodness sakes Sookie, he was involved with the potential draining of a vampire and that vampire's true death. What do you think would have happened if another vampire sheriff had to sentence Jason? I can bet, as sure as rain is wet, that Jason would be eating breakfast with Gran in heaven right now instead of just being missing. And, Eric is asking us to go to Dallas with him to help find Jason. He ain't going to leave him high and dry there."
Eric and Bill stared at Arabella with a mixture of shock and admiration. For someone as young as her, she understood the situation exactly for what it was. She certainly had a maturity that most her age didn't; that most humans in general didn't have.
Sookie stood there, huffing and looking pissed as hell, but knowing her sister was absolutely right. She knew about Eric's torture dungeon in his basement. Jason most definitely would have seen a harsher sentence if he wasn't their brother or another sheriff had jurisdiction.
Bill chimed in, "Sookie, you know Arabella is right. Let's calm ourselves and figure out a plan to get your brother back."
"I know, I know. Okay, so what do you want us to do?" Sookie asked, looking at Eric, but refusing to give him any type of apology. She still was pissed at him.
"Just like Arabella has said. I think that it would be best to go to Dallas and assess the situation firsthand. You two, with your gift, should be able to find out more than we can partly because you can do it during the day. What Arabella hasn't mentioned is that there are also two vampires missing from the Dallas nest. It would be in our best interest to assist in finding them as well. The nest would then be in our debt and hence would be more earnest in helping to find your brother." Eric said, hoping to slide in the 'help find the vampires bit' without being called out on the real reason for wanting their help. He didn't particularly wish ill will on the Stackhouse brother as Jason seemed like he was just a dim guy that got caught up with a woman he shouldn't have. Hell, what guy worth his weight in gold hadn't at some point in their lives. However, at the end of the day, Godric was his main focus. To Eric, Jason was just the bait to get the telepaths to help him find his maker.
Bill wondered after Eric spoke if there was more to the missing vampires' part of the plan than met the eye. With Eric, there always seemed to be some hidden agenda. If Sookie's brother wasn't part of the equation, he would have questioned Eric further, but for now, he'd hold his tongue. While not pushing for more answers that Eric probably wouldn't give anyway, he certainly wasn't going to let Sookie walk into another vampire nest by herself. It would've been like throwing a turkey leg into pit of hungry dogs. "I will accompany Sookie. She is mine and I will do what I have to, to protect her."
Eric said with a devilish grin, "Bill, it's touching, really, but your presence is not necessary. I am more than capable of chaperoning Sookie and Arabella."
Ever the negotiator, Sookie said, placing her hands on her hips, "If Bill doesn't go, neither will Arabella or myself."
"Arabella is mine. She has already agreed to go anyway. But, having both of you there would be better than not, so fine, Bill, you're on board too." Eric said, pissed to concede, but he truly wanted all the ammo he could gather in finding his maker. If this appeased Sookie, so be it. He knew from past experience that a pissed off Sookie was unpredictable. He needed her well behaved. He needed them to find his maker.
"So we're all good then?" Arabella asked hesitantly.
"No! I want you to agree to let Jason go, free and clear, after we find him Eric." Sookie said, knowing Eric might not bite, but that it was certainly worth a shot.
I silently cursed myself for not thinking to ask that of Eric myself. I had to admit that I needed to take some notes from Sookie on the art of negotiation. She was good.
Eric stared at Sookie for a moment. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. He never liked to give into any demands, and now, especially since he'd already given in to letting Bill go, he felt like he was at an impasse. He didn't want to give in and look like he was going soft. He was Eric fucking Northman! But, he didn't necessarily mind cutting Jason a break. Jason did go to Dallas, but more to the point, Jason seemed truly sickened and sorry for what happened to Eddie. Usually when Eric interrogated suspects, he could tell they were more sorry they were caught than about what they actually did. But besides all that, Eric had to decide if he was willing to put Godric's safety in peril over his own pride. In the end, the answer was no. But, he wasn't going to give it that easily.
