Perception Read online

  So when Xander informed her of his master plan to introduce Logan and Samantha to a little bondage and submission, Mercedes hadn’t thought anything of it. BDSM wasn’t for the faint of heart, but she didn’t have to explain that to Xander. When he’d invited her to the opening of Devotion, the new club that happened to be in the exact same warehouse that had provided her original introduction to Xander, she hadn’t questioned him either.

  Nor did she think to tie the two together and come up with her somehow becoming the night’s attraction.

  Shame on her.

  His last and final request had been what sent her over the edge. Tonight, right here in this very room, Xander Boone wanted to give Samantha a lesson in bondage and submission. The kicker of it all was that he wanted to use Mercedes in his demonstration.

  “Why me?” she had asked him that night at dinner, but he’d easily avoided her question, in lieu of continuing to explain his reasons.

  According to Xander, Samantha was interested in threesomes, or so he’d been told by Logan. And based on Samantha’s explanation as to why she enjoyed them, Xander felt as though she was more turned on by Logan’s natural domination of the situation than the actual inclusion of another man.

  Made sense. Sort of.

  Her understanding of the situation was that Xander had come to the conclusion that Logan got off by watching Samantha pleasured. By another man. Mercedes understood that.

  And Samantha had enjoyed being with two men at one time. No questions there either.

  However, Samantha was apparently hesitant because of her past experience and the attachment she’d made with the two men who had been involved in her relationship in the past. That part Mercedes understood, as well.

  In order to help them out, Xander had the brilliant idea to introduce them to BDSM because it could provide the domination that Samantha seemed so fond of. Rather than having to introduce a third person for her to get her fix.

  Xander had gone on to explain that, since Samantha obviously became attached, it made sense that they might need to shy away from the threesomes and look at another way to get her what she needed.

  “Why me?” Mercedes had asked him again after his lengthy explanation, still not understanding why she had to be the one on the chopping block. There were a number of subs who would graciously accept his invitation.

  “Because I don’t want to use anyone else,” he had told her.

  Simple. Straight forward. No, it still didn’t make sense, yet here she was, agreeing to Xander’s plan to act out a scene.

  With her as his submissive.

  Sometimes she was just too damned nice.

  Xander had assured her that she would merely be there as an accessory for the evening, so Mercedes had reluctantly agreed. He was her friend after all. She could help him this one time. Or so she’d tried to convince herself.

  She wasn’t in an intimate relationship; therefore, she wasn’t stepping out on anyone. Her time was her own. How she decided to spend it was up to her as well.

  Not that this would’ve been her first choice.

  The sharp gasp from Samantha had Mercedes turning to look in her direction again. Her gaze stopped midway across the room where she noticed Xander absently caressing the flogger in his hands.

  Of course he would pick that one.

  Mercedes had requested him to use a low-intensity flogger for tonight, and he had laughed at her, then he’d followed his chuckle with, “What’s that?”

  Ok, fine. He didn’t use low-intensity floggers. Then again, neither did she. Most of the time.

  But looking at the high-intensity, latigo flogger in his hand didn’t have her ass singing a happy tune at the moment.

  Not that she would let him know that.

  Mercedes looked up to meet his intense, light green gaze and found her heart rate kicking up another notch. His mouth was a straight line, but his eyes were laughing at her.

  Damn Dom.

  “I’m waiting,” he informed her as she stared back at him.

  He could wait all day as far as she was concerned.

  For half a second, she contemplated being a brat, something that she personally had absolutely no tolerance for, but figured that wouldn’t fare well for her in the long run. Instead, without argument, Mercedes moved closer to the giant “X” securely positioned near the wall.

  Pushing everything to the back of her mind, she tried to fall into the mindset of a sub. She’d spent enough time with them, knew what they expected of her as their Domme, so she knew what the desired responses were from Xander’s perspective.

  Easy, right?

  Um… no.

  The next thing she knew, Xander’s enormous body was directly behind her, his front to her back, sandwiching her between him and the wooden cross in front of her.

  The man was the human equivalent of a Mack truck.

  “Hold this,” he instructed close to her ear in that sexy, rich baritone of his, placing the well-worn, braided handle of the flogger in her right hand as he crowded her up against the cross.

  Mercedes gripped the nine inch handle tightly, tempted to slip out from beneath him and show him exactly how it should be used. Instead, she remained motionless, gritting her teeth as she anticipated what was to come.

  Xander’s giant hands slid from her elbows up to her wrists, sending an unexpected, blinding frisson of heat coursing through her.

  Ok wait.

  Back up a minute.

  That was not supposed to happen.

  She wasn’t sure whether she was surprised more by how good his touch felt, or by how strange it was to have him now cuffing her to the cross. And the cuffing part wasn’t what got to her. She’d been there before in other demonstrations. No, it was actually Xander’s touch, or more accurately her own reaction to it, that had caught her off guard.

  Once her hands were firmly secured in the padded leather cuffs, Xander slid his palms down her arms, over the sides of her breasts then down to her waist, but that’s where he stopped.

  “You ready for this?” She felt his breath against her cheek, his voice low enough so only she could hear.

