Perception

by Nicole Edwards

  “That’s right,” the Brit said, his hands in his pockets as he watched her intently. “That is if you’re game.”

  Samantha turned to look at Logan, who nodded his head in response. Ok, so clearly these three had something going on between them. Xander was curious as to what, but it wasn’t his business, so he kept his mouth shut.

  “There’s my date now,” Shane said and everyone’s attention was drawn to him.

  Son of a fucking bitch.

  Clarissa Tinsley.

  When the woman approached, she smirked at Xander before placing a quick kiss on Shane’s lips in greeting.

  “Clarissa,” Mercedes greeted the woman, moving toward her and embracing her gently. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Me too,” Clarissa offered, her gaze once again landing on Xander.

  Fuck.

  Tonight was going to be the worst night of his life; he could feel it.

  Clarissa Tinsley, former assistant to a wannabe submissive Realtor, current Attorney-at-law. And one of Mercedes’s best friends to boot. Ever since that very first night at dinner when Clarissa had sparked Mercedes’s attention with her submissive admission, the two had become rather good friends.

  The same couldn’t be said for old Tim Johnson. The wannabe submissive had crossed Mercedes one time too many and she’d kicked him to the curb. That was about the same time Clarissa was finishing up law school. The timing had been perfect.

  But Clarissa wasn’t just a friend of Mercedes. She was also a trainee at Kink – a submissive trainee – and for the longest time, Shane had shown a great deal of interest in the woman. Clearly, he was still interested in her if he’d thought to invite her to Devotion.

  Fucking hell.

  “Well, we’ll likely catch up with you later,” Logan offered, obviously catching the vibe that was now coursing between the four of them. Xander nodded toward Logan, a silent thank you.

  He was going to have a difficult enough time dealing with Clarissa and Shane being there, the last thing he needed was for Logan and Samantha to be a witness to this.

  “We look forward to watching your scene as well,” Mercedes said to Logan, her attention divided between him and Elijah.

  With that, Logan took Sam’s hand and turned away. Xander couldn’t hide his amazement when Elijah took her other hand, leading her away.

  Oh, fuck. That was definitely going to be interesting.

  When Mercedes moved closer to Clarissa, Xander moved behind her, trying to keep that one step behind rule in mind. The move allowed him to keep Shane and Clarissa in his sights as well.

  “So, you’re interested in joining us tonight?” Mercedes asked Shane and Clarissa directly.

  “If you’ll have us,” Clarissa said sweetly, her eyes darting up to Shane and then back to Mercedes. She seemed to be ignoring Xander.

  Not that he cared. In fact, it would be great if he could be invisible.

  “We’d love to,” Shane tacked on, wrapping his arm around Clarissa’s shoulder and pulling her to his side. “What did you have in mind?”

  Clarissa was pretty, not mouthwatering like Mercedes, but she wasn’t hard on the eyes by any means. The emerald green silk sheath she wore clung to her body, accentuating her voluptuous breasts and her flared hips. The woman was small. Much smaller than Mercedes and Xander wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.

  He was a big man. Not just tall either. Weighing in at two-seventy-five, Xander worked diligently to build muscle and to maintain it. Based on how slight Clarissa appeared standing before Mercedes, he had to wonder whether she’d even be able to handle him if things headed that direction.

  And he got a sinking feeling that was exactly what Mercedes intended to do tonight. It might not have been her initial plan, but it was just something she would do.

  Mercedes turned her attention to Clarissa directly. “Do you understand what’s going on here tonight?”

  “I’m sorry?” Clarissa asked, clearly confused by Mercedes’s question.

  “Tonight isn’t what you think,” Mercedes stated clearly. “I know that you’ve always known Xander to be a Dom.”

  “Two Doms?” Clarissa looked incredibly curious, and maybe a little confused.

  “Not tonight, no. Tonight Xander belongs to me.”

  “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “We’ve been,” Mercedes looked up at Xander with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, “experimenting lately.”

