Xander flipped the box open to reveal an exquisite diamond rose on what looked to be a white gold chain.
Her heart stuttered in her chest when he lifted it from the box, and she realized exactly what it was. Her first instinct was to move away from him, to get as far away as possible. He must’ve known because his one hand snaked around to her back, holding her firmly in place.
“If you absolutely refuse to wear it tonight, I will understand,” he told her.
Mercedes met his eyes for the first time since he’d retrieved the chain and what she saw staring back at her certainly wasn’t what she expected. He had said the words, but she knew without a doubt that if she refused, he’d be more hurt than angry. And that bothered her more than anything.
“Just for tonight?” she asked, her hands trembling.
“Tonight, and any night we’re at Devotion.”
“Xander…” she couldn’t even finish her sentence.
There was absolutely no way she was ready for this. Although the jewelry was delicate and beautiful, what it symbolized was something she wasn’t ready for. Shit, it had only been a few hours since she’d agreed to this deal, and now he wanted to…
God, she couldn’t even think it.
“Why?” she asked, bewildered by what he was offering.
Xander reached up and cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him when she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the chain dangling from his fingers.
“It’s not permanent and it doesn’t mean anything unless you want it to. It’s more so that there are no questions from anyone else, M. I don’t want any questions as to who you belong to.”
“It’s a collar,” she said, as though that could possibly be news to him. More accurately, it was what she’d refer to as a day collar, one designed to show ownership, but not used in play.
“It is,” he confirmed. “One I had designed for you today. Like I said, it’s not permanent, but I do want to ensure that there are no questions. For the next few days, you belong to me. Completely to me.”
Shit. She knew what it symbolized, and she understood his reasoning. It still bothered her.
Mercedes had taken plenty of subs over the years. Only once had she ever collared one. And that had come back to bite her in the ass hard.
A little over two years ago, Mercedes had let herself get just a little too attached to a man. A sub. Or at least she’d thought he was submissive. In the club, he’d played the part to perfection. And for the months leading up to her collaring him, she had thought she loved him.
But in the light of day, Mitchell hadn’t been anything that he proclaimed to be. Oh, sure, for the six months they dated exclusively, he’d pretended rather well. It hadn’t been until she had officially collared him that he’d shown his true colors. He had even gone so far as to propose to her. When she’d told him she wasn’t quite ready to go that far yet, he’d shown her who he really was.
That one devastating night, she learned his true nature. He was a submissive when people were watching. He was an asshole when they weren’t. The first time he laid a hand on her, she’d kicked his ass out. Well, technically Xander had kicked his ass out because Mitchell had refused to leave her condo, while he tried to convince her that he was sorry.
How she’d been so blind, she truly had no clue, but it had been a rough few months for her.
Regardless, she didn’t take the notion of collaring a submissive lightly, and she knew by the way Xander stared back at her, not moving as he waited for her response that he did too. Now that she thought about it, in all the years that she’d known Xander, never had he collared one of his pets, even a few he’d coveted for longer than just a couple of days.
“Oh, God,” she breathed. “I don’t…”
“It’s all right, pet,” he said soothingly, lowering his hand.
No holds barred.
The thought fluttered through her mind, reminding her of why she was here and what she’d agreed to.
Before he could return the necklace to the box, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. She’d signed on for this, and she wouldn’t go back on her word. If this would please him, Mercedes was willing to give it a shot. No matter how uncomfortable it made her.
“I’ll wear it,” she whispered, shocked by her agreement.
Obviously Xander was shocked as well because he just stared back at her as though she’d lost her mind.
She had. She truly had.
“Lift up your hair,” he instructed long seconds later, his voice not as steady as it had been previously.
He was just as affected by her concurrence, and that sent a torrent of courage flooding through her. That and a sense of empowerment that she hadn’t expected.