Chapter 7

Sookie's POV

Looking back on it, I shouldn't have been surprised at Eric's parting remark. I already knew that he was full of himself and practically a sex god, and somehow I found him irresistible. When I had gotten my knees to stop weakening and my libido under control – which I managed faster than I thought I could – I shot him a look (or at least a look in the general direction of his car) that I hoped said two can play that game, Mister. And oh, how I wanted to play.

Gran was already in bed, so I showered and got into my own bed as quickly and quietly as I could. Once I had opened my bedroom window for the breeze and settled in comfortably, I thought back on my evening. It really had been lovely, like I'd said, but so much had been unexpected.

I was a little surprised at myself for letting him get so far. I blushed fiercely when I recalled that last maneuver we had done – it was definitely not ladylike, as far as I was concerned. Hopefully he didn't think I was a wanton hussy. But it was so amazing said a voice in my brain, helpfully replaying the memory for me. Was it hot in here all of a sudden?

Well, I am 25. Plenty of people do worse than that on the first date, I'm sure. At least, I knew plenty of people who had thought about having sex on the first date. Would I let him go all the way? Just thinking about having sex with Eric was enough to make my heart stutter and the region below my belt sit up and pay attention, but was I ready for it? At my age I had released the romantic notions of waiting for the one and it being the perfect moment or perfect experience, and was satisfied to let my virginity go when I found someone I liked, who liked me, and who would respect it.

Did he know I was a virgin? I'm sure it had been dreadfully obvious that I had never pleasured a man orally before, but that didn't necessarily mean I hadn't done anything. Is that something he could smell too? I felt my brow furrow in some mixture of intrigue and discomfort. I learned more every time I saw him that emphasized the fact that he was, indeed, no longer human. Something else to think about, that.

My brain was cycling through things to think about at a rapid rate – how many women? Eric naked. The business meeting Tuesday night. Eric's tongue in my . . . between my legs. The interesting soreness in my left inner thigh – and my sleepy body just couldn't keep up. I filed many of them under 'To Think About Later' and some under 'To Think About Often,' and drifted sleepily off for the night.

On Monday, I did the few errands Gran needed me to run so I could be out of touch on Tuesday – groceries, mowing the lawn – and went to work, cheerful as I could be. I think that Gran suspected something had happened between Eric and me (and, boy had it – I shivered in memory), but she didn't ask so I didn't tell. When I dropped my purse off in Sam's office (he kept a drawer of his desk empty just for us barmaids), Sam grilled me for a few minutes about my date with Eric. He seemed unhappy about me seeing a vampire, but last I checked, he had no say over who I dated.

My tips that night were good, probably due to my jubilant mood, which made me even happier. I drove home after my shift – it was late, about 1:00 – and walked in to find Gran at the dining table waiting up for me, as usual. After greeting me, she said, "Your friend Eric called tonight, Sookie. He said to call him back no matter what time you got home."

I nodded and my stomach fell. Was he canceling? "Thank you, Gran," I said, hoping I wouldn't show my nervousness. "I guess I'll call him back before I go take a shower."

She got up, walking out toward the living room. "Good night, dear. I'll give you some privacy."

I smiled at her and then went to the phone. "Fangtasia, the bar with a bite," answered the same female, bored voice I had encountered last time.

"Hi, this is Sookie Stackhouse. I'm calling for Eric," I said more confidently than I felt.

"Sookie," the voice on the other line said thoughtfully. "I hear you gave my Master quite a good time last night. I'm ever so thankful – he's much easier to work for when he's been laid." She said it so frankly, I wasn't sure if she was mocking me or not. I knew for sure that I was a dark shade of red and getting darker by the second. "Here he is," she said after a moment.

"Hello, Lover," Eric said in a low voice that gave me goose bumps.

"Eric have you been talking about what we did last night to everyone?" I asked, horrified.

He sighed. "No, my beautiful Sookie. That was only Pamela. She will be sorry for that stunt later, I guarantee it. She is the only being I told."

That mollified me, mostly. At least enough for my blood to drain back to other parts of my body instead of pooling in my cheeks. "You called earlier?"

