Rubbernecking

Chapter 11

His Latest Flame

**

The diversion part of Jason’s plan was the trip he planned.

And inspired.

He played a friendly game of poker with a businessman from Baltimore and won tickets to two Ravens’ games. The seats were on the 40-yard line…

…He bought the tickets.

He’d already booked flights and hotel rooms, and invited his friends. Brandon, Alcide, and Jude were traveling with him…

…Co-conspirators.

They were so excited about the ‘Man-cation’, they grabbed Pam for a group hug and thanked her for ‘letting’ Jason go on the trip before he could explain…

…Their gratuitous appreciation saved Jason from being caught lying if he’d tried to tell her about the details.

Pam dotingly bought a heavy coat for Jason because of the climate difference between Shreveport and Baltimore…

…Such a sweet girlfriend.

And then she realized the games were a week apart. He’d confused Pam’s October 24th birthday with his aunt’s October 4th birthday. The games were scheduled for 20^th and the 27^th.

…He sold it by suggesting he stay in Shreveport and let everyone go without him and showing her birthday gifts to her because he was ready for her birthday three weeks early. She had noticed the dates on his hotel confirmations while Alcide, Jude and Brandon were present. She poorly played off the disappointment, and accepted his promise to make it up to her when he returned on the 29^th.

The time difference between Shreveport and Eijsden allowed him to laugh until I thought he was going to need CPR.

Of course she didn’t know he was flying back to Shreveport on the 22^nd, and Jack and Corbett were taking the tickets for the second game with a couple of their friends…

That’s what made it so much fun for him and, admittedly, me.

My part was simply to convincingly side with Pam when she called to complain about the situation… and be part of the surprise at her surprise party.

Of course I was free to commit my own acts of fuckery and take advantage of the resources and accomplices at my disposal, but Jason didn’t want too much of his plan to depend on me because he knew I had my own ‘shit to do’.

Planning my spin on her birthday was much more fun than grasping at straws for a reason to visit Louisiana.

**

I had the driver circle the block for nearly an hour until I felt Pam leave the first floor of the hotel. And as soon as I stepped up to the registration counter, I saw into Sookie’s office.

She was working at her computer and my recently relocated Witch was leaning over her, discussing a scheduling conflict.

Shortly after Jason and Pam’s visit, Sullivan traveled to Shreveport to compare magical notes with the Stackhouses… When he returned, he announced he’d fallen madly in love while he was in Louisiana and recommended a friend of his as his replacement. Since his replacement was capable, I hadn’t given it a second thought. It wasn’t as though I was attached to him any more than I was attached to the landscapers.

I was surprised to see him at the Palace, but I was far more distracted by Sookie.

‘Out of sight, out of mind’ suddenly had new meaning to me, but to be fair, that wasn’t entirely fitting. I’d thought of her off and on for months, but…

As soon as I laid eyes on her, I wanted her again. I was more tempted than I was the last time we met.

Her hair was lighter… her skin was more golden…

I barely looked away from her when the clerk asked for my name.

“Dumas de la Pailleterie.”

Alexander Dumas would have been obvious to even Pam, but Sookie’s eyes cut in my direction before the clerk could ask me how to spell it.

She grinned and pointed in my direction as she stood up. “We’ve got company.”

Sookie straightened her blazer and left her office to take over for the clerk, like she had during my last visit.

Sullivan followed Sookie as though he was on a leash and stood protectively close to her. While Sookie typed, Sullivan acted as though I’d traveled from Eijsden just to see him.

“How have you been, Your Ma-” Sookie elbowed him to interrupt. He cleared his throat and corrected himself, “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Dumas.”

“Likewise. Louisiana agrees with you. You actually have a tan. You were so pale I was beginning to suspect you’re a Vampire.”

Sookie giggled while she worked, but Sullivan was confused. He hadn’t found a sense of humor in Louisiana.

He shook his head. “I went fishing last weekend with Sookie.”

I scanned her again and nodded, “Sookie’s tan didn’t escape me.”

Neither did the perfection of her cleavage.

Oh girls, how I missed you…

She smirked and asked, “And how long will you be with us at The Palace, Mr. Pailleterie?”

