Perception

by Nicole Edwards

  It was Mercedes’s turn to assure him, even though every second that passed made her that much later. “I’ll be here tonight. Just like I promised.”

  Xander’s eyes softened, and she realized that was exactly what he’d been worried about.

  Breaking the eye contact, she held up her coffee mug in salute. “Thanks for this. I’ve gotta go, but I promise, I’ll call you later.”

  “I’m holding you to that.”

  Of course he was.

  Several minutes later, Mercedes was walking through the parking garage. On the way down from Xander’s condo, she had called her client, informing her that she was a few minutes behind. She didn’t make a habit of running late for anything and she still wasn’t sure how she’d managed to be so careless that morning.

  Because you slept like the dead after Xander rocked your world.

  Ok, so there was that.

  Once inside her Lexus SUV, Mercedes placed her coffee in the cup holder, staring down at it for a moment. Xander had prepared that for her. Just like…

  No way. Do not go there.

  It was a simple task, one anyone would’ve done. She was not going to read any more into it. Just because they’d had phenomenal, top-of-the-head-exploding sex last night did not mean they were a couple.

  This was still a deal. One that would only last a few more days.

  Mercedes’s phone rang. Thank God.

  Hitting the button on the steering wheel to activate the Bluetooth, she greeted the caller. The number that came up on the navigation screen was unfamiliar.

  “Mercedes?”

  “This is she,” she told the female caller.

  “This is Samantha McCoy.”

  “Hello, Samantha,” she answered in return, trying to hide the confusion in her voice.

  Oh, God.

  If Sam were calling to discuss her desire to learn about submissives, she just might run her car into a wall.

  “Please call me Sam. I just wanted to call to see if you had plans tonight.”

  Tonight? Right. The boys – including Logan – would all be at the cigar bar. “I, uh –”

  Sam interrupted. “Some of us are going to go out to a… you know… a toy shop.” Sam paused, and Mercedes smiled. The woman was nervous.

  She didn’t encourage Sam to continue because she had no idea what the woman was requesting.

  “We wanted to see if you wanted to go with us.”

  Wow. That was a surprise.

  “An invitation to a sex shop?” Mercedes said with a laugh. “I have to admit, I don’t get those types of invitations much. At least not from a woman.”

  Sam laughed, some of her anxiety seeming to fade away. “Yeah, well, me either. But, we figured since the boys get their night out, we’d do something that would… benefit them too.”

  Mercedes liked the idea of a girl’s night out without men. She hadn’t been able to spend a lot of time with Clarissa, her closest friend, because Clarissa’s schedule was even more bogged down than Mercedes’s. But tonight, she certainly didn’t have anything to do because Xander would be gone, and she feared if she sat at home, she’d only find ways to pick apart everything that had happened over the course of the last two days.

  “Sure, I’d love to go,” she told Sam now.

  “Perfect,” Sam said enthusiastically, just short of a squeal.

  Mercedes listened while Sam gave her the details: time, place, what they’d be doing before in case she wanted to join them for drinks. When Sam finished with the instructions, they said their good-byes just as Mercedes was pulling into the parking lot of her destination.

  A group of girls at a sex shop.

  Why the hell not. It could be fun.

  And it would be her chance to set the other women straight. After all, they were probably still under the impression that she was a sub.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  “That is not what happened, and you know it,” Shane argued with a choked laugh. “She was… Shit. I don’t even know what she was after. I could see it in her eyes, she wanted me laid out like a platter, and I got the feeling she wanted to feast on my blood.”

  Xander laughed. The stories Shane told about the subs he encountered never ceased to entertain him and the others. He was pretty sure that Trent hung on to every single word Shane spoke, like he was some sort of Dom god or something.

  “Did she? Lay you out like a meal?” Tag Murphy asked from where he relaxed in one of the leather chairs, a glass of Hennessy in his hand.

  “Not a chance,” Shane bolstered. “I didn’t run,” he said, glaring at Xander before turning back to Tag, “no matter what anyone might tell you. However, I did walk fast. That woman scared the shit out of me.”

  A round of laughter echoed in the small area.

  They’d gathered at X-hale as was their ritual on the third Thursday of every month. Xander owned the upscale cigar bar, but he didn’t run it. He left that to John Rhinehart. And he didn’t regret it either.

  He’d much rather enjoy his time there, not worried about whether it was being run the way it should. In turn, he paid John well to manage the place.

  John was adamant that their clientele was high class, which meant their membership fees were astronomical to ensure they kept it that way. And in turn, they stayed relatively busy with the upper crust males who sought just a few hours of time to themselves. Usually during the week.

  This specific night was closed to the public because Xander reserved the place. The entire bar didn’t hold many people, catering to a maximum of thirty at any given time. And that was if the poker room in the back was at capacity.

  Tonight, they weren’t playing poker. Instead, the entire group, including a new face Xander hadn’t seen before had gathered just to chat. Luke and Logan McCoy had arrived, along with Cole Ackerley, Alex McDermott, Tag Murphy, Trent Ramsey, Shane Gibson, and the newcomer, Elijah Penn.

