Perception (13 page)

For
now, she was committed to the next few hours, no matter what was on the agenda.
She had no idea how Shane was going to react to whatever Xander had planned for
her at Devotion, but she couldn’t very well argue after she’d entered into this
agreement with her eyes wide open.

“You
don’t care to know what he said?” Xander asked, an indiscernible tilt to his
full lips the only sign that he was amused by her reaction.

“Of
course I care,” she said with a matching smile, trying to hide her reaction to
his teasing.

When
Xander didn’t offer more details, Mercedes laughed. “Quit playing with me, X.
Just tell me what he said.”

“He
said he’s looking forward to seeing us tonight.”

“He
didn’t ask any questions about why I wasn’t going to Kink? Or about why you and
I were going to Devotion together?” Although the notion of their going out to
various places together wasn’t completely absurd, Mercedes knew Shane was
rather perceptive. Not to mention suspicious.

“Of
course he asked why,” Xander admitted, sitting back when Tony arrived to pour
the wine.

Mercedes
tasted the rich red that Tony offered and then signaled her approval before
turning her attention back to Xander.

“And?”

“I
told him that I was taking you to dinner and then taking you to Devotion. I
didn’t feel the need to explain my reasoning to him.”

Mercedes
knew his explanation hadn’t been accepted without more questions. Rather than
push Xander, she sat back, waiting patiently.

He
laughed. A brilliant, rich sound that made her insides jump to attention. She
loved when he laughed. It was such an amazing sound, probably because it was so
rare. At least like that anyway.

“I
told him he’d be seeing a lot more of you tonight.”

“You
did not!” Mercedes gasped.

Xander
laughed again, which settled her somewhat. The man was incorrigible.

“No,
I didn’t. But you and I both know that it’s going to happen.”

Mercedes
wasn’t all that worried about Shane seeing more of her, as Xander put it. It
wasn’t like he hadn’t seen plenty of her before. When they played at Kink, the
individual play rooms were all open to the public. The private rooms could be
viewed if the participants chose so there were plenty of times Shane could’ve
witnessed a scene between her and one of her subs.

What
she was worried about was what Xander had planned.

“Are
you going to use one of the main play rooms?” she asked, referring to the large
glass rooms that were centered on the main floor.

“I haven’t
thought that far ahead yet,” he told her, another devious smirk teasing his
lips.

It
was official, she was not going to survive the night.

“How’s
your mom and dad?” Mercedes asked after Tony delivered their meals a short
while later.

They’d
already made it through the salad course, shared another glass of wine and
managed to talk about very little. Mercedes was nervous, there was no doubt
about that. In a sadistic sort of way, Xander liked the idea of her being
nervous. It meant she viewed this dinner as something more than two friends or
two business associates enjoying a meal together.

And
this was definitely more than that.

“They’re
good. Right now they’re enjoying the sights in Columbus, Ohio.” At least that’s
where they were when he’d talked to his mother early that morning.

“Are
they planning to head back here anytime soon?”

Xander
took a sip of his wine as he watched Mercedes. “Not if they have anything to
say about it.”

His
parents, married for going on forty years, were retired and after plenty of
discussions had decided they wanted to set out to see the world. Or more
specifically, to tour any state within the US that they could physically drive
to. Xander had bought them a recreational vehicle with all of the bells and whistles
and he was pretty sure they hadn’t looked back since.

That
was three years ago.

He
talked to his mother every day to catch up on what they were doing or for her
to grill him about what he was doing. Didn’t matter if the call lasted three
minutes or thirty, he still made a point to talk to one or both of them every
day.

“Where
are they off to next?”

“As
of this morning, they hadn’t decided. Either Michigan or Pennsylvania. I think
they’re going to stay right where they are though for at least a week.”

Mercedes
looked up at him, concern in her eyes. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes,”
he told her, cutting his steak. “At least that’s what my mother is claiming. My
dad took a fall, but she assures me it isn’t anything to worry about. I told
her I’d fly up to check on them, but she insisted that I not.” That
conversation hadn’t gone over well, but when Xander had finally calmed down,
he’d agreed. For now.

Of
course, at that point, Stella had changed the subject, wanting to know what
Mercedes and Shane were up to since she’d apparently heard enough to suit her
fancy about Xander’s day to day.

Xander’s
parents loved Mercedes. They had asked him more than once whether he was ever
going to settle down with her and if he wasn’t, whether or not Shane was going to
show better sense than he apparently had. He’d laughed, knowing what he did.
Settling down wasn’t the issue. Neither was the notion of settling down with
Mercedes.

