Hey there I am back. I am sorry that it took me so long to update. I wrote something and thought I saved it but never did. So I had to rewrite this. Thanks for coming back. Here's the next chapter...Hope you like it :)
Mercedes sat on the bed and scrolled through all of her Facebook notifications. There were thousands of messages from people she barely interacted with. She was happy that her page was private because she knew that if she hadn't her page would have been flooded with this entire ordeal, she never once took into the fact that once the show aired people would begin to troll in. Promos for the show had begun so many of those that commented hit up her inbox asking for more details. She ignored most of the messages but stopped when a new message popped up.
"Hey beautiful, you all Hollywood now and dropped me as your best friend." Mercedes stared at the message for a minute then felt her heart skip a beat when it showed he was still typing. She had to admit that she hadn't hit him up and she knew she needed to leave him alone. He had a girlfriend and Mercedes wasn't over him. "I've been thinking about you lately. You think we can have coffee and catch up..." Mercedes was still staring at the message and debating on what to respond or if she should even do it all. She could hear Sam's voice downstairs, she wasn't sure what he was saying but he sounded very excited about it. After the day they had, she was starting to see Sam in a new light. She was married to Sam now and coffee with Anthony would only jeopardize things. "It's just coffee."
"He's right...it's just coffee." Mercedes said to herself as she prepared to respond to the message. Almost as if God himself wanted to stop her from doing something that she'd regret, the phone rang. She slid her finger across the phone and spread a smile on her face as she waited to greet her best friend, Tesla.
"What up..."
"Gurrrrrrl, I got some tea for you." Tesla said immediately interrupting her. "I know you been hammed in that sham of a marriage to that hippy green eyed devil worshipper..."
"Tessssss! He never said he worshiped the devil"
"Whatever...lemme give you this tea girl." she quickly added as Mercedes fell quiet to allow her friend to talk. "Can you go to the bathroom? I know how these reality shows work. You gotta go somewhere away from those cameramen." Mercedes thought about that statement and immediately heard Rachel's voice downstairs.
"You know what...you're right." Mercedes said as she quickly made her way to the bathroom and turned on the water. Although she already took a shower before jumping into bed, she needed the sound of the water to buffer the tea Tesla was about to pour. "Alright girl, pour."
"Okay...so I was on my way to see Matt at work and guess who I bumped into?" she asked. Although I knew who she was about to say I pretended as if I didn't and allowed her to continue. "Anthony girl...and guess what...the bitch is gone." she added with excitement.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Mercedes asked as she slowly sat down at the edge of the bathtub. Anthony was single and sending her messages on Facebook. How convenient.
"So that's why he's all up in my grill now?"
"Wait, hold up...what do you mean? Spill the tea bitch!" she screeched with excitement.
"Anthony asked me out for coffee." Mercedes replied.
"You said yes, right?"
"Uh…no! What I look like sitting down to coffee with my ex while married to Sam and all those damn cameras in my face?"
"Girl, you ain't really married." Tesla replied with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "Does your contract say anything about you all being exclusive?"
"I mean, it's implied, Tess." Mercedes responded, shaking her head as if Tesla could see her. "What marriage you know allows something like that?"
"An open one!" she quickly responded. "Girl, look everybody's talking about this show. It's going to be a hit and you're going to win a million dollars when it's through. So I get you trying to make things work with buddy but, you can't stay married to him. In a year, this sham will be through. Wouldn't you like to have Anthony waiting for you on the other side?" she asked causing Mercedes to really think about it. Was it really possible for her to make things work with Sam, for more than just money? She thought about how nice dinner went with her mother. How comfortable Sam had been once her mother calmed down. She was seeing Sam in a new light, despite their differences. She didn't want to wreck everything before at least giving them a chance.
"Look, I know that this is all different to you but I am the one going through this and I plan to see it through. No one knows what might happen between Sam and I. For all you know, we might actually work this out." Mercedes said more to herself than to her best friend. "I don't want to jeopardize what I have right now for what might be in the future."
