27a/n: Just a little prologue to get us started. Actual chapters will be longer. I hope you like it!
Secret Service Agent Sookie Stackhouse locked her computer, and then headed for her Unit Chief's office. His highness had requested to see her at 10 a.m. sharp, and you never wanted to be late when meeting with the boss. Especially this boss. He wasn't particularly known for his benevolence.
She smoothed her pantsuit as she knocked on the door. After a harsh 'come in,' Sookie turned the door knob and stepped inside.
"Agent Stackhouse," Martin Scott said as she closed the door behind her.
She gave him a nod. "Sir."
"Have a seat, please," he ordered.
Sookie took a step forward and then froze. Sitting in one of the two seats in front of the large oak desk was one of her fellow agents—Eric Northman. Her eyes narrowed for a second before she regained her composure. "I thought this was a private meeting," she said curtly.
"I don't remember saying anything of the sort," Scott said.
"I guess I just assumed," Sookie muttered as she walked to the chair and sat down. "Northman," she muttered in greeting, not quite meeting his eyes.
"Agent Stackhouse," he returned, his voice laced with humor.
"The reason I've brought the two of you in here today is because I have an assignment for you," he said.
"Which one of us?" Sookie asked.
"Both of you," Scott answered, obviously irritated with her question.
Sookie resolved right then to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the meeting.
"I need you to go undercover for me. As a married couple," he explained.
"As a what?" Sookie asked. So much for keeping her composure.
"He said 'a married couple,'" Eric answered from beside her.
"I know what he said!" Sookie practically spat, finally turning to look at him. After a quick glare, she turned back to her boss and took a deep breath. "Sir, don't you think it would be better to send Agent Godric in with him?"
"Agent Stackhouse," Scott began impatiently. "You don't even know what the case is yet, and while I hear gay couples are all the rage, I need a straight couple."
"But, sir—"
"If you can't handle going undercover, perhaps you could tell me now before we waste any more of your precious time," her boss said angrily.
"No, I can do this," Sookie insisted weakly.
Her boss nodded. "Glad to hear it," he responded.
"What does the case involve?" Eric asked in a serious tone.
She knew she should have been paying attention to what her boss had to say, but Sookie couldn't help her thoughts from turning to the past. She'd just graduated from the academy, and she and some friend had decided a celebration was in order.
They'd spent a better part of the evening barhopping, and when they'd finally made it to their final stop of the night for last call, she'd ended up in a back booth with a stranger making out…among other things. She'd gone farther with him than she had any man she'd actually known and dated before. When she'd shown up for work the next day, she'd been mortified to find out that the man from the back booth—Eric Northman—was a colleague. After a smug perusal from him, Sookie had decided she hated the man. It hadn't taken him long to figure that out, and until now they'd done a pretty good job of steering clear of each other.
Something her unit chief said hauled her from her thoughts and Sookie's eyes flew to his face. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" she asked in disbelief. "You want us to join a swingers club? And what, pray tell, do you want us to do as members of this club?" she demanded.
When her boss gave her a knowing look instead of answering, Sookie flew to her feet.
"You want us to swing?" she asked in disbelief. She almost reached over and smacked Eric when she heard him chuckle.
"No," her boss said adamantly. "I absolutely do not want you to swing."
"Oh," Sookie said with a relieved sigh as she sunk back down into her seat. "Thank God."
"I only want you to pretend to."