35

It Would Be Too Easy

Here is a bonus chapter. Those reviews and compliments have made me feel so much better; especially after the day that I've had. This was needed so that I can get the day out of my head. The stress is getting to me but the story is my release. Y'all reading is my release. I can't thank y'all enough.

And River4Jayne, thank you for those wonderful compliments. I'm so glad that you've returned to read the story.

I'd also like to let y'all know that the story is going to be a little longer than 40 chapters. I hope that won't be a problem.

The story idea is mine but the main characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

I hate to admit it but I was late for dinner.

Yep, I was late once again. The second time in one day when I'm supposed to meet with the new boss and I'm late. I know that I'm sleeping with him but it still doesn't look good for me to always be late. He's going to think that I have absolutely no idea of how to tell time or that I'm trying to take advantage of him and our relationship. He's going to think all of those things and he'll have every right to. If I'm to be honest, I think that it's Eric that's making me late. Just being with him and near him makes me forget myself. It's him and that contract. The idea of being able to help set him free has been my driving force.

It has been occupying my every thought since he'd given it to me. I'd gotten so caught up in the contract, that I was late leaving the office. Everything went downhill from there. I never got to rent a car. I was late getting home which in turn, made me late in taking my shower and getting dressed. I was supposed to be at the restaurant by 7:00 but I get here at 7:30.

Late.

Late or not, I'm glad that I'm here. If truth be known, I'm glad that Eric invited me out to the business dinner. I need this break. I've been feeling rushed since this morning. This was my chance to relax … at least until we start talking about work ... if we talk about work.

When I walked through the doors of the restaurant, I exhaled a sigh of relief. The bored and overworked maître d mustered up a smile as he greeted me. "Good evening, Madame," he said. "Do you have reservations or are you meeting with someone?"

"I'm here to meet someone," I clarified. "I'm a guest of Mr. Eric Northman."

The maître d handed my coat to the coat check guy before leading me through the restaurant. "Follow me," he said.

Though I didn't show it, I was impressed with the décor of the restaurant. It was quite elegant. The romantic lighting. The white table linens. The silver place settings. The ambiance was calming and welcoming. The sound of the music as it whispered lightly in the background was soothing. The atmosphere didn't give me the feeling of business at all. And it was a nice feeling.

The bored and overworked maître d led me to a private room that housed a horseshoe shaped table that sat quietly in a private corner. There was quiet music that was piped into the room. It was dimly lit and even more romantic than the full eating area. Eric lounged in the center of the seat. He looked so tempting in his navy blue suit. The periwinkle colored tie set of the blue in his eyes; which lit up when he saw me. He stood instantly and offered me his hand as I walked to him. My heart fluttered at the idea of just simply touching him.

The maître d bowed to me as he took his leave.

Looking me up and down, he said, "You look stunning. Peach is a beautiful color on you." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I began to think that you weren't coming." He stood behind me as he let me slide into the booth first.

"I wouldn't stand you up," I clarified as I began to explain the reason for my tardiness. "Please forgive me for being late. It's that damned contract. The contract that you gave me has been taking up most of my time. It threw my entire day behind. I couldn't stop reading it. I didn't mean to make you wait. Have you been here long?"

He looked at his watch before replying. "Thirty minutes, maybe. I've taken the liberty of ordering our dinner … if you don't mind. If that's a problem, you can always reorder anything that you want," he hurriedly added.

"No, it's okay," I assured him. "I'm sure that I'll enjoy whatever it is that you've ordered."

"Fresh bread?" he offered as he pointed at the basket.

"No, thank you," I said. "I'm good."

I don't know why but he seemed to be nervous. I've never seen Eric nervous around me. It was almost as if we didn't have sex in my office earlier today. It almost tickled me.

He sipped at his glass of wine as he poured some for me. "The contract," he began. "It is quite interesting, isn't it? You can see why I had to stop reading them."