"Okay girl, I support you." Tesla finally said after a moment of silence went by between the pair. "I didn't mean anything bad by it all. I just want to make sure you're okay when all of this is over. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know girl. Thanks!" Mercedes said before they hung up. She reached over to turn off the water and make her way back to her bed. Although she understood what Tesla was saying she had to remind herself that going in on this journey, she wanted to find love. Sure, she needed the money but how bad would it really be if she also allowed herself to fall in love with Sam. Just as the thought came to her, he walked into the bedroom. He looked as if he just got out of the shower. His hair was still a bit damp and he was shirtless. She had grown to learn that he never slept with his shirt on. They both paused and stared at each other for a minute before sharing a brief smile.
"I thought you were asleep already?" Sam asked as he made his way over to the bed.
"I had way too many Facebook messages for that." She smiled as she walked over to the dresser and pulled out her head wrap to wrap her hair. He walked over and sat on the bed then stared at her as she wrapped her hair. She tried to pretend as if she couldn't see him staring but it was messing her up as she tried to do her wrap. "Sam…you okay?"
"Uh…yeah…just realizing that today marks our week-iversary."
"Our what now?" Mercedes asked as she finally finished her wrap. She looked over at him as if he were crazy before chuckling.
"Yeah, a week ago we met for the first time and you became my wife." Sam responded as he watched her walk over to her side of the bed.
"Well…if we're being technical we met at Rachel's office where you were snooping on my cellphone."
"I wasn't snooping. You left it behind."
"Yeah okay." She replied as she smiled at him before kneeling for prayer. Sam had gotten used to seeing her pray before bed every night. The first time she did it he couldn't believe she still knelt to pray. It was kind of adorable. He looked over at her as she prayed and smiled when she added Stacy and Sam to her prayer. Once she was done praying she looked at him and smiled as if she didn't just pray for him.
"Thanks."
"For?"
"For you know…praying for me and Stacy." He answered then made his way to his side of the bed and got in. Sam watched as she jumped in bed as well, not wasting time with putting the pillow wall between them as she had been doing for the past few days. Sam wanted to ask about it but decided to keep his mouth shut. Once Mercedes turned off the lights they both fell silent and stared at the ceiling. Sam wanted to ask her something before she fell asleep so he took the opportunity to ask before she closed her eyes. "Mercedes, are you awake?"
"Uh…yeah…" she responded looking his way. He turned over to look her way as the moonlight hit her face.
"I was wondering if maybe we could do something…just the two of us…"
"You mean like a date?"
"Yeah…like a date. We can go out to eat or do something fun."
"Sam, we're already married. You don't have to woo me." She replied laughing.
"Well, married people go on dates. And plus everything we've done so far has been Rachel's planning. I just want to go out after the camera crew is gone and paint the town red or something." Sam responded. Mercedes thought about what Sam was asking and knew she needed to give it a shot. And he was right that they had always done what Rachel wanted. It was time they did something different. "We can celebrate our week-iversary!" he added as if he just thought of something ingenious. Mercedes could see that he had put some thought into it and that it would be fun to chill without the cameras.
"We can go…" she started and stopped when Sam immediately widened his smile. "But…only if you agree to taking Stacy out of that center and bringing her here with us." She had thought about how Sam felt about having to have Stacy away while he did the show. She could tell he was genuinely happy when they went to visit her. He would be just as happy if she were there permanently.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked in shock. He never thought she'd want to deal with that. He wasn't even sure Rachel would allow it but if Mercedes wanted to bring it up he was definitely all for it.
"Yeah…I know you want to be there when she wakes up. I don't want to be the reason you're not near her."
"I do want her near." Sam confessed. "I'll bring it up to Rachel tomorrow. I have a lot planned for the day with her, so you won't see me much." Sam added proudly.
