Perception (21 page)

Sam
didn’t seem convinced, but the woman was kind enough to keep her comment to
herself. It was clear by the expression on her face that she didn’t belief her.

Along the
wall, there were different forms of kinky toys, including blindfolds, muzzles,
spreader bars, as well as wrist and ankle restraints. In another section to
their left, there were hoods and dungeon irons, not to mention a myriad of
suspension equipment and even a section for pony and puppy play.

Mercedes
noticed Ashleigh had turned white as a sheet as she continued to take stock of
the various toys people used to entertain themselves.

“Do you
have a favorite?” McKenna asked her now.

“I like
cock and ball shackles,” Mercedes told them honestly. “Cock rings and ball
weights are always a good time as well.”

“You’re a
Domme?” Sierra asked, apparently trying to sound unsurprised.

“I am,” she
assured them.

“Well,
I’ll be damned. That’s fucking cool.” Leave it to McKenna to be impressed. “We
definitely have to have lunch sometime soon. I’d be honored if you’d let me
pick your brain. I’ve considered doing a BDSM series for my online magazine, and
you’d be perfect.”

Mercedes
smiled, but she wasn’t about to make a commitment.

“So how
do two Doms hook up?” Sierra questioned her.

“They
don’t usually.”

“So you
and Xander are… what? Experimenting?” Sam asked, her expression unreadable.

“You
could say that.”

The girls
must’ve been happy with her response because they moved on, continuing to pick
up and discuss the assorted selection of toys and sexual apparatus that they
came across.

Mercedes
was enjoying their reactions, hanging back a little bit when Sam came up to her
side. “Whatever it is between you and Xander, I don’t think it matters what the
norm is.”

Mercedes
turned to face Sam more directly. “Is that advice?”

“No, just
observance. I’m the last person who could give advice. I can’t even figure out
what I want these days, much less help someone else. But I’ve seen the way the
two of you look at each other.”

Mercedes
was quiet, still waiting for Sam to finish her thought.

“Let’s
just say, you don’t see that every day.”

And with
that, Sam went to join the others, leaving Mercedes to dwell on her comment.

And yes,
Samantha was partially right. You don’t see it every day.

But that
didn’t mean it was meant to be.

Xander
was sitting in the darkened living room when Mercedes arrived. When he had
walked in the door half an hour ago, he hadn’t bothered turning on lights or
lamps before he dropped onto the sofa. Hell, he didn’t even turn on the
television to try and pass the time.

His only
thought had been waiting for Mercedes to show up. He hadn’t been able to
convince himself to go upstairs to shower and wait for her either. Truth was,
he wanted to see her the moment she stepped through his door. Simply put, he
had missed her.

And their
brief conversation by phone that afternoon hadn’t satisfied him in the least.
It was the first time since he’d opened the cigar bar that he would’ve
preferred to be anywhere else but there. As long as he was with Mercedes.

But, in
order to prove to himself that his life could still be normal even when he
didn’t feel normal, he’d continued with his routine. Only now, the woman who’d
sent his normal day-to-day into a dizzying spiral was opening his front door
and stepping inside.

“Hi,” she
said when she noticed him sitting in the shadows.

“Come
here,” he said in response. He hadn’t meant it to come out so forceful, but
he’d slipped.

She
must’ve heard something in his tone because she smiled. “Over there? Where you
are?”

“That’s
right.” He smiled back at her, his entire body filling with light just from the
radiance of her face. “Right here. On my lap.”

“Mind if
I take my shoes off?”

“Not at
all. In fact, I’d be more than happy if you’d get completely naked.”

“Is that
an order?” she asked warily.

“Not
yet.”

Mercedes
kicked off her shoes and padded across the hardwood floor. When she hiked up
her skirt a little, standing directly in front of him, he held out his hands to
her. With their fingers linked, he eased her onto his lap so that she straddled
him.

“You
smell like smoke,” she told him with a grin. “I kind of like it. Did you have
fun tonight?” she asked.

“It was a
good night, yes.” He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was fun. Between talking
business and missing Mercedes, he would’ve enjoyed himself more if he’d just
spent the night in with her. “What about you?”

“We had a
good time. I like them.”

