Nicole Edwards - Perception

“I always suspected you had your sights set on her, but seriously, X, she’s…”

“She’s what?” Xander asked, his frustration escaping.

“She’s not a submissive.”

That’s what you think, Xander thought to himself. Out loud, he said, “I never said she was.”

“No, but if you’re getting cozy with her, then you’re thinking you can change her. Man, that’s not gonna happen. You’re gonna ruin your friendship with her. Not to mention your business relationship.”

Xander had given that some serious consideration as well. However, he spent his life taking risks and this was one he couldn’t find it in himself to regret. At least not at this point. The alternate – sitting back and hoping Mercedes might pursue him – would probably have him waiting a lifetime.

Unacceptable.

“Let me worry about that,” Xander told Shane. He wanted to say he had it all under control, but he wasn’t sure that was the case, so he bit his tongue.

Shane sighed, clearly dropping the subject. “I’ll see you both tonight then.”

With that, they disconnected the call.

Shane was right, he’d be seeing them both. The remaining question was one only Mercedes could answer: how much of herself was she going to let people see?

~*~*~*~

When Mercedes stepped out of her condo a little before seven, she took a deep breath, trying to settle her unruly nerves. She was an absolute mess and had been ever since Xander had made her come… with his mouth.

Lord did the man have an amazing tongue. The memory sent a rush of heat shuddering through her.

Willing to do just about anything to put some much needed distance between them after that mind-blowing event, Mercedes hadn’t lied when she told him she had a call she couldn’t miss. It had been a well-timed saving grace. As to how well she’d handled that call, she didn’t know. Her mind had continued to wander back to Xander’s bedroom.

God, what a difference a day could make.

As she stood in the hall just outside of her front door, she wondered whether she should just go back into her condo and pretend none of this ever happened. The only reason she was out there was because she wasn’t sure she could resist jumping Xander if he took two steps inside.

However, it didn’t seem to matter whether she was out in the hall or safely tucked away in her condo, her thoughts still drifted to Xander and the deal they’d made. Part of her wanted to back out, the other part of her wanted to move full steam ahead.

If she pushed hard enough, she knew Xander would back off. He might not be happy about it, but he wasn’t the type of man to ever cross the line. Too bad she couldn’t even convince herself that she wanted him to, because if she didn’t even buy it, he definitely wouldn’t believe her if she tried to tell him.

The elevator dinged, drawing her attention down the hall.

Her breath halted in her chest as she watched Xander approach, looking devilishly handsome and positively intimidating with his hands thrust into the pockets of his expensive slacks, his dark, forest green tie a nice contrast against his crisp white shirt, and his hand tailored jacket accentuating his immense upper body.

In her opinion, there was nothing sexier than a self-confident, well-dressed man. And that was a more than befitting description of Xander Boone.

Watching him as he moved toward her, Mercedes recalled the very first time she’d met him. Upon first glance, he’d overwhelmed her with his sheer size. It hadn’t taken long before he’d overwhelmed her with his personality as well. And to this day, Xander was probably the one man she admired more than anyone else. And not just because of how incredibly striking he was.

“You look beautiful,” he said by way of greeting, invading her personal space and pulling her to him, his lips brushing against hers briefly.

“Thank you,” she managed to reply, suddenly feeling a little unsteady on her feet.

Definitely a good thing she’d decided to meet him in the hall.

“Are you ready?”

Mercedes wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready for this man, but she responded with a firm, “Yes."

“Perfect. Did you pack your things?”

Xander had called her to let her know he was taking her to dinner and that they would be making a presence at Devotion later for an invitation-only BDSM theme night. During that conversation, he’d asked her to pack enough to last her through the weekend.

“I did,” she confirmed.

“Good. Gerard will have your things delivered to my condo and Janelle has agreed to come by and put them away,” he informed her as he held out his arm, a signal for her to hold on to him.

Gerard was their beloved doorman who handled so much more than just a door in their building. And Janelle was Xander’s housekeeper. Well, if she’d had any inclination that Xander would be discreet in regard to their deal, she was wrong. It was obvious that her secret was going to be out soon.

Nestling her hand into the crook of his arm, she allowed him to lead her back to the elevator.

Lord. The man smelled incredible. Clearly he’d pulled out all the stops.

“You mean I’ll have room in your closet?” she asked, hoping to disguise the nerves that hadn’t settled at all since he’d stepped foot out of the elevator.

“And your own drawer in my dresser,” he told her with a wide grin.

Butterflies went on the attack immediately, making her belly flutter. She was not immune to this man, no matter how much she wished she was.

They rode the elevator to the ground floor and were met by Gerard, the doorman, who greeted them both by name. Once they stepped out into the humid night air, Mercedes noticed Xander’s limo waiting for them.

Xander took her hand from his arm and held on to it while he helped her into the back of the limo while the driver stood to the side holding the door open.

“We’ll be at our destination in under fifteen minutes, Mr. Boone,” Carson, Xander’s limo driver, informed them as Xander climbed in behind her.

“Where are we going?” she asked when the door was closed, and they were alone.

Xander moved to sit beside her, not leaving an inch of space between them, his big, warm hand resting on her thigh.

“Dakota’s,” Xander replied, referring to one of his favorite restaurants, a five star steakhouse no less.

As the limo pulled away from the curb, Mercedes made a last ditch effort to calm her nerves. It wasn’t like she hadn’t shared more than her fair share of dinners with Xander. They often would go together, especially when he wanted to go to Dakota’s because he knew she liked the place.

She knew she should feel comfortable with him because they were such close friends, but this felt decidedly different. Mostly because Xander was touching her. Constantly. Oddly, she found that she didn’t mind his touch. It was intimate, yet casual, but not at all innocent which left her a little rattled. She could practically feel the tension radiating beneath his skin, and that made her own skin tingle.

Thankfully, the drive was a short one, and it wasn’t long before Xander was leading her into the restaurant. After being greeted by name, Mercedes followed the host to a table in the back while Xander remained right behind her, his hand making her skin sizzle where he kept it at the small of her back.

Xander, ever the gentleman, pulled out her chair after waving off the host’s attempt and waited until she was seated comfortably before taking the chair across from her. She would’ve been surprised by the fact that he didn’t take the seat next to her, but if you’d ever been out to dinner with Xander, you’d realize that the broad expanse of his upper body left him little room to share at a small table such as the one they were now sitting at.