I had to agree. "Yes and yes. I called Mr. Brigant and he and I are going to meet tomorrow evening to discuss a couple of possible approaches to your unique situation. Eric," I began as I settled into business mode. "I want to talk to you about Quinn as well as the contract but the Quinn situation first. I think that he would be a great replacement for me. Do you think that …?"

"No," he said as he cut me off and drained the last of his wine. "We're not going to talk about work tonight. That's not high on my priority list. What I want to do, Sookie, is to spend a little time with you."

I knew that was his plan all along. I didn't let on that I had that idea so I played along. I tried to look as if I was dumbfounded at this revelation. "But you said …"

He waved his hand. "Doesn't matter what I said. We've both had a busy day and now we're going to relax and enjoy each other's company. We are going to have a great dinner. We're going to use this time to get to know one another all over again," he said. "We may even surprise ourselves and forget all about work for just an hour or two."

I eyed Eric suspiciously. Something wasn't right. I've never seen him seem so … so … different. "What's going on with you? Has something happened?"

He outright laughed at my question. "Nothing is going on with me, Sookie, and nothing has happened. I'm just not in the mood to talk about work. I want to relax. I haven't had a real chance to relax in a very long time. And I want to spend this time with you. Talk with you. Laugh with you. That's all I want."

And I could see it. There was nothing suspicious going on with him and there was no reason for me to think that he was nervous. He just wanted some time to be easy and relaxed. After everything that he's been through, I can understand why. I knew that when he invited me to dinner, he had ulterior motives all along. And I don't mind in the least.

I looked around us and I noticed that we were basically alone. Our room was private. Not very many people were close to us. There was one couple that I could see and I could only see one person's shoulder. This entire dinner meeting was nothing more than a ruse. The romantic atmosphere and the calming ambience. The candlelight and the serene music. Eric had no intentions of discussing anything concerning work with me.

I gazed at him as I stopped playing along with his little game. "I knew it. I knew that this was your intention when you invited me. You had this planned the entire time, didn't you? This wasn't a business dinner at all."

He waved his finger back in forth. "On the contrary, my love. You've updated me on what you think of the contract. You've spent most of your day reading over the contract that I'd given to you. You've set up a meeting with Niall for tomorrow evening. You want to talk about Quinn … which has to do with taking over your position as head attorney. As far as I know, that is considered business talk. Am I correct?"

"You are," I said as I smiled at him.

Shaking his head, he said, "I'm up to par. So, whatever you're thinking, it's not true. This night wasn't complete deception to get you to go out on a date with me. It was just a slight deception."

Laughter bubbled up in me. "And I'm glad that it was."

Just then, the waiter arrived at the table with our meals.

Once our meals were placed in front of us and he was gone, I said to Eric, "You are my boss. You've already kissed me in front of Todd. What if someone that we work with sees us here? What are we going to say?"

"We'll tell them nothing because we don't owe them any explanations. This is between us," he said. He inhaled the scents of his food. "Mmm," he said. He looked at me and winked. "It smells delicious and looks fantastic, doesn't it?"

I looked down at my plate and chuckled. "You know, this meal is almost reminiscent of the meal that we never had that night at the bed and breakfast. Do you remember?" Salmon, herb and garlic bread, grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce and roasted potatoes. That was one of the best nights of my life.

A glimpse of the boy that I once loved so dearly appeared on the face of the man that I love just as much. "Of course I do. That was a great weekend," he proclaimed. "Best weekend of my life."

"Yeah," I whispered. I then took a bite of my salmon and it was delicious. The extraordinary flavors exploded in my mouth. It was so delicious that I moaned. "This is exquisite," I exclaimed as I opened my eyes.

Eric was watching me closely. So closely, that I was embarrassed. He looked as if he was starving and he wasn't starving for food. He licked his lips as he looked at me.

I dabbed at the corner of my mouth with my napkin before replacing it on the table. "Why are staring at me while I'm eating?"