  No. “Yes,” she whispered, irritated at how breathless she sounded.

  Seriously. She was going to have to give more thought as to why his touch felt so good.

  But obviously not right now.

  “Then let’s get started,” he replied just as softly, the hint of a smile in his voice. “First, I want you naked,” he stated firmly, his voice louder this time, clearly for Samantha and Logan to hear.

  Naked. Excellent.

  That was the moment Mercedes realized she was about to take a step off of the high dive hovering precariously above the deep end, and she wasn’t even sure how far she had to fall before she took the plunge.

  “You know your safe word?” he asked, again so that everyone could hear.

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

  “Red,” she responded easily, tightening her grip on the flogger handle. She’d never gotten into creative safe words, much preferring the straightforward red, yellow, and green. Red meant stop entirely, yellow meant to slow down, and green meant all systems go.

  At the moment, she was stuck somewhere on orange.

  “Good girl. If, at any time, you wish to stop, just say red and everything will stop,” he said, his tone encouraging.

  A shiver danced along her spine.

  Xander’s hands returned to her shoulders, lightly grazing her skin when he moved her hair out of his way. The warmth of his breath tickled her neck as he leaned in close. When she thought he would say something, he surprised her by placing a kiss to her right shoulder, his tongue briefly trailing along the intricate magnolia tattoo that extended down to her elbow. He didn’t linger, but it was enough to send an influx of heat percolating through her bloodstream.

  Xander continued to touch her, the heat of his hands on her back made Mercedes bite her bottom lip as she dropped her head slightly, trying to peer
down at her feet. Shit. This was not good.

  Not good at all.

  Xander unlaced her corset, slowly and efficiently, his fingers trailing over her naked skin as he revealed it. All she could do was attempt to keep her respiratory system from failing, not wanting to let Xander know just how much he was affecting her at the moment.

  The leather corset fell away, and her nipples immediately puckered from the cool air that caressed her overheated skin. Right. Tell yourself that, and maybe it will be true.

  Within minutes, Xander had her fully naked, save for the thigh high boots. Mercedes tried her hardest to act as though this were simply clinical, but her damned body was betraying her every thought.

  Being naked, and being naked with Xander touching her, were two entirely different things. Granted, she was sure he’d seen her in various states of undress at the club, but she wasn’t sure he’d ever seen quite this much of her at one time.

  “We’ll leave the boots on,” he informed her. “Because they’re sexy as fuck.”

  More chills skated over her skin at his obvious approval.

  “Spread your legs for me,” he instructed, his hands gliding down her thighs as he knelt behind her. The fact that his face was intimately close to her bottom had her squeezing her internal muscles tightly.

  This was nerve wracking to say the least.

  When he reached her ankles, she felt the leather straps being secured in place over her boots. Despite the temptation, Mercedes didn’t try to see how far she could move. It wouldn’t be far; she knew that much. And she wasn’t about to let Xander know she’d suddenly developed an overwhelming case of nerves.

  Back to his full height, Xander took the flogger from her hand and trailed the long, leather strings down her right arm, then across her shoulders. Since he was left handed and wielding the flogger with his right hand, for now, she knew she had a moment’s reprieve.

  When he lovingly slid the tails of the flogger over her left arm, she consciously fought the shiver that threatened to wrack her body. He was getting into position.

  Xander was a big man, with a significant amount of power, and with him standing so close, holding a flogger, she felt a little light headed, and utterly consumed by him.

  Refocusing her attention on her part in this scene now that she was an active participant, Mercedes sucked in a deep breath and stared forward, keeping her body loose but on alert. She only wished there wasn’t a mirror on the wall, because now she had no choice but to watch what Xander was doing to her as well as feel it.

  “Have you been a good girl?” Xander asked as he pressed his chest up against her back once more, his eyes meeting hers in the floor to ceiling mirror.

  Um… no.

  But she didn’t say that. She couldn’t say anything at first. With his shirt unbuttoned, she felt the heat of his naked chest against her skin, and the only thing she could think about was how warm his body was against hers. And how… hard.

  Oh, shit.

  The knowledge that he was physically reacting to this – to her – made a zing of pleasure ricochet through her. Never in all the time that she’d known him had Xander shown any interest in her.

  Or had he and she just missed it?

  No. No, definitely not.

  Seriously, they were good enough friends that she could walk around her house half-naked when he was there. Not that she did, but if she wanted to, she would’ve never worried about offending or enticing him.

  Considering their dominating personalities were in direct conflict, Mercedes had considered Xander off limits. After all, one plus one certainly did not equal two Doms. That equation didn’t work in her lifestyle so she’d never worried about it before.

  She was certainly worried about it now.

  Remembering Xander’s question, Mercedes swallowed hard. “Yes, Master X,” she answered diligently, referring to him as he preferred to be called in the club – for Samantha’s and Logan’s benefit only. Master was a sign of respect, and even though she wasn’t his sub, Mercedes wouldn’t disagree that he’d earned that respect.

  When Xander’s palm flattened on the inside of her thigh, slowly moving upward, Mercedes bit the inside of her cheek. When the tips of his fingers grazed the curls at the apex of her thighs, she sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Are you wet?” he asked, his tone authoritative, his gaze still locked with hers.

