Nicole Edwards - Perception

Long minutes later, when their breathing finally returned to normal, Mercedes lifted her head from his shoulder and looked down at him.

“How was that for round one?” he asked when she met his gaze.

“Round one?”

“Most definitely.”

“What did you have in mind for round two?”

Sliding his hands around to her ass once more, he gripped her firmly.

And then stood, holding her to him, his cock still firmly lodged inside of her.

“What are you doing? Oh my God, Xander. Put me down.”

“Not a chance,” he told her as he made his way to the stairs.

“I am way too heavy for you to carry.”

Xander didn’t respond because the comment was absurd. Clearly she wasn’t too heavy because he was already climbing the stairs, tempted to take them two at a time just so he could get to his destination faster. He would’ve too if he had any inclination of pulling out of her.

But he didn’t.

Because the jarring impact of her body against his had him primed and ready for round two.

Day two…

Friday

By the time Mercedes made her way downstairs the next morning, she had managed to shower, dry her hair, apply her makeup and still hadn’t run into Xander.

She was only a little disappointed.

Waking up in his bed for the second morning in a row had been an experience to say the least. She’d awoken feeling relaxed, despite the dream that had once again taken the liberty of disrupting her sleep.

Although she hadn’t been overwhelmed by the urge to run and hide from the man she’d just spent the night with, she had been a little perturbed that he’d left her alone. Again.

Knowing Xander, he was probably on the phone, never mind the fact that it was still early. The man did little other than work.

Too much.

As she made her way downstairs, she listened for him, trying to pinpoint his location. With coffee the only thing on her mind, Mercedes headed to the kitchen, hoping to find him there.

Nope. No Xander.

But, there was coffee which was all that mattered. After pouring a cup, she padded through the house, making her way to his office. That’s when she heard his voice. He sounded angry, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Since he’d instructed her to be with him every moment that she wasn’t working, Mercedes figured she had a right to violate his workspace even when he was on the phone.

When she walked in, the frustration that was written all over his face immediately morphed into something else entirely as soon as their eyes met.

“Look, I don’t give a shit. I didn’t authorize it, so you figure it out. I’m not willing to sell just yet. Let him know that I’ll consider if the price is right and what he’s proposed is ludicrous. I’ve got to run. Talk to you later. Hey.”

Mercedes smiled as soon as the receiver made its way into the cradle. “Good morning. Looks like you’re having a good day already.”

“I am now. Come here.”

Without thinking, she moved toward him, sipping her coffee as she did. When she was within touching distance, Xander reached for her. Rather than worrying that they’d get a surprise scalding, Mercedes set the cup on the desk and moved into Xander’s arms.

“I was hoping you’d sleep longer,” he told her as she perched on his lap and he pulled her close.

As she got comfortable, she realized that she spent quite a bit of time sitting on his lap. For some reason, the idea didn’t bother her at all. “I would have, but I woke up alone.”

“Sorry about that. I tend to get up early, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“What time did you get up?”

“Four.”

“Hmm, I think there might be a nap in your future,” she said with a smile.

“I like that idea.”

For the first time since she walked in, Mercedes realized he was dressed. Completely. Like with a tie and everything.

“Going somewhere?”

“I’ve got a meeting this morning.”

“Oh.”

“I figured you had things to do today,” he began.

Mercedes tried to push off of his lap, immediately ashamed at her assumption. His arms tightened slightly, her escape attempt failing.

What was she thinking? That Xander would’ve just changed his entire day because she’d spent another night in his bed? Or possibly because she felt there was a connection between them that wasn’t just related to casual sex? Or that just because her calendar wasn’t crammed full that morning that his wasn’t? Granted, it was Friday, and she knew the man probably had plenty of things to do.

As did she.

“I do. I need to follow up on the Milton building. I’m hoping to hear something back today.” No, actually she wasn’t, but it sounded good. Xander leaned over and kissed her, but Mercedes turned quickly, offering him her cheek. “In fact, I need to go make a call.”

To her surprise, Xander leaned back, releasing his hold on her as she abruptly stood. He simply cocked an eyebrow, pinning her with a look that promised punishment later.

“I’ll talk to you later, then.”

Ok, so he probably knew she was upset. So what. If it meant she could put a little distance between them then it was worth it. Clearly she’d gone and lost her mind, thinking that a couple of nights in his bed had changed things.

Obviously not.

“Mercedes,” Xander said sternly when she turned to walk away.

Knowing she was going to earn some form of punishment and not really giving a shit, she waved him off without turning back. “I’ll catch you when you get back.”

As she made her way down the narrow hall, she heard him say, “You’re damn right you will, pet.”

At four-thirty in the afternoon, Mercedes made her way down the narrow hallway that led to Xander’s office. It was the first time she’d been back since her less than graceful retreat just that morning.

Somehow she’d managed to avoid Xander’s phone calls throughout the day and luckily he hadn’t pressed the issue. Then again, she had conveniently disappeared for the majority of the day, which meant he was likely going to be questioning her relentlessly.

She’d just spent the last two hours with a client, showing him two recently listed condo’s not far from her own building. Needless to say, she wasn’t in the best of moods because, not only had she shown him both condos twice, he’d insisted on nitpicking every last detail until finally he decided he wasn’t interested.

She would never get those two hours back.

But, on the positive side of things, she’d been able to get her mind back in working order. No longer was she reliving the time she’d recently spent in Xander’s arms. And more importantly, she wasn’t thinking any of those crazy thoughts about him.

Things were back to normal.

As normal as they could get anyway.

Only now she had to face Xander once again. Probably because she’d ignored his calls throughout the day, he had left a very lengthy voicemail not long ago, reminding her of the deal that they’d made among other things.

“Hey, it’s me. Call me perceptive, but I’ve figured out that you’re avoiding my calls. It hasn’t stopped me from calling you yet and it won’t stop me in the future, so if you don’t mind, just answer the damn phone. It would be a hell of a lot easier than me having to have a one sided conversation with your voicemail.” Pause. “I can only assume that you’re on your way home and yes, I’m here waiting for you. So, whether you show up in five minutes or five hours, I’ll still be here.

“We have a deal, Mercedes. And I’ve never gone back on my word and I know you haven’t either and now isn’t the time for either of us to start.” Another pause. “Damn it, woman. Either give me a call or I expect to see you within the hour. And if you’re lucky…” Exasperated breath. “No, wait. You’ve long surpassed luck. Like I said, I’ll be here waiting.”