Chapter 14 – New Territory

"You know, you look really good on the cover of GQ," Sookie told Eric as she gazed at the cover of the magazine.

"I certainly thought so," he agreed, and sat down on her couch next to her with a bowl of popcorn. "The photographer propositioned me."

"Wasn't the photographer a male?"

Eric nodded and shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Oh my. Did you let him down easy?"

He nodded again. "I told him I have a lovely girlfriend, who is more than willing to wear a strap-on to satisfy those needs."

Sookie gasped. "You didn't!"

"I did. He was really disappointed. By the way, how do you feel about wearing a strap-on for me?" he teased.

"Shut up," she said, nudging him in the side. "Let's have a look at the inside."

Sookie flipped to the article and smiled at the picture. Eric looked very handsome. He was sure to get a lot more business through this. She thought the title was a bit lame, but it worked. Interview with The Vampire. Her pseudonym, Kennedy Anderson, was used, which made her happy. The only people that knew she was the author were Eric, Pam, Sam, Amelia, Tray, and Jason.

"The pictures are amazing," she said, and started skimming the article. "They match my tone perfectly."

Eric smiled at her and tucked some hair behind her ear. Sookie leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around her as she tucked her feet under her legs.

"This is wonderful," she said. "Are you excited?"

He shrugged. "I'm more excited for you than I am for me."

"You are just about the sweetest boyfriend," Sookie said, and set the magazine and the popcorn bowl aside. She immediately pulled him on top of her and started kissing him.

Eric just smiled and went with it. Even though they weren't having sex, they had both come to really enjoy just making out with each other. Of course, it helped that they were getting each other off anyway. Sookie was certain at times that if Eric wasn't getting off on it that he would have been pushing for more, but another part of her was sure he would wait for however long it took.

It was that part of her that wanted to take him to her bedroom, but she didn't do it. No matter what she thought, she knew that she was still figuring out her feelings for him. She knew that she was a twenty-five year old girl who had never been in a relationship, and she didn't want to have sex with the emotional maturity of a sixteen year old. So she settled for making out and dry-humping. Eric had tried slipping his hand up her dress one night, just to see if she would allow it, and even though Sookie knew it wouldn't lead to more she still stopped him. It hadn't felt right to her, and she wasn't so sure she wanted to reciprocate just yet.

After they both finished, Eric went to clean himself up in the bathroom and Sookie went to get them each a glass of tea. She was smiling and humming to herself when she went back to the living room and set the tea down, then there was a knock at the door.

She looked at the clock and frowned as she walked to the door. It was almost ten at night. She opened it to find a dark-haired man on the other side. He was just a bit taller than her, with a friendly smile.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, I'm Bill Compton. I apologize for the lateness of the hour, but I saw your lights on," he said.

"Did you need something?" she asked, still being cautious. Sookie was working on her trust instincts, and was trying not to read the minds of strangers upon meeting them anymore. Had she been alone she would have done it before opening the door, but she knew she had to try.

"Yes, a flashlight if you can spare one. I just moved into the house across the graveyard and there was some screw-up with the power company so my power's not on yet. I don't have any candles or a flashlight, but there was a nice lady I met at the store today who told me about a woman who lived across the graveyard, so I walked over here on the off chance you might still be awake."

"Sookie?" Eric said from the living room, and walked into the hall to see that they had company.

"Eric, this is Bill Compton, my new neighbor. Mr. Compton this is Eric, my boyfriend," Sookie said, and moved to the side so the two men could shake hands.

"Please call me Bill though. Mr. Compton sounds so formal," he said, flashing that smile again.

"Okay Bill, I'll just go get you that flashlight," Sookie said, and left the two men standing there. When she came back, they were still just standing there, Eric with his arms folded across his wide chest, and Bill looking more uncomfortable by the second.

"Here you go," she said as she handed Bill the flashlight. "It works, but I'm not sure how long the batteries will last."

"I think I know where my box is that has my batteries, I'll be sure to find it first. Thanks…"

"Oh I'm sorry. Sookie. Sookie Stackhouse," she said, and shook his hand.

"Sookie. It was nice to meet you. I'll be sure to return this tomorrow," he said, then took one last glance at Eric before turning and leaving.

Eric shut the door and took Sookie by the hand to lead her back to the living room.

"Did you two talk while I was gone?" she asked him when they sat down.

"He asked me how long we'd been together, I said a while, and he shut up after that."

"You don't like him?"

"Not really. I don't like how interested he seemed in you."

"Well then, I suppose it's a good thing I'm only interested in you," she said, causing a smile to break out on his face. "Let's watch the movie now, okay?"

A few hours later they were kissing goodbye, and Sookie went to bed that night feeling like everything was still normal.

Then she woke up.

It was the phone that had woken her. Ringing off the hook. There were ten messages on her machine, all for Kennedy Anderson. They were about potential job offers, but she wasn't caffeinated enough to even think about calling anyone back.

