“What kind of misunderstanding?” Xander asked.
“Leave them alone, Xan,” Harley said as she approached. “I’m surprised you made it, Mercy. I was sure you’d try canceling.”
“That was the plan. I forgot to call in sick,” I admitted.
Bentley smacked my arm. “You were really going to pretend to be sick?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “Sorry, Spencer. I’m being rude. Let me introduce you to everyone.”
“I know who everyone is already,” he replied. “I’m a huge fan.”
“Keep him,” Xander told me. “He’s got great taste in music.”
“You know I only date Reckless Release fans,” I teased. “I’m going to grab a drink. Care to join me?” I asked Spencer.
“Will I need to carry you off over my shoulder if the bartender starts mixing drinks wrong?” he asked.
“That sounds interesting,” I replied with a smile. “Where would you carry me?”
The others waited for Spencer’s response.
He leaned in and whispered his response so they wouldn’t hear him. “I have no clue, but I want them to think I’m whispering something dirty in your ear.”
I covered my mouth to hide my giggle and then kissed him before taking his hand and heading off to the bar.
Chapter 45
Spencer
I haven’t been big on clubs since my twenties, but I was having a nice time with Mercy. Granted, there was a big difference between being in the main part of the club and being in the more secluded VIP section. Back in my club-going days, I’d liked the loud music and large crowds. Suri enjoyed clubs, and it was one of the things we’d often disagreed on. I hadn’t minded her going with her friends, but she’d always thought that if she whined and pouted enough I’d agree to go with her. It had worked often enough to prove her right.
“We’ve been drinking for an hour, and I need to ask you something significant,” I began. We were alone at a table near the far end of the room. I was glad to have Mercy to myself.
“I’m not drunk enough to have sex with you in the bathroom,” she teased.
Her response made me laugh. “Considering all you’ve had to drink is cranberry juice, I’m not surprised.”
“Look who’s talking,” she teased. “You’ve been nursing the same beer for nearly an hour.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “Neither of us are big drinkers. I saw too many people get stumbling drunk in college to ever let myself get to that point.”
“I called cabs for too many drunk people over the years,” she explained. “When it comes to drinks, I’m also a bit of a snob. If I’m going to have one, I want to mix it myself. I don’t like cheap booze.”
“A woman with refined tastes,” I mused.
“What did you want to ask me?”
“I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask you all day,” I admitted. “I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow. Not just me. My mum will be in town. She’ll only be here for the one night before she heads to Napa for her annual girls’ trip. The tradition started in her college years. I’m babbling like a twit.” I laughed at my foolishness.
“You want me to meet your mom?” she asked.
“Well, yeah,” I replied. “I know it seems like a big step since I’ve only just convinced you to start dating me, but there it is.”
“All right,” she agreed. “I suppose that since you came out to The Project with me, it’s the least I can do. That came out sounding horrible, didn’t it?”
“A bit,” I agreed.
“I didn’t mean it to sound like I’m doing you a favor by meeting your mom,” she stated. “You surprised me with the question. I do want to meet her. Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead on this one.”
“I think we should both quit while we’re ahead on this subject. You’re having dinner with me and my mum, so that’s all that matters.”
“Is there anything I should know about her?” she asked. “Are there subjects I should avoid so I don’t offend her?”
I chuckled at the thought of Mercy finding anything to offend my mum. “You don’t need to worry about offending her. As far as things you might want to know, she’s from this area. She met my dad when she was on a college trip with friends. They ran into each other in London and absolutely could not stand each other.”
Mercy giggled. “I take it they changed their minds.”
“Yes, they did,” I agreed. “They’re disgustingly in love. You’ll like her. She’s very down-to-earth.”
“Aren’t you worried she’ll get the wrong impression if you bring a date to meet her?” I asked.
“Not at all,” I replied. “Mia already told her about you, so it’s best that you agreed to go. Mum knows where you live.”
“Should I be afraid?” she asked.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted. “I promise to protect you from my mum’s attempts to kidnap you and get you to go along on her winetasting adventure.”
“Why would she do that?” Mercy asked.
I hesitated in responding.
“Spencer?” she pushed.
“Mia told her we’re getting married,” I admitted. “I told my mum we’d just met, but she’s as caught up in the idea of a grand romance as Mia.”
Rather than looking worried, Mercy laughed. “This should be an interesting dinner. Hopefully, your mom hasn’t already rented a hall.”
I’d been a little worried that my mum would be too much for Mercy, but after seeing her reaction, I realized she’d be fine.
Chapter 46
Mercy
After my night out with Spencer, I decided to head back to my place since I had a busy Saturday planned. It had been tempting to spend the night at Spencer’s, but I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep that way, and I wanted to look rested when I had dinner with him and his mom.
I still couldn’t believe I’d agreed to meet his mother when we’d only just decided to start dating. After slipping on a long black dress that fluttered out around my ankles, I started going through my jewelry.
