A/N: Here we go! Hold on it might get a bit bumpy… nah not too bad…yet! *giggles*

OK thanks again for all the reviews and for pushing me above 10 thousand hits. That's fantastic. Just like you are! *hugs*

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Charlaine Harris.

SPOV

The conversation with Gran helped me to calm down a bit. I told her everything that had happened. Well everything but anything that made me seem like a floozy. She listened whole heartedly with no judgment. That is until the end of the conversation, when she kind of laid in to me.

She told me I have always been a hard headed and willful child, but I didn't trust people enough. She said I don't take chances enough, or give people the benefit of the doubt. Gran fussed at me for not even giving Eric a chance to speak, and for disrespecting my boss. She didn't tell me what to do. But she did say one sentence that keeps playing over and over in my head.

"Sookie, dear, not every man you meet is Bill."

Gran was right of course. I treated him as if he would do to me what Bill did to me. I can't know that, not really.

But, am I willing to take that chance? What if I get to know him and he does the exact same thing as Bill? Would I get over it? How would it make me feel?

I, of course, asked Gran those questions. And she, of course, told me I was asking the wrong person. I was the only one that could answer those questions, along with a million others.

After my uneventful shift at the restaurant, uneventful because he wasn't there, I stopped by a bookstore on my way home. A nice, twenty-four hour used book store that sold and loaned out books. You could bring some of your own in and trade out. I thought that was just awesome, seeing as how I read all the time. I picked up a couple of old paperback mystery novels, lord knows I don't need the romance ones right now, and they only cost me six bucks. I paid the cashier and made my way to the apartment.

Some part of me was hoping to see him on my way in to the apartment, but I did not. So I crawled in my bed, after my shower, mystery novel in hand. I think I read and reread the first paragraph twenty times before I finally gave up, and let the torment in my head come to the surface.

I don't like that he is making me go to this thing on Saturday with him, but maybe I was going to have to go anyway and he wanted it to be a date. Maybe he was interested in dating me. I don't know, like Gran said I never gave him a chance to talk. I hadn't treated him fairly. Ok Gran didn't say that but I knew it. Even if I would probably never admit it out loud. So I would go and I would act like the lady that Gran raised me to be.

The fact that I still wanted to see him, and was saddened when I didn't, scared me a lot. The fact that I still wanted him to kiss me again and again scared me a whole hell-of-a lot more. How could I trust myself to be near to him and not loose control? Another one of the questions I was just too tired to think on tonight.

Thursday, another uneventful day, I worked the lunch shift and it was an extremely slow day. Not because the restaurant wasn't busy, because it was, but because I didn't see Eric at all. I hated that feeling.

How is it that I could miss him so much? I found myself closing my eyes and picturing his face with that crooked little grin more times than I could count.

I went to bed early simply because I was so tempted to call down to the desk to see if they could transfer me to his apartment. And I am not desperate; if he wanted to talk to me he would call me. I fell asleep almost angry that he hadn't.

When I woke up on Friday, after an amazing dream, I was covered in sweat and had thrown all the blankets off the bed. I had dreamt of Eric, lying next to me with his arms around me, kissing me. Simple I know but I was all kinds of hot and bothered when I woke up.

After getting dressed I went down to the desk to invite Trey and Amelia over Sunday for a gumbo lunch. Trey looked like I had just offered him a million bucks, all over my gumbo, so that put me in a chipper mood too.

I was scheduled to work with Lafayette tonight, I hadn't seen him since my rather embarrassing revelation the other night, and I knew I would have to talk to him and possibly Pam too.

Thinking of Pam made me realize that she may have already told Eric about my lack of sexual experience, and that made me anxious as hell. Is that why he hadn't called me? Or had she just not said anything? Yep, I would have to speak to her. This was going to be one long night.

I took some time to sunbathe and read a bit from one of my books before getting ready for my shift. I can't tell you what it is about tanning that relaxes me, but it does. And I very nearly felt like a new woman.

Sure I kept thinking about Eric and I was really hoping to see him tonight, even if I didn't get the chance to talk to him. I really needed to get the details of the event tomorrow but I was sure Pam had all that information.

On my way out to work I finally decided to suck up my pride and stop by Eric's office. I needed to find out the details on the banquet tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that I was a bit anxious to see him. I didn't want tomorrow night to be any more awkward than it already would be. So I put my game face on and knocked on his office door.

I was expecting to feel something upon seeing him again, but I wasn't expecting the intensity of it all. It took every bit of strength I could muster to keep the embarrassingly huge grin off my face.

