Kodak Moment
A Let Love In side story
By Terri Botta
Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires. Sole copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris. I'm poor so don't sue.
Rating: M for later chapters.
Timeframe: Post-From Dead to Worse
Pairing: Eric/Sookie
Summary: The Monday night photoshoot for Fangtasia's nude male calendar
Chapter Two
They arrived at Alfred Cumberland's studio ten minutes before Eric's scheduled 8:30pm posing time, but Al was ready for him when they came in. Sookie recognized the place from when she had been there before with Claude in what seemed like a lifetime ago. The studio was on the first floor of a three-story building, and Al and his wife lived in the apartment above.
"Miss Stackhouse, how wonderful to see you again. Will you be posing with Mr. Northman?" the heavyset black man greeted with a nervous smile. He was thinking that he didn't do co-ed nudes.
"Ah, no," she stammered, flushing.
"She is here merely for her female input," her Viking replied, but gave her a curious look. "You've been here before, my lover?"
"Yes, Miss Stackhouse was here with a male fairy. The one who owns the strip club Hooligan's. Claude Crane. He needed some pictures taken for a modeling portfolio."
She gave him a worried look, recalling all too vividly her photoshoot with her fairy cousin. Eric's eyebrows went up into his hair.
"Oh really? How very interesting. I would dearly love to see some of those proofs," Eric stated.
"I'm sure I have some of them in one of my sample books," the middle-aged man said. "As I recall, many of them were rather suggestive."
Al clearly must be going senile if he thought a comment like that was appropriate in front of a vampire. Vampires wrote the book on possessive, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she and Eric were a couple.
"Do tell?" her Viking continued, sounding terribly interested – emphasis on terrible.
She grabbed his arm and gave him a cheek-cracking smile. "Eric! Claude wanted pictures for his Mr. Romance competition entry. You know, the contest held by the Romantic Times Bookclub every year." 'Besides, you know he's gay! And he's my cousin!'
'And that means exactly what here in the South?'
If she could have kicked him, she would have. Al came to the rescue by reminding them of why they were there.
"So Mr. Northman, will you be Mr. January again this year, or would you prefer to choose a different month?"
'Don't think I've forgotten about the fairy thing, lover…' "I was thinking perhaps I'd be Mr. December this time around, a save the best for last sort of thing," he replied with a winning smile.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. 'Ego much? I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay in the same room with you and your big head.'
'It's not ego, it's self-confidence.'
'Is that what they're calling it these days?'
"Mr. December is a good idea. Did you want a… ah… holiday scene maybe?" Al asked.
"You mean like a Christmas-themed picture?"
The photographer opened his hands and shrugged. "Something like that. I do have a set prepared for… uh… seasonal portraits."
"Did Vikings have a winter celebration?" she questioned suddenly, curious. She knew from books that she'd read that many of the Christmas traditions were actually quite older than Christianity.
Eric nodded. "Oh yes. It was called Jol. It was a winter feast held on the solstice. We brewed special dark beers just for the season called Juleoel, and we would drink ourselves into a stupor."
She raised an eyebrow. "Y'all had a drunken beerfest."
He grinned. "Basically. It was considered an insult if you didn't get drunk on Jol. It implied that the host's beer wasn't good enough."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
'You did ask…'
'And you did answer. Bluntly. Thank you.'
'Would you have liked me to make up some fancy story about some special romantic tradition involving lights and food and the exchange of gifts?'
'Did you have something like that?'
'After we sobered up. Which might have been a few days after Jol. It depended on how good the beer was.'
She snorted, holding back the laugh that wanted to escape. It was bad enough that Al was giving them an odd look. She was about to say something as a joke, like maybe the pose could be Eric in front of a Christmas Tree wearing a Santa hat and a present obscuring his kit n' kaboodle, when they heard a little gasp come from somewhere behind them.
Eric whirled and in doing so revealed a young girl of maybe thirteen or fourteen years of age, staring wide-eyed at her 6'4" Viking.
"Oh," the girl blurted.
"Well, hello," Eric said, smiling. "And who might you be?"
"That's my niece, Kathleen. She and her mother are… visiting from Minneapolis for the holidays."
He didn't say they were there because his sister's marriage had ended, and it was their first year as a divorced couple, but he didn't have to. Sookie picked it up right out of his mind, and she felt sorry for the teen because it was obvious that the absence of her father was painful.