"As long as Jason cooperated fully and was able to provide some useful information, he will be freed from his service once found. It is settled. Bill, Sookie, make sure to be packed and ready to go. I'm not sure exactly when we will leave as I'm waiting for the Dallas nest to give their thumbs up." Eric responded.
Seeing Sookie opening her mouth to no doubt go off on another rant about why we weren't leaving now, why we needed the approval, why, why, why… Bill turned to Sookie and said, "It is protocol to wait for such approval. Eric is not stalling here Sookie." Sookie then promptly shut her mouth, much to Eric, and Bill's, relief.
Bill then said to Eric, hoping to end the impromptu meeting, "Eric, Sookie and I had plans tonight. So, if there is nothing else…"
"No, there's nothing else. You two are free to go about the rest of your night." Eric responded casually.
Not knowing if Eric was going to stay longer to be with Arabella, Bill turned to Sookie and said, "Why don't we go back to my place tonight sweetheart?"
Sookie just wanted to get away from this mess, so she was fine with Bill's suggestion. "That sounds good Bill." But, worrying about her sister, and feeling a little bad about blowing up at her, she added, "Arabella, I'm sorry I yelled at you. Will you be alright here?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Go ahead, enjoy your night." I replied, wondering how long Eric was going to stay.
"Okay, well, bye then." Sookie said to me and blatantly ignored Eric as she walked back to her car. Bill just nodded goodbye to Eric and said a quick goodbye to me as he followed after Sookie. Once they drove off, Eric finally spoke.
"I can't stay any further tonight. I need to get back to my office to follow up on some things and make arrangements before I have to retire for the day."
"I understand. Just keep my in the loop if anything changes… please." I said, knowing that I must have sounded like I was begging, but I didn't care. My brother's life was at stake here.
"Of course I will." He said and then added, "The Dallas nest is pretty big, as vampire nests go. I don't anticipate getting approval tomorrow, so you should make plans to be home at sunset. I will send Pam to come help you pack."
"Thanks Eric. Do you think she'll mind?" I said with a small smile. Pam didn't like to be anyone's lackey, not even Eric's, and he was her maker.
"If it involves clothes or beautiful women, she would not mind at all. And, in this case, she would be dealing with both, so I think she'll be just fine with it. Plus I plan on giving her some money to do some shopping of her own." He replied.
"Ahhhhh, bribery. Yeah, that would probably work." I said with a smirk.
Eric, instead of saying anything in return immediately, just smiled at her; a true smile, not a smirk, or devilish grin, a true smile. He then leaned in close, looking like he was going to kiss her. But when he was about an inch from her lips he said, "It's a shame you're not completely healed yet. I could have showed you things that would have put that book you were reading to shame."
I opened my lips to take in a breath I hadn't realized I needed, and in that moment, Eric bridged the gap between us and planted a kiss that took the breath I had just taken away.
Knowing he couldn't let himself get caught up in the moment, as much as he would have liked to, he quickly withdrew his kiss and bolted into the night sky.
'Well he certainly knew how to make a memorable entrance and exit.' I thought to myself as I placed my fingertips on my swollen lips. Then, walking back up the steps to my house I further thought, 'Damn, I either need to find that book and finish what he started or take a cold shower.'
…
Eric returned relatively quickly to his office at Fangtasia. He knew that he probably should put in some face time on his throne, but with the Godric situation on his mind, dealing with the pathetic losers who constantly threw themselves at him was the last thing he wanted to do.
Eric beckoned Pam to come to his office in the way only a maker can with their child. Upon feeling the shiver up her spine, Pam quickly entered Eric's office to see what he needed and if there were any new developments.
"Is there any news?" Pam asked expectantly.
"No, I'm afraid not. I need you to go over to the Stackhouse residence tomorrow to help Arabella, and I suppose Sookie as well, pack for Dallas." Eric commanded. Pam had been to the Dallas nest in the past to visit Godric with him, so he knew she would know what the girls should bring with them. He wondered to himself if they would offer Pam an invitation into their home, or if they would bring all their stuff out onto their porch.