Eric looked at me questioningly when it took me a bit longer to speak than it should have.

Head in the game Stackhouse.

I quickly cleared my throat, put my tongue back in my mouth, and wiped the dribble off my chin before I spoke.

"I need the details for the event tomorrow." Straight to business.

He seemed to shift slightly as if he wanted to say something else but quickly responded. "It is a formal event, so you will need to dress accordingly."

"Where do I meet you? When do I meet you?" I felt a bit awkward, but I was happily surprised that my voice did not show any anxiety.

"You can meet me here, in the lobby. Let's say, 7:00." He fingered through some papers before he spoke again. "I would like it very much if you took pleasure in my company tomorrow night." He said it almost like a question.

I told myself I would be good, so I responded simply, "As long as you treat me like the lady I am, I believe I could enjoy your company." Very good Sookie, I mentally patted myself on the back.

He gave me a smile and I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding. The silence between us was heated. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the words to say that would make everything make sense. Eric's face looked the same as what I imagined mine to look like. But we both just sat there in a sort of mental conversation.

I broke the tension and pasted a big nervous grin on my face as I spoke. "So… I'll see you tomorrow. At 7:00."

He nodded as he responded with an equally dazzling smile, "I very much am looking forward to it." He stood as I made my way out the door. "Sookie" he breathed.

I turned to look at him and hummed my response. "Hmmm?"

His face looked pained, sorrowful and I wanted nothing more than to brush my hand across his cheek and trace his jaw line, in attempt to smooth away the pain there.

"I never wanted to make you go…" he paused seeming to need to find the right words. Eric, normally the poster-boy for smooth, could not find his words. "… I wanted you to want to go with me."

Awe hell, if I didn't feel like a complete boob before, I certainly did now. I took his large, warm hand gently and encompassed it in both of mine, as I caught his beautiful blue eyes with my own. I wanted to kiss him at that moment with a nearly all consuming desire. It took me a moment to gain control of my voice and I spoke softly.

"I want to go…" I paused so he could feel my sincerity "…with you." And if I had any doubts before, when the words left my mouth I knew then that I meant them absolutely.

He released my hand, seemingly reluctant, and I took my leave to head to work. My hand seemed to tingle for the rest of the night.

Fortunately, for me, neither Pam nor Lafayette said anything of the events that occurred the other night. It made me love them both even more. They did however talk me in to going shopping with them in the morning.

"Come on girl, you's got to let me play dress up with that pretty ass of yours." Lafayette said.

"I know Eric." Pam snickered with a very wicked grin on her face. "Let me have a little fun of my own." She begged giving me the most pathetic little pout.

How could I say 'no' to that?

"I have complete veto power." I surrendered and they both clapped and bounced around like two kids in a candy store. "You guys are going to get me in trouble, aren't you?"

"No more trouble than you want to be in." Pam responded with a frightening grin.

Which made me curious; I still wondered if Pam had told Eric of my 'revelations' from the other evening so I asked.

"It's not my place to tell him that." She said as she put her arm on my shoulder, a strangely affectionate gesture for her. "You will tell him." She said as if it was an order.

When I finally got to bed that night I was a big bundle of nerves. I was anxious about tomorrow night. I was eerily nervous about Pam and Lafayette having a 'dress-up' day with me playing Barbie. Mostly I was excitedly happy about my work 'non-date', and that scared the mess out of me.

I woke up the next day and got dressed for my 'girls day out' with Lafayette and Pam. I was supposed to meet them at a dress shop a few blocks down. Knowing that I would be in and out of dressing rooms all day, I dressed easy in a pair of black low-rise yoga pants, a halter with a built in bra and a good old fashioned pair of flip-flops. I yanked my hair in a pony and put a little balm on my lips, not even bothering with make-up.

When I got to the store, Lafayette and Pam were already there, stuffing dresses in a dressing room for me. This was gonna be the ultimate form of torture. Not that I didn't love shopping, I'm a girl of course I love to shop, but they were quite frankly scary as hell.

Pam insisted that I show off my best assets, meaning my breasts. Everything she handed me seemed to have less fabric than the last.

"Just because you have never had sex, doesn't mean you can't exude confidence. This…" she held up a piece of black fabric, which I assumed was supposed to be a dress. "Definitely says you are confident."

"Don't you dare do that to that girl." Lafayette chimed in "You will have every man in the room pumpin' their meat sticks thinking 'bout Sooks."