Xander
knew that there were plenty of men and women who had relationship phobias or a
constant need to push people away for whatever reason. Xander had none of
those. He didn’t cringe at the prospect of getting married, settling down,
having kids. It might happen one day. He was even fairly optimistic at
thirty-five. He had a good childhood, he was close to his parents, and he
didn’t feel the need to come up with some sort of reason he couldn’t get
attached.

What
he did have a problem with was finding the right woman. They all seemed to take
a keen interest in his bank account long before they showed much interest in
him on something more than a sexual level. That’s usually about the time he
would part ways.

“Maybe
you should surprise them,” Mercedes said, pulling him back to the conversation.

“You
mean fly up there?”

“Sure,
why not? I know you. You’re probably itching to go check on them.”

There
was no doubt that Mercedes knew him better than most people. Ever since his
mother had informed him that his father fell, he’d been anxious to find out for
himself just how his father was doing. However, since it wasn’t something he
intended to do tonight, he decided to change the subject.

Because
he’d much rather talk about Mercedes, he said the first thing that came to his
mind. “How’s your mother?”

Mercedes
looked up at him, gracefully laying her fork on her plate then dabbing at her
mouth with a linen napkin before reaching for her wine glass. He saw the moment
she attempted to shut down, and he immediately regretted the question. But
rather than backtrack, he simply waited for her to answer.

“She’s
fine. Still in rehab.”

It
was the fourth drug rehab her mother had been in during the last two years. The
woman was strung out, and she didn’t have any problems reaching out to Mercedes
when she’d blown her last dollar on drugs. Mercedes, being the soft hearted
woman she was, usually assisted financially, but he and Shane had finally
managed to convince her it was time to stop enabling her mother.

That
hadn’t been a particularly exciting conversation, but they’d gotten through it
after a heated screaming match. But, in the end, Mercedes had agreed with them
and then somehow convinced her mother to go into rehab. Unfortunately, her
mother was using Mercedes’s money to pay for it, but, as far as Xander was concerned,
it was better than Priscilla blowing it on coke.

“Do
you think this one is working?” he asked, encouraging her to open up a little
more.

“About
as good as the last one,” she answered sharply.

He
had no doubt that Priscilla was only in rehab to ensure that Mercedes didn’t
give up on her completely. He’d heard all the stories. She didn’t share with
many people he knew, but she had opened up to him. And Shane.

Priscilla
Bryant had had a hard life. Married to a son of a bitch, she had taken the coward’s
way out, staying with him so she wouldn’t have to get a job to support herself
or her daughter. That was about the only good thing Mercedes’s father had done
for either of them, she’d told them.

For
the last few years, Priscilla had jumped from job to job, mostly cleaning
services that paid little more than minimum wage. But once she got tired of
going to work, she just didn’t. And then she’d call Mercedes, ask for money,
and Mercedes would grudgingly give it to her, knowing there was no way her mother
would ever pay her back.

Xander
knew Mercedes was not fond of talking about her family. If at all possible, she
preferred not to talk about her mother. She absolutely hated to talk about her
deadbeat father who’d disappeared from her life just a few months before
Mercedes graduated from high school. According to her, she was happy he’d left.
To hear Mercedes tell the story, the abusive bastard had stuck around long
enough so that he wouldn’t have to pay child support to Mercedes’s mother and
not a moment longer.

“How
about we move on to a lighter subject?” Mercedes requested, picking up her
knife and fork and pinning Xander with a look that told him she was not at all
interested in the subject.

Fine.
He knew when to back off, just like he knew when to push back. For now, he’d
let her have her way.

Two
hours later, Xander led Mercedes out of the restaurant and to the waiting limo.
They’d taken their time through dinner, and once the conversation had detoured
to business, it seemed as though Mercedes’s tension level had receded a few
notches.

Holding
her hand while she climbed inside, he glanced over at Carson. “We’re going to
Devotion. No interruptions. And I don’t care how long it takes us to get there.
If we arrive before I give you the go ahead, continue to drive until I tell
you.”

“Yes,
sir,” Carson responded, his face showing absolutely no emotion.

The
man had worked as Xander’s personal driver for not quite eight years. He knew
exactly what to expect. He was paid well for his discretion and had never once
interfered or questioned Xander’s instruction. It was the main reason he was
still on the payroll.

