Behind The Public Masks: Chapter Six

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Chapter Six

The weekend passed in a blur and given that she hadn’t heard from either Jackson or Alcide, Sookie was quietly confident that Sam hadn’t followed through on his threat and Alcide still didn’t know that she’d been fucking his father… Sookie had meant every word of her threat to Sam. She had worked too hard for some possessive and jealous shifter to fuck it all up for her. She had never shown any interest in Sam and his continued possessiveness with her was both unwelcome and annoying. His belief that he somehow had a right to try to dictate, or in this case, blackmail her was beyond insulting. If he was smart he would forget about what he saw and never mention it again. However, if he tried to force her into doing something she didn’t want to again, she would follow through on her threat to him. All it would take would be one phone call to Warlow, and the ancient faery/vampire hybrid would make Sam disappear as he did Hallow.

Monday morning found Sookie in her office, sitting at her desk going over the work Only at Night had for upcoming events. Sookie was happy to see they were booked pretty solid for the rest of the year, and by the looks of it they might have to take on more workers soon. She was just finalizing the plans for a party for the Queen of Alaska when her computer beeped signalling she had a new email.

She grinned as she saw who the email was from and opened it.

Sookie,
Here is the information you requested on one William T. Compton.
M

After saving the attachment, Sookie quickly opened it and perused the information. As always, her contact had been thorough in their research and Sookie silently thanked Warlow for introducing them.

‘Name: William T. Compton’
‘Age: 174’
‘Born: April 1840’
‘Died/Turned: November 1868’
‘Place of Birth: Bon Temps, Louisiana’

“Bon Temps,” Sookie repeated, surprised as she kept reading. She wasn’t aware any vampires came from Bon Temps… not that she had ever researched it. “Compton,” she mused, repeating the name in her head. “I wonder if he’s any relation to old Jesse Compton?”

‘Maker: Lorena Ball’

“Lorena!” Sookie squeaked. Now that surprised her even more than reading that he was from Bon Temps. She had met Lorena quite a few times over the years and she didn’t seem the kind to have a male child. Last time she had seen Lorena, she had been happily in a relationship with Betty Jo, the King of Mississippi’s second. There had been talk of the two of them pledging.

‘Known Aliases: Bill Compton, Thomas Compton, Will Compton’

“Seriously?” Sookie snorted as she read his known aliases. “Not very creative are you, Bill?”

‘Another Note: William T. Compton is currently residing in the state of Illinois under the rule of Queen Freyda Nulah. Compton is the Queen’s official courier. He has lived in Illinois for the last twenty years, and before that he resided in the state of Louisiana and lived at the court of Sophie-Anne Leclerq, the ruling Queen of Louisiana…’

Sookie scanned the rest of the report, making notes as she went. There was nothing in the report that screamed danger at her. He seemed like one of the more typical vampires, an ass kisser who rode the coattails of those better than him; Lorena, Sophie-Anne, and now Freyda.

Reaching the bottom of the report, Sookie laughed as she read the notes her contact made…

Compton has no power in Illinois and rumor has it he’s only in the state because Freyda lost a bet to Sophie-Anne and got saddled with him. His position of official courier is actually a farce. He’s basically Freyda’s gopher; he collects her mail. The guy’s a total weasel.

“What you laughin’ at, hookah?” Lafayette asked as he stepped into her office. He arched a brow as he ran his eyes over her. “And who’s yous bein’ fuckin’ this weekend?” he added as he dropped himself into the chair opposite her. Despite what many people thought, Lafayette wasn’t the human partner of Only at Night. His abilities weren’t as obvious as Sookie and Jesus’, but the flamboyant former chef had a bit of Supe in him.

“I’m laughin’ at this,” Sookie replied, turning her computer screen around so he could see the report.

“Mailman?! Mister William T. Compton: The Royal Liaison of her Majesty Queen Freyda Nulah of Illinois is really the Queen’s mailman!” Lafayette scoffed. “I knew that fool be trippin.’”

“Makes you wonder how the mailman ended up in charge of puttin’ the Queen’s upcomin’ party together,” Sookie mused. “I guess I’ll find out what this fool is really like tomorrow night.”