"Okay cool." She replied as she felt herself getting tired. Sam watched her slowly turn away then mumbled goodnight to him.
"Night, Mercedes." He mumbled back before turning to his side as well.
Sam was deep asleep when he felt a hand snake around his mid-section. He stiffened immediately, afraid that if any sudden movement was made she'd jump away. Then he felt her lips on his shoulders and knew that this was a bold invitation. He wondered what had gotten into her but was not about to ask as he quickly turned over and pulled her close. He wasted no time to claim her lips with his own as she ran her fingers through his hair. He pulled her over till she was on top of him then held the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss. He reluctantly let go of her when she pulled away from him and threw her head back causing him to realize it wasn't Mercedes kissing him at all.
"Quinn?" he gasped as she smiled down at him mischievously. He hadn't seen her since they were younger and he'd never gotten to see that much of her body when they were together. He wasn't sure what she was doing there and wondered where Mercedes went to begin with.
"Sam…aren't you happy to see me?" She asked as she ran her fingers through her hair. Sam wasn't sure how to answer but before he could utter a word, Mercedes came in. Sam immediately pushed Quinn off and looked at a shock Mercedes.
"Sam!"
"This is not what it looks like!" Sam exclaimed.
"Don't lie, Sam! Sam! Sam!" Quinn continued to say.
"Sam…are you alright?" Mercedes asked shaking Sam awake. He'd been talking in his sleep repeating something she couldn't make out. She thought he'd eventually stop but it continued so she had to wake him. He finally woke up and looked at her, realizing that he'd been only dreaming. He felt a bit of relief and confusion. Why was he dreaming of Quinn when he hadn't seen her in years? "Sam, you okay?" she asked again.
"Uh…yeah…I am okay." He said looking her way.
"You were making weird noses."
"I guess I was having a nightmare."
"You too old for all that now, Sam." She chuckled before turning and falling right back to sleep. Sam sighed then slowly went back to sleep as well hoping he would have a different dream.
Sam woke up really early the next day and went for his morning run before meeting up with Rachel for his makeover. He was slowly wishing that he'd change his mind about cutting his hair. He'd been growing it for a long time now and he couldn't even remember what he looked like before he decided not to cut it. He was nervous about the whole thing but first he wanted to talk to Rachel. Once they were in the car he used that opportunity to let Rachel know about wanting Stacy at the house with them.
"Are you ready for changes today, Sam?" Rachel asked without even looking his way as she scrolled through her phone. "I've called in a favor with a friend of mine and he owes me a favor. He promised that if he can find a spot for you, he'll hire you." she finally looked up at Sam and smiled. "The show will be great promo for his business."
"Rache, that's great." he said as he nervously placed his hands in his back pocket. "So uh, Rache, I uh wanted to talk to you about something before we head off."
"Oh yeah, what's going on?" she asked as she placed her phone in her purse. "Let's talk in the car." she stated before jumping the car. Sam quickly hopped in the car then jumped right into getting Stacy over.
"So...Mercedes and I were talking last night..."
"Oh really?" She asked interrupting him as her brows hiked up with sudden interest. Sam smiled and immediately shook his head.
"It's not that, Rachel." Sam stated with a smile. It wouldn't be that bad of a thing but he knew Mercedes wouldn't have been up for it. He didn't even realize that he was smirking and thinking more about doing more than talking with Mercedes.
"You need some time alone, Sam?" Rachel asked snapping Sam out of his head.
"No...No...it's about Stacy."
"Oh okay, how is she?"
"I feel...well Mercedes and I..." he paused as a smile spread across her face. "...we want Stacy with us...at the house." he finished and watched for her reaction. Rachel looked at Sam and thought about how having his sister there would affect the show. If she honestly thought about it, having her there would help with the ratings to have people watch them raise a child in a coma.
"Maybe next week..."
"No...we want her here tomorrow night." Sam stated firmly. Rachel nodded then pulled out her phone before dialing a number while still looking at him.
