A/N: Hey! So the next couple of chapters are going to be in Las Vegas and beyond that they will be in other spots in the world. Mind you I haven't been to any of these places so if these spots are your hometowns, then sorry if I get some things wrong. I'm doing my research for Las Vegas by watching the Hangover (I'm kidding LOL). Yesterday I wrote out the general direction (at work, LOL) of how I am going to approach the rest of this story, before that I was just going by the vague notion in my head. I don't think Sookie will be getting physically assaulted in this story as I think she has been abused enough in the books and in other fanfic stories. But she will go through tough emotional times and also happy times. My other OC players will have huge parts in this story as well. I've been thinking about getting a beta but I'm not too sure how long it would take to get one (I'm guessing a long time). For now I'll just type and post what I write. So onto the chapter... oh yeah, I don't remember if Sookie's been to Las Vegas already in the books, but I am going with the assumption that this is her first time.
Sookie's POV:
"Wake up Lover," a sexy smooth voice whispers into my ear.
My eyes flutter open and I see Eric's beautiful blue ones staring into me. He leans in to give me a slow sensual kiss to help wake me up. His hand was on my stomach but now it's making its way up to my breast and he slowly caresses it. He presses his hardness against my hand that is resting on my thigh.
"Ahem," Pam lets out an unnecessary cough. I break away from the kiss and remove Eric's hand. He then glares at Pam who is sitting across from us in the plane.
"What? Usually I don't mind watching foreplay but only if I know that I am a part of the sex that follows," she says nonchalantly.
A voice speaks through the intercom: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing at the McCarren International Airport in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada in about 15 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts for the descent. Thank you for flying with Anubis.
I fasten my seatbelt and lean over to look out the window. I am dazzled by the lights of the city and at the same time feel a sense of dread. It is then that Eric holds my hand. I look over at his lap and see that he's not wearing his seatbelt. I sigh and try to lean over to put it on for him. I know..... I'm acting like a mother.
"Sookie, the man knows how to fly himself. Do you really think a seatbelt is the safest thing for him?," Pam questions with a raised eyebrow.
I scowl at her, but then Eric buckles in his seatbelt. Alcide and his pack members are sitting at the rear part of the plane while Savannah and Clint are sitting in the next aisle from us.
After we land and claim our baggage, we jump into two limos: Me, Eric, Savannah, and Pam in one, followed by Clint, Alcide, and the other three weres.
I am awed and my jaw practically drops to the floor as we drive down the Las Vegas Strip. Savannah and Pam look indifferent with our surroundings, but Eric is watching me with amusement as I stick my head out the passenger window and take in all the breathtaking hotels and attractions. We arrive at our hotel the Bellagio, which Felipe De Castro owns. I was uncomfortable with staying here but he insisted and refused to take no for an answer. When we check-in we are placed on the vampire level while Alcide and the other weres are on a different floor. Pam, Savannah, and Clint go off to check out their rooms while Eric leads me to ours, the two bedroom grand lakeview suite. When he opens the door, I run through the foyer like an excited child and gaze around the elegant living and dining room. I go to the window and take in the panoramic view and look down towards the Bellagio fountains. I watch the fountain show as Eric comes up behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck.
"Are you hungry lover?" he asks.
"A little bit, do you think you can order me some room service?," I ask as I am squeezing his hand.
"Of course, what did you want to eat?"
"I was thinking some seafood, like lobster and maybe a little bit of chocolate cake."
"Alright, I'll call the restaurant," he says and kisses my neck one last time before he goes to make the phone call.
I watch the fountains for several more minutes before turning around towards Eric, who is sitting on the sofa looking through his text messages. "I'm going to take a quick shower, baby," I tell him.
His eyes brighten and he gets up.
"I mean alone," I say carefully. He looks a little disappointed. His expression looks so cute and I laugh. "Honey, if we take one together we'll be in there for at least an hour. Besides someone has to stay out here just in case room service arrives." He still looks a bit sullen but I give him a quick kiss and promise that we'll take a bath together later on.
Eric directs me to our bedroom and I find my suitcase in there. Just like the living and dining room, the bedroom is very elegant as well. I take my sandals off and search my suitcase for my underwear. After my shower I put on the complimentary hotel robe and quickly dry my hair. When I am done I go out to the living room to find that my food has arrived and Eric typing on his laptop.
"Oh it smells so delicious," I tell him as I go to sit at the table. I eat my food and just as I am finishing off the slice of cake, we hear a knock at the door. Eric goes to answer and a moment later he comes back looking irritated with Victor walking behind him.
