It Takes Two

Chapter 18

When Sookie got the go ahead from her doctor, she was free of the cast and ready to begin work at her new job. Pam was right about one thing, her bar was definitely not like others Sookie had been to in the past. It was called Valhalla, and looked to be partly a strip club as well, poles in the middle of the bar where scantily clad women were dancing without a care in the world. Her eyes widened when she saw how little the waitress’ wore, no wonder they tended to get groped all the time. She suddenly missed her Merlotte’s uniform, at least it was decent.

“I know you’re the boss and all, but I’m telling you right now, there’s no way I’m wearing that.”

Pam rolled her eyes. “I already had this talk with Eric. Did you really think he would let me dress you up in our regular attire? I ordered a special, prudish outfit for you. He figured it was something you would agree with.”

For some reason, Sookie felt offended by her implication. “I’m hardly a prude. I just don’t care to dress like a slut, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“If you say so, I can tell you’re going to be a lot of fun,” Pam replied.

Sookie couldn’t be sure if she was being sarcastic or not, but anything else she would have said was put on hold by a booming voice.

“Well, what do we have here? Some fresh blood, I see.”

She turned to see a beast of a man standing behind her. He was huge, even bigger than Eric. Completely bald, and if Sookie didn’t know better, she could have sworn that his eyes were violet, but it must have been the lights playing tricks on her.

“This is John Quinn, one of our bartenders,” Pam introduced him. “You are not to come near her, you understand? I won’t have my brother complaining to me about you again. Don’t forget, one more strike is all you get before I have you tossed out of here. I’ve given you enough chances as it is.”

Quinn held his hands up in surrender, staring Sookie up and down. “I’ll be a good boy, wouldn’t wanna scare the girl away on her first day. I’m really a nice guy once you get to know me, your brother’s just jealous because I can get more tail than him.”

Sookie crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at him. She understood Eric’s concerns now, this man was definitely trouble and wasn’t someone Sookie wanted to associate with. It was a big place; she would just have to do her best to avoid him.

“Oh, damn, I’m already getting the death glare. You must be Eric’s new girl. That would explain why he wants you to stay away from me. I guess he’s still bitter that I took his last girlfriend, if you could even call her that. I’m surprised he would let a pretty thing like you work at a place like this. No worries, babe, I’ll keep my distance.”

There was something about the look in his eyes that Sookie really didn’t trust, but she wasn’t about to let him get to her. After dealing with Bill’s crap, she could pretty much take on anything.

* * * * *

“I’ve gotta hand it to you, Sookie. You’re a natural at this. I didn’t even see you flinch when Victor invaded your personal space. He’s one of the biggest drunken idiots we attract here, and you dealt with him like a pro.”

Sookie was pleased that Pam was impressed, but honestly didn’t know if she could keep doing this every day. It was a job, though, and possibly the only one she would be able to get. Until Pam decided to give her the boot for some reason, she was willing to stick it out.

Pam groaned. “Fuck, how the hell do these minors keep getting in here? That little punk was thrown out twice last week. I need a new bouncer.”

Sookie watched her go deal with the situation, shaking her head in amusement, until she glanced over at the bar and caught Quinn gazing at her creepily, licking his lips in the process. She cringed, flipped him the bird, and then went back to cleaning off her last table for the night.

* * * * *

“God, I can’t feel my feet.”

Eric chuckled, massaging said feet, satisfied when she let out a soft moan.

“So much better,” Sookie claimed. “I don’t think I sat down once all day. Your sister is a slave driver, and you so weren’t kidding about the people who go there. It’s like just because a girl wears a short skirt, these jerks think it’s okay to grab her. And that Quinn guy? What a total creep, you definitely weren’t wrong about him.”

Eric flinched, pulling away from her. “Did he do anything to you?”

Sookie shook her head. “No, I avoided him every chance I got. Luckily, he was too busy focusing on the strippers to pay much attention to me, but I still got bad vibes from him. He said something about stealing your last girlfriend, you never told me that.”

He shrugged. “It’s not important. Sophie-Anne wasn’t much of a girlfriend, he was welcome to her. I just know what he’s capable of, and it worries me having you around him all the time.”

She turned to look at him. “Hey, I told you that you didn’t have to worry. I’ll never go anywhere with him alone, it’ll always be at the club surrounded by lots of people. Plus, he knows that if he tries anything, Pam will fire him in a heartbeat. She made it very clear that his ass is getting canned if he screws up again.”

“I don’t know why she hasn’t fired him yet. It can’t be that difficult to find another bartender, but I trust that she knows what she’s doing. If he gets out of line at all, no matter what it is, you don’t hesitate to tell me.”

Sookie nodded, wrapping her arms around him. “I promise.”

* * * * *

She was pulled out of a deep slumber by a knock on their bedroom door, looking up to see Emma’s head peeking in.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Sookie whispered, trying not to wake Eric.

Emma stepped further into the room, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest. “I had a bad dream. Can I stay in here tonight?”

Sookie nodded, holding her arms out to Emma, who didn’t hesitate to move into them. She picked the child up, placing her in between her and Eric, getting her situated under the covers.

Emma rested her head on Sookie’s shoulder, and falling asleep immediately after.

Sookie lay there staring at the girl, running her fingers through her blonde locks. It wasn’t long before she drifted back off herself.