Chapter 7
The Last Night at the Mansion …2004
If I didn't post this in the previous chapters, I have to say that all main characters belong to Charlaine Harris. This disclaimer is for all past, future and present chapters but as always, the story idea is mine.
Here it is Sunday night and I'm sad to see it end. Our private time together was coming to a close and I hate it to death. But how could I possibly complain? It has been absolutely amazing. I'd never expected for things to be as they are and they are wonderful … absolutely wonderful. And if not for Eric, it wouldn't have been. He'd put so much thought into this weekend … this amazingly, wonderful, and mind blowing weekend.
He said that he was going to make sure that our last night was going to be just as wonderful as the first two nights. He said that he knew that we'd have a great weekend together but he had no idea that it was going to be this great. He said that his main goal was to make me happy. That's all that he wanted. And he did it. He's made this weekend better than I could have ever imagined. Just being with him has made this entire weekend wonderful. I didn't need any of the extra. Obviously, Eric thinks that I do deserve any extra that he can give me.
On our last night, he decided to take me out to dinner. The dinner was in the elegant restaurant downstairs in the inn. I was glad that Pam talked me into buying a nice dress. She said that it was for 'just in case something special happens'. This entire weekend is 'just in case something special happens'. I'd bought a peach dress with the crisscross bodice. It stopped just above my knees. It wasn't too fancy and it wasn't too plain. It was perfect. That's what he said.
"You look perfect, my lover," he whispered.
"Really?" I asked.
He nodded as he admired me modeling the dress for him. He went on about how elegant and beautiful I looked. He said that he couldn't wait to show every other man the treasure that he has on his arm. I thanked him blindly because I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He looked absolutely divine in his crisp, white polo shirt and khakis. He looked so tasty. I wanted to taste every inch of him again and again. As I looked at him, dinner was the furthest thing from my mind.
"You know what, Eric?" I asked not expecting him to answer. "We haven't left this room the entire weekend … not that I'm complaining but do you realize that we've been living off of sex and room service for the past two days? We haven't felt the sun on our bodies since Friday morning at graduation. We've been behaving like a couple of horny teenagers."
He frowned and nodded. "I do believe that you're right." He laughed at that revelation as he leaned down and lightly kissed me. "And we are a couple of horny teenagers. Very horny teenagers. But it's okay. This is our time. Just as long as I'm with you, I don't need to feel the sun."
"You're wonderful," I said as I returned his kiss.
Other than the private pool out on our balcony, this was the only night we'd left our room. We'd had all of our meals sent to the room; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was a really nice B&B from what we could tell. Everything was so stylish and so beautiful. It was more than elegant. It was fantabulously elegant. It was more than I could've ever hoped to have. My first sexual experiences have been even more outstanding. That's why we had the food delivered to our room. The sex was too good for us to even want to stop and eat.
As we walked to the dining area, the lady that was working the front desk looked slyly at us as we walked past her. Eric was holding my hand as I wrapped my arm around his arm and rested my head against him.
"Good evening," she said as we walked past her. "I hope that you're enjoying your stay here."
Smiling and still holding onto Eric, I said, "It's been wonderful."
Eric kissed the top of my head as he agreed with my opinion of our stay. "We can't wait to come back." Looking down at me, he said, "Next time we come back, we'll be on our honeymoon."
I playfully punched his arm. "You'll be coming back by yourself. I'm never gonna marry you."
"We'll see," he said as he winked at me.
The lady at the front desk continued to smile at us. "Please, if you need anything, let us know."
"We will," Eric said and off we went, hand in hand and with smiles on our faces.
I was so happy, I started thinking out loud. Unbeknownst to me, Eric heard me mumbling. "What did you say, Sookie?"
I thought to myself that if I tell him that I'm over the moon in love and it's because of him, I'll never be the same. It will be the end of Sookie Stackhouse as I know her. I won't be able to tell him that I'll never be his wife. I definitely won't be able to tell him that I was never intentionally saving myself for him. I can't tell him that I will never be his girl; especially since I've always been his girl. Did I want to get rid of those parts of Sookie and Eric's relationship? Or do I want to be what I've always known that I am?
