A/N: This chapter will be the last upload for today. Good news we have only five more chapters to go. This chapter is the one that I spent the most time rewriting I don't know why. I am not 100% happy with it, but I would have had to deconstruct the entire chapter to have made it better. Thanks for continuing to read, review, follow, and favorite.

Chapter Seven

After picking up Mercedes to take her to Wes and Jane's home, Sam couldn't resist taking Mercedes by the building that she was purchasing. Sam still had the key and they went inside, and he listened to Mercedes' plans to hire professional movers and decorators and move in as fast as she could. Sam told her that his friends were pretty good at remodeling and repurposing spaces and that she should look at Jane and Wes' home for ideas.

Hours later, Sam sat at a large dining table with his Premier Realty partners, who were also his best friends, as they drank a beer and shot the breeze while Jane and Mercedes were in the kitchen doing their own thing. They'd already gotten the grand tour of Wes and Jane's house—a sprawling ranch style home located really close to Mercedes' future business/home. Sam appreciated how talented his co-workers were. Ryder and Jake had helped the couple to fully renovate the house before they'd moved in, and Sam had to admit that the place was really impressive.

From top to bottom, the entire house had been gutted renovated and modernized, with new hardwood floors, crown molding, lead-free paint, upgraded hardware, and a gourmet kitchen with all the bells and whistles. Energy efficient appliances were everywhere and the two even had solar panels installed. Walls had been knocked down to give the house an open-concept design, and rooms had been restructured, one of the four bedrooms which Jane had turned into an insanely large closet, with floor-to-ceiling shelving to hold her purses and shoes, a massive number of drawers, a full-length vanity, a chaise lounge, clothing hung up and arranged by function, style, and color, and inset dressing mirrors. Oh, and an elaborate crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the room to give the space even more glitz and glamour.

Jane called it her dream closet, and Mercedes had agreed while clearly expressing some major closet envy. She told Jane about how she was moving to a bigger apartment and how she would love to incorporate some of Jane's ideas for her future closet when she moved in hopefully next month before a scorching Nashville summer would make moving uncomfortable. Wes, however, being a guy and an idiot had grumbled about the unnecessary size of the closet and couldn't understand why Jane needed so many shoes and purses and clothes. Jane had argued that size did matter and reminded Wes that she'd already more than compensated him for giving up one of the rooms in the house to make her happy. The smirk on Wes's face told everyone that said compensation had been in sexual favors, and Jake, Jane's brother, immediately walked out of the room/closet after announcing that he wasn't about to listen to the specifics of how Wes had exploited his baby sister.

"I think you got the better end of the deal," Several minutes later when all the guys had come from the man cave, Ryder said this to Wes as he leaned back in his chair and took a drink of his beer. "That man cave of yours down in the basement is so sweet and double the size of the one in your old house."

"Yeah, it's big enough for a theater room, a pool table, a poker table, and a full-service bar." Wes looked extremely pleased with himself. "Claiming the entire basement was only one part of my agreement with Jane," he said, just as Jane and Mercedes strolled out of the kitchen, each of them holding a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade.

"Please don't tell my brother what else you stipulated," Jane joked. She wasn't shy but she didn't want to make Mercedes uncomfortable with the details that Wes like to slip about their sex life with their friends which included her half-brother Jake. "Trust me, I earned that closet in word and many many illicit deeds."

"Will you two stop, please? I don't want to know or hear this shit about my baby sister." Jake said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Everyone laughed at the pained look on Jake's face, while Jane slid into the seat next to Wes. Sam watched Mercedes walk around the table toward the vacant chair beside him. She'd worn black skinny jeans with heels and a pink and black off-the-shoulders blouse with a neckline trimmed in pink lace—the same color and fabric choice that she'd used to describe her panties to him yesterday afternoon. He wondered if she'd worn that particular top to deliberately tease him, and if so, it was definitely doing what she had intended for it to do to him.

When he'd first arrived with Mercedes, Sam expected and endured a bunch of ribbing from everyone about their fake engagement but once everyone had their fill of jokes and comments, Mercedes had settled in nicely. She and Jane seemed to hit it off well, and as Mercedes sat beside him she looked relaxed and comfortable.

"So, Mercedes, I have one burning question that I have been itching to ask you since Sam told me what you did for a living. Can you please tell me how this whole matchmaking thing you do works?" Ryder asked curiously.