"Because you're stunning," he answered. "And the noises that you make while eating makes me want to take you where you are."

I dropped my eyes back to my plate as I blushed. "Your food's getting cold."

"Your vulnerability right now, it is the sexist thing I've ever seen on a woman."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Eat."

And that's just what we did. We ate and we enjoyed each other's company. We laughed and we talked. We reminisced and we shared. I listened to him as he talked about the schooling that he'd gone through while in Sweden. He had to learn everything from the basics to the most complex parts of the business. And from the way he talked about it, he thoroughly enjoyed it.

"School was a wonder for me," he said. "I loved it. It was one of my many escapes."

Gazing into his eyes, I asked, "What was your most favorite class to take?"

"Oh, wow," he began. He grinned as he looked out into nothing. He seemed to really be contemplating the answer. Finally looking at me, he replied, "I don't know if I can choose. There were so many that I truly enjoyed. The best part about being away was …"

As he talked, I took in every word that he'd said to me. I was gone as I looked into his eyes and listened to his voice. I could have listened to him talk all night long. We talked about the degrees that he'd earned. The many places that he's seen. The many places that he wanted to share with me and Flynn. We also talked about what his life had been like. The devastation that awaited him.

He was quiet for just moment. "To live this life, it is something that I would not wish on my worst enemy but what could I do? I was bound … obligated to be with a woman that I could never love."

The sadness in his eyes was devastating. I quickly wiped the stray tear from my eyes as my heart broke for him.

"What could I do?" he asked.

I dropped my head and said, "I should've been there for you. This never would've happened if I'd …"

"No," he said. "You didn't know. I never told you. If I knew then what I know now, things would be different but I did what I believed I had to do."

And over time, he'd learned to accept his fate. He was going to deal with it the best way that he could and he did it by traveling the world.

"Traveling to different countries and meeting new people, that's what kept me going," he said. "I figured that just because I would have to be married to her and into that family, it didn't mean that I would have to deal with them. I had accepted what my life was going to be. I'd practically accepted my fate." He sighed as he shook his head. "It was my greatest nightmare but I have since woken up."

I pushed my plate away as I rested my arms on the table. "What changed things for you? What made you finally decide that you couldn't do what was expected of you?"

Staring into my eyes, he said, "I found you."

I gasped at the meaning of those words.

The waiter appeared out of nowhere and asked if we'd like dessert. "We have a great selection of the finest chocolates and crèmes. I'm more than sure that you would enjoy them. Our twenty-four-layer chocolate cake is absolutely divine. It's been made with the finest chocolates in the world. It can be served with a dish of vanilla ice cream to cut down on the sweetness."

Eric looked at me.

I shook my head no. "I couldn't eat another bite even if I tried." I patted my stomach for emphasis.

"No, thank you," Eric said. "Bring me the check, please."

The waiter nodded at Eric before walking away.

Once we were alone again, I slid closer into him and gazed into his eyes. "I used to believe that it was best that I stayed away from you. That was and will always be my most unforgiveable mistake. I realize that I was wrong. That wasn't what I wanted. I've never wanted that. I'm glad that you did find me." I licked my lips as I looked at his.

He scooted even closer to me and he began to nuzzle my neck. He kissed his way to my ear as I caressed his head. "My Sookie," he said.

"Your Sookie," I whispered in his ear. "I'm so glad that you found me."

Caressing my face, he gazed into my eyes and said something that I never expected to hear. "Tell me to and I'll give it all up for you. I won't look back. There'll be no regrets. It'll be as if none of this has ever taken place. We can start our lives all over again together … you, Flynn, and me. We'll raise our family together. We'll add to our family. We'll grow as a couple. We'll run this law firm together and our lives will be our own. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."

I cupped his face in my hands as I kissed him. "Do you mean that?" I asked after halfheartedly breaking the kiss.

He nodded. "Tell me and I'll let it all go. What do you want of me?"

