Club Wonderland (16 page)

“Power.” The word exploded from her. “And control.”

“Who has the power, Alice?”

“I do.” It was important for her to remember that.

“And who has the control?”

“You. You have it.” Equally important.

Gael stepped back and gave her a soft push. Caught off guard, Alice landed on her side on the mattress, giggling in shocked surprise. Somehow she managed to miss the remaining items on the bed. Gael kicked his pants off while she watched. It was the first time she’d seen him fully naked, and she more than appreciated the view. Instead of joining her, he went over to the abandoned duffel bag and retrieved one final item.

A box of condoms.

She groaned. “Yes, please. Sir.”

Lying on her side with her hands tied behind her back made it difficult for her to shift around. Squirming only served to pull the rope tighter, putting additional pressure on her pussy without giving her the satisfaction she craved. It wouldn’t be enough to simply come this time. She wanted Gael. All of him.

“I can control you easily with the rope.” He tugged on the nylon that bound her hands. “I can move you any way I want to ensure both our pleasure.”

The sound of a condom being torn open had her groaning once more. Yes, this was what she’d needed, to feel the press of his body against hers, to feel him claim her in the most intimate of ways. Alice scissored her legs, trying to give him the room he’d need to press his cock into her.

“I don’t think so.” His large hands were once more on her body, pulling her up until she was on her knees, ass in the air and face to the mattress. The rope now pressed directly on her clit and covered her vagina. “Yes, this is what I want.”

* * *

Instead of moving the rope away from her pussy, Gael pressed his fingers against her ass. She tensed, announcing to him that she’d never had anal sex before. He’d have to go slow, be gentle long enough for her to relax, before he could make this good for both of them

“Relax.” He stroked her back, loving the feel of her soft skin.

She let out a breath.

“This is about trust as well as control. You have to trust that I know what I’m doing. That I’m going to make you feel wonderful. I might use pleasure or I might use pain. Either way, you’ll love it.” He reached for the bottle of lube that was nestled beside the nipple clamps. She was still so new at all of this, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

What he wasn’t expecting was for his hands to shake as he squeezed the lube onto his fingers. In the past there’d always been a rush for him when he was with a sub, but not this overwhelming need to care for, to consume. He wanted Alice in a way he’d never experienced before. Was willing to sacrifice everything for the opportunity to have her as his.

It was too close to how he’d felt with Tina. After her he’d cut himself off from the idea of having a relationship with a sub. It was one of the reasons he’d needed to ensure they had Gael-and-Alice time, not just Sir and sub—to give himself a chance to mentally regroup and catch his breath. If he gave everything to Alice and she rejected him, he’d lose a piece of his heart.

Alice moaned as he continued to work her body. He added another finger as he grabbed hold of the rope and tugged, increasing the pressure on her clit.

“Fuck!” Her body shuddered.

“Eventually.” He clamped down on his racing emotions and focused on the task at hand.

Sweat broke out across her back, and her toes curled against the comforter. She couldn’t fight him, resist, do anything to stop him. He had no doubt her mind was spinning as she tried to come to grips with everything. If this had been a sub at Wonderland, Gael would have pushed her hard and fast. He’d have been able to remain detached, almost clinical in his approach. But he clung to every hitch of Alice’s breath, needing to make this good for her. He petted her skin, whispered his encouragement, until he felt her body relax beneath his touch.

“That’s my girl.” He tugged the rope again. “You’re being so good for me.”

Gael withdrew his fingers, but he didn’t give her much of a reprieve. Three hard spanks landed on her ass; the force of them drove her face farther into the comforter. Alice opened her mouth and her moans too flowed freely.

“I’m going to fuck your ass.” He squeezed her cheek hard. “You’re not allowed to come until I tell you to.”

“Please, Sir.”

He continued to pull and stretch her ass, adding more lube as he went until he was certain she would accept his cock with few problems. Still, when he finally got behind her, her entrance felt tight. The skin stretched open to accept him, filling her at the same time the weight of his body pulled the rope even tighter against her pussy. The pressure was consuming, the way her body drew him in intoxicating. He’d never get enough of her. Never. He’d come here with the intention of introducing her to BDSM. What he hadn’t expected was to be the one falling in love.

Love?

Fuck.

“Sir?” Alice gasped. Gael swallowed past the sudden tightness in his throat.

“No coming until I tell you to. Understand?”

“Mmm.”

Another hard slap. “Understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

With each thrust into her ass, he had to fight his body’s desire to come. To distract himself, he increased the frequency of his tugs on the ropes, matching the pace of his thrusts. Alice was moaning uncontrollably now, her body shaking as she drew closer to her release.

Shit, she really was going to come soon. So was he for that matter.

“No.” She started muttering. “Won’t.”