His.
I looked up at him and said, "I said that I will never, ever love another man for as long as I live. You are my love story, Eric. It's always been you."
Pulling me closer to him and kissing the top of my head, he said, "How are you just figuring this out? I knew that in the first grade. You've always been mine. Now, come on. Let's get something to eat. I need you good and strong before I have my way with you again. Now, come, woman. Let us eat."
I filled the small hallway with laughter.
When we reached the restaurant, it was busy. We weren't the only ones that were going to be waiting for a table. There was another couple waiting ahead of us.
Still holding my hand, Eric walked over to the hostess and asked how much longer we would have to wait. "We are staying in the honeymoon suite," he explained. "I was under the impression that we wouldn't have to wait if we are staying in the inn."
The hostess, Embry, smiled at us. "No worries, Mr. Northman. You two are in the Beige Room, right?"
"Yes," he answered.
"You won't have to wait long," Embry assured us. "You can sit over there and since you two are staying here, ya'll will be the first ones to be seated." She pointed in the direction of the waiting area. "You shouldn't have to wait no more than ten minutes at the max. You have my word."
I could tell that Eric wasn't pleased with this. I could also tell by the tightening of his jaws. His blue eyes were ice cold. That's one thing that Eric has taken after his father. He doesn't like it when things don't go as planned. I could see that he was about to rip that poor girl a new one so I stepped in. I looked at her and said, "It's okay. What's one little hiccup out of what has been an otherwise great time. We don't mind waiting, right?" I asked Eric as I looked up at him.
His eyes softened as he looked at me. He then looked at Embry and said that it was fine. "We don't mind waiting for a few extra minutes."
We sat on the bench and waited. Eric played with my fingers and kissed each one. I stared into his eyes as he named my fingers. When I looked into his eyes, it was the first time that I'd realized how beautiful they are. They're almost as beautiful as his smile.
"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," I said to him. "Did you know that? They are the most mesmerizing shade of blue."
He smiled. "No," he said. "No one's ever told me that."
"You're joking?" I asked.
"No," he said. "No one has ever said that to me."
"Not even the many, many girls that fall at your feet?"
He shook his head and said, "Not one."
"Well, it's true," I assured him. "And your smile, your smile destroys my heart," I said as I placed my hand to my chest.
"Stop it," he said.
I bumped his shoulder and said, "It's true." I rested my head on his shoulder and said, "I think that you are the most wonderful and most magnificent person I've ever met or ever will meet. It's about time that you truly know how great you."
"You mean it?" I couldn't believe that he had the nerve to sound surprised.
I looked up at him and said, "I do. I think that you are fantastic. I really do believe that you're an amazing person. I can't believe that no one has ever told you that." It hurts me to my heart that his parents have never said that to him. He should have known long ago, how great he is. I leaned in and lightly kissed him. "You are amazing to me, Eric. To me, you're everything."
His eyes sparkled as he said, "I love you, Sookie."
"And I love you. And you know what? I can't wait to get back to our room," I said to him.
When I said that, he scooted in closer to me and started kissing along my face. "What are you going to do to me, lover?" he asked huskily in my ear.
Jokingly, I said, "Nothing. I wanted to watch some TV. There's this great documentary coming on. It's about the mating and familial rituals of black elephants. I've been dying to watch it. I've even set a reminder for it so that I won't miss it. I wrote a paper on the black elephant for sociology when I was in the ninth grade. It was quite fascinating. You wouldn't believe how much like humans they are when it comes to family."
When he sat back and looked at me, I knew what was coming. "TV … you'd rather watch TV than make love with me?"
I nodded. "Once you watch this documentary, you will understand why."
He cracked his knuckles as I slid away from him. "You mean this?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said as I backed away from him; continue to slide my way to the other end of the bench.
He began to come at me with his hands ready to tickle me into submission. "You're going to pay."
