“Couldn’t be better,” he told Sierra, turning his full attention to her. “I thought you’d be talking to Sam.”
“I was. For a couple of minutes. I plan to meet up with her again once they get settled.”
“Problems?” Luke asked, glancing around to see if he could locate his twin. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to him.
“Not that I know of,” she said, pulling his attention back down to her. “So, what’s on the agenda tonight?”
Luke retrieved a drink from the bartender and handed it over to her before pulling her close once more. “That’s completely up to you,” he told her as he smiled.
“Really? I get to choose?” she asked sweetly.
Oh, hell. The woman had that devious grin that had the hair on the back of his neck rising. In a good way. “Did you have something in mind?”
“I’ve always got something in mind,” she assured him.
After last night, and the impromptu ceremony that Sierra had sprung on him and Cole, Luke wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his hands off of her even if she’d asked. By the expression on her pretty face, she definitely wasn’t thinking about retreating to a quiet room all by her lonesome.
And for that, he loved her all the more.
“Baby, just say the word,” Luke told her.
Looking around the room once more, Luke found himself smiling. It wasn’t just the club, or the success of the previous night, or even tonight. It was all of it combined. His wife, his husband, and their daughter. Life was looking up for them, he knew that much.
And if anyone who knew him from before were to see him now, they’d probably wonder just what had happened to him. That was easy. Love. That’s what had happened to him.
And now it was time to celebrate.
Chapter Fifteen
Mercedes stood beside Xander, trying to appear casual and unconcerned. Truth was, her nerves had taken to breakdancing, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could tolerate the tension that was building to a crescendo.
The look in his eyes, the one that said things were about to get real, wasn’t helping. The only positive, they were at Devotion and not Kink. She’d be mortified if they’d gone to their regular haunt because she was known there. Here, she was just another nameless face, and if Logan McCoy had mentioned anything, people were already believing she was a submissive.
Ha! The joke was on them.
Shit.
Mercedes’s gaze landed on Shane standing on the far side of the room. He looked up just in time to see her watching him. Without hesitation, he excused himself from the group he had been conversing with and was hastily heading their way.
She could do this.
That statement went on a constant loop in her head, and she held tightly to the imaginary repeat button to ensure she didn’t forget it. She only hoped that if she thought it enough times that she’d soon believe it because at the moment, she was worried that backing out of the whole thing was high on her priority list.
“You look incredible,” Shane said when he approached, leaning in and kissing her firmly on the lips.
She smiled up at him, hoping he didn’t realize just how terrified she was now that he was there.
The sound that came from behind her stopped her heart for a millisecond. She looked up to see Xander glaring at Shane, and that’s when Shane must have realized his faux pas.
“Shit,” he mumbled, staring back at Xander. “I’m… Shit.”
Shane was tongue tied, and Mercedes knew why. If she had to guess, Xander was currently burning a hole in Shane’s face with just a look. Shane had kissed her right on the lips, something that they did all the time. It meant nothing. They were friends.
But until tonight, she’d never been wearing a Dom’s collar.
“Sorry, man.”
Mercedes had known Shane longer than she’d known Xander, but not by much. They were good friends, possibly even closer than she and Xander. She spent a lot of time with Shane during her down time. It wasn’t strange for him to stop by her condo just to chat. Where Xander was the quiet, observant one, Shane was chatty and loud, the life of the party much of the time.
Shane’s gaze dropped to her neck again and then his eyes darted to Xander, who was now standing directly behind her. Just when she thought he wasn’t going to say anything more, he broke the silence.
“That was fast.”
Crap.
Xander’s body moved even closer to hers, his hand sliding to her hips as he pressed his front against her back. He was like a living, breathing security blanket and for a moment, she felt a measure of relief. With him standing there, she could almost envision herself absorbing some of his strength.
She would need it if she wanted to survive the night.
“You’re good with this?” Shane asked, his question directed to her.
There was another unmistakable growl that came from Xander, and she smiled. Territorial much?
“Of course,” she lied. She was committed because she’d made a deal. Didn’t necessarily mean she was good with it; however, she needed Shane to know that she was on board.
The expression on Shane’s face softened and then he laughed.
“M, I’m not sure how he managed to talk you into this, but darlin’, I fully intend to watch this one play out.”
Mercedes didn’t smile even when the Texas twang he worked so hard to disguise slipped out. In fact, another emotion took root. Mortification. She wasn’t sure how she would endure Shane watching a scene. Especially one where she was a submissive. It went against everything she’d worked so hard to build for herself and here, tonight, she got the impression Xander intended to strip her of all her control.
Because he could.
“Back off, Shane,” Xander growled from behind her.
“Yeah, what he said,” Mercedes said, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s fine. And if you want to watch, be my guest.”
Xander’s grip tightened on her hip, and that was when she realized she had overstepped. Tonight he was in the lead. He was in control, and she didn’t have a say in the matter. She knew that based on the way Xander played at the club.
