It's About Power
Chapter 16
I hadn't seen Eric Northman since the car wreck, so I was surprised when his name showed up on the caller ID. I was running into the house when it rang, out of the sticky sleet that marked a typical evening in early March. I glanced at the ID on the phone, stared hard at it, then yanked the cordless off the hook and touched it to my ear.
"This is Sookie," I said tentatively into the receiver.
"Oh good," said a female voice. Hm. "This is Pam. Hold on please." There was some shuffling, and I could hear music in the background. I assumed that Pam, the pretty blond vampire with the thin face, was at Fangtasia. I looked at the clock over the kitchen sink. It was just past seven in the evening. The sun had been down for an hour, but it seemed awfully early to be at work.
"Sookie," Eric said into the phone. If I'd expected him to be awkward communicating via telephone, I was pleasantly surprised. He sounded natural, his voice as deep and rumbling as it was in person. "Do you have some free time to meet with me this evening?"
I had the night off, since I'd worked the day shift at the bar. I'd made plans to go to a late movie with Amelia, a silly romantic comedy, but it didn't start until ten. The only plans I had for the next three hours were to make dinner and dig into Bridget Jones' Diary while sitting on my sofa.
"I have a few hours to kill," I said. I gathered he needed me for some work, and hey, I could probably get something out of it. If nothing else, I could stop by the Mexican restaurant on my way to the bar and grab something to eat. It would give me an excuse to avoid cooking.
"Good. I will come to you, then, if that's okay." Hm, well, I hadn't expected that. I didn't have any blood in the fridge, so I'd need to go out and get some. Boy, it had been a long time since I'd needed to buy any. That gave me a weird sort of feeling. I agreed, asking Eric to drive out to Bon Temps. He laughed and said he'd see me in a little over an hour.
Because I had to go back out anyway to buy blood (what kind did he like?), I decided to pick up some food while I was out. It was snowing by the time I dropped the phone back in its cradle, pulled on my coat, mittens, and scarf, and trudged out to the car. I stopped at the convenience store for blood and decided to mix up the carton. I put in an A+, an O+, an O-, and an AB+. I also bought a Three Musketeers candy bar, because they're my favorite. From the store, I made an eenie-meenie decision and decided on Chinese food. I parked as close to the restaurant as I could manage without getting a ticket, and I ran inside. Even though it was March, it was bitterly cold outside and snow was coming down in sheets. I swore under my breath and popped inside the only decent Chinese restaurant in Bon Temps.
Qin, the proprietor, smiled at me and handed me a takeout menu. I labored over the decision and finally decided on Sesame Chicken, white rice, and spring rolls. The food was ready quickly, but I still had a little bowl of hot wonton soup while I waited. Qin packed up my food in little white folding boxes and I dashed back toward the door again. She yelled for me to stop and touched my shoulder. I flinched, but she didn't seem to notice. Instead, she pushed a thermos of hot green tea into my hands. I couldn't refuse her. If I'd been a more open person, the girl I used to be, I would have wrapped her up in a big bear hug. As it was though, I simply gave her a smile, pushed open the door, and waddled back to the car.
I got back to the house and rustled my way inside, kicking snow off my shoes as soon as I got inside the closed-in back porch. I dumped the bags on the kitchen table, stuck the blood in the fridge, and dug a plate, spoon, and fork out of their appropriate cabinets and drawers. I went back to the door to hang up my coat when there was a knock on the front door. Had it been an hour already? I glanced at the clock in the kitchen on my way to answer the door. It was only a minute past eight. Wow, that was fast. I pulled open the door and was pushed backward by a big gust of wind. There was Eric, all six foot and some change of him. His loose hair was flying around his face, and his pale cheeks was rosy from the cold. He opened the screen door.
"Gosh, that was fast!" I squeaked. "Please come in." I wanted to add that he'd catch his death out there, but of course, he was already dead, technically speaking. I pushed the door shut again, with effort, and locked the dead bolt. Good grief, what a night.
"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked, already making my way toward the kitchen. Eric followed me. He took off his coat and peeked over my shoulder into the fridge. Boy, he was close. I stiffened and moved out of the way.
"Oh, you bought blood," Eric said, clearly surprised. Apparently he knew as well as I did that I rarely had (and by rarely, I mean never) guests to buy blood for. "AB positive sounds nice. I'll take that."
I stuck the bottle in the microwave, turned it on for thirty seconds, and stood awkwardly in front of it. Eric moved to the hook on the door and hung up his coat. I smacked my forehead while he wasn't looking. I was so bad with my manners these days. I never had people over, except Amelia, and she was more like family than a guest. Gran had raised me to offer drinks, take coats and other outerwear accessories, and offer a seat. Boy, I was so out of practice. I grabbed the bottle from the microwave and handed it to Eric. He was looking at my Chinese food on the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry." He spoke quietly but with that same deep voice. "You were just about to eat."
