Perception (31 page)

Focus,
she reminded herself. She couldn’t afford to get distracted.

With
Shane there with her, she was willing to continue because she was incredibly
turned on, and she knew before it was over, she’d be right where she wanted to
be. Safely in Shane’s arms.

When
Clarissa glanced down, she realized that Xander had on boots. With laces. Which
meant…

Aww,
crap.

This
time she did look up at him, her face hot with embarrassment because she knew
what she was going to have to do to get him naked. As it was, she’d ignored the
fact that they were in a glass enclosed room and if she were to look out at the
club, she knew they would’ve already drawn an audience. Xander alone would draw
a crowd and to see him naked was a sight any red-blooded woman wouldn’t want to
miss.

Lowering
herself to her knees, Clarissa slid her fingernails down the front of Xander’s
thighs, not touching his erect cock as she did. Once she was on the floor, she
realized she was eye level with his heavy balls, and she instinctively observed
them briefly before remembering what she was doing.

Quickly
untying the laces and helping Xander to remove his boots, Clarissa prayed no
one else could see how she was blushing from the top of her head to the tips of
her toes.

Clarissa
jumped when she felt something cool against the back of her thigh, and she
fought the urge to turn around and see what it was. She could see Mercedes’s
boots in her peripheral vision, and she figured it was that leather crop she’d
been wielding earlier. As it was, her dress had been pushed up high on her
thighs so she could lean over to work on Xander’s boots, but whatever Mercedes
was doing behind her was raising the silk even higher.

“No
panties,” Mercedes said approvingly. “Very nice.”

Another
rush of heat infused Clarissa’s face. Damn Shane. He’d insisted that tonight
she leave her panties at home. He told her she wouldn’t be needing them. Shane
had decided a while back that he much preferred her to go without panties when
they went to the club – it’d been an official rule he’d implemented back when
they started playing together. That meant that anyone standing outside the room
would be able to see her bare butt and probably a whole lot more.

She
breathed a sigh of relief when she managed to get Xander completely naked a few
minutes later. Returning to her feet, she didn’t move away, but she wasn’t able
to look him in the eye either. Which meant she had to close her eyes, or she
was going to get an eyeful of glorious, sexy male.

And
right now, she was so wet, she wasn’t sure just how much more of him she could
handle.

“Go
stand by Shane,” Mercedes instructed and Clarissa met her gaze to ensure she
was speaking to her.

“Yes,
Mistress M,” Clarissa said breathlessly. She managed to make her way across the
room without running, although the urge to escape was intense. So much so, she
was shaking when she reached Shane.

He
grinned down at her, his eyes gleaming with that heat she was so familiar with.
She wished he would touch her. He did, but not in the way she had hoped.
Instead, Shane turned her so that her back was flush against his stomach, the
evidence of his arousal pressing into her lower back, and she was facing Xander
and Mercedes once more.

But
before she viewed the scene directly in front of her, Clarissa made the mistake
of glancing out through the glass. And right there, standing front and center
was none other than Trent Ramsey.

He
was looking at her, his shockingly handsome face and his intoxicatingly pretty
eyes focused on her.
Her
. Of all people. But for some reason, his
stardom wasn’t even a fleeting thought. No, it wasn’t who he was, but rather
how he was looking at her that had Clarissa feeling a little lightheaded.

That
was spine-tingling heat she saw reflected back at her. And it did something
crazy to her insides, making her body heat another twenty degrees. No man had ever
looked at her like that.

Ever.

Now,
if she could just get her knees to lock, she wouldn’t risk turning into a
puddle of lust induced hormones right there on the tiled floor.

“Isn’t
he beautiful?” Mercedes asked, directing her question at Clarissa as she slid
the riding crop over Xander’s pecs, pausing briefly to flick his left nipple
ring once before trailing lower.

“Yes,
Mistress M,” Clarissa replied from her spot near Shane.

Good
girl.

Mercedes
had no doubt that Clarissa was a true submissive. The woman was born to submit,
but she also seemed very aware of that. And the way she blushed so prettily was
an added bonus. She easily understood why Shane enjoyed playing with her. She
was extremely responsive.

Mercedes
nodded toward the only solid wall in the room, the one directly behind Xander
as she said, “Move back until you touch the wall.”

“Yes,
Mistress,” Xander responded easily, his cock bobbing freely in front of him.

He
was hard as steel; his cock darkened from the blood pumping through it, but he
was doing well to ignore it. Just as she would expect him to do. He was fairly
good at playing the part of a submissive. Then again, just like her, he knew
exactly what was expected.

As
she admired his physical beauty, she allowed herself to remember the day she’d
met him all those years ago.