"Now Arabella I don't mind helping, especially if I get to catch a peak of what's under all those unnecessary clothes, but Sookie… Can you guarantee she won't be her usual annoying self?" Pam responded with her head tilted to the side and her eyebrow arched high.
"I'll give you two grand to put up with whatever bullshit you have to there. That should buy a few pairs of shoes and your silence from bitching about this any further." Eric responded sharply, but then added, "I'm also going to give you an extra two grand, but that is to be used to buy Arabella some new items. Is that clear?"
Pam smiled and nodded in acceptance, already silent.
"Good. Have fun shopping tomorrow, and remember to keep your hands off of what's mine." Eric said wanting to make sure that Pam didn't try to 'accidently 'touch Arabella in an inappropriate manner. He could see his child doing that, as she was an excellent student of his techniques.
Pam was about to get up and leave, but was stopped by a final request from Eric, "Pam, can you have Ginger come in here for a blood donation?"
"Of course… Right now?" Pam responded.
"Yes." Eric replied. He was still hungry.
While waiting for Ginger, Eric texted Lafayette to come immediately to the bar. He needed an update on the V situation before leaving for Dallas, but more importantly, he had some other pressing questions for him.
…
Lafayette happened to be in Shreveport that night on a hot date at his favorite Italian restaurant with his new boyfriend Jesus when he got the text from Eric. He froze in his seat when he saw Eric wanted to see him immediately. 'Shee-eet.' He thought, hoping that he wasn't being called in because he did something wrong.
"Lafayette, what's wrong?" Jesus asked worriedly. He didn't know Lafayette that long; as they had only met recently when Jesus was assigned to be the nurse who took care of Lafayette's mom at the psych hospital, but it was long enough to know something wasn't right.
Lafayette didn't know what this was all about, nor did he know how long he would have to 'visit' with Eric, so he said, "It's just a work thang. I hate to leave you like this Sugar, but I gots to deal wid it… like now. Nobody says 'docked pay' likes a boss pissed. Here, let me takes care of the bill and I'll call you once I'm done." Lafayette thanked the stars that they had arrived in two separate cars.
"Okaaaaay. I'll head home then." Jesus replied. Lafayette worked as a cook at Merlotte's, he wasn't the CEO of Bank of America. He would never belittle what Lafayette did for a living. It was honest work for honest pay. But honestly, what on earth could he have to deal with that couldn't wait until his next shift? It was crystal clear that Lafayette was lying. He'd let it slide this one time. Lafayette let him know that with dating him, some baggage was gonna come along for the ride. Jesus already made up his mind that he could wait for Lafayette to open up. He had a feeling it'd be worth the wait.
…
Lafayette arrived as fast as he could at Fangtasia. Once there, Pam ushered him at lightning speed right into Eric's office, and then, just as quickly shut the door behind him. Once he got his bearings again, he noticed that he was privy to the vampire just finishing, what Lafayette guessimated, was his 'dinner'.
Eric pulled his fangs out of Ginger's neck after satiating his hunger. While she wasn't the best tasting, or the worst, she was reliable. And, since her beauty had been used up so long ago, there was no chance in hell he'd feel like fucking her. This was a good thing because tonight, he had other things he needed to get to.
"Ginger, that is all. Off you go." Eric said as he shooed the clearly disappointed subordinate out the door. She had hoped that she was going to get the full experience, if you catch my drift. It had been a long while since Eric had called on her for her blood. 'Well, at least he asked for my blood.' She thought as she stumbled out the door, a little lightheaded from the blood donation.
"Ahhh, Lafayette. What took you so long?" Eric asked the clearly scared human in front of him after wiping his mouth with a napkin, all civilized and such.
"I was on a date, but I came as fast as I could." Lafayette responded honestly. He knew better than to try to lie to a vampire, especially this one.