  Pretty much the same core group that gathered every month to enjoy cigars and a little top shelf liquor. Because Xander had wanted to discuss some business, he’d informed Trent to limit his monthly guests. The man knew more people than the rest of them put together, and he was bringing someone else into the fold.

  Tonight, Trent had introduced Elijah Penn, Senior Vice President of Global Sales for a company that boasted to be the industry leader in storage and server virtualization. Logan McCoy’s ears had perked up at the title; that was for damn sure. Xander didn’t doubt that Elijah was some big wig at a Fortune 500 company. The people Trent knew were usually at the top of their industry, whatever that might be.

  After the initial introductions were made, Xander had noticed that Logan and Elijah had sparked up a conversation. Apparently they knew of one another because of their close business ties. They’d never officially met, or so Xander had overheard. Up until Shane started telling his latest tale, the two men had been engrossed in a rather animated conversation, clearly having hit it off.

  At the moment, everyone had migrated to the lounge area, filling the chairs that formed a wide circle. Luke and Cole were the only two standing, and they were propped near the wall closest to the group. There were a couple of side conversations, but for the most part, the discussion had eased back as a whole.

  “So, are you a member of Devotion?” Alex McDermott asked, his question seemingly directed at Elijah. It had to be since Alex would know that the rest of them were members, if not financial backers.

  “I am,” Elijah confirmed. “As of a week ago, they accepted my application and I was able to attend opening night. I was not, however, able to make it last night.” He went on to explain in the slightest hint of a British accent.

  According to Trent’s earlier introduction, Elijah had been in the United States for roughly two decades. At forty-two years old, Elijah Penn spent the majority of his time working, which involved a significant amount of travelling all over the world. He had enlightened them with a little of his history, also informing them that he routinely went back to vi
sit his aging parents. He had, however, assured them that he considered Dallas his home. That had been his excuse for many of his “American-isms” anyway.

  “Are you planning to attend later this week?” It was Logan’s turn to ask a question and Xander glanced over at him, then peered at Elijah for a response.

  Xander wasn’t privy to the applications that were submitted, but he knew if he wanted to he could get his hands on them. Based on Logan’s sudden interest in Elijah’s attendance, he figured Logan was interested in getting his hands on it as well.

  “I’ll be out of the country until early Sunday,” Elijah informed them. “However, I hope to make it there on Monday.”

  Logan nodded. “I’d like to introduce you to my wife.”

  “I’d like that very much.”

  Elijah and Samantha? It was obvious which direction Logan was heading, but Xander tossed around the idea in his head for a moment. “Are you into threesomes?” Xander asked Elijah bluntly.

  Elijah didn’t seem at all put off by the question. “As a matter of fact, I am,” he answered easily. “Why? Are you offering to include me?”

  Xander laughed stiffly. “Not a chance.” Xander had no intention of sharing Mercedes, but he knew for a fact that Logan was interested in pursuing something that might have some lasting benefits. He’d known from the beginning that suggesting Logan and Sam might find some interest in BDSM was a gamble. But it had provided him an opportunity to get cozy with Mercedes, and he’d taken it. Yes, he was a manipulative bastard when he needed to be. “But definitely good information to have.”

  “Are you married?” Shane asked casually.

  “Thirteen years this month,” Elijah confirmed.

  Everyone’s attention turned to him. That would’ve had Elijah married sometime in his late twenties if Xander’s math were correct. But what Xander couldn’t wrap his head around was that he was married, but he was interested in a threesome with other couples? There was no way Logan had understood Elijah’s situation correctly if he wanted to introduce this guy to Sam.

  “I met Beth through a business conference when I was fresh out of college. She stole my breath the moment I saw her. I pursued her for three years before I finally wore her down and convinced her to marry me,” Elijah explained with a huge grin. “Of course, she wasn’t the type of woman to ever jump into anything, so she insisted on a long engagement. Two years later we were married.”

  Everyone’s attention was focused on Elijah. Xander watched him carefully. The man wasn’t disguising just how much he loved his wife.

  “My Beth passed away four years ago,” Elijah told them when no one said a word, anguish dripping from every word. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re still married. We always will be.”

  You could’ve heard a pin drop.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Cole added, taking a step closer to Luke as he did.

  “Thank you. We were together for a very long time. As you can imagine, you don’t get over the love of your life. And I have no intention of replacing her.”

  Shane nodded as though he understood. Xander didn’t. Nod that is. He had a good idea of what Elijah was saying. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get over Mercedes if something were to happen to her. God willing, he would never have to.

  He didn’t care if they were together for five days or fifty years. The woman was seared into his soul at this point, even if she didn’t know it.

  But after last night…

  “How’s Dylan?” Luke asked, gently changing the subject and directing his question at Alex, who was standing nearby.

  While the others picked up the conversation, Xander watched Elijah for a moment longer. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fathom what the man must’ve gone through or the pain he must’ve suffered from losing the one person who would forever hold his heart.

  Xander shook off the thought and then turned his attention to the explanation Alex was giving. Dylan Thomas was doing better. Not great, but better, Alex said.

  The depression he’d been living under since his wife passed away from cancer nine years ago had taken a drastic turn after his son graduated from high school last year.

