Perception (Club Destiny #6)(101)
Author: Nicole Edwards

And that was all right too. She wasn’t going to push them. Sometimes it was easier to think that men could wield the power better than a woman. Then again, Shane had seen her in action, which, quite possibly, might be the cause for his uneasiness.

“If Rissa is open to the idea, I’m game,” he answered easily, his tone belying the tension she could see in his shoulders beneath that black button down.

Mercedes hadn’t planned for this. After all, Xander was supposed to be her quest for the night, but she had to admit, the idea of dominating Clarissa had a lot of merit. For one, it would give her a chance to express her dominating side which had laid dormant for too many days now. But it would ensure she didn’t have to see that void she feared she would see in Xander’s eyes if she looked too closely.

Not to mention, it might help to put a little distance between her and the inconvenient feelings she was beginning to develop for Xander. The ones that continued to grow stronger with each passing minute.

Just like Xander, Shane wasn’t in the least bit submissive and the worst part of all of this, she knew at some point, she was probably going to have to hand over the reins to him – at least where Clarissa was concerned. Mercedes wasn’t all that fond of co-topping. She preferred to keep everything within her realm of control.

But then again, she hadn’t expected to enjoy being Xander’s submissive. And she did, even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud. So maybe she would learn something else about herself tonight.

Glancing back at Clarissa, Mercedes decided right then and there that she was going to keep an open mind about tonight. This was playtime. It was fun. She refused to let her emotions lead her. Not tonight. To see this woman bend to her will was going to be something. It was a challenge that she would grab hold of with both hands.

A scene from a few years ago came back to her. One she’d witnessed at Kink. Shane and another Dom had dominated a sub – per the sub’s request. They’d sandwiched her between them and made her come so loudly, Mercedes was surprised the windows hadn’t rattled. At the time, she had been impressed.

The thought gave her pause.

No, she wouldn’t allow things to go that far. She certainly wasn’t going to share Xander with Clarissa. Not like that anyway. A little touching, a little oral… yeah, she could handle that.

So, sure, maybe she was having doubts on her ability to dominate Xander, or even her desire to, but she damn sure liked the idea of blowing Xander’s mind.

It would be a true test – both hers and his.

Tonight appeared to have taken on a new agenda and Mercedes was ok with that. This was no longer about dominating Xander; it was about showing Clarissa exactly what it meant to obey a Mistress, not just a Master. Mercedes had earned the respect of her peers, and although Xander had effectively stripped her of her control on more than one occasion, she needed a reminder that she was still in charge.

“X, please take Rissa to the room, and Shane and I will be there shortly,” she instructed, her eyes still fixated on Clarissa.

Her friend nodded slightly, her utter and complete submission apparent. She was a willing participant, which amped up Mercedes’s excitement. If nothing else, she was going to have fun tonight.

When the two of them walked away a moment later, Clarissa’s arm linked in Xander’s much larger one, Mercedes turned her attention to Shane, but kept her eyes trained on the couple as they retreated.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Shane said with a gruff chuckle, sounding much more relaxed than he had a moment ago.

Mercedes smiled at him as she turned back to face him fully. “Not what you expected, I take it?”

“In more ways than one.” Shane laughed, a sexy rumble that made Mercedes understand just what Clarissa saw in the man.

Although she’d never had a personal attraction to him, she wouldn’t deny that he was one damn fine looking man. Blond hair, blue eyes, great body. He was definitely attractive. Way better than average in her opinion. And he clearly enjoyed playtime with his submissives which told her a lot.

“How the hell did this come about?” Shane asked.

“It’s just temporary,” she explained, not sure how much she should share with him. She wasn’t sure how much Xander had shared with him. “If you know Xander, you know he’s always up for a challenge. Apparently this was his way of rattling the cage if you will.”

“I’d say he succeeded. I had no idea.” Shane laughed again.

“Does that mean you’re good with this? You’re open to whatever I want to do?”

“If Clarissa is, I’m game. I think she’s open to a lot of things. She wants to learn more, to explore what all of this means.”