He
hadn’t been quite as built as he was now, but he’d been just as beautiful, and
intensely confident, yet lacking that annoying arrogance that she would’ve
expected.

Just
like then, his tanned skin stretched taut over bulging muscles. His nipples had
been pierced even then, but he’d had rings in them. Granted, she hadn’t known
that when she first met him. Back then, the only opportunity she would’ve ever
had to see Xander in any state of undress was at the club because any other
time they were together, he was immaculately dressed.

It
had been a couple of months after they met when she’d first had the pleasure of
checking out his distinct attributes. Back when she had taken Tim Johnson,
Clarissa’s boss at the time, to Kink as an introduction for them both.

Mercedes
studied the titanium bars in Xander’s nipples, strangely glad he’d kept them
all this time. She remembered asking him years ago why he’d had them done. His
explanation had been simply because he wanted to.

Mercedes
trailed the crop over his chest and then slid down the narrow line that
bisected his well-defined abs before outlining the “V” that protruded and
angled right to his proud cock. Just beneath that rigid stalk of flesh, his balls
hung loosely, a heavy sac that she would enjoy teasing very shortly.

Once
he was against the wall, Mercedes set the riding crop down on a stand in the
corner and then proceeded to connect Xander to the loose chains that had been
installed in the walls. It was an intricate system that Xander had bragged
about. It came in handy for what she had in mind, especially when this man was
a solid seven inches taller than she was in her heels.

After
hooking one of the chains to his left wrist cuff, – which happened to be
designed for this type of activity – she moved in front of him, letting her
fingernail graze the full length of his cock until he hissed out a breath. She
met his eyes and smiled. He didn’t smile back, but she hadn’t expected him to.
Aside from that little expulsion of air, no one would’ve been able to detect a
reaction from him.

Very
nice.

After
she got his right wrist attached to the chain in the wall, she moved over to
the control box that was hidden in a narrow panel that ran from floor to ceiling.
It required a frequently changed master code to access, and she’d had to jump
through hoops just to be allowed access for one night. And she’d only gotten it
then because she knew Luke, thanks to the sale of the warehouse.

Once
she had the panel open, she pushed a button, watching as the chains retreated
into the wall, lifting Xander’s arms up slowly until they were fully extended
above his head. By design, they wouldn’t retreat all the way thanks to a safety
rigging in the chain which was there to ensure no one would get in a position
they couldn’t be freed from.

Due
to Xander’s height, there was no other way for Mercedes to get him secured
appropriately unless she had a step stool, so this had been a no brainer when
she’d been considering her options for tonight.

Moving
back to Xander, Mercedes reached up and massaged his left bicep slowly,
enjoying the feel of his smooth, warm skin against her palms. “Are you
comfortable?”

“Yes,
Mistress.”

“Any
pain? Numbness?”

“No,
Mistress.”

As with
any of her subs, Xander’s safety was her main priority, and although there was
pain associated with the scenes that she performed, it was never due to the
equipment that she used. At least that was the goal. Being that his arms were
extended above his head, she knew his hands would eventually start to tingle,
but by then, she’d be close to finished with him.

If
she were lucky.

Glancing
at the clock on the wall, she made note of the time. Without a doubt, she had
to pay attention to how long she had him chained up in order to avoid any
issues. And given that she was finding herself more and more distracted by him
being shackled and at her mercy, Mercedes knew that she had to get her mind
fully into the scene from this point onward.

“Spread
your legs,” she told Xander as she moved over and massaged his right bicep out
of habit.

“Any
pain on this side?” she asked as he widened his stance, keeping his back ramrod
straight.

“No,
Mistress,” he growled, clearly losing his patience.

That
only made her want to slow down even more.

“Good.”

Placing
her right foot next to Xander’s, she pushed gently, letting him know that she
wanted his legs spread even more. He obliged.

Making
sure she touched him constantly, just to keep his senses heightened, Mercedes
continued getting things set up. It wasn’t until she had him shackled to the
chains near his ankles that she was satisfied.

“Can
you move?” she asked as she retrieved another toy she’d brought along just for
this particular moment and moved to stand directly in front of him.

“Yes.
Mistress.”

She
noticed how he’d tacked on “Mistress”. Almost like he was preparing to defy
her.

She
pretended not to notice as she checked the slack in the chain. There was
minimal give, but his answer was the correct one. She didn’t want him
completely restrained to the point of discomfort, but she wanted to ensure he
couldn’t move far.

Taking
the Wartenberg wheel, a small metal tool with a rotating spiked wheel on the
end, Mercedes moved closer, keeping the tool hidden. She was pretty sure Xander
had already noticed, but like a good submissive, he didn’t say anything.

