He was dead.

Mercedes felt her blood go cold as she looked at the lifeless figure of her boss. When she had walked into his penthouse she had expected to find a lot of things-a dead body was not one of them. The more she stared as his still frame the more she began to panic. This was bad...it was so bad. How had this happened? Was it natural? Did somebody do this to him? Mercedes' panicked hysterical thoughts went automatically to Stevie. There had been something off about him earlier when he mentioned his brother. He obviously knew there was something up with Sam but he didn't seem too concerned about it.

At once all common sense deserted Mercedes as she suddenly became Nancy Drew and deduced that Stevie obviously killed Sam and he had sent her over here so she could be caught with the dead body and take the fall! At this point Mercedes was in full-panic mode and she was about 30 seconds from completely hyperventilating. She was going to go to jail, she just knew it. Her breaths started coming quicker and quicker and her vision started to go black around the edges. Mercedes felt herself getting light-headed and she knew she was about to pass out. Just as the room started spinning around her she heard it.

"Ugh..."

It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. She still wasn't convinced that he hadn't been attacked but at least he wasn't dead...yet. As she got closer he continued to make groaning sounds but it wasn't until Mercedes was standing over Sam that she saw who the real culprit was. Turns out Stevie Evans wasn't trying to kill him, but Jack Daniels sure as hell was.

The usual cool and collected Sam Evans was currently slumped over on the floor next to his liquor cabinet with a bottle of Jack Daniels by his head. His dark blonde hair was mussed all over his head and there was a light stubble on his face. Even though he was drunk off his ass he managed to look as innocent as a little boy.

Mercedes wanted nothing more than to kick his ass.

All of the worry of the day including the near panic attack she had just endured was all for nothing. Sam wasn't hurt or sick or indisposed because of something out of his control, he was drunk. He chose to be this way. He chose to blow off a client. He chose to make her look like a fool. His need to knock some whiskey back was more important to him than anything else. The more Mercedes looked at Sam, who was now lightly snoring, the madder she got. Without thinking she started stalking towards where she imagined the kitchen would be, luckily for her she guessed right and she started going through his numerous cabinets to find a bowl. Finally after searching eight different cabinets she finally found one with bowls in them. After grabbing the one of the lowest shelf, Mercedes went over to the faucet and filled the bowl to the brim with cold water. As she stomped back into the living room she ignored the water splattering everywhere as it fell from the full bowl.

Once she was standing in front of Sam she felt a moment's hesitation. If she did this there would be a really good chance he would fire her on the spot but Mercedes realized she didn't care. She was so mad her hands were shaking. Thinking he was hurt or dead had scared her, and it scared her a hell of a lot more than she wanted to admit. Tears sprung into her eyes at the thought of losing him and it just made her madder that he even had the power to make her feel like that. Maybe getting fired would be the best thing so that she could be free of Sam Evans and whatever hold he had over her mind and body.

Before she could talk herself out of it Mercedes lifted up the bowl and dumped it over Sam's head. He started sputtering and choking and he was blinking his eyes rapidly to try and rid them of the water that was running down from his hair.

"Oh good, so you're not dead." Mercedes said coldly.

Sam looked up at her and his eyes widened. He looked terrified which made Mercedes happy, he needed to be terrified.

"What...wh...what the hell are you doing?" Sam sputtered up at her.

"Checking to make sure you weren't dead, you asshole!"

"Stop yelling!" Sam winced and grabbed his head. "I think I am dying."

"Oh shut up, you're not dying you're hung over. What kind of idiot drinks a half of bottle of Jack Daniels by himself on a near empty stomach? Did you even eat anything other than sushi yesterday?"

"No...I didn't even eat that."

Mercedes stared down at him incredulously, "you're a fucking idiot, and I can't deal with you right now."

She spun on her heel and made a move to head to the door but was stopped when she felt him tugging on the bottom of her wide-legged trousers.

"Please, don't go." He said pathetically.

"Ugh, please stop. After the hell you've put me through today the puppy dog look isn't going to do shit."

"What are you talking about?"

"What am I...ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?"

