Chapter Two: The Procurement
"Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it."
― Criss Jami
A/N: Once again thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed my story. I appreciate all of the feedback and even just the time you take to read it. As you can tell I have been a bit taken over by my muse at this point and I am hoping that you all enjoy the plot twists along the way. There will be moments in the story where there will be some slight OOC moments, but that is only due to this being AU story and I assure you I will keep it as true to character as possible as I move along. Enough babbling, thank you for reading and on with the show.
Eric's POV:
It had been nearly three weeks since the mysterious girl with the golden blonde hair and intoxicating scent had left my club, and just as long since I'd had a decent day's rest. As I had suspected, Miss Stackhouse had decided to disregard my request for her to return to my club even after I had saved her from being either abducted or eaten by a vampire I hated in my own parking lot. Due to that, I had been spending the last few weeks trying to figure out exactly what it was that was bothering me so much about this girl, without even the opportunity to observe her. This was unacceptable. I was neither patient nor did I have an abundance of time. This matter needed to be dealt with immediately.
"Where is the information that I requested, Pamela?" I asked of my child as she sauntered into my office in a tight red dress and a pair of six inch heels that I presumed I had recently paid for. She grinned at me seductively as she tapped one of her long manicured fingernails to her temple and licked her crimson lips.
"In the vault, master. I didn't think you would want a paper trail on this one." She replied as she made her way over to my desk and made herself comfortable just on the edge next to my chair. I let out a breath and leaned back as I ran my fingers through my freshly cut hair that had been the result of some very rude house guests that had the audacity to lie straight to my face. I do not tolerate liars and now they tolerate nothing more than dirt.
"I appreciate your forethought, go on." I instructed as I focused my eyes on the grin that had still not left her face. Pam tossed her long hair over her shoulder and then cleared her throat in an official way that reminded me of her human days.
"Your little princess is the granddaughter of the late Adele Stackhouse, whom had been her caregiver through most of her childhood after her parents died in a flash flood. Adele passed away last year of a heart attack so aside from a brother, she was Sookie's only blood family member left in Bon Temps. Sookie's brother Jason, works construction in town and has dipped his dick in nearly everything not related to him from here to Mississippi." She began as she leaned back slightly on my desk. I nodded and motioned for her to continue as I could have cared less about Sookie's dead grandmother or brother who apparently liked to fuck.
"As a child, Sookie had a brief stay at the Shreveport Behavioral Health Center where she was tested and observed at the request of her parents. " Pam stopped. I hadn't interrupted her, but she knew me well enough by now to know that I would have something to say about that piece of information.
"And, what was she being tested and observed for?" I asked as I raised my eyebrow at her in interest. Pam smiled and then leaned down closer to my face until her eyes were lined up with mine. I stared into her bright eyes and could feel the excitement radiating off of her.
"She claimed that she was hearing people's thoughts." She whispered. I nodded in silence as I tried to piece the information together in my head.
"Go on." I said sternly. Pam might have been my progeny, but she did not need to know any of the possible scenarios that were playing out in my head just yet.
"Well, they did their little tests, talked with her and her family, and after about a week she was released. She never returned to the center and from what I understand she never spoke about it to anyone other than a few close friends ever again. She moved on to high school where she graduated with decent grades and then went on to take a half of semester of courses at the community college here in Shreveport. After she dropped out, she returned to Bon Temps to focus on caring for her grandmother. She has worked in a rundown bar just on the edge of town, called Merlotte's, for a few years and lives in an apartment she moved into after her grandmother died." She finished as she let out a long breath and then looked at me in question. I rolled all this information around in my head before I spoke.
"And, men?" I asked casually. Pam smiled and laughed to herself.
"I knew you would ask that. Don't you worry Eric, from what I could gather she is not exactly the relationship kind of girl. She keeps to herself and has not had anything more than a date or two with a few of high school classmates and has pretty much been completely alone since her grandmother died." Pam said with a smile as her eyes widened. I could tell what she was insinuating, but I refused to discuss such a matter when I had much more to deal with right now.
"So, this sweet little country girl from Bon Temps who has barely any family or friends, and claims she heard people's thoughts as a child has attracted the attention of Queen Sophie-Ann. She smells more delicious than sunlight and cannot be glamoured…interesting." I pondered as I ran my fingers through my hair once again and remembered back to the night when Sookie had sat in front of me cool and unaffected as I had tried to bring her under my influence on more than one occasion. After she had left it finally had clicked for me why Pam had not been able to get her off of the dance floor right away. Our brand of coercion did not work on her.
"How exactly do you know that she has attracted the Queen's attention? Last time I heard you two were on the outs over some missing vampire blood." Pam drawled with a wink as she crossed one of her long legs over the other. I ignored Pam's playful jest as I pushed myself up from my chair and began to move across the room.
"Bill Compton was not in my club that night by coincidence. He has been said to be mainstreaming for the past few years and Fangtasia isn't exactly a mainstreamer's scene. He has been the Queen's procurer for quite some time now and I saw the way he looked at Sookie. He has been sent to collect her. It is just why that I am unsure of at this point." I said as I began to pace. Pam let out an exhausted sigh as she hopped down off of my desk and began to move toward where I now stood.