"Not fast enough. When I say jump, you jump. When I say you come, you come. Nothing else should matter in your life right now. I OWN you. You would be dead right now if I didn't decide to spare your pathetic life. Now, tell me, next time I beckon you, how fast will you be here?" Eric spit out venomously.
"I get here, like yesterday, sir." Lafayette replied, stuttering a bit in his nervousness. He still didn't know why he was there.
"Good. Now that we have that out of the way, I have a few questions for you." Eric said, in a much more pleasant manner, and then continued, "First off, how is the product moving?"
Lafayette felt like he was dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and quite honestly was still a little confused about the situation, but he figured he'd just go with the flow, "Good…Real good actually. I don't have the numbers here with me, because I thought our meeting was scheduled for later in the week, but…"
Eric cut him off by saying, "Yes, yes, I know we were supposed to meet later, but I'm being called away on another matter, so we will discuss this now."
"Okaaaay." Lafayette said, wishing he had his laptop in his car now so he could pull up his sales information. He may be a fry cook during the day, but he was a computer savvy business man at night and a purveyor of a highly profitable internet porn site even later in the night. A man's got to make a living; and Lafayette liked to live large. That took some cold hard cash.
So, Eric continued, "Since I will be preoccupied with that other matter, you can send the figures to Pam's e-mail account when you get home. You will also make plans with her to exchange earnings and product. But I have a few other questions for you. It's my understanding that dealers sometimes cross state lines to trade product, so that the product is less traceable if it discovered by the authorities. Is that true?"
Lafayette responded hesitantly, as he wasn't looking to sign his own death warrant by divulging too much, but knowing Eric was going to get his answer one way or another. "Yeah, that's true."
"Do you have any contacts in the Dallas area?" Eric enquired.
"Yeah… one." Lafayette answered.
"Has this contact mentioned any new product coming onto the market?" Eric asked, worrying about the reply.
"Yeah, he mentioned that he just got a taste of a new supply and that it was the bomb. He couldn't get any for distribution yet because his supplier was still collecting it. It's supposed to be ready real soon." Lafayette replied, trying to recall everything his contact wrote in his e-mail.
"Does this supplier have a name?" Eric asked eagerly.
"I'm sure he does, but it's not like we throw that shit out there for the world to see. I'm sure you know why. All I have is his e-mail address, pussylover9shemale. com." Lafayette replied, knowing that Eric would've probably wanted the guy's name, address, birth certificate, first born and next of kin all wrapped up with a pretty red ribbon and served up on a silver platter, well… maybe not a silver platter, but honestly, that e-mail was all he had to give.
Eric rolled his eyes at the e-mail address. 'How appropriately tacky…' He thought and then said, "Here's what I want you to do, e-mail this 'pussy-lover' and ask exactly when the shipment will be ready. Tell him that you're running low and need to be able to put people's minds at ease with a date of when they'd be able to get their next fix. Once you get a response, call me immediately. If it's during the day, leave me a message on my cell." What Eric was really fishing for was how much time Godric and Farrell may have at the hands of whoever had them. As far as he knew, they were the only two vampires missing in the Dallas area. Who else could be the 'new supply'? He knew that whoever 'pussy-lover' was, they probably weren't going to give up their supplier, especially not over e-mail, but at least Eric would know how long he had to find his master.
"I'll send the e-mail right now." Lafayette replied as he took out his phone and started typing away on the tiny keys.
"You are free to go now, but don't forget to set up a meeting with Pam." Eric said to the now very much relieved Lafayette.
"Yeah, I'll go do that right now." Lafayette said after sending off the just typed e-mail and headed out the door, eager to go home and have the small nervous breakdown that he had been suppressing during the meeting with the scary as shit vampire.
As soon as Lafayette left his office, Eric dialed Isabel's number, hoping Godric's second in command would be able to generate more insight on the situation from the information he was able to get from his new dealer. It wasn't much, but it was a start.