"Will...this is Rachel, I would like to discuss something regarding the show." she said before smiling at Sam.
Sam was excited about the haircut and makeover he received. He was shocked that Rachel was able to make him look as professional as he was looking at the moment. Staring at his reflection in the elevator he couldn't help the smile that tugged his lips. His hair was cut short and he placed a pair of nonprescription glasses that he thought would make him look smart. He had a briefcase that had absolutely nothing inside but Rachel told him that her friend would love it.
"Uh...I'm here to see...Kurt Hummel." Sam said as he watched the security guard point towards a sign that said that Kurt's office was at the end of the hall. Sam smiled then slowly walked in that direction. Sam sat for a while waiting for Kurt to arrive and the longer it took the more nervous he got. Then suddenly the door swung opened and in walked a tall slender man with a purple long coat on and shades twice the size of his face.
"Rachel...Rachel, calm down, he's sitting right here waiting on me. As he should." Kurt said as he glided through the room. He pointed towards Sam and motioned for Sam to follow him into his office. Sam quickly stood up and grabbed the suitcase which caused Kurt to halt his step. "Hold on, Rachel. My eyes have fallen upon a Brunello Cucinelli Leather Portfolio Briefcase." Kurt quickly removed his shades then looked Sam up and down. "Where did you get that?" he asked as Sam stood proudly and smiled.
"Oh this old thing…" Sam said then wished he didn't when Kurt rolled his eyes and placed his shades back on.
"Come on, let's get this over with." Kurt muttered as he walked in his office then sat at his desk and watched as Sam walked in. Kurt glared at the cameramen that followed him in. He hated the cameras but Rachel said it would help them both so he agreed. Sam pretended to shuffle inside of the empty briefcase and pulled out his resume before handing it to Kurt. Sam knew that everything that was on there was bogus but he was prepared to learn to get the job. He needed to get the job.
"So when can I start working?" Sam said as he looked around the office. There were designs posted everywhere. Sam wasn't sure why Rachel thought that this job would work for him but he didn't care. He just wanted to work.
"What are your favorite magazines?" Kurt asked as he slid the resume back on the desk. Sam wasn't sure how to answer that question. He couldn't remember the last time he looked at one so he just named what he remembered seeing at the stores.
"Um...People Magazine and uh...Vague Magazine." Sam said with a smile, not realizing that he messed up the name of the Magazine. "When my sister was around she loved when I would pick those up for her. I would sneak to read them before giving it to her." Sam added.
"What happened to your sister?"
"Uh...I really just want to stick to the interview for the position." Sam quickly responded. Kurt nodded; he'd already told Rachel he'd entertain interviewing Sam. Rachel told him that he didn't even need to concern himself with Sam but seeing his eyes light up as he spoke about his sister tug at Kurt's heart. Sam rambled on about how much of a hard worker he was but Kurt wasn't listening. But he kept a smile on his face and when they were done, he shook Sam's hand and promised to call him with his decision.
Mercedes was just about to sit in front of the TV when Rachel came running into the house. It took everything out of her to not roll her eyes. This was their house and the bitch rolled in whenever the hell she pleased. Mercedes watched her talk to some of the cameramen before stomping her ass over to her.
"Mercedes, I have set you up for an interview with a good friend of mine. His name is Kurt Hummel..."
"Hold up...you're setting me up for a job interview with Kurt Hummel?" Mercedes asked as she stood up in shock. "He's one of the youngest editor to ever work for Vogue, he freelanced for People, Us Weekly..."she paused to catch her breath." He interned with RuPaul!"
"Okay, so you're excited about it. Great!" Rachel smiled. "I brought you a dress for the interview. He will love you in this." Mercedes walked over and grabbed the dress. She knew the dress had to have cost more than anything she had ever owned, but she didn't trust Rachel.
"Why are you doing this?"
