Perception

by Nicole Edwards

  In truth, she hadn’t expected it. At least not tonight.

  Why, she didn’t know.

  This was Xander. A man who liked to keep people on their toes. And he didn’t work on anyone else’s timetable. Ever. This was his show, and she had fully accepted she was just along for the ride.

  Mercedes fought the urge to cup her breasts, to squeeze them to release some of the pressure. It was a good thing she had a tremendous amount of control. Not that she was showing much of it tonight.

  As she watched, Xander held out the other box, not moving to open it or have her do the honors. In fact, he looked worried. Studying his reaction caused her to forget all about the consistent throb in her nipples. For the time being.

  “What’s that?” she asked, suddenly incredibly nervous.

  “Don’t panic on me yet, pet,” Xander said reassuringly, his eyes never leaving her face.

  She watched, anticipation and dread doing a number on her already frayed nerves. In truth, she hadn’t been all that surprised by the nipple clamps. They were an expected adornment with Xander. Maybe not tonight, but she’d definitely anticipated them. Xander was quite fond of them, she knew. But now that they were in place, she couldn’t imagine what other torture devices he might be hiding.

  Xander flipped the box open to reveal an exquisite diamond rose on what looked to be a white gold chain.

  Her heart stuttered in her chest when he lifted it from the box, and she realized exactly what it was. Her first instinct was to move away from him, to get as far away as possible. He must’ve known because his one hand snaked around to her back, holding her firmly in place.

  “If you absolutely refuse to wear it tonight, I will understand,” he told her.

  Mercedes met his eyes for the first time since he’d retrieved the chain and what she saw staring back at her certainly wasn’t what she expected. He had said the words, but she knew without a doubt that if she refused, he’d be more hurt than angry. And that bothered her more than anything.

  “Just for tonight?” she asked, her hands trembling.

  “Tonight, and any night we’re at Devotion.”

  “Xander…” she couldn’t even finish her sentence.

  There was absolutely no way she was ready for this. Although the jewelry was delicate and beautiful, what it symbolized was something she wasn’t ready for. Shit, it had only been a few hours since she’d agreed to this deal, and now he wanted to…

  God, she couldn’t even think it.

  “Why?” she asked, bewildered by what he was offering.

  Xander reached up and cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him when she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the chain dangling from his fingers.

  “It’s not permanent and it doesn’t mean anything unless you want it to. It’s more so that there are no questions from anyone else, M. I don’t want any questions as to who you belong to.”

  “It’s a collar,” she said, as though that could possibly be news to him. More accurately, it was what she’d refer to as a day collar, one designed to show ownership, but not used in play.

  “It is,” he confirmed. “One I had designed for you today. Like I said, it’s not permanent, but I do want to ensure that there are no questions. For the next few days, you belong to me. Completely to me.”

  Shit. She knew what it symbolized, and she understood his reasoning. It still bothered her.

  Mercedes had taken plenty of subs over the years. Only once had she ever collared one. And that had come back to bite her in the ass hard.

  A little over two years ago, Mercedes had let herself get just a little too attached to a man. A sub. Or at least she’d thought he was submissive. In the club, he’d played the part to perfection. And for the months leading up to her collaring him, she had thought she loved him.

  But in the light of day, Mitchell hadn’t been anything that he proclaimed to be. Oh, sure, for the six months they dated exclusively, he’d pretended rather well. It hadn’t been until she had officially collared him that he’d shown his true colors. He had even gone so far as to propose to her. When she’d told him she wasn’t quite ready to go that far yet, he’d shown her who he really was.

  That one devastating night, she learned his true nature. He was a submissive when people were watching. He was an asshole when they weren’t. The first time he laid a hand on her, she’d kicked his ass out. Well, technically Xander had kicked his ass out because Mitchell had refused to leave her condo, while he tried to convince her that he was sorry.

  How she’d been so blind, she truly had no clue, but it had been a rough few months for her.

  Regardless, she didn’t take the notion of collaring a submissive lightly, and she knew by the way Xander stared back at her, not moving as he waited for her response that he did too. Now that she thought about it, in all the years that she’d known Xander, never had he collared one of his pets, even a few he’d coveted for longer than just a couple of days.

  “Oh, God,” she breathed. “I don’t…”

  “It’s all right, pet,” he said soothingly, lowering his hand.

  No holds barred.

  The thought fluttered through her mind, reminding her of why she was here and what she’d agreed to.

  Before he could return the necklace to the box, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. She’d signed on for this, and she wouldn’t go back on her word. If this would please him, Mercedes was willing to give it a shot. No matter how uncomfortable it made her.

  “I’ll wear it,” she whispered, shocked by her agreement.

  Obviously Xander was shocked as well because he just stared back at her as though she’d lost her mind.

  She had. She truly had.

  “Lift up your hair,” he instructed long seconds later, his voice not as steady as it had been previously.

  He was just as affected by her concurrence, and that sent a torrent of courage flooding through her. That and a sense of empowerment that she hadn’t expected.

