Club Wonderland
Authors: Christine d'Abo
Club Wonderland
By Christine d’Abo
Alice White isn’t used to being ignored. So when the object
of her lust does just that, she’s bound and determined to get his attention. Her
pursuit leads her to Wonderland, the kind of club she’s only read about, and
suddenly Alice is craving something she never knew she needed.
Gael Hernandez wants to be the youngest partner at his
prestigious law firm, and not even a certain tempting legal assistant can
distract him from his goal of financially helping his family. Until she shows up
at his favorite club and surprises him with an interest in being restrained. But
the BDSM lifestyle is no game to him, and he won’t take things further until
Alice is schooled into submission.
After a taste, Alice wants more. She offers to be Gael’s sub
for one weekend, with nothing forbidden and no boundaries. In a few short days,
he gives her the strength to be the person she’s always wanted to be. Now Alice
just needs to convince Gael that he can dominate in the bedroom,
and
submit to love.
58,000 words
Dear Reader,
It’s possible I say this every year, but I love October. To
me, this is the month that signals the start of a season of hot apple cider,
evenings by the fire, and curling up on the sofa with a good book, dressed
warmly in sweatpants and a comfy shirt and snuggled under my favorite fuzzy
blanket. We at Carina Press can’t provide most of those things, but we can
provide the good books, and this month we have more than a few good books!
In
Running Back
, the highly anticipated sequel to Allison Parr’s
new-adult contemporary romance
Rush Me
, Natalie
Sullivan is on the verge of a breakthrough most archaeology grad students only
dream of: discovering a lost city. Her research points to a farm in Ireland, but
to excavate she needs permission from the new owner:
the
Michael O’Connor, popular NFL running back.
If you’re like me, there are certain tropes in romance that
you fall for every time. One of mine is the main theme of Christi Barth’s newest
book,
Friends to Lovers.
(Gee, can you guess what it
is?) Daphne struggles with revealing her longtime lust for Gib, sparking it all
off with a midnight kiss on New Year’s Eve—only Gib doesn’t know it’s Daphne
he’s kissed! Also in the contemporary romance category is
First and Again
by Jana Richards, which has a special place in my
heart because this emotional story takes place in my home state of North
Dakota.
For months, this Red Cross head nurse has been aiding Allied
soldiers caught behind enemy lines, helping them flee into the neutral
Netherlands. It’s only a matter of time until she’s caught in
Aiding the Enemy
, a historical romance by Julie Rowe.
If you’re a fan of
Downton Abbey
, be sure to check
out the rest of Julie’s historical romances.
We have two mysteries for readers to solve this month.
British crime author Shirley Wells returns to the sleepy northern town of
Dawson’s Clough with her popular Dylan Scott Mystery series in the next book,
Deadly Shadows.
And in Julie Anne Lindsey’s
Murder by the Seaside
, counseling is murder, but
it’s never been this much fun.
Erotic romance author Christine d’Abo brings us the story of
Alice’s obsession with a brooding lawyer at her firm, which takes Alice on a
journey of self-discovery through the rabbit hole and into the world of BDSM in
Club Wonderland.
Also this month, the
Love Letters
ladies, Ginny Glass, Christina Thacher,
Emily Cale and Maggie Wells, round up five sizzling-hot stories to finish off
their sexy stampede through the alphabet with
Love Letters
Volume 6:
Cowboy’s Command.
Edgar Mason is losing Agamemnon Frost despite everything
they’ve been through—the passion, the torture, the heat. Frost’s fiancée
Theodora is back, and Mason can feel his lover gravitating toward her. Every day
he sees them together, it tears at his heart. Don’t miss
Agamemnon Frost and the Crown of Towers
, the conclusion to Kim
Knox’s male/male historical science fiction trilogy.
Because October is the perfect month for the paranormal, we
have a wide selection of fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal to share with
you. In Jeffe Kennedy’s fantasy romance,
Rogue’s
Possession
, neuroscientist Gwynn’s adventures in Faerie continue in
the long-awaited sequel to
Rogue’s Pawn.
And in the
sequel to
Soul Sucker
, a powerful magic user is
stealing people’s faces in San Francisco, and empath Ella Walsh and shifter
Vadim Morosov have been called in to investigate in
Death
Bringer
by Kate Pearce. Also returning with another book in her Blood
of the Pride series is Sheryl Nantus, with her paranormal romance
Battle Scars.
