Thank you for your continued interest and support. I appreciate it.

I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own The Billionaire's Embrace.

MERCEDES

Sam was waiting for me at the club the next evening...

I started out not having an awesome day.

I was late for work for the very first time and it wasn't my fault. The train had been late and had then stopped between stations for fifteen minutes with no explanation whatsoever.

And I was flustered and over-heated by the time I scuttled behind the bar and shed my coat.

Then Brittany called me into her office, and I assumed it was because of my tardiness, so I started apologizing right away...

"I'm sorry I'm late Brittany. The train..."

"Slow down," she said. "You were what...five minutes late? These things happen. I'm not going to yell at you."

I took in a gulp of air...

"Okay," I said.

"There's a gentleman waiting for you," she said. "In room 4."

My heart started beating faster right away. Room 4 was Sam's room, where he always had his parties. And where we had our initial encounters. If there was someone waiting for me in room 4, and that someone had specifically asked Brittany to fetch me, it had to be him.

I wondered what he wanted...

We had ended up having a good time at Joss' the night before, even after his unfortunate offer to invest in Carson's business.

We'd stayed out late, drinking wine and talking, and he had kissed me in the foyer of my building when he dropped me off, long and sweet.

But I hadn't seen him at the club since we started dating, as if by some unspoken agreement, we had put that part of our relationship behind us.

So the only way to find out what he wanted was to go and ask him.

I thanked Brittany and left her office to head for Room 4.

The door was open slightly, just a crack and I peeked inside...

Sam was sitting on the sofa, bent over his phone. I recognized him just from the back of his head and his jacket.

And now that I thought about it, I think I would know him even in the dark... Even if I forgot how to see.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since the last time I saw him, but I still felt my pulse quicken in the hollow of my throat.

I wanted to go to him and press my face against his neck, right where he normally splashed his cologne.

I opened the door further and stepped into the room...

When I closed the door behind me, Sam turned at the soft sound.

His hair was falling across his face, and he looked tired. His shirt was rumpled and rolled up at the sleeves.

"Mercedes. You found me."

"You weren't hard to find," I said. I crossed the room and stood in front of him, burying my hands in his messy hair. "Long day?"

"The longest," he said. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against my abdomen. "I wanted to see you. Selfishly. I won't keep you long. The others will be arriving shortly."

"You're having a party tonight?" I asked.

He made a noise of agreement.

"Allen's coming. I'm supposed to ask him some leading questions. But it's difficult when he spends the entire time with a dancer wiggling around in his lap."

Having seen it myself, I knew exactly what he meant.

He was helping to build a case against Jeremy Allen for securities fraud, but it had been months, and Allen was too interested in the dancers to say anything incriminating.

I knew that it was stressing Sam out, but I couldn't be too sorry. Allen was the whole reason he came to the club, and if it weren't for him, we never would've met.

I drew my hands through Sam's hair, running my fingers across his scalp.

"Why don't you ask me to serve for you anymore?"

"Because I don't want to share you," he said.

Oh.

That sent a shiver down my spine. I liked it when he got possessive.

"Sit down," he said. "Talk to me. I've spent all day having people yell at me about operating costs. Tell me what you did this morning."

I sat beside him on the couch, smoothing my skirt over my thighs...

"Well, I woke up," I said.

He grinned at me, his tired eyes lighting up.

"And then what? You rolled around in bed for a while in your silk nightie?"

I mostly slept in oversized T-shirts. But...

"Yes," I said.

"That's a pleasant mental image," he said, and then he sobered, and looked at me with a serious expression on his face. "I enjoyed meeting your friends last night. Please tell Jocelyn I'm grateful to her for inviting me."

"They liked you," I said, and I thought it was true. I hadn't done a full postmortem with Joss yet, but she had texted me after he had dropped me off at home to say...

"Nice catch."

"I'm glad," Sam said. "So tell me more about this silk nightie..."

My face heated... Did he really want to spend time discussing my nonexistent lingerie?

"Well, it's silk," I said.

"Yes, we've established that. What else?"

He leaned towards me and put one hand on my knee. And the weight of it, the warmth, reminded me that it had been more than a week since we'd done anything but trade a few kisses.

My libido sat up and took notice...

Sam was touching me and my body wanted more of it. And right away, too.

"It's red," I said. Red was a sexy color, right? "And it has...lace along the neckline."