"Why? Are you finally getting ready to settle down?" Wes asked hoping he would finally not be the only one of their friends in a serious committed relationship. Even though Sam's engagement to Mercedes wasn't real, Wes appreciated having somebody feminine around to hang out with Jane.

"No, the last thing I'm looking for is to get serious with anyone anytime soon." He shrugged. "I was just wondering how Mercedes goes about matching people."

"I'd like to know, too," Jane said. "The whole matchmaking thing fascinates me. How did you even get into that kind of business?"

Sam could feel Mercedes tense up when everyone's eyes and ears were focused in on her. He could tell that her self-consciousness was coming into play again now that all the attention was on her. Thankfully, she was sitting close enough to him, so that he was able to place a reassuring hand on her fingers and the ring she would normally twist and he gave her fingers an encouraging squeeze.

"When I was in high school and all through college, I had a knack for setting up the people I hung around with guys who they really clicked with," she said easily. "When I was younger, I wasn't much of a talker and I never wanted any attention on me, so I would be quiet and observe people. I would see who was sneaking peeks, who was crushing, and who was just really interested in each other. I used my observations to help my friends get together with their future spouses. Everyone I matched was so grateful that word began to spread about my uncanny knack for matching people up. When I met a lot of people in Nashville who were complaining that it was hard to meet someone because most online dating apps were mainly being used for hitting and quitting it, I thought why not fix up people here who I didn't know personally. It also took my best friend Tina to nudge me and help me see that I should get paid for what I was doing for free. That was several years ago and the rest is history."

"And you're obviously very successful at it," Jane complimented her before asking, "How does it all work?"

"It's very much like a dating site, but it is more personalized and upscale," Mercedes explained. "We personally meet and get to know all of our clients, and they go through an extensive interview process, so we can evaluate strengths, weaknesses, weed out psychos, and determine what they're really looking for in a partner. From there, we have mixers and events, where a client can meet more than one person who fits their relationship criteria. They are some people who lie on the questionnaires and have a perception of what they think is the perfect partner. Sometimes, I have to observe the person and get a feel of their personality and even invite some people who on paper they have nothing in common with to see if they are being true to themselves. But just exposing like-minded people who are ready for a relationship and watching to make sure that everything is consensual and giving people the tools they need to find the one is not easy but not as hard as many would believe it to be."

Jane took a drink of her beverage before asking another question. "Do you do those compatibility tests that are on those online dating sites? And do they really work?"

"Yes, we do and they actually do work if people are being totally honest and transparent," Mercedes replied. "The test gives us a lot of great information about a client's personality, so we can better match them to someone who has similar values and beliefs and interests."

Wes slid a hand across Jane's shoulders and pulled her close, his lips tipping up in a humorous smile. "God knows that the two of us never would have gotten matched based on a compatibility test. We are total opposites."

"What are talking about? You two were made for each other," Ryder said and rolled his eyes. "Both of you are former prep school junkies, both of you come from wealthy families, both of you like to be the boss, and the list of your commonalities would take me all night long to list. The only thing exceptional about Jane is that I don't think any other woman would put up with your crap the way she does."

Jane gave Ryder a sweet smile. "Thank you, Ryder, for appreciating my talent of not taking Wes seriously."

The doorbell rang, and Jane jumped up from her seat to answer the door. After a short conversation with the person on the front porch, the door closed and Jane started toward the kitchen with three large boxes in her hands. "The pizzas are here! Come and get it."

Jake groaned and glared at Wes. "Are you kidding me? Did you actually let Jane order the pizzas after the last fiasco we had with her?"

"Yeah, we're getting married," Wes said, his expression sheepish. "I have to start trusting her with the pizza order sometime."

Jake braced his hands on the table and pushed himself up to a standing position. "I think I am going to wring her neck if there is so much as the scent of anchovies or jalapenos coming off of those pizzas. It took me weeks to be able to enjoy pizza again. I still have dreams of vomiting out that triple anchovies, pineapple, onions, feta cheese, green pepper, jalapenos, ham, and olive pizza that I stupidly tried the last time because I was so freaking hungry."

"I know my stomach wasn't the same until several days later," Ryder said, visibly shuddering as he followed Jake and Wes into the kitchen.

Sam chuckled, vividly remembering that gawd-awful incident and Mercedes glanced at him with wide, curious eyes, prompting him to explain. "A few months ago, Jane lost a bet to Wes, and he made her host one of our poker nights. So when he told her not asked her to order us some pizzas, they arrived with the most disgusting combinations. It was pretty gross. We all had to pick off the extra jalapenos and anchovies, and even then, it was pretty bad."