  Yeah, experimenting his ass. The woman was submissive, even if she was in denial.

  He kept his mouth shut.

  “What does that mean?” Clarissa asked, biting her lower lip as she glanced between him and Mercedes.

  “It means that tonight, I’m in charge.”

  “Oh.”

  “But, I’m all for having you participate if it’s something you think you can handle.”

  Clarissa stared at Mercedes as though she’d just been tossed down a rabbit hole, and she had no idea what was reality and what was fantasy.

  “Can you handle it, Rissa?”

  Clarissa glanced over at Shane, who was clearly amused by the situation. Xander did his best not to fist his hands at his sides. He was here to play along. That was the agreement and by God, if it fucking killed him, he would play along.

  “I think I can handle it,” she said, her attention back on Mercedes.

  Xander shook his head to let her know that was not the answer Mercedes would want, but at this point, it didn’t matter. The statement was out there, and Mercedes would likely inform her of her mistake.

  “I’m going to be lenient with you tonight, Rissa. Only because you’re not used to seeing Xander like this. For tonight, you’ll address me as your Domme.”

  Clarissa looked up at Shane, who nodded in response. So the man was willing to play along. He’d loan out his temporary submissive just to watch Xander squirm.

  And Xander knew without a doubt that whatever was going on between Shane and Clarissa was temporary. There was no way in hell Shane would share a sub if he’d staked a claim on her.

  But then again, the woman Shane wanted wasn’t a sub, which meant for the time being, he was still pretending he didn’t care.

  “When I ask a question, I expect a straight answer,” Mercedes continued. “Yes or no would suffice. So, which will it be?”

  Clarissa looked completely taken aback by the stern tone of Mercedes’s voice. Yep, that was her Domme side coming out in full force, something Clarissa probably wasn’t at all used to. At least not having it directed at her. However, Xander was familiar with it, even if he wasn’t used to being on the receiving end.

  To his astonishment, Clarissa responded. “Yes. I think I can handle it,” she said, her voice quavering slightly.

  Wrong answer again. Xander fought the urge to smile.

  “You can refer to me as Mistress M or Ma’am. Say it, Rissa. Say ‘yes, Mistress M’.”

  “Yes, Mistress M,” Clarissa repeated, her eyes glued to the woman in front of her. Thankfully Mercedes was facing away from him because he did grin.

  He found it amusing, the easy way Clarissa submitted. She was a natural. Even if she was a little too agreeable most of the time. That was one of the main things that drove him crazy about some of the trainees at Kink, they acted like whipping posts. Then again, there were some on the opposite end of the spectrum who wouldn’t know how to submit if they spent a year in the role.

  Clarissa was a natural submissive, one who enjoyed the role. Xander figured it had a lot to do with her high powered career. She was always in control in the courtroom, so in the bedroom, she’d easily hand over the reins, letting someone take over.

  To each his own and all that.

  Xander noticed the way Shane’s hand tightened on Clarissa’s hip, his eyes on Mercedes. It surprised Xander somewhat. The man didn’t seem to have a problem handling Clarissa, but it didn’t appear he was quite as excited as he let on about letting Mercedes take control.


  Welcome to my world, Gibson.

  Xander couldn’t wait to see how that was going to work out.

  ~~*~~*~~

  Mercedes watched Clarissa, noticed the way her eyes dilated as the woman stood motionless in front of her. This was her good friend. A woman she knew to be submissive because she’d seen her interact with Shane and a couple of other Doms at Kink in the years since she’d met her, but never had she been a part of a scene with her.

  Then again, Mercedes didn’t act out scenes with female submissives. At least not unless they’d done something that would earn them a punishment from her. And that was very rare.

  But this… it was going to be interesting to say the least.

  There was excitement banked in Clarissa’s light brown eyes, but there was something else as well. Trepidation, maybe? Figuring she’d leave Clarissa in suspense for a minute, she turned her attention to Shane, who stood rigidly behind her.