"Yes. I was thinking – we may not be done until very early morning with our meeting tomorrow night. I would like to offer you lodging so you do not have to drive while you are sleepy."

That was unexpected. "Oh, don't worry about it, Eric. I'm not working until the late shift and I would sleep better in my own bed." Was he asking me to stay the night with him?

"I've already rented the hotel room, Sookie. I hoped you wouldn't refuse."

I wavered for a moment. To stay or not to stay? Staying would undoubtedly give me more time with Eric, but was it too soon? When in doubt, compromise. "How about we see how long the meeting takes and then decide?" I offered.

"You drive a hard bargain, Sookie Stackhouse," he answered, "But I suppose that is better than nothing."

I grinned. "Thanks for understanding. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I cannot wait, Lover," he said again in that low, seductive way he had.

Just before I hung up, I jerked the phone back to my ear. "Wait!"

"Yes, Lover?" he asked.

"What should I wear? I've never been to a vampire meeting before."

"I prefer you naked to clothed," he replied, then disconnected. A lot of help he was. I rolled my eyes and huffed as I hung the phone up, then went to get ready for bed. Well, I had wondered if thinking about how much I loved his bluntness would come back to bite me in the butt. Maybe he'll bite you somewhere else, my brain supplied as I got into my bed. Why was it so hot in my room these days?

I had dubbed Tuesday as 'Meeting Day' in my head, and it had finally arrived. I slept in nice and late so I wouldn't be drowsy later, and took my time getting ready. I soaked in the bathtub for a while and then took a hot shower, showing more care in shaving my legs than I had in a long time. I meticulously rubbed in my favorite body cream, a citrusy number called Optimism. I blew my hair dry and then curled it slowly, laying it just so. The hard part was deciding what to wear – I knew that I wouldn't take Eric's advice – because I wanted to look nice for the meeting, but also . . . enticing for Eric.

I finally decided on a white sundress with a yellow flower pattern covered with a summer-appropriate bright yellow cardigan. It was nice, but it also showed off my figure. I finished off my outfit with yellow peep-toe pumps and a small purple handbag. Tara had sworn to me that yellow and purple were perfect together when she had pushed those two items toward me at her store. I took her word for it.

I warned Gran that my meeting may last a while and Eric had secured me a hotel room in case I needed to stay, then got into my car with my overnight bag and drove the hour to Shreveport. Eric had given me meticulous directions, so finding Fangtasia was no problem and I got there with 15 minutes to spare. I found a parking spot – harder to do than I had figured for a Tuesday night – and went to the front door.

There was a vampire standing ready to ID people at the door. She was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She was about my height and had a lovely figure with long, pale, stick-straight blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Her fingernails were painted crimson red and she was wearing a black and red bustier and black leather miniskirt with knee-high boots that had stiletto heels so high I almost tripped just looking at them. I smiled nervously as I approached her.

"Don't you look good enough to eat," she said, quirking an eyebrow. "Can I see your ID?"

"Um, sure," I replied, fumbling around in my bag for it. After I managed to locate it, I handed it over.

"You're Sookie Stackhouse?" she asked, her voice still flat. I wondered if this must be the famous Pamela.

I felt my crazy smile slip onto my face and answered cheerfully, "The one and only." Maybe a little too cheerfully. "Are you Pam?"

A corner of her perfectly rouged lips twitched upward a tiny bit. A smile, maybe? "Yes, I am Pamela Ravenscroft." She looked me up and down again. "My Master speaks of you often. I hope you are not stupid, because if you double-cross him you will answer to me," she said fiercely, her eyes flashing.

I lowered my eyes for a moment; did she inherit her bluntness from Eric? Did it work that way with vampire children? I raised my gaze to hers again. "Stupidity has never been one of my features," I said boldly – this did not seem like the time to cower. "No more than it has ever been one of yours, I imagine."

This time one side of her mouth definitely tucked in, making a cute half-grin. "Sexy and feisty. I may be able to tolerate you after all." She motioned me by. "Eric is seated in his throne – you will not be able to miss him."

"Thanks," I said as I walked by. The incredible onslaught of thoughts as I entered the dark club surprised me – it seemed like Eric had a club full of thought projectors. Many of them were thinking of him and what they'd like him to do with him – I inwardly cringed at the lewdness of it all. There's a limit, people! Pam was right, though, there was no way I would have missed him.