  Raising her arms, Mercedes caught her breath when the nipple clamps pulled, the weight of the chain pulling tighter. She moaned, but managed to lift her hair up.

  Xander reached behind her, his large fingers moving deftly and then a moment later he was finished. How he could hook something so small with such precision was beyond her, but clearly he knew what he was doing.

  Dropping her hair, she looked directly at him and noticed he was staring at her neck. She reached up, her fingertips brushing across the small rose that settled comfortably against her throat. When she swallowed, she could feel it, which meant she would constantly be reminded that it was there.

  Probably exactly how he wanted it.

  “Fuck,” Xander growled. “M.”

  The next thing she knew, Mercedes was crushed against him, Xander’s powerful arms flexing as he held her close, his mouth fused to hers as he devoured her whole.

  She didn’t hesitate, fully engulfed by the flames that ignited when his mouth met hers. The deep rumble in his chest didn’t subside as he thrust his tongue against hers. She was going to disintegrate into ash if he kept this up. The passion that smoldered between them was more powerful than a wildfire fanned by high winds.

  “I’m not sure how much longer I can wait,” he said when they came up for air.

  “For what?” she asked, confused and more than a little breathless from that mind-blowing kiss.

  “To be inside you. I want to feel the heat of your pussy surrounding me,” he breathed, his lips brushing against the skin of her neck while his hips jerked beneath her.

  She wanted it too. She wanted nothing more than to remove the barriers between them and sate the ever intensifying ache that was continuing to grow more painful with every passing second.

  “What are you waiting for?” she asked him, cupping the back of his head and holding him close to her.

  Xander must’ve taken hold of the chain that connected the nipple clamps because suddenly there was an influx of pleasure/pain that bolted
through her nipples, making her cry out from the sheer ecstasy of it.

  “For that reason,” he said on a rush. “Because I want to make you come a million different ways before I bury myself inside of you.”

  She wanted to tell him that the only thing he needed to do was to continue talking like that, and she’d come from his voice and his words alone.

  And she feared it would be the honest to God truth.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After Xander had signaled for Carson to make it to their final destination, he helped Mercedes right her dress, effectively hiding the nipple clamps. He hadn’t particularly wanted to, but he’d been under the impression she needed a minute.

  As soon as the limo came to a stop in front of Devotion, Xander eased out into the stifling evening air and then helped Mercedes out behind him once she slipped her shoes back on. Carson came around to handle the door, handing him a small bag as he did.

  “Thank you,” he told the man. “I’ll text you when we’re ready.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll be waiting.”

  Taking Mercedes’s hand, he led her to the main doors of Devotion and then held one open for her.

  With a quick nod of his head, he greeted the woman who was manning the desk and the security guard who was standing off to the side. The woman didn’t have much work to do tonight because the club still hadn’t officially opened to new members and tonight’s festivities were by invitation only. And he could only hope security wasn’t necessary, but one could never be too careful.

  With his fingers still linked with Mercedes’s, he made his way through the next set of double doors that led to the actual club.

  At that point, Xander released her hand, and placed his at the small of her back, directing her toward the first bar. He noticed she was suspiciously eyeing the small bag that he was carrying, but he refused to share the details with her just yet.

  Xander had a plan and every time he eyed the collar around her neck, he became more and more anxious to get the night started. Only he wasn’t looking to rush her and being that Mercedes was the one who was going to be in the uncomfortable spot tonight, he knew he needed to give her a little time to get acclimated to their surroundings. Figuring out of sight, out of mind was the best option, Xander stowed the bag underneath the first bar that they came to. He then grabbed the attention of the bartender and ordered them drinks.

  While they waited, he took the opportunity to observe the goings-on of the club.

  It was still fairly early, but the place was jumping, more people than he was expecting considering this was a test run of what they hoped would become a regular theme night.

  Tonight’s theme… BDSM.

  He was surprised to see that the attendees had embraced the concept. At least they had if their state of dress was any indication. Last night’s attire had been formal, tonight was all about play. He noticed that, without explicit direction, some people came up with some rather interesting ideas.

  Most of the early arrivals donned leather, some not so appealing, some rather intriguing, all having one thing in common: an apparent effort to reflect the glorified, often stereo-typed lifestyle many were just now exploring.

  Overall, Xander liked the feel of the place. Everyone was into it, from novices to experts and varying degrees in between.

  As was usual, the shutters over the windows were closed, the lights were dimmed which left the club backlit by the red lights that surrounded the bars. The music was loud, a sexy bass beat thumping through the cavernous space. There were lines of people around the bars, others sitting at the scattered tables, some on couches and even some against the wall.

  Because of the theme, they’d added some scenery, which included a St. Andrew’s cross, a very interesting Sybian saddle machine that Trent Ramsey, the somewhat obnoxious actor turned club owner and one of Xander’s longtime acquaintances, had found necessary to include. Off to the far side, Xander noticed someone had brought out a swing as well.

  Of course, those pieces of equipment were already reserved in advance for the night, as were the glass enclosed playrooms. Mistress Serena was in one, but only one of the other three was occupied at the moment.