The waiter had returned to the table and with the check this time. Clearing his throat, he said, "If you're done, sir, here is the check."

Eric quickly removed his wallet from his jacket and removed two $100 dollar bills from it. He blindly placed them in the waiter's hand. "Keep the change and go away," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the smiling waiter said as he scurried along.

I brushed my lips across Eric's before answering him. "I can't believe that you would do that for me. You've given up so much for your mother's company to just throw everything away. If I were a different type of woman, I would jump at the chance to have you throw away everything that you've had to rebuild on your own but that's not me. I can't do that. I won't do that. Not to you."

I could feel it as he smiled against my mouth. "Tell me why." He moved from my mouth to my neck.

Again, another image of our past played in my mind. I tightened my grip on him because I didn't want him to stop but I knew that we had to. Just like the many nights we were in high school fooling around in the backseat of his car. "I can't tell you why if you don't stop what you're doing." I gave him one final peck before removing myself from his body. I did a quick glance around to be sure that no one was watching us and rest assured, we were still out of anyone's line of sight but that wasn't good enough. I wanted him all to myself.

"Come on," I said as I slid out of the booth. I offered him my hand once I was standing. "Let's go."

He readily let me lead him out of the restaurant and into the dimly lit parking lot.

Once were outside, Eric switched positions and he was the one that was leading me through the parking lot and to his car. Eagerness hummed through me as I followed him. Knowing that this man, that this devastatingly sexually, appetizing man wants me, made me feel as if I'd follow him anywhere. And I would've gone anywhere with him. He needed to only ask and I was there.

Once we reached his car, he pressed my back against it and invaded my personal space. The feel of his body pressed to mine caused me to shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

From the look in his eyes, he knew that I wasn't cold. He knew that the slightest feel of him makes me shiver. It's always been him. "No."

"Tell me," he repeated.

"It would be too easy."

He moved in closer to me; the hardness of his manhood pressing harder against my thigh. "Tell me why."

"Because they stole ten years of life and love from us," I said. "I want to break them. I want to take everything from them just as they tried to take everything from us. I want them to feel as we felt. Lost. Alone. Devastated and destroyed. I want to hear Victor begging for your forgiveness. I want to break him down to nothing. I want to fucking end them all."

Eric's kiss was aggressive and consuming. I responded in kind by thrusting my tongue deep into his mouth. I'd never tasted anything so sweet and so primal. His kiss was compelling. It was so captivating that it made my head spin and my heart stop. I wanted to melt into him. He lifted me into his arms as he pressed the hardness of his erection against me. I moved with him as my panties began to moisten. I whimpered as my hands roamed over his body.

"We have to stop," I said into his mouth. My hands caressed the firmness his ass.

He moved in closer to me as he deepened the kiss.

"You never listen to me," I proclaimed as I began to grind against him.

He moved to my ear. "What?"

I began to smile before speaking. "When I keep kissing you … grinding on you like this, you have to make me stop. I can't stop if you don't work harder to make me."

His beautiful laugh filled the night air. He remembered that I'd said that same thing to him the day before we'd gotten our tattoos. He kissed me once more. "Do you mean it?"

I nuzzled at his neck as I shimmied out of his arms. "I meant it then and I mean it now. You have to stop me or else I won't stop. You taste so good. You are my one, true sin. Before you came back into town, it used to be strawberry cheesecake." I sighed and said. "I guess it's gone from cheesecake to you." I licked his lips once more.

He chuckled as he pulled me into him. "No. Not that. That you want to end them. Do you mean it?"

Without hesitation, I said, "With everything in me. Victor has taken pleasure in what he's done to you. He wants to weaken you just as he is. We're not going to allow that." I shook my head to show emphasis. "It won't happen. Not while you have me.

"He's afraid of you. He wishes that he was you. Everything that you are, he wants as his own. He's trying to destroy your family's name. Together, we will destroy his. We're going to discover their secrets and we're going to use them against them. We're going to make Victor Madden regret the day ever crossed Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse."