“That’s my girl. Fight it off. Don’t let it win.”

Gael ran through as many of the Canadian legal statutes he could remember. It worked for a few minutes, until Alice started thrusting back against his body. It drove him deeper into her ass, the muscles squeezing so tightly around him he could barely breathe

“Gael. Too much.”

He landed another spank on her ass. “Sir.”

“Sir! Please. Need to come.”

“No.”

“Please! I can’t...”

“Just hold on, baby.”

Gael didn’t slow down, crying out as he came hard. His cock pulsed inside her body, matching the pounding of his heart and the silent chant of
mine
ringing in his head. After an eternity, his pleasure subsided, leaving him wrung out as much emotionally as he was physically.

He needed to show her, prove to her what she meant to him. Even if he couldn’t say the words.

Gael released his hold on the rope and slipped from her body slowly. “Don’t move.”

He got up from the bed and went over to the ensuite to quickly clean himself

Upon his return, he released the ropes that bound her hands behind her back, taking a few moments to rub her wrists and get the circulation flowing once more. Carefully, he moved her onto her back, finally able to look into her eyes for the first time since they’d begun.

Unable to look away, he pushed her thighs up and apart, so her knees were dangerously close to her armpits. Reaching for another condom, Gael looked over every inch of her body, making note of everything. The flush across her breasts, the rapid in-out of her breathing, the faraway look in her eyes. He’d done that to her, took her to the edge of bliss.

Now it was time to push her over.

Fresh condom now in place, he shoved the rope away so it wouldn’t impede them. “Not until I say.”

Alice swallowed hard and nodded.

In one stroke, he filled her pussy with his hard length. For the first time in his life, it felt right, as though he’d reached a homecoming he hadn’t realized he’d been looking for.

Gael held his position until her breathing slowed. He wouldn’t be able to hold her here for long. He cupped her inner thighs with his hands and held them wide. Leaning into her he started a steady pace. Her arousal coated his cock, her thighs, clung to her pubic hair. He felt her losing control of her body, unable to stop what was happening. God, he didn’t want her to. He was ready to see her, the unguarded look on her face that would let him read her soul. To know if she could be his, if he would fit into her life.

Gael reached for her clit and pressed down on the hood. Alice opened her mouth to scream as Gael pulled out of her body. Her eyes grew wide as her orgasm exploded from her, sending her come squirting from her body. This was Alice, stripped bare for him to see. She was beautiful. Even after her orgasm subsided, and her body continued to tremble as she drifted off to sleep, Gael couldn’t look away.

Despite everything—his obligations, his family, his career—he knew this: Alice White was going to be his.

Chapter Seventeen

The next three days were little more than a hazy blur of sex, food and inappropriate conversations. Alice had learned things about Gael she would never have guessed in a thousand years. He was scared of heights—sorry, uncomfortable in high locations. God forbid he admit to being scared about anything. He hated spinach, loved brussels sprouts, and preferred reading to television.

Those moments of conversation came between rounds of imaginative sex. She’d never look at kitchen utensils in quite the same way again, that was certain. And although she was more sexually satisfied now than any time previously in her life, Alice kept coming back to those conversations, needing to have more of them. Learn more about
him
.

Currently, she was wearing the nipple clamps as she made them each a sandwich for a snack. Fucking for two days straight was hard work, and she was eating more than she normally did. Petra would be thrilled if she saw the food Alice had consumed. No dieting allowed when Gael was such an amazing chef. As she reached for the mayo, the chain between her breasts pulled, sending a jolt of pain through the oversensitive flesh. He said she’d grow to love these—she still wasn’t convinced.

They’d decided to head home around four o’clock. That would get them back to Toronto before it was too late, which would give Alice time to recover. She’d wanted to discuss about what was going to happen between them once they returned to reality, but Gael wasn’t ready to go there yet.

He’d have to sooner or later, because there was no way Alice would be able to pretend that this weekend hadn’t happened. She was the emotional equivalent of a billboard, and it wouldn’t take long for the people at the office to know there was something going on between them.

Petra would know something was up the second she laid eyes on her. God, Petra was likely to kill her for abandoning her friend in her time of need. Not that Alice was too worried. After her chat with Darcy at the coffee shop, she had no doubts that Petra was in good hands. Sure, she’d promised Gael she’d keep her cell phone turned off, but maybe she should check to see if there were any messages. They were heading home in a few hours anyway.

Finishing the sandwiches, she put them both on a plate and snagged her phone from her purse as she walked by. She stopped halfway through the living room when she realized there were ten messages there for her. She never had that many unless there was a problem.

The first one was from Carmella, telling her to enjoy her time off and that she’d have to tell her all about it on Monday. The next four were from her mother.

“Alice, I need you to come up here.”