“Dumas, please… I’ll stay as long as I’m welcome.”

Knowing I was part of Pam’s surprise, she raised her eyebrow and asked, “Do you plan any activities that could wear out your welcome, sir?”

“That would depend on my partners. By and large, I hope to find balance between benevolence and wickedness.”

I studied Sookie’s mouth while she nibbled her lip and returned to typing, but Sullivan reminded me he was present.

“Are you traveling alone, sir? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without Lor-” Sookie elbowed him again so he corrected, “Miss Van Baaren.”

“She’ll be arriving tomorrow night.”

“Is she part of the business you have here in Shreveport?”

Klaasje was arriving the night before Pam’s birthday to personally give my condolences for being otherwise engaged and deliver Pam’s gift at midnight.

I simply nodded, trying to remember when I earned his suddenly talkative attention. He worked for me for less than a year and usually left a brief voicemail every couple of weeks to say the wards on the property had been recharged.

Sookie sighed, leaving the computer to walk around the counter and take my bag. “I’ve booked your room for two weeks, Mr. Pailleterie. Let’s hope you can behave yourself.”

“You don’t have to be so formal.”

She nodded and licked her lips before walking towards the elevator. “If you’ll just follow me, dumb-ass, I’ll show you to your suite.”

Sullivan gasped… as though someone poured ice water on him.

I chuckled, “That should be pronounced, ‘Dew–ma’.”

Sookie giggled the only giggle that didn’t rankle me, “My apologies. I’ve always had trouble wrapping my mouth around French.”

As I stopped behind her while we waited for the elevator, I challenged, “You didn’t seem to have any difficulties wrapping your mouth around Swedish.”

When she cleared her throat, it sounded more like a growl… goose-bumps spread over her neck…

Just as the elevator doors opened her cell phone chimed and she pressed the button for the second floor while she replied…

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was trying to seem indifferent towards me.

I inched closer, reading over her shoulder.

The message read, “He seems very interested in you. Do you want me to follow you up?”

I snorted, “Who sent that?”

“Sullivan.”

“And what could he do, other than watch?”

She snickered and replied to Sullivan’s text. “Don’t worry. He’s just a little creepy but he won’t hurt me.”

“Do you think I’m creepy, Sookie?”

She slid her phone back into her pocket and sighed, “I think you’re a flirt. Are you trying to cause trouble already?”

I thought about that for long enough to decide the pins in her hair annoyed me.

As I pulled them out, I nodded. “How is this trouble? I’m not troubled.”

When the elevator doors opened, I pushed the hold button. I needed time to run my fingers through her hair, release that scent, enjoy it as much as possible…

As I backed her into the corner, she whispered, “Eric, I’m working. Stop groping me so I can take you to your room.”

“Are you planning to provide turn-down service again?”

“You don’t need me for that. The staff has been trained to serve Vampire guests.”

“Room service?”

“Live donors. What type are you in the mood for?”

“O-negative.”

She raised her hands to push against my chest as she giggled, “How did I know you were going to say that?”

“Because you can read minds?”

She swatted my shoulder and snorted, “Thank God I can’t read yours. It’s probably a sleazy peep-show in there… complete with sticky seats.”

“So you can read my mind.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed, shoving my shoulders back to squeeze past me and leave the elevator.

I leaned against the wall, watching her hips sway as she walked along the corridor…

She ignored that I was still in the elevator, taking my suitcase to the other end of the hallway and unlocking the last room. I didn’t move until she disappeared through the doorway and just as I reached her, she received another text.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, staring blankly at the wall for a moment before starting her reply…

I took her phone, wanting her full attention, but she reached for it. “I really need to answer that message.”

I looked at the screen to see, “You’re so determined. It’s one of the reasons I love you. Let me know if you need me. Should I book a room for Van Baaren?”

I almost laughed. “Sullivan loves you?”

“You might not want to imply I’m unlovable when I’m close enough to nut-tap you.”

“I wasn’t… You’re the love of his life? The one he couldn’t stand being so far away from? After six days in Louisiana?”

