Perception (28 page)

It was
why she insisted on dominating people. It was why she’d become so successful.
She’d turned her hatred for them into success because she hadn’t had a choice.

And
that’s why she didn’t want to give up control. She’d spent every single day of
her life up until she was eighteen years old living with a man who wanted to
punish her because he felt as though his life sucked. She was a mistake, one he
wished he could’ve taken back. But since she’d been born, despite his desire
for her mother to have an abortion, Phillip Bryant had made it his mission to
ruin their lives as well.

“Good
morning.”

The sexy,
rough grumble of Xander’s voice startled her, but she tried to play it off,
turning her head slowly to see him moving toward her.

“Morning,”
she said, her voice still raspy from sleep. Yeah, that definitely wasn’t
emotion lodged deep in her throat.

“Sleep
well?”

She
didn’t answer, but she forced a nod. That was the best she could do because
honestly, she didn’t know if she did or not. It all seemed to depend on how she
interpreted that dream.

“Do you
know what today is?” he asked.

Mercedes
frowned, doing her best to think. “Monday?”

“It’s
Monday,” he confirmed, a sexy smirk on his lips. “It’s also BDSM night at
Devotion.”

Oh, crap.
That meant…

“That
means today is
my
day,” she said, trying to sound excited by the idea.
Maybe that’s what the dream was about. Or at least why she’d had it last night.
Because today was the day she would own Xander Boone, even if for just a little
while.

“
Tonight
is your night,” he corrected as he crawled over her, his muscles tensing as he
held himself above her.

He was on
the wrong side of naked in her opinion, wearing only a pair of black boxer
briefs and a mischievous smile, the titanium bars in his nipples drawing her
attention to his chest. She gazed at him momentarily, her eyes trailing down
until they stopped on the word “Trust” scrolled along his side.

Trust.

That’s
what it all boiled down to, didn’t it?

“And that
means?” she asked, lifting her gaze back up, hoping for clarification as she
reached up and fingered his nipples.

She
needed a distraction. And he was perfect for the role.

“I agreed
to let you top me. You wanted the first time to be at Devotion. That means
while we’re there tonight, I’ll be at your mercy. Until then,” he mumbled,
nuzzling his mouth against her neck, “you’re mine.”

Why that
didn’t bother her, she had no idea. Four days ago, she probably would’ve argued
and told him that wasn’t the deal. But, technically – and yes, Xander was all
about technicalities – it was. She had only requested that she be allowed to
dominate him in public – once at Devotion and another at a place of her
choosing. When she wanted. Didn’t mean it would be during their five day time
frame either. No, she was reserving that date for a time and place that would
offer the most optimum payback.

Pretty
optimistic of her, she knew.

If she
were completely honest with herself, she never thought this night would happen
when she originally requested it, so, for now, she’d let him have his way.

But
tonight…

Yeah,
tonight he was all hers.

As part
owner of Devotion, Xander had several reservations about what was about to
happen. For one, submitting to Mercedes, even if it was a one time – or rather
two time – deal wasn’t at the top of his list of things he wanted to accomplish
in his lifetime.

Actually,
it wasn’t even on the list.

However,
he had seen that familiar spark in her eyes earlier when they’d left his condo,
right after she’d given him strict instruction as to how the night would go. He
had complied half-heartedly, hating himself for agreeing to this in the first
place.

If the
woman thought it went against
her
nature to submit, she had no fucking
clue what it was like for him. Even if it meant he was fulfilling a fantasy of
hers – her words exactly – he felt the animal beneath his skin itching to get
free.

When
they’d arrived at the club, he had allowed the valet to take his Escalade while
he walked Mercedes inside, still being the perfect gentleman he was raised to
be. But it was the moment they stepped into the club proper that his world
tipped on its axis. And not in a good way either.

She’d
warned him of her expectations so he’d gone along with it. After all, tomorrow
morning – when their time was officially over – would depend on his
participation tonight, even he knew that much.

Thankfully,
she had allowed him to wear his comfortable attire, which consisted of leather
pants, his shit kickers and a plain black t-shirt. She’d handpicked everything
from his closet earlier, and he’d been impressed.

But,
that’s where his comfort level took a quick nosedive.

It wasn’t
that he had a problem being partially naked in public. That didn’t bother him
in the least. But removing his shirt so that everyone could see the thick black
collar that now wrapped like a noose around his neck wasn’t thrilling him at
all.

Shit, at
this point, he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to convince his dick that this
would be worth his while.

As he
reached for the drinks he’d ordered at the bar, he felt the weight of the huge
leather cuffs that wrapped around his arms and he fought the urge to groan.
Another of Mercedes’s “surprises” for him tonight.

The woman
was pushing her luck. Up to this point, he thought he’d been somewhat of a good
sport about this. Thank God he’d be the one in control as soon as they made it
back to his condo because he was going to tan her ass for putting him through
this shit.

He made
his way back to where Mercedes was standing, handing her the drink she’d
requested. As he stood beside her, he kept his attention focused solely on her.
It was that or possibly rip the fucking collar off of his neck and use it to
bind her hands behind her back so he could take her nine ways to Sunday right
there at the fucking bar.

The look
she shot him would’ve had a weaker man cowering. She was going to push her
limits tonight; it was written clearly in her beautiful gray eyes.

His
attention was drawn to a sound across the room, and Xander looked up to see
Shane laughing at something Luke McCoy said.

Just
fucking great.

It looked
like Mercedes was going to have her work cut out for her tonight because he
wasn’t feeling especially submissive. Exactly the opposite. And maybe that’s
what she needed. Topping from the bottom was something he despised, but it was
also something he could master in the situation he was currently in. Based on
the way Mercedes had submitted to him so sweetly over the last few days, he
knew it wouldn’t be tough to accomplish either.

