Standard Disclaimer: This work contains content that belongs to Lanee Lane and the creators and producers of Glee.

We are getting close to the end of this story. Some loose ends to tie up in the next two chapters and then the end will be here soon. I can't say thanks enough for continuing on this ride with me during my Christmas in July madness. Please forgive my mistakes, these two or three chapters that I combined pretty much wrote themselves, I only did a little tweaking. I have been up all night in #Wakanda. Black Panther 2 11_11_2022 can't wait to experience this and RiRi smartest person in the MCU making her debut and Namor...sorry I am a Marvel nerd.

CHAPTER NINE

Mercedes woke up the next day to a loud thumping sound. Her eyes opened and immediately closed. The sun coming in through her window wreaked havoc on her sleepy eyes.

The horrible sound started again.

Who the heck would be pounding at her door? She looked at the clock to see the time, seven am on a Monday morning?

She buried her head under one of her pillows and prayed they'd grow tired and give up. Less than a minute later, her cell phone rang.

Oh hell to the no. She thought as she put her pillow on top of her head trying to muffle the sound. When she didn't answer, the person called her back; just as the pounding of her door resumed.

She snatched her phone from the bedside table wanting to deal with whoever it was as quick as possible.

"Yeah?" Her voice came out in a rasp.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepy head. Did you go to sleep with earplugs or your headphones on? I have been at your door knocking and calling your name."

Mercedes pulled the phone from her ear to confirm what she already knew.

"Why are you at my door and calling me, Sam?"

"I need you to let me inside, and I promise to tell you.'

"I don't really care to know that badly. Just go home or go to work; I'm going back to sleep."

"I can't do that Cedes. I really need to see you. I will stand out here knocking until you let me in."

She now knew him well enough to know that he probably would not leave her front door until she let him in. She ended the call without even saying goodbye. She sat up and rubbed her eyes to clear the sleep when a memory from the previous night suddenly came flooding back in technicolor.

Oh crap; Sam had kissed her. She had kissed him back. She didn't want to stop kissing him. He had to end their makeout session. How could she face him? What would she say? How would she act? She needed to talk to Tina and Jane. It was too early to bother them. Although, this was an emergency of sorts. Sam knocked on her door again; impossible man that he was.

Mercedes realized she had no time to talk to the girls. She went to her closet and pulled out a hoodie and put it on over her tank top. Next stop was the bathroom to check her face. Thankfully, she had managed to take her makeup off and wrap her hair before falling into bed the night before. She splashed some warm water on her face and took the bonnet off of her hair.

Act natural, Cedes. You can do this. If he doesn't bring the kiss up, you don't have to either. Maybe they could act like nothing ever happened. With Sam, she figured the chances were slim, but she could dream.

"Quit banging on my door before our neighbors call the cops on you for disturbing the peace. I'm coming; I don't know why seeing that you drive me completely crazy!" she yelled as she headed to the door.

"What took you so long?" were his first words she heard when she opened the door. She was tempted to slam the door right back in his face but, in true Sam fashion, he was already walking in like he was at home or an invited guest.

"Um, let me see... You knock on my door at seven a.m. while I'm still asleep. That should be enough explanation."

"I need to be at work by nine, so we need to head out early."

"Head out where? I don't remember making plans with you, so I don't have anywhere to be until eleven today."

"I'm taking you out for breakfast."

"Is that your version of asking me to go to breakfast because if it was I politely decline?"

"You know you want to go; so go put on some clothes so we can hurry up and go."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I already have plans for breakfast or brunch with someone else or maybe I can't eat because I have a medical procedure scheduled for today? Or any other reason other than the most important one that I would rather be in my bed and asleep than going out with you for breakfast this early on a MONDAY!"

"If you have plans, you can just say so. I have decided not to ask you to do anything that won't hurt you because you just like telling me no for the hell of it. This way your continuous rejection doesn't hurt me so much. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I want to spend time with you; will you please accompany me Mercedes?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes and started walking toward her room. "Did that kill you to act like you have manners with me Sammie. I will go with you, but because of your rude behavior this morning, I'm ordering every expensive item on the menu," she said before she closed the door. She took her time taking a shower and getting dressed. She purposely refused to put on any makeup or primp in the mirror for this impossible and probably insane man.

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting across from each other in a diner a few minutes from their apartment. Mercedes was looking through the menu trying to decide what she wanted. When she glanced up, instead of looking at his menu like she expected, Sam was looking at her.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just don't want to take my eyes off of you."