Combining futuristic fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy,
Trancehack
by Sonya Clark is a compelling
cross-genre romance. In a dystopian future where magic is out in the open and
witches are segregated, a high-profile murder case brings together a police
detective and a witch with unusual powers that combine magic and technology. But
dangerous secrets, a political cover-up, and the law itself stand between them.
Don’t miss this exciting new world of witchpunk!
Carina Press is pleased to introduce three debut authors this
October. Science fiction erotic romance author Renae Jones gives us a
Taste of Passion
when lust strikes hard for Fedni, an
empath who can taste emotion, but her off-worlder neighbor is horrified by the
caste system that the former courtesan holds dear.
Two urban fantasy authors debut with us this month. In
Kathleen Collins’s
Realm Walker
, a realm walker
hunts a demon intent on destroying both her and the mate who left her seven
years ago. Also debuting in urban fantasy is Joshua Roots with his book
Undead Chaos.
When warlock Marcus Shifter performs a
simple zombie beheading, he soon finds that the accidental framing of an
innocent necromancer, falling in lust, and burning down a bar are just the
beginning of his troubles.
Regardless of whether you’re discovering these books in
October or in the middle of summer, any time is the perfect time for reading,
and I hope you enjoy all these titles as much as we’ve enjoyed working on
them.
We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your
thoughts, comments and questions to
[email protected]
.
You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter
stream and Facebook fan page.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press
www.carinapress.com
www.twitter.com/carinapress
www.facebook.com/carinapress
Dedication
For my writing buddy Del, who had to listen to me over IM every damn day I was writing this. You totally win at writing.
And always, for Mark.
Acknowledgments
Some books are gifts from the mysterious muses. Others you have to drag into existence kicking and screaming. This book wouldn’t have happened without the keen eye of my editor Alissa (the zombie test was BRILLIANT), and the constant moral support from my writing friends. Kristina, you’re awesome and my buddy for life. Del, you know why I love you.
Chapter One
Alice White walked from the elevator and into the air-conditioned chill of her law firm’s office. She’d been a legal assistant at Gibson, Murphy and Dow for seven years now and couldn’t have been happier. She enjoyed the challenge of the job and loved the people she worked with. But one call from her mom before she’d even had her first coffee had her questioning everything she’d worked toward. This was the first time in recent memory that her mother had presented her with a modeling offer that addressed nearly every issue she’d ever had with her prior career. She’d actually considered it for all of five minutes before saying no.
God
,
this was stupid.
The mirrored hallway practically begged her to turn her head and study her appearance to ensure she looked perfect as she passed. It was an old habit, one that liked to rear its ugly head from time to time, especially after she’d had a call from her mother. And yep, that had been the first thing she’d had to deal with this morning.
Hi
,
Mom.
Love you too.
No
,
I
don’t want a shot at being the face for Regal Fashions.
Yes
,
I’m certain I like working for lawyers.
No
,
I
won’t change my mind.
Of course she liked her job. It was stupid to even think about going back into modeling, considering how much it had screwed up her childhood. She wouldn’t start second-guessing things now.
Ensuring her gaze was locked onto the door at the end of the hallway, she kept going.
She’d spent longer than normal getting dressed, discarding everything she’d tried on before she was finally able to settle on something. Despite the weather predictions that the day would hit thirty-five Celsius, Alice had seriously debated putting on pants and a long-sleeved top that wouldn’t draw attention to her body.
Dammit, she shouldn’t
still
have these hang-ups. She didn’t want to be
that woman
who always needed to be put together perfectly and would make adjustments throughout the day to keep the image up to par. She wasn’t, not really. But some habits were harder to break than others.
Why the hell had her mom called her this morning to tempt her this way? She wasn’t an actor, model or anything else her mother had aspired for her to become. Alice liked facts, loved digging through the flotsam and jetsam of the Canadian legal system, finding precedents that would be able to assist in her bosses’ cases. It gave her a sense of security, and in the end, she was helping people.
Still, her mother hadn’t given up the dream of having a famous daughter. Someone she could point to and say
That’s my baby.
Isn’t she beautiful?
“Hey, Alice.” Brian, one of the shipping guys, waved as she approached. “Lookin’ good.”
And just like that, she was pulled back into reality. “Thanks, hon.”
“Have you decided to take me up on my offer and run away with me?” The older man smiled at her, the lines around his eyes crinkling. “You know I love you, right?”
“And I love you.” Alice made sure to bat her eyelashes at him and sigh as dramatically as she could manage. Her earlier panic and pressure started to wane, allowing her to be herself once more. “But it’ll have to remain forbidden love for now. Your wife might get upset with me if I steal you away.”