"She's been helping me in the studio. Kathy, this is Mr. Northman and Miss Stackhouse."
"Hi, pleased to meet you," the girl answered politely. She was a doe-eyed, round-faced teen with skin the color of rich coffee and long, curly black hair. A bit on the plump side, but not fat, and she was staring open-mouthed at Eric. Her Viking saw a fangbanger in the making and turned on the charm.
"Well, aren't you sweet?" he smoothed, smiling. He might have even batted his eyes at her, but Sookie was too busy hiding her face behind her hand to look.
Kathleen ate it up like candy and took an eager step forward, her hands clasped to her chest. "Are you really a vampire?"
"Oh yes," he answered.
"Do you have fangs?"
"Of course, all vampires have fangs, my dear."
"Edward Cullen doesn't have fangs," Kathy countered.
"Kathy!" Al scolded, but the teen just gave her uncle a sour look.
'She's thinking of some book called Twilight. Have you heard of it?' she asked.
Eric mentally rolled his eyes. 'Oh yes. I've heard of it.'
"Yes, well, Edward Cullen is a fictional character. I'm the real deal," her vampire replied and dropped down his fangs.
The girl gasped, then grinned from ear to ear. "Wicked." She came closer, her eyes as wide as saucers. "Can I touch them?"
"Kathy!" Al said a little more forcefully, but Eric just smiled and waved his hand a little to show that he didn't mind.
"You may, however, you must get my mate's permission first. As my bonded, my body belongs to her, and you must ask her if it is acceptable for you to touch me," her extremely self-confident vampire all but purred, indicating her standing right next to him.
Jesus, Shepherd of Judea, he was laying it on thick, and she would have burst out laughing if the teen hadn't made goo-goo, pleading eyes at her.
"You're his mate?" the kid asked.
She nodded.
"Can I touch his fangs, please?" 'Pleasepleasepleaseplease.'
She shrugged. "Knock yourself out. But careful, they're really sharp."
Eric lowered himself into the nearest seat, which turned out to be a high-backed leather chair that was part of one of Al's "sets," and invited Kathleen to approach. The teen hurried over, her hands clenching and unclenching as Eric opened his mouth and allowed her to run a finger over his long, retractable canines. The girl was a quivering mass of vampire, hero-worshipping hormones, and Sookie was worried she was going to faint from sheer excitement. Al just shook his head. He was thinking that his sister and his wife were going to kill him.
"My friends back home are never gonna believe this. They're never gonna believe I met a real live vampire!" Kathy gushed.
Sookie raised an eyebrow at the "live" part, but didn't comment.
"How about we have your uncle take a picture of the two of us together for you to take back home with you," Eric suggested. "You don't mind, do you, my lover?"
He looked innocently at her, and she rolled her eyes again, then she shook her head. It was obvious that it would make the kid happy, and Eric was just basking in the adoration.
Kathleen gasped and whirled to face her uncle. "Oh, Uncle Al, can we? Can we please?"
Al looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Well, I don't know, Kathy. Mr. Northman is a very busy man, and I don't know if we should take up his time. I am sure he has other things he has to do tonight."
Eric smiled one of his most winning smiles. In fact, if he'd smiled at her like that the first night she'd met him at Fangtasia, she might just have jumped him then, Bill or no Bill.
'Oh really?I knew you weren't his. I just knew it,' her "mate" replied with amusement, then spoke aloud, "Nonsense. I always have time for a curious, sweet young girl."
Kathleen was in raptures. "Oh please, please, please, Uncle Al. Please?"
Eric just smiled and looked expectantly at the middle-aged photographer. "We have time, don't we? Or do you have another appointment after mine?"
It was the way Eric asked the question that set off the alarm bells, and for the first time since he'd started schmoozing the teen, she began to wonder if he had ulterior motives.
'What's your game?' she asked.
'Patience, my lover, all will be revealed in time…'
"No. You're my only sitting tonight. I always clear my schedule for… ah… vampires," Al replied a little nervously.
Eric nodded. "A wise move. So that means we have plenty of time to indulge your lovely niece, yes?"
Al sighed, thinking that while his sister might kill him figuratively, she wouldn't kill him literally, and thus, that death was the lesser of two evils.
"All right. Let me get the lights and camera set up," the man agreed, defeated.
Kathy squealed loud enough to make Eric cringe and ran to hug her uncle with enthusiasm. "Thank you, Uncle Al. Thank you, thank you!"