"Oh God, please stop yelling."

"No, I will not stop yelling, you inconsiderate asshole. Did you completely forget about the meeting this morning? You know, the one you made such a big deal about me getting right? Yeah, well I did my part but what about you? You were nowhere to be found! Thank God your brother was around otherwise you would have lost one of your biggest clients! Do you even care or are you trying to run your Dad's good name into the ground?"

By the time Mercedes had finished her rant Sam had gotten to his feet. He looked a little green around the edges but somehow he still managed to look attractive.

"I'm sorry Mercedes. Last night...was hard. I found out some shocking information and I didn't handle it well. That's no excuse but I promise you my absence today wasn't because I didn't care."

"Was it about your fiancé?"

Sam looked up at her in shock.

"How did you know about my fian...ex-fiancé?"

"Matt told me."

"Of course," Sam said bitterly. "And what exactly did my good friend Matt tell you."

"Nothing, just that the woman you were at the restaurant with was your ex-fiancé...and that she left you at the altar." Mercedes answered quietly.

Sam started rubbing his temples as he chuckled darkly, "that motherfucker never ceases to amaze me. Quinn didn't leave me at the altar, I left her."

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't know. I was just going by what he told me."

"Yeah, well you're going to have to learn real quick that going by what Matt tells you is a bad idea."

Mercedes lowered her gaze, she felt like she was a child being chastised.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm not, but I don't want to talk about Quinn anymore. What I want is Tylenol and a nice long shower."

Since Mercedes knew she wasn't needed for either one of those things she assumed that was a dismissal. She picked up her purse from where she had dropped it on the ground and asked Sam would she be seeing him in the office today.

"No I'm not going in today."

Mercedes nodded her head and turned to walk towards the door.

"And neither are you."

Mercedes stopped in her tracks and turned around and asked,

"I beg your pardon."

"We need to talk..."

"About what happened at the meeting?"

"Among other things."

"Well that is a talk that we can have at the office, and if you don't want to do it today then we can to it tomorrow." Mercedes shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"No, I want to talk today."

"Sir, this is highly inappropriate."

"What we did at that restaurant was highly inappropriate but I didn't see you complaining about that."

Mercedes looked at Sam in shock, did he seriously just throw their little make-out session up in her face? Well, two could play that game.

"To be honest, it wasn't nice but nothing worth getting worked up over." She shrugged.

Sam started to glare at her and she could notice the tell-tale tick start in his jaw.

"Don't lie, Mercedes it's not a good look."

"Who's lying? Don't flatter yourself Mr. Evans, it was nice but forgettable."

The lie had barely left her mouth before Sam had grabbed her right wrist and jerked her against his body. Mercedes' breath caught as her traitorous body melted against his.

"Say it again. Tell me now that what we shared was forgettable."

Mercedes hated him in that moment almost much as she hated herself. If this had been any other man she would have told him that his seduction skills were weak, slap him for daring to grab her, and then walk out with her head held high. With Sam she could do none of those things, she wanted to walk away but she knew she couldn't.

"I can't."

"That's what I thought." He smiled down at her. "I'm going to take a shower now and I want you to be here when I get out." At Mercedes' raised eyebrow he added, "Please?"

Against her better judgment Mercedes nodded. Sam smiled down at her before dropping a quick kiss on the cheek. He asked her to just give him a few minutes and then he headed towards what she assumed was his bedroom.

His bedroom.

The reality of where she was and who she was there with slowly sunk in to Mercedes. Before the private room incident the sexual tension between them was already high but now it was unbearable. It was like the worst itch in the world, and Mercedes knew that if she ever let Sam scratch it would be the best feeling ever. But she couldn't let him scratch, not today. After the emotional rollercoaster she had already been on this morning the last thing she needed to do was add sex on top of it. Her head was not in a good place right now and all of her resistance was down. If he made the slightest move then she would be all over him. It was all happening too fast and she wasn't sure if she were ready for it. Mercedes hated to go back on her word but today she was going to do it. She knew he would hate her for it but she hoped in time he would forgive her for lying.

