Perception (Club Destiny #6)(102)
Author: Nicole Edwards

“Well, if you don’t mind me saying, she couldn’t have better teachers. I’m sure you’ve taught her plenty, but you have to admit, Xander’s something else,” Mercedes told him. “But tonight, she’ll get to see it from two separate points of view.”

“Shit, I’m interested in seeing it from your point of view.”

“Just remember, tonight Xander is a full-fledged submissive, which means he’ll be relinquishing all of his decision making to me. Don’t look to him as the Dom.”

“No worries there,” he grinned. “Dressed like that, I’d never take him for anything other than a submissive.”

Mercedes smiled. Xander did look damn fine with her collar around his neck. “Trust me, I don’t think it’ll be easy, but I assure you, I’ve got a plan. If everyone can remember that this is all about pleasure, we won’t have any problems.”

“I don’t think Rissa will have a problem understanding that.”

“Well, if the look in her eyes is anything to go by, I think she’s going to do just fine. And trust me, Shane, I’m going to go easy on her.” She didn’t bother to tell him she was going to go light because she knew Xander wasn’t eager to participate, or that she was beginning to doubt her desire to top him.

Shane laughed, nodding his head as he peered over his shoulder to the glass room where Xander and Clarissa now stood talking. Neither of them turned to look their way and Mercedes could only guess that Xander was offering Clarissa some guidance of his own. Smart boy.

“Consider this an experiment, if you will. I’d like to see how she responds to him, as well as to me” Mercedes said seriously as she looked directly at Shane. “I think it might be just what we all need.”

What she needed was to put some space between her and Xander, but Mercedes didn’t add that part.

Shane nodded as though he understood, but his eyes didn’t reflect even a hint of concern.

“Does she have any issues with doing things in public?”

Shane laughed. “No, no issues. Sometimes I wonder whether all of her inhibitions have been destroyed.”

Mercedes laughed, thinking about Clarissa and all of the ways she would be able to push the other woman’s boundaries. “All right, then I say we give them a few minutes to think this over. You’re welcome to join me, but I need to talk to someone for a few minutes.”

“Go ahead. I’ve got someone to catch up with and then I’ll meet you back in the room,” Shane said with a grin.

Mercedes walked away with a smile on her face that matched Shane’s. This was definitely going to get very, very interesting before the night was over.

Chapter Thirty Two

“What is she going to do?” Clarissa asked Xander as they stood patiently – ok, not so patiently – in the room while Mercedes and Shane talked on the other side of the club. Clarissa tried to keep her eyes from roaming over there, but she was having a hard time.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Xander replied, looking calm and cool and completely unconcerned.

The exact opposite of what she was feeling at the moment.

“Not worry about it?” Was this guy serious? Clarissa watched Xander as he stood rigidly straight in front of her, his enormous chest rising and falling steadily as he peered down at her.

This man intimidated her. He always had. He was a Dom, one all of the submissives admired, but few had the gall to interact with.

Next to Shane, Clarissa always felt small, but next to Xander she felt like a mouse beside an elephant. He was massive. Like a Mack truck. Or a freight train.

“Exactly what I said.”

Ok, so he wasn’t going to be much help. Clarissa suddenly wished Shane was there. Just his presence would give her more courage.

“This is part of the plan, you know that right?” Xander asked as he stepped to the other side of the room, his hulking shoulders and chest blocking her view of where Shane had disappeared.

“What plan?” Clarissa asked, not really hearing the question because she was suddenly feeling a little intimidated. No. No, she was feeling a lot intimidated.

“The plan for you to sit here and fret over what’s about to happen. It’s as much mental as it is physical.”

Clarissa jerked her eyes to meet his, her mouth hanging open. “She’s not going to do something to me, is she?”

Clarissa had been friends with Mercedes for a long time. But they were just that – friends. Outside of the club, they rarely talked about things that happened at the club. Probably because Mercedes was a Domme and Clarissa was a submissive. Instead, they usually talked about work and shopping. Girl things.