"If Sookie is a telepath, then I am sure that is why. It could never hurt the Queen to be able to know what the humans around her are thinking. It couldn't hurt any of us for that matter." Pam shrugged as she moved closer to the door.
"Sophie-Ann already has telepath's, she doesn't need another one. There is something else about this girl that she wants. Something that she doesn't want anyone else to know about and something that I am definitely going to find out about." I said as I moved quickly to retrieve my leather jacket from the back of my desk chair.
"What are you going to do, Eric?" Pam asked me as she stepped closer to me with confusion and a slight amount of worry in her bright green eyes.
"I'm going to do what I do best. I am going to go get what I want before anyone else takes it and then I am going to figure out why they want her so badly and use it to my advantage." I said intensely. Pam smiled as she nodded at me. I truly picked the perfect progeny, so loyal and devious all at the same time.
Sookie's POV:
It hadn't been this busy at Merlotte's in quite some time. The lunch and dinner rush had seemed to melt together like butter in a pan and had not let up even as it neared nine o'clock. I had barely had time to let out a breath, let alone take the break I was supposed to have the hour before, but I didn't mind much. Staying busy and focused helped me to drown out the noise that always seemed to assault my brain when I was in a room with too many people and not under the influence of large amounts of alcohol. This was the main reason my social life was as vacant as it was, but I didn't mind. On night's like tonight when the air was crisp and the tips were good, it just made no sense to complain.
"Order up Sook." Lafayette's smooth flirty voice called from the kitchen. I smiled as I picked up my order of onion rings for table three and took in a deep breath.
"Crazy in here tonight." I commented as I looked around at all the full tables. Lafayette smiled as he threw his arm out to the side dramatically and pursed his lips.
"Always crazy in here baby girl, just busy this time." He said with a laugh. I laughed and shook my head at him as I turned and finally attended to the table that had been waiting about ten minutes longer than they should have been for their food.
"Sookie honey, there is a man that just sat down at table four that is asking for you specifically." Arlene called in her sweet southern voice as she pulled her long red hair back up into her ponytail holder. I shrugged in confusion.
"Alright…" I said as I picked up my order tickets and began to move past her. Arlene caught my arm and smiled just before I was out of her reach.
"He is very good looking and looks like a big tipper. Seems like tonight is looking up for ya afterall." She said with a wink. I smiled nervously and just nodded before I slipped away from her grip and made my way toward what was actually Arlene's section.
As I walked toward table four, I started to get a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The man that sat with his back to me waiting seemed familiar to me in some way. He had golden blonde hair that fell just at the base of his neck and was slicked back. He seemed to be wearing black from head to toe and was strumming his long fingers on the table to the beat of the music that was playing over the speakers in the bar. Something inside of me told me to turn around and run, but something even stronger pulled me toward his table.
"Good evenin' Sir, what can I…?" I started to ask as I moved around the table to look at the man who had requested me, but just as I got a view of his face I felt my words become trapped in my throat. The man looked up at me with his aqua blue eyes shining and a sly grin twisted on his lips. I let out a nervous breath as I felt the air grow thin around me.
"Mr. Northman." I whispered as I stared at him. He nodded slightly.
"Eric." He said matter of factly. I nodded and cleared my throat as I tried to regain my composure.
"You got a haircut, Eric." I said stating the obvious since no other coherent thoughts seemed to be able to make themselves known in my mind. Eric nodded and smiled slightly.
"You like?" He asked as his eyes penetrated mine. I took in a deep breath and tried to look away, but I couldn't.
"It suits you." I said as I smiled, but then quickly shook my head to clear my brain before I fainted from holding my breath so long. I quickly looked away began tapping my foot on the bar's old floorboards.
"Right. Well Eric, what can I get you this evening? True blood I imagine?" I asked as I tried to throw some sarcasm on the edge of my voice so that I seemed in control. I was pretty sure I was failing miserably.
"No, I do not drink True Blood. I have a much too refined palette for that garbage." He said as he tilted his head toward me. I felt my body begin to shake and my pulse jump up as I imagined what he drank instead of the synthetic blood that the AVL assured us human's was all the vampire's would truly need for us to all coexist peacefully.
"OK, well is there something else I can get you?" I asked wondering if vampire's drank or ate anything else besides the blood that was now rushing through my every vein at warp speed.
"Actually, there is Sookie. I am here with a business proposition for you." He said in a very polished tone as he straightened himself in his chair. I raised my eyebrow at him as I crossed my arms over my chest and straightened my stance. I studied his perfect bone structure and full lips that made him appear as more of a God than someone that could have ever been human. I released another breath I had been holding as I pretended to be bored by the conversation. I needed to keep it together.
"Well, you definitely have my attention. I'm listenin'." I said as I leaned back slightly on my heels. Eric smiled as he looked up at me and locked his gaze on mine. It scared me when he looked at me like that. That was how he had looked at me in his club a few weeks before and it was the look that had been invading my dreams ever since.