There was a raised platform at one end of the club, and he was sitting in a large gold and red-velvet adorned chair. His hair was sweeping over his shoulders and as soon as I spotted him, his eyes locked on mine. He was wearing much the same thing as when I had first met him that night in Merlotte's. How could someone make a t-shirt and jeans look so damn good? I approached him slowly, through the tangle of bodies. It seemed like I was the only person dressed in something other than black.

"My Lover," he said when I reached him. "You look delicious tonight."

I grinned. "It seems I didn't get the memo about wearing black."

He took my hand and pulled me into his lap, pressing a kiss to my neck. "You look beautiful. Our meeting will start shortly – we are waiting on a few parties."

I nodded and met his eyes again. "Should I be worried about the meeting?"

He shook his head. "Although, if you accept the position, my colleague already has a human matter to be resolved. Apparently, a vampire in her area was staked during daylight, and she'd like to get to the bottom of it. I suspect you'll be needed by the weekend."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What if I find out who is doing it?" For all I knew, they would become dinner.

"Then they will be reported to the appropriate authorities."

"And by that you mean the police, right, and not the dinner crew?" I asked with an edge to my voice.

He laughed humorlessly. "The days of eating our problems are over, Sookie. For my business to be successful, I must deal with humans in the accepted manner which, yes, would be the police." At least he was honest. Creepy maybe, but honest. That's all I could ask for, I guess.

"What if it was arranged by a vampire? You know I can't hear vampire thoughts." But sometimes I'd pay good money to hear his. Like now.

"If it is a vampire, then you must not worry your head about it. We have our own justice system," he said coolly. "If a vampire in my territory is foolish enough to steal from me, they deserve what they will get."

You're out of your league with this, barmaid I thought. "Fair enough." There was no way I could stop him, no matter what he decided to do. Just then another vampire approached us. He was tallish, not as tall as Eric, but taller than me. He had dark hair that was on the long side and dark eyes. He was handsome in a rugged way, and wore a collared shirt with khaki pants.

"Northman," he said and bowed his head slightly.

"Compton," Eric replied, and then gestured toward me. "This is Miss Stackhouse, the woman I mentioned. Sookie, this is Bill Compton."

I nodded slightly toward him – I had figured out vampires weren't much for handshaking – and he nodded back. "I believe that I live close to you, Miss Stackhouse. Across the old cemetery."

"Please, call me Sookie. Eric mentioned you might be living in the old Compton place. How long have you been in Bon Temps?"

He smiled, a little. "I just came back about ten days ago. It is very nice to stay in my old home. I am hoping to fix it back up a little," he replied conversationally. Wait. A conversational vampire? That was a new one on me. We continued chatting until Eric patted my leg.

"It is time for the meeting," he interjected between statements. "Let's go back to my office."

I followed Eric back through the crowd to a hallway that led toward the back of the building. His office was the first door on the left. It was spacious, with a large desk in one corner and several chairs scattered about. Pam was already seated in the chair closest to the desk. Eric motioned for us to sit and in a few minutes we were joined by another female vampire who had long, dark hair and a pretty face. She was introduced to me as Felicia and I recognized her as the bartender.

"Sookie," Eric began, "as you know, we are having this meeting to discuss the terms of a position under my colleague, Sophie-Anne Leclerq." I was listening intently. I didn't want to do something stupid. "She had this proposal drawn up," he continued, sliding a piece of paper across his desk to me, "but it is open for negotiation. Please look over it and tell me what you think."

I scanned over the top part – mostly details about what I would be doing. After I'd spent my entire life disguising my disability it seemed so weird that my job title would be Telepath. Toward the bottom, it became more interesting. The salary provided almost made my jaw drop – it was almost three times what I made at Merlotte's in a year and that was including tips. There would be benefits, after a two month probationary period, and I would be provided with transportation for my assignments. Was it too good to be true?