Lowering
herself to her knees in front of him, she pretended to be checking the ankle
cuffs. Instead, she placed the spikes of the wheel against his left ankle and
slowly moved upward, applying only gentle pressure as she went. The purpose was
to spark sensation, not to hurt him. There were several uses for the tool she
was fond of, and in her opinion, it would’ve been much more useful had he been
blindfolded, but she didn’t intend to blindfold him.

She
continued on her quest up the inside of his left leg, applying a bit more
pressure until she reached high up on the inside of his thigh. From there, she
slowly rolled the wheel over his balls using even less pressure than before,
smiling when he growled. A slow, sensual trip down his right leg and then back
up, Mercedes eased the wheel beneath his balls, rolling ever so gently across
his perineum. Her focus turned to his cock, and she looked up to see him
watching her, his eyes hooded, his mouth a thin, hard line. He liked it, she
knew he did. She could see the chill bumps on his skin.

When
she figured he’d had enough, based on the way his breaths became labored, she
stopped. Before she got to her feet, she leaned forward and licked his cock
from root to tip, keeping her gaze fixed on his. She fully intended to tease
him into submission, although he already seemed to be giving in.

Or
maybe he was just playing the part.

With
that thought in mind, Mercedes retrieved the riding crop and dropped the wheel
onto the counter before returning to her place in front of him. She took a
moment to admire her handy work.

Xander
Boone was magnificent. And it still stole her breath to see such a big,
powerful male submit to her like Xander was, even if it was clear he wasn’t all
that thrilled with the idea.

Mercedes
lifted the crop to Xander’s cheek and slowly slid it over the light stubble.
She continued to trail farther down his body until she was at the inside of his
thigh, just beneath his balls. With a flick of her wrist, she delivered a
light, stinging tap. Nothing too hard at first. She continued to do this along
the inside and outside of his thighs, over his groin, a couple of barely there
taps along his penis and then she started again.

Rather
than deliver pain, Mercedes was more interested in stimulating the blood flow
in these areas, making Xander completely aware of every touch, every caress of
air over his skin.

His
cock was still rock hard and protruding out from his body at an upward angle
which gave Mercedes the perfect view of a bead of pre-cum that developed on the
head. As she continued to tap the crop over his outer thigh, she leaned forward
and licked the head of his dick like an ice cream cone, eliciting another sharp
gasp of air from Xander.

Nice.
He was right where she wanted him.

Turning
her attention back to Clarissa, Mercedes smiled at the woman. “Come here,
Rissa,” Mercedes instructed.

“Yes,
Ma’am.”

Connecting
with Shane’s gaze over Clarissa’s head, Mercedes waited for his nod. She would
continue as long as these two were willing participants. She received a subtle
head nod from Shane, and then she took Clarissa’s arm gently, as the two of
them moved closer to Xander.

Clarissa
looked at her, and Mercedes could see an obvious question in her eyes.

“What’s
on your mind, Rissa? Do you have a question for me?”

“Yes,
Ma’am,” Clarissa answered sweetly, her eyes never wavering from Mercedes’s
face.

“Ask.”

“This
might be a dumb question, but I won’t be required to hurt him, will I?”

“There
is never a dumb question when it comes to BDSM,” Mercedes offered easily. “The
more you ask, the more you learn. That’s the key. And to answer your question,
no, you will never be asked to deliver pain to X.”

“Thank
you, Mistress M.”

Mercedes
wasn’t sure whether Clarissa was thanking her for answering her or thanking her
for not making it a requirement that she have to hurt Xander. Either way,
Mercedes was impressed with the woman. She seemed eager to learn, nervous as
hell, but ultimately, Mercedes got the impression she was longing to continue.

“Confirm
for me one more time that you’re ok with this,” Mercedes told Clarissa,
watching her closely.

“Yes,
Ma’am. I’m ok with this.”

There
was still a hint of hesitancy in Clarissa’s eyes, but her response appeared
genuine. “Good girl. I want you on your knees.”

Clarissa’s
eyes widened briefly, but she didn’t balk at the demand. “Yes, Mistress M.”

“Wait,”
Mercedes said when Clarissa began to go to her knees right at Mercedes’s feet.
“I want you over here.”

Pulling
Clarissa along, Mercedes positioned her directly in front of Xander, and she
could see the slight tremble in Clarissa’s hands as they moved closer.
“Remember your safe word, Rissa. If it’s more than you can handle, just say the
word and everything will stop. Do you understand?”

“Yes,
Mistress M.”

Figuring
she’d been lenient enough thus far, Mercedes decided it was time to get down to
business. More specifically, it was time to watch Xander squirm.