Mercedes gripped the nine inch handle tightly, tempted to slip out from beneath him and show him exactly how it should be used. Instead, she remained motionless, gritting her teeth as she anticipated what was to come.

Xander’s giant hands slid from her elbows up to her wrists, sending an unexpected, blinding frisson of heat coursing through her.

Ok wait.

Back up a minute.

That was not supposed to happen.

She wasn’t sure whether she was surprised more by how good his touch felt, or by how strange it was to have him now cuffing her to the cross. And the cuffing part wasn’t what got to her. She’d been there before in other demonstrations. No, it was actually Xander’s touch, or more accurately her own reaction to it, that had caught her off guard.

Once her hands were firmly secured in the padded leather cuffs, Xander slid his palms down her arms, over the sides of her breasts then down to her waist, but that’s where he stopped.

“You ready for this?” She felt his breath against her cheek, his voice low enough so only she could hear.

No. “Yes,” she whispered, irritated at how breathless she sounded.

Seriously. She was going to have to give more thought as to why his touch felt so good.

But obviously not right now.

“Then let’s get started,” he replied just as softly, the hint of a smile in his voice. “First, I want you naked,” he stated firmly, his voice louder this time, clearly for Samantha and Logan to hear.

Naked. Excellent.

That was the moment Mercedes realized she was about to take a step off of the high dive hovering precariously above the deep end, and she wasn’t even sure how far she had to fall before she took the plunge.

“You know your safe word?” he asked, again so that everyone could hear.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Red,” she responded easily, tightening her grip on the flogger handle. She’d never gotten into creative safe words, much preferring the straightforward red, yellow, and green. Red meant stop entirely, yellow meant to slow down, and green meant all systems go.

At the moment, she was stuck somewhere on orange.

“Good girl. If, at any time, you wish to stop, just say red and everything will stop,” he said, his tone encouraging.

A shiver danced along her spine.

Xander’s hands returned to her shoulders, lightly grazing her skin when he moved her hair out of his way. The warmth of his breath tickled her neck as he leaned in close. When she thought he would say something, he surprised her by placing a kiss to her right shoulder, his tongue briefly trailing along the intricate magnolia tattoo that extended down to her elbow. He didn’t linger, but it was enough to send an influx of heat percolating through her bloodstream.

Xander continued to touch her, the heat of his hands on her back made Mercedes bite her bottom lip as she dropped her head slightly, trying to peer down at her feet. Shit. This was not good.

Not good at all.

Xander unlaced her corset, slowly and efficiently, his fingers trailing over her naked skin as he revealed it. All she could do was attempt to keep her respiratory system from failing, not wanting to let Xander know just how much he was affecting her at the moment.

The leather corset fell away, and her nipples immediately puckered from the cool air that caressed her overheated skin. Right. Tell yourself that, and maybe it will be true.

Within minutes, Xander had her fully naked, save for the thigh high boots. Mercedes tried her hardest to act as though this were simply clinical, but her damned body was betraying her every thought.

Being naked, and being naked with Xander touching her, were two entirely different things. Granted, she was sure he’d seen her in various states of undress at the club, but she wasn’t sure he’d ever seen quite this much of her at one time.

“We’ll leave the boots on,” he informed her. “Because they’re sexy as fuck.”

More chills skated over her skin at his obvious approval.

“Spread your legs for me,” he instructed, his hands gliding down her thighs as he knelt behind her. The fact that his face was intimately close to her bottom had her squeezing her internal muscles tightly.

This was nerve wracking to say the least.

When he reached her ankles, she felt the leather straps being secured in place over her boots. Despite the temptation, Mercedes didn’t try to see how far she could move. It wouldn’t be far; she knew that much. And she wasn’t about to let Xander know she’d suddenly developed an overwhelming case of nerves.

Back to his full height, Xander took the flogger from her hand and trailed the long, leather strings down her right arm, then across her shoulders. Since he was left handed and wielding the flogger with his right hand, for now, she knew she had a moment’s reprieve.

