Here is the new chapter for today as promised. Not sure if I will be able to get another one out today, but I hope so because you all deserve it. Hope you all are having an amazing weekend!

Chapter 52: Face Down

Eric

"Yes."

"Yes?" Eric asked. "Just like that? Yes?"

"Yes."

"You don't need to think about it? Or pout or huff or find some other way to make me miserable?"

"I gotta be honest with you and say this proposal is going downhill," she replied.

"You are fucking with me aren't you?" he asked.

"Eric, you're so romantic," she said sarcastically as she slipped off her shoes and bent to pick them up.

She began walking to the back bedroom that was their closet but was stopped by Eric's chest. He was then crushing her so tight to him that he had to remind himself she needed air.

Eric said, "Here Sookie? You understand the pledging will be here, right?"

"Yes, I expected that. But can we get married back in Louisiana so that Jason and Lafayette can be there? And Annabelle. Annabelle has to be there."

"I only thought about the pledging here, so yes the marriage can take place whenever, wherever, with whomever you would like. Anything you want."

"I only want you."

Sookie smiled up again at him and his world was spinning. Sookie was pledging to him. She stood on her tiptoes and angled her face to his for a kiss and he cupped her soft cheeks and kissed her gently. But the kiss then developed into an impassioned and frenzied kiss.

He was then guiding Sookie to the bedroom with breaking the kiss. She was awkward as she walked backwards but she was unbuttoning his shirt, fumbling with the buttons. They reached the bed and Sookie finally pulled her lips away from his and sat slowly on the bed.

Her eyes smoldered up at him as she began unbuckling his belt. Then the worst sound in the world. The dreaded knock on the door. Sookie stopped unbuttoning him and springing free the almost painful erection currently trying to escape the confines of his pants.

He growled and turned to the common area of the hotel swearing at the door.

Sookie groaned in frustration and fell back on the bed, putting her hands over her face. "Bill. He said he would be here to renegotiate. We forgot."

"Fucking hell. CanI kill him yet?" Eric grumbled.

Sookie chuckled and her buttoned his pants back up and went to answer the door. Sure enough, Bill stood on the other side with a smirk on his face.

"I hope I am not interrupting."

"You are."

"I apologize for the inconvenience," he said as he strutted in waving off the guards who made to follow him in.

Eric shut the door and found Sookie leaning against the bedroom door jam, looking beautifully messy, and her hair mussed. It was clear they had been fooling around. Bill clenched his jaw and ground his teeth at the sight of her and Eric thought there would be more than one erection aching for Sookie tonight. But only Eric would get her.

"Sookie, you performed wonderfully at the Regent meeting. Many were quite taken with you," Bill complimented.

Sookie walked to her purse and grabbed her notes. She held her notepad and said, "I have my notes, I will make copies for you to go over before you even rise for the evenin'."

He nodded and Eric held his hand out to Sookie. She walked to him, placing her hand in his and then pulled her down on the loveseat by him. She leaned against him and he sighed in pleasure at her reassuring weight on him. Eric wrapped his arms around her and they both looked at Bill expectantly.

He emrely stared at them for minutes. Then he raised her fingertips to rest against one another and said, "The summit ends in three days. Sookie came to me and said that due to her absence the night before last that she would be willing to renegotiate our contract. I am interested in what she proposes to make up for her breach in our contract."

Sookie cleared her throat and said, "Well, I meant that because of missin' a night of scannin' that I would be willin' to renegotiate the sum of money paid. Take a deduction or somethin'. That seems fair."

Bill lifted an eyebrow, "Fair? Your absence could result in our state's peril."

"I apologize, but it was unavoidable. If dockin'me on the salary is not gonna work for you, please tell me what you have in mind, Bill," Sookie said.

Eric could tell she was already getting annoyed and frustrated. And pissed. He sent her calm through the bond. She was actually handling herself fairly well. He rubbed her arm and she seemed to sink even further into him.

"I am merely trying to make you aware of the ramifications of your actions, Sookie," Bill grit out.

"I get that I screwed up, Bill. You are here so we can fix it. So stop talkin' to me like a child and get on with it."

Bill shook his head and looked to the side of the room towards the bedroom.

He then glanced back and said, "I have broken down what we are paying you each night for your services here and will have that deducted off the final amount we will pay you. I am also asking you to attend a few more private meetings with me and a few other vampire colleagues to see if there is anything you can pick up form their humans or their guards."

Sookie nodded and looked to Eric, "That sounds reasonable. Does it sound reasonable to you?"

Eric nodded and said, "That's it?"

Bill smiled and said, "Yes, although I would also like to have dinner with Sookie one night this week."

Eric growled and said, "No."

"Absolutely not," Sookie said.

"I merely want to talk to you about everything that has happened between us and apologize. Please," he asked.

Sookie shook her head. "I am not sorry to say that I don't trust you and probably never will again. I can never forgive you for what you have done to me since I rejected you that night. It was hard for you, but did you ever think it was unbelievably hard for me to walk away from two people I thought I loved? You are selfish and care only about yourself. I can accept that you want to make peace with me, but I can't make peace with you Bill. Ever. After this summit I never want to see or hear from you again."

Bill looked angry and confused at her speech, but it was so eloquently spoken and everything she said rang true to who she was. Sookie then stood and said, "I am done with you Bill. Thank you for your understanding about my absence. Now please leave."

Bill simply stared at her for a moment and then Eric stood and said, "I believe the conversation with my bonded is over. I would also ask that you leave."

Bill stood and walked to the door. Before he opened it and left he turned and said, "You have changed. You used to be forgiving and kind."

"I am kind and forgiving, but right now I am also strong. Which is a quality you have never liked in me. Bill, you need someone to be weak so you can be strong. Weak is something I will never be again," she said forcefully.

She walked to the door and opened it for him. "Please leave now."

Bill walked out and didn't look back as he stalked down the hall.

So?