“Alice, where are you? I know you weren’t happy with me, but I need you to come to Barrie.”

“Honey? Are you home?”

“Baby, I think there’s a problem.”

Alice dropped the plate when she heard the fourth message. “Hello, Miss White, this is the emergency room at the Royal Victoria hospital in Barrie. Your mother was brought in this morning and has been asking for you. Please contact us at—”

“Alice?” She looked up to see a naked Gael standing on the step above her. He reached out and cupped her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t know what to say to him. Everything had tilted on its side, nothing making sense. How could she explain that she’d ignored her mom’s complaints of not feeling well, chalking them up to nothing more than her looking for a way to keep Alice close? He wouldn’t understand the confusion and guilt, the sickening dread that now filled her stomach. So she said the first thing that came to mind.

“Red.”

He took the phone from her hand and replayed the message. His gaze never left hers, even when he ended the call. “Alice, I want you to go sit on the couch. I’ll get your things and I’ll take you home.”

Numb, she did as he told her. Her mom was sick, had been in the hospital for over a day all alone, waiting for Alice to come. Shouldn’t she have known that there’d been a problem? Why hadn’t she listened?

“Alice, you need to get dressed.”

Gael stood there with her clothing. She’d gotten so used to being naked the past few days, she’d forgotten about them. “Oh.”

“I need to take those clamps off. I’m sorry, this might hurt a bit.”

Under normal circumstances, it might have been painful, the rush of blood back into the tips of her nipples. But she’d grown so numb, she was beyond noticing. Or caring.

It’s the least I deserve.

With her bundled into the car, she watched Gael turn on the alarm and march back to the car. “Get some sleep. It’s a long drive to Barrie.”

Whoa.
“What?”

“You need to get to your mom. There’s no sense in detouring to Toronto. I’ll take you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not.” He turned his attention to the road. “So you might as well sleep.”

It was now easy for her to pick out when he’d slipped into Dom mode. The set of his chin and the tight grip on the wheel were more than enough to let her know that there was no point in arguing. Not that she had the energy anyway. Alice turned on her side and looked out the window at the passing scenery, wondering if her mom was going to be okay.

And if she’d ever be lucky enough to come back here with Gael.

* * *

The adrenalin Gael had been running on had been fully consumed an hour before they arrived at the hospital. The remainder of the trip had been fueled by black coffee and indigestion. Alice had barely spoken, though he was fairly certain she’d slept at least a part of the way. He was well aware of her guilt over being away while her mom had been sick, though there wasn’t a damned thing he could do to make things better for her. He’d called ahead to let the staff know Alice was en route. But beyond her soft, “Thank you,” she said nothing else.

He wasn’t used to feeling this helpless. Although not all of his cases had the result he desired, at least he had the benefit of knowing he’d done the best job possible. That he’d taken into account all angles. Somehow he’d failed Alice by not paying enough attention to her relationship with her mother. He’d simply taken advantage of the situation when it had presented itself. Now he needed to do whatever it took to make amends and fix things between Alice and her mother.

Pulling into the hospital parking lot gave him a renewed sense of purpose. He’d help her with this, try to make things right. Alice was the type of person to take everything on herself. He’d learned enough about her to know she needed his help.

Once the car was stopped, he leaned over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Alice?”

“I’m awake.”

“We’re here.”

“I know.” But she still didn’t move.

For the first time since being with her, Gael wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and simply hold her. No sexual connotations, no possessive need, nothing beyond wanting to give her comfort. He’d never felt like this with any of his previous subs. Hell, he’d dated enough over the years to know his attraction to Alice had gone well beyond his normal attraction to women.

He was developing feelings for her at warp speed.

Now was not the time to figure out his emotional state. Alice needed him to be the stable rock, her Dom who would get her through this. They’d figure everything else out later. He got out of the car, and walked over to her side. When he opened the door, she looked up at him with those big red-rimmed hazel eyes of hers. He held out his hand and waited.

“I’m coming with you.”

Alice accepted the offer for what it was, reached out and took his hand. “You don’t have to.”

He snorted, shut and locked the car. “Let’s find your mom.”

The hospital was still a hub of activity even this late into visiting hours. They were quickly given directions to her mom’s room and Gael took the lead. He wasn’t sure what he should do beyond being here for Alice, so as they approached the room, he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Do you have any idea what might be wrong?”

“Not really. She said she’d been having problems sleeping recently. Mom always seems to have a problem these days. I used to brush most of them off as her trying to guilt me into moving home with her.”

Gael squeezed her hand tighter. “Is she that sick?”

“I didn’t think so. I don’t know anymore.”

Slowing down, Gael tugged Alice’s hand. “Is there a chance she’s doing this to get your attention?”

“What?”

“I don’t know your mother, but from what you’ve told me it’s something she might do.”