Mercedes
had informed him that Sam had invited her for a girl’s night out. When she
hadn’t elaborated about where they were going, he had inquired. And that’s when
she informed him they would be going to a sex toy shop.

“Did you
find anything you liked while you were there?”

“There
was this one chastity cage that I had my eye on.”

Xander
laughed, but there wasn’t an ounce of humor in the sound. Because he knew
Mercedes could be quite vindictive when she wanted to be, he opted to change
the subject before she got any ideas about putting one of those things on him.
After all, he had agreed to let her top him. If she went hardcore on him, he
might just have to wave the white flag. Especially if she got anywhere near his
dick with any sort of cage.

“Have you
seen my dungeon lately?” he asked, knowing she hadn’t. That got her attention
instantly. “Don’t worry, pet,” he whispered as he slid his hand behind her
neck, pulling her closer to him. “Tonight, I don’t intend to tie you down or
punish you.”

He
pressed his lips to hers gently.

“No?
Change of heart?” she asked softly.

“Not at
all. But tonight, I’m interested in pursuing what we started last night.”

No matter
how hard he tried, throughout the day Xander had thought of little other than
what had happened between them last night when they’d finally fallen into bed.
They’d burned up the sheets, and he had been ready for a replay since the
second he woke up. Now that she was there with him, he didn’t want to stop
touching her long enough for her to get naked. Although he would since it would
be for a worthy cause.

Pulling
her closer so that he could feel the heat between her legs against his
throbbing hard on, he slid his hands down her back and cupped her ass in both
hands.

“I want
to be inside of you,” he stated gently. “I’ve waited all damn day and I’ve
finally run out of patience.”

Mercedes’s
eyes softened as she stared back at him. “Me too.”

God, he
was still shocked when he heard her say things like that. He expected her to
try and play it off as a joke. Or even to argue. But her easy acceptance and
admission had hope flaring in his chest.

Sliding
his hands down her hips, he made his way to her thighs and then pushed her
skirt up even higher so that he could feel her bare skin against his palms.

“Stroke
me,” he encouraged her as he leaned forward, urging her to kiss him.

When her
mouth met his, he was sure they would spontaneously combust. The air crackled
and sizzled around them. She was fire in his arms, ablaze with a desperation
that mirrored his own. He wasn’t about to let her go, clothes be damned.

Somehow,
bless her, she managed to free his cock without ever pulling her lips from his.
He sucked on her tongue while he reached for her panties. There was no way he
was letting her up so he could work them down her legs. He’d just have to
replace them later.

A soft
ripping sound had Mercedes pulling back from him, and he fought the urge to
laugh.

“Did you
just rip my panties off of me?” she asked, suspiciously.

“I did.”

She
stared back at him for a minute, not saying anything. Then the corners of her
mouth turned up in a mind-blowing grin.

“That’s
fucking hot.”

And then
her mouth was back on his and Xander thought of nothing except having her slide
down onto him.

When she
rocked forward, lifting her ass from his thighs, he gripped his cock and she
did exactly that.

“Fuck,”
he growled, the sheer pleasure of her sheathing him damn near had him seeing
stars. Just like the night before, the lack of a latex barrier had his blood
pressure spiking dangerously. She was hot and wet. Fuck. “Mercedes…”

He meant
to say her name as a warning, but it came out as something else entirely.

She
didn’t seem to need clarification because she began to rock gently, her hips
shifting as she rode him right there on his living room sofa.

“I’m not
gonna last long,” he warned her when she increased the pace.

“Good.”

“Good?”
he asked breathlessly as he tried to focus on not exploding too prematurely.

“Yes,”
she mumbled against his lips, her hands sliding into his hair. “I want you to
come inside me.”

Fuuuuck.

Xander
couldn’t resist. He gripped her hips, guided her, and then pulled her back down
until he was slamming into her, both of them holding the other tightly. He had
no intention of letting go until she did, but if she kept this up, his head was
definitely going to explode.

“Xander,”
she moaned, pulling her mouth from his. “It’s too good. Oh…”

“Come for
me,” he said. It wasn’t a command, just gentle encouragement. He watched her,
loving the way she looked as she hovered above him, wantonly riding his cock.

Sliding
one hand around between her legs, he used his thumb to rub her clit, urging her
closer and closer. He wanted her to come with him, but he was racing toward the
edge, dangerously close to losing it.