I loved this dress. The neckline was low enough to show a hint of cleavage. It was sexy, but not inappropriate for meeting a man’s mother. It was also a versatile style that could be dressed up or down depending on the jewelry I selected. That’s when I realized that I hadn’t asked Spencer anything about where we were going.
His family had money, so it was always possible we were going to some pretentious restaurant where it took months to get a reservation. Spencer wasn’t the pretentious type, so I doubted his family was that way. Then again, one didn’t have to be pretentious to enjoy a top-notch restaurant. They might be foodies who went because they had the best chefs.
“Why the hell am I standing here thinking about this?” I asked myself. Since I was already talking to myself, I decided to answer my own question. “That’s right. I’m a little crazy.”
Deciding it was ridiculous to stand there and try to guess where we were going, I grabbed my phone to text Spencer.
Mercy: I’m picking out jewelry and need to know how fancy the restaurant is.
Spencer: How could I have forgotten to tell you where we’re going again? I’m a terrible date.
Mercy: You have other talents that make up for your sad dating skills.
Spencer: If we weren’t meeting my mother soon, I’d offer to go over there and demonstrate some of my other talents.
Mercy: Don’t even think about teasing me with what I can’t have.
Spencer: Would you feel better if I admit that I’m also teasing myself?
Mercy: No. How fancy do I need to dress up?
Spencer: I’m in dress pants and a nice shirt. No Tie. I do everything in my power to avoid wearing a tie. I’ll be over to pick you up in five minutes.
Looking at my jewelry, I decided to go with a simple look: emerald drop earrings and a matching pendant. I hadn’t worn the set in several years. I grabbed black shoes with a low heel.
When Spencer
rang the doorbell, I was ready to go.
“Wow!” was all he said when he saw me.
“I take it you like my attire?” I asked with a smile as I turned to lock the door.
“I’d be impressed with you in a burlap sack,” he replied on our way down the stairs.
Once we reached the bottom, I turned to look at him over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “You might want to repeat that line in your head. It’s not nearly as charming as you might think.”
Spencer chuckled as he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned forward until his cheek rested against mine. “I never feel as polished as I want to around you.”
“That’s okay,” I assured him as I reached up to place a hand on his cheek. “I’m not looking for perfectly polished.”
“We should get moving,” he said with a sigh as he stepped back from me.
“Why do you sound so disappointed?” I asked, “Aren’t you looking forward to dinner with your mom?”
“I am, but I’m suddenly thinking about tossing you over my shoulder and carrying you back up those stairs,” he admitted. “I don’t think my mum would appreciate us being late for that reason.”
I laughed and started walking toward his car again. “Something tells me you’re right.”
Chapter 47
Spencer
Mercy wasn’t the first girlfriend to meet my mother. I’d never been one of those guys who feared commitment and spent his time jumping from one meaningless affair to the next. Aside from the obvious fact that behavior like that can be risky, I’m monogamous by nature. My parents have been happily married for nearly forty years, and I want that same kind of happiness. I wasn’t single because I hadn’t finished sowing my wild oats; I simply hadn’t found the right girl yet.
“You seem nervous,” Mercy remarked as we parked down the street from the restaurant. “You’ve been very quiet on the ride over. Is there something I should know?”
“I am nervous,” I admitted.
“Is your mom going to grill me?” she asked. “Is she one of those women who doesn’t think any woman is good enough for her baby boy?”
“No, she’s not like that,” I assured her. “She is the type of mother to share every embarrassing story from my childhood if she likes someone. Something tells me she’s going to love you.”
“I promise that I won’t hold any of those stories against you,” she replied. “My parents are just as bad, and they live close enough to bring baby pictures. I doubt your mom brought photo albums.”
“Good point,” he agreed. “Of course, my mum had all of those embarrassing photos transferred to a cloud drive, so she can always embarrass me by pulling them up on her phone.”
We stepped out of the car and started walking toward the restaurant. “Technology has made it much easier to embarrass children. Between the photos on people’s phones and cloud drives, parents are walking around with blackmail material to use against their kids.”
“Don’t forget social media,” I added. “They’re coming up with new technology all the time. Imagine how easy it will be to embarrass our children.”
Silence fell between us as I realized what I’d said.
“Not that I meant we’re going to have children together,” I began. “We could, but it’s too early to talk about that.”
Mercy laughed and patted my arm. “Stop. I know what you meant, but I wanted to see you try to explain yourself.”
“Do I need to take you across my knee for misbehaving when we get home?” I asked in a soft voice. It was a mistake to put that image in my mind. My dick started to stir. I was about to have dinner with my mother, so I needed to rein in any sexual thoughts.
Mercy’s eyes darkened, and her lips parted slightly before she replied. “Yes, you need to do that when we get home.”
“You’re not going to make this dinner easy for me, are you?” I asked in a low voice.
“Poor, Spencer,” she cooed before walking past me so I could watch her ass sway from side to side. Oh, yeah, I was going to enjoy her when we got back to my place.