“I can’t believe...” Alice shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t do something like that.” Alice tugged her hand free from his.

There was only one way she’d know for certain. “Let’s go see your mom.”

The sound of a television came through the door. Stepping inside, they passed by the first bed in the semiprivate room. Gael stayed a step behind Alice as she pulled the curtain back. “Mom?”

“Well. It’s about time you showed up.”

Gael would have said something to the woman, except he caught sight of her face. She was sporting a bruise along her cheek and her bottom lip was swollen. Alice gasped and ran to sit by her mother’s side.

“What happened?”

Her mom ran her hands across her lap, smoothing out the blankets. “I fell.”

“Did you slip?”

“No. I passed out in the bathroom and hit my head.”

“Oh my God. Are you okay?”

“It’s a little late to be asking me that, isn’t it? Who’s he?”

Gael stepped further into the makeshift curtain room. “Gael Hernandez.”

“A lawyer, I assume.” She looked him up and down. Gael had no doubt she could mentally calculate how much his clothing cost down to the penny. “Is he the reason why you didn’t come when the hospital called? Did he try to convince you that your mother wasn’t as important as what he wanted?”

“Mom! We were out of town and I didn’t have my cell turned on. I’m really sorry.”

Gael wasn’t the type to be intimidated by another person, but Alice’s mom was making a valiant effort to do just that. Her glare would have made the strongest of men squirm, something Gael was trying to avoid.

Alice was either oblivious to the death glares her mother was shooting his way, or she’d simply chosen to focus on the matter at hand, knowing he was capable of looking after himself.

“Why are you still here?” She fussed with the blanket for a minute before taking one of her mom’s hands in hers. “Are they running some tests?”

“Because of my history and how hard I hit my head, they want to make sure I didn’t form a blood clot.” Her mom returned the squeeze. “I will need some help when they send me home.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll call Carmella in the morning and tell her I need to take the rest of my vacation.”

Gael would do anything for his parents, especially if one of them were hurt. Alice wanting to take a few weeks off to stay with her mom made sense. But the hackles on the back of his neck stood up when he saw the older woman smile at her daughter. It was a look he’d seen many times by Doms at the club. It was a look of victory.

“It will be so nice to have you here. Maybe I’ll be able to convince you to be able to stay longer. Maybe a month.”

“Unfortunately, we need Alice’s keen eye back at Gibson, Murphy and Dow. The place would fall apart without her.” It was more than a bad idea to get in the middle of this, but he couldn’t help it. Alice was
his
. They were both figuring out exactly what that meant, how things would work, but she was his. He wouldn’t lose her before their time together began.

“What?” Alice was on her feet again. “Can I see you out in the hallway?”

“No.”

“Gael—”

“I can let the office know you need your vacation time. But I’m sure two weeks will be enough to help get your mom back on her feet.”

“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” With her gaze narrowed and her chin lowered, Alice looked like a she-wolf ready to pounce. “Are you seriously trying to put our few days together ahead of my mom’s health?”

“You know I’m not.” He was trying to save her from herself.

Alice dropped her mom’s hand. “Hallway.” This time she didn’t wait for him to argue.

Fine, she wanted to play things this way.

The second the door to the room shut, Gael crossed his arms and widened his stance. “Your mother is trying to manipulate you. If you weren’t so emotional at the moment, you’d see that.”

“I’m well aware of what she’s trying to do. That doesn’t change the fact that she’s sick in the hospital. If there was nothing wrong with her, they wouldn’t keep her here.” Alice mirrored his stance, and for the first time he wasn’t able to see the gentle woman he’d come to know. “Besides, she’s been trying to manipulate me for years. It hasn’t worked then and it’s not working now. If I stay or go will be my choice.”

“Your choice. Fine. I’m here to help you as a friend and a lover. Sometimes helping means telling you the things you don’t want to hear. You know she wants you to come live with her. To give up your life. Are you willing to walk away from everything you’ve struggled to build the moment things look bad?”

She stepped forward and took him by the arm. “Please leave.”

It would have been easy for him to resist her, but there was little point. If Alice didn’t want him here, then he’d go. Better to cut his losses before things went beyond the point of no return.

Still, he couldn’t stop himself from taking Alice and pressing her to the wall, trying one more time to get through her guilt and fear. “Don’t do this.”

“Do what?” She stuffed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Stay and help my sick mother?”

“Make a decision while you’re emotional that you will regret later. Take your vacation time, help your mom. But don’t make any other plans until you’ve had time to think them over.”

Alice shoved past him and went back inside the room, leaving Gael alone in the hallway.

Well. That was that.

Ignoring the ache in his chest, he pulled his keys from his pocket and went off in search of the cashier to pay for his parking. If he got on the road now, he’d be back to Toronto before midnight.