A/N: SE Chapter 40 is well on its way!
Chapter 23
It had taken Sookie hours to fall asleep after she'd gotten home from Shreveport. She'd cried most of the way there and for a while after. She'd taken a hot shower, pulled on her Tweety Bird nightie, and gone to bed. After tossing and turning for far too long, she'd touched herself and thought about him. It had started off with memories of her Eric, but then had somehow become the other one, pushing her against the door and kissing her hard, right as she'd cum. And then she'd cried herself to sleep.
She woke up late the next morning and wanted to spend the rest of the day hiding under the covers but Gran probably would have rolled over in her grave. Sookie hadn't been brought up like that. She dragged herself out of bed and then made a pot of coffee. She checked the word of the day calendar. Restitution.
She took her first cup outside to drink it on the porch swing, the ugly afghan from the back of the couch wrapped around her shoulders against the chill. It still smelled like him.
A blue sedan turned onto her driveway from Hummingbird Road and parked just a few feet away. The sound of the expensive new gravel crunching under the tires had given her an odd satisfaction. A stern-looking man she didn't recognize climbed out of the car. He thought that she didn't look like much and didn't understand why his master had sent him all the way to Bon Temps to hand her a letter. So, Eric had sent him. He'd mentioned a day man when he'd handed her the package that had contained her new coat. This must be him.
The man stayed on the other side of the porch railing rather than coming up the couple of steps to meet her. He shoved an envelope at her.
"I'm Bobby Burnham, Eric Northman's day man. He wanted me to give this to you and then stay to make sure you open it."
Sookie didn't take it from him. "And what if I won't open it in front of you?"
Bobby sneered. His low opinion of her got significantly lower. The reverse was also true.
"Master Eric said that I should ask you nicely. So, will you please take this thing and open it?"
Sookie was so tempted to tell him to go to hell but she sighed and stood up and took the envelope out of his hand. She stuck her thumb under the flap and tore it open. There were a couple of pages folded together inside. When she pulled them out, something fell out and fluttered, spinning to the ground. She bent over to grab it before it blew away and saw what was written on it on the way down.
"Oh."
Her heart was hammering in her chest. She carefully picked it up and made sure that it said what she thought it had said. It did. It was a check, made out to Sookie Stackhouse, for fifty thousand dollars. On the memo line, it said security and lodging.
"Oh, wow."
She unfolded the pieces of paper. The one on the top was a note.
My lover,
As I may require your services on short notice, it is only fair that I keep you on retainer. I have included a very straightforward contract for you to sign. Please return it to me tonight when you come to Fangtasia at nine. I look forward to seeing you then.
It was signed with a big letter e.
The other page was a retainer agreement, every bit as straightforward as he'd said it would be. She would be available evenings to read minds, all within the bounds of their original agreement. In exchange, she would receive five thousand dollars per month. Anything over and above would be up for negotiation.
"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea."
She wouldn't sign it until she was in front of him, confirming that nobody would be harmed and he would only request her services when needed, but she knew that she would sign it. She would be an idiot not to. Of course, she would be an idiot to do it, too.
She looked up at Bobby and he glared back. He was very nosy and extremely jealous. He didn't know what the letter said but he knew a check when he saw one, and that kind of reaction wasn't for anything insignificant. And just a couple of days after delivering a box with a red ribbon and giant bow, too.
Sookie's face went blank. "You saw me open it. Tell Master Eric that I will see him tonight." The master was dripping in sarcasm.
She went back inside and closed the door without waiting to see if he was leaving. She leaned back against it and tried to pull herself together. She knew that this was likely a manipulation on Eric's part, meant to help mess her up or seduce her or whatever the hell he was trying to do. But she hoped that it was also because he knew that she deserved to be paid for her time. That it was the right thing to do. It was thoughtful — self-serving or not — just like the new coat and driveway had been. But most good deeds are self-serving, at least a little, even if just to make you feel good about yourself.
Part of her wanted to just hold onto the check for a while. She felt weird about cashing it, but she desperately needed the money. She considered sticking it in her vanity drawer for a while to think about it, but she was just too damn broke. All of her bills were due soon, if not already a few days late. She put it in her purse and headed for the bank. She was glad that Bobby had already left.
Later that night, she stood in front of her mirror for one last check before she got in the car and headed to Shreveport. She turned around and checked out her butt, too, and smiled. She knew that she looked good in those jeans. Her hair was loose and she had just a bit of makeup on and she had spent a chilly hour outside on her chaise lounge in her smallest bikini, trying to pretend that she wasn't freezing to death. Still, the weak rays had given her a hint of copper, and she was pleased with how she looked.
She insisted to herself that that had been her only motivation. Her Eric's love for the smell of sunshine on her skin and hair had absolutely nothing to do with it.
She arrived at Fangtasia just before nine and sat in the car for a couple of minutes, trying to convince herself that everything would be fine. She would confirm the terms of the agreement, sign it, and then read minds for a few hours before going back home to Bon Temps. She would not regret telling The Olive Garden that she had decided not to accept the job so that she could come to Fangtasia instead.
