Silence

I sat quietly in the parking lot of Fangtasia, running my thumb aimlessly around the rim of the whiskey bottle between my thighs.

In the course of three days, things had gone from bad to worse in Bon Temps. It seemed the town had an unrelenting streak of bad luck centering damn there entirely around vampires. The past two days Sookie had been trying to help me come up with something, even going so far as to suggest I move across the country, but I couldn't run, not with Caleb to worry about--and I had done nothing but worry, even though Sookie promised to look after him in the unfortunate event that anything happened to me, though she swore it wouldn't.

Lifting the bottle to my lips, I took a long, slow drink, feeling the liquid burn as it slid down my throat. I didn't know how long I'd been waiting, just sitting on the hood of my car and watching the front door to the nightclub. It hadn't been too difficult to find, especially with the directions on the back of Eric's invitation.

The last few days I'd been thinking a lot about Eric Northman. Maybe he didn't want me dead, or drained, maybe he really did just want to talk because that was the only explanation I could think of for him not killing me right out back of Merlotte's when we'd first met.

Or shit, maybe it was just the liquid courage talking as I'd already downed half the bottle which was surprising since I rarely drank alcohol. I did have a high tolerance for it though, which must have been passed down from my daddy's side as mamma couldn't drink two beers without getting shit faced.

The fluorescent sign out front lit up just as the sun dipped below the horizon. My que, I guessed, setting the bottle down onto the pavement. I was no longer afraid of Eric Northman as I approached the door to Fangtasia, be it the whiskey or the fact that I'd spent the last seventy-two hours being afraid and my brain had simply had enough.

"Well, hello Dolly." Pam greeted, more than likely having seen me approaching on the security cameras.

"Alright, I'm here." I threw my arms out to my sides before letting them fall back against my thighs. Pam just smiled, looking me up and down.

"Eager beaver, are we. Alright, let me see some I.D."

"What?" I couldn't believe she was asking for my I.D. when I was the one that had been invited to the nightclub in the first place. Placing her hands on her hips, Pam held a hand out, waiting for me to hand her my drivers license.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, standard procedure." I rolled my eyes, but complied. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could leave and hopefully never come back. "Elizabeth Ann Mason. How cute." Pam's attitude made nearly everything she said come out as insulting. "And still a baby." I could only assume she was talking about my age, as I was only twenty-two and God knew how old she was.

I held my hand out, palm up, waiting for her to return my I.D.. I hated the photograph so I wanted it back before she commented on that as well.

"Happy?" I asked as she placed the card back in my hand before ushering me to follow her through the door.

Pam didn't speak again as she led me through the door, turning right before the bar and heading down a short hallway. The place looked vulgar, like it had been designed by a teenage boy, complete with stripper poles and a tacky vampire souvenir shop. She reached a door and turned to me with a bored look.

"Wait here." She commanded, heading behind the door and leaving me standing in the hall.

I couldn't say that my previous profession hadn't led me to some pretty shady places, though I'd never been inside of a vampire bar and the absence of Pam's presence made me uncomfortable--I didn't want to be alone in a place like this, even if she was just as likely to rip my throat out.

"He's all yours." Pam returned shortly with a mischievous smile, holding the door open for me. Behind a large desk sat Eric Northman. He was again wearing all black and I found my gaze being drawn to his exposed arms.

"Beth." Again, with the unnecessary pronunciation of my name. "I'm so happy you could make it." He motioned for me to take a seat in one of the chairs, but I ignored the gesture. Pam had closed the door behind me, leaving me alone in the room with Eric and I didn't feel comfortable stepping away from the door.

"Well, you didn't really give me a choice." I reminded him, glancing around the room. It was the type of office you'd expect to find in a nightclub. To my left stood a tall shelf filled with different types of alcohol and True Blood, and the walls were lined with various, grungy posters.

"True." Eric began, standing up and making his way around his desk. "Well, I wish to offer you a... proposition." I took a step back so that my back was now fully against the wall just beside the door. Eric didn't come any closer though, instead he crossed those muscular arms of his and leaned casually against his desk.

"As in I have a say in the matter?" I very much doubted it, but asking wouldn't hurt.

"I want you to come work for me here, at Fangtasia." I felt my eyes widen. Eric threatened me, scared the living shit out me, had me thinking the last two days would be my last so that he could offer me a job?

"No--thank you. Was that all?" I was trying my damnedest to sound polite, but I had no wish of returning to this place. I never wanted to see Eric or Pam again in my life and I sure as hell didn't want to work at Fangtasia surrounded by vampires.