"For the show silly." Rachel added. "It's part of my research. Real marriages have working couples. I think I might have gotten Sam a job and now it's time to show them that women work too." she smiled then made her way to the door. "Hurry up, the driver is outside waiting for you. Good luck!" she sang before slamming the door behind her.
Mercedes quickly dressed up and made her way out to the car. She couldn't believe she was about to meet Kurt Hummel. When she arrived at his office she sat patiently and waited trying to pretend she didn't see the cameramen. She was nervous about the interview and even more nervous about doing the interview on camera. She wondered if Sam was as nervous as she was on his interview. It was weird that she was kind of missing him and couldn't wait for their date to talk about their time apart.
"Mercedes." Kurt said as he motioned for her to come in his office. Mercedes smiled and tried to hold in her need to squeal and hug him then ask for an autograph. Instead she sat down and handed him her resume. Nothing on her resume was remotely anything that Kurt would find relevant to the position. She really just wanted to meet Kurt.
"Mr. Hummel..."
"Okay...lemme stop you there." Kurt said cutting her off. "Call me, Kurt. Hummel is my father Senator in..."
"Ohio! He lives in Lima, I know!" Mercedes said as a smile spread across her face. "I'm from Lima as well and I'm one of your biggest fans. You've worked at damn near every magazine that I've ever dreamed of starring in."
"You model?" Kurt asked as he suddenly became intrigued. He couldn't for the life of him understand how Rachel got this woman to marry the man he met with earlier. They were totally different people.
"America ain't ready for these curves." Mercedes responded causing a smile to spread on Kurt's face. "I'm a singer and I just want to grace one of these covers one day." and there was the glimmer in her eyes that matched the glimmer in Sam's wondered if that was why Rachel brought them together. He knew better though. Rachel only cared about herself.
"You know what...you just might grace all of them one day." Kurt responded with a smile. He could tell that Mercedes was going to be someone that he wanted to be around. He listened to her talk about her dreams and aspirations and suddenly saw what Rachel saw in the two of them. There was that glimmer in her eyes, the same glimmer he saw in Sam's eyes. Kurt was never into reality TV but he was suddenly interested in seeing the journey of these two strangers.
Later that evening, Rachel watched as Mercedes prepared for bed. Normally, she'd be up reading with Sam channel surfing before bed but tonight was different. She didn't wrap her hair and she was in bed with her robe on. Rachel could sense something was afoot. She sent the cameramen away but continued to watch Mercedes on the hidden cameras. She wanted to see her reaction to Sam's makeover. Even she had to admit that she did a great job.
Moments later, Sam arrived and made his way upstairs with a grin on his face. Rachel smiled with anticipation as she watched Mercedes slowly look at Sam as he arrived in the bedroom. She quickly put her phone away then walked over to Sam. Rachel wished she had audio on the cameras but they were hidden too far her to hear what she was saying.
"Sam…you cut your hair!"
"Yeah! I know the mop was getting on your nerves, so I had it cut."
"I was kinda getting used to it." Mercedes admitted as she tried to push some fly aways from his eyes. Sam's eyes glimmered as he tried to see if she liked his haircut or if she suddenly realized he looked better with long hair. "You look like Matt Damon and Brad Pitts love child." Mercedes finally said. She would be lying to herself if she didn't think he was downright sexy with his hair cut. And he looked good in his suit as well. This was how he should have looked on their wedding day. This look would have knocked the wind out of her as it was doing now.
"I don't know how that would be possible but that's a good thing, right?" Sam asked with a chuckle then made his way to the window and pulled it up. "Are you ready for tonight?" he asked as he held his hand out for her. She looked at him as if he had simply lost his mind. There was no way she was about to go out the window with him as if they were sixteen.
"Oh hell to the no, Sam! Are you insane?"
"Mercedes, just trust me, please." He begged. She was never afraid of heights but she wasn't stupid either. They could easily just walk out the backdoor, so she couldn't understand why Sam wanted to go out the window. "Seriously, just trust me."
