Perception (Club Destiny #6)(17)
Author: Nicole Edwards

Rather than try and seduce her, which he knew would’ve been futile because Mercedes had a firm set of beliefs and his intentions didn’t fit them, he’d allowed their relationship to mold into a rather intimate friendship.

Xander didn’t have many friends, but those he did have, he kept close. Both Mercedes and Shane were in that category. But, unlike any normal friendship, when it came to Mercedes, Xander had suffered some unbearable physical aches through the years, fighting tooth and nail to pretend the woman didn’t turn him the fuck on.

Oh, how she did.

But after last night, seeing her in a different light, he wasn’t quite sure he could continue on with the charade. Or rather, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Even if it were obvious that she wasn’t happy about the outcome from their scene, no matter how hard he tried, Xander could not stop thinking about the way she’d come apart in his arms. It’d been incredibly difficult to make it through the night knowing she was tucked in her bed while he was just one floor above tossing and turning from an aching hard on that couldn’t be sated.

When Shane approached again, Xander glanced over his shoulder, remembering where he was and what he was supposed to be doing.

“Seriously, X. Tell me you’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Xander stated firmly, keeping his expression blank as he forced his attention back to the task at hand.

It wasn’t a secret that Xander enjoyed the shit out of getting Shane riled up, but this morning he just wasn’t feeling it. It was usually the highlight of their interactions, which these days seemed to be more and more frequent as Shane’s business continued to grow.

Boone Development, LLC, was a light year ahead of Gibson Enterprises, but that divide was shrinking as Shane built a name for himself. And despite the fact that they often found themselves in direct conflict with one another, Xander was genuinely happy for the man.

“I’m making an offer on the Milton building, and you fucking know it,” Shane said as he stalked across the room once again. “Why can’t you ever make this easy for me?”

“Life’s not easy,” he told him, knowing his blasé attitude would only piss Shane off more. It didn’t change how he felt about the whole deal.

They were currently discussing an undeveloped opportunity zoned for either commercial or residential that had just come up. Shane was interested in buying the property, and Xander didn’t blame the guy. Shane was a housing developer, and this particular area was growing by leaps and bounds.

The problem was, there was more residential space than necessary in the area, but he couldn’t seem to convince Shane of that. As for Xander, he mainly dealt in commercial property development, and in this particular building, he already knew of a company interested in relocating. Either way, their offers would be quite competitive, but when it came down to it, Xander would walk away with the property. He always did.

“Fuck you, Boone.”

That statement, and the fierce expression on Shane’s face made Xander laugh. He pushed up from his chair – after all, his size was his best intimidating factor – buttoning his jacket as he did. Turning away from Mercedes, Xander thrust his hands into his pockets and addressed Shane directly.

Through the years, Xander and Shane had managed to meet somewhere in the middle on many deals much like this one. By middle, Xander meant more so in his favor. When there was a business opportunity that Xander wanted, he would certainly do what needed to be done to ensure he didn’t lose. Pissing off one of his closest friends in the process was usually the end result.

“I’ll back off of the land if you want it,” Xander informed him. “But I’m not letting go of the Milton building. As far as I’m concerned, this conversation was done before it ever even started. So, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to move on to something else.”

Business was business, and on that point, he and Shane always butted heads. They probably always would. They frequently found themselves in direct competition, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Despite their business relationship, Xander knew that, by the end of the day, Shane would’ve forgiven him. Somewhat. They were also friends.

“Are you handling this for him?” Shane directed his question at Mercedes, clearly annoyed with Xander’s lack of cooperation.

“If he asks me to,” she said.

“What if I ask you to handle it for me?” Shane questioned, thrusting his hands in his pockets and mimicking Xander’s stance.

Xander tried not to laugh.

“I can only work for one of you, so you’ll have to decide which one that is. You know I won’t get in the middle of this. I don’t get paid to be a referee.”