She quickly gathered up her purse and tip-toed towards the elevator. She gave one regretful look back and prayed she wasn't making a huge mistake.

2 hours and a massage, manicure and banana split later Mercedes trudged up the first flight of her apartment stairs. She'd hoped that her little 'me time' day would have lifted her spirits but she still felt the cloud of guilt hanging over her from leaving Sam's place the way she did. She had expected to get a hateful phone call from him but so far her cell phone remained silent. Maybe he didn't care after all? Maybe that hangover of his finally caught up to him and he was sleeping it off? Maybe he was-

"So from now on when you promise to do something I should just assume you mean the opposite?"

Mercedes gave a startled gasp as she looked up and saw Sam sitting on the top step, right in front of her apartment.

"Wh...why are you...how did you find my apartment?"

"I had human resources pull your file and give it to me."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Probably, but I run that company, they aren't going to tell me no."

Mercedes guilt was quickly starting to melt away. If he was determined to act like an asshole then she was glad she left when she did.

"Can you excuse me please; I'd like to get to my apartment."

"By all means, Miss Jones. Lead the way."

"No. I'm going to my apartment, you can go to yours."

"No. You promised me a talk and if you don't want to do it at my place then we're doing it at yours."

"Fine, but we're just talking."

"Absolutely. I promise."

Mercedes knew it was a dig at her but she didn't care. She wanted this talk over so he could be out of her space as soon as possible. Being in close confines with him made her jittery, among other things, and she didn't know how long she could be around him and remain in control.

As the made it towards the door Mercedes tried to ignore how Sam purposefully pressed himself into her and she unlocked the door.

"I apologize for the mess."

Mercedes place wasn't really messy but compared to the sterile environment that what Sam's penthouse it looked like a pigsty.

"It's nice, I like it. It's really...purple."

"Yeah," Mercedes laughed, "It's my favorite color and when I got this place my friend Kurt decided he was an interior designer for about a week and he found everything purple he could in New York and threw it in my apartment. It can be a bit much sometimes but I love him too much to take it down."

"That's sweet."

"Eh, don't give me too much credit, you haven't seen one of Kurt's bitch fits. They're legendary."

"I'll remember that." He chuckled.

"So, um...do you want anything to drink? I've got Captain Morgan's, Jose Cuervo, Remy Martin, and oh yeah, your good old friend Jack."

"Ha, ha. Water will be fine."

Mercedes went and got a bottle for each of them and then she went back in the living room to find him looking at a photo album on her coffee table. Unfortunately for her it happened to be the photo album from her trip to Miami with Kurt.

"Uh...here you go!" She flung the water bottle slightly out of Sam's reach so that his attention would be pulled away from the album long enough for her to grab it. Because of the talented bastard's catlike reflexes he was able to catch the water bottle, keep a hand on the album, and give her a knowing look all at the same time.

"We need to work on your arm, your aim is horrible."

"Really? I thought I threw that right at you."

"Mmm-hmmm..." His gaze went back down to the album and Mercedes panicked.

"How about I move that out of the way?" She reached for it but Sam's reflexes kicked in again and he snatched it away.

"Why can't I look at the album?"

"Because it's private."

"Do you normally leave private things on the coffee table where anybody can see them?"

"No, because most of my guest are invited or give me a head's up that they are coming. You just showed up."

Sam raised his eyebrows, "well if I remember correctly if you hadn't run off we would have been at my place and I never would have come over here."

He had her there.

"Fine, but in my defense I was 21, I was drunk and I can't be held responsible for what I do after a few tequila shots."

Sam smirked slightly, "that's good to know."

"Look I'm going to go change into something a bit more comfortable and then we can talk, okay?"

"Sounds good." Sam said but his eyes never left the album.

Once Mercedes went into her bedroom she went on the hunt for the least appealing clothes that she could find. It would be real hard for her to think about having sex with someone, even Sam, when she was wearing old yoga pants and a t-shirt two sizes too big for her. After she grabbed her hair into a clip and used eye makeup remover to get rid of all the mascara and eye shadow she headed back to the living room. Since Sam was sitting on the sofa still looking at the album Mercedes decided it was safer for her to sit in the love seat. She grabbed the pillow that was presently in the chair and she plopped down and hugged the pillow to her like a shield.