“X!”
Mercedes shocked him with her scream as her head fell back, her pussy clamping
down onto his cock as her orgasm gripped her. He wasn’t sure if it was the heat
of her body, her urgent cry, or the way her fingernails dug into his shoulders,
but he followed her over, his cock jerking and pulsing inside of her.

Long
minutes later, when their breathing finally returned to normal, Mercedes lifted
her head from his shoulder and looked down at him.

“How was
that for round one?” he asked when she met his gaze.

“Round
one?”

“Most
definitely.”

“What did
you have in mind for round two?”

Sliding
his hands around to her ass once more, he gripped her firmly.

And then
stood, holding her to him, his cock still firmly lodged inside of her.

“What are
you doing? Oh my God, Xander. Put me down.”

“Not a
chance,” he told her as he made his way to the stairs.

“I am way
too heavy for you to carry.”

Xander
didn’t respond because the comment was absurd. Clearly she wasn’t too heavy
because he was already climbing the stairs, tempted to take them two at a time
just so he could get to his destination faster. He would’ve too if he had any
inclination of pulling out of her.

But he
didn’t.

Because
the jarring impact of her body against his had him primed and ready for round
two.

Day
two…

Friday

By the
time Mercedes made her way downstairs the next morning, she had managed to
shower, dry her hair, apply her makeup and still hadn’t run into Xander.

She was
only a little disappointed.

Waking up
in his bed for the second morning in a row had been an experience to say the
least. She’d awoken feeling relaxed, despite the dream that had once again
taken the liberty of disrupting her sleep.

Although
she hadn’t been overwhelmed by the urge to run and hide from the man she’d just
spent the night with, she had been a little perturbed that he’d left her alone.
Again.

Knowing
Xander, he was probably on the phone, never mind the fact that it was still
early. The man did little other than work.

Too much.

As she
made her way downstairs, she listened for him, trying to pinpoint his location.
With coffee the only thing on her mind, Mercedes headed to the kitchen, hoping
to find him there.

Nope. No
Xander.

But,
there was coffee which was all that mattered. After pouring a cup, she padded
through the house, making her way to his office. That’s when she heard his
voice. He sounded angry, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Since
he’d instructed her to be with him every moment that she wasn’t working,
Mercedes figured she had a right to violate his workspace even when he was on
the phone.

When she
walked in, the frustration that was written all over his face immediately
morphed into something else entirely as soon as their eyes met.

“Look, I
don’t give a shit. I didn’t authorize it, so you figure it out. I’m not willing
to sell just yet. Let him know that I’ll consider if the price is right and
what he’s proposed is ludicrous. I’ve got to run. Talk to you later. Hey.”

Mercedes
smiled as soon as the receiver made its way into the cradle. “Good morning.
Looks like you’re having a good day already.”

“I am
now. Come here.”

Without
thinking, she moved toward him, sipping her coffee as she did. When she was
within touching distance, Xander reached for her. Rather than worrying that
they’d get a surprise scalding, Mercedes set the cup on the desk and moved into
Xander’s arms.

“I was
hoping you’d sleep longer,” he told her as she perched on his lap and he pulled
her close.

As she
got comfortable, she realized that she spent quite a bit of time sitting on his
lap. For some reason, the idea didn’t bother her at all. “I would have, but I
woke up alone.”

“Sorry
about that. I tend to get up early, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“What
time did you get up?”

“Four.”

“Hmm, I
think there might be a nap in your future,” she said with a smile.

“I like
that idea.”

For the
first time since she walked in, Mercedes realized he was dressed. Completely.
Like with a tie and everything.

“Going somewhere?”

“I’ve got
a meeting this morning.”

“Oh.”

“I
figured you had things to do today,” he began.

Mercedes
tried to push off of his lap, immediately ashamed at her assumption. His arms
tightened slightly, her escape attempt failing.

What was
she thinking? That Xander would’ve just changed his entire day because she’d
spent another night in his bed? Or possibly because
she
felt there was a
connection between them that wasn’t just related to casual sex? Or that just
because her calendar wasn’t crammed full that morning that his wasn’t? Granted,
it was Friday, and she knew the man probably had plenty of things to do.

As did
she.