Victor smiles and looks at me thoroughly. I suddenly feel self-conscious sitting here in only a robe.
"Ahh, Miss Stackhouse, you look absolutely exquisite!," he says cheerfully.
"I see that you are eating your dinner so I won't bother you for too long. Felipe sent me here to tell you both to come join us down at his villa. He wanted to welcome you formally this evening. Perhaps in about an hour?," he says.
I glance at Eric who responds, "Of course. Tell his majesty that we will be down there shortly."
"Very well, I'm sure Northman you remember the way," he smiles at both of us and leaves. I suddenly feel a little green and Eric comes to sit beside me and hold me. "Don't worry my love. Everything is going to be fine," he says in a reassuring voice.
I look into his eyes, "You are sure?"
"Yes, he can't take you away from me. I am quite sure of that. If he tried then he would be breaking many rules and that is something that he would not risk for anything. "
I smile at him as I feel his love and comfort that he is sending me. "Well honey, we should probably get dressed if we're going to meet his majesty," I say sarcastically. He calls Pam to tell her to meet us at the elevator in an hour.
We go to our bedroom to put on our clothes. I choose a strapless dark gray Donna Karan dress that Pam bought me as a gift. Eric puts on a casual suit with no tie. I put my hair up in a nice fashionable bun and apply some gloss and mascara to my face. When we are ready, we meet up with Pam and head downstairs to Felipe's villa.
Eric's POV:
I can feel that Sookie is tense as I take her and Pam down to De Castro's villa. We walk through the lobby and the casino area and I notice other men staring at her as we are walking passed them, so I wrap my arm possessively around her waist.
When we reach the villa, we are ushered in by two vampire guards. They lead us to the living room where Felipe is sitting with Sandy and Madden. There are five tall attractive human women sitting on another sofa in the room and a butler standing by the entryway. I can feel their gazes linger on me and can smell their arousal. I also feel Sookie tense up even more as she is standing more rigidly. I can feel her jealousy as she briefly scowls at the women who are staring at me.
De Castro stands up and walks towards us. I bow my head to acknowledge him. He nods and smiles towards Sookie: "Mizz Stackhouse," he says with his thick accent, "allow me the pleasure of welcoming you to my humble little town and hotel." Sookie smiles and gives him her hand. He kisses it.
"Do you like my hotel?" he asks.
She smiles, "Yes it's incredible. I don't think I've ever been in anything fancier than this place. I especially love the fountains."
"Yes, I was extremely pleased that they turned out so well. My guests and the tourists enjoy it exceedingly. I hope that you find your room very comfortable."
"It is more than comfortable. Thank you very much for providing me and Eric with such a lovely room."
He turns to look at me and Pam then turns his attentions back to Sookie, "It is no trouble at all. Victor told that he interrupted you in the middle of your meal, so I am glad that you have been provided with nourishment. But can I offer you a refreshing drink?"
She nods. "Is there anything you would like specifically? I have some very rare cognac. I only offer it to my very important human guests," he says.
"Ummm, yes sir, thank you that sounds great," she says. He motions to the butler to get her the drink.
He turns to me and Pam "Would you both care for a refreshment? As you can see, these lovely ladies are here to serve us all," he says gesturing his hand towards the women who are now excited with anticipation.
I can feel Sookie's jealousy increase. "Thank you for your kind offer your majesty, but I have had my refreshment earlier," I tell him while rubbing my hand against Sookie's back. "Pam you may choose one."
She chooses a dark haired woman and leads her towards a lounge chair near the patio door.
We take a seat across from De Castro. The butler comes back into the room with Sookie's drink, she slowly sniffs it and whirls the glass, just then she notices us all looking at her and she blushes, "Sorry, I just remember people in movies doing this."
De Castro laughs lightly, "No need to apologize Mizz Stackhouse, I believe that humans do that in real life as well. Please just start off with a small sip."
She takes the glass to her lips and swallows a few drops. She savours the taste, "Mmmm. This is really good."
He smiles at her, "I'm glad you approve. Do you have anything planned for the rest of the evening?"
She looks at me, "Ummm I think we were going to check out your casino for a little while. Then after that just spend the rest of the night in our room."
"Ahh that sounds like an excellent plan," he tells her, "Tomorrow you can go shopping. I guarantee you that you will not have to leave the hotel grounds as there are many fine shops here. You can also go swimming as the pools that I have built for my hotel are the best in the world, I can assure you. "
"Thanks for the information. I probably won't venture too far during the daytime. My daytime guard Alcide has been here a few times, so I'll probably ask him to take me to some nice tourist spots," she says. Now it's my turn to feel jealous.