"So, are you ready to talk Sam?"

He glanced up and his eyes widened slightly at her appearance. Mercedes tried not to be offended because she did after all want to turn him off but it still hurt her feelings.

"You look cute."

"Wait...what?"

"I said you look cute, I'm used to you being all done up and sexy, it's nice to see you laid back and natural. I like it."

"Oh, well thank you." Mercedes tried to hide her smile but she couldn't anymore than she could stop the heat rising in her cheeks.

Sam smiled back at Mercedes and she breathed a sigh of relief when he closed the album and set back in the sofa. The sigh got caught in her throat when Sam patted the seat next to him on the sofa.

"Why don't you come over here?"

"I'm perfectly comfortable over here."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Get over yourself Sam. Just because I like my space doesn't mean I'm afraid of you."

"Liar." He whispered but he didn't push it any further.

"So what happened? Why did you miss the meeting?"

"Like I said before, I got some bad news and I didn't handle it well."

"Ooookay...and?"

"And that's it. I fucked up by letting my emotions get the best of me but in my defense I was blindsided, it won't happen again."

"Sometimes emotions getting the best of you isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Like in that private room?" He asked softly.

The question hung in the air because Mercedes didn't know how to respond. She had walked right smack into that one and she didn't know how to back out of it.

"That wasn't emotion that was..." She couldn't finish the sentence because she didn't know what it was.

"It was need. It was want. It was lust. It was emotion." Sam's voice grew huskier and huskier with every word.

"It was a mistake, is what it was. It was unprofessional and...and it should have never happened!" Mercedes knew she was lying but she was in survival mode now. He kept pushing so she had to push back.

"Do you honestly believe that?" He asked quietly "Did it honestly mean nothing to you?"

"I..I...I don't know. This talk is not...Sam, maybe you should just go."

Mercedes stood up to usher him towards the door but she had to stop when he grabbed her hand. She watched helplessly as he ran his thumb across the back of her hand over and over again. Mercedes gut clenched and she felt the tiny caress all the way to her core.

"Please stop Sam."

"I can't."

Mercedes looked into Sam's eyes and she saw the same confusion that she felt mirrored in his eyes. Neither one of them understood the pull between but they could no longer pretend like it wasn't there.

Sam slowly stood up until he was towering over Mercedes. He tugged on her shirt gently until their bodies were flush against each other and he leaned down and softly brushed his lips against hers. He moved his head back a little and looked down at her but he made no move to come any closer until he heard her whisper,

"Sam please..."

With that plea he pulled her impossibly closer and brought his mouth to hers. Just like before when their mouths made full contact with each other they both let out deep groans. Sam quickly sat back down on the couch and he brought Mercedes down on him. She instantly straddled his things but she began to feel sub-conscious about being too heavy. She started to pull away but Sam wouldn't let her.

"No," She whispered, "I gotta get up, I'm too heavy."

"What are you talking about?" Sam stilled her hips as she continued to try and get up. "You feel perfect to me, you're not too heavy."

Mercedes rolled her eyes, his words were sweet but any man's words are sweet when there is a possibility of sex in the very near future. She pulled his hands off her hips and stood back up.

"Thank you for the compliment but you don't have to lie. I know I'm a big girl, and I'm cool with it but I don't expect you to be."

Sam looked up at her in shock.

"When have I ever said anything about what size you are? I think you're fucking gorgeous and you're perfect just the way you are."

Mercedes shook her head and turned away.

"Hey, don't do that. Look at me."

Mercedes refused so Sam stood up and grabbed her face between his two hands.

"You're beautiful and I know you know it. You wouldn't be strutting in the office in all of those sexy outfits if you didn't. You know you're beautiful so why don't I get to know it too?"

Mercedes tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

Sam pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, followed by one of nose, and then finally her mouth.

"You're beautiful, Mercedes Jones."