"Good," he said. Then he kissed my neck, right behind my ear. And I shivered. "Tell me more."

"I...um." I racked my brain for something else to say. "The fabric...feels nice against my skin."

This was embarrassing. I sounded like bad soft-core porn.

But Sam was enjoying it.

He slid his his hand up my leg to settle in the crease of my hip, and moved his mouth down my neck, sucking soft kisses against my skin.

I tilted my head to one side to give him better access and he took full advantage, pulling me close against him and kissing his way down to the sensitive hollow of my collarbone.

I felt alive and alight. His hands and mouth shaped my body into a new form and I welcomed the change.

He knew me as someone desirable and when he touched me, I felt myself becoming that person.

Someone worthy of love...

Someone who deserved the intimacy and pleasure he offered.

"What time is it?" he murmured against my skin.

I looked at the clock on the wall.

"4:15."

"We have time," he said. "Enough." He sat back and touched my cheek. "Do you want to be good for me?"

I knew those words...

They meant he was about to take control and I would surrender to him joyfully.

I swallowed...

"Yes."

"My sweet girl," he said. "I want you to kneel on the floor."

Trembling with anticipation, I slid off the sofa and knelt before Sam, my hands clasped in my lap.

He spread his knees and I could see the shape of his erection outlined by his wool trousers.

My mouth watered... I knew what would come next. And I wanted it.

"Good," he said. "You're eager for it, aren't you? I want you to unbutton my pants."

My hands shook as I reached forward and unfastened his trousers. Unintentionally, my wrist brushed against his hard cock, and I felt it twitch in response.

"Perfect," he said. "Now unzip me."

I did as Sam said, tugging the tab of his zipper and revealing his black boxer-briefs. The fabric clung to his erection, showing me the thick shaft and the round head.

He slid one hand around the back of my head and cupped it there, holding me in place. While his other hand slid into the waistband of his boxer-briefs and tugged it down slowly, ever so slowly, until his cock sprang free and rested flushed and heavy against his lower belly.

He fisted his other hand in my hair and tilted my head back, forcing me to look up at him...

"Do you want to suck my cock, Mercedes?"

"Yes," I said, my voice a ragged whisper.

"Should I let you?" he asked. "I don't know that you'll be any good. I wouldn't want to waste my time."

"I'll be good," I said. "Please let me. I'll be...I'll..."

"You'll have to convince me," he said.

At that, I moved my hands to his thighs. He released my hair and I looked down at the apex of his thighs, at his arousal. I had never been this close to a hard penis, and I was both excited and intimidated.

I didn't want to do anything wrong and disappoint him.

I knew the basic mechanics, of course, from reading magazines and watching a little bit of porn, but putting it into practice was daunting.

I slid my left hand around the base of Sam's penis and gave it a tentative squeeze.

It was firm and solid.

Next, I moved my thumb over the swollen vein on the underside, feeling the hot blood washing through it, and looked up at him to gauge his reaction.

He was watching me with hooded eyelids, his face unreadable. No help there...

Using my hand to hold him steady, I leaned forward and licked the head of his member. It tasted salty, but not unpleasantly so.

So I ducked my head and used my tongue to trace the course of that fat vein from the base to the tip.

Sam's hand tightened in my hair...

"Less teasing," he said.

I hadn't intended to tease. I wanted to take my time to explore, but he was probably worried about his guests showing up.

With that, I slid my mouth over the head of his cock and gave a gentle suck. It was smooth beneath my tongue and then felt crinkled where the head flared out over the shaft.

Sam inhaled, just the slightest click of noise in his throat, but I heard it and was encouraged. I wasn't doing it completely wrong, then.

I just hoped I didn't choke. Then he would know I hadn't done this before.

Keeping my mouth soft, I rubbed my tongue against the head. I wasn't sure what to do next. But I knew I wouldn't be able to deep-throat him.

Now I know what looked so simple in porn turned out to be sort of daunting when I was expected to do it.

I wasn't sure how to coordinate my mouth and my hand, or how hard to suck, or what to do with my teeth. But Sam came to my rescue...

"You want to be coy, hmm? You want me to tell you exactly what to do? That's fine. Keep your mouth open."

I relaxed my jaw and closed my eyes, so relieved I could've cried. I wouldn't have to fumble around and screw up. He would take care of me.

Sam rolled his hips slightly, nudging his cock further into my mouth. So I held still and waited for him to tell me what to do next.