When he lovingly slid the tails of the flogger over her left arm, she consciously fought the shiver that threatened to wrack her body. He was getting into position.

Xander was a big man, with a significant amount of power, and with him standing so close, holding a flogger, she felt a little light headed, and utterly consumed by him.

Refocusing her attention on her part in this scene now that she was an active participant, Mercedes sucked in a deep breath and stared forward, keeping her body loose but on alert. She only wished there wasn’t a mirror on the wall, because now she had no choice but to watch what Xander was doing to her as well as feel it.

“Have you been a good girl?” Xander asked as he pressed his chest up against her back once more, his eyes meeting hers in the floor to ceiling mirror.

Um… no.

But she didn’t say that. She couldn’t say anything at first. With his shirt unbuttoned, she felt the heat of his naked chest against her skin, and the only thing she could think about was how warm his body was against hers. And how… hard.

Oh, shit.

The knowledge that he was physically reacting to this – to her – made a zing of pleasure ricochet through her. Never in all the time that she’d known him had Xander shown any interest in her.

Or had he and she just missed it?

No. No, definitely not.

Seriously, they were good enough friends that she could walk around her house half-naked when he was there. Not that she did, but if she wanted to, she would’ve never worried about offending or enticing him.

Considering their dominating personalities were in direct conflict, Mercedes had considered Xander off limits. After all, one plus one certainly did not equal two Doms. That equation didn’t work in her lifestyle so she’d never worried about it before.

She was certainly worried about it now.

Remembering Xander’s question, Mercedes swallowed hard. “Yes, Master X,” she answered diligently, referring to him as he preferred to be called in the club – for Samantha’s and Logan’s benefit only. Master was a sign of respect, and even though she wasn’t his sub, Mercedes wouldn’t disagree that he’d earned that respect.

When Xander’s palm flattened on the inside of her thigh, slowly moving upward, Mercedes bit the inside of her cheek. When the tips of his fingers grazed the curls at the apex of her thighs, she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Are you wet?” he asked, his tone authoritative, his gaze still locked with hers.

He was putting on a show, and she knew it was her turn to flip the switch on her acting skills. Not that she would be entirely acting.

Dammit.

“Yes, Sir,” she said, proud of herself for getting the words out.

As though he didn’t believe her, his hand continued to roam higher until he was reaching between her legs, cupping her mound. He rested his hand there for a moment before he curled one finger under and slid it through her folds.

“So wet,” he growled, the sound incredibly sexy. “So fucking wet.”

Mercedes wondered whether he was just as shocked as she was by how turned on she was. Both by him and the situation.

Xander leaned forward, his chest pressing against her. She felt the heat of his breath on her neck, the rise and fall of his chest against her back. “Fucking hell, M. You’re gonna kill me here.”

She wanted to return the sentiment, but clamped her mouth shut instead.

His words were merely a whisper, yet they sounded as tormented as she felt. Mercedes had no idea whether she should be pleased or worried. This was quickly getting out of control. More importantly, this wasn’t supposed to be about her. Or Xander, for that matter. This was supposed to be for Samantha’s benefit.

Briefly, Mercedes glanced back at the couple through the mirror, noticing that their eyes were focused on her and Xander.

Mercedes had come to terms with giving Samantha a glimpse into the infamous world of BDSM by acting as Xander’s sub for a short scene, but her body’s reaction was belying her demand that this was only a demonstration.

When he finally took a step back, Mercedes inhaled deeply, but then she suddenly missed the warmth of his body against hers.

Wait. No. No, she didn’t. This was a demonstration. Not the real thing.

The flogger tails trailed over her skin lightly again, causing her body to tense with anticipation once more. By the way that the leather consistently brushed over her skin, she knew Xander was focused. It wasn’t long before the soothing stroke was replaced by a soft sting that began as he flicked his wrist, the heavy leather strands making contact over and over again. With every additional slap, her body was warming and her pussy throbbing.