I had my hands up in front of me. "You'd better not tickle me, Eric Northman. I will laugh really loud and embarrass us both. We'll be so embarrassed that we won't be able to stay down here to eat dinner."
"Don't care," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
The hostess was watching us and she was enjoying our banter just as much as we were.
Just as Eric was about to pounce, a man called out his name. "Hello, Eric," the man said.
When he heard the voice, Eric closed his eyes for a split second before he turned around.
Upon recognizing who the man was, Eric was facing me once again and the happy and carefree Eric from just seconds ago, was now gone. "Fuck," he said under his breath. "I fucking hate him." Eric took my hand as we walked in the man's direction.
"Baby, who is he?" I asked.
Eric didn't answer me. He stared straight ahead.
They shook hands just as Eric and I stepped in front of him. "Eric, how are you, son?" he asked. "It's always good to see you in such good spirits. I know that before you left, you weren't as happy go lucky as you appear to be tonight. I take it that you're no longer angry with your father."
I looked up at Eric; unable to hide the surprise on my face. He hadn't told me that anything had happened with him and his dad. I could only guess that he still wasn't going to tell me anything because he ignored my surprised face and the slight tug of his hand.
Eric eyed this man quite angrily. "Hello, Victor. If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were following me." He'd completely ignored Victor's statement about his anger and the two other men standing with his nemesis.
Eric's hello wasn't a pleasant hello either. It was more of an accusation. It also sounded as if Eric has seen Victor somewhere other than in the restaurant.
Victor threw his head back and laughed. "You have quite the imagination, Eric. I don't think I've seen you outside of the restaurant, son. This is my first night here."
From the look on Victor's face, I knew that he was telling a lie. If it was true, why would he need to explain? How did he know where we are? We told no one but Pam and I can guarantee that Pam didn't tell him. If he'd have asked her, she would have told him to go and eff himself.
"Don't call me son," Eric growled. "You are not my father."
Victor lifted his hands in the surrender position. "I meant no harm, Eric. I only say it because I've known you for so long. It's only a term of endearment." He then let his eyes fall on me. Giving me a lascivious smile, he asked, "Are you going to introduce me to your lovely friend?" I felt dirty as his greedy eyes traveled over my body.
I could tell that he didn't want to introduce me to them, but he did. Placing his hand on the small of my back, Eric told Victor who I am. "This is Sookie Stackhouse." To me, he pointed at each man present. "Victor Madden, André Paul, and Clancy O'Brien; they work for my father."
"Pleased to meet y'all," I said as nicely as possible. I reached to shake their hands but André and Clancy declined. I looked at my hands to see if it was dirty and to my surprise, they were clean. Victor continued to eye me up and down when he took my hand.
"Charming accent," he commented.
"Thank you. Louisiana, born and bred," I said.
"She's quite beautiful, Eric," Victor said as he slowly released my hand; letting his fingertips brush lightly against my palms. His eyes stayed glued to my face.
I stepped into the safety of Eric's body as he said, "Yes, she is. You never answered my previous question, Victor. Are you following me? This is the second time I've seen you. Why are you here?"
I looked at Eric and again he didn't look at me. He didn't look happy at all. I was so glad that I wasn't on the receiving end of the icy daggers that were once the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen.
Victor's eyes slowly left my face as he acknowledged Eric's unpleasantness. "I had no idea that you were here. I'd assumed that you'd gone to Florida with so many of the other graduates. I hear that Daytona Beach is quite the spot this time of year." He laughed as he tried to lighten the mood … which didn't work.
"Sure," Eric said. "I guess that's why I didn't see you looking up towards our room last night. Is that the lie that you're going to stick to, Victor?"
Noticing Eric's tense tone, Victor changed the subject. "I just left a meeting with your father."
Eric cocked an eyebrow and said, "Oh, he's home."
"Yes," Victor answered. "And I think that it's a great thing that you'll be working for your father this summer. He has wanted this for a very long time. He's very proud to have you on board. He has wanted to groom you to take over the business for quite some time."