"Go down as far as you can," he said. "Don't push it. I know you aren't an expert."

He said it mockingly and I knew he assumed that I had done this before. I also knew that he was trying to goad me. If only he knew the truth...

Well, if he knew the truth, he probably would've never touched me at all.

I was happy to keep him in the dark.

I swallowed the moisture gathering in my mouth and sank down on his cock. I went down until my lips bumped into my curled fist, and then paused there, the head of his cock filling my mouth and brushing the back of my throat.

My eyes watered and I swallowed again, compulsively, fighting my gag reflex.

I wanted to be good for him.

I liked kneeling there, obedient, waiting, ready for him to use me.

"That's right," he said. "Now pull off and slide your hand up."

Which direction was up?

I wasn't sure, but I took a guess, and when I lifted my mouth off his erection, I drew my hand in the same direction, so that my fingers curled loosely around the fat head of his cock.

"Good," he said and a warm glow settled in my belly. "Now do the same thing in reverse. Hand down and then your mouth."

I followed Sam's directions and the gentle pressure of his hand at the back of my head, and quickly established a rhythm.

I went down, mouth loose and wet, and sucked hard as I pulled off, but kept my grip firm.

Once I got the hang of it, it was easy, and I started feeling overconfident; so much so, I went down too far and choked, and had to pull all the way off, coughing, my eyes streaming tears.

Sam laughed at me...

"Slow down. It's not a competition."

I hoped it wasn't; because I would lose. And I didn't like the idea that I was competing with anyone...with any other woman he'd known in the past.

"Your party," I said, as if my clumsiness was due only to haste.

"There's time," he said. Then he touched my chin. "You're crying." His commanding persona dropped away and his expression softened. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I want to," I said. "I just, uh. Got carried away."

"So I see," he said. Then he used his thumb to wipe a tear from my cheek. "That's enough for tonight. Some other time."

I nodded, fighting back disappointment. I didn't want to stop, I wanted to keep going, to show him I could do it. But he was probably right, and I didn't want to argue too much.

What would I say?

It's my first time and I want to keep going?

"Come here," he said, and bent over to help me off the floor, lifting me back onto the sofa with him.

He ran one hand through my hair and kissed me, hot and sweet and slow. And I melted into him. I wasn't an expert at giving blowjobs...at least not yet...but he didn't seem to mind.

He shifted on the couch and I looked down to see him tucking his erection back into his trousers and zipping them up.

Shame flooded through me. I said,

"I can..."

"No," he said. "Some other time."

"But you can't just..." I made a vague gesture that meant walk around with a hard-on all night, because I was too embarrassed to say it.

Sam chuckled...

"Oh, I can. You, on the other hand." He cupped one of my breasts, brushing his thumb across my tightly furled nipple. "I don't think you can wait."

When he said it, I suddenly knew it was true. I had been ignoring my body's demands, too focused on him, but with his words, I became aware of every tingling inch of skin hungry for his touch.

I was wet between my legs, soaking through my underwear, and throbbing in time with my heartbeat.

If he let me leave without touching me, I would probably die.

But it didn't seem like he was going to do that...

Sam moved his hand away from my breast and dropped it to my hip. He pulled me against him, the sides of our bodies pressed together, and turned so that he was leaning into the corner of the sofa, and I was leaning with my back against his chest.

Then he reached down and started hiking my skirt up.

I lifted my hips to give him easier access and with a few quick tugs he had my skirt pulled up around my waist.

Next, he traced his fingers along the lacy waistband of my panties, making me jump.

"What should I do with you, hmm?" he asked me.

I thought the answer was obvious...

"I...anything you want," I said, already breathless.

"Oh, good girl," he said warmly. "That was the right answer."

I shivered with pleasure, warm and safe against Sam, both of his arms around me, holding me close.

He slid his right hand between my legs, tracing delicate patterns over the lace of my underwear, stimulating my sensitive flesh and making me burn with arousal.

"You've soaked your panties," he said. "You liked sucking me off, didn't you? Maybe I shouldn't have made you stop."

With that, he pressed his fingers against my slit and rubbed firmly, and I squirmed against him, wanting more.

"Please," I said. I wasn't ashamed to beg.

"As much as I'd like to turn you into a shaking, pleading mess, we don't really have the time for that," he said. "So you'll just have to imagine that I've spent half an hour making you forget your own name."

