Chapter 14

[The first move.]

Sam slipped off into the guest room. It was finally time to start getting ready for dinner and he felt like his ears were bleeding. He loved spending several hours with his friends, especially since it had been so long since he had seem them. But, man he had forgotten how much Rachel loved to talk. He stood at the foot of his bed for a minute, staring at three different outfits that he had laid out for himself to pick from. He scratched his chin and stared for a few more minutes then decided he better pick one since they magically weren't going to choose for him. He had done more shopping than he had ever done in his life the day before he left for New York. He had wanted to look his best, look the part. All he had to his name before were a few worn out t-shirts and some ripped jeans. He figured none of those clothing items would do him any good here. So far, he had been right.

He picked out a nice pair of dark wash jeans and a white button up with a fitted black blazer and tie. He wanted to go simple, but still dressed up. He didn't want to seem like he was trying too hard. He strolled off to the guest bathroom, taking his clothes off as he went, and turned on the shower.

Down the hall, Mercedes found herself searching for something to wear as well. She hadn't brought all of her clothes, so it was making her choices slim. She gasped in surprise as she found one of her favorite dresses at the bottom of one of her bags. She reached for it, grabbing it quicker than she meant to, so excited at her find. It was a satin red dress that stopped above the knees, low cut and form fitting in all of the right places. She reached for her other bag, digging out her fire engine red pumps and some bling to top it all off. She stopped and noted that she hadn't been this excited to dress up in a long time. She knew she was gorgeous, she didn't have to try to look good for anyone, but at this moment, she wanted to micro manage every detail to make sure she looked as perfect as possible.

As the the next hour went on, everyone in the apartment was rushing to look their best. Rachel and Finn were already ready, waiting for Mercedes and Sam to make their appearance in the living room.

Mercedes took one last final glance at herself in the mirror, curling the last strand of hair and letting it fall down her shoulder. She had styled her hair in loose curls all around and they hung long and beautiful down her chest. She had gone with a smokey eye makeup and red lipstick to match her outfit. She was happy with the reflection that was looking back at her. She looked hot. No, she looked FINE. She couldn't wait to see the look on Sam's face when she-. Mercedes stopped her thoughts, realizing that she had meant to think "the look on everyone's face". All of a sudden a rush of nerves filled her body, something that she didn't feel very often. She was a very strong and confident woman, no one really made her feel this way and she remembered how she had said that very thing when she first saw Sam. That same nervous feeling she had felt at the pit of her stomach when he first smiled at her, she was now feeling again almost more than ever. She always felt a rush of confusion when this happened to her, not being able to control her feelings, to compose herself. She felt extremely vulnerable and naked all of a sudden. Almost like the ball wasn't in her court anymore. She slammed her fist against the sink then brought the same hand to her forehead, wiping away the slight perspiration forming out of frustration.

"Okay cedes...get yourself together. You have the power here, don't let him make you this weak." She looked up in the mirror again, letting herself relax and calm down. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath then turned to open the door and step in to whatever was coming next. She felt her breath leave her as she looked across the hall at Sam who had just happened to step out at the same time. What a great coincidence she thought to herself sarcastically. He looked...breathtaking. Her heart started to beat faster as she fought for control again. Her palms started to produce moisture as she started breathing shallow. He was looking at her with those eyes. Those beautiful and kind eyes that no matter how much trouble Sam got himself into, always seemed to retain a certain innocence. He stood there frozen in the doorway, his hand still slightly on the doorknob as he fought for the movement to actually finish closing the door behind him. He ran his tongue across his full bottom lip, making Mercedes' eyes dart to that spot, causing her to repeat the action herself. She wanted so badly to just grab him and kiss him, feeling those lips on hers again would light a fire in her soul that she had been practically starving for, begging for. Just thinking about this made her start to tingle between her legs under her knockout dress that she had so carefully put on, but now was wanting to just rip off. Sam was the best sex she ever had and honestly the only guy that could do anything for her...basically, he drove her crazy. The way he would work his lips against her skin, nip at all the right places, and lord the man could do magic with his hands. Her favorite part though, was the little sensual noises he would make right into her ear in reaction to the way she was making him feel was the icing on the cake.