"Would there on that chair be okay, Mr. Northman?" Al asked.
"Oh yes. It's perfectly fine. Is it alright with you, Kathleen, my dear?" Eric replied, giving the teen another winning smile.
"Oh yes, yes. It's great!"
"Well, then, get the lights ready, Kathy, and we'll get set up," Al said.
"I need to put on some make-up!" the teen whined.
Al shook his head and dismissed the girl. "Okay, I can get things ready here myself."
Kathleen was gone in a flash.
"Thank you, Mr. Northman. You're really being too kind to her."
"Nonsense, Alfred. You know I love having my photograph taken," Eric reminded, settling back onto the chair. He was the very picture of physical ease.
"Still. I do appreciate it. I doubt if my sister will, but I do. It's Kathy's first Thanksgiving and Christmas without her dad, and she's having a hard time."
"I understand. These holiday seasons are all about family for you humans, and she is missing an important member. It is only reasonable that she would be unhappy. I am glad to do some small thing to make her feel better," her Viking smoothed.
He sounded so sincere that even she almost believed him. 'Damn you're good. No wonder you went into vampire politics.'
'I can bullshit with the best of them, my lover.'
"Oh, she'll be talking about this for months, I assure you."
They waited while Kathy put on make-up or whatever she was doing upstairs in the apartment above the studio. Alfred set up his camera and satellite dish lights on the set, and she and Eric just hung around. He was still seated, but he reached for her hand and held it, his face turned up to her, his lips in a gentle smile. She did notice, however, that he was keenly aware of what the photographer was doing and paying very close attention to the goings on around him.
'What was that bit with telling her she needed to ask my permission to touch you?' she asked.
'It's true. You are my mate. No one can touch me personally without your say so. I can shake hands and such, but anything more intimate than that, I must seek your approval first,' he answered.
'Really?'
'Really.'
'I didn't know that.'
He nodded. 'Now you do.'
She thought on that for a few moments as Eric watched Alfred setting up the camera.
"Have you gone digital?" her vampire asked.
Alfred nodded. "Oh yes. It's so much easier. No film. No developing chemicals. I can show my clients their proofs instantly. Digital's been a godsend."
Eric nodded, his eyes following Alfred's every move with interest.
She looked away a little. 'That was the first time that you ever said that I was your mate in public.'
He tore his eyes away from the photographer and blinked up at her. With him seated and her standing, it was one of the only times she stood higher than him.
'I called you my mate on Isle Elena, and I told you that I would introduce you as my mate on Wednesday night. We are bonded. You are my mate. Do you not wish me to call you by that term?'
He seemed a little wounded, and she hurried to reassure him. 'No. No, it's fine.'
'I am glad to hear that, because I take great pleasure in calling you my mate.'
She smirked. 'You take great pleasure in calling me anything.'
'Of course, especially your name as I come inside you.'
She choked a bit, but hid it behind a fake cough.
"Are you all right, my lover?" her Viking asked innocently.
"Fine. Just tried to breathe and swallow at the same time."
"Ah. I don't have that problem."
She stuck her tongue out at him, but he just smirked. 'Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you intend to use it.'
Her eyes went wide, but he just leered at her.
"Okay, I'm ready," Kathleen announced, hurrying back into the studio. She'd brushed out her hair and put on some lipstick and mascara. "How do I look?"
"Good enough to eat," her Viking vampire assured her, earning him a shocked gasp.
"That's a compliment," Sookie hurried to clarify.
"Oh."
"Yes. A vampire of my stature won't bite just anybody, you know," Eric confirmed, preening a little.
Kathleen beamed and turned to her uncle. "Are we ready, Uncle Al?"
"Yep, all set."
The teen approached Eric nervously. "Umm, ahh, where do you want me?"
That question was loaded.
'My lover, she is just a sweet, innocent girl!' her Viking chided with mock offense.
'How do you know? Most kids lose their virginity by the time they're her age.'
'She is a virgin. I can smell it.'
'So you knew when Bill brought me into Fangtasia…'
'That you were also untouched. Yes,' he answered, patting his knee. "Why don't you come over here onto my knee, Kathleen, my dear?"
The teen didn't have to be told twice, and she skittered over, but she did, to her credit, look at her before she sat down. "Is it okay?"
"Sure, sure," she replied, stepping out of the set and going to stand by Al on his side of the camera.