And without any more warning, he slid his hand into my panties, the waistband stretching around his wrist, and started rubbing my clit in tight circles.

I arched my hips off the sofa, my mouth open in a soundless moan. Everything between my thighs was wet and throbbing...

And Sam knew exactly how to touch me. And exactly where to put his fingers to make me lose my mind.

"That's it," he said. "No time for subtlety. You're going to cream yourself in the next five minutes. And I'm going to smell you on me for the rest of the evening."

When he talked to me like that, how could I do anything else but tip my head back onto his shoulder, close my eyes and let him work me into a frenzy?

Which is exactly what he did.

He slid his hand further between my legs and pressed two fingers into me. I clenched around them, welcoming the intrusion.

Then he used the heel of his hand to grind at my clit, and I heard myself make a high-pitched sound somewhere between a gasp and a cry of ecstasy.

Meanwhile, his other hand slid up my side to tease at my breasts through the silky fabric of my blouse...

I was wearing an unlined bra and he plucked and pinched until my nipples were throbbing in time with my clit.

I never knew until I met Sam, that I could be this kind of person... This shameless, sexual creature.

But he drew it out of me... He made me forget myself in the search for pleasure...

He made me want nothing more than to do exactly as he said and come to pieces under his hands.

"You're so close," he said. "Don't hold back. What else do you need? My mouth?"

Turns out, I only needed his words breathed hot into my ear...

Because I pushed my hips against his palm and squeezed around his fingers and came like a rocket, shuddering in his arms.

I couldn't stop the loud moan even if I wanted to. And my release went on and on...and on.

I felt Sam kissing my neck ever so gently, letting me recover. And after a couple minutes had passed, I could only manage to utter,

"Wow!"

At that, I felt his mouth curve into a smile against my neck. Then he slid his fingers out of me and drew his hand out of my panties.

His fingers glistened and I turned my head away, embarrassed, as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his hand.

"And now, you need to get back to work and I need to attend to my guests," he said. "Don't let Brittany scold you. I'll tell her you were doing me a favor."

"Okay."

I stood up and shook my skirt back into place and combed my fingers through my hair, smoothing it back into place.

My legs still felt wobbly beneath me. And I didn't know how I was supposed to spend all evening serving drinks after that.

"You're lovely," he said. "Come to my mother's with me on Wednesday for dinner."

"Okay," I said again, without thinking, and then froze. Had he just...

"You can't back out now," he said, reading my expression. "You've already agreed."

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" I asked him. "You got me all...relaxed and pliant, and then..."

"You've discovered my master plan," he said, laughing. "You're right. I was hoping to catch you off guard."

"Sam," I said. I shook my head. I didn't know what to say. Was he crazy?

We had been dating for less than a month and I was just some trampy cocktail waitress he'd picked up in a sex club. Some nobody with a high school diploma and a screwed-up childhood.

I couldn't meet his mother. She was rich and sophisticated and she loved him. I was sure she did. And she'd want everything for him, all of the best things in life.

And there was no way she would count me among them.

"Say yes," Sam said. "She wants me to chair one of her social committees. And I can't withstand her assault without backup."

"Sam," I repeated. "I can't. It's your mother, and I..."

He took one of my hands in both of his...

"Mercedes. I like you very much. I'm sure you can imagine that I'm somewhat picky about who I let into my life. This isn't a casual thing for me. You've invited me to meet your family, and I'd like you to meet mine."

I blinked, overwhelmed by pretty much everything he had just said. He was right that Joss and Carson were my family...the only family I counted.

And saying it wasn't casual, that he had chosen me, that I was somehow worthy of being allowed into his inner circle...

It was too much. I felt my throat closing up.

"Sam," I choked out; this was the third time I'd said his name, and maybe this time he would understand what I was trying to say, all of the meaning I was trying to pack into that one word.

"Yes," he said. He raised my hand and kissed it. "Say you'll come with me."

When he looked at me like that, I couldn't refuse him anything.

"Yes," I said, my heart sinking at the thought of it.

Oh God! His mother. How was I going to survive?

I neglected to say this on the update for The Witch And The Dragon although it was on my mind, but thank you all for your kind words at the mention of the anniversary of my mother's passing.

I appreciate your kindness even more than I can express.

I'm still not fascinated by this story, but I'm committed to seeing it through.

Stay safe!