Perception (15 page)

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.

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.

“I won’t
hurt her,” Xander told Shane now, fury igniting just beneath the skin at the
implication.

“Whoa,
hold up. I know that. I never thought you would, but seriously, X. She doesn’t
look comfortable with this.”

Xander
laughed, his anger slipping out on his exhale. “Are you fucking serious right
now? When has it ever been about comfort? The whole point is to push them out
of their comfort zone.”

“By
‘them’, I assume you’re referring to subs,” Shane stated angrily. “She’s not a
sub.”

Xander
inhaled deeply.

It was
true, he respected Shane. Hell, he even respected the man’s opinion, but he was
seconds away from losing his shit.

“If I
thought she couldn’t handle this, I wouldn’t have made a deal with her,” Xander
finally said, holding on to his control with a tight grip.

“A deal?”
Shane asked.

Xander
noted the incredulous tone to his friend’s voice.

“Yes.
Five days. She’s giving me five days.”

“For
what? For you to
dominate
her. Are you serious?”

“Yes,”
Xander answered bluntly.

“Is that
all you want from her? To play a fucking game of who can top who first?” Shane
asked, his back going ramrod straight.

Xander
lowered his voice and looked Shane directly in the eyes. “No, it’s not a
goddamn game. Not for me at least. I want every fucking part of her, goddammit.
You should fucking know me better than to think otherwise.”

“Son of a
bitch.” Shane exhaled, his defensive posture softening. “You lov –”

“Don’t
even fucking say it,” Xander bit out. The time for talking was over. He wasn’t
one to explain his reasons, but he understood Shane’s need to protect Mercedes,
so he was making an exception, but he could only be pushed so far. “This
conversation is over. You let me handle this.”

Shane
thrust his hand through his blond hair, making it even more unkempt than it
already was and still the man looked like it’d been done on purpose. “Fine.
Just…” Shane stopped abruptly and glanced behind Xander, his eyes widening.

Xander
steeled himself and turned around. “Son of a bitch,” he breathed out heavily.

“My
sentiments exactly,” Shane said, a low whistle escaping him.

If Xander
had thought for one minute that Mercedes looked hot in that dress she’d had on,
well, he clearly didn’t know the definition of hot.

The woman
had just managed to steal his breath.

And that
was something not many people had the ability to do.

~~*~~*~~

Mercedes
felt naked. Well and truly naked.

Granted,
she didn’t have much covering her, so it only made sense.

As she
made her way across the club, it felt like she had to walk a mile to reach the
spot where Xander still stood, and all the while it seemed as though everyone’s
attention was on her. Although she knew that wasn’t the case.

Or at
least she hoped that wasn’t the case. She didn’t have enough nerve to look
around to find out for sure.

With the
way Xander’s intense gaze raked over her as she closed the distance between
them, she felt like she was standing there without a stitch on. Then again, the
outfit he’d asked her to change into had fit into a tiny bag, so it went
without saying that she was rather underdressed.

“You look
fucking amazing,” Xander breathed out roughly, reaching out and taking her hand
as he pulled her close.

She was
tempted to curl up in his arms so that he could shield her from the eyes that
were boring holes into her much too exposed skin.

The
skimpy, purple baby doll nightie was quite impressive. The expensive silk was softer
than anything she’d ever felt. Had she been in the comfort of her own home, she
probably would’ve admired herself in the mirror, but here, standing in the
middle of Devotion, she felt her anger building.

If Xander
hadn’t been so involved with his conversation with Shane, he would’ve realized
she’d taken more than the ten minutes he’d allotted her to change. In fact,
she’d redressed once before finally succumbing to her punishment.

And here
she was, dressed in her heels, a barely there thong and a wisp of a top that
showcased every one of her assets.

Including
the clamps that pulled at her now beaded nipples.

“Excuse
us,” Xander said to Shane, never taking his eyes off of her.

Xander
studied her blatantly for another moment before linking their fingers together
and leading her away from the bar.

Crap.

She
followed Xander, knowing full well he intended to take her somewhere so that he
could dole out his punishment for her defiance earlier. Part of her was anxious
to get on with it because she needed something to take her mind off of the fact
that she was practically naked.

They
didn’t make it far before they had company.

Logan and
Samantha.

Mercedes
stopped, doing her best to remain at Xander’s side as he had instructed
earlier. From this point on, she was going to make a point to do as he asked.
Since she’d already defied him enough to earn a severe punishment, she was
hoping to earn back a few brownie points. Even if it killed her.

Had she
been her own sub acting out like this, she knew for a fact that she wouldn’t
have fared nearly as well. Xander was being way too tolerant. It made her feel
good, but that’s only because she felt as though she still had the upper hand.
It made her want to push him at the same time.

She’d
committed herself to this – no holds barred. And he’d done the same. So why did
he seem to be holding back as much as she was?

“I hear
this was your suggestion,” Logan said as he approached them, nodding toward the
open space, apparently referring to the themed play going on around them.

“It was,”
Xander agreed, his fingers tightening around hers, adding a level of comfort
she hadn’t realized was missing. “I’m rather impressed with the turnout. Glad
you could make it.”

“We are
too,” Logan added, pulling Samantha to his side gently. “I think my brother’s
even more impressed. Sounds to me like Sierra has taken a particular interest
in some of the equipment.”

Xander
grinned as he glanced across the room. Mercedes followed his gaze, noticing he
was looking at the Sybian saddle machine. She fought the urge to smile.

Yeah, if
Sierra got a taste of that, she could imagine her husbands might just run out
and buy her one. The machine was interesting, but she could imagine the look on
Luke and Cole’s faces as they watched her on it.

“What
about you?” Xander asked, directing his question to Samantha. “Are you here to
play tonight?”

She
looked embarrassed by the question, but she squared her shoulders and smiled up
at Xander, then over to Mercedes.

“If I can
talk him into it, yes.”

Mercedes
decided that she really liked Sam. The woman embraced her desires, and that was
truly refreshing. She knew so many women and men who merely fantasized, never
taking the plunge to explore those fantasies. And here, at the club her
brother-in-law owned, Mercedes imagined Sam felt safe.

As she
should.

“Well, I
think you’ll find plenty to keep your attention tonight,” Xander said, glancing
down at Sam and then back to Logan.