Kathy grinned from ear to ear and plopped down on Eric's knee. He put his arm around her back and smiled at her.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
The girl nodded.
"Very well then, turn a little to face the camera. Yes, just like that."
Kathy turned a little to look at her uncle who had started taking pictures. She was smiling, then her smile faltered a bit as she felt Eric pull back her hair to expose her throat.
"Relax, my dear. I mean you no harm," he cooed.
Sookie saw the girl swallow hard and shiver as Eric's cool fingers came up to stroke her neck. Al was still taking pictures. Then he let his fangs descend and made as if he was about to bite Kathleen's neck, his eyes intent on the camera. Al paused for a second, thinking that he didn't know what he was going to do if Eric actually did bite his niece, but knowing that there was nothing he could do if Eric did. He resumed taking pictures. He was a smart man with a strong sense of self-preservation.
There was a tense moment when Eric looked positively predatory looming over Kathleen's exposed throat, but he retracted his fangs at the last second and planted a quick peck on the teen's jugular. The tension broke and everyone smiled.
"Did you get some good shots?" her vampire asked casually as if his fangs hadn't just been a hair's breadth away from a girl's throat.
Al wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead and nodded nervously. "Oh yes, Mr. Northman. I got some great shots."
Eric grinned and winked at Kathleen who, having survived her brush with death, giggled like a… well, like a schoolgirl.
"There you go, my dear. Now all of your friends will be able to see what a bad girl you were down in Louisiana," he said in a conspiratorial tone, his eyes alight with laughter.
Kathleen hopped off Eric's lap and ran over to her uncle. "Can I see them, Uncle Al? Can I?"
"I should like to see them as well," Eric announced, and, before anyone could even see him move, he was suddenly standing next to Alfred behind the camera.
To anyone who had never seen how fast a vampire could travel, it was disconcerting, and both Kathleen and Alfred jumped almost ten feet. She just smirked as Eric gave her a wink.
"Oh! Oh wow!" the teen gasped.
Eric preened, then inclined his head to the camera. "Shall we see the proofs?"
Al recovered from his surprise and nodded, going back to the camera and switching it to display the pictures it had taken. Kathleen hopped in place, tittering as her uncle scrolled through the images. Sookie had to admit there were some pretty good shots in the bunch. Eric certainly knew how to ham it up for the camera.
"Oh! Oh awesome! Thank you, Mr. Northman. Thank you."
"It was no trouble, my dear, and now I do believe we must get down to our business here, yes?" Eric reminded.
"Y-yes, of course, Mr. Northman. I have the Chris… uhh… holiday sets through here," Alfred answered, showing them through a door to a separate room. It was done up with a couple of Christmasy sets, one of which was a fake fireplace shell with stockings hung from the mantle. Sookie took one look at the false hearth and flashed back to the previous night with Eric lying naked on the bearskin rug.
'Oh! Oh excellent, my lover!' her vampire agreed, catching onto her thoughts. "Alfred… I seem to recall that you have a fake bearskin rug lying around here somewhere, am I right?"
"Uhh… yes. Are you thinking of a… a fireplace scene?" the photographer answered.
"That was what I had in mind."
Alfred nodded. "I'll go get the rug. Why don't you go over to the dressing and make-up area and get ready?"
Eric nodded and headed for the small section of the main room set up with lit vanities and a host of cosmetics.
"Kathy, please pull out the box of powders. Vampires like to use more… vintage makeup. Also, fetch sample book number 8 for Mr. Northman. I think the proofs he wanted to look at are in that one."
"Um, okay," the teen replied and went to retrieve an older looking clasp box with a plastic handle. It looked like a makeup bag from the 60's. She put it down on the vanity top and went off to get the sample book.
"Alfred…" Eric called as he sat down at one of the beauty stations.
"Yes, Mr. Northman?"
"While you're getting that rug, you might also want to take down those ridiculous red and green socks from the mantle and put up something else, like evergreen garland and pinecones," her vamp suggested.
"Sure thing, Mr. Northman. I have some pine bough garland and holly upstairs."
"That would be perfect," Eric answered, opening the cosmetic box and pulling out a vial of black powder.
"What is that?" she asked,
"Kohl," he replied, picking up a blunt ended stick and dipping it into the vial, then she watched as he deftly ran the stick straight across his eye with his eye closed. When he opened it, she saw that a thin line of black had been applied to both rims of his eyelids. The makeup could barely be seen, but it brought out his eyes dramatically.