Eric said, "Well he shouldn't get too excited and it's not his company. They belonged to my mother. All of them belonged to my mother. And I'm not taking over the businesses. I'll give him my summer but nothing more. I'm starting Brown in the fall with Sookie. After I graduate, I will focus on the businesses that I want to build. The life that I want to live." He then said, "This is the girl that I intend to marry. Unlike my father, the businesses won't take over my life. They cannot be more important than anything else. I'm not going to lose her."
I squeezed his hand as I stood by his side.
"It is never going to happen," Victor replied.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Eric's announcement appears to have put a hitch in some plans that Victor had for my boyfriend. His voice and face were cold and hard. His body tensed as he looked at me.
He began to shake his head no. "You're both too young," he concluded. "It will never happen."
"I promise you," Eric said. "It will happen. She is mine and in our future, she will be mine in name as well."
"You both want this?" Victor asked as he frowned at us.
"Yes," Eric answered.
I turned as red as a baboon's behind. Eric has always said that we'd get married but he'd never said it so seriously … not to people that he knows ... adults. In all honesty, I've only ever heard him say it to those closest to us. They all looked at me and waited for my response.
I said the only thing I could say. "I want nothing more than to spend my life with him. Eric is everything and I can't imagine being without him. He's the one that I want for the rest of my life. I love him."
He leaned down and kissed me as I placed my hand on his chest.
"Does your father know this?" Clancy interrupted.
I could tell by the disgusted look on his face that he didn't approve of Eric marrying my kind; someone that looks and sounds as if she's from the wrong side of the tracks; someone that is not of the right breeding, the help.
André decided to chime in as well. "He certainly didn't mention any wedding plans to either of us. Eric, I agree with Victor. You are far too young to get married. I'm sure that your father would share my sentiments." He turned his nose up at me. "Some young ladies may try to trap you."
My eyes widened at his insinuation. "I would never do that to him. I love him. I'm not that type of ...," I began as I rapidly shook my head no.
Before I knew it, Eric had Andre pinned against the wall. "Do you like your job, André?"
André nodded.
Stepping in closer to André's body, Eric looked into his eyes and said, "Listen to me and listen to me carefully. You will lose everything that you've ever worked for if you ever disrespect her again. Do you understand me?"
The entire restaurant was instantly quiet and surprised; almost as surprised as I was. I've seen Eric attack the teenage boys that we went to school with but never a grown man. And he didn't show an ounce of fear. I was shocked at what I'd just seen. So was André. The most that he could do was nod.
I went to Eric and placed my hand on his arm. "It's okay, Eric. He didn't hurt me. He can think what he wants. He doesn't have the power to define who we are and what we are to each other. Let him go," I said. "Don't let their skepticism ruin our perfect weekend."
Eric looked at me over his shoulder.
"Come on, baby," I said. "Let him go. This is our time."
He gave me a slight nod as he released André and returned to my side.
"I apologize, Mr. Northman," André said.
What happened to calling him Eric? Smug bastards.
"I don't want or need your fucking apology," he growled. "Apologize to her."
Staring at me, André said, "You have my sincerest apologies, Ms. Stackhouse."
Though I could tell that he didn't mean it, I accepted it. "Thank you."
Eric quickly took my hand into his and held onto it as tightly but as gently as he could. That's when I noticed that André was sweating and flustered. I'd kind of hoped that he'd peed his pants. I even looked to see if it'd happened.
It didn't.
Eric's cool blue eyes stared viciously at each man standing before him; ignoring André's apology. "He may not have mentioned it because it has nothing to do with you … either of you and that includes my father. My plans are just as they should be; my plans. I don't need my father's approval or yours."
While Eric reprimanded André and Clancy, Victor stared at me. His lustful eyes traveled over my body again. He licked his lips as I was trapped by his uncomfortable gaze. Luckily André's talk of Eric's father's business plans cut into Victor's ugly stare.
"Your father has lots of plans for Louisiana. He wants to see the small, rural areas prosper. He wants you to be with him when he makes this happen." He talked some more about land and this and that and some more of this and that I didn't want to hear. "He came home early from his trip so that you could get started on learning the family business. He arrived yesterday."
