Nicole Edwards - Perception

Mercedes didn’t stick around to listen to more. She turned on her heels just in time to hear the loud smack that she’d been waiting for. He’d hit her mother. Again.

As she closed her bedroom door, Mercedes took a deep breath. It wouldn’t last long, she knew that much. Even abusing them took too much effort for Phillip. Instead, he would leave her mother lying on the floor wherever she fell. And once Priscilla pulled herself up off the ground, she would head to the medicine cabinet to find something to alleviate the pain.

That’s how it always happened.

Mercedes blinked, and the room came into focus.

God, she hated thinking about her parents. She wanted to scream at them for all they’d put her through. It was their fault she was the way that she was.

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.