Mercedes let out a loud laugh and then covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"Why are you laughing?"

Had Sam taken a one ticket ride on the train to crazy town or was she still in her bed dreaming?

"You are crazy Sam Evans."

"Only crazy I am, is crazy about you."

Before she was able to answer, the waitress came up to take their order. Despite her urge to order everything that was expensive and make Sam pay for disrupting her sleep, she settled on cream cheese-stuffed bagel with lox. The server scribbled down their orders and headed off to put them in.

"Do you remember what happened last night, Cedes?"

Aw hell, she thought that she would be able to avoid this awkward conversation.

"Of course I do, we went out with your brother and my friends."

"Don't be obtuse. You know what I'm talking about." When Mercedes didn't say anything he went on. "We kissed last night."

"You kissed me, you mean."

A smirk crept onto Sam's face.

"If I recall correctly, I don't remember you pushing me away. In fact, I remember your arms going around my neck and your lips participating enthusiastically."

Mercedes covered her face with her hands.

"I had a couple of drinks. It was a momentary lapse in judgment," her voice was muffled through her hands.

Sam stretched his hands across the table removing hers from her face. He didn't let them go as he placed them on the table. He held them in his and circled his thumbs over her wrists. She felt the touch straight through her stomach and down to her lady parts.

"Cedes, that kiss was no accident. There was chemistry. I felt it, and I think you did too."

"I will admit that you are a handsome and sexy man, Sam. I think that any woman would be willing to kiss you, and would probably enjoy it, too."

"You think I'm handsome and sexy?"

"Are you serious? Are you really asking me THAT question?"

"I tell you that you are beautiful all the time; you rarely compliment me. I just couldn't believe my ears."

Mercedes pulled her hands from his. She needed to be able to think straight, and she couldn't do that with him touching her like that while looking at her like he was memorizing every feature on her makeup free face.

"Cedes, I want to kiss you again and again and again. In case you didn't know, I am very attracted to you, and I want to be with you all the time. I want to see where things could go with us if you are willing to take a chance on me."

"Sam, I swear if you are playing with me; just stop, please. I don't know what you're up to, but it isn't funny. I did you a favor by going to the wedding with you to get Charlie off of your back. I'm not going to play your pretend girlfriend because you're scared of some crazy woman who needs to be in therapy."

Sam ran his hands through his hair and looked out the window. Mercedes could see he was frustrated with her, but she didn't care. He was frustrating her with his shenanigans. Finally, he looked back at her, and she was surprised to see the intensity in his gaze.

"I promise that I'm not messing with you, Cedes. I really am attracted to you. Something this weekend made me realize what has been right in front of me the whole time. Seeing that guy all over you on the dance floor kinda confirmed it. I was jealous, and I don't get jealous. It is what I had been feeling with Steven even though I know you are not interested in him, but he is attracted to you, too. I didn't recognize the feeling fully until you were dancing with that guy and he had his hands on you."

"Are you even listening to yourself? You have never been jealous before because you don't do relationships. You are a player. You like a different woman for every day of the week. I'm not like that, Sam. I'm not just a booty call that you can call whenever you have an itch just because you find me attractive and don't want to commit."

"Goodness, woman! I don't want to just sleep with you. Well, I do want to do that too, but I want to date you. I know I don't have the best track record, but something about you makes me want to try. You drive me absolutely crazy sometimes, but I like you. Maybe the fact that you don't bend at my every request is part of that. I don't know. I just know you're different. What I feel for you I have never felt with any other woman before."

As Sam finished his mini declaration, the server brought their food. Mercedes started to cut her loaded bagel into bite-size pieces to keep herself busy.

"Cedes?"

She looked up but didn't say anything.

"Will you at least think about what I said?" For the first time, she heard vulnerability in his voice.

She took a bite of her bagel and lox chewed slowly and washed it down with orange juice.

"Yes, Sam. I'll think about it."

Later that day, Mercedes couldn't seem to focus while she was at work. She usually gave her clients her undivided attention, but she couldn't seem to keep her thoughts off of Sam. The whole situation seemed surreal. The man didn't want to do relationships, and now all of a sudden he wanted to date her?

She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. He was a very sexy man with a six pack, handsome face, and amazing arms and hands. And his mouth. When he kissed her, she felt a sensation that she hadn't ever experienced with past boyfriends. The question was: could she trust him? Sure he had begun to be someone she considered a friend, but his past with women was not ideal.

