Free Have Mercy by Caitlyn Willows

 

Chapter 1
     
    Ike Campbell winced with every sour note that came out of Dottie Sullivan's mouth. The DJ should have stuck with playing music and letting people dance under the strobe of colored lights twirling overhead. Karaoke was never a good idea when people were sober. Offering it after a couple of drinks was excruciating. And at a party that was supposed to commemorate the merger of Sullivan Advertising and Byers Promotional Support...
    Ike shook his head, and not for the first time. The joining of ad giants Sullivan and Byers was a big deal, but it seemed a little over the top to have the event happen on Valentine's Day. It wasn't a marriage. It was a business venture. Still, everyone had been on edge waiting for the final papers to go through. The party was the bosses' way of letting the employees blow off a little steam, have fun, and bond--Sullivan Advertising in Los Angeles, Byers Promotional Support in New York City. The problem was most of them were overcompensating while they waited for the stroke of midnight on the east coast when the merger became final. Nerves, he supposed.
    But despite that, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Awful as the singing was, Ike had to admire those brave enough to risk humiliation and get up there. He sure as hell understood the need to cut loose.
    Since he'd transferred to the Los Angeles office six months before, he'd been one hundred percent focused on work. There were still boxes around his house that needed to be unpacked. The stress was starting to show. Not so much outwardly--he really didn't like taking his frustration out on others--but he felt it crawling inside.
    He'd been missing New York a lot lately. The visit to the family at Christmas had been just that, a visit. He hadn't had any time to slip away to his favorite club and indulge his needs. He sure as hell hadn't had any time to research any clubs locally. The offer he couldn't refuse to transfer to Sullivan had started to feel like a prison sentence. No one was more relieved than Ike that the merger was finally complete. Come this weekend...
    That made him smile. That's exactly what he'd planned to do--come until his balls collapsed. All he needed was a place...and a partner...or partners.
    Ike's body tightened at the thought of having one particular little lady over his lap, her sweet ass bared. Mercedes Suazo had mesmerized him from the second he'd laid eyes on her. There was an aura about her that hinted of something more. At least, that's what Ike's testosterone-laden mind wanted to believe.
    He craned his neck for a look around the crowded room. She was here somewhere, looking so hot every cock in the place probably lifted its head in appreciation. He knew his had. Then she'd disappeared into a group of women on the far side of the room, and he'd been dragged off to sit with the people from his section. The hell with the weekend. As soon as everyone toasted the merger, he was going to find her and explore that smoldering heat he was certain he'd seen in her deep brown eyes.
    "God, that's painful."
    Eddie Kohler's voice was loud enough to carry over the music. Obviously, he'd had too much to drink. Under normal circumstances, his nose was shoved so far up the boss's ass that he couldn't breathe without smelling shit. Eddie would be kicking himself up one side and down the other when he realized he'd just insulted the boss's wife... and everyone, including the boss, had heard him.
    "She's having fun. Who cares?" Ike shot the man a glare. Drunk as Eddie was, Ike was sure it went over his head. "If you think you can do any better, you go up there."
    Eddie snorted with laughter. "I'm not gonna go up there and make a fool of myself."
    "I can see your point." Ike smirked. "Why waste the energy when you can sit here and do the same thing?"
    Eddie smacked down his beer bottle. "You're an ass."
    Nevertheless, he shoved to his feet and staggered through the tables toward the stage. In less time than it took