  “Do you think you can handle this tonight?” She directed the question at him this time.

  If his posture were anything to go by, the man was going to take his sub and run as fast as he possibly could away from her.

  And that was all right too. She wasn’t going to push them. Sometimes it was easier to think that men could wield the power better than a woman. Then again, Shane had seen her in action, which, quite possibly, might be the cause for his uneasiness.

  “If Rissa is open to the idea, I’m game,” he answered easily, his tone belying the tension she could see in his shoulders beneath that black button down.

  Mercedes hadn’t planned for this. After all, Xander was supposed to be her quest for the night, but she had to admit, the idea of dominating Clarissa had a lot of merit. For one, it would give her a chance to express her dominating side which had laid dormant for too many days now. But it would ensure she didn’t have to see that void she feared she would see in Xander’s eyes if she looked too closely.

  Not to mention, it might help to put a little distance between her and the inconvenient feelings she was beginning to develop for Xander. The ones that continued to grow stronger with each passing minute.

  Just like Xander, Shane wasn’t in the least bit submissive and the worst part of all of this, she knew at some point, she was probably going to have to hand over the reins to him – at least where Clarissa was concerned. Mercedes wasn’t all that fond of co-topping. She preferred to keep everything within her realm of control.

  But then again, she hadn’t expected to enjoy being Xander’s submissive. And she did, even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud. So maybe she would learn something else about herself tonight.

  Glancing back at Clarissa, Mercedes decided right then and there that she was going to keep an open mind about tonight. This was playtime. It was fun. She refused to let her emotions lead her. Not tonight. To see this woman bend to her will was going to be something. It was a challenge that she would grab hold of with both hands.

  A scene from a few years ago came back to her. One she’d witnessed at Kink. Shane and another Dom had dominated a sub – per the sub’s request. They’d sandwiched her between them and made her come so loudly, Mercedes was surprised the windows hadn’t rattled. At the time, she had been impressed.

  The thought gave her pause.

  No, she wouldn’t allow things to go that far. She certainly wasn’t going to share Xander with Clarissa. Not like that anyway. A little touching, a little oral… yeah, she could handle that.

  So, sure, maybe she was having doubts on her ability to dominate Xander, or even her desire to, but she damn sure liked the idea of blowing Xander’s mind.

  It would be a true test – both hers and his.

  Tonight appeared to have taken on a new agenda and Mercedes was ok with that. This was no longer about dominating Xander; it was about showing Clarissa exactly what it meant to obey a Mistress, not just a Master. Mercedes had earned the respect of her peers, and although Xander had effectively stripped her of her control on more than one occasion, she needed a reminder that she was still in charge.

  “X, please take Rissa to the room, and Shane and I will be there shortly,” she instructed, her eyes still fixated on Clarissa.

  Her friend nodded slightly, her utter and complete submission apparent. She was a willing participant, which amped up Mercedes’s excitement. If nothing else, she was going to have fun tonight.

  When the two of them walked away a moment later, Clarissa’s arm linked in Xander’s much larger one, Mercedes turned her attention to Shane, but kept her eyes trained on the couple as they retreated.

  “Well, this is a surprise,” Shane said with a gruff chuckle, sounding much more relaxed than he had a moment ago.

  Mercedes smiled at him as she turned back to face him fully. “Not what you expected, I take it?”

  “In more ways than one.” Shane laughed, a sexy rumble that made Mercedes understand just what Clarissa saw in the man.

  Although she’d never had a personal attraction to him, she wouldn’t deny that he was one damn fine looking man. Blond hair, blue eyes, great body. He was definitely attractive. Way better than average in her opinion. And he clearly enjoyed playtime with his submissives which told her a lot.

  “How the hell did this come about?” Shane asked.

  “It’s just temporary,” she explained, not sure how much she should share with him. She wasn’t sure how much Xander had shared with him. “If you know Xander, you know he’s always up for a challenge. Apparently this was his way of rattling the cage if you will.”