Before he knew what was happening, I leaned forward and covered his mouth with mine. He remained still as he allowed me to explore as much of his mouth as I wanted. My tongue traced over his lips … tasting the masculinity that is Eric. My hands began to caress his muscular chest. My fingers brushed lightly against his nipple … causing his heartbeat to race as it thudded loudly in his chest. He moaned as my tongue invade his mouth.

I smiled as I basked in the power that I have over him. The way that he responded to my touch … my kiss … made me want take him where he was. My fingers traveled over his abs and down to his belt buckle. I kissed my way from his mouth and to his ear. "Take me home," I ordered. "I want you to fuck me."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Eric and I stumbled into our home as we kissed and pawed at each other. He kicked the door closed behind him as we ripped at our clothes. Our kisses were heated and primal. My hands caressed the muscular planes of his back. His tongue penetrated my mouth as my fingers dug into him.

His hands encircled my breasts as my bra went flying across the room. His fingers brushed slightly against my nipples. I shivered as I moaned his name. "Eric."

He smiled against my mouth as he lifted me into his arms. The feel of him scooping me into his arms made me realize his power. He is a man that takes what he wants and what he wants is me. My kisses became even more fevered … urgent. I wanted him more than I needed to breathe. Fire filled me as he held me in his arms. I'd assumed that we were going to our bedroom but he carried me into the kitchen. I wanted the bed. I needed the bed.

"Please," I begged as his grip tightened on me.

He gazed into my eyes as he placed me on the island and stood in between my legs. He took my nipple into his mouth and I swear, I had an orgasm. I pressed my wet, lace panties against his cock as he rubbed himself against me. He then reached in between us and traced his fingers along my already swollen lips … causing me more agony than pleasure. I wanted more.

"Eric!"

He removed his fingers from my swollen lips and placed them in the waistband of my panties … but nothing happened. He suddenly removed his fingers and stared down at me. Doing nothing. Not moving. Only staring.

I was frowned and panting. Waiting for more. My body was begging for him to touch me … anywhere.

Before I knew it, he'd slowly inserted three inside of me. His arm was wrapped around my waist as he finger fucked me. Flicking his thumb back and forth over my nub. With his mouth on my nipples and his fingers working inside of me, I was on the precipice of ecstasy. He was pushing me further and faster over the edge and I was willing to fall. And just as my orgasm ravished me, he removed his fingers and replaced them with his mouth.

"Oh, God!" I screamed out.

His tongue flicked back and forth over the sensitive parts of my nub as I shook my head no. I couldn't take anymore but I couldn't stop him. I held his head into place as he made love to me with his tongue. My third orgasm washed over me as I grabbed the edge of the countertops while Eric's arm was wrapped securely around my waist.

With his arm still around my waist, he stood tall and removed his underwear. The monster had finally been released. He stroked his cock as he gripped my hair in his hand and forced my head back. He kissed and licked the most sensitive parts of my neck. He kissed his way to my ear and whispered, "Turn around and show me what you want."

Mindless with need, I did as he ordered of me. I spread my legs wide as I gripped the edges of the countertop once more. Glancing at him over my shoulder, I just stared. I was too spent to speak but not too spent to want what was waiting for me.

Eric placed his hands on my hips as readied himself to enter me. He pushed himself inside of me and moaned. I gasped in ecstasy as my body trembled from just the feel of him inside of me.

As he pumped slowly in and out of me, he asked, "What do you want, Ms. Stackhouse?"

"All of you," I grunted as he fucked me.

I could almost feel Eric's arrogance and triumph as he plunged in and out of me. With each thrust, he went deeper inside of me. I've never known such desire. It was so good that sobs began to tear through me. I surrendered to the lust and the pleasure that Eric was giving to me.