Pam finishes her meal and joins us on the sofa.
Just then Sandy speaks, "Master, your next meeting is awaiting you."
Felipe glances at Sandy, then back to Sookie, "I'm sorry my dear. I had planned to entertain you and your bonded this evening, but an unexpected associate has turned up. I have set up a $30,000 casino account here for you. I hope that it will make up for this evening."
Sookie is ready to refuse, but he intercedes, "Please accept it as a token of my appreciation for being my guest for the next few days. I would be extremely upset if my gift is refused."
She smiles hesitantly, "Oh. Thank you Mr. De Castro."
"I insist you call me Felipe," he says.
"Thank you Felipe," she says firmly.
He turn his attentions to me, "I hope that you will show your bonded everything my city has to offer tomorrow Northman. Because the evening after, I am holding a small private party at my nightclub The Bank. I have invited a few select people, some of whom you are acquainted with. Marten Meijer will be present as well. I would be very honoured to receive Mizz Stackhouse as my guest."
"Of course your majesty, we will be there," I say as we all stand up.
"Stay for awhile, Mizz Stackhouse and finish your drink," he says, "I will see you both at The Bank." He turns and leaves the room followed by Sandy, Madden, and the women.
As soon as they leave, Sookie snuggles up against my chest and continues to sip her cognac.
"Ready to gamble away Felipe's money?," she asks as she swallows the last of her drink.
"Always," I tell her.
When we arrive at the casino, I tell Pam to enjoy herself.
"Tell me lover, what would you like to play first?," I ask.
She looks around the room, "I think I would like to try blackjack." We play at various tables for the next hour. She also wants to play the slot machines so we spend another hour at those. She starts yawning so we decide to head back to our room.
"I only lost one thousand of Felipe's money," she says when we get to our room. We head to our bedroom and we both start undressing.
She is bending over to remove her panties so I glide up behind her, pressing my erection against her, "Lover I believe that you owe me a bath," I say as I caress her behind.
She stands up, turns around, and put her arms around my neck, "Oh yes, I guess I do." She kisses me and heads into the bathroom to turn on the water in the tub. We spend an hour in the tub making love and when we are done, I dry her body off with a warm towel. I hold her in the bed as she falls asleep. When she does fall asleep I go back out to the living room and call Herveaux to give him my instructions for tomorrow. I do some work until I feel that dawn is nearing. I go back our room and snuggle up against Sookie and then I feel nothing.
Sookie's POV:
I wake up to find myself in Eric's arms. He looks so peaceful as he is facing me. I examine his features and think back to last night when those skanks were giving him an eyefuck. I had looked into their minds and saw them fantasizing about Eric screwing them in an orgy. I was also shocked and jealous when Felipe offered them to Eric to feed. My mind wanders to that notion of whether or not he does feed from other women when he is away on his trips. We never really talked about that issue. I had always assumed that he would only feed from me and drink True Blood. Yes I should definitely ask him about that later. I look over at the clock and see that it is 11 in the morning and as usual, I shimmy my body downwards to break away from Eric's embrace. I take a quick shower and change into a casual pale pink sundress. I also grab my bikini and shorts just in case I decide to go to the pool today as well. After I am done I give Eric a quick kiss and make sure that I have everything because once I lock the secure bedroom door, I won't be able to come back in.
In the living room I call Alcide and tell him that I am ready to go shopping and check out the sites. A few minutes later he arrives with the other were guards and we head downstairs. We decide to have some breakfast before we leave and go to one of the restaurants. After breakfast, we head to the shops that Felipe mentioned and I find out that he is right. I spend a few hours browsing and trying on clothes. Eric had given me a no limit credit card, so I buy quite a few items. I also buy him some new clothes as well in the men's stores and I also choose a nice expensive dress that would suit Tara. We arrange for the items that I have bought to be sent back up to my room.
Afterwards we head outside and spend the day wandering around to see what the other hotels have to offer. We go to Circus Circus and go on a few rides, we go to the aquarium and we also head to the Stratosphere Tower. We also walk through the Streetmosphere and I buy a few more things for Jason and Emily. I also buy some more clothes. By the time we head back to our hotel, it is 4:30 and still a few hours before sunset. So I decide to go for a swim at the pool.
I find my bags and packages in the hotel room as I change into my bikini and shorts and rub some suntan lotion on my body. Ten minutes later Alcide knocks on my down, he also changed into his swimwear. We meet the other weres by the elevator and we go downstairs. We find a few lounge chairs by the pool and settle into them. Two of the weres sit several feet away from us in chairs. Alcide and the other were take the lounge chairs on either side of me. It is then that I finally realize that the only one that I have spoken to and that the only one who has been speaking to me all day has been Alcide. I haven't even learned their first names as I had only been told their last names from Alcide.
