Chapter Three: Tempting The Tempter

"We enjoy the night, the darkness, where we can do things that aren't acceptable in the light. Night is when we slake our thirst."

― William Hill

A/N: Once again thank you so much to everyone that has read and/or reviewed this story so far, I appreciate it all so very much. I am trying to churn out the chapters with the best quality as the inspiration hits me so thank you to everyone for taking the time to read my ramblings. I also want to assure everyone that I love both Eric and Sookie so never fear that I will make this a depressing can't win story. Just a good old hot mess of bloody sexiness Please let me know of any requests. Thanks again.

Eric's POV:

I could smell her the second she walked in through the front door of my club and I couldn't help but smile to myself in victory as I reveled in the fact that she had come to me of her own want rather than my usual persuasion. I stayed seated at my desk in the back office as I listened to her footsteps move around the empty dance floor in the main area of the club. She was so light on her feet and soft as she stepped that it reminded me of a child sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night trying to move around unheard. Her scent grew stronger with every step she took closer to me and I could not help but feel my fangs push roughly against my gums as my hunger grew at her sweet succulent aroma. It had been only a short while since I had last fed, but my hunger was strong and I realized that once tonight's crowd flooded in I would need to find something warm to spend my time with or I might accidentally rip my new employee to shreds.

It took her only a few moments of exploring before I heard a soft knock at my closed office door. I took in a deep breath to take in her scent once again and then cleared my throat before opening the folder of documents in front of me that I was supposed to be reviewing.

"Come in." I said sternly as I thumbed through a few of the pages without reading them. I heard the door open, but I did not look up. I simply continued to look through the papers before me as I counted her steps from my door to my desk… seven.

"Sorry I'm late…traffic." She stuttered as I felt her eyes on me. I nodded as I turned over another paper.

"It is quite alright, Sookie. I am pleased that you have decided to take me up on my offer, it's so hard to find good help these days." I replied sarcastically as I finally looked up to meet her stare. She appeared to be nervous, to say the least, and I could not help but get aroused as I saw her pulse move quicker under her skin as I spoke. The hunt had always excited me, even as a human. I had been a born predator both in that life and in this one.

"I figured it couldn't hurt nothing to come check it out." She said casually in her sweet southern drawl as she shrugged her shoulders and began fiddling with the hem of her tank top. She looked beyond delicious wearing nothing but soft black fabric and sweet tanned flesh. She watched me carefully as my eyes moved over her. I could tell it made her nervous to have me look at her in the way that I did. I could smell the innocence pouring off of her skin in her every bead of sweat, but exactly how innocent she was I was still unsure of.

"Would you like a quick tour before we begin?" I asked her as I closed the folder in front of me and pushed myself up from my chair. She nodded quickly and dropped the hem of her shirt.

"Sure." She replied as she let out a breath that I had to suspect she had been holding.

The club was due to open in just a little under two hours so I knew that I needed to get Sookie settled as soon as possible. I would then have to go reign in my child from whatever human she was torturing in the basement before I turned my attention to my usual nightly responsibilities. So, I quickly walked Sookie around the club explaining to her where everything was and its purpose to my customers. I ran through a brief list of the liquor that we served, the different types of True Blood we offered and the difference between them. I then informed her of our strict ID policy if she ever worked the front door and gave her the list of those who were blacklisted. I had enough problems remembering to glamour every woman that I fed on that I didn't want following me around like a lost puppy, dealing with the human police was something I simply did not have time for.

"We have a rigid no biting policy here at Fangtasia, as I am sure you can clearly read from one of our fifty signs posted throughout the club. If you witness any of this you are to let myself or Pam know immediately, and we will handle the matter." I instructed as I led her through the club's VIP rooms and then began to head back toward my office so that we could attend to more important issues, like what she could do for me.

"So you are telling me that vampire's do not feed on humans in your bar?" Sookie inquired in disbelief as we walked back into my office. I smiled to myself before I turned around.