“I do. I
need to follow up on the Milton building. I’m hoping to hear something back
today.” No, actually she wasn’t, but it sounded good. Xander leaned over and
kissed her, but Mercedes turned quickly, offering him her cheek. “In fact, I
need to go make a call.”

To her
surprise, Xander leaned back, releasing his hold on her as she abruptly stood.
He simply cocked an eyebrow, pinning her with a look that promised punishment
later.

“I’ll
talk to you later, then.”

Ok, so he
probably knew she was upset. So what. If it meant she could put a little
distance between them then it was worth it. Clearly she’d gone and lost her
mind, thinking that a couple of nights in his bed had changed things.

Obviously
not.

“Mercedes,”
Xander said sternly when she turned to walk away.

Knowing
she was going to earn some form of punishment and not really giving a shit, she
waved him off without turning back. “I’ll catch you when you get back.”

As she
made her way down the narrow hall, she heard him say, “You’re damn right you
will, pet.”

At
four-thirty in the afternoon, Mercedes made her way down the narrow hallway
that led to Xander’s office. It was the first time she’d been back since her
less than graceful retreat just that morning.

Somehow
she’d managed to avoid Xander’s phone calls throughout the day and luckily he
hadn’t pressed the issue. Then again, she had conveniently disappeared for the
majority of the day, which meant he was likely going to be questioning her
relentlessly.

She’d
just spent the last two hours with a client, showing him two recently listed
condo’s not far from her own building. Needless to say, she wasn’t in the best
of moods because, not only had she shown him both condos twice, he’d insisted
on nitpicking every last detail until finally he decided he wasn’t interested.

She would
never get those two hours back.

But, on
the positive side of things, she’d been able to get her mind back in working
order. No longer was she reliving the time she’d recently spent in Xander’s
arms. And more importantly, she wasn’t thinking any of those crazy thoughts
about him.

Things
were back to normal.

As normal
as they could get anyway.

Only now
she had to face Xander once again. Probably because she’d ignored his calls
throughout the day, he had left a very lengthy voicemail not long ago,
reminding her of the deal that they’d made among other things.

“Hey,
it’s me. Call me perceptive, but I’ve figured out that you’re avoiding my
calls. It hasn’t stopped me from calling you yet and it won’t stop me in the
future, so if you don’t mind, just answer the damn phone. It would be a hell of
a lot easier than me having to have a one sided conversation with your
voicemail.” Pause. “I can only assume that you’re on your way home and yes, I’m
here waiting for you. So, whether you show up in five minutes or five hours,
I’ll still be here.

“We
have a deal, Mercedes. And I’ve never gone back on my word and I know you
haven’t either and now isn’t the time for either of us to start.” Another
pause. “Damn it, woman. Either give me a call or I expect to see you within the
hour. And if you’re lucky…” Exasperated breath. “No, wait. You’ve long
surpassed luck. Like I said, I’ll be here waiting.”

Incorrigible.

Damn him.

Xander
had the ability to make anyone feel guilty, and he’d successfully piled a
shitload of guilt on her plate although he probably hadn’t meant to.

Or maybe
he had.

Mercedes
stopped short just outside of Xander’s office door.

After all
of the time they’d recently spent together, and the way she’d lost control at
each and every turn, getting way too emotionally involved, Mercedes should’ve
wanted to stay as far away from him as she possibly could.

But that
wasn’t the case.

Surprisingly,
at some point during the day, she had started to miss him despite the fact that
she was doing her best not to think about him at all.

Shaking
her head to clear her brain of the random thoughts, she took a deep breath.
She’d gone and lost her mind, that’s all there was too it.

She
raised her hand to knock, but was stopped by the sound of Xander’s voice before
she had the chance.

“Come
in.”

“Hey,”
she greeted when she moved into the vast open space. Along with praying that
she sounded normal, she hoped like hell she didn’t look like a woman who’d been
working herself into a frenzy all day.

Or, more
importantly, she hoped he had forgotten all about what happened just that
morning in this very office when she’d panicked like a scared child, running
away as fast as her legs would carry her.

“You look
exhausted.”

Ok that
was a good sign. Maybe.

“I am,”
she told him, dropping to the leather sofa across from his desk. “I just spent
two hours showing Charles Markom two condos that, of course, he thinks are
beneath him.”