  Xander had originally intended to use one of them for tonight, but after careful consideration, he was leaning toward utilizing one of the more private areas. Then again, that all depended on the way Mercedes responded to him.

  Tonight he intended to test her again.

  He was the Dom, – her Dom – and she was his submissive, and he fully expected her full cooperation and attention throughout the night. If she could manage to rein in some of her defiance, he’d gracefully reward her by keeping her out of the public eye.

  However, if she chose to defy him, which up to this point he wasn’t sure she would do, he would easily lay claim to one of the glass rooms as punishment. Because of the latter, he had first dibs on the third room just in case.

  Either way, he fully intended to make tonight interesting.

  After all, he didn’t have a minute to waste. Five days weren’t nearly enough time for all the things he had planned for her. But for now, he’d proceed with that timeframe in mind.

  Retrieving the drinks that the bartender handed over, Xander turned to Mercedes, offering hers to her first.

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile when he handed her a glass filled with a clear liquid.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied, studying her as she sipped from the glass. Figuring it was as good a time as any to lay out the ground rules, Xander continued. “Tonight, I want you to refer to me as Master or Sir,” he told her boldly, wanting to set the boundaries immediately.

  Up to this point, they’d merely been on a casual date, something Xander found himself hoping for more of in the near future. Well, the only difference might’ve been him placing the nipple clamps on her and collaring her in the limo.

  “Can you do that?” he asked when she didn’t answer immediately, needing her verbal confirmation that she was on board.

  “Yes, Sir,” she mumbled.

  He noted the sarcasm in her tone. She was adept at the rules of this game, so he didn’t feel it necessary to call out her transgressions as they were made. If she wanted to play that way, he’d gladly dole out his punishment accordingly. On the other hand, she knew what would please him because she knew him so well, so she had the option of playing by the rules.

  The choice was completely up to her.

  “One drink limit tonight,” he informed her as he sipped his Glenlivet. That was a hard and fast rule that they were both used to. Anytime he planned for a scene, he knew that alcohol didn’t mix well. The safety of his sub was, above all else, his utmost priority.

  And tonight, he fully intended to focus all of his attention on the beautiful pet he planned to stake his claim on in every way possible.

  ~~*~~*~~

  Luke McCoy was doing his best to keep his eye on everything that was going on around him as he stood near the bar. It wasn’t that hard to do considering he knew he had a second set of eyes doing the same not far away. Cole was less than ten feet away talking to Sierra, but Luke knew he was well aware of everything that was going on.

  As he waited for the bartender to hand over the three drinks he’d ordered, Luke scanned the room, noticing that Xander and Mercedes had just arrived. Good thing too since tonight had been his new business partner’s suggestion in the first place. If he were completely honest, the whole BDSM thing didn’t do much for him. Well, that wasn’t completely true. He did find it rather tempting to tie Cole or Sierra to the bed whenever the opportunity arose. But that didn’t mean he was into all the shit that was going on around him tonight.

  In fact, he was tempted to rush Cole and Sierra out the door and haul them home as fast as possible. From there, he’d be more than happy to show them his version of BDSM, which would involve a pair of handcuffs, some scarves, and him being buried to the hilt in one or the other of them as soon as fucking possible.


  “You all right?”

  Luke glanced over to see Trent Ramsey standing next to him, giving him one of his infamous smirks.

  “Never better. You?” he answered easily, turning his attention back to the groups congregating around the wide open space.

  “Just fucking dandy,” Trent said with a grin. “Looks like those Walker boys are gonna have to work extra hard to compete with this place, don’t you think?”

  Luke fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Last I checked, it wasn’t a competition.” Then again, he’d been telling Trent that for months. The guy didn’t get it. He was hell-bent on ensuring that Devotion was above and beyond anything the Walkers could come up with. Had Luke not been a silent partner in the up and coming resort that the Walker brothers were building, he might’ve cared more than he did.

  “Try telling them that,” Trent said, nodding his head toward the far side of the room.

  Luke followed his gaze and noticed Travis Walker had made an appearance. Son of a bitch. Wasn’t that interesting? He was going to have to head over and talk to him. At least that would give him an excuse if he found he needed one.

  “Has Xander been introduced to Travis?” Trent asked when Luke didn’t say anything more.

  “Yeah,” Luke answered. He wasn’t going to let Trent know that Xander’s name had also been added to the long list of financial backers for the Alluring Indulgence Resort. It would likely make his head explode and for the time being, Luke was content with not having to deal with Trent being in a panic. At least tonight he seemed to be in a good mood.

  Then again, with plenty of half-naked women sending looks his way, the man really shouldn’t have a care in the world.

  “Everything ok over here?”

  Saved by a beautiful woman.

  Luke smiled down at his wife, putting his arm around her and pulling her closer to him while he glanced over to see where Cole was. His husband moved up against his other side and immediately picked up the conversation with Trent. God, he loved that man. Cole always knew when Luke needed rescuing, and he would always need to be saved from Trent. The man had the ability to drive him absolutely fucking crazy. But thanks to Cole, it looked like he’d be able to hang on to his sanity for a little while longer.