Another orgasm swept through me as I lay helplessly spent on top of the island. Eric then spun me around and held me in his arm. My arms were wrapped lazily around his neck and my legs were wrapped around his waist as he continued to fuck me over and over again. My weary head was resting on his shoulder as he turned us to the wall. He pressed my back against it as he continued to fuck me. If I didn't know any better, I would've believed that he was trying to claim me … brand me with scent. Make sure that all other men would be useless to me.

And I liked it.

I liked the feel of him claiming me as his. My brain and body will always be branded with the name Eric Northman.

A piercing scream escaped me as Eric groaned while his final thrusts left him.

I don't know how long Eric and I stayed leaned against that kitchen wall but it wasn't long enough. There was no way that I could have walked to our bedroom. I didn't have the strength. Luckily, I didn't have to. Eric carried me to our room and placed me gently on the bed. He gave me a kiss before going to the bathroom. I was sleepy and sated but I wanted more. After everything that he'd done to me, it wasn't enough. I wanted more of him. As I said earlier, I wanted all of him.

The sound of his feet pattering across the bedroom floor brought me back to the here and now. With the hot cloth that he was carrying, he cleaned me as gently as he could. I jumped when the heat touched my sensitive parts but settled into the gentleness of his touch. "Thank you," I whispered.

He smiled at me before he carried the rag back to the bathroom. Seconds later, he was back in bed with me. He pulled me into his body and I settled into him. "Are you okay?"

Chuckling, I said, "I'm better than okay."

His hold tightened on me.

"I have a plan," I said just before I yawned.

He began to kiss my shoulder. "What is it?"

"Digging into the background of the Maddens," I answered. "The only way that you will give up your family's business is if we have no other choice. What we'll do is dig into their background and see what we can find."

He brushed my hair from my shoulder and began kissing my neck. "We've been doing that for years and have found nothing. They've been very careful with their secrets."

"You're not me," I retorted. "And no one's that careful. Nothing stays hidden forever. I want to set up a team and with that team, we will find what we need. It's not an impossible feat."

Eric flipped me onto my back and began kissing along my stomach … brushing his lips across my nipples on his way down. I grabbed his head as I began to rub myself against his growing erection.

"What do you expect to find?" He licked from the belly button to my nipples … licking and kissing each one.

"God!" I cried out.

He laughed. "I don't know if you'll find Him anywhere near the Maddens."

I chuckled as I pressed myself harder against him. "I expect to find what you couldn't. They won't be looking out for me. I'm quite sure that Victor thinks that I'm too stupid to even think of looking into his background."

He inserted a finger inside of me.

"Oh, Eric," I moaned as I slowly began fucking his finger. I did my best to let him in on what I've decided so far. "They know what … oh … to hide from you and Niall. Yes! As far as Victor is concerned … please, more … I'm just some big breasted whore that you fuck … oh!" I squeezed my eyes closed as I moaned.

He began to kiss me as he inserted another finger. "I don't want you around him. Not alone. I don't trust him. I can't allow that."

I began to move faster on his fingers. "Yes … I won't do anything alone. I'll always be safe and I'll never be alone." I could feel my orgasm beginning to build. "I'm coming, Eric!"

He removed his fingers and filled me with his hardness. My legs were on his shoulders as he fucked me again. And once again, we were coming together. Falling together.

Sated once again … for the time being … I proclaimed, "Thank God that I'm on the pill."

"Maybe you shouldn't be," he said as I rested my head on his chest.

I glanced up at him and asked, "You're not serious?"

"I am," he said. "I'm very serious. I want this life with you. I want to marry you and have more children with you."

"Okay," I replied. "But we have to do this first. We have to get rid of Victor and Freyda first. After that, we'll talk about marriage and more children."

"Promise?"

"Promise," I repeated. "I give you my word. After we ruin the lives of the Maddens, we can be happy."

He laughed. "There's nothing like destroying a few enemies to give you that good, old fashioned feeling of love."