I was pulled from my perverted musings by a hand tapping the back of my head.
“Didn’t I raise you better than this?” my mum asked as she stepped beside me.
I tried for an innocent expression, the kind that had yet to get me out of trouble. “What? I was checking to make sure Mercy didn’t have anything on the back of her dress. I need to clean my car.”
Mercy turned and walked back toward us as she said something under her breath.
“I don’t think she’s buying it any more than I am,” my mum told me before walking toward Mercy with an outstretched hand. “I’m Norah, Spencer’s mother.”
“Mercy,” she replied as she shook my mum’s hand.
“I should warn you up front that I’m a hugger,” my mum admitted. “For a first meeting, I try to tone it down, but next time, there will be hugging.”
“It’s okay. I come from a family of huggers. My mom wouldn’t even give you a warning or the handshake first. Since I’m dating Spencer, she’d be hugging you and asking you all sorts of personal questions.”
My mum grinned. “Perfect! I’m looking forward to meeting her. Mia says Spencer really likes you. She also suggested I bring some pictures of him with his teddy to win you over.”
“Mum,” I said with a groan. “I thought you promised to not scare Mercy off too early in the evening.”
“They’re adorable pictures,” my mum argued before gesturing to the restaurant. “Let’s eat. My flight was delayed and all I’ve had since ten this morning is a bag of chips. I hate eating airport food since it’s never as good, and it’s at least three times the price.”
“I’m right there with you,” Mercy agreed. “Granted, I haven’t traveled all that much.”
“From what Mia tells me, you’ve been too busy working to travel,” Mum stated before waving to the hostess as we entered. The hostess hurried over and hugged my mum before taking us to our table.
“It seems you’re a regular here,” Mercy said once we were seated.
“I come whenever I’m in California,” Mum replied. “I don’t make it out here as much as I’d like to. So, how long have the two of you been dating?”
“Not long,” Mercy replied. “We didn’t know each other until a couple of weeks ago.”
“You’re neighbors, right?” My mum continued when I nodded. “Did you recently move there, Mercy?”
“Mercy’s lived there longer than I have,” I replied for her.
“I didn’t make it out too often when Spencer first moved to his place,” she explained. “I was recovering from a bullet wound.”
“A bullet wound?” my mum asked. It seemed Mia hadn’t told her everything.
“Yeah, it happened during a robbery at one of the clubs I owned,” Mercy explained. “Spencer thought I was a cranky old woman back then.”
“You were rather irritable,” I pointed out.
“Some lunatic shot her,” my mum reminded me. “I’d be in a bad mood if someone shot me.”
“I like your mom,” Mercy said with a grin, and I couldn’t help but return her smile because I was glad they were getting along. It was too early to start thinking about long-term, but something told me Mercy was going to be an important part of my future.
Chapter 48
Mercy
Dinner with Spencer’s mom had gone great. Not that I’d been worried she’d hate me, but I didn’t know if she’d worry I was only after Spencer for his money. Even if his parents weren’t bankrolling an extravagant lifestyle for him, he’d probably inherit their estate someday. There were women mercenary enough to want to get involved with him for that reason. It could also be that I’d read too many romance novels where the mother accused the poor girlfriend of trying to marry her son for his money. I’m far from poor, but I could still see it happening.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Spencer asked after we’d been on the road for about twe
nty minutes.
“It’s nice that your mom doesn’t think I’m marrying you for your inheritance,” I remarked. “In a romance novel, she’d be all sweet and nice to my face, and then she’d find a way to get me alone so she could call me a gold-digging whore. She might even offer a large sum of money to get me to leave you.”
Spencer chuckled. “You read a lot of romance novels, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t have that much time to read, so I only read a couple every month.”
“What would you do if you were the heroine in one of these books?” he asked. “Actually, considering that talk about spanking you earlier, how about if you tell me what you’d do if you were the girl trying to marry me for my money? Tell me what wicked things you’d do to get my inheritance.”
“There’d have to be a better reason for me going after you for your money,” I argued. “If I was the heroine in the book, then your mom would have to be wrong about me. If I didn’t have a reason other than greed, then I’d be the villain in the story.”
“What reasons could inspire you to go after me for my money?” he asked.
I considered some of the stories I’d read. “It could be that your family ruined mine and now I’m seeking revenge.”
“The seductive vixen out to avenge her family,” he mused.
“Or I could have gone to you because I need money,” I suggested. “Maybe my brother took out a loan from the mob and left me to pay his debt.”
“And your brother ruined my sweet sister,” he suggested. “That would leave me with my own reasons for wanting revenge.”
“You’re good at this,” I praised. “So, what’s it going to be? I assume you’re interested in roleplaying again.”
“Very much so,” he murmured. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he considered our options. “I say we go with option two since it doesn’t involve me thinking about my mother. Does this mean you’re going to agree to do anything I ask in exchange for me paying off your brother’s debt?”
“Please, help me, Spencer,” I said in my best helpless voice. “I have nowhere else to turn.”
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