He
glanced around the room as he waited for to command him to do something,
wishing like hell they’d just get on with it. As it was, it seemed everyone who
was anyone was there tonight.

Of
course, he noticed Sam and Logan were sitting on one of the couches closer to
the glass enclosed rooms talking to Sierra and Cole, who looked way too cozy at
the moment.

He
wondered how long before Mercedes noticed they’d shown up tonight. Or how long
it would take for her to interact with them. If it had been him in control,
after all that had happened since their first trip to Devotion, he could easily
figure out a way to work Sam and Logan into tonight’s festivities.

Shit.

Glancing
down, he noticed she was watching them intently, probably trying to mentally
will them to see her. Or him. Or both of them.

Fucking
hell.

If she
had any intention of inviting them to watch, or worse, participate, he was
going to lose his shit.

Then
again, Mercedes was acting different tonight. Quite frankly, she’d been acting
strange since he found her lying in his bed that morning. She’d been lost in
thought when he approached, and it hadn’t been until he spoke that she even
realized he was in the room.

They’d
been apart during the day because work had gotten in the way, but as soon as
she walked into his condo that evening, she’d taken the reins and was holding
them tight, fully morphing into the Mistress she was known to be.

His only
hope would be to get her naked so he could slake his lust inside of her. If
that were to happen, he didn’t give a shit who stood by to watch. So, maybe, if
he were lucky, he might just get something out of this.

Then
again, if she wanted to keep it one on one between the two of them, no one
around to see how hot she made him burn, he was all for that as well. He could
think of a million ways to make her scream his name, didn’t matter if she
believed she was the top or the bottom. He didn’t give a fuck either way.

“Are you
ready?” Mercedes asked him several minutes later as she set her empty glass on
the bar.

He downed
what was left of his Glenlivet before turning to face her. Just for the hell of
it, he didn’t answer, just nodded his head. The way she cocked her eyebrows
almost made him smile, but he managed to hold it back. Just the little act of
not verbally responding was enough for her to think about all of the ways she
could punish him and quite frankly, Xander was looking forward to seeing her do
her worst.

“I want
you one step behind me at all times,” she ordered, and he immediately
remembered the first theme night they’d attended just a few short days ago.
He’d said something very close to that to her.

When she
turned away, just because he could, he took a moment to admire her beautiful
body. The woman made his blood burn hot, and it didn’t matter if she was
wearing the demure silk that he preferred to see her in or in the sexy
Domme-wear she sported now. Hell, she could’ve been naked because when she got
that air of confidence about her, he lusted after her all the more.

Again, it
was all about stirring things up a bit.

He
followed Mercedes, knowing full well she intended to head over to Shane because
that was going to be her way of punishing him for what he’d put her through the
last few days. And since he’d already defied her once since their arrival, he
knew she’d be keeping track of his transgressions from here on out.

Considering
he knew Samantha and Logan were watching, Xander decided tonight might just be
the night to introduce them to what it meant to be a defiant sub. After all, he
could be a teacher no matter which role he was in.

“Shane,
good to see you,” Mercedes greeted as the pair hugged and kissed one another
briefly.

Xander
didn’t allow the chaste kiss to upset him, although he had the urge to punch
Shane in his too pretty face. Rather than give the man something to remember, Xander
stood one step behind her as instructed and glared down at Shane with a smirk
on his face.

“Looks
like your sub’s a little cocky tonight,” Shane said, unable to disguise his
amusement with the situation.

You’re
a dead man
, Xander mouthed, making sure Shane read his lips perfectly.

Shane
laughed, causing Mercedes to turn and look back at him, taking a moment to
study him as she did, and Xander made sure the smirk was gone.

“It would
seem so,” she said absently. “I think I have a good idea on how to take care of
that though.”

Xander
cocked an eyebrow as he met her gaze, unwilling to look away. He wanted to know
what she had in mind. He’d half hoped she would’ve laid out her plan for the
night prior to their arrival, but she’d kept the majority of the details to
herself. It appeared she was going to surprise him. That was ok too. He liked
surprises. Monotony wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“Care to
watch?” she asked Shane, never taking her eyes off of Xander.

“Depends,”
Shane grinned like a fool. “As much as I’d love to see you beat his ass, I’m
waiting for someone. She should be here any minute. If you can wait a few
minutes, I’d be happy to watch. Or even participate.”

Xander
was going to put a serious hurt on the man if he didn’t shut the fuck up.

“We’d
like to watch.” The voice came from behind Xander and he did his best not to
turn around, but he knew without looking who it was.

Samantha
McCoy.

Lord kill
him now.

“Is that
right?” Mercedes asked, turning to address Samantha with a stunning smile on
her lovely face. From what Xander could tell, she definitely liked the idea of
Sam watching whatever she had in store for him tonight.

“If
that’s all right with you, of course,” Sam amended.

Xander
edged around, trying to stay one step behind Mercedes as instructed. He wanted
to see Sam as she addressed Mercedes, wondering whether she’d even noticed the
drastic role switch they’d done for the night.

“I’ve
reserved room three,” Mercedes informed Sam, her hand lifting in the direction
of the glass rooms that stood proudly in the center of the main floor. “If
you’d like, you can have a front row seat.”

Room
three? Fucking hell. He’d been hoping for a private room, but he shouldn’t have
expected any less.

“We’ll be
in a private room upstairs,” another voice claimed from behind him and this
time Xander turned around. He knew that voice.

Shit.

Elijah
Penn.

Fuck.
Could this night get any worse?

Xander
watched as Sam turned to face Elijah, her eyes widening with obvious
appreciation as he moved in closer.

“A private
room?” Samantha asked.

“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.