“Tray’ll be here to provide security if yous needs it,” Lafayette told her. Leaning back in the chair, Lafayette kicked his feet up and placed them on her desk. “Now, you gonna tell us who you bein’ fuckin’ this weekend?” he asked with a smirk. “You canceled on me and Jesus, and you looks like yous gots a good poundin’. Details.”

“I hate to disappoint you, Lala, but I canceled on you and Jesus ‘cause Gran decided she wanted to have a family dinner on Sunday,” Sookie replied, explaining why she had cancelled their dinner plans.

“Uh-huh,” Lafayette drawled. “Now that be explainin’ what yous did on Sunday afternoon, but hookah, I knows what a good fuckin’ looks like, and you, my sweet little thang, has gots that look alls over ya face. Now spill.”

“Now, Lafayette, you know a lady never kisses and tells.” Sookie replied.

“Yous no lady, yous a freaky little thang,” Lafayette said teasingly, shooting her a wink.

Few people understood the close bond between Sookie and Lafayette and they were constantly trying to mould them into roles they could make sense of themselves. They couldn’t understand that they just were. They didn’t need names or titles to define who they were to each other. Their relationship surpassed conventional titles.

Friends, family, colleagues, partners…

They were just words. The labels people tried to hang on them never did them justice. The closest anyone ever got to adequately labelling them was when they said they were as close as siblings, but even that fell short of what they were. Because as much as she loved Jason and as close as they were, Sookie would never tell her brother about the threesome she had with a Were and vampire, or how she had finally tried anal. There was nothing she wouldn’t tell Lafayette and she knew the reverse was true.

When Sam had shown himself to be a bigoted fool six years ago and Sookie had quit Merlotte’s, Lafayette had been right beside her. He had told Sam where to stick his job in full view of the customers and strutted out with his head held high. Lafayette had been the one to threaten Sam when he had offered Sookie the money for Adele’s medical care in exchange for her sleeping with him, and Lafayette had been there when she found out what she really was.

Sookie stared at Lafayette and tried to feign indignation; she managed to hold the look for all of two seconds before descending into a fit of giggles. “I had a…” Sookie began, but trailed off when she felt a familiar mind enter the building.

“Sook… Sook, you ‘ere?”

“We’re in here, Jas,” she called out, laughing at the pout on Lafayette’s face. Sookie arched a brow as Jason strolled into her office in his cop uniform. “Whatever it was I didn’t do it,” she added jokingly.

“Course ya didn’t, sis, ya were with me at the time,” Jason replied, moving toward them and perching himself on the edge of her desk. “I already told Bud that.”

“Wait, what?!” Sookie exclaimed, sitting forward as she caught the last part of his sentence. “I was actually suspected in something?”

“Yeah, but I told Bud ya’ll was with me and Portia on Sunday night,” Jason replied with a nod. “Andy backed me up, said he saw ya’ll too. So ya’ll in the clear.”

“I’m in the clear!” Sookie repeated, disbelief creeping into her voice. “Jas, what the hell was I accused of? What am I supposed to have done?”

Jason frowned as he stared at Sookie, her ignorance over the crime taking him by surprise. He knew his sister wasn’t innocent when it came to many things she had been accused of over the years. He had provided an alibi for her many times, but it seemed this time she really was innocent.

“Ya don’t know?” he questioned, flicking his eyes between Sookie and an equally confused Lafayette. “Sam got jumped last night,” he told them, breaking into the story of how Sam had been badly beaten and the bar wrecked in what the police now thought was a robbery gone bad. “He’s got a broken hand, nose, and a couple of cracked ribs.”

Sookie let out a breath as she listened to Jason. She couldn’t say she was too upset over what happened to Sam, and she had a good idea about who was responsible. She couldn’t help but wonder how she was considered a suspect. “Bud thought I did that?” she asked. “Why?”