"Would it not be flattering Sookie?" Pam asked with an eyebrow raised. "To know that you are every attending male's fantasy?" She finished.

"I don't think so, I don't think I could handle knowing what everyone was thinkin'" I responded while zipping up the umpteenth dress. "Especially if I knew they were thinkin'…you know…about that."

"Well it is a good thing you can't read minds." Pam said with a laugh.

"Ok, I've got it down to two…" I said through the door. "This red one I am about to show you and a gold one."

"Let us pick for ya girl." Lafayette started. "Come on lets see what cha got." I heard the snapping of his fingers and Pam laughing in response.

Ok here goes nothing.

"Shit Sooks that is fuck hot." Lafayette sang "Mmm hmm! Gonna kill some folks in that shit."

"Not enough skin is showing. But it does cling to your silhouette quite nicely." Pam said with a look of nothing but business. "Next" she snapped as she twirled her finger around signaling for me to move.

I liked the red one; it was a deep red, satin, floor length gown that swooped out just below the knee. The halter top with a V neck did not come so low as to show off all my goods. But it did swoop down a bit in the back, and had a silver and diamond accent belt that sat just at my hips. It was very flattering and not too revealing.

I should have known with everything they had handed me today I was not gonna get away without showing a bit more flesh. The gold one showed a little more skin, but I would still be able to move in it, without falling out that is. So I slipped it on.

"Here is the gold one." I said through the door. "Now remember, it is this or the red one. No more dresses made of string Pam. And no more dresses made of jewels and beads Lafayette."

"Awe, you ain't no fun. You's got to learn to play. Have fun wit' what cha got, honey." Lafayette snapped and then laughed.

"Come on, chicken." Pam chimed in.

Chicken? Who's chicken? I stepped out of the dressing room and planned on having a few words with Pam, but the expression on her face left me speechless.

Her mouth popped open and I swear I saw her lick her lips as if she wanted to bite me.

"Ooh girl, you'd better be glad I am scared of that little 'snatch' of yours…" he paused licking his lips as well. "…'cause DAMN! You is screamin' to be fucked in that shiznit."

What the hell was with the licking? Why did I feel like a big juicy steak all of a sudden?

"Perfect." Pam purred. "Now, I have just the shoes to go with that. What size are you?"

"Umm… 8…but, I don't know about this." I said passing my hand in front of the dress.

"Oh, I do." Pam said with a smirk and a laugh. "I only wish I could be there to see his face."

"The way ya'll are lookin' at me…. I feel like dinner." I said bringing my arms to cross in front of me.

Lafayette laughed so hard I thought he might pass out and Pam just kept nodding her head 'yes'.

They, of course, convinced me that this was the dress and left no room for me to protest. So I paid for the dress and some faux diamond hoop earrings, and we made our way out.

Lafayette did my finger and toe nails in a simple French manicure, while Pam went to get the shoes. I was almost afraid to see what she brought in after the dresses she handed me today, but thankfully, other than the highness of the heel, they weren't too bad.

I felt like a girl getting ready for her prom. Lafayette did my make-up and Pam did my hair. I felt like a queen having been pampered all day. It really was a fantastic day, but the closer I got to time to go, the more the butterflies fluttered around my stomach.

My hair was piled in loose waves atop my head, with a few strays left down my back and around my face, it was beautiful. My make-up was flawless with just the tiniest bit of shimmer on my lips. I argued my way out of the bright red Lafayette wanted to put on me. He called it 'come fuck me red', which was exactly why I would not wear it. Now it was time for the dress.

I went back to my room to get dressed. Pam said she laid it and some panties out for me, since the dress didn't allow for a bra, along with my shoes. Well Pam's ridiculously expensive gold Jimmy Choo's.

I should have known that she would find my tiniest, sexiest pair of underwear. They were thongs, of course, the dress didn't allow for a panty line either, and they were made of lace and bright red. I slipped them on along with the dress and took a long look in the mirror.

Even though I was nervous as a turkey on thanksgiving, I looked and felt beautiful.

A/N: Longer chapter than usual, but a lot needed to happen before the next. Which is finished *giggles* And I will post very soon.

I will be posting a link on my profile for Sookies dress with the next chapter update, as well as a link for Eric's tux…mmm yummy!

Don't forget the wittle gween button. Love them all

FYI: Did you know?... That only 54% of registered American voters actually cast their ballots in the presidential elections. We rank 35th in voter turnout, out of the worlds prominent democracies. Wow!

MUAW!!!