"Alright Sam, if I fall down and break my talent…"
"You won't." Sam said as the smile on his face spread wider when she finally took his hand. Mercedes nervously stepped out the window, shocked to see that he had a ladder propped up for them to go down on. He went down first then held the ladder so that she could descend. She held the ladder as tightly as she could while holding her heels with the other hand. "You're almost there." He whispered as she took the last few steps down then slid down till he was holding her firmly from behind. She slowly turned around and held on to Sam's arms as they stared at each other for what felt like five minutes, but were mere seconds.
"Thanks, Sam." She mumbled before prying away from him. "So…uh…where are we going?" she asked as she averted her eyes away from. She took her robe off and hung it on the ladder, not realizing that Sam was staring at her. Mercedes decided to wear a bodycon black dress that hugged every part of her body. Sam hadn't seen her dress this way and immediately realized his plans for them to go to a park was out of question. She was dressed to kill.
"It's a surprise." Sam lied as he tried to think of an alternative to suit what she was wearing. "You look…lovely, by the way."
"Thank you, Sam." She replied then followed him down the beach. "Are we walking all the way there? 'Cause these heels ain't made for walking." She sang before chuckling.
"I parked the car down the street." He said with a smile as he looked over at her. "I figured Rachel would notice us leaving the house. I rented a car for this evening."
"So that's why you've been gone all day?" she asked as she tried to keep up with his long strides. Sam noticed that she was struggle and slowed his steps then reached out for her hand and held it. She stared at their hands for a second before allowing his to intertwine with her own.
"Yeah, I was planning for us to have a good time out to celebrate." He admitted. "We're almost there." Mercedes felt as if they were on their first date. She was nervous and feeling a bit different. This was different. It wasn't for the show. They were going on a date because Sam wanted to go on a date with her. No cameras. No plans from Rachel. Just Sam. And suddenly she wasn't cool and collected anymore.
They arrived to the car that Sam rented, which she had to admit was nice. It was obvious that he was trying to impress her. He rented an all-black C-Class Mercedes Benz, which Mercedes couldn't help but wonder if he did that all because of her name. As they drove to the location that Sam didn't want to tell her about, they didn't notice a car following them close behind. Mercedes was too nervous to notice the car and Sam was busy racking his brain for a perfect spot to take her. For a minute, they were driving aimlessly till Sam remembered the spot where his parents met for the first time. Growing up he'd heard so many tales about April's and they'd never actually went as a family. He quickly turned in and looked over at Mercedes as she looked at the spot then at him and smiled.
"Karaoke Sam?"
"Trust me, you'll love it. There's singing, dancing and a dining area." He said with a smile before parking then making his way over to open the door for her. "Trust me."
"You're sure asking me to trust you a lot." She giggled and took his hands as they both walked into the spot together. Mercedes had to admit the spot was nice and packed. She'd heard of April's before and heard through the grapevine that some artists are even discovered there. Sam held her hand as he spoke to the hostess and placed their names on the list to perform. "I don't know why I'm suddenly nervous." Mercedes confessed when they were finally seated. Sam smiled, leaned over and gave her hand a squeeze as she looked around the spot. "How'd you know about this place?"
"My parents met here a long time ago. My dad sang an original song on amateur night and my mom was his immediate groupie." Sam stated with a chuckle. "I've always wanted to come here."
"I'm sure they are both here with us." Mercedes added just as the waiter came over to take their order. They both quickly ordered some drinks then fell back into their conversation once the waiter was gone. "So what did you do today, Sam?"
"Uh…I had an interview today and I feel like it went well. I will probably here from them tomorrow. I don't want to talk too much about it and jinx it…but I just feel like I connected with the guy, you know?" Sam was beaming with pride as he watched her smile back at him. He knew she would be impressed with him getting the job or attempting to get one. His father always said there were two ways to a woman's heart, hunting or paying the bills. And he knew Mercedes was not going to be impressed with hunting.