Brian sighed and shook his head. “She tends to ruin all my fun. Another day, then.”
It was an old shtick between them, mostly corny, but completely comfortable. Alice and Brian had started working at Gibson, Murphy and Dow on the same day, and had forged a quick work friendship despite their very different roles. In spite of his teasing about her appearance—or perhaps because of it—Alice was more comfortable around him than anyone else in the office.
Brian paused, tapping his hand on the side of the parcel he was holding. “I think I should let you know that Mr. Gibson is on the rampage again. Someone screwed up his brief and he had to ask for a delay from the judge. At least that’s what I thought he said. He was screaming and not enunciating clearly.”
“Shit.” Thankfully, Mr. Gibson wasn’t her lawyer. But if he was in a snit, it wouldn’t take long before she’d have to deal with him. She did tend to get stuck cleaning up the messes. “Thanks for the warning.”
“I think Mr. Hernandez was trying to get the situation under control, so it might not be as bad as you think. The poor guy has had to deal with a lot of crap since he started.” Brian shrugged before patting the box again. “I better get going. This needs to go out on the morning courier run.”
She barely remembered to give him a smile before they parted company, her mind already latched on to his words with a death grip. Mr. Hernandez was in fact Gael Hernandez, the firm’s most recent associate lawyer, and the man who haunted Alice’s dreams.
She hated him.
Loathed him.
Wanted to rip off his clothing and beg him to fuck her.
It was possible Alice’s feelings toward Gael weren’t entirely rational.
Her hands grew sweaty at the idea that she’d be coming face-to-face with the object of her obsession far sooner than she did on a normal day. Petra would get a kick out of seeing her squirming this way. Hell, Pet would probably give her a boot to the ass for mooning over Gael.
Shit or get off the pot.
Gross, yet sound advice. Not that Alice was going to follow it.
Taking a steadying breath, Alice pulled her shoulders back and walked into the main office as if she were on a fashion runway. All those years as a child beauty queen had given her the ability to look confident in pretty much any situation, even if she felt anything but.
“And I don’t care whose mistake it was, I expect you to be the one to fix it!”
Alice kept her gaze averted as she walked through the office, over to the nest of low cubicle walls that housed her desk. She was situated on the outside of the square, meaning her back would be turned on most of the action. Poor Gael was currently face-to-face with a very angry partner.
“Mr. Gibson, I’ll make sure we get this sorted.” Gael’s voice was calm, smooth and in control. “I know what you need and I’ll work with one of the assistants or the clerks to help put everything in order for you.”
Throwing him a look once she was safely out of Mr. Gibson’s line of sight, Alice mouthed
help?
before she dropped her purse to the desk, and got poised for action. Gael gave a barely perceptible shake of his head before he fully returned his attention back to Mr. Gibson. Stupid idiot was going to take all the shit himself when he was most likely not even to blame.
Typical him.
Alice quietly got into her chair and turned her computer on while she listened to Gael speak. She’d been trying for months now to figure out exactly what it was about him that appealed to her. Sure he was good-looking, but so was the mystery man from the coffee shop she and Petra frequented. Even when Alice caught that man’s gaze, she didn’t feel the gut-clenching sensations roll through her that Gael could elicit with a single look.
“You damn well better, Hernandez. If I’m left looking like a fool to the judge and this case is blown, I won’t be the only one to suffer.”
Oh ouch.
Alice looked up in time to see Mr. Gibson march past her toward his office down the hall. The moment he left, the room gave a collective sigh and the palatable tension vanished. Within a few minutes, the normal rattling of paper and the mutter of voices kicked back in.
Just another day in the office.
Gael had quickly engaged Mr. Gibson’s assistant, and Alice could only imagine what was being said to the poor woman. Janine hadn’t had the best time recently, and it wasn’t a complete surprise that things had gotten past her. She’d need help, and Alice had no doubt it would only be a matter of time before she’d be asked to step in.
More messes for her to clean.
Well
,
challenge accepted
,
baby.
As Alice shoved her purse into the bottom drawer of her desk, her email dinged. Petra’s name popped up and Alice could only imagine what was on her friend’s mind this early in the day. God, she hoped she wasn’t about to get a description of her friend’s recent vibrator acquisition.
Hey! You’ll never guess what happened! Stop trying, ’cause you won’t. I got a call yesterday after I got home from our coffee outing. Sexcapades has been selected as a finalist in the Toronto Web Awards!! I’m
still
shaking I’m so excited. But I need your help more than anything. I have to go to the reading of the nominees and pretend to be PC. Can we go shopping tomorrow?