I glance over at the other were beside me, "Umm hi, I'm sorry for being rude today and not really speaking to you," I say with a sheepish smile.
He suddenly looks flushed and stammers, "Ohh uhh that's alright Miss Stackhouse. We were given orders by Mr. Northman to only watch over you and not address you in any way."
I slightly frown at his remark. "Well you can talk to me now. You don't see Mr. Northman here now do you?"
He smiles uneasily, "No I don't. Umm alright, Miss Stackhouse."
"You can call me Sookie by the way. What's your name?," I ask with a smile.
"My name is Taylor," he says. I look at his features and see that he is very handsome. His light brown hair is slightly shaggy and he has the same muscular build as Alcide. If I weren't already in love, I would definitely be attracted to him. We make idle chit chat for a few minutes. As we talk I peek into his mind. He finds me very friendly and also attractive, but he is afraid of my Viking vampire who apparently told him that he would rip him into shreds if I were to get hurt while he was on the clock. I also discover that he has already watched over me a few times from afar before in Shreveport. Afterwards we take a dip into the pool. Time goes by quickly and I realize that Eric should be awake by now.
Eric's POV:
I wake up to find Sookie missing as expected. When I check my phone, I see that she has sent me a few pictures of her activities during the day. I find one of her and Alcide standing in the sun and jealousy ripples through me. I know that I will never have the opportunity to be with her during the daytime and I feel a slight pain in my chest.
I open the door to our bedroom to find the living room empty. The blinds are closed as they are automated to open once the sun has set. I also find shopping bags and packages. I am pleased that she has used the credit card that I had given to her.
I decide to spend some time with work while I wait for Sookie to come back. I write Marten an email telling him I look forward to seeing him tomorrow evening. Twenty minutes later Sookie opens the door and walks in.
Her face shines and she smiles, "Good evening baby!"
I move my laptop away from me and she runs towards me then straddles me. We kiss and I can smell the sun and pool in her skin and hair.
"Did you have a good day Lover," I ask as I nibble on earlobe.
"It was ok, but I missed you," she tells me. "So what are our plans for tonight?"
"Well we can begin with a shower, then afterwards dinner downstairs. After that maybe go for a gondola ride and watch a show."
"That sounds great," she says. We spend an hour in the shower where we wash each other and have sex. By the time we are done, the blinds are open revealing the night sky.
I buy her dinner downstairs in one of the restaurants and we go to watch a Cirque du Soleil show. Afterwards we go to the Venetian for a gondola ride. We stroll through the Streetmosphere and take in some of the street performers. We also go to the Eiffel Tower replica. While we are gazing at the city view, I come to the realization that this is our first trip together as a couple. But unfortunately it's in De Castro's territory and under his terms.
"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" I ask her.
She leans in closer to me, "Of course I did. I always have a fun time with you."
"Soon I will take you to Paris and Venice to feel the real experience of these places," I tell her.
I can see that she is about to object, but she quickly changes her mind and instead gives me a kiss.
We go back to our room and I can sense that she is exhausted from her busy day. I make love to her gently in our bed and feed from her breast. Afterwards I hold her in my arms, spooning her.
"Eric?," she says as she is stroking my arm.
"Yes my love?"
"Do you feed from others?," she asks.
I am taken aback by her question and turn her over so that we can look in each other's eyes . "No my love. I have not fed from another since...."
"Since the fairy incident," she says, finishing my sentence. "Do you need to feed from others?"
"No, like I've told you before, I only require a small amount of blood now."
"What about when you go on your trips?"
I smile at her and stroke her side, "If you recall, I actually drink a large amount from you before I go on my business trips. I drink True Blood or Royalty Blend when I am socializing or in meetings."
She smiles back at me and sighs, "Good, I don't think I could stand it if you drank from someone else."
I stroke her back as she is falling asleep. When she is asleep I go into the living room and check my phone messages and email. I find a reply from Marten and I also find a phone message from De Castro. I quickly call him back.
"Ahh Northman, I hope you enjoyed your evening with the lovely Mizz Stackhouse," he says.
"Yes we had a great time in the city."
"That is good," he says, "I wanted to tell you that sometime during the party tomorrow evening, we will have a private meeting, just between us. To discuss some certain issues," he says vaguely.
"Of course your majesty," I respond.
"Very well, I will not keep you from Mizz Stackhouse any longer." He then hangs up.
Tomorrow's going to be fun, I think sarcastically to myself.