"I get it, Sam. I had an interview today too and I feel like I might have gotten it." She smiled then looked at Sam. "Seems like Rachel may be good for a few things." Sam started to ask her more about her interview when the sound of someone preparing to sing started. Soon after their drinks arrived and they sat silently while listening to this poor girl butcher Big Spender on the stage.
"Oh wow, she's horrible."
"Sam!" Mercedes exclaimed as she playfully hit his arm and stifled her giggles. Sam shrugged but laughed as well as they escorted the girl off the stage. Minutes later they announced Mercedes' name to come to the stage. "You better not laugh at me." She threatened before sashaying to the stage. At this point, Sam had heard Mercedes sing plenty of times, the day of their wedding, with Stacy and while she showered and plenty other times. Sam watched as she selected a song then smiled at the audience before introducing herself. A couple of the patrons whispered as if they knew her but couldn't place her but all fell silent when she opened her mouth.
"Used to be that…I believed in something…used to be that…I believed in love…" She looked directly into the audience and smiled softly as she continued to sing. "It's been a long time…Since I had that feeling, I could love someone…I could trust someone…" she closed her eyes and continued to sing with the soft smile still on her lips. "I said I never let anybody near my heart again, darling. I said I never let nobody in…" She took what seemed was a quick inhale as she released into the chorus. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Sam at this point and sang. "But, if you asked me to…I just might change my mind, and let you in my life forever. If you asked me to, I just might give my heart and stay here in your arms forever. If, you asked me…"
"Somehow ever since I been around you…can't go back to being on my own…can't help feeling, darling…" she diverted her eyes to the crowd as she noticed she had everyone's attention now. "Since I found you…that I found my home…that I'm finally home…" She unhooked the mic from the stand and began to walk across the small stage. "I said I never let nobody…get to close to me, darling! I said I needed…needed to be free…but if you asked me to…" she continued to sing the chorus, wishing her mother was able to hear her sing this song. It was definitely one of her favorite to sing around the house Saturday mornings. But this time was different. Everything about tonight was different. "Ask me to and I will give my world…to you baby…I need you now…Ask me to and I'll do anything…for you baby…for you baby…" when she hit the last high now the room erupted with applause. Sam knew she was just singing the song because it was probably a song that she liked but he kind of hoped it meant more. He watched her make way from the stage shyly beaming with pride till she was standing in front of Sam. She pulled him in for a hug before thanking him. "Oh my God, Sam, that was amazing! That was so much fun!" she said as she stared into his eyes. She almost kissed him right then but caught herself before she could and pulled away instead.
"You killed it!" Sam said just as they said his name to come to the stage. "I don't know how I can follow an act like that." He laughed as she turned around in shock that he was going to sing. Mercedes had never heard Sam sing and prayed that he didn't sound like the girl before her. "I don't know if I will sound anything like that, ya'll! But I'll try my best." He laughed before picking his song. He called over the host and whispered something to her then smiled when she nodded disappeared for a minute then returned with a guitar in hand. Mercedes slowly sat in her seat waiting to see what Sam had in store for her. He searched the crowd then saw Mercedes and smiled her way. "Hope you all like this." He said as he began to strum the guitar.
"Said all I want from you, is to see you tomorrow…and every tomorrow, maybe you'll let me borrow, your heart." He continued to strum and sing while everyone smiled and listened to him. "And is it too much to ask for every Sunday? And while we're at it throw in every other day to start."
"I know people make promises all the time…then they turn right around and break them, when someone cuts your heart open with a knife and you're bleeding…but I could be that guy to heal it over time, and I won't stop until you believe it…'cause baby you're worth it." He looked at Mercedes as he continued to sing. "So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me, 'cause you might fuck around and find your dreams come true with me. Spend all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free, so don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me." He continued to sing the chorus and strum his guitar as Mercedes tried to decipher if he was trying to tell her that she should fall in love with him. Although Mercedes was willing to see where things would head with him, she wasn't too sure she was ready to fall in love quite yet. She wanted to see where they could go if she gave Sam a chance and it seemed he wanted to go the distance with her. And from what he was saying she had to ask herself, would it really be that bad if she allowed herself to just completely fall for him.