She closed her eyes and blew out a deep breath and then went to the front door. This time, the guy with the Dracula cape let her walk by without saying a word. He didn't even look up from the driver's license that he was examining.
She was disappointed when she didn't see him right away. She headed towards the hallway that led to his office and ran straight into him as he turned the corner.
"Oops."
He steadied her, holding onto her upper arms. Her palms were against his chest. He smiled down at her. She felt a clear jolt of electricity between them and expected him to lean in for a kiss. Instead, he took her hand again and walked her over to the same table they'd sat at the night before. She'd tried not to be disappointed.
He sat across from her again. Sookie took the contract out of her purse and set it down between them.
"I want a little bit of clarification. It says within the bounds of our original agreement."
"No humans will be harmed because of something you hear. You will help me when I need you and I won't take advantage of your time."
"And what is this over and above that I might have to do?"
He shrugged. "Holidays, travel expenses, overtime. Things of that nature."
"No funny business?"
He smiled. "No funny business. At least not as your client."
Her stomach was full of butterflies but she rolled her eyes anyway and then smiled back. Belinda brought her a gin and tonic and Eric a bottle of Trueblood.
She took a pen out of her purse and signed the contract. His smile widened. He looked happy. He folded the paper and set it on the table beside him.
"Excellent."
He lifted his bottle. "Skål."
Her stomach clenched and she got a lump in her throat. Her Eric had done the same thing just over a week before. Her voice was soft and a little rough.
"Skål." She clinked her glass against his bottle.
Like the night before, they shared a little conversation but mostly just sat together companionably. He held her hand, occasionally rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. Each time he did, it was like a direct line to her clit.
A lot of what she heard and saw in the customers' brains was unpleasant, at the very least, but she didn't hear any evil plots or conspiracy theories. She ignored the vitriol aimed at her. She avoided any memories of times with Eric; having a first person point of view of memories so similar — and yet so different — to hers made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Occasionally, she even heard something funny.
"What? Why are you smiling?"
He looked amused. She leaned forward and he did the same.
"See that couple over there? Both of them are only here because they think the other wanted to come. Really, they just want to go home and rip each other's clothes off."
He smiled a charming smile and raised his eyebrows. "Ripping off clothes is an idea I can get behind."
She rolled her eyes and he laughed. She filled him in on what some of the other people were thinking about.
She was being a little more liberal with the gin and tonics and was on her third by eleven. His thumb ran across her knuckles again and she had to squeeze her thighs together. KDED was playing on the speaker system and she realized that, despite everything, she was having a good time. As much as he'd jerked her around, she didn't really think that this Eric was interested in anything nefarious. Not tonight. She hoped that she wasn't wrong.
She threw in the towel when it was closing in on one. She let him lead her to his office and placed her retainer agreement on his desk.
"You will be paid at the end of each month, if that is acceptable."
She nodded. "Of course."
"January is nearly over. You will receive your first check later this week. Are you able to come tomorrow night?"
Part of her wanted to ask if The Fellowship really was planning something but she didn't really want to accuse him of anything. And she kind of didn't mind. "I'll be here."
He took her arm and led her outside.
"You have had too much to drink. I will drive you back in your car."
She was feeling a little tipsy and didn't even argue. She was also incredibly horny. He opened the passenger door for her and, after only a little hesitation, she got in. He slid in next to her and headed towards Bon Temps.
The car ride was quiet but not uncomfortably so. It felt almost intimate. She noticed his nose flaring a little and a hint of fang between his lips but he kept the conversation light and his hands to himself. The drive seemed to take no time at all.
Her tires made very little noise on her new driveway. He looked pleased and almost a little proud. He parked in front and darted around the car to open the door for her.
When she got out, he was looking down at her and she was looking up into his eyes again. He leaned forward and she closed her eyes. He gave her a soft kiss that was little more than a peck. It lingered just a second or two.
He put her keys in her hand and closed her fingers around the fob. He kissed just above her knuckles.
"Good night, Sookie."
She didn't answer. He floated up and then flew back towards Shreveport.
She swallowed, took a shaky breath, and went inside. She leaned back against the door, trying to pull herself together. She was confused and a little bit giddy. She hoped that he would be like this from now on. Honey worked so much better than vinegar.
She drifted off to sleep a little while later, hoping that the thoughtful outweighed the self-serving. After doing a little self-serving of her own.
In the forest nearby, Eric zipped himself into his jeans and headed home, thinking about the scent of her hair and skin and arousal filling the car. The way her clothes hugged her body. The way she felt and tasted and looked as she was cumming. He couldn't wait to experience her again.
There was never anything on television in the middle of the night but he turned it on anyway. He flipped through the channels until something caught his eye. He smiled and watched for a little while. He even laughed once or twice. Strangely, he had a touch of deja vu and wondered if he'd heard Pam talking about it before. Buffy the Vampire Slayer sounded like something that would be right up her alley.