Alice loved Petra like a sister. She was the closest person to her who wasn’t family, and Alice would do anything to help. But what Petra had in intelligence and wit, she lacked in fashion sense. If Alice didn’t prod her into changing out of tank tops and shorts, she had no doubt that Petra would wear that combination all year round. Not wise at all for a Canadian girl.
She hit the reply button, already mentally putting together some ideas of what her girl would look good wearing, when a shadow fell over her desk. Whatever she’d been planning to say poofed from her brain as if somebody had blown away the cartoon thought bubble over her head. One minute she was mentally involved in an episode of
What Not to Wear
, and the next she was staring into the rich brown eyes of Gael Hernandez.
“Good morning, Alice.”
God damn, he had the sexiest voice...
Her cheeks got hot and her hands trembled. “I’m glad you’re still able to say that. Sounds like it’s been a rough start to your day.”
That’s the way she had to do it. Keep calm and keep things light. Alice shouldn’t read into any little looks he gave her—the way his gaze would linger for a few seconds longer than it should, or how he’d accidently brush his fingers against hers. She’d learned very early on that of all the women in the office, she was the one in whom Gael seemed least interested.
But a girl could still dream.
“Case files were apparently moved on Janine, and she lost track of them. She didn’t realize it was due up.”
Petra claimed men with brown eyes weren’t as attractive as other men. Alice loved to argue that point with her, always ending her rebuttal same way—Petra couldn’t say that until she’d looked up into Gael’s eyes.
Alice held his gaze as long as she could—an embarrassingly short period—before turning her attention to her monitor. “That’s bad news. I take it she needs some help to get things ready to go?”
“Yes. I need you to take this file and see what’s missing. It’s for an accident claim. The client is the insurance company. We believe the driver has exaggerated the nature of his injury in an attempt to get a larger settlement. There was supposed to have been research done, social media review and the works, but it didn’t happen.”
Alice took the file and bit the inside of her cheek when his warm fingers rubbed against hers. Wow, she must be really hard up if such an innocent touch nearly sent her over the edge. She was ready to throw herself on her desk and beg for...well, anything at this point. “I’ll clear my calendar and get it done this morning.”
You’re so easy
,
girl.
Gael didn’t say anything immediately, which forced Alice to look up once more. If she had one complaint about the man, it was that he rarely smiled. Even now, when she was doing him a favor, there wasn’t any hint of softness in his expression. No grateful sparkle in his eyes that said,
hey
,
Alice
,
thanks so much for saving my ass.
Not even a glimmer of something that could be mistaken as attraction.
Life really wasn’t fair.
His black hair was short at the sides and longer on the top, allowing the weight of it to fall over his forehead and ears. His cheeks were smooth, but by the end of the day they would be covered with thin stubble. By then his tie would be loose, and if she was really lucky, he would have rolled his shirtsleeves up to his elbows. Every inch of Gael was rock hard. She had no idea if he had the capacity to be soft on an emotional level. Not that softness was necessary.
And there was no way she was going to examine what that said about
her
.
Alice gave him a little smile, hoping it would melt the ice. A few times in the past, she’d been a bit more blatant with the flirting, but that hadn’t gone so well. Better to be subtle. “Is there anything else I can help with?”
“No. Please take the file directly to Mr. Gibson when you’re done.”
Okay, maybe she was being too subtle. “Will do.”
And that was that. Gael turned around and marched back into his office, leaving Alice alone to clean up someone else’s shit.
“Thanks so much, Alice. It’s really awesome of you to do this,” she muttered, hating that she sounded like a six-year-old. If she were the type of person to feel sorry for herself, she might think that this was typical and would mope. She hated moping.
Suck it up
,
buttercup.
The July heat had been oppressive the past few days, making it nearly impossible to sleep and giving her an extra dose of crabbiness to fight against. Her window air conditioner couldn’t quite kill the humidity in her old home, leaving her feeling sticky day and night. Now that she was faced with a time-sensitive case, the rest of her day wasn’t going to get any better.
“Okay, time to pull up your big-girl panties and get to work.”
At least she would have her shopping trip with Petra to look forward to. There was nothing better than being able to force fashion on her friend—
“Alice.”
She froze, her hands hovering over the keyboard as she turned to look at where Gael stood in the doorway to his office. She shivered at the intensity of his stare, hating the way he turned her body into a quivering mass without even being aware of it.
“Yes, sir?”
He flinched.
What the hell?