And that's why Eric saw Victor. He was there to let Eric know that his dad has returned home. And obviously Eric was thinking the same thing that I was but he voiced his thoughts.
A short chuckle escaped Eric. "He came home to get me to start learning the ins and outs of my mother's businesses but he couldn't come to my graduation. Priceless," he mumbled. I could tell that it hurt him but I said nothing. This is something that we will discuss in private.
"Your father loves you," André prattled on. "It's just that there was some important business that he had to take care of."
"Of course," Eric replied. "There's always something more important than his family. My mother knew that better than anyone."
I wanted to comfort him but I knew better. Eric doesn't like pity and he wouldn't appreciate me pacifying him in front of a group of men that he obviously hates. So, for a few minutes more, I stood there and listened to the most boring conversation in the world.
As André talked, I tugged at Eric's hand and said, "I'm going to go over there and sit down. I'll wait for you."
"You don't have to go," he said; ignoring André completely.
"No," I said. "You take care of this. I'll be fine." I reached up and kissed him before walking away.
I'd been sitting alone for a few minutes when Victor decided to come over and sit with me. This didn't escape Eric's attention either. When Victor left the group, Eric made sure that I was in his line of sight.
As he unbuttoned his jacket and sat down, Victor said, "Well, Miss. Stackhouse, you seem to have enraptured young Eric. I've never seen him so passionate about a young lady before tonight and let me tell you, he's had his fair share of young ladies." He looked at me and smiled.
Asshole. He was trying to plant doubt about Eric's feeling for me but it wasn't going to work. I know Eric a lot better than Victor appears to. I wanted to give him the finger but young ladies don't behave like that; at least not in public. So, I did what I do best, I ignored the bully and remained a lady.
"So," he said, as he crossed his legs. "Tell me a little about yourself. Since you and Eric expect to get married, I feel that we should get to know one another. We'll practically be family."
Not really but okay.
Sighing, I said, "There's nothing to tell. I have a brother and I have grandparents. We moved in with my grandparents after our parents died. They've raised us as best as they could; my brother and I. We've lived in Bon Temps all of our lives."
When I mentioned Bon Temps, he looked in the direction of where Eric was standing and then back to me. "We're not rich but we're comfortable and we're happy. I come from a good family. We have values and we love each other."
"Bon Temps," Victor said. "I've heard of Bon Temps. I've never had the pleasure of visiting the quaint, little town. Working class citizens live there; not much there as far as commerce goes." He looked out into space before he spoke again. "Eric went to the local high school from what I've heard. That's where he met you, I assume. His father wanted him to go to Brookwood Academy. I agree with Appius. I believe that school would have better suited him."
He looked me up and down as if it was more than evident that I didn't come from money and that I bought my shoes from Payless. He wanted to say that if Eric had gone to Brookwood, he would have met a better class of girlfriends. I could see it in his eyes. I could almost hear him thinking it.
"And you're going to Brown?" He didn't try to hide the wonder in his voice.
"You're surprised that I'm smart? Because I'm not of the upper crust, I'm supposed to be stupid. Is that what you're saying?" I would've been insulted if the insult was coming from someone that mattered.
He only stared at me. He almost had a smile on his face.
"I guess you are," I said as I nodded. "Well there is only one way that a girl like me can get into Brown, right? I guess I could become a stripper to pay for my education. That's what girls like me do, right? I'm not smart enough to get a full ride to a school like Brown. It's not the best of the best but it's a little too good for someone like me. Things like that just don't happen for girls like me."
From the look in his face, he'd never expected the answers that I'd given him. My eyes never left his face.
Victor sat back on the bench and propped his leg upon his knee. He draped his arm over the back of the bench as he leaned back. He seemed impressed by my gumption, as Gran would call it. "You're a feisty one, Miss. Stackhouse. I like you. Women like you always do something to me."