“‘Parently one of the waitresses… blonde haired chick, real annoyin’…” Jason snapped his fingers as he described her, trying to jog his memory and put a name to the face. “Daphne, that’s her. Well, she’s says she saw you and Sam gettin’ into it on Friday when ya’ll were at the bar. Says ya’ll threatened him and kneed him in the balls…”

“There’s no way she saw that,” Sookie replied, dismissing her claims even if they were technically true. “We were in the ladies room and the door was locked…”

“What the fuck were you doing in the bathroom with Sam?!” Jason asked, cutting her off before she could say anymore.

“Not what you’re thinkin’ that’s for sure,” Sookie answered, catching a glimpse of his thoughts. “I have better taste than that.”

“I know you do, Sook, but that cocksucker… no offense, Lafayette,” Jason nodded at the amused looking Lafayette before turning back to Sookie, “but that coc… cumstain bein’ tryin’ to get you into his bed since ya were barely legal. What the fucker try to do this time?”

“Get me into his bed,” Sookie deadpanned. Seeing both Jason and Lafayette’s unamused looks, Sookie let out a small laugh before adding, “Sam saw something he wasn’t supposed to and he tried to blac…”

“… Blackmail ya into fuckin’ him?!” Jason interrupted, guessing where she was going. “That fucker tried to blackmail my little sister inta sleepin’ with him… I’ll fuckin’ kill him!” he swore as he hopped off the desk and staring to pace. “Motherfuckin’ goat fucker!”

Lafayette chuckled as he watched Jason pace. “Now I’s guessin’ that whoever fucked ol’ Sammy boy up be the same person he saw ya wit,” he said, smirking at Sookie. “Is Lala right, or is Lala right?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessin’ so,” Sookie replied, her eyes flicking to Jason as she heard him mumble about where he could hide a body.

“Mmm, now let me guess,” Lafayette mused, tapping a finger to his lips in mock consideration. “Friday, Merlotte’s, meetin’ wit Alcide, Sammy seein’ somethin’ he shouldn’t… Mmm, hookah, yous got nasty with Daddy wolf, didn’t ya?” He moaned in approval as he stared at her. “You dirty girl.”

“Lafayette,” Jason moaned as he stopped pacing and turned to face them. “I really don’t wanna hear ‘bout my baby sister’s sex life…” he paused as he went over everything Lafayette said before moving his focus onto Sookie. “Jackson the one who fucked Sam up?” he laughed as he saw the surprised look on both Sookie and Lafayette’s face. “I’m not a cop just ‘cause I look good in the uniform. I earned this fucker,” he added as he slapped his badge.

“Always knew you did,” Sookie replied with a smile. “Don’t know if Jackson did it, but I’m guessin’ so. He said he’d take care of the puppy when I told him.”

“Good,” Jason said with a nod of his head. “Fucker deserves a lot worse for what he tried with ya. So why’d Daphne lie and say she saw you fightin’ if she didn’t.”

“I don’t know,” Sookie admitted with a shrug. “I barely know her. I’ve only ever seen her when I’m at the bar. Don’t know if I’ve ever spoke to her.”

“Mmm, well I don’t like skanky ass waitresses lyin’ ‘bout my sister,” Jason growled. “Think I’ll be havin’ a chat with her and find out why she lied.”

“Why did Andy lie and give me an alibi?” Sookie asked, falling back on something Jason had mentioned earlier. Jason and Portia lying and giving her an alibi was nothing new. The three of them had been each other’s alibis since they were teenagers, but Andy was usually straight by the book and as honest as they came.

“Oh that’s simple. Andy hates Sam,” Jason replied like it was obvious.

“Since when?” Lafayette asked, interjecting himself back into the conversation.

“Since Sam fucked Holly,” Jason answered, wondering how they didn’t know about that. “… And Arlene,” he added as an afterthought.

“Why the fuck would Andy care about Sam fuckin‘ Arlene?” Lafayette questioned, shuddering as the image of Sam and Arlene fucking popped into his head.

“Terry,” Sookie said softly, answering before Jason had the chance. It was common knowledge in Bon Temps that Terry had a thing for the badly dyed redhead. “Sam and Holly… When did that happen?”

