“All the time. I’m frequently encouraging my subs to think outside of the box.”
“Your subs?” Sam asked, her eyes wide. “But I thought –”
“That’s what Xander wanted you to think,” Mercedes said before Sam finished.
“So you’re not a submissive?”
“No, not by a long shot.”
Sam didn’t seem convinced, but the woman was kind enough to keep her comment to herself. It was clear by the expression on her face that she didn’t belief her.
Along the wall, there were different forms of kinky toys, including blindfolds, muzzles, spreader bars, as well as wrist and ankle restraints. In another section to their left, there were hoods and dungeon irons, not to mention a myriad of suspension equipment and even a section for pony and puppy play.
Mercedes noticed Ashleigh had turned white as a sheet as she continued to take stock of the various toys people used to entertain themselves.
“Do you have a favorite?” McKenna asked her now.
“I like cock and ball shackles,” Mercedes told them honestly. “Cock rings and ball weights are always a good time as well.”
“You’re a Domme?” Sierra asked, apparently trying to sound unsurprised.
“I am,” she assured them.
“Well, I’ll be damned. That’s fucking cool.” Leave it to McKenna to be impressed. “We definitely have to have lunch sometime soon. I’d be honored if you’d let me pick your brain. I’ve considered doing a BDSM series for my online magazine, and you’d be perfect.”
Mercedes smiled, but she wasn’t about to make a commitment.
“So how do two Doms hook up?” Sierra questioned her.
“They don’t usually.”
“So you and Xander are… what? Experimenting?” Sam asked, her expression unreadable.
“You could say that.”
The girls must’ve been happy with her response because they moved on, continuing to pick up and discuss the assorted selection of toys and sexual apparatus that they came across.
Mercedes was enjoying their reactions, hanging back a little bit when Sam came up to her side. “Whatever it is between you and Xander, I don’t think it matters what the norm is.”
Mercedes turned to face Sam more directly. “Is that advice?”
“No, just observance. I’m the last person who could give advice. I can’t even figure out what I want these days, much less help someone else. But I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other.”
Mercedes was quiet, still waiting for Sam to finish her thought.
“Let’s just say, you don’t see that every day.”
And with that, Sam went to join the others, leaving Mercedes to dwell on her comment.
And yes, Samantha was partially right. You don’t see it every day.
But that didn’t mean it was meant to be.
Chapter Twenty Three
Xander was sitting in the darkened living room when Mercedes arrived. When he had walked in the door half an hour ago, he hadn’t bothered turning on lights or lamps before he dropped onto the sofa. Hell, he didn’t even turn on the television to try and pass the time.
His only thought had been waiting for Mercedes to show up. He hadn’t been able to convince himself to go upstairs to shower and wait for her either. Truth was, he wanted to see her the moment she stepped through his door. Simply put, he had missed her.
And their brief conversation by phone that afternoon hadn’t satisfied him in the least. It was the first time since he’d opened the cigar bar that he would’ve preferred to be anywhere else but there. As long as he was with Mercedes.
But, in order to prove to himself that his life could still be normal even when he didn’t feel normal, he’d continued with his routine. Only now, the woman who’d sent his normal day-to-day into a dizzying spiral was opening his front door and stepping inside.
“Hi,” she said when she noticed him sitting in the shadows.
“Come here,” he said in response. He hadn’t meant it to come out so forceful, but he’d slipped.
She must’ve heard something in his tone because she smiled. “Over there? Where you are?”
“That’s right.” He smiled back at her, his entire body filling with light just from the radiance of her face. “Right here. On my lap.”
“Mind if I take my shoes off?”
“Not at all. In fact, I’d be more than happy if you’d get completely naked.”
“Is that an order?” she asked warily.
“Not yet.”
Mercedes kicked off her shoes and padded across the hardwood floor. When she hiked up her skirt a little, standing directly in front of him, he held out his hands to her. With their fingers linked, he eased her onto his lap so that she straddled him.