Mercedes couldn't stop the tears that started flowing down her cheeks and over Sam's hands. He kissed her again gently and then pulled her back down on the couch. This time instead of straddling him she was sitting in his lap with her face buried into his neck as he murmured soft words into her hair and rubbed her back.

"Thank you," she whispered. She felt his smile as he pulled her closer into his arms. Mercedes felt her eyes getting heavy but she didn't want ruin the moment so she stayed in his embrace until she fell asleep.

A few hours later Mercedes woke to a sore neck and something poking her in the ass. By this time it was dark outside so her apartment was almost pitch black, save for a street light shining inside and a Scentsy lamp glowing in the corner. Once the initial haze of confusion subsided Mercedes realized that she was at home on her couch asleep with her boss.

She thought back to how they got like this and she remembered her little melt-down about her size and the sweet way he snapped her out of it. He was right she knew she was beautiful but sometimes she had her moments where she felt self-conscious about her size. She didn't need his affirmation but it was still nice to get it.

Mercedes tried to be gentle as she turned around to look at him but it was all for naught because just as she got settled he whispered, "you are the worst sleeper."

"I am not!" She whispered back.

He chuckled softly, "yes you are, I'm surprised you didn't fall off the couch with all the rolling you did."

"Well, why didn't I roll off?"

"Because I had you, I wasn't going to let you fall. Besides, I can think of worst things to do with my time than have you moving against me."

Mercedes laid her head back down on Sam's outstretched arm and raised her left hand and started running her index finger across his lips.

"You know these are not normal, right?"

"Stop talking about my lips!"

"Awww, did I hurt your feelings?" She teased.

"Yes, now kiss them and make it better."

"Damn, you're bossy."

"That's how I get shit done."

Mercedes laughed and leaned forward and gave him a tiny peck on his lips.

"That's not good enough, you really hurt my feelings."

"You poor baby."

He stuck his generous lips out in a pout and Mercedes decided it was as good as time as any to get the upper hand back. She leaned forward again but instead of a peck she sucked Sam's bottom lip into her mouth and ran her tongue against it.

"Fuck, Mercedes..." he groaned into her mouth.

Suddenly Mercedes was on her back and her left leg was wrapped around him. They kissed for a while before he started grinding his pelvis into hers. Because of her thin yoga pants and non-existent panties she felt every inch of him moving against her and she knew it wouldn't take long for her to explode.

"Sam...oh God...Sam, I need you...God please...you have to...uuugghhh..."

Mercedes wrapped her leg tighter against Sam's and he got the memo. The grinding motion became harder and faster as he moved his face into her neck. While everything felt so good it was suddenly hot...too damn hot and she needed to take something off. She began tugging on her shirt and she only had to do it once before Sam was happily ripping it off her. Her bra came next and from the sound Sam made he was very happy with what he uncovered. She pulled off his shirt and even though she couldn't see it clearly she could still feel the ripples of his abs pressed up against her soft stomach. Once they both were naked from the waist up it was like they made an unspoken agreement to slow down. No words were spoken but the rough grinding soon slowed to a soft, but satisfying nudge here and there and their long kisses became small pecks and tiny tugs at the skin.

Sam sat up on his knees and looked down at Mercedes and she had a moment of self-consciousness that quickly went away from the look in his eyes. He was looking at her as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world and she felt it all the way to her bones. Mercedes reached her arms up to him,

"Come here."

He laid back on top of her and they stared at each other for a moment before he dipped his head down to kiss her again. This time there was no more languishing moments, they wanted more and they wanted it now.

Mercedes stared up at the ceiling as she felt Sam start to kiss down her neck and then her chest and then her stomach until finally he was at the elastic waistband of her yoga pants. Before she could squeak out a protest Sam had yanked her yoga pants and panties off in one clean motion. Mercedes didn't know if she felt comfortable with him going down on her so soon but the feeling quickly faded away at the first long lick from Sam's tongue.

Her head jerked back and hit the arm of the couch but she didn't feel any pain. If she thought Sam's lips were magical they didn't have a damn thing on his tongue. He was relentless and by the time he added his fingers she was a sobbing mess.