"I would like to have you work for me, in my club. I would only require you a few nights a week as I am slightly shorthanded after an unfortunate incident with some of my previous employee's. I would appreciate your help in the matter greatly and you would be compensated accordingly." He said smoothly as his gaze remained locked on mine. I tilted my head to the side in confusion, this made no sense.
"You have met me one time and that was while I was drunk in your bar on my birthday. Why would you suddenly want me to work for you?" I asked as I tried to uncover his motives, but he definitely was wearing his poker face. I slowly tried to lower my shields that I almost never let down when I am in public and tried to see if I could maybe grasp what he wanted by something he was thinking about. I focused and then there it was…nothing. Well this is odd.
"You seem to have a way with my customer's, Miss Stackhouse. They were entranced by you the last time you were there and I believe you would be a great asset to me." He said softly in a voice that seemed to caress my skin. I shivered slightly as I tried keep myself focused. It was obvious he was trying to con me into something, of what however, I was still unsure.
"They were not entranced Eric, they were hungry. They wanted to eat me." I said sarcastically as I raised my voice slightly and pulled my arms tighter around my body. Eric smiled wickedly and growled low in his throat before I saw him lick his lips. My heart sank into my stomach once again and my panties suddenly felt damp as the vibrations from his growl seemed to rush over my skin. I took in a nervous breath and tightened my thighs together as I saw Eric take in a deep breath. He looked back up at me and something about the look in his eyes made me feel as if I were the last piece of food on a starving man's plate.
"I can assure you that if you worked for me you would be completely safe. I am very good to my employees." He whispered as his eyes ran over me just as they had when I had been in his club a few weeks before. I felt light headed, this had to stop.
"I am sorry that you came all the way out here, Eric, but I already have a job as you can plainly see. I appreciate your offer, but I must decline and I really should be getting back to work." I said as I began to turn to run back toward my boss Sam's office to hide.
"I would only require you on the evenings that you did not have any obligation here. I would pay you fifteen hundred dollars per week." He said dryly before I got out of earshot from him. I stopped in my tracks. That was a lot of money and money was definitely something that I was short on these days. No. I could not work in a vampire club with a man that looked like he wanted to have me for dinner and made me feel as if I could not think with my brain when I was in his presence.
"That's awfully kind, but…" I started, but I stopped as I felt the air move around me. I slowly turned around to find Eric standing in front of me. I turned my head up at him and tried to find the strength to say no like I knew I had to. God, he was tall…
"If you want the job then be there tomorrow night by eight o'clock. If you do not show up I will know that you are not interested, but Sookie?" Eric asked as he moved a step closer. I swallowed thickly as the little space that had been between us disappeared.
"Yes?" I asked in almost a whisper. Eric ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he touched one of his fingertips to the side of my hip.
"I think we both know that you are interested." He whispered and then I felt him slip something into the side of my apron, but before I could blink he was gone. I let out a shaky breath as I felt my hands begin to shake. I could not work for Eric Northman…could I?
I spent that night and most of the next day arguing with myself about whether or not to take Eric up on his offer as I stared at the black business card that he had slipped into my apron. I stared at the red writing as I rationalized with myself that no amount of money was worth working for who seemed to be the devil himself and that I needed to be strong and stay put in Bon Temps where I belonged. But, the money. Ever since Gran had died and the house had been foreclosed on, money had been more than just tight. I had been forced to move into a tiny apartment a few miles from the bar, and I could definitely use some help paying my bills. It couldn't hurt if I just worked a few nights a week, could it? I would help him out for a while and then once I got enough money saved up to be more comfortable, I would simply quit. It wasn't like he would own me if I worked there…
By nightfall, I had finally stopped arguing with myself and decided that I would drive out to Fangtasia just to see what kind of work it was that Eric had in mind for me. I figured I could test out the waters, see if it was worth the money, and then make a final decision after that night. So, I changed my clothes about twelve different times before finally settling on a short black skirt paired with a lacy black tank top and a pair of dangly earrings. I figured if I was going to work in a vamp bar without instruction on what I was doing, wearing black was the safest bet on blending in. After I was dressed, I put on a little mascara and my favorite lip gloss before I slipped on my sandals and headed out the door. It didn't take me long at all to reach the club considering the time of night it was, but it took me twice as long to finally get the courage to get out of my car.
After a few deep breaths and an apology to Jesus, I opened my car door and made my way through the still vacant parking lot of the South's most popular and well known vamp bar. I lifted my hand to the heavy crimson door and pushed it open as I felt my knees begin to shake. I was willingly going into a vampire bar completely alone and free of any drugs or alcohol that could have influenced my incredibly foolish decision and I couldn't even hear the thoughts from inside to feel more at ease as to what I was walking in to. I either had a death wish, or I actually half trusted a vampire that I barely even knew…I wasn't sure which was worse.
Alright! Well, so we finally get moving on this! What does everyone think? I am trying to build up the characters and their relationship with each other as in depth as possible so that there is a solid plot line, hope it's working. I really appreciate those of you following this story and taking the time to read it. I really appreciate all the kind reviews and I do love the feedback. Thanks!