Perception Read Free Page A

side of the room.
    Xander
wouldn’t deny the fact that there were plenty of beautiful women in the world;
he’d had the pleasure of being with plenty himself. But truth be told, not a
single woman held a candle to Mercedes. As far as he was concerned, she easily
outshined every other woman in the world.
    He’d
thought so ever since the first time he met her nearly a decade ago.
    Mercedes
was breathtaking. Mile long legs that would wrap around a man perfectly,
luscious curves that he could easily fill his palms with, jet black hair that
fell to her waist, exotic steel gray eyes that saw everything, and alabaster
skin that just begged for a man’s touch.
    She was
riveting.
    And those
were just a few things Xander found so fucking desirable about the woman
standing there, waiting for him.
    In all of
his thirty-five years, he had never met a woman who had captured his attention
the way she did.
    But he
knew firsthand that there was more to Mercedes than just a pretty face and a
tantalizing body. Truthfully, through the years that they had been friends,
he’d been more captivated by her intelligence, her strength, and her wit than
anything else.
    And she
had enamored him. He just had never let her know.
    Without a
doubt, she was the most tempting woman he’d ever laid his eyes on. And he could
guarantee she had absolutely no idea he felt that way.
    Because
if she did, he knew she wouldn’t have agreed to this.
    Xander
was a pro at keeping his true feelings to himself. After all, he’d spent years
doing so. In his business, it didn’t benefit him to show his hand too soon. His
poker face was without flaw. He prided himself on his ability to hide any and
all reaction. And in his defense, he’d been attempting to lure Mercedes to him
for longer than he cared to admit. However, as it turned out, subtlety wasn’t
exactly his specialty. Not where Mercedes was concerned.
    He was
tired of being subtle. He was also tired of waiting. So, just like everything
else, it was time he took control. In the one way that he was intimately
familiar with.
    Mercedes
moved, drawing his attention to her outfit. When he picked her up that evening,
they’d both been dressed for the formal affair that they were attending. Over
dinner, she’d stolen his breath with the sexy black dress that had highlighted
her voluptuous figure incredibly well, giving a sexy glimpse at her more than
impressive cleavage.
    However,
since they’d entered the play room, she had changed her clothing. At his
request. The black corset with its fiery red ribbons, the short black skirt and
knee high black boots with the four inch heels was one of the sexiest outfits
he’d ever seen her wear and yes, he’d seen her wear plenty, not to mention
less.
    After
all, this wasn’t the first time he’d watched her closely.
    Torn
between eyeing the woman whose gaze was boring into him and doing what needed
to be done, Xander glanced between her and the St. Andrew’s cross.
    He met
her eyes again and nodded slightly.
    “Over to
the wall.” His instruction was gentle yet firm, not offering any room for
confusion or argument, which, of course, was the intention.
    Time to
begin.
     
    ~~*~~*~~
     
    Mercedes
crossed paths with Xander as she moved to the far side of the room as
instructed. She met his gaze as she did and noticed the sexy smirk tipping the
corner of his lips.
    Arrogant
bastard.
    He seemed
to be getting a huge kick out of this. Then again, it wasn’t often – translated
to never – that anyone would get Mercedes to agree to something like this.
    Then
again – her hesitancy notwithstanding – she had to admit, she was both nervous
and excited about what was going on here tonight.
    Since the
day she’d been introduced to Xander Boone many years ago, they had spent a lot
of time together. In the simplest of terms, they were business associates, not
to mention, friends.
    Close,
yet very platonic, friends .
    When they
weren’t dealing with the ins and outs of the