  “I’d say he succeeded. I had no idea.” Shane laughed again.

  “Does that mean you’re good with this? You’re open to whatever I want to do?”

  “If Clarissa is, I’m game. I think she’s open to a lot of things. She wants to learn more, to explore what all of this means.”

  “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, she couldn’t have better teachers. I’m sure you’ve taught her plenty, but you have to admit, Xander’s something else,” Mercedes told him. “But tonight, she’ll get to see it from two separate points of view.”

  “Shit, I’m interested in seeing it from your point of view.”

  “Just remember, tonight Xander is a full-fledged submissive, which means he’ll be relinquishing all of his decision making to me. Don’t look to him as the Dom.”

  “No worries there,” he grinned. “Dressed like that, I’d never take him for anything other than a submissive.”

  Mercedes smiled. Xander did look damn fine with her collar around his neck. “Trust me, I don’t think it’ll be easy, but I assure you, I’ve got a plan. If everyone can remember that this is all about pleasure, we won’t have any problems.”

  “I don’t think Rissa will have a problem understanding that.”

  “Well, if the look in her eyes is anything to go by, I think she’s going to do just fine. And trust me, Shane, I’m going to go easy on her.” She didn’t bother to tell him she was going to go light because she knew Xander wasn’t eager to participate, or that she was beginning to doubt her desire to top him.

  Shane laughed, nodding his head as he peered over his shoulder to the glass room where Xander and Clarissa now stood talking. Neither of them turned to look their way and Mercedes could only guess that Xander was offering Clarissa some guidance of his own. Smart boy.

  “Consider this an experiment, if you will. I’d like to see how she responds to him, as well as to me” Mercedes said seriously as she looked directly at Shane. “I think it might be just what we all need.”

  What she needed was to put some space between her and Xander, but Mercedes didn’t add that part.

  Shane nodded as though he understood, but his eyes didn’t reflect even a hint of concern.

  “Does she have any issues with doing things in public?”

  Shane laughed. “No, no issues. Sometimes I wonder whether all of her inhibitions have been destroyed.”

  Mercedes laughed, thinking about Clarissa and all of the ways sh
e would be able to push the other woman’s boundaries. “All right, then I say we give them a few minutes to think this over. You’re welcome to join me, but I need to talk to someone for a few minutes.”

  “Go ahead. I’ve got someone to catch up with and then I’ll meet you back in the room,” Shane said with a grin.

  Mercedes walked away with a smile on her face that matched Shane’s. This was definitely going to get very, very interesting before the night was over.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  “What is she going to do?” Clarissa asked Xander as they stood patiently – ok, not so patiently – in the room while Mercedes and Shane talked on the other side of the club. Clarissa tried to keep her eyes from roaming over there, but she was having a hard time.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Xander replied, looking calm and cool and completely unconcerned.

  The exact opposite of what she was feeling at the moment.

  “Not worry about it?” Was this guy serious? Clarissa watched Xander as he stood rigidly straight in front of her, his enormous chest rising and falling steadily as he peered down at her.

  This man intimidated her. He always had. He was a Dom, one all of the submissives admired, but few had the gall to interact with.

  Next to Shane, Clarissa always felt small, but next to Xander she felt like a mouse beside an elephant. He was massive. Like a Mack truck. Or a freight train.

  “Exactly what I said.”

  Ok, so he wasn’t going to be much help. Clarissa suddenly wished Shane was there. Just his presence would give her more courage.

  “This is part of the plan, you know that right?” Xander asked as he stepped to the other side of the room, his hulking shoulders and chest blocking her view of where Shane had disappeared.

  “What plan?” Clarissa asked, not really hearing the question because she was suddenly feeling a little intimidated. No. No, she was feeling a lot intimidated.

  “The plan for you to sit here and fret over what’s about to happen. It’s as much mental as it is physical.”

  Clarissa jerked her eyes to meet his, her mouth hanging open. “She’s not going to do something to me, is she?”