She rolled her eyes again and took her phone back. While she typed, she mumbled, “Yeah. Lucky me.”

I waited for her to finish her text before I lifted her, carrying her to the sofa.

I settled, keeping her across my lap and unbuttoning her blazer. “I think I need to hear this story.”

She didn’t seem to mind I was undressing her.

As I pushed her blazer from her shoulders, she growled, “You seem pretty sure of your immediate future.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? You accused me of wasting too much time on foreplay the last time I visited.”

She nodded. “Yeah, but that was before we found out how crazy-bad things could spiral…”

I teased, “I understand you’re breathtaking as a Vampire.”

She gave me a much more serious look and shook her head. “That’s nice and all, but… the idea of having European Lords gunning for me is bad enough, I’ve been having nightmares about being ostracized by my family… and all that spiraled from an Eric and Sookie who just hooked up for fun.”

I shrugged. “And the odds of that happening for us are practically nil. Those particular Lords have been disposed of and my relationship with Pam isn’t suffering any longer. Your argument is moot.”

She narrowed her eyes and groaned, “Says the horny Vampire who flew all the way here expecting Sookie to be an eager booty-call.”

“I had no such notions. In fact, I was preoccupied by Pam’s birthday until I saw you… And in light of what we witnessed, please don’t refer to yourself in the third person. Now, tell me about your epic romance with Sullivan. Is that why you’re playing hard-to-get?”

“That? No. Sully doesn’t have anything to do…”

“You’ve given him a nickname? How sweet.”

She swatted my stomach and giggled, “His first name is Ignatius, for God’s sake. Even Pam conceded that it’s worse than Winifred.”

“He’s more fortunate than his brother, Evodius… How did you find yourself the object of Sullivan’s affections?”

She quickly tipped her head to the side and stated, “Pam’s a twat… with warts.”

I couldn’t have kept from laughing if I tried. “What does Pam have to do with Sullivan’s looove for you?”

“She started his little infatuation… When he got here, we were introduced and the spaz asked who the lucky guy was when he saw my ring. I had my mouth open to say Darwin, but then Pam went on and on about how I’m completely available. And how amazing I am. And how I need to settle down with someone and have a bunch of kids so she can be an Auntie. And tailoring her idea of a perfect man for me to fit Sully perfectly…”

“What is Pam’s idea of the perfect man for you?”

“Someone powerful enough to not be intimidated by me or my ability. Someone who respects that I like to work and won’t be jealous of the love I have for this place. Someone who appreciates the relationship I have with my family…”

What a remarkable coincidence…

“Pam completely left out that my ‘Prince Charming’ should have a life of his own so he isn’t practically sewn to me…”

“You should consider yourself lucky she didn’t convince him you like the type of man who clings and dotes.”

“She did! Eric, he brings me breakfast every fucking afternoon and smears my goddamn bagels, sections my everlovin’ grapefruits, spoils the headlines so bad I don’t have to read the paper anymore… When I’m working, he’ll come up behind me to rub my shoulders. I can’t tell you the last time I went to my room to turn in and didn’t find a tub full of rose petals. He’s run out of ways to compliment me because apparently I look phenomenal/stunning/gorgeous/spectacular in every-fucking-thing I wear. Gran thinks it’s great because I spend more time at the house now… I’m going to kill him and make Pam hide his body.”

I chuckled, “She’s still punishing you for interfering in our relationship, yes?”

She narrowed her eyes and hissed, “With… great… zeal… I caught her showing Sully a picture of me holding Mini and cooing about how I needed to have my own kids, and whining that her best prospect is Alcide since I waste so much of my free time with him. Sully started an hour-long conversation, playing a what-if game with combining our genetics. Oh, and she convinced him I’m in denial about wanting to settle down. I swear to God, she hired him just to fuck with me… and now, whenever he checks in with her, she sends him to me because ‘you know how Sookie takes on too much’. And since Hadley can’t work anymore it’s the perfect excuse to keep him on.”

“The irony isn’t lost on me… that you’re annoyed by attention women supposedly enjoy.”