Quinn had come in for the early shift and was about to head out for the day. Mercedes decided to ask Quinn what she thought. Usually, she would get both of her best friends Tina and Jane together when she needed to talk things through, but she had to talk to another good friend now so maybe her head would stop spinning.

"Hey, Q, can I talk to you for a second before you go?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"So, you know how I went out last night with Sam and Steven and Tina and Jane? Well, Sam kind of kissed me in front of my door."

"What!" Quinn's mouth dropped open, and her eyes were as big as saucers.

"Shhh, there's more. This morning, he came knocking at my door saying he wanted to take me for breakfast. At breakfast, he dropped this bomb on me that he's attracted to me and wants to date me."

Quinn's mouth went from surprised to smiling wide and giggling. Quinn Fabray giggling like a teenager. What the hell?.

"What's the smile and giggle about? The man has probably never had a real girlfriend in this last decade. He probably doesn't even know how to spell the word 'commitment'."

"Cedes, I know this is not what you want to hear, but I believe him. I really think he is attracted to you. I could tell there was something there but, at first, I don't think even he realized it."

"I thought Tina was the crazy one, but I'm starting to have my doubts about you, Q."

"Cedes, I'm a few years older than you, but growing up as a model and being around people who wanted me for sex, I can easily recognize attraction more than you. I could tell from the one time I met him that he was interested in you. Most single straight men who look like Sam check me out or are even bold enough to ask me out when they first meet me. I am not conceited or bragging; I am just telling the truth. Being in the fashion industry lets you know how deceptive looks are but you have been around me enough to know how men check me out. So, you know I am telling you the truth."

Mercedes nodded her head. She knew her business partner was gorgeous. She had been a top paid print and commercial model because she was too short for runway; before leaving it all behind and going to Harvard.

Quinn continued. "Sam only had his eyes on you and his phone the whole time he was here and that was when you barely knew the man. I observe people and my surroundings. I had to do so that I wasn't assaulted or left alone with predators when I started in this business as a sixteen year old. I think your constant bickering has a lot to do with sexual tension. Yeah, maybe he has been with a lot of women; people change. Most people don't live that lifestyle forever. Even playboys settle down when they find the right woman. I don't think you should write him off for what he did before he knew you. At the core of it, you know he's a nice guy. Look at how he helped you when your car was broken, and you barely knew the guy then."

Mercedes didn't like it, but she had to admit that Quinn did have a point. No matter how much of a jerk he seemed at times, Sam had done some pretty nice things for her.

"I guess you may be right. I am just afraid of getting hurt."

"No one wants to be hurt because of losing the game of love, but you can never succeed if you don't at least put yourself out there. That goes for anything in life. When I took the chance on Mike after having my heart broken repeatedly by no good men in my past, I was scared. It was hard to believe that someone so inherently good, smart, and sexy as hell wanted me for me, not just my looks or past fame. It was only when I realized that being romanced by and possibly loved by Mike Chang for just a day was worth never experiencing it all was when I laid myself open and vulnerable to him. He had the power to break my heart, but as I got to know him; I realized he would never do it. He was my man, and I gladly became his woman. We wouldn't have our marriage and two beautiful children if I hadn't risked getting hurt."

Dang her friend for being so wise and so honest. Could an introvert like her risk having her heart broken by Sam? Could she be brave like Quinn? Mercedes wasn't sure, but she did know that she didn't need to talk to Jane and Tina any more. She knew what she needed to do for her without Tina demanding that she ride Sam's dick and tongue until she tired of him, and Jane urging her to do what her heart suggested and ignore her head for once.

A few hours later, Mercedes was locking up the boutique for the night. She stopped to grab something for dinner despite the fact that her stomach was tied up in knots. She was nervous since she knew that the night wouldn't end without seeing Sam.

Pulling into her parking spot, she sat in her car for a few minutes. Should she go straight to her apartment and wait until he came to talk to her, or should she go to him? Knowing that she wouldn't calm down until she spoke to him, she had her answer.

Inside the elevator, she pushed the button to his floor. As soon as it stopped, she stepped out of the elevator and walked to his door taking deep, soothing breaths. She made herself knock before she had a chance to think and chicken out. For a moment, she didn't hear anything and thought maybe he wasn't home. His car was outside, but he could have been out with his brother.