“Couple months back. Andy caught the fuckers at it,” Jason snarled, remembering the pain on his brother-in-laws face when he showed up at his and Portia’s drunk off his head, ranting about how he’d caught Sam and Holly fucking in the bathroom of Merlotte’s. “Wasn’t even a one time thing. They’d been at it for months. I had to stop Portia from kickin‘ her ass.”

“Jackson shoulda had Sam fixed when he jumped him,” Lafayette said. He was far from innocent and he had gotten involved with a few taken men himself over the years, but for him it was always just business. He didn’t pretend to be friends with their partners and he sure as hell didn’t fuck around where he knew he’d get caught. He might not have been there to witness it himself, but Lafayette knew enough about his old boss to know when he was deliberately trying to get caught. Sam had been skilled enough to conceal the fact that he was a shifter from the town folk, and no one knew he’d been fucking Dawn Green until Dawn had announced it in the middle of Merlotte’s. No, if Andy caught them it was because Sam wanted him too.

“Damn right he shoulda,” Jason agreed, nodding emphatically. “Right…” He clapped his hands as he faced Sookie again. “Anyone asks and you were at mine at Portia’s ’till just after one Sunday night. Before that we were at the farmhouse with Granddaddy Earl and the rest…” Jason paused as he thought of something. “Can anyone say you were somewhere else?”

“Nobody who will,” Sookie replied, fighting back a smile.

“Good… Well, not good ’cause you’re my sister and I know what that meant,” Jason grimaced. “I’m guessin‘ no one’s supposed to know ’bout you and Jackson so we’ll keep that quiet. Don’t want anyone lookin‘ into him. Right, so everythin’s’ good. Now I gotta get back to work.”

Lafayette watched in amusement as Jason flashed Sookie a double thumbs up before strolling out of her office. “Your brother bes smarter than people give him credit fo’,” he said with a laugh. “So whatcha think?”

“I’m thinking Sam deliberately set Andy up to catch him and Holly just like he did Terry with Arlene,” Sookie replied not even having to ask Lafayette what he meant.

Lafayette nodded as he asked, “Ya think he’s fuckin‘ Daphne as well?”

“I do,” Sookie admitted. “It makes sense when ya think ’bout it.”

“Dawn, Arlene, Holly, Daphne,” Lafayette said, ticking them off one by one. “Is there any of the waitresses he hasn’t fucked?”

“Me,” Sookie replied.

“Not for lack of tryin‘,” Lafayette countered. “Oh, and Hadley. He’s never…” He trailed off as he saw Sookie shake her head. “He fucked ya cousin?!”

“While Gran was in the hospital after her heart attack,” Sookie replied, filling him in with some gossip he didn’t know. “Apparently Hadley was all distressed and needed comfortin‘… So he comforted her with his dick.”

“When yous find out ’bout that?” He asked.

“Couple of days after it happened,” Sookie replied. “Well, after the first time it happened. They’ve been fuckin‘ on and off for years. Hadley only called a stop to it when she met Bobby. I saw it in her head,” she added as she saw Lafayette open his mouth, knowing what he was going to ask. “You know how Hadley likes to brag,” she tapped a finger to her head as she spoke. Hadley’s bragging was never done aloud where Adele might hear. No, she liked to torment Sookie mentally by reliving it over and over in her head. “Remember, I was practically livin‘ at the hospital back then, only left for work and when Jesus kicked me out. Well, while I was at the hospital makin‘ sure Gran had everything she needed, Hadley was at the farmhouse fuckin‘ Sam in my bed. They got off on it.”

“How comes you never told me ’bout it?” Lafayette asked. He wasn’t upset just curious.

“I was a mess back then, Lafayette. Most days I didn’t eat unless Jesus reminded me,” Sookie replied truthfully. “With Gran’s heart attack and then Sam’s proposal,” she sneered the words. “I just didn’t think.” Sookie shook her head as she recalled it. It was a miracle she never lashed out at Hadley for what she had done. “The times I did go home, I was greeted by the evidence of their fun in my bed.”

“So let me get this straight,” Lafayette said, his voice stiff with suppressed anger. “Sam offered to give you the money for Gran’s medical bills if ya fucked him while he was fuckin’ Hadley. That punkass bitch!” Pushing his chair back, Lafayette rose to his feet and made his way to the door.