The callers having her number was certainly Pam's doing. The contact number for the industry people was Pam. She was acting as Eric's publicist. Sookie had given her permission to pass along her phone number to people interested in talking to her about jobs, but that was all. She started her coffee, went to take a shower, and when she came back there were five more messages.

After one cup of coffee she sat down with a legal pad and started listening to the messages. There were offers from newspapers, magazines, and online publications, but then came the one that made Sookie genuinely happy. Entertainment Weekly wanted to talk to her about being an interviewer and columnist. She called them back immediately.

They addressed her as Miss Anderson, which was strange, but Sookie knew it would be worth it. By the time she got off the phone with them she was pretty sure she had the job in the bag. They wanted to see more samples of her work and give her small assignments to see what kind of energy she could bring to the magazine. She ruled out nine of the other calls because they were for publications she just couldn't see herself writing for.

She took a break to eat breakfast, and then called the last few numbers. Each call ended the same way; they wanted to see more samples of her work, and wanted to give her a test assignment. She was thrilled. Two of them were online magazines that she subscribed to and loved. Unfortunately, she had to work the afternoon shift. She got ready and headed in, when all she wanted to do was share the news with Eric. Instead, she sent him a text.

Got a lot of calls today and some fantastic job opportunities. Can't wait to see you. xoxo

Work that day was interesting, to say the least. Many of the customers had the magazine and were all gossiping about The Vampire. Some were even making plans to go to Fangtasia that night. But the best thing to Sookie was that not a single one of them were talking, or thinking, about her being the interviewer. Using a pseudonym was the greatest thing she could have done.

By the time she got off work she was exhausted, but she really wanted to see Eric, even if it was only for a little while. She went home, showered, put on a light blue sundress that Eric had complimented her on before, and drove to Fangtasia. When she got there, she regretted it immediately. The parking lot was packed, and there was a line down the block. Sookie parked in a lot across the street and called Pam.

"We're a little busy right now, pumpkin," Pam answered.

"I know. I'm here. Can you spare a moment to come to the back door and let me in?"

"He's not going to be able to see you right now."

"Even five minutes is worth it, so will you please let me in, or should I just go home?"

There was a pause before Pam sighed and said, "I'll be back there in five minutes."

Sookie got across the street and fought her way through a crowd to sneak around back, and when she got there Pam was waiting at the door.

"Where's Eric?" Sookie asked.

"Currently in his office with a woman negotiating an interview," she told Sookie as she shut and the door.

Sookie could hear the loud crowd out in the bar, and knew Pam had to get back to work.

"Alright, I'll wait outside his office then," she said.

"If I were you I'd barge in there. The woman was looking at Eric like he was dinner. But then again, that's me and I don't trust anyone," Pam said with a shrug, then turned on her heel and headed back out to the bar.

Sookie rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall outside his office. She trusted Eric, and she believed him when he'd told her that he hadn't brought a woman to his office for … that … since before he met her. Still, when she closed her eyes, she attempted to take a peek in the woman's head. It wouldn't hurt to find out what her intentions were regarding an interview, right? Even if she knew Eric would never grant one, she still felt like she should be sure.

Only when she opened her mind, she got way more than she bargained for. Perhaps it was because she was too focused on the person she wanted to read, but instead of just hearing the woman's thoughts, it was as though she was in her head completely. Sookie was not only hearing her thoughts, but seeing Eric in the woman's head, and also hearing his side of the conversation.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to convince you to do the interview?" the woman asked. Sookie could see that Eric was standing near the door, like he was about to see the woman out, and she was making a last play. Sookie saw the woman's finger run down Eric's neck to the first button on his shirt. Eric took a step back.

Good boy, Sookie thought, but the woman only took another step towards him.

"I've heard things about you. About how you bring women to your office and fuck them on your desk," she said, and in her mind were images of Eric doing just that to her. "You don't have to give me the interview, just fulfill a fantasy of mine."

"I'm going to decline," Eric said, and started to step around her, but she reached out and grabbed his crotch. Eric reacted immediately, wrapping his hand around the woman's wrist and pulling it off of him.

"Come on, baby, you know you want this," the woman said, still not giving up.

Sookie wanted to burst into the room and stop this, but she couldn't seem to break the connection, so she was stuck watching as it played out. Eric backed the woman up against the wall, and for a split second Sookie thought he was going to go through with it, but then he spoke.

"As a matter of fact, I don't want what you have. Women like you disgust me. I happen to have a girlfriend that I very much like, and I will not ruin what we have for a woman like you, who is willing to sleep with someone for bragging rights. What you are doing right now is considered sexual assault, and if it was me that had grabbed you in that manner you could have had me thrown in jail. I suggest you leave, and I strongly suggest you don't come back."

A moment later the door opened and the woman stomped up the hall. Sookie was still in her head though, and she couldn't move. She could hear Eric walk out of his office, but she still couldn't come back to herself.

"Sookie? What are you doing here?" Eric asked, and when he didn't get a response he reached out and touched her cheek. "Sookie? Open your eyes. Can you hear me?"