"Wow. That's impressive," she commented.
"Black kohl powder has been used as a cosmetic since before I was born," he explained, expertly doing the other eye.
"You've done that before."
He put the kohl back and pulled out a round container of rouge powder.
"You could say that," he answered, very lightly touching a blush brush to the red powder and brushing it on his cheeks. Again, the effect was barely there, but dramatically noticeable.
"Where did you learn to put on makeup like that?"
"I taught myself. You must remember, my lover, that we were unknown to humans for millennia. I needed to fit in, and my white skin was too noticeable. So I learned how to conceal it."
He looked at her, and she thought that he still looked like a vamp, but the makeup would make him look less dead under the bright photography lights.
He picked up a large sable hairbrush and gave it to her. "Would you brush my hair for me, please?"
"Sure," she agreed, accepting the brush from him and gathering his long hair in her hands.
He was just like her in that they both loved to have their hair played with, and he practically purred with pleasure as she began brushing his locks with firm strokes. Kathleen returned with a plain photo album, and she handed it to Eric with an adoring smile. He nodded his thanks and smiled back, opening the album as the teen sat down on the chair next to them, its swivel base facing Eric. Eric flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning quickly, until he found the proofs of her and Claude. Being that she'd never actually seen any of them, she was shocked by how racy they looked. Thank god Claude was gay, because if he wasn't, she was sure Eric was going to skin him alive.
"Very… interesting poses, my lover," he commented, pausing at the one where Claude was shirtless and holding her as if he was about to ravish her. Her boobs were practically popping out of the bodice.
"Yeah, well, you know. Mr. Romance and all," she said, trying to sound bored.
"Hmmm," was all he said, perusing through the proofs with raised eyebrows. He stopped at the one where Claude had his hand on her bare thigh.
Oh yeah, Claude was very lucky he was gay.
"May I brush your hair too?" Kathleen asked.
He turned his head slightly to look up at her, batting his blue eyes. "May she?"
She shook her head. "Sorry, kiddo, the hair's mine," she answered.
Eric smirked, but then gave the teen an apologetic look. "Sorry, my mate has spoken."
"It's okay," Kathleen replied. "I didn't mean to step on your toes."
"You didn't," she assured the girl, still brushing the long strands of golden hair. "It's just… I like doing this. It's nice for me."
"My dad used to brush my hair," Kathleen admitted sadly.
She gave the teen a sympathetic look and felt bad for being stingy, but Eric hurried to reassure her. 'It is your right to say no. As you are mine, so I am yours. Besides, I like it when you get possessive of me.'
'You do?'
'Of course. It affirms that you want me and wish to guard me from rivals.'
'That innocent little girl is a rival?'
'Of course not. No woman is your rival because none can rival you.'
Did he know how to make a girl melt or what? He turned adoring eyes up at her and hummed. Her knees went weak, but she locked them at the last moment, and he gave her a sexy wink.
'You stop that!' she scolded.
"You guys are so cute. Do you really belong to her?" Kathleen asked curiously.
Eric looked at the girl, his face calm and open. "Of course. We are bonded. Everything of mine is hers for the asking."
"Well, what if it doesn't work out?" the girl questioned.
Eric blinked and played dumb. "What do you mean?"
"What if you… decide not to be mates anymore? What happens then?"
"Ah. My dear, I think you are confusing human marriages with vampire blood-bonds. The two are only marginally similar in that they are agreements that bind partners, however vampire blood-bonds are permanent. There is no such thing as a…" He looked over his shoulder at her and gave her another loving look. "What is the word, my lover? The one for when humans sunder their marriage vows?"
He knew the word and she knew it, but she decided to play his game. "It's divorce, honey."
"Divorce. Yes, that's it." He turned back to the girl. "There is no vampire divorce. Once a vampire blood-bonds to a human, that's it. They are together permanently unless one of them dies."
Kathleen's eyes opened wide and she looked at them with awe. "Wow."
'Oh great, now you have her wanting her own blood-bonded vampire,' she complained.
'She could do worse. Most vampires treat their humans far better than human men do. If she were to give herself to an experienced vampire, her first time would be unforgettable.'
'Eric!'