  He was putting on a show, and she knew it was her turn to flip the switch on her acting skills. Not that she would be entirely acting.

  Dammit.

  “Yes, Sir,” she said, proud of herself for getting the words out.

  As though he didn’t believe her, his hand continued to roam higher until he was reaching between her legs, cupping her mound. He rested his hand there for a moment before he curled one finger under and slid it through her folds.

  “So wet,” he growled, the sound incredibly sexy. “So fucking wet.”

  Mercedes wondered whether he was just as shocked as she was by how turned on she was. Both by him and the situation.

  Xander leaned forward, his chest pressing against her. She felt the heat of his breath on her neck, the rise and fall of his chest against her back. “Fucking hell, M. You’re gonna kill me here.”

  She wanted to return the sentiment, but clamped her mouth shut instead.

  His words were merely a whisper, yet they sounded as tormented as she felt. Mercedes had no idea whether she should be pleased or worried. This was quickly getting out of control. More importantly, this wasn’t supposed to be about her. Or Xander, for that matter. This was supposed to be for Samantha’s benefit.

  Briefly, Mercedes glanced back at the couple through the mirror, noticing that their eyes were focused on her and Xander.

  Mercedes had come to terms with giving Samantha a glimpse into the infamous world of BDSM by acting as Xander’s sub for a short scene, but her body’s reaction was belying her demand that this was only a demonstration.

  When he finally took a step back, Mercedes inhaled deeply, but then she suddenly missed the warmth of his body against hers.

  Wait. No. No, she didn’t. This was a demonstration. Not the real thing.

  The flogger tails trailed over her skin lightly again, causing her body to tense with anticipation once more. By the way that the leather consistently brushed over her skin, she knew Xander was focused. It wasn’t long before the soothing stroke was replaced by a soft sting that began as he flicked his wrist, the heavy leather strands making contact over and over again. With every additional slap, her body was warming and her pussy throbbing.

  She could think of only a couple of occasions when she’d been on the receiving end of those tails, and those instances were purely learning opportunities for her. She had to learn how to use one in order to ensure she didn’t hurt anyone. But this, this was vastly different.

  Never had she actually started to enjoy it. Not like this.

  Sure, she had always admired the way Xander used the tools of the trade, and she had to admit, he was incredibly sensual in his movements, but she’d never felt the effect firsthand.

  With her eyes closed, the images that floated through her mind lined up with the stinging blows that began across her ass, on her upper thighs, and Mercedes worried that she was going to lose control.

  “Is that what you want, pet?” he asked her softly, pulling her back from the brink as his hands traced the heated lines he’d created on her ass.

  “Yes, Master X.” Shit, that had been an honest answer and calling him Master hadn’t seemed all that strange either.

  She was definitely losing control.

  “Good girl,” he soothed her. “Do you want me to continue? Do you want me to make you come?”

  Fuck no. “Yes, Sir,” she replied because she knew that was what he wanted to hear.

  Mercedes figured she’d have to fake an orgasm because honestly, she wasn’t into pain like this. She didn’t believe it was possible to get her off by any form of flagellatio
n. But he was obviously going to try.

  “I’m looking forward to watching you come,” he told her, and she had to wonder whether he could read her mind.

  Xander slid his hand around to her front, his big finger once again sliding through her slick folds. Only this time he plunged one finger inside of her, and she cried out, the sensation taking root deep in her core, pleasure detonating on impact.

  “Yes, I’m definitely going to enjoy watching you come,” he stated again and Mercedes’s internal muscles clenched.

  At this pace, she wasn’t going to have much of a choice.

  But then his finger was gone, and the stinging slap of leather against her oversensitive skin returned.

  “Remember, you have a safe word, and you may use it if necessary.”

  Mercedes didn’t say a word. She already knew that, and she feared that if she did speak she’d give herself away entirely.

  Closing her eyes again, she gave herself over to the moment.

  The leather kissed her skin over and over, the slaps moving to different places, sometimes staying in the same place for two or three swats. Again, Mercedes didn’t make a sound as the minutes ticked by, but her lungs felt restricted as her body flexed and strained against the erotically sensual onslaught.

  She tried to focus, tried to determine where he was going to land the next blow, but she found herself drifting. All thoughts disappeared as her breathing increased, the only thing intruding on her moment of peace was the sound of the leather as it landed and the bite of pain that sent shards of electrical pulses through her. It was…

  Oh, God. She couldn’t think anymore.

  He was doing it. Xander was sending her toward that mind-numbing place that all subs sought. The place referred to as sub-space. It wasn’t unlike Dom-space as far as she was concerned, but she wasn’t supposed to be there.

  With less force, Xander trailed over her upper back, then back to her ass, down her thighs, delivering exactly what she apparently needed because Mercedes found herself floating.

  The next time he pressed up against her, the softness of his slacks against her abused skin sent heat coursing through her again. He gripped her right wrist in his big hand high up on the cross while he pressed his lips against her neck and slid his left hand between her thighs, the flogger obviously forgotten.