I quickly thought of some things that I would need that weren't provided. There was no maximum amount of assignments I could do in a given period of time – that made me wonder if this Sophie-Anne character planned for me to relocate permanently. After all, if I was doing an assignment a day, why would I drive back to Bon Temps? Another was a guarantee that humans I contacted on behalf of Sophie-Anne, guilty or not, were dealt with in the proper means. Even if I suspected that Eric was being truthful about his methods of dealing with humans (at least mostly), I didn't know this colleague of his at all. Would she feel equally obliged to be fair?

All of the vampires except Eric seemed surprised when I asked these questions. I may not have been able to go to college (hormonal teenagers had been a trial, could you imagine co-eds?), but I'm not stupid. I also wondered aloud how being so involved with supernatural creatures would affect my life. Would I be safe? Would Gran be safe? Could I ever decide to quit?

Eric's eyes flashed with some kind of emotion – I couldn't quite pick it out. "Sookie, let me be clear," he said. "As an employee of Sophie-Anne, every vampire under her will be obligated to see to your protection. This includes me and all of the vampires who owe me fealty. If you ever decide you want out, all you will have to do is say the word."

I nodded slowly. Was I sure? We negotiated the other terms I had mentioned, adding clauses for treatment of humans (the proper way) and maximum number of assignments (10 per month with a minimum of 2). I tried to get Eric to lower the salary due to the stipulations we'd added but he refused. Were my days at Merlotte's coming to an end? It was certainly beginning to feel that way.

"Okay, Eric," I said finally. "I am willing to have a trial period. We can reevaluate everyone's feelings about this after the 2 month probation. Is that fair?"

He nodded, eyes flashing again. "Absolutely."

I sat back in my chair, satisfied for now. "Do you need anything else from me?"

He leered a little, but replied, "I would like to speak with you a little about the vampire hierarchy system, since you'll be involved in it. That is why Pam, Bill, and Felicia are here." I nodded and wondered if I should take notes as he continued to explain that the country was split into kingdoms, that Sophie-Anne (my new boss, as it were) was the Queen of Louisiana, and that each kingdom was split into smaller areas overseen by sheriffs.

Eric turned out to be the Sheriff of Area 5, which explained the 'my area' comments, anyway. Pam was his Lieutenant, or his second. Felicia had been around a while, so she was a trusted member of Eric's entourage and also co-owner of Fangtasia with Pam and Eric. Bill was the newest member of importance. After this complicated explanation, I wasn't sure whether to laugh (the Queen of Louisiana? Give me a break) or not. Leave it to vampires to create their own feudal system; it seemed so high-handed. I decided to nod serenely, just in case.

"Bill has already been given instructions, Sookie, if you are in harm's way or need any kind of assistance that he is to be available at a moment's notice. I am counting on his close proximity to you to be helpful if I cannot come in time." I cast a smile Bill's way; it was nice to know I had a strong neighbor.

We all chatted for a few minutes more; well, I chatted. The vampires mostly nodded or narrowed their eyes. Eric finally dismissed Bill and Felicia. He spoke with Pam for a few moments about Area business and then dismissed her as well. Our meeting hadn't even lasted two hours, so there was plenty of time for me to drive home – I was barely sleepy. I made to get up and leave but was stilled by the look on Eric's face.

"Are you anxious to leave, Sookie?" he asked quirking a brow. "I was hoping I could persuade you to stay."

It was hard to know exactly what I was feeling. One part of me wanted this night to go much the same as the previous one I had spent with Eric (this was the part mostly below my waist), but on the other hand, we had just finished a serious business deal that would affect my life greatly. I wasn't sure whether he was the amorous vampire or the business-like one tonight, or even if it mattered. I also had this weird feeling about having moved so fast before. I didn't even know if he was screwing girls from the bar on the side – there had been plenty on the dance floor that wanted the chance, that's for sure. I didn't want to be just one girl in a line of many for anyone.

Eric must have seen the wheels in my head turning, because he got up and came around the desk to take my hands. "Why don't you come out and have a drink and then decide, Lover?" he asked, kissing my forehead.

I nodded. Just one drink couldn't hurt. We walked back out into the bar and sat down in an empty booth in the back. A waitress zipped over with a TrueBlood for Eric as soon as were seated. I ordered a gin and tonic – my drink of choice when I imbibed, which wasn't very often. I'd seen too many people get lost in their drink at Merlotte's.