Shane’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of them and then he laughed again. “Yeah, good luck with all of this. I’m still not sure how he talked you into it, but yeah…” Shane stopped talking, but his sparkling blue eyes were lit with amusement.
“Did you come here to play?” Xander questioned, his hand loosening somewhat.
“I did, actually.”
“Did you bring Clarissa?” Xander asked.
Mercedes’s gaze darted behind her. Clarissa? She turned her attention back to Shane while she waited for him to answer.
“Not tonight. She had something to take care of. I promised I’d bring her to the next one.”
“Clarissa? My Clarissa?” Mercedes asked, confused.
“Technically, she doesn’t belong to you, doll,” Shane said with a chuckle. “But, yes, we’re talking about your friend Clarissa.”
Holy shit. Clarissa and Shane. That was an interesting combination. Then again, Clarissa was an unattached submissive, and she had known that her friend thought rather highly of Shane.
“Are the two of you…?” Mercedes couldn’t get the words out.
“We’re just playing,” Shane assured her. “Nothing serious.”
Maybe not for him, Mercedes thought to herself. She made a mental note to call her friend first thing tomorrow. As much as she loved Shane, she wasn’t at all sure he was the best man for Clarissa to be playing with.
“So who’s your victim tonight?” Xander asked, his tone gruff.
When Shane looked over his shoulder, Mercedes glanced in that direction. There, on the other side of the room was a pretty blonde and an equally pretty brunette staring back at them.
Yep, that’s the way Shane played. It wasn’t surprising to see he’d set his sights on two women for the night. It took a lot to hold Shane’s interest, and
although he was a fun loving, laid back charmer most of the time, when he went into full Dom mode, his entire demeanor changed.
He liked a challenge and subs loved him for it. He didn’t play around, didn’t entertain the notion of relationships any more than Xander did. In fact, he made that point clear up front, and surprisingly, women still flocked to him. No doubt hoping they would be that someone special who could change his take no prisoners approach.
God, she prayed Clarissa wasn’t thinking she might be the one to change him.
Mercedes would’ve warned them if she could. But it wasn’t her place. And honestly, she enjoyed watching Shane and his inane ability to bring even the most defiant of subs to heel.
Then again, she had more than enough to think about. Like her own submission, and how, if at all, she was going to pull that off.
She glanced around the room as she waited for Xander’s next command or for Shane to make another snide comment.
It seemed most of the people she’d been introduced to the night before were also there tonight.
Off in one corner, she caught a glimpse of the incredibly handsome Luke McCoy, his husband Cole Ackerley talking to Trent Ramsey, and Sierra, Luke and Cole’s wife, cozied up to Luke’s side. That wasn’t surprising, especially after the impromptu ceremony they’d had the night before.
While Xander and Shane’s conversation echoed around her, the memory of that ceremony came to the forefront, still having the ability to bring tears to her eyes. She hated that underneath it all she had a soft heart, but witnessing the three of them pledge their love for one another like that had been beyond anything she’d ever seen.
Before she had a chance to linger too long on the memory, Mercedes spotted Samantha and Logan McCoy making their way through the club. She glanced up over her shoulder to see Xander was watching them as well. Turning back, she noticed that they’d stopped to talk to a couple she didn’t recognize, but she purposely looked away, hoping they wouldn’t feel her eyes on them.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to interact with them, but if she was going to have to endure what she’d been through last night – although likely on a much grander scale – she wasn’t sure she wanted such an intimate audience this time. Because no matter what she tried to tell herself, this time wouldn’t be a demonstration.
Unable to help herself, her attention was drawn back their way, watching Samantha as she interacted with her husband and the other couple. Yes, Mercedes could definitely see the woman’s allure. Not to mention her very blatant submissive tendencies. That thought reminded her that she’d told Xander he should take on Sam as a submissive because she was clearly more his style.
She swallowed the rest of her drink in one gulp and then turned to set the empty glass on the bar behind them. She needed to get her head on straight and thinking about Xander with another woman, sub or otherwise, was so not helping.
“Are you ready?” Mercedes asked Xander abruptly, interrupting his conversation with Shane.
Shit.
His eyes landed on her, hard yet slightly amused, and she immediately realized her mistake.
This was not her show, and she’d promptly fallen into her usual routine of directing the evening to the way she expected it to go.
Without a word, Xander downed what was left of his drink and then placed the empty glass on the bar before turning to face her fully.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
She’d well and truly fucked up that time. She knew earlier that she’d pushed her boundaries with her sarcasm, but now she could see the retaliation in Xander’s glimmering gaze.
And the chill that raced down her spine didn’t have anything to do with the temperature in the room.
Chapter Sixteen
Xander was adept at controlling his reaction but even more so at expressing his thoughts with just a look. He hoped like hell Mercedes wasn’t having a problem reading his thoughts. The way her pretty gray eyes widened told him she was not far off on assuming what he was thinking.