Xander
climbed into the limo and allowed Carson to shut the door behind him. Reining
himself in, Xander waited until the limo had approached highway speeds before
he turned his full attention to Mercedes.

“Take
off your shoes and come here.”

Mercedes
glanced over at him, clearly startled by his request. To her credit, she didn’t
question him, rather turned to face him slightly.

“On
my lap,” he instructed when it was clear he hadn’t been detailed enough.

Mercedes’s
perfectly groomed eyebrow cocked skeptically, but she didn’t argue. He watched
as she slipped her shoes off, leaving them on the floor of the car before
moving in front of him.

He glided
his hands up the outside of her thighs, relishing the warmth of her bare skin
as he slid his hands beneath the short, billowy skirt, pulling her toward him
so that she could straddle his legs. She clearly understood what he wanted
because she slowly eased atop him, her knees on each side of his thighs.

“Much
better,” he told her, caressing her cheek as he just stared back at her. “I
like you close.”

“I
like being close,” she admitted, startling them both with her unguarded
response.

He
studied her momentarily, taking his time as he continued to caress her smooth
cheek with one hand, while sliding his other hand higher and higher on her
thigh, but never giving in to the temptation to take it further. Not just yet.

“You’re
committed to this?” he asked finally, despite the fact that it wasn’t so much a
question as it was an acknowledgement.

“I
am,” she told him without reservation. “For tonight.”

“And
what about tomorrow?” he questioned, not exactly thrilled with her response.
They had five days, and he did not like the idea of her backing out after one
night.

“Let’s
take it one day at a time.”

“I’m
not going to go easy on you because you’re threatening me,” he informed her.
“In fact, you might find yourself punished.”

“It’s
not a threat,” she assured him softly, her hand coming up to rest on his cheek,
mirroring the way he was touching her.

God
he loved her touch. Loved the feel of her delicate fingers on his skin. He
wanted her to touch him. Everywhere.

Rather
than force the issue, he let it drop.

“Do
you have any idea how much I’ve wanted you? Or for how long I’ve wanted you?”
he asked, not expecting a response.

“No,”
she whispered, her head tilting slightly as she leaned her cheek into his palm.
“Tell me.”

“How
about I show you.”

Letting
his finger slide down her cheek, he trailed his hands along each side of her
neck, over her collarbone until he reached the swell of her breasts. The
turquoise mini dress she wore was beautiful, he had to admit. It accentuated
her curves, but more importantly, he loved that it was strapless. And short.
Did he mention he liked that it was short because it showed off her magnificent
legs?

The
woman had killer legs.

If
he’d had the chance to request her to wear something, it would’ve been exactly
this.

Reaching
around behind her, he deftly unhooked the tiny hook and lowered the thin zipper
down her spine until the dress fell free to reveal her breasts.

She’d
gone without a bra tonight and that realization made his dick harder than he
thought possible.

Glancing
up, he noticed she was watching him, so he continued on his quest to get
personally acquainted with every inch of her. Dropping his head, he focused his
attention on her left breast, making a wide circle with his tongue around her
areola. He took his time, tasting her, teasing her, inhaling her sweet, sexy
scent. Intermittently, he would glance up, wanting to see the expression on her
face.

He
moved on to tease her other breast, offering the same attention before leaning
back and looking up at her.

“Don’t
stop,” she whispered, her fingers sliding into the hair at his nape. “Please
don’t stop.”

“Didn’t
plan to,” he assured her as he leaned in again, this time focusing his
attention on her nipples, using his tongue and teeth to tease them into tight
buds.

Sliding
his hand into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, he pulled out a small box
and once he was satisfied with how her nipples stood erect, he pulled back and
looked at her again. Holding up the box, he waited for her to open it.

She
offered him a small smile as she reached up and flipped open the lid to reveal
a set of crystal nipple clamps he’d ordered just for her. It was amazing how
fast things could be delivered when money was no object.

Mercedes
lifted the chain made of stunning rose gold from the box, holding the clamps in
each of her hands. They were going to be so fucking pretty on her.

Unable
to resist, Xander leaned forward again, sucking her right nipple into his
mouth, this time more aggressively, firmly teasing with his tongue until
Mercedes was writhing on his lap. When her head fell back, he released her,
making quick work of the clamp and settling it into place as she gasped.

He
tightened the tension on the clamp, going slowly until she was wiggling against
him, her other hand threatening to drop the other clamp.