"There is no weird stuff tonight," Wes said as he headed into the dining room with his normal-looking pizza. "I promise." Then he sat down and leaned close to Jane, nuzzling his face near her ear. "You did good, love," he murmured affectionately. "I have learned my lesson and won't ever try to make you do things that you don't want to do."

"Don't worry, baby," Jane said, not so innocently as she rubbed her hands up and down Wes' torso and giving him a hard passionate kiss. "I am sure that you don't want to make that angry again so I won't have to take revenge out on you with disgusting pizza."

Jake swore again, and Mercedes laughed at their bantering.

"Now that we know that pizza is edible, how about we go and get some slices?" Sam asked Mercedes.

Mercedes smiled at him, her eyes bright with enjoyment. "That sounds good."

He scooted back his chair and stood and helped her up, too. Grabbing her hand in his, he led her into the kitchen. Ryder passed them on his way to the dining table with his own plate piled high with pizza, which left the two of them alone for a few minutes.

Sam handed her a plate, and he watched as she selected two slices from the box with beef and mushroom. "Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, I am," she said, her voice light and happy. "I like your colleagues and Jane is really awesome. She and I got to talk while you guys were out there posturing and acting like fools. She actually likes to sing and is interested in helping me with one of my charities dedicated to keeping music programs in schools and afterschool programs. She wants to do a benefit concert featuring Premier Realty employees as the featured singers. She told me that her brother Jake could sing along with you Harmony, Ryder, and Wes. She showed me a Youtube video of you all singing Christmas carols at a nursing home. And I agreed with her that I am sure we could plan the benefit concert sometime after her wedding and honeymoon, and I was moved into my new place."

He selected three slices of the meat lovers' combo. "I'm glad you like them and clicked with her. The concert can only happen if you join us in singing. None of us sound as good as you do. But getting back to my friends, they can be a bit crazy, as you can see, but it's all in good fun."

They carried their plates back to the table and joined his friends, joking and laughing and telling stories as they ate their dinner. Mercedes helped Jane with the cleanup, and they stayed for another hour after that until Sam announced they were going to head out. The next day would be Monday, and it was an early work day for all of them, and while Sam had enjoyed the evening with his friends, he wanted to have some alone time with Mercedes before he went home alone.

Half an hour later, Sam parked his car outside of Mercedes' apartment building and walked her to her door, then followed her inside once it was unlocked and open. He closed it behind them, and because he'd been dying to get his hands and mouth on her all night, he took her keys and purse from her hands, set them on a side table, and brought her hands up to his mouth to kiss them.

He guided her a few steps back until she was pressed up against the nearest wall. A soft gasp escaped her full lips, and her eyes warmed with instantaneous longing. Having her against a hard surface was a familiar position for the two of them, and it enabled him to align his entire body along the length of hers; and standing, instead of reclining on a comfortable couch, also kept him from taking things too far, too fast with her tonight.

He released her hands and lowered his lips to hers. Her lips parted on a soft sigh, and he smiled. "It's only been three days since I've kissed you, but it feels like forever. I have missed tasting you and touching you. If I am not careful I could soon become addicted to your kisses."

"I agree it is becoming addicting," she whispered as she slid her hands between the two of them and up to his chest. "You only have yourself to blame for that; we could have kissed when you came to pick me up, when we went to my new building, and when we left Wes and Jane at their home. I wouldn't have minded making out with you in your SUV. You were too much of a gentleman when you picked me up earlier. I thought you were going to kiss me when you came inside before we walked to your Range Rover. Based on your last texts, I thought tasting my lips was high on your agenda."

Sam liked the fact that she was becoming less guarded with him, as well as embracing her desires rather than trying to hide or suppress them. He supposed a lot of it had to do with their intimate phone conversations and texts, which were gradually breaking down those insecurities and giving her the confidence to be more open and adventurous. Once the mind was swayed and seduced, he was hopeful her body would soon follow.

He gently skimmed the pads of his thumbs along her soft cheeks. "I guess I'll have to make up for that delaying of our kiss now, won't I? I am a smart enough man to know that I shouldn't kiss you before we are expected to be somewhere. I don't know if I would have been able to stop at just kissing when I was curious to know whether or not your panties matched your top. I might have gotten greedy and wanted to taste both sets of your lips if you would have shown me your underwear. If I didn't have work in the morning, and if you had not have had way too many drinks with Jane, I would be tempted to see how far you are ready to go in regards to intimacy. But I am a gentleman and would never do anything with you unless I have you sober and consenting. So, I will be content with only a goodnight kiss from you."