Just when she was about to knock again, the door swung open. His hair was a mess like he had just been napping, and he was wearing basketball shorts with no shirt. Who answered the door like that? Although, she couldn't complain. The view was pretty nice. She didn't know what was hotter his pouty mouth, his amazing arms, or that chest or even his abs. She really needed to look up at his eyes before her eyes went any lower. Oh hell, even his green eyes were devastating.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey, yourself."

"I, um...well," she was stumbling over her words. Maybe I should have prepared a little better, she thought.

She took a moment and closed her eyes before starting over.

"Yes, I am willing to give us and this dating thing a try."

Before she even ended her sentence, Sam's arms were around Mercedes lifting her off of the ground. His lips captured hers in a passionate kiss. He traced his tongue along her full lips before he slid it between them. His tongue caressed hers, and a faint moan escaped her lips. She was lost in him. The first kiss was good, but this one was even better. It was hot and filled with need and a promise of more.

Still holding her, Sam slowly ended their kiss. He peered down into her eyes and smiled his cocky smile.

"I knew you'd eventually see things my way."

Mercedes slapped him playfully and laughed.

"Cocky much? I don't think your head can get any bigger."

He slowly released her from his hold, and she slid down his body. He pulled her firmly into him. His length felt hard against her. "Oh, you have no idea just how big it is yet."

"That's not what I meant, you horndog. You have a lot to prove before we do anything involving me finding out about that."

Sam pulled back and put his hands over his heart. "I'm hurt."

"You'll survive, I'm sure."

Mercedes was relieved. She was worried that things would be awkward after they decided to give things a try. Aside from the kissing, which she thoroughly enjoyed, everything seemed to be normal.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"I was just thinking about how normal this feels. I wasn't sure how things would be after I agreed to this."

"Things don't have to change. We can still hang out, but now I can touch you and kiss you; it's even better." He wiggled his eyebrows in a ridiculous gesture. "I do want to take you on a proper date. How about this Friday?"

"I suppose I can let you wine and dine me on Friday. What did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise."

"With you, I'm not sure if I should be excited or a little worried."

Sam scoffed at that. "Excited, obviously. I'm going to sweep you right off of your feet."

"We shall see about that, Mr. Evans.

Friday morning, Cedes woke up with butterflies in her stomach. She knew it was due to her date with Sam that night. It had been four days since she went to Sam in his apartment and agreed to see where their attraction to each other would go. Of course, she and Sam had hung out a few times since they'd made it official. He'd crashed her dinner a couple of nights per usual. After dinner, they'd curl up on her couch and watch Netflix which always turned into a make-out session. She was becoming addicted to his kisses. One perk to his past was that he'd certainly perfected how to use his lips. She wondered if he was as skilled with his lips in other areas.

She was working at the boutique and had just sat down to review her clients for the day when her phone buzzed.

Sam: Good morning beautiful, I can't wait to see you tonight at 7:00.

Cedes: Morning :). I can't wait either. Where are you taking me?

Sam: I told you it's a surprise. Wear a dress. Preferably something that shows off your legs.

Cedes: You've been checking out my legs?

Sam: Among other things.

There was a peach emoji at the end of the text.

That man. Mercedes chuckled.

Mercedes's day dragged by, but wasn't that always the case when there was something to look forward to? Despite her excitement, she focused on each client and gave them her undivided attention.

When five o'clock rolled around, she made a speedy exit. She needed to get home and start her beauty routine. She had been on first dates before, but she wanted everything to be perfect for her first official date with Sam.

After showering and lotioning up, she moved on to makeup. A video call from Tina flashed on her screen. She answered it and propped the phone against her vanity, so she could continue her makeup. Tina and Jane's faces appeared squished together on the screen.

"OMG, are you excited?" Tina squealed.

When she told Tina and Jane about her and Sam, they had reacted as expected. Tina did a whole dance including twerking through her living room. Jane just gave her a hug and told her that she was happy they were giving it a try. Sometimes, Mercedes had no idea how the three of them were friends. They were so different in some ways but, somehow, they worked.

"I'm excited, but I'm also very nervous the last time I went out with a man at night on a date he offered to feed me from his hands."

"That man was a freak. If only Tina was curvier and a sister. Those two would have made the perfect match. You don't have to worry about that with Sam. You know him; you guys hang out together all the time," Jane said in her soothing tone.

"I know, but this is different. This is a real date like a real couple. He's been with his fair share of women. What if I don't measure up to the others?"