"They have, but they were dealt with immediately. I run a legitimate business and I intend on keeping it that way." I explained as I opened my desk to retrieve the contract that I had prepared for Miss Stackhouse to make sure that all loose ends were tied up. I'm a very thorough businessman as well as many other things.

"Then I believe you need to have a word with your business partner downstairs." She said quietly in a slightly sarcastic tone. I slowly raised my eyes from my desk and stared down the blonde in front of me with what I am sure looked like a very frightening glare, as I saw the uneasy look on her pretty little face.

"What are you implying, Miss Stackhouse?" I asked with a tight jaw as I locked my eyes with what now looked like a very terrified Sookie. She cleared her throat and looked down at the floor as she began to fidget slightly.

"Umm…the woman that works with you. She is downstairs with a woman and she is feeding on her…among other things." Sookie mumbled as her face turned a light rose color. I lifted my eyebrow at her in question as I mentally called Pam to get her head out of between one of our dancer's thighs and get the hell up here.

"And how do you know that?" I asked in a low tone as I heard Pam unlock the basement door and take herself and her human to the restroom down the hall. Sookie sat in silence for a moment, I could tell she was trying to think of something to cover up the real reason why she knew about my child's extracurricular activities going on in the basement.

"I heard them." She shrugged as she began to play with the hem of her tank top once again. I moved quickly, much more quickly than I probably should have, and ripped Sookie's hand away from her clothing. She gasped and looked up at me with fear in her soft blue eyes, but she held her ground and did not shy away from me. I had to respect that, very few vampires did that let alone humans.

"You couldn't have possibly heard them from up here, try again Sookie." I ordered as I stared down at her with an intense glare. I just needed to hear her confirm that the information Pam had given me was correct and then I could start figuring this whole mess out and where it could get me.

"I…um…I could hear the woman she was with. I could hear what she was thinking once I got close to the door that you told me led downstairs. I'm not going to tell anyone, I mean she was enjoying it." Sookie whispered as she flushed and looked down. I stared at her for a moment and felt another victory wash over me as the puzzle pieces started to slowly come together.

"You can read minds?" I asked idiotically. I didn't want to risk Sookie realizing that I knew far more about her than she realized. She let out a sigh as she cleared her throat.

"I know it probably sounds crazy, but yeah. I can hear people thoughts, at least most the time." She said as she slowly raised her eyes back to mine. I took a step forward and closed the small gap that had been between us. God she smelled good.

"Can you hear my thoughts?" I asked in a low voice. Sookie stared at me and then slowly shook her head.

"No. I mean I tried when you came into Merlotte's, but it was like…silence." She whispered. I smiled slightly in relief, but figured I would push just a little farther to make sure I understood the extent of Sookie's abilities.

"Try again." I commanded. She let out a breath and then nodded slowly. She raised her hands shakily and placed them on my temples which was quite the stretch for her small form. I froze as I felt her warm fingertips against my skin. She breathed in and slowly closed her eyes as she pressed both of her small hands against the sides of my face and concentrated for a moment. Then I saw a smile twist over her lips. Oh fuck.

"Just…silence." She whispered as she finally opened her eyes with what appeared to be relief. I stared at her for a moment trying to figure out why she looked so happy about this, but quickly pulled myself away from her grasp in relief that I still could remain in complete control of my relationship with this unique woman.

"Well, that is very interesting, Miss Stackhouse. Shall we continue to your contract and expectations before the club opens?" I asked as I returned to my desk. Sookie moved forward slightly.

"Contract?" She asked in confusion. I smiled slightly. Humans lived only a fraction of the life that I had already lived, and yet they seemed more afraid of commitment than any supernatural being I had ever encountered.

"Yes, contract. I run a very profitable business here and I plan on keeping it that way. This in no way binds you to me, it simply explains to you what is expected of you and what is unacceptable from you as well." I said as to reassure her that I wasn't trying to force her into something she did not want to do. Forcing women was not my style, the usually came very willing…and very hard.