Her Viking sighed and addressed the girl, "But, Kathleen, you must understand that a bonding like the one I have with my mate is extremely rare. A vampire will bond once, maybe twice, in his long lifetime. It is highly possible that my bonding with Miss Stackhouse is the only vampire blood-bond you will ever see."
The teen sighed and looked disappointed. "Yeah. I figured that. Not too many vampires in Minneapolis anyway."
Eric made a sound of agreement. His hair was nearly gleaming from her attentions, and she was getting antsy to get the evening moving along. The sooner they finished, the sooner she could take him home and have her way with him.
'Patience my lover. I still have to go to Fangtasia, and there is the matter of a decent meal for you as well.'
'I'm not really hungry…'
'Oh yes you are, just not for food.'
She clamped down on the surge of lust and gripped his shoulder. He just chuckled.
"My mom and dad got divorced," Kathleen admitted.
"I hear such things happen often. It is never a good thing for a mated pair to separate when the young are still in need of both parents' care," her Viking replied sympathetically.
"Yeah," the girl agreed with a sad sigh.
"My parents died in a flash flood when I was a little girl," she said gently. "At least your mom and dad are still with you even if you're not living with both of them anymore."
Kathleen looked at her with tears in her eyes and gulped. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay."
"Mr. Northman, I'm ready," Al announced, breaking the suddenly somber mood.
"And now, my dear, I fear you must scurry along," Eric said, rising to his feet.
The teen stared up at him. "Why?"
"Because the calendar I am posing for is a nude one, and while I would have no objections to your seeing me naked, I think the other human adults here would," her immodest vampire replied, peeling off his shirt with a single pull over his head.
Kathleen almost fainted right there at the sight of Eric's naked chest, his Thor's Hammer gleaming pewter against his marble white skin. She had to admit it gave her the shivers too.
"Oh…" the girl blurted.
"However, if you'll give me your address, I'd be happy to send you a copy," he whispered wickedly.
"Eric!" she snapped.
"Eric," Kathleen repeated dreamily. "Eric Northman."
'My lover, we must make our exit. The teen hormone bomb is about to detonate,' he warned, taking her arm firmly and turning her towards where Al was waiting.
'It's your fault! You were the one who flashed your perfect chest at her!'
"You run along now, my dear. Toodles," he said over his shoulder. 'Mmmm. So my chest is perfect, is it?'
"Good bye, Mr. Northman," the girl sighed with stars in her eyes.
Her Viking gave the teen a final smile and wave before heading into the room with the holiday set.
'What did you do all of that for?' she demanded.
'Patience. There is a method to my madness, lover.'
'I can't imagine what that might be other than to all but glamour that poor girl.'
'That girl didn't need to be glamoured. She practically glamoured herself.'
"Is the set acceptable to you Mr. Northman?" Alfred asked, completely oblivious to their silent argument.
They both looked to see that the mantle had been redecorated with dark green pine bough garland, holly berries and pinecones. A nice (but obviously fake) bearskin rug had been laid in front of the "fire." That was fake, too, but it looked nice enough, and Sookie was sure Al had ways of making the flames look real in the picture.
"Oh yes, Alfred. That is perfect," Eric answered, kicking off his boots and shimmying out of his jeans without so much as a blink.
He made a motion of stretching because he knew she was watching him, and he gave her a wink as he went over to the faux rug.
"Were you thinking of a frontal view, Mr. Northman? I have some props we could use to… ah… cover you," Alfred asked nervously.
Well, Eric was impressive clothed. Eric naked… he could give even the most well built man a complex.
"Actually, my mate has expressed a desire for a rear view, so I believe I will lie on my stomach."
"You want to hide that necklace?" the photographer questioned, eyeing the Hammer.
She saw Eric place a protective hand over the talisman and shake his head. "This was a gift to mark my union with my bonded. Almost no one ever sees it."
Alfred's sharp eye proved that he knew a valuable piece of jewelry when he saw one, and she knew from her previous sitting with the photographer that he had an excellent flair for detail.
"Well, that's your choice, Mr. Northman, but it is a beautiful pendant."
"I know, but it is private and it will stay that way."
Alfred may have had a flair for detail, but he also knew when not to push an issue. Eric smiled and went over to the set, folding himself down to the fake bearskin rug and arranging himself such that his arms were crossed under his chin on top of the "bear's" head. His long body was stretched out across the brown fur, the white of his skin a stark contrast against the darker color underneath him. He rested his chin on his forearm, his eyes intent on the camera, his golden hair spilling down over his back, and smiled a sly, come-hither smile. The effect was devastating, and Sookie knew that the majority of the women who would buy the new Fangtasia calendar were going to put it on December and leave it there. At least that's what she would do if she'd bought a copy.