Eric sat back and surveyed the room. "What are they thinking about?"

"You. Sex. Or some combination of those," I replied quietly, thankful for the drink that had just been delivered. I swirled my glass around, trying desperately not to ask him if the pictures I was getting were memories or fantasies; it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

He reached across the table and took my chin in his hand, lifting it up until I met his eyes. "You seem troubled, Sookie." I tried to smile and deny it but my smile turned into a smirk. "What is it?" he prompted, looking at me intently and moving his hand to cover my free one.

Many things ran through my head: I don't know what you want from me; I really like you and it freaks me out; I'm afraid I'll give you whatever you ask of me. The thing that came out of my mouth was, "I'm not easy, you know." Why couldn't I control my speech around this vampire?

A corner of his mouth tucked in. "I know, Sookie."

I had started and I couldn't stop. I couldn't look him in the eyes, either. "I don't know what you expect from me, Eric. I don't know if you took me on a date to help Sophie-Anne's chances of hiring me or if it's because you really like me; I won't know if you're being truthful the way I do with normal men, either. I don't know how many women you call Lover every day or if I'm the only woman you are being with. I don't know if you want to keep dating me and if you do, I'm not sure what I'll say because I'm afraid of falling for you. Which I feel like I might be doing, ridiculous as it is to say that after knowing you for only a week."

Eric was grinning now. "You are falling for me?" he said, a sparkle in his eyes. Leave it to him to concentrate on the last thing I said. I rolled my eyes. He patted my hand and leaned close to whisper, "Sookie, your suspicions are not without merit. I have been known to combine business with pleasure when it is to my benefit. In fact, I have made a lot of money that way." Tears pricked in the corners of my eyes, but he continued. "That being said, I can tell you that my interest in you is much more than concern for Sophie-Anne's bottom line. I told you Sunday night that I had feelings for you. I think you are an intelligent and interesting and beautiful woman."

I managed to blink back the moisture in my eyes enough to look up at him, finally. The look on his face was very sincere; his brow was furrowed just a bit in emphasis and his blue eyes had many emotions dancing around in them, but he smirked a little when he added, "I do not think you are naïve, Sookie, and I will not lie and say that you are the only woman I have ever been with or even the only woman I have been with this month, but I want you to know that you are the only woman now and you have been since the night I met Adele. I have not had the blood of any other woman, either." I blushed at that memory, and he chuckled quietly. "You are the only woman that I call Lover, Sookie. I would like to keep it that way, if you will let me."

What he said turned over in my mind for a few seconds. I could not have expected him to be chaste before he met me, certainly. "How long has it been?" Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Did I really want to know the answer to that question?

He shrugged a little as if to show it hadn't been so long he couldn't handle it, and then said, "I fucked a woman the night I met you. I do not remember her name, only that she was the closest thing to you that I could get. The women that I had after that were only for blood." He smirked. "I've been better friends with my right hand lately than I have been in a very long time."

You LOVE his honesty, remember? my brain taunted. "So where do we go from here?" I asked, finishing off my drink.

"Well hopefully we go to Moon Called, the hotel where I made your reservation," he answered, waggling his eyebrows.

"Moon Called?"

"It is a vampire-safe hotel here in Shreveport. The rooms are very nice and also light-tight. It just opened a few months ago."

"But I'm not a vampire," I protested, just wondering what he would say. How presumptuous that he would be staying with me; I had to at least make him work for it a little!

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yes, I know."

"So why would I need a vampire safe room?"

"I never said it was a vampire safe room. Only a vampire safe hotel." He paused. "Will you need to be keeping a vampire safe?"

Busted. I laughed, then started scooting out of the booth. "Maybe. If he's lucky," I said and started walking toward the door. Eric got up to follow me. He trailed me all the way to my car; I waved goodbye to Pam on my way out and she blew me a kiss. I had a feeling Pam and I were going to get along just fine.

As I was unlocking my car door (my car is old and I don't have a remote system), Eric leaned against the vehicle and ran a hand down my back to my waist. "May I accompany you, Lover?" he asked softly.

Before he'd even asked, I knew I would say yes. Who knew what else I would say yes to tonight. "Let's go."