"Oh, okay." She said carefully and then began to thumb through the ten page contract that I handed to her. She read it very closely and then after a few minutes stopped and looked up at me with slight confusion in her eyes.

"It says here that I am not allowed to date any customers that come into the bar human or otherwise. Any reason behind that?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at me. I leaned back in my chair.

"I hold a lot of power in Louisiana, Sookie. It would look…unprofessional if one of my employees were to be messing around with one of my customer's. When you are working here, you are mine." I said quickly. Sookie stared at me for a moment and I wondered if I had said a little too much.

"Do you get to mess around with the customer's?" She asked bluntly and very sarcastically I might add. That I was not expecting, but I always loved a challenge.

"It is my club, Sookie." I replied sternly. She nodded and looked back down at the contract and began to read further. She stopped once again.

"Eric, what is V?" She asked as she looked up from the documents once again. I smiled and licked my lips.

"That is the street name for vampire blood." I replied casually. Sookie nodded and then tilted her head toward me, allowing her long waved blonde hair fell off her shoulder revealing her long supple neck. I licked my lips again, I was starving.

"It says here that I cannot ingest V from any vampire patron in the club or off grounds. Why?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes. I folded my hands and rested my chin on top of them.

"Vampire blood is illegal, Sookie, and you know that. I do not condone illegal activity in my club." I replied shortly. She nodded slowly.

"Yes, but it says after that, that it is for my protection. I thought that vampire blood just got you high. Why would I need protection from that?" She asked as she studied me. Sookie was smarter than I had thought.

"Vampire blood can make you act in ways in which you usually would not, and just as I prefer you do not drink while you are working I also prefer that you do not get high. In addition, drinking vampire blood can make it so the vampire you drank it from can have an influence over you. Not all vampires are like the ones that you see on TV, some are very dangerous and I wish to protect you from that." I spoke in an even tone as I kept my eyes on hers. She nodded in understanding and then looked back down, but then quickly looked back up once again. She was truly on a roll.

"So, it says I can't ingest V from any vampire patrons in the club…what about the vampires that work here?" She asked as I could tell she was holding back a smile. She was moving into dangerous territory and due to her innocence she did not realize it. I had to hold myself to my chair.

"Are you asking if you can drink mine or Pam's blood, Sookie?" I asked as my tone lowered. She shrugged and tried to seem very nonchalant, she failed, but I appreciated the effort.

"I just want to understand my contract." She quipped back with a very serious expression. Oh, I liked her.

"Pam doesn't like humans enough to share her blood with them." I replied shortly. I wanted her to get to the question that I could feel she was trying to ask.

"And do you like humans?" She finally asked. She was truly surprising me tonight. It seemed as if she were flirting with me, but only a few moments before she had seemed afraid of me. Even after a thousand years, I still did not understand women.

"I enjoy humans very much and very often." I said as I lowered my tone and my eyes to her. I could play this game with her if she so chose. The problem was, from the smell in the air, I do believe I was winning.

"So if I should want to ingest said vampire blood, am I supposed to come to you then?" She asked as she challenged me with her eyes. My blood boiled inside of me as a lust raised in me that was quite strong even for me.

"You may come to me anytime, Sookie." I said in almost a whisper. She smiled and shrugged as she bit her lip.

"Sorry, I'm more of a wine kind of girl. Not really a fan of blood, but thank you." She replied quickly trying to hide her grin and then went back to reading her contract. I swallowed hard as I ground my teeth. I need to feed and fuck, now.

It took another few minutes and a few more inane questions, before Sookie had finally finished going over her contract. We discussed her duties in the club and went over the nights that I would be expecting her. She was to work for me on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings from eight o'clock at night until three o'clock in the morning. She would work filling in where the club needed help and attend to my personal affairs if I needed assistance as well. Some nights she would work in the back on paperwork and some nights she would work the floor. Anything that was not outlined in the contract would be negotiated as it came up. She would receive fifteen hundred dollars in cash every Saturday night, and would give one month's notice if she decided she wanted to discontinue her employment.