"Cedes, snap out of it! If he wanted to be with someone else, he would be. You said yourself that he never actually has relationships. That alone proves you are different. No man spends the amount of time he spends with you without having feelings. The man was busting into your apartment every chance he got even before you decided to officially date because the purpose of dating is getting to know someone to see if you are compatible. That man has been getting to know you all along and the only one clueless about his attention was you sugarplum."

"I guess you're right, Tee."

"You know that I'm right!"

As crazy as she was, Mercedes was thankful for Tina in times like this.

"Okay guys, thanks for the pep talk. I need to finish getting ready. Sam has a tendency to pop in early, and I want to be ready."

They said their goodbyes with promises of full details the next day.

Mercedes was sliding on a pair of earrings when the knock on the door came. She smoothed her dress down and took a deep, calming breath. It was show time. She opened the door and was met with one of the sexiest sights she had ever laid eyes on.

Sam was standing in her doorway wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, a light green button-up, and brown lace-up oxfords. A sports coat tied the look together. He looked sexy as hell.

"Like what you see? I know I sure do."

"That ego of yours, I swear. For once, you are right though. I really like what I see," Mercedes said in what she hoped was a flirtatious tone.

Sam moved further into the doorway and pulled her into his arms. He bent his head so that his lips were only a few inches from hers. Mercedes's breath quickened.

"You look beautiful," he whispered before pressing his lips to hers.

At this rate, Mercedes thought she may have to do a panty change before they even left her house.

"Alright, Romeo, let's get out of here." For her sanity's sake, but she didn't say that.

Once they settled into the car, Mercedes asked, "Now can you tell me where we're going?"

"You're an impatient one, aren't you? I guess I can tell you the first part. I'll keep part two secret a little longer. We're going to dinner at Michael's."

"I've never been there, but I've heard it's delicious. I thought you weren't supposed to go to an Italian restaurant on a first date?"

"Maybe not, but we aren't a typical couple. We've shared enough meals that I figure we are past caring about that kind of thing."

Mercedes turned her face toward the window to hide the smile that crept up on her face. He had called them a couple. She knew he wanted to spend time together to see where things went, but she didn't know he thought of them as actually together-together. It made her happy.

At the restaurant, Sam helped her out of the car and held her hand as they entered. Michael's was an upscale establishment. They had the whole 'white tablecloth and fancy place settings' thing going on. Sam ordered a bottle of wine. It was the most delicious wine she'd ever tasted. She would even consider trading in her favorite red for it.

Dinner was wonderful. They shared each other's meals, and Sam held her hand over the table. He was attentive. Mercedes realized it was the best date she had been on, and it wasn't even over. Sam paid their bill, and they left the restaurant for their next destination.

Sam wouldn't give her any hints as to where they were going next. He was surprisingly good at keeping a secret. About fifteen minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot of a small building. The pounding of Latin music poured from inside.

"Where are we? What are we doing?"

"We're going to dance. It felt fitting since your so-called dance moves are what caused us to meet. I thought you might like to do some Latin dancing."

They entered the small building. The lights were dim, and the air was warm from all the bodies packed into the little space. People crowded around the small bar nestled in the corner. Along one of the walls, sat a small stage where a live band was singing and playing.

Sam slipped his arm around her waist and led her to the packed dance floor. There were couples that looked like professional dancers and others that were stumbling through just having fun. Once they found a place in the middle of the floor, his hands went on either side of her hips and he began to move to the music. Mercedes was impressed. The man could move better than she had expected and experienced at his sister's wedding reception.

"I thought you didn't know how to dance."

"I couldn't, but Mike and Tina have been giving me lessons all week at Mike's studio. Mike and I have become good friends. I thought Quinn's husband would be just like her, but he complements her instead. They taught me the basics, and I admit that I went to them because I just had a change of heart about dancing after dancing with you at my sister's wedding and watching you dance with Steven and that dude Jared."

"Sam, his name was Jake. I can't believe you were jealous. But if my dancing inspired you to try something new, then I am glad. I liked the way you move even at the wedding. Doing those old school dances with you was fun, too."

They danced the night away until Mercedes's feet couldn't take anymore.

"That was so much fun," Mercedes said when they were headed back home.

Their intertwined hands rested on his thigh.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have to admit; I did too. I wanted this to be the perfect first date."

"You definitely succeeded. This was the best date I've ever had."

Sam lifted their hands and kissed the back of hers. "The first of many, I hope."

"Guaranteed. You have set the bar pretty high. I wonder how amazing our next date will be."

"Just being with you is amazing enough for me. But I will let you choose what we do next, and I will be in charge of date number three."