“Then you’ll think it’s hilarious that I told him I’m only interested in casual relationships and he said he felt sorry for me because I deserve so much more than sex. Meanwhile, your pride and joy walks around singing Sookie and Sully sittin’ a tree… I know he’s being sweet by pampering me, but even if we were together it would be too much for me. I’m not wired for that. I’ve always been independent.”

I chuckled, “You should just explain that you’re head over heels in fuck with me.”

She giggled, “His head would explode… It’s bad enough that Pam told him Vampires don’t complain about my skills. That poor son of a bitch has convinced himself that he’s madly in love with me even though he doesn’t know the first thing Pam hasn’t told him. Yay for Pam and Jason finding their soul-mate, but why is it that the happier someone is in a relationship, the more they think they need to drive the single species into extinction? Fuck them and their cuddle-fetish. I like being single.”

I slid my hand up her back to find her zipper and began pulling it down. “I think being single suits you.”

She narrowed her eyes, but licked her lips…

In perfect time, her phone began ringing.

Sookie groaned that I should look at her call history because she gets more than a hundred calls and texts from him every day.

I took her phone from the sofa cushion and answered… Sullivan clearly wasn’t expecting me to be the one to answer.

After a brief pause, he asked, “Dumas?”

“Yes. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Ummmm… Did Sookie leave her phone there?”

“No. She’s still here. I answered because I’m annoyed by your disruption. Sookie and I are old friends and we’re trying to catch up.”

“Old friends?”

“Yes. Since you’ve already interrupted, send room service with a few energy drinks… If I remember correctly, Sookie prefers Red Bull.”

“Is she tired?”

“Not yet, but we’ll be busy until dawn.”

Sookie raised her eyebrows as though I was making some sort of speculation…

To prove a point, I tossed Sookie’s phone aside and took her hand to lead her to her feet… and tugged the hem of her dress just to watch it fall to the floor.

Her hands went to her hips and she nibbled her lip.

Icy blue lace bra and panties… against her perfectly sun-kissed skin…

“The website for the hotel doesn’t say anything about the amazing view.”

Sookie moved to lean over me, bracing herself by putting her hands on my shoulders. “You haven’t been here for half an hour and you’re already causing trouble.”

“Perhaps a blow job will straighten me out.”

She snorted, “If only… the last blow job snowballed until we destroyed my place with cum and sweat.”

I nodded slowly, pushing her panties down, then leading her to straddle my lap…

“You’re reading my mind again, aren’t you?”

She giggled as she began unbuttoning my shirt. “You’re a walking hard-on.”

Not usually.

“You canceled our date. It left me feeling empty, Sookie.”

She giggled and leaned closer, whispering, “Liar,” just before her lips wrapped around my chin… she reached down to open my pants, slinking down my body…

Rubbing and nipping, pulling my pants down as she lowered, putting herself on the floor between my feet…

As soon as my cock disappeared into her tight little mouth, my hands tightened in her hair.

I tried to jokingly warn her to never give Sullivan a blow job if she wanted to be rid of him, but my mouth couldn’t form words.

And the thought slipped through my mind that there was a version of me, somewhere, who’d brought over the perfect ‘booty call’.

**

One blow job became an epic battle of wills…

When she realized I was edging, holding back to selfishly prolong that perfect ache, she turned my blow job into a game she had no intention of losing.

She pushed harder.

She hummed louder.

She rolled her tongue over the head of my cock until I squirmed.

I was going to give in, I’d held back until I was in pain, but she quit first.

I watched, completely stunned (if not horrified), as she began collecting her clothing…

“Where are you going?”

“Leaving.”

‘Leaving’?

“No, you’re not.”

She began stepping into her dress and snorted, “Watch me. If you hurt the donor I send up, I’ll ward you into your room until Pam’s party.”

“You’re not leaving. We aren’t finished.”

She stabbed her arms through the straps of her dress and walked towards the door. “Speak for yourself, buddy. I’m done.”

No.

Nonononono. No.

I raced to catch the door just as she grabbed the knob and repeated, “We aren’t finished.”

She didn’t bother to turn around.

She turned the door knob and pulled, as though I’d let her leave, and growled, “I’m not frustrated enough, you’re going to make it difficult for me to leave too.”