  From what Xander understood, Dylan felt as though he wasn’t needed anymore now that his children were practically grown, despite the fact that everyone, including his children, tried to convince him otherwise.

  Xander knew that people handled grief in many different ways. Such as Elijah continuing to celebrate his anniversary every year and still wearing what appeared to be his wedding band on his left hand. Or Dylan, who had never managed to find himself after spending so many years taking care of others.

  “She died from cancer,” Alex was saying.

  “My Beth did as well. Brain cancer. She battled for two very long years before the good Lord decided it was time.”

  “Dylan hasn’t been able to move forward. We all understand that he’ll never let her go. We don’t expect him to,” Alex told Elijah. “But we want him to accept that he has to keep on living. His sister Ashleigh, my fiancé, tries to get him to talk, but he doesn’t open up much.”

  “It’s difficult to move forward. I understand where he’s coming from. But, in the same regard, we each have to find something that will keep us content in the meantime,” Elijah agreed.

  Xander felt all eyes on him. Apparently the conversation had taken a turn they weren’t all comfortable with, so they were probably looking to him to save them all.

  “So, Logan,” Xander began, realizing it was time to liven things up, “do you know anyone seeking a CEO position?”

  And just like that, the conversation moved to business.

  ~~**~~**~~

  “Oh. My. God. Do people really buy this stuff?” Ashleigh exclaimed as they perused the aisle of the sex shop that Mercedes considered the “less than desirables”. The particular item Ashleigh was referring to was known as an anal toss ring. And it was exactly what you would expect it to be. An anal plug with a stem that would… yeah. Needless to say, if you want to stand across the room and toss rings, you now have a target to hit.

  “That’s funny,” McKenna said with a laugh.

  Mercedes had had the pleasure of talking to McKenna in depth at the bar they’d met at an hour before. They had only been talking for five minutes when they hit it off.

  “But I happen to like this one,” McKenna told them, picking up a large box. “It’s an Area 51 blow up doll.”

  “A what?” Ashleigh asked incredulously.

  “It’s an alien blow up doll,” Samantha informed Ashleigh.

  Mercedes laughed at the outrageous expression on the pregnant woman’s face. She kind of found it difficult to believe that the woman wrote erotic romance and had absolutely no idea about stuff like this.

  These were tame compared to some of the things Mercedes had seen, but she didn’t say as much. For the time being, she was just enjoying their enthusiasm.

  When she had arrived at the bar, Mercedes hadn’t been sure what to expect. She’d met Sam, and she’d had a brief introduction to Sierra at the opening of Devotion, but tonight was the first time she had been introduced to McKenna and Ashleigh. Her stomach had been in a knot when she first arrived, but it hadn’t taken long before they loosened her up with the banter between them. It was clear that this group of women were close to one another.

  They’d practically absorbed Mercedes right into the fold without question.

  “It has three boobs,” Ashleigh told them.

  “And don’t forget the three love holes,” McKenna added with a snicker.

  “Look at this,” Samantha called from a few feet away. “It’s called a happy hopper.”

  “Oh, God. That’s hilarious,” Sierra said as she broke out into giggles and moved past them.

  “What do you do with it?” Ashleigh asked.

  “You sit on it. And… hop.”

  McKenna laughed outrageously as Ashleigh stared in disbelief at the giant blow up ball that was eq
uipped with three different size dildos attached to the top.

  “Hey, you’ve got to see this stuff,” Sierra called from the next aisle over.

  Mercedes followed the rest of them as they maneuvered through the store, picking up and giggling at several more of the items on the shelf before making their way over to Sierra.

  Ahh, yes. The BDSM aisle.

  Sam glanced over at Mercedes, their eyes connecting briefly before Sam looked away, trying to hide a smile.

  “This is some serious stuff,” Sierra said as she picked up a box. “It’s called The Humiliator.”

  “Do people really use this stuff?” Ashleigh asked again.

  “They do,” Mercedes assured them. Granted, she didn’t know anyone who used a ball gag with a toilet brush attached to the end, but to each his own. “As for that, I’m sure someone has had endless hours of pleasure.”

  They all laughed, just as she expected they would.

  “Have you used any of these things?” Sam asked, her tone more serious than before.

  “All the time. I’m frequently encouraging my subs to think outside of the box.”

  “Your subs?” Sam asked, her eyes wide. “But I thought –”

  “That’s what Xander wanted you to think,” Mercedes said before Sam finished.

  “So you’re not a submissive?”

  “No, not by a long shot.”

  Sam didn’t seem convinced, but the woman was kind enough to keep her comment to herself. It was clear by the expression on her face that she didn’t belief her.

  Along the wall, there were different forms of kinky toys, including blindfolds, muzzles, spreader bars, as well as wrist and ankle restraints. In another section to their left, there were hoods and dungeon irons, not to mention a myriad of suspension equipment and even a section for pony and puppy play.

  Mercedes noticed Ashleigh had turned white as a sheet as she continued to take stock of the various toys people used to entertain themselves.

  “Do you have a favorite?” McKenna asked her now.

  “I like cock and ball shackles,” Mercedes told them honestly. “Cock rings and ball weights are always a good time as well.”