Xander
leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together over his flat belly
as he studied her. She could see the amusement in his eyes, but she didn’t rise
to the bait.

“He’s
still giving you the run around?” Xander asked.

“I think
that’s all he wants from me,” she told him. “I’m seriously considering not
answering the phone next time he calls.”

The
amusement in Xander’s eyes disappeared.

Crap.
She’d gone and done it now, putting her foot right in her mouth by mentioning
not taking calls.

“You
enjoy doing that?” he asked, his tone lacking any jest. He was serious.

Knowing
that anything she said at that point would be used against her, she kept
talking, pretending not to realize he was upset with her. “I don’t want to even
think about him. Right now, I just want to sit here. Right here. The only thing
that could make it better would be pizza and beer,” she said, and he laughed,
just as she hoped he would.

“Pizza
and beer?”

Ok, so it
was true, she wasn’t much of a pizza eater, nor was she a beer drinker, but her
comment had effectively redirected the conversation.

“How
about I get Italian delivered, and we share a bottle of wine?” Xander offered,
sitting up in his chair.

“Even
better,” she replied, dropping her head back on the cushions and closing her
eyes. Maybe if she feigned sleep, she’d be able to avoid any further
discussions.

While she
dozed slightly, she listened as Xander placed an order to one of their favorite
Italian places just down the street. She was tempted to tell him to cancel
dinner, and she’d just slide deeper into the cushions and call it a night.

Before
she could get too deep into slumber, Xander’s voice brought her back.

“It’s not
time for bed yet.”

“And why
not?” she asked drowsily, her eyes still closed.

“Because
I said so.”

Oh, crap.
She knew that tone all too well. Opening one eye, she peered over at him. He
was still at his desk, his forearms casually resting on the top. Sitting there
with his tie loosened, his jacket gone and sleeves rolled up, his hair not as
perfectly styled as it had been that morning, he looked like sex personified.
Although the man could rock a suit like no one else, Mercedes liked the
disheveled look even more.

Her body
instantly came alive, sleep all but forgotten.

“Stand,”
he instructed as he got to his feet. Not moving, she watched as he made his way
over to the door and closed it, the click as the lock engaged had her body
going on full alert.

Slow,
measured footsteps carried him across the oversized office until he was
standing within a foot of her. She briefly glimpsed the Dallas skyline from the
floor to ceiling windows that ran the length of two walls, but then his big
body was in front of her, blocking her view of anything but him.

“Are you
asking to be punished even more?” he asked, his voice assuredly calm.

Ok, so he
hadn’t forgotten about that morning. And he probably hadn’t forgotten the fact
that she’d ignored his phone calls all day either.

To her
absolute horror, her body began to hum with anticipation. Not only had she
believed that she was too tired to get turned on, she was also shocked that she
was reacting to his dominance so easily.

“Can I
take my shoes off first?” she asked, sitting up straight.

“If you
want to add another five swats, sure.”

Mercedes
was wide awake then. He wasn’t playing. Pushing to her feet, she didn’t look
away, anticipation now making her body sing.

Xander
backed up a few steps and perched on the edge of his desk as he stared back at
her. “Remove your clothes,” he insisted. “Keep the shoes on.”

Damn Dom.

Her shoes
were killing her feet, but he probably knew that. Had she not ignored him or
run away, she knew he would’ve gladly given her permission to remove her shoes
but he was in full Dom mode, the intensity in his gaze penetrating her through
and through.

Mercedes
didn’t think to argue further which either said a lot about how tired she was,
or it said a lot about the complete three sixty that her life had taken in the
last forty-eight hours.

It was
still hard to believe it had only been a little more than two days since they
had made their deal.

Trying
not to rush, and doing her best not to think, Mercedes removed her clothes,
piece by piece, leaving her favorite pair of Gucci’s on as Xander had
instructed her to.

As she
stood before Xander completely naked, the one thing she knew for sure… she was
too damned tired to think about anything right now.

~~*~~*~~

Admiring
Mercedes’s completely naked form, Xander let his eyes graze every dip and curve
of her graceful body. In her heels, her legs were a work of art, and he found
he would be content just to stare at her for as long as she would let him.

Although
he knew they had to be damned uncomfortable at this point.