"Alright, so I have signed. What would you like me to do first?" She asked after she set down her pen on the table and folded her hands in her lap. I smiled…so many things came to mind.

"Eric!" Pam yelled as she burst into my office without knocking…as usual. I pushed myself up from my seat and nodded for Sookie to do the same. Pam was obviously pissed because she had to open the club herself. She was lazy…lazy but incredibly loyal and I happened to value that a lot more.

"Han är här och han är ute efter henne." She said quickly in my native tongue so to not alarm my newest employee. I appreciated her discretion, but I did not understand why Bill Compton would be at my club once again looking for the girl that I had specifically threatened to report him to the authorities over. Oh, wait. I knew exactly why he was back. He did not collect and our Queen was angry. What a pity.

"Bli av med honom." I responded as I waved my hand as to have my child get rid of the procurer that was obviously so worried that he had upset his precious Queen. Pam froze for a moment and then looked at me with wide eyes.

"Han kommer.." She said softly, which meant we were out of time. Mr. Compton was coming to find me and I couldn't let him find Sookie…at least not yet.

In a fast movement, I allowed my reflexes to take over. I grabbed Sookie by the arm and pulled her behind me into the closet next to my office door and shut it quietly behind me. There was no way in hell Bill Compton was getting his hands on Sookie Stackhouse, I still had big plans for her.

Sookie's POV:

My back hit the wall of the closet with a thud as Eric's body crushed against mine and I heard the door close behind us. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on since the last thing I had heard was Eric and his associate Pam, speaking in a language I did not understand before I was quickly pushed into a closet with my new vampire boss.

"Eric, what the…" I started, but he quickly clamped one of his strong hands over my lips. I looked up at him, but could not see his face in the darkness. I felt his lips drop to my ear as he pressed harder against me.

"Shhh…" He whispered softly. I nodded and then he slowly released his hand.

I let out the breath I had been holding since Eric had grabbed me just as I heard the door to Eric's office open. I heard someone in heavy shoes walk in and then the click of heels behind them.

"I told you, Eric is not in. I would be oh so happy to take a message for him thought." Pam drawled in a very southern belle kind of voice.

"His car is here Pam. Where is he?" A man with a thick southern accent asked. Wait a second…I knew that voice.

"My master does not tell me everything, Bill. He merely tells me what I need to know." She said coolly as I heard her begin to tap her foot.

I could feel Eric shake his head beside my ear as I slowly reached up between our bodies and moved my hair from my neck that was beginning to stick to my skin from the summer night heat. Eric's head stopped moving suddenly and I felt his head drop to my shoulder. He took in a deep breath and then I could feel the deep vibrations of a silent moan in his chest as he ran his nose from my collarbone up the length of my throat. I closed my eyes as I felt goose bumps break out over my skin and my hands grow slick with sweat.

"Something smells…different in here." The man, now known as Bill, said as I heard him begin to move across the office. Eric no longer seemed to care about the vampire in his office as he ran his nose up to my ear and then let his lips run across the delicate skin of my earlobe. Maybe I shouldn't have moved my hair.

"Eric had dinner before he left." Pam replied uninterested.

I felt my body beginning to tremble as Eric's lips began to drift back down from my now highly sensitive ear to the delicate skin of my throat. I cannot explain why I did not turn away from him, but for some reason I tilted my head back and closed my eyes as I let myself melt against his strong form. I felt Eric's lips move down to the skin just covering my erratically beating pulse and there he stopped. I heard him swallow thickly and lick his lips before he ran his nose up the vein and in an instant I felt my skin begin to tingle and my blood begin to rush painfully fast through my system.

"When do you expect his return?" Bill asked as I could feel his steps nearing the other side of the closet door.

"Probably not till we close. He had some matters he had to attend to tonight." Pam commented and something about the way she said it made me believe that she knew what was going on in the closet.