“Where’re you goin’?” Sookie asked.

“I’m gonna go pull the plug on that punk bitch,” Lafayette growled.

“I don’t think he’s on life support, Lafayette,” Sookie replied as she stood up and moved around her desk.

“Then I’ll put him on it,” Lafayette threatened.

“Lafayette, sit down,” Sookie ordered, reaching for his arm.

“Hells fuckin’ no,” Lafayette spat, avoiding her hand and spinning around. “That fucker treated yous like a whore while he was fuckin’ your cousin…. He tried to blackmail ya into fuckin’ him… Fuck that shit! He needs puttin’ down!”

“Killin’ Sam won’t change anything,” Sookie said softly, trying to get Lafayette to calm down.

“It’ll make me feel better…”

“You’re not a killer, Lafayette,” Sookie replied sincerely. “You’re many things, but not that. You don’t have it in you.”

Lafayette let out as breath as the anger drained out of him. He knew she was right. He was many things… a drug dealer, whore, businessman, and entrepreneur, but he wasn’t a killer. He was far from innocent, but he had never taken someone’s life.

“Why yous gotta be the voice of reason all of a sudden?” He asked, as he plonked himself back in the chair. “We had to stop yous from beatin‘ the shit out of Crystal Norris when she tried to get it on with Jason.”

“She did more than just try it on,” Sookie replied, growling softly as she thought of the tramp from Hotshot. “That bitch planned to kidnap him and have him bitten so she could have him for herself.”

“Like Jason would’ve ever wanted her skanky ass,” Lafayette scoffed, recalling the situation. “That bitch be crazier than Hallow.”

“We do seem to attract the crazies ’round here,” Sookie said, shuddering slightly as she thought of the Werewitch and panther. “Speakin‘ of crazy; Amelia broke up with Tray…”

“Again?” Lafayette snorted. “That spoiled, crazy bitch throws a tantrum every month and breaks up with him. I’s don’t know why he put up with her.”

Sookie couldn’t help but laugh, knowing the truth of Lafayette’s words. Amelia Broadway was as Lafayette said; spoiled and crazy. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and was used to getting what she wanted… Or she was until she met the owners of Only at Night.

Amelia had fancied herself a powerful witch and had thought Only at Night would be the perfect business for her. She had strolled into their offices one day with her father and his lawyer and made an offer for their company. Sookie, Lafayette, and Jesus had been taken aback by her audacity and let her as well as her father know that Only at Night was not for sale. Not used to someone telling her no, Amelia had thrown a tantrum in the middle of Sookie’s office, and for once even Copley Carmichael had been embarrassed and ashamed of his daughter. In a rare showing of humility, Copley had apologized for his daughter’s behavior and the mistaken belief that the company was for sale.

Amelia had been incensed that her daddy hadn’t been able to get her the business and Jesus has been forced to escort her out of the building. She had shown up just over three months later as a new girlfriend of Tray’s, and despite their reservations, Sookie, Lafayette, and Jesus had given her the benefit of the doubt and welcomed her.

It didn’t take Amelia long to try to interfere with their business; she tried to offer helpful suggestions about their clients and pricing. The final straw came when she arranged for them to organize an event for her witches coven without asking anyone first. Sookie had spoken to Tray and told him while he was free to date anyone he liked, Amelia was not welcome at any of Only at Nights events or their office.

Tray had accepted their restriction without question. He knew his girlfriend had been interfering and had informed her repeatedly that she was out of order, but she refused to listen. Amelia on the other hand had reacted in true spoiled brat fashion and thrown another tantrum before dumping Tray. She had gone crawling back to him a few weeks later and their toxic on again, off again relationship had truly begun.

“So what she break up with him fo’ this time?” Lafayette asked. He loved gossip as much as the next person. “He wear the same pair of jeans twice?”

“No,” Sookie laughed, remembering a time Amelia actually had thrown a tantrum over the jeans he wore. “She decided she’s too young to settle down and wants to sow her wild oats. She’s gone to New Orleans for some witchy retreat shit…”

“So she broke up with him so she can fuck someone at this retreat,” Lafayette summarized.

