Club Wonderland

by Christine d'Abo

  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?

  Whatever that had been, the moment passed as he straightened up, his gaze locked on hers. “I forgot to say thank you. I appreciate you helping out. You’re the best person to ensure things get done properly, and I have every confidence you’ll make things right.” He gave her that rare smile of his, sending her heart racing.

  Whoa. “Thank you, Mr. Hernandez.”

  “Please. Call me Gael.” He nodded once and closed the door.

  Fuck.

  Fuckity fuck! He wanted her to call him Gael!

  Alice balled her hands into fists to hide their shaking. He’d given her permission to call him by his first name. Although being casual wasn’t a big deal with most of the lawyers, Alice had always felt Gael didn’t want that same level of familiarity. Well, not from her at any rate. This was huge!

  Opening Petra’s email, she stumbled through a response, knowing she needed to get focused on her new assignment quickly if she wanted any chance of getting it done in time.

  Pet. Congratulations!! I had no doubt Sexcapades would final in the Web Awards. The organizers aren’t a bunch of idiots after all. I’ll take you shopping and I’ll pick out something super sexy for you to wear. You never know who you might run into while you’re there.

  And remind me to tell you what happened with You-Know-Who, today. I’m shaking, Pet. Shaking!

  TTYL!

  She was being only slightly more rational than a preteen at a Justin Beiber concert. Gael Hernandez, successful and handsome lawyer who seemed focused on his job and nothing else, had said thank you and smiled at her. Today was turning out to be pretty fantastic after all.

  Opening the file, Alice did her best to ignore the sensation that she was being watched, and got to work proving that Mr. Anderson was trying to take his insurance company for a ride.

  Chapter Two

  Gael sat at his desk and stared at the closed door. He’d begun to squeeze the edge of his desk as a way to keep from getting back up and marching out to the office to demand that Alice call him Sir again. It was doing nothing to stop his overactive imagination from stripping off her dress and telling her exactly how she could help him.

  Fuck, he didn’t need this, not now.

  Six months. He’d been in the role of associate lawyer with Gibson, Murphy and Dow for only six months. In that time he’d taken everything that had been thrown at him. Difficult clients, impossible cases, shortened time lines—he had overcome every obstacle. His uncle had made it perfectly clear the only way Gael would make partner was to put in his time in the trenches, which suited him perfectly. One year slogging it out without anyone knowing who he really was, before his uncle Stephen would put him forward for consideration.

  He needed to make partner.

  The call from his mother last night hadn’t helped put him in a good mood. Apparently she and his father only had a few months left before their company’s bank account ran dry and they would be unable to manage their bills. His parents would be forced to sell their cottage and mortgage the house if they couldn’t turn things around soon.

  Gael wasn’t by nature the type of man who stayed to the sidelines. He’d been a part of his parent’s software company all through his time at university. He’d intended to take a role on their fledgling legal team, ensuring that everything went right. Start-ups were risky at best, but it was his father’s dream. They’d put everything they owned into this company and Gael would do whatever he could to help his parents succeed. Even if that meant going to work with his asshole of an uncle.

  The rules—he had to follow every single one of them if he wanted to make partner, giving him the income he’d need to help his parents:

  No telling the staff he was related to Stephen Gibson.

  No complaining, arguing, or doing anything to make his uncle look bad.

  No dating anyone who worked in the office.

  And under no circumstances was he to let anyone find out about what he does in the bedroom. As though he’d be advertising that to the women of the office.

  On several occasions he’d been forced to take his frustrations out on several unsuspecting submissives at the club. Not that they seemed to mind, but Gael hated being that close to the edge of his control. It took him a month or two, but he’d finally been able to get a handle on himself and this part he had to play. He’d be damned if he let anything break through and ruin things for him at this stage. Not when he was halfway to his goal. Not when his parents were counting on him.

  So if he had to ignore the temptation sitting outside of his temporary office, then that’s what he’d fucking well do.

  Even if she had flawless skin, beautiful hazel eyes and lips that begged to be sucked on. There were plenty of other options for him. Women who would be more than willing to give him everything he needed, no strings attached.

  Opening the file on his desk, Gael scanned the brief, forcing his mind to get back into the game. He might not have court this week, but he’d be damned if he let himself fal
l behind.

  Alice had called him Sir.

  He cleared his throat and started at the top of the file once more.

  Sir.

  And he’d told her to call him Gael.

  Fuck.

  Gael closed his eyes and mentally recited the Criminal Code of Canada until his hard-on went away. Of course it was an innocent remark. While Alice was charming and liked to think she was intuitive when it came to other people, she wasn’t into the lifestyle. He could tell by the blank expression in her eyes when he’d say a particular thing, an order that could be taken more than one way.

  If she were a sub, he would have picked up on that vibe way before now.

  He was convinced Uncle Stephen gave him the office he did because of its proximity to Alice’s desk. She was the most beautiful woman at the firm, the one who would serve as the biggest temptation to any man with eyes to see. But it wasn’t only her physical appearance that threatened to lure him in. Oh no, that would be her generous nature. She was sexy and sweet.

  No, it was best if he continued to ignore the way she looked at him with those big hazel eyes of hers, silently begging him to notice her. She had no idea what she was asking for.

  Gael took a deep breath and let go of the desk. His rising anxiety faded away as he let out a slow breath. He was in charge and she looked to him for direction. Boss and employee. It was as simple as that.

  Yes, Sir.