Eric's cool breath against my skin was beginning to make me dizzy as I felt his lips finally settle over my pulse. He swallowed once again and then I felt one of his hands slide up the other side of my neck and begin to caress my skin. I whimpered quietly as I felt a deep ache settle between my thighs and I quickly tried to move them together, but Eric's knees pushed between them before I had the chance. My mind was swimming and my skin felt as if it were on fire.

"I assume you will tell him that I stopped by?" Bill asked as he stepped closer toward Eric's office door and slightly away from where Eric and I hid.

"Of course. Anything in particular I should relay?" Pam asked as I heard her heels click toward the door as well.

My hands balled into fists at my sides as I felt Eric open his mouth and press his lips against my throat. I breathed out raggedly as I pressed my fists against the wall at the feel of Eric's tongue begin to lick at my skin. My core felt slick in seconds and the pressure from Eric's knee was making my lower stomach feel tight and tingly.

"Just tell him that I request his company as soon as possible." Bill replied smoothly. I am sure it's just because he attacked me outside of the club a few weeks ago, but I really didn't like this Bill very much.

My heart pounded violently in my chest as I tried to remain in control of my body in which I was failing miserably. Eric's mouth closed over my pulse point as he began to suck deeply on my skin. Involuntarily, I pressed myself harder against his knee and held back a groan that so desperately wanted to escape my lips. The blunt edge of Eric's human teeth scraped against my neck as he tangled his fingers in my hair and pulled me closer. I gasped as I felt his fangs slide into place, but to my surprise he did not sink them into my skin. Instead, he continued to suck at my skin and massage his tongue against me as he pulled us so tight together that it hurt. But God, I wanted it to hurt.

"I will let him know as soon as he returns." Pam confirmed as I slid my hand up Eric's back and tangled my fingers in his hair. I didn't know what I was doing, but my body was screaming at me to do things that I had never even dreamed about let alone actually done.

I pulled Eric's body closer to me until I felt every hard cord of muscle in his chest and stomach pressed against me. I felt the sharp edge of his fangs press against my skin as he pulled me by my hair slightly harder and let out a low growl against my throat. I think my eyes just rolled into the back of my head.

"Good night, Pamela." Bill said politely from the other side of the door. I heard Pam mumble something under her breath and then heard the sound of heavy footsteps and the click of the door. About two seconds later there was a soft knock on the other side of the closet door.

"Oh, master?" Pam cooed in a sickenly sweet voice. I heard Eric growl against my throat again and before I could take a breath or pull myself together, the closet door flew open and Eric was gone in a blur. I fell to the floor as I had obviously lost control of both my senses and my body just as I heard Pam try to speak to Eric, but apparently he was already gone. I sat on the floor of the closet and tried to catch my breath as I raised my fingers to my neck that was so sensitive, touching it nearly sent me into convulsions. My skin was still wet from his mouth….and I hated to admit how much I liked that.

"I'm sorry to bring you out of la-la land honey, but just so you know, if he kills anybody tonight you are so doing the digging. These shoes don't do dirt." Pam said sweetly as she appeared in front of me in her sky high heels and barely there dress. I looked up at her and breathed out again trying to formulate something to say, but no words came to my mind.

"Umm…I think I just need to use the ladies room." I said shakily as I pushed myself up to my feet. Pam smiled and ran her tongue over her bottom lip as she looked over me.

"Need a hand, honey?" She asked seductively. I must have turned as red as an apple because she began to laugh wickedly as she backed up.

"When you are through, please meet me in the front. We have a full house tonight and it appears us girls are on our own." She said with a wink and then disappeared out the door. I stood there for a moment before I made my way out of Eric's office and prayed to God I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew when I signed that damn contract.

Well, what do we think? That was a first little taste of Eric and Sookie, how did you like it? Thank you to everyone that read and I will update again soon so be on the lookout. I appreciate you all, Team Eric!