"It's okay. I can reheat it later," I shrugged. I was hungry, but it's rude to eat in front of people. I'm sure it's an even bigger faux pas when the person you're eating in front of doesn't actually eat.
"No, please. Sit and eat. We can discuss our business at the table." Eric nodded me toward the kitchen table and I sat down. I curled my legs up under me, more because I felt safer tucked into a big ball. I didn't usually sit at the table that way, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Eric sat in the chair across from me. He sipped thoughtfully from his bottle.
"So," I started. I cut a piece of chicken in half. "What's up?"
"I haven't seen you in some time, Sookie. After I arranged to have Bill sent away… I gathered you would want to be alone."
I munched on my chicken and didn't say anything. What do you say to something like that? I didn't even look at Eric, but at the plate. I'd eat some spring roll next, and then take a sip of my tea while it was still hot. Did Eric want to see me, like "see me" see me? I had no idea. I didn't want to see anyone, not like that. I wasn't ready for another relationship. Hell, if I could avoid relationships for the rest of my life, I was more than willing to do so. I missed the sex part, but only the good sex, and I didn't really have a lot of memories of it. I missed the orgasms too, what I could remember of them. I hadn't had a single one in about a year. I just couldn't, not without Bill's okay.
"Well, I came over tonight because I need your ability. I am going to a conference in New York for a week. There will be humans there, some of them my business associates. In my line of work, you can't trust anyone. I'd like you to accompany me, do some poking around, see what you can dig up."
"Um, oh," I said. Wow. New York. We never had a lot of money growing up. I've been to a couple places. I've seen most of Louisiana, a little bit of Southeastern Texas, some of Arkansas, but that's all really. I'd never been north of the Mason-Dixon Line before.
"Because it is a business trip, I will cover the cost of your expenses. You'll need business attire, a few evening dresses, a hotel room. I will cover that. I will set you up with an account and a credit card. I will also cover the cost of the flight, any meals you eat while in New York, that sort of thing. Further, I will pay you for your work, double what you earn at the bar in a week's time. It is a good deal, Sookie." He spoke slowly and confidently. He didn't sound like he was desperate to have me, like he was making a deal I couldn't refuse. But on the other hand, he obviously needed me for the work. I put another bite of chicken in my mouth. I thought it over. New York, wow. I was nervous, of course. Being that far from home for so long could be dangerous, as dangerous as stepping out of my bubble of safety.
"I won't leave you alone while we're there, Sookie. I'll keep you safe." He pushed away the empty bottle of blood. He didn't get up, but I could see in his posture that he wanted to. If I could have read his thoughts, I'm sure I would have known that he wanted to reach out to me, to touch me, maybe to embrace me. He had a concerned look in his deep blue eyes. He'd shown that concern for me before. He'd never been anything but kind to me.
"I have to call Sam and tell him. If he says he can't miss me, I'll have to turn you down."
"I understand," Eric nodded.
"I'll give you a call tomorrow."
"Good." Eric got up. He moved to the side of the table and pushed his chair back in. He picked up his empty bottle and cleaned it in the sink. He left it on the windowsill so I could recycle it. Then he returned to me. I got up, but I felt like I was still sitting down. He was so very tall.
"I look forward to hearing from you, Sookie," he smiled. I know he thought about touching my face, the same way he'd cradled my cheek the first time we met. I was glad he had the sense to know I wouldn't enjoy it. He nodded his head slightly instead, and showed himself out.
I sat back down at the table and finished my supper. Wow. New York City. I'd never been, and wouldn't it be neat to see the city and get paid, plus expenses? It would be more than neat. Amelia would be pea green with envy. I could send her a postcard! I could actually send postcards and have a reason to do it! For once, just once, I didn't have to think about Bill nightmares or running into him or randomly expecting him to be there, waiting for me. I would be free of all the memories of my crappy relationship. I could think about other things, like seeing the Statue of Liberty, or riding on the subway! Boy, I hoped those stories about muggings weren't true…
I was so excited about the possibility of the trip that I called Sam at home. Amelia answered the phone, and I wasn't too surprised by that. I asked to talk to Sam, and he told me it was just fine. He sounded a little worried about Eric, but I assured him that I would be okay. I was a smart girl. I'd get a separate room and I'd be sure to carry mace in my purse. I didn't trust anyone, but I was stronger now. I was in control. No one was going to hurt me. I didn't get the vibe that Eric wanted to hurt me, but you can never be too careful. I would have to keep my guard up at all times.
I called Eric that very night and he answered on the first ring. He sounded happy when I told him I would go, and he said he'd call with my travel arrangements the following day. He also wanted to drop off some paperwork and an expense account credit card, so I asked him to leave them in the mail box. When Amelia came over, we decided to skip the movie theater and watch Sex in the City instead.