Rather than address her transgression right there in the middle of the club, he opted to give her direction, a little foundation they could build on. They’d be moving this party somewhere else in the very near future, but until then, he wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
Based on her attitude thus far, they weren’t even reading from the same book.
Xander fully intended to change that.
Right fucking now.
“I want you at my side at all times. Not in front of me, not behind me,” he ordered, making sure his voice remained hard. “From this point on, I’ll make the decisions, understand?”
He shouldn’t have had to explain himself that much. Had she been one of his regular subs, he’d have bent her over his knee and spanked her ass, drawing any and all attention to her.
Apparently he was losing his fucking touch. This woman was getting to him more than he should be allowing, that was for damn sure.
Her reaction was exactly what he expected. She was likely trying to figure out what she could do to pull him back from the edge. What she didn’t seem to realize was that it was a little too late for that.
Undermining his authority as her Dom while in public was one violation he would not tolerate. It was a blatant sign of disrespect, and he deserved more than that.
Xander knew this wasn’t going to be easy and it damn sure wasn’t going to fall into that neat little box that he usually reserved for his subs. But it certainly was going to be worth it even if he had to remind himself that Mercedes wasn’t a sub. Well, technically, she was tonight.
But, he couldn’t be too lenient on her because the woman knew damn well what she was doing. She probably knew exactly what his response would be too. He’d seen her in action more times than he could count. She didn’t take this sort of attitude from the subs she played with. Ever.
No, Mercedes Bryant was hard core, demanding respect from anyone, especially from her subs.
Keeping his eyes trained on her, he waited for her to respond. She didn’t, and it pissed him off a little because he knew she was doing it on purpose. She was testing him.
Topping from the bottom.
Fuck. How had he not seen that?
“Do you understand me?” he asked, his voice echoing his frustration.
For a brief moment, he wondered whether Mercedes was going to lose every ounce of her gumption. He knew the way her mind worked, and if he had to guess, she was quickly rethinking this.
Mercedes had made it crystal clear by her actions that she absolutely detested feeling vulnerable and weak and at the moment, with the way Xander purposely glared at her, he was sure she was feeling exactly that.
Rather than use words like he’d instructed her to, she nodded, and his frustration flashed hot and bright.
Without hesitating, Xander smoothly reached around and fisted her hair firmly, but gently, pulling her flush against him. He wasn’t hurting her, not even a little bit, but he knew the aggressive action had certainly caught her attention.
She looked like she was ready to tell him to go to hell.
To his surprise, she didn’t move, and she didn’t say a word.
But he never said anything either, just continued to pin her with his eyes.
It must’ve dawned on her that he was waiting for a response. A verbal one, because she finally answered.
“Yes, Sir,” she responded breathlessly.
“That’s more like it,” he said, his tone fierce. He leaned down until his mouth brushed her ear before he continued. “Tonight, you belong to me, pet. All mine. I advise you get into the right frame of mind, or you really won’t like what I have in store for you.”
Or maybe she would. Maybe that’s what this was. She was pushing him. The idea made him laugh, except it made perfect sense.
Fuck.
Was she seriously anticipating punishment? Submitting to him by acting out and forcing him to take a harder stance?
“I’ll leave the two
of you alone,” Shane told them and Mercedes did try to pull away from him then.
Xander didn’t allow her to move, he kept one arm banded around her waist, his other hand still fisted in her hair. “We’ll catch you later,” Xander told Shane firmly, never breaking eye contact with Mercedes.
Once Shane had retreated, he released his hold on her, holding on long enough to ensure she was steady on her feet before letting go completely.
“Don’t move,” he told her as he slipped back to the bar and retrieved the small bag that he’d stashed earlier. While he was there, he whispered instructions to the bartender. Once he received a nod of agreement, he went back to Mercedes.
“Since you’re clearly having problems understanding who is in control, we’re going to do this the hard way.”
Holding the bag out to her, he waited until she reached for it. When she looked back up at him, he gave her a wicked smile.
“Go change. I expect you back here in ten minutes. Not a minute longer. Understand?”
“Yes. Sir,” she said, tacking on the “Sir” at the last minute.
“Hurry up, your time starts now.”
Xander watched Mercedes, the bordering on indecent, yet fucking sexy as hell way her hips swayed, as she headed toward the changing rooms closer to the main doors. Part of him expected her to sneak out through the main entrance and never return. That’s probably why he kept an eye on her until she disappeared into the first room.
“Please tell me you know what the fuck you’re doing.”
Xander turned to see Shane glaring at him.
“I thought you were going to do your own thing,” Xander retorted, suddenly wishing he had another drink.
This was going to be a long night and as much as he anticipated it, he was already getting worked up.
“Do you really think she’s up for this?”
Xander stared back at his friend, irritated by the fact he was being questioned, but understanding Shane’s reason all the same. They’d both always looked out for Mercedes. Even if she was capable of taking care of herself, she’d come to mean so much to them that they made sure she was never hurt.
Perception Page 14