Sam wasn't taking this in an easy stride either. He stood there like a statue knowing he needed to move, to speak, to do anything, but stand there like an idiot halfway out the door. He nearly passed out when he saw Mercedes walk out of the adjacent room. The dress, those shoes, that body! She looked classy, yet sexy and any ounce of confidence that he had felt when he decided to leave that room, was now long gone down the cleavage of Mercedes Jones that his eyes did not want to run away from. He had tried to speak several times, but apparently his voice was not working. His lips became dry from the effort, so he ran his tongue against his lip, moistening it for another try. Calculus was hard, but damn, at this moment in time talking seemed to be something he forgot to study for. His free hand shook a little as he fought not to reach out and grab her. He felt like a whiny boy inside, throwing a fit because he couldn't just force a move on her and take what he wanted. He wanted her so bad it was starting to make him sweat and the layered blazer wasn't helping. After a few minutes of gawking, her finally pushed out some words, trying to string them together in a way that made any sense.

"You...look stun-ning." He croaked, his hand finally pulling the door to a close behind him. He cleared his throat and cracked a smirk when she blushed and smiled at his compliment. Making Mercedes blush was one of his favorite things to do in life, and after thinking he'd never get to see it again, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

Mercedes brushed a piece of hair back behind her ear, fighting to gain back control she turned her smile into a wicked grin and left him with "I know." Before turning on her heels and strutting her stuff down the hallway. Sam swallowed hard, falling back against the wall and cursing lightly under his breath. She was a stone cold fox and he was literally dying because of it.

The whole limo ride to dinner was even more torture. Sam and Mercedes ended up beside eachother, leg touching leg as they scooted in. Sam flashed a smirk her way and she quickly turned her head trying not to look at him too long. "Are we picking everyone up?" She asked Rachel who was on the other side of her, grinning ear to ear.

"Well we are piking up Quinn and Puck. We'll meet everyone else there." Rachel patted Mercedes on the leg then turned to Finn and began lightly bouncing up and down way too excited for her own good. "Aren't you excited? Look excited, Finn!"

Finn looked at her with a half smile, weakly waving his arms in the air followed by a pathetic "woo!". Sam couldn't help but chuckle, they were comical. He started to feel excited now at the news of seeing Quinn and Puck. He missed them dearly and couldn't wait to actually see them face to face. They sat in the limo for a good ten minutes before Rachel squeaked that they were nearing their pickup spot. They rolled to a stop and the driver opened the door to reveal the smiling faces of their two old friends. Puck flew into the limo with a low roar and attacked Finn in an abrupt tackle. They both laughed it off as they greeted eachother, Quinn finally following inside muttering "What happened to ladies first?" to Puck. She quickly turned her head, recognizing that there was an extra person in the limo then her eyes grew wide at realizing who it was. "Sam?". Sam immediately realized that his presence was a surprise to them and couldn't help but smile. It was fun to see the looks on their faces.

Sam let out an "ummph" as Puck attacked him next, shouting 'Troutymouth' in an excited tone. Sam smiled and hugged Puck, patting him on the back then begging him to let go before he squeezed the life out of him. He hugged an offering Quinn next, rubbing her back and grinning at her familiar scent. She had grown her hair out again, but it was darker now, matching her eyebrows and really making her eyes pop even more than before. She looked really pretty he thought, and happy now which made him happy in return. He still loved Quinn as a friend, but dropped his feelings for her as soon as he pursued Mercedes. He had thought that he had loved Quinn, but those feelings that were there never came close to the burning desire he harbored in his heart for Mercedes and seeing both of them together now in his presence, he knew that completely.

"Oh my gosh, what in the world are you doing here? It's so great to see you." Quinn smiled the biggest she knew how after asking the question. Sam could tell they were both truly genuine about their excitement of seeing him which made him relax and feel more comfortable. He glanced over to Mercedes, noticing she didn't seem quite as engaged in the current topic, her gaze somewhat glazed over in a generic expression. She was smiling, but it was definitely out of respect. His first instinct was to reach over and grab her hand like he always did when he wanted to reassure her that things were okay. But, the thought that he couldn't was weighing on him heavy like a room full of bricks.

"I was in town and I wanted to see you guys and see Rachel's play, of course. But that's not important, tell me about you guys. You got married?" He purposely steered the conversation away from himself, not even wanting to go there again. He listened half heartedly as they explained their relationship and how everything came to be. Part of him still hung on Mercedes like it usually did, wondering what she was thinking and how he could make her smile. He decided to bite the bullet and make a ballsy move. He sat his hand down next to hers so that they touched. Just a test to see if she would pull away. To his surprise, she didn't, and he made the move to grab her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before anyone could notice and he pulled it away. He wasn't about to do anything too spontaneous. If he was going to win her back, he was going to do it the right way and ease into it. He didn't want to push her away.