Nicole Edwards - Perception

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 visit 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.