Sookie was close to panicking, but she couldn't even do that. She was still in the head of the woman, who was finally in her car and driving away while cursing Eric in her head and feeling embarrassed. Sookie wanted to react, she wanted to tell Eric she could hear him, but she couldn't move.

Suddenly there was another voice in her head, Eric's voice. He was thinking at her.

Sookie! Open your eyes!

She gasped as her eyes flew open and the connection to the woman was severed. Eric was gripping her upper arms, and her hands flew up to hold onto his forearms as she lost balance.

"What was that?" Eric asked. "Are you okay?"

She could only continue to try and catch her breath, and then she burst into tears. Eric picked her up and carried her into his office, kicking the door shut behind him. He sat down on the couch, with Sookie on his lap and hugged her to his chest. He wasn't sure what else to do.

"I don't know what I should do," he said. "Talk to me."

"I … I'll be okay," Sookie said, tears still streaming down her face. "Give me a moment."

Eric rubbed her back as she tried to calm down, and after a few minutes she was finally able to. Pam walked in before she could explain though.

"Eric, you need to get your ass out… oh, what happened in here?" she asked when she saw Sookie's tear-streaked and puffy face.

"Leave us, I'll be out there when I get out there," Eric said, effectively dismissing her. Pam flipped him off before she walked out, causing Eric to roll his eyes.

"I'm sorry I flipped out," Sookie said.

"Why did you though? It was like you were in a trance or something."

"I was in that woman's mind. It's never happened to me before. I was just going to listen in and see what her intentions were with you, but then I was totally in her brain. It was like I was some kind of parasite that just attached itself. I could see you through her eyes, and I could hear you, and her, and her thoughts. I thought I could just break the connection, but it wasn't happening. It wasn't until you thought at me that I was able to do it."

"Are you okay now?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

She nodded, "I think so."

"Good. I've never seen a woman cry before. I was panicked."

At the look on Sookie's face, he elaborated.

"Well, I've seen women cry, but I've never dealt with a crying woman."

Sookie smiled and took his face in her hands. "You did just fine. Thank you. For helping me and for what you said to that woman."

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I am too, but I'm glad I did. You handled it wonderfully."

He smiled, and kissed her gently.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"It was a good day. I just wanted to see you."

"I got your text message earlier. Pam told me a lot of people called about you this morning. I'm very happy for you."

"I'm excited. It'll be a lot of hard work, but it'll mean that I get to write about things I like."

"Good," he smiled, and kissed her again.

"I missed you today," she said. "I had all this good news, and all I wanted was to share it with you."

"Then it's a good thing you came tonight. Would you like to sit in my booth with me? I'll have to do some throne time first, but only for about an hour. You can stay back here for a while if you want."

"Are you sure you want me out there with you tonight? It's probably crazy. People were talking in the bar today, and it sounds like the magazine was on all the entertainment shows, and the news."

"It was," he grinned. "And yes, I'm positive."

"Okay then, I will. I hope you have another shirt though, because I got this one messy," she said.

"I do," he said, and set her to the side so he could get up. He walked over to the closet and pulled out a new black button down. Sookie couldn't stop staring when he removed the one he was wearing. She was mesmerized by the way his muscles moved under all that smooth skin. He was perfect in her eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be alright in here?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I should probably call Amelia anyway and tell her what happened."

"Text me if you get bored," he said with a smile as he bent down to her and kissed her. "I'll see you soon."

After Eric went out to the bar, Sookie called Amelia and explained to her what happened.

"It sounds to me like your telepathy has just developed and since it was so new you were unable to break the connection. We'll have to work on it," Amelia told her.

"I don't want to work on it. That was the scariest thing I've ever been through."

"We'll be safe with it, I promise. You also have to remember the situation. While you say you only wanted to check this woman's thoughts out, you probably really just wanted to know what was going on. The mind is a powerful thing, and yours is doubly so."

"So you're saying the likeliness of me becoming connected to another person like that is slim?"

"Yes, exactly. We'll get together this week to work on it. You'll be fine."

Sookie felt much better after talking to Amelia, so she texted Eric to find out if he had a mirror in his office.

In the top left drawer of my desk.

She went to get it, but what she saw on top of his desk made her pause. She'd never been behind his desk so she hadn't ever seen it before. Eric had a framed picture of Sookie, one he took with his cell phone. In it, she was smiling for him, and she looked happy. The fact that he even had a picture of her framed made her so happy she wanted to do a dance. Instead, she just smiled as she used his mirror to fix her makeup and make herself presentable once again.

I'm ready to sit with you whenever you're ready to have me.

A few moments later Eric walked into the office.

"Oh, you didn't have to come escort me," she said.

"It's a bit nuts out there, I don't want you getting hurt," he said, and offered her his arm. "Is that door of yours closed?"

"Yup," she said. "I'm good to go."

"Good," he smiled down at her. "I haven't got to tell you yet, but you look very nice tonight."

"Thank you," she blushed. "Now let's get out there."