I hoped they kicked him in his balls so hard that they were lodged in his freaking nostrils. I wanted to say that but as I said before, I'm a lady.
"I usually am when I'm insulted and someone implies that I'm not good enough for Eric or smart enough to succeed." I stood up and looked down at Victor. "I can't say that I like you or that it was nice meeting you because I don't and it wasn't. And I sincerely hope that I never see you again, Mr. Madden."
Victor, once again, looked amused at what I'd just said but that look of amusement didn't last very long. He stared me in my eyes and said, "You know that there's no way that you and Eric will ever marry. You are not in his future."
I shook my head no and said, "No. I don't know that. And we are each other's future. What Eric and I do is none of your concern. And I as I said before, I hope that I never have to see you again, Mr. Madden."
I didn't realize that Eric was standing behind me until I heard his voice. "Is there a problem?" he asked when he came over to us. All the while, he was looking at Victor.
Looking up at Eric and smiling, I said no. "Victor was asking me how I got into Brown." I returned my gaze to Victor. "I told him that my big brain was the ticket." There was no need in telling Eric the rest of what Victor said to or thought of me. They'd already tried ruining our night. I wasn't going to let them take anything from us.
Victor replied. "I am impressed with her educational aspirations and dreams. If you felt insulted by my curiosities, Miss. Stackhouse, I do apologize." Once he'd stood and buttoned his suit jacket, he asked Eric, "Does your father know about Miss. Stackhouse?" He stared at me and said, "I'm sure that your father would be more than interested to meet your girlfriend."
"Yes, he does know about her," Eric said. His posture changed as he stepped in front of me. I've seen this before from Eric. He'd beaten a couple of football players to defend my honor. "I have no reason to hide her from my father. He knows that she is mine. My mother always adored her. Remember, your respect doesn't stop just because my father's not in the room." From the tone of his voice, I knew that it wasn't a question and so did he.
The hostess was watching us; not sure of whether or not to pull us from our company. So I did it for her. I tugged on the back of Eric's shirt. When he looked at me over his shoulder, I said, "Our table is free. I can't wait to taste the grilled salmon that you claim is so delicious."
Eric looked down at me and smiled. "Then let us try it, my lover. Good evening, gentlemen," he said as he motioned for me to walk before him.
I could feel their eyes on us as we walked away.
The hostess led us to a private booth in the back. Once we were seated, Eric apologized over and over again for his father's snobbish associates. "I would never allow you to be treated in such a manner. I promise you, it will never happen again. I never should've let them talk to you like that. I should've beaten the shit out of them … all of them." His eyes went back to the now empty spot where the men once stood.
"You defended my honor, Eric. You've always defended my honor and I wasn't worried in the least. And I don't blame you for their behavior. They are a-holes." I smiled at him and nodded. "I'm okay and you're okay. Okay?"
He smiled and agreed. "We're more than okay," he said as he picked up his menu.
I wanted to know what was going on with his dad but I didn't want to make matters worse so I said nothing about it. I wanted to make things better for him. I didn't want his father's minions' intrusions to ruin our time. I wanted to make things better for him and I knew just what to do. I scooted closer to him and said, "You know that this is our last night here and I'm quite sure that we could spend it doing something other than eating some delicious salmon."
I leaned in and kissed my way from his mouth to his ear. Biting his earlobe and placing my hand on his thigh, I said, "We could talk if you want to … or not." I let my hand travel a little higher up his thigh ... lovingly stroking that special part of him that I've become so familiar with these past couple days. Licking my lips, I said, "I can practice a little more on doing that thing that you like so much. I could wrap my lips around your …"
"Sookie," he growled.
I scooted away from him and picked up my menu before saying, "If you'd rather eat."
We never ate dinner that night.
And I got in a lot of practice.
Hey, everyone. I just want to tell y'all how much I appreciate y'all reading, reviewing, and making this story a favorite. I hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter. And if you enjoy this one just as much as you did the last six, I see another bonus chapter in your future. And yes, this is a HEA story. My Eric and Sookie stories are always HEA. I can have it no other way.