As Alfred began snapping pictures, the photographer set the camera to angle slightly downward so as to capture the full effect of Eric's magnificent backside, and her vampire's smile widened. Forget smoldering, her Viking was on fire, his eyes a blazing inferno that threatened to consume anyone who looked at him. Her temperature zoomed up at least ten degrees, and he felt it because his lips parted and his fangs came down.
'I'm all yours for the taking, my lover,' his mindvoice purred.
She shuddered, but managed not to jump him right there in front of Al. 'Careful, you wouldn't want to squish Mr. Happy by getting too excited on that rug,' she countered, scrambling to get back on less shaky ground.
His mental laughter pealed through her head. 'Mr. Happy. Gracious Plenty. You have the most amusing pet names for my cock, my lover.'
She choked and started coughing.
"Do you need a drink of water, Miss Stackhouse? Maybe even a bit of fresh air?" Al suggested, eyeing her worriedly. Maybe he was picking up on the sexual tension in the small room.
She gasped for air, then shook her head. "No. No, I'm good."
Just then she spied a sprig of mistletoe among a bunch of Christmas-themed props on a table off to the side, and she all but leaped for it.
"Here! Have him pose with this," she said, holding up the bit of greenery.
"What is it, my lover?"
"Mistletoe," she answered.
Eric's eyebrows went into his hair then he grinned. "Excellent, my lover. Bring it to me."
Al kept taking pictures, even as she crouched over to her Viking to give him the mistletoe. She tried to just hand it to him, but of course he was too fast. He sat up, snatched the sprig from her trembling fingers and dangled it over his head before pulling her down for a searing, toe tingling kiss. She was still seeing fireworks as she staggered away from him.
'I am so getting you back for that later,' she warned,
'Oh, I'm counting on it.'
She didn't want to look, but she found that she had no control over her eyes as they unerringly forced her to turn her head to see what he had done with the plant. She regretted it immediately.
Eric was still mostly on his stomach, but now he had propped himself up on one arm, and he was holding up the mistletoe between the fingers of his other hand, his expression both expectant and dangerous, as if he was daring any brave soul to come and kiss him.
Oh yeah, this year's calendar was going to sell like hotcakes. Eric had better double the order pronto because those puppies were going to fly off the shelves once the girls got a look at that.
'I appreciate your opinion, and I will consider your suggestion, my lover.'
Alfred took a few more shots, having Eric arrange himself in slightly different positions, but all basically the same alluring pose that was just making her sex drive do somersaults. She was never so glad as when Al finally called a halt to the shoot, and she was able to hand Eric his shirt and jeans. He just smirked at her as he pulled them on, but she did notice that he was at half-mast as he turned his back to Al.
"Well, I think I have enough good shots for you to choose from, Mr. Northman. I also took some shots of you with your bonded when she brought you that mistletoe," Alfred told them as they came to stand behind the camera. "Let me transfer these pictures to my computer, and I'll print out the proofs for you right away."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Alfred," Eric smoothed, and they followed the photographer to his office where he took a card from the camera and placed it in a card reader attached to his laptop.
Sookie knew what it was because Eric had bought something similar at the Wal-mart to go along with his mega-camera equipment purchase. Al transferred the pictures and printed them out on his color laser printer, and they had about three dozen proofs in their hands about twenty minutes later.
"Wonderful. I am going to want copies of many of these for myself," Eric praised as the two of them flipped through the printouts. "As always, the quality of your work exceeds expectations. I think I will up your percentage on the calendar sales to 5-percent for this."
Both she and Alfred gasped. She didn't know how much of a cut Alfred was previously going to get for the calendar, but 5-percent was going to add up to a whole boatload of money. She could practically see the dollar signs flashing in the man's eyes as he stammered his thanks.
"And now I have another proposition for you," her vampire began with a winning smile, and she felt the tingles of mischief percolating across the bond,
'Oh oh…' she thought, not liking the twinkle in Eric's eyes at all.
"Yes, Mr. Northman?" Alfred replied eagerly, his eyes still wide from the earlier news.
"I would like to give you $5000 cash right now for the use of your studio for one hour. Does that sound like a fair deal to you?"
TBC…