"I am willing to pay you twice whatever Sam Merlotte is." My attention had been caught.

"Why?"

"Much like Sookie Stackhouse, you are... different. There's something about you." Was he referring to the smell of my blood or my ability to read thoughts? Telepathy was the only thing Sookie and I had in common, unless he simply had a thing for Merlotte's waitresses.

"I'm not gonna let you bite me, if that's what you're saying." I warned him, though of course I couldn't damn well stop him if that was what he wanted.

"I want you to be mine, Elizabeth Mason."

"How did you..." Pam. So that was why she wanted me to wait outside, so she could snitch to the boss my personal information. What a bitch. "Right." I breathed, looking down at Eric's shoes--which were also black.

"So, what will it be?" I looked back up at Eric, his blue eyes locked down on me awaiting my answer. I didn't want to be his, but the job had peaked my interest.

"If I say no to being yours, does that take the job off the table?"

"No, but I will be greatly disappointed." His head cocked a little, clearly hoping to persuade me otherwise.

"Will anyone bite me?" I asked, pushing past the subject of being his.

"I will not allow it if you do not wish so."

"What exactly would you have me do?" I'd noticed the stripper poles and I wasn't exactly a very good dancer. I could fuck, but I couldn't swing my ass around a pole without looking like a disabled fireman.

"You would," Eric took a moment, searching for the right words. "Be my assistant."

"Like, what, getting you coffee and taking notes?" I'd never been very organized, but I had to admit it sounded better than busting my ass for tips at Merlotte's. And if Eric was willing to pay me double what Sam was, I'd be able to buy Caleb some decent football equipment this year--he'd like that.

"In a sense, but no coffee." I gave a shrug. Vampires didn't drink coffee, I knew that, it just sounded better than 'blood'. "We could also fuck, if you'd like." His forwardness caught me off guard and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks at the thought of fucking Eric Northman. I'd heard stories about vampire sex and something was telling me that Eric was plenty experienced in the matter, and though I'd done some pretty freaky shit I still I wasn't entirely sure I was ready for vampire freaky.

"Um, uh." I looked away, unable to look him in the eyes as he'd begun to smile at my uncomfortableness. "No, no thank you."

"If you insist." I ran my eyes along the walls before focusing back on Eric. "I'm assuming that you do want the job then? Minus the fucking." I hated him for continuing to use that word.

"Yes." I managed.

"For now, at least." He added, standing up straight before walking back around his desk and taking a seat in his chair again. "Oh, and I want you to quit your job at Merlotte's. You won't need it." He picked up some papers that had been lying on his desk, acting as though he'd lost interest in the conversation because I'd refused his offer to fuck.

"But, if I only work here nights--"

"Miss Mason, I do not like sharing my things." He interrupted, looking up at me from behind the forms.

"But I'm not yours." I hadn't moved towards him, but in my annoyance I'd leaned forward emphasizing the 'not'.

"You are my employee." Technically, I wasn't his employee yet, but I hated the way he made it sound--as if he already owned me. "Take it or leave it." I had a feeling he didn't mean that, but I didn't want to challenge him.

"Alright, whatever." He was such an arrogant prick I could hardly stand it, but as long as he paid me what he promised I could find a way to deal with it. Eric wasn't the first dickhead I'd had to deal with.

"Oh, Miss Mason, one last thing." I'd barely stepped out the door when he called me. "Do you have any...abilities, I would like to know about." Abilities? Was he talking about my telepathy?

"Like what?" I'd decided to play stupid, though he didn't seem to be buying it. In a fraction of a second he was in front of me, just like he'd done at the bar, towering over me and looking very displeased by what I'd said.

"Do not lie to me." Something changed in his face. It was almost as though he was trying to hypnotize me with his gaze and it was making me uncomfortable, like he was trying to absorb my brown eyes in his blue ones. "Tell me the truth, can you also hear people's thoughts?" He knew about Sookie. It suddenly made all the more sense to me why mamma always told me to keep it secret, because shit like this would happen, but Eric didn't know about my abilities because he was asking me straight out.

"Eric, I have no idea what you're talking about." His eyes seemed to flicker down to my lips for a moment, before scanning the entirety of my face, like he was trying to figure me out.

"Interesting." He continued to stare at me for a moment longer before taking a step away. "You are free to leave. You start tomorrow night." Walking over to his desk, Eric intertwined his fingers, not taking his eyes off of me as he leaned comfortably back in his seat. "Oh, and Beth?" I turned to him once more, watching him as he looked me up and down as though I was his dinner. "Wear something... sexy."