Not difficult. Impossible.

I slipped my finger into the back of her dress and ripped it in half. “Oops. What happened?”

Her elbow shot back to hit my ribs, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as my cock…

“You son of a bitch! What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?”

“You can’t punish me because you forgot how to give a blow job…”

She gasped and spun around, slapping my face and arguing, “FORGOT. MY. ASS!”

I made the mistake of chuckling… I’m still not sure how the fuck I managed to make jokes, let alone laugh…

She hissed, “My neck is sore, my throat is raw, and I’m pretty sure you’ve yanked out enough of my fucking hair that I need extensions… You’ve been edging half an hour, you greedy prick!”

I took the only step I needed to pin her to the wall and breathed, “Poor Sookie’s tired of waiting for her turn.”

She shivered when I pulled her skirt up and ran my hand along her inner thigh. “Damn right, I am.”

I lowered my mouth to her neck and asked, “If you’re ready to cum… and I’m ready to cum… why are you leaving me?”

She shuddered as my fingers passed back and forth, slipping over her lips, only grazing her clit…

She whispered, “Because you deserve it for making me wait.”

I deserve to be left near bloodlust?

“Do you think my apology should start with begging or making you cum?”

Yes, I would have been willing to beg.

“You’re wasting time again.”

Oh really?

Her fingernails were digging into my shoulders almost as quickly as I began rubbing her clit…

But the stubborn little bitch held back, edged until she was shaking…

Until I had to pin her hands over her head to keep her legs from folding…

Until she bit through her lip…

That tiny bead of blood that trickled over her chin was my breaking point.

Just seeing it…

I had to taste it.

Tasting just that much…

I had to have more.

I let go of her hands to grab her legs…

One of her arms hugged my head closer to her, the other grabbed my cock and lined us up…

Tight, throbbing, moaning into my mouth with the taste of her blood on her lips…

I came too hard to control myself… and Sookie came too hard to complain when I bit her neck.

From the first mouthful, I knew what Evil Pam had been warning me about.

I hadn’t had enough, just barely enough to call it a taste each time I nicked her skin. There were so many factors at play to taint her flavor that night months ago. She’d been drinking to purposefully affect her scent…

This time was… unforgivably perfect.

Sookie bled the finest Human blood I’d ever tasted.

It wasn’t until hours later, when Sookie declared ‘time out’ and left me on the bed to check the hallway for her drink delivery, that I wondered if addicts usually knew they were taking a dose of something they’d want for the rest of their life.

Did they know their drug of choice was going to make everything else seem substandard? Did they know they’d perpetually crave in spite of an endless supply of anything else? Did they know they’d sink to new lows to get what they wanted?

I had no difficulty seeing Evil Pam’s meaning when she suggested I’d become addicted… The difficulty came when I tried to decide if I fucking cared.

**

Sookie was standing with her back to me when she called, “Eric!”

Her tone suggested it hadn’t been the first time she tried to get my attention.

“Are your legs paralyzed from being pinned at your sides?”

She shook her head, but she was still staring into the living room.

“What then? Should we move to the sofa?”

“Did you hear someone come in?”

“I was supposed to hear anything but you? You’re very vocal.”

“I’d laugh, but… Eric the room service cart’s already here.”

“Now you’re shy?”

“Smell it.”

I left the bed, our cocoon of filth, to humor her. There wasn’t enough time before dawn that I wanted to play guessing games when blood sport was an option.

I passed her and crossed the room to lean over the cart, getting samples from a collection of staff members, including Sookie… When I removed the dome to reveal a bucket of ice and canned Red Bulls (surrounded by rose petals), Sullivan was the only scent that stood out.

“If I had to guess, Sullivan delivered it personally.”

She whimpered, “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Worried about breaking his heart?”

She shook her head, but didn’t answer right away…  She seemed deep in thought for a moment before hissing, “Shiiiiittttt…”

“Can you hear his depression from here?”

She cringed and shook her head again. “No… He’s charmed himself to shield his thoughts from me… Eric… We just pissed off a Witch strong enough to make glamouring a Vampire possible.”

Oh fuck.