Mercedes slightly buzzed just nodded at what he was saying until he pressed his body in closer to his and she let out another sexy sigh.

Her lashes fluttered closed in the sweetest kind of surrender, her upturned lips waiting for him to claim them, and he wasn't about to disappoint her. His lips covered hers, and she immediately responded to the firm pressure with a sensual moan. She welcomed the soft sweep of his tongue inside her mouth and shuddered against him as he stroked and teased and coaxed her to play along.

Her body rubbed uninhibitedly against his, her hips gyrating in a way that drove him insane with wanting her. His dick was becoming hard and aching, and when she made a needy sound in the back of her throat, he tipped her head back farther and delved more deeply, more greedily, so hungry for her that it took every ounce of control he possessed to rein it all back in while he could still think straight.

With a concentrated effort, he ended the kiss and buried his face against the side of her neck with a low, growling groan, very much aware of her chest heaving against his and the luscious swells of her breasts tempting him. Considering the off-the-shoulder blouse she was wearing, he could have easily tugged down her top to bare those gorgeous tits to his gaze and suck on those tight, aroused nipples he could feel demanding his attention between them. Any other woman he had dated in the past wouldn't mind him going to the next step so fast. Those women were willing to suck him off on the first date even if he had shown no interest in them. This was the first time since he dated Quinn in high school, that he was going slowly and he was a virgin then. Now, he knew the pleasure that he was trying to hold back off of in case he scared Mercedes into retreating back into her sexless shell.

They already had the kissing and touching above the waist and over the clothes down to an art, and in that regard, they were completely in sync. But that next step between them was huge, and he didn't want to mess it up by rushing things with Mercedes and scaring her off. She was getting there at her own pace, trusting him more and more, and he was patient enough to wait. Although his thoughts and words would say otherwise, he wanted more from Mercedes than to indulge in every sexual fantasy known to man with her. He truly liked her. He had been enthralled by her from the beginning even when he thought she was engaged. The joke was on him when the man he had envied and hated ended up being him. Sam couldn't wrap his head around it, but he knew that if stayed with her in her condo any longer, he would be tempted to do things that neither of them was ready for because he didn't even have condoms and she was not ready to go to second base nevertheless third base and full coitus. As for condoms, he definitely needed to buy some. It had been a while since his last sexual encounter, and he didn't think he would ever need them again after his date from hell with Sugar when his dick almost tucked itself inward. One hug from Mercedes was all it took to bring little Sammy back to life. He couldn't remember ever getting this hard so fast with anyone not even in his last relationship with Penny. He had to control his horny thoughts and actions and the only way he could be sure to do that was to leave Mercedes' presence as quickly as he could.

He lifted his head and stared down at brown eyes blurred with desire and her lips damp and swollen from his kiss. "I need to go," he said, his tone gruff with the effort to resist her.

Her teeth grazed that lush lower lip, her expression demure. "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

He knew what that invitation was insinuating, and it wasn't a request to stay for a glass of iced tea and conversation. She was definitely getting more comfortable with him physically, but right now, he had a feeling that the adrenaline rush of arousal thrumming through her body was overriding her normal uncertainties, and he wasn't about to take advantage of her offer when he knew she wasn't mentally prepared for that next level of intimacy. The last thing he wanted was for her to have regrets after the fact.

"Not tonight," he said with a shake of his head.

Confusion swirled in her gaze. "Why not?"

God, she was killing him with those big brown eyes. "Believe me when I say that, more than anything, I want to stay right here with you, but there are many reasons I can't," he said, knowing he was doing the right thing, even if his dick was currently protesting. "For one thing, you have had quite a bit to drink, and I would not feel comfortable going any further with you until you were able to give me consent soberly, we haven't discussed STDs or the fact that I don't have any condoms because we haven't discussed the intimate part of our relationship fully yet, and you're not quite ready to beg. But we're definitely getting there."

Much to his relief, she didn't take it as a rejection. Instead, a flirty smile eased up the corners of her mouth. "Then, I think you need to step up your game because I don't know if you are good enough to make me beg you to touch me and please me."

He laughed. "I see you are trying to challenge me. Okay, Ms. Jones, the challenge of reducing to you a sensual begging passionate woman has been received and accepted."