They stayed pretty late at April's before finally deciding to head back. They slowly walked down the beach to the house then trekked back up the ladder. Mercedes had to admit that she had a good time. She wasn't sure if it was because Rachel had nothing to do with it, if there were no cameras or because Sam was the reason. Either way, she was all smiles when they made it to the room. They lingered in front of each other like two teens that just returned home from their first date before any of them said a word.
"I had a good time, Sam." She said finally pulling him in for a hug. Sam held on to her a bit longer as he said he'd enjoyed his time out with her as well. Their faces lingered next to each other as Sam tried to find the courage to just kiss her. They'd kissed before but tonight would be different. And almost as if she knew what he was trying to do she pulled away. Mercedes pulled away then made her way to the bathroom because that was the third time that night that she'd wanted to kiss him. Sam watched her walk away then heard the sound of the water running. He was never the type to let a woman he liked get to him but Mercedes wasn't like all the other women he'd dated. He paced back and forth for a second wondering what his next move should be.
On the other side of the door, Mercedes stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She hated that she couldn't just go with the flow like most people. She wanted to kiss Sam; she'd done it before and she was married to him dammit. Why was she struggling with this? She was debating on going back out there and just jumping on him. And just as she was about to walk out of the bathroom, Sam came barging in. Mercedes didn't have time to react as Sam strolled over to her and pulled her to him. He kissed her as if he was afraid of what she'd do if he let go of her.
"Sorry." As he let her go then began to step away from her. Before she could think twice, she pulled him back to her, reclaiming his lips on hers.
Sam was shocked that she was responding this way but he wasn't stopping it as he kicked the door closed behind him. He matched her passion by pushing her slightly towards the sink then hiking her on top of it. They bumped into the door then the wall, shutting off the light as they continued to fumble through the room. Their lips never parted as she pulled his shirt up then tried to unbutton the buttons. Mercedes ran her hands to his back pulling him closer as he tried to remove his shirt as well. Becoming frustrated with the shirt, Sam pulled the shirt from over his head then made his way back to her lips again. This kiss was different. Everything was different. Mercedes was different and she wanted to feel different with Sam.
Sam wanted to unzip her dress but he couldn't do it while kissing her so he made his way to her neck and sucked softly till she let out a soft moan. He could feel her hands fumbling with his belt buckle as he struggled with her zipper. Finally they both just pushed away from each other and handled their clothing. They couldn't see other outside of the moonlit silhouette but the hunger they both had was felt. Minutes later, Sam was back to her as his pants slowly fell to the ground. Mercedes couldn't unzip her dress but her dress was hiked up around her waist. She wasn't thinking as she pushed his boxers down and took a nice grip of her thighs. Sam wasn't thinking either as he pulled her panties to the side and slid inside of her. It had been a while since Mercedes had sex, and she was tighter than a nun as he tried to thrust inside of her. Neither of them planned for this to have gone this far but there they were. Bumping and grinding for what felt like hours but was actually mere minutes. Once it was over they remained apart for a few seconds in the dark before any of them said a word. The lights remained off. The shower was still running. Their minds were both racing, but Mercedes was the first to move. She removed her dress finally and jumped in the shower as Sam slowly grabbed his pants then made his way to the door. He stopped at the door ready to apologize as he flicked the light back on. He went to shower in the other bathroom and when he returned she was already in bed.
"Mercedes…can we talk about what just happened?" Sam asked as he got in the bed. Mercedes kept her back to him and pretended to be asleep. "Mercedes…"
"Sam…I just want to sleep now…okay." She responded finally. Sam stared at her back for a minute before deciding to leave it alone. He wanted tonight to be different and now things were different.