“Pretty much,” Sookie nodded. “She gave him the whole, ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ crap and told him she hoped they could still be friends…”

“Meanin‘ she plans to return in a month or so,” Lafayette snorted, not even surprised that Amelia would try it. He shook his head at Amelia’s selfishness, but he couldn’t say he was actually surprised as it wasn’t the first time she had done it. For reasons Lafayette didn’t understand, Tray actually loved the selfish, spoiled bitch and always took her back. “That man could do so much better…” He trailed off as a thought came to him and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he stared at his business partner, “Now how comes yous know alls this?”

“Tray told me,” Sookie replied, feigning an innocent look that she knew Lafayette would jump all over.

“Tray ain’t here yet,” Lafayette countered, regarding her carefully, and trying to figure out what she had done.

“Last night,” Sookie said as she tried to hide a smile. “I dropped by the office last night and Tray was here. He told me all ’bout it then.”

Lafayette stared at Sookie, taking her in. He knew his girl better than anyone, he knew her tells and right then her tells were telling him she had been up to no good. “You fucked him!” Lafayette exclaimed, nodding his head in approval, as he realized what she had done. “Mmm, you dirty girl. So Tray be the reason you look like you’ve been fucked good today. Now tell Lala all ’bout it.”

“He was upset about Amelia leavin‘, pissed too, so I decided to cheer him up… With the help of Maria-Star…” Sookie laughed as she saw the eager look on Lafayette’s face.

“Yous, Tray, and Maria-Star?” He questioned, wanting to hear all the dirty details.

Sookie grinned at her friend before breaking into the story of how she had found Tray at the office upset after breaking up with Amelia again. Sookie hadn’t planned to fuck him, she had only wanted to cheer him up. He had looked so despondent that she couldn’t help but feel for him. She had called Maria-Star as she already had plans to meet the young Were for drinks. The two of them were incredibly close and Maria-Star worked as Sookie’s assistant on the majority of her jobs. Maria-Star had been very understanding and instead of going out for drinks she had bought a few bottles and met Sookie and Tray at his place so they could drink together.

The booze had flowed and Sookie and Maria-Star had decided to take upon themselves go cheer Tray up, and they decided the best way to do that was with a bit of girl-on-girl action. After all, what red-blooded, straight man didn’t like watching two women make out. Kissing had turned into touching, touching into tasting, and before any of them knew what was happening they were all naked. Maria-Star had her head buried between Sookie’s thighs while Tray took her from behind. The three of them had spent hours exploring each other’s bodies and Tray could honestly say the thought of Amelia had never entered his head as he watched his boss fuck Maria-Star. Sookie had left in the early hours of the morning, knowing she had an early morning meeting, while Maria-Star had stayed behind to have some more fun. She hadn’t seen either Tray or Maria-Star since, but Sookie wasn’t expecting any awkwardness. It wasn’t the first time she and Maria-Star had fucked or had a threesome together. Tray knew and had seen enough of them both to understand.

“Yous is a nasty girl,” Lafayette said teasingly, lapping up all the dirty details.

“And yous loves me for it,” Sookie replied, imitating his speech and making him laugh.

“I do,” Lafayette agreed. “Yous my baby girl.”

Sookie smiled at Lafayette, happy once again that he was in her life. Her smile turned to a frown as the phone of her desk started ringing and she let out a sigh. “There’s no rest for the wicked. I suppose I better get back to work.”

Slipping off her desk, Sookie walked round it and sat down in her chair as she reached for the phone. “Sookie Stackhouse…” she greeted, giving Lafayette a small wave as he stood up and walked to the door.

“Ms Stackhouse, this is Willa Burrell, the secretary of William T. Compton,” a soft voice said from the other end. “Mr. Compton has instructed me to contact you and inform you of his requirements so you will be prepared…”

Sookie rolled her eyes as she listened to the young woman give her Compton’s requirements. She had a feeling she was going to regret ever agreeing to meet William T. Compton.

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