"Please...please...please..."

Instead of taking mercy on her and finishing the job he started to kiss his way up her body. By the time he got to her lips she almost turned her head away because she was pissed but he gently grabbed her face and said,

"Taste how good you are baby."

Normally something like that would really never be her style but she couldn't resist his hypnotic words.

She ran her tongue lightly over his lips and she tasted the slightly salty sweetness that was all her. At her surprised look Sam smiled down at her and said, "Don't be so surprised you taste so damn good."

She laughed and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. She gently bit it as she ran her hand down his abs until she reached the buttons of his jeans. She popped them open and slid her hands over the very impressive bulge in his boxer briefs.

"Fuuuuuck..." he breathed.

Mercedes started rubbing him slowly but she quickly became impatient and ordered him to take it all off. He laughed at her bossiness but quickly followed her instructions. When he was done and getting back into position Mercedes' eyes were drawn to the outline of Sam's very large, and very erect dick.

"I don't think that's going to fit."

He laughed, "Don't worry about that baby, I promise we'll make it fit."

He pulled a condom from his wallet and quickly rolled it on. He positioned the head at her entrance and he looked at her one last time.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Because there will be no going back and I know that this one time won't be enough for either of us. If we start this...I don't know if we'll ever be able to finish it."

Mercedes knew that Sam wasn't just being overly-dramatic, what they had, whatever it was, wasn't going to go away anytime soon...if ever. This wasn't going to be some one night stand, that they were both sure of, but what it was going to be was anyone's guess.

"I'm sure. I want you."

Sam said nothing else as he slowly started to slide inside her. Because it had been so long for Mercedes she was incredibly tight which slowed down Sam's progress. After what seemed like forever he was finally in all the way and he practically collapsed on her chest.

"God, you feel so good."

Mercedes smiled against his neck as she stroked his hair.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

Mercedes nodded into his neck and immediately after she felt him move up to his elbows and slowly start to move. At first it did hurt a bit but the pain was quickly replaced by a knot of pleasure building in her stomach. Sam laid his forehead on hers and she felt the quick bursts of air he was breathing out through clenched teeth. She knew that he was holding back for her so she grabbed one of his hands and pulled it down to where they were joined.

"Finish it..."

He intertwined their hands and pressed them against her clit. Within seconds she was moaning and shaking as she clenched around him. Watching her lose it was enough for Sam and he succumbed to the feeling that had building in him.

When they were finished they both lay there and try to get control of their breathing.

"That was..."

"Yeah, I know."

They both looked at each other and began to laugh. The stress of the day was a distant memory and the two of them just wanted to enjoy being in each other's arm.

"I think we need to move to the bedroom because if we stay here then we'll regret it in the morning."

"Are you inviting me into your bedroom?"

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"I'm just giving you a head's up because earlier you made such a fuss about me not being invited. I just want to be sure I'm wanted."

"Oh believe me, you're definitely wanted. Now get your ass in my bedroom."

"The boss thing looks good on you."

"Mmmmm" Mercedes hummed as she kissed him softly, "it looks good on you too."

He smiled down at her gently, "alright Ms. Jones lead the way."

She grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. Sam went to the bathroom to clean up and dispose of the condom while Mercedes pulled back the sheets. After Sam finished in the bathroom, Mercedes quickly did her business and returned to find Sam already in the bed. After a soft kiss they both got settled in and Sam was asleep within seconds. It took Mercedes a little bit longer to fall asleep because there was something in the back of her mind that was bothering her but she couldn't think of what it was. Because her body was so tired and worn out she couldn't even be bothered to try and think of what was on her mind. Clearly it wasn't important, otherwise she would have remembered it.

It wasn't until she was unceremoniously snatched from her dreams by the sound of a banshee—or Kurt, she couldn't tell which—screaming from her living room that she realized what she was trying to remember last night: lock the dead bolt because Kurt doesn't have a key for that and can't just walk in.

As Kurt's wail continued on Mercedes glanced over at the empty spot next to her on the bed. It seems that Kurt and Sam finally got the chance to meet.

It was going to be a long day.