  Pushing all thoughts of Alice White from mind, Gael opened the file he’d been working on before Uncle Stephen went berserk, and started figuring out the best way to approach the upcoming court case.

  * * *

  Alice loved her job, except for the days that she hated it. Today was getting dangerously close to the latter, especially when she was under a time crunch and everyone else in the office seemed to be in the mood to gossip with her.

  Alice, did you hear? Gael has been seen dating that actress from the new crime show being filmed in town.

  Alice, did you hear? I saw Gael last week at The Sultan’s Tent with two women. They all looked really cozy. I wonder if he’s into threesomes?

  Alice, did you hear? Sandy in accounting said that she saw Gael with a man who was clearly playing for the other team. Rumor is he’s gay. Wouldn’t that figure?

  Frankly, she was getting really tired of hearing things.

  The man in question had spent most of the day in his office, only popping out occasionally to refill his coffee mug or to duck into the bathroom. Not once did he ask her about the progress she’d made on the file. Nor did he stop to chitchat like some of the other lawyers would—checking up on her without trying to be obvious about it. As far as Gael seemed to be concerned, Alice didn’t exist.

  Maybe she was being too hard on him. He wasn’t trying to micromanage her like a lot of associates might do in a similar situation. And in all fairness, he’d done that little half-smile thing of his at least twice as he’d passed by with fresh coffee. Not that he’d offered to get her a mug, even when she’d had to work through her lunch to get this file together for him.

  Why the hell did she always seem to develop crushes on men whose default personality was set to jerk?

  That wasn’t completely fair either. Gael was polite, if a little distant with most of the clerks and assistants in the office. He’d even bought Alice a muffin once early on when she’d been having a particularly crappy day. She’d never forget that because he was the only one who’d noticed that she wasn’t herself; the muffin and small smile he’d given her had made her day. For a while she’d been convinced he might actually like her.

  Yeah, apparently not so much, otherwise he’d be at the very least wanting to occasionally talk to her. Or would want to take the lingering glances to the next level.

  Petra was more than happy to point that out for her too. Alice darling, a man who’s only going to look and not touch doesn’t have big enough balls to be worthy of you.

  Speaking of her friend...

  Alice checked the time and cringed. She was supposed to be meeting Petra at her condo so they could go out for supper and then shopping at the Eaton Center to get Petra ready for the nomination reading. Her friend had terrible self-confidence when it came to social situations. Alice would be shocked if Petra lasted a full hour at the event. However, she was determined to find a dress that would wow anyone who saw Petra in it.

  The file she’d been working on was nearly done. Facebook was an amazing resource when it came to proving that sometimes that back injury wasn’t as bad as the claimant let on. Who the hell posts pictures of themselves waterskiing when they’ve been in a car accident? Idiots. Tucking the printed photos into the file, she gave everything one last double check to ensure Mr. Gibson had everything he needed.

  There was no reason to bring all of this to Gael, though she’d have to let him know that everything was done and handed in. Maybe she’d get another smile out of him for facing the dragon on her own. A girl could dream...

  Firing off a quick email to Petra to let her know about a potential delay, Alice gave everything a final review. Yes, this was perfect. Mr. Gibson should be pleased with what she’d managed to pull together for him, and she’d be able to make her escape. It was later than she had hoped, but she and Petra should still be able to find a good place to eat before they went shopping.

  She couldn’t stop herself from looking at Gael’s closed office door as she walked by on her way to Mr. Gibson’s. At some point she’d have to admit that the odds of getting together with him were nonexistent. Still, as long as there was hope, she’d cling to it.

  Maybe this adolescent-style crush was her mentally living through those years the way she should have the first time around. Get a crush on a boy who doesn’t give you the time of day. Flirt until he notices, only to reject you. Cry into your pillow, and then go eat ice cream with your best friend while she bitched.

  On second thought, she really was happy to have missed that shit.

  “Hi, Mr. Gibson. Here’s your completed file.” She smiled and gave her hips an extra little swing as she walked into the office. While most of the lawyers were awesome, Gibson wasn’t the most pleasant of men to deal with, even on a good day.

  “Ah, Alice.” He held out his hand, and she smiled as she handed the file over. Not that he responded to her attempt at lightening the mood. Maybe having a stone face was a required trait when hiring lawyers? “At least Hernandez got someone who knows their ass from their elbow for this job.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Really? This was the man who signed her paycheck.

  Forced to wait as he reviewed the paperwork, Alice felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. If she was in anyone else’s office, she’d turn around and see if there was someone staring at her. No way would she give Mr. Gibson any reason to chew her out.

  “I’m more than happy to stay longer if you need anything else, sir. Just say the word. I know how important the case is.” It wasn’t bullshit either. Alice took pride in her work, and even if she mentally bitched and complained about it, she wouldn’t walk away with something half done. Petra would understand if they had to postpone things for an hour.

  Thankfully, Mr. Gibson actually smiled. Maybe the Mayans got the date wrong about the apocalypse. “I’m not as big a monster as most people around here think. This is good work, Alice. I’ll be set. Get out of here and have fun.”

  Well, will wonders never cease?

  “Thank you, sir.” With a smile and an extra little wiggle, she bolted from the office, intent on grabbing her purse and getting out of there.

  The office was empty as she powered down her computer. Gael’s office door was open and he was no longer behind his desk. Damn. Of course he’d take the ten minutes she was gone to pack up and leave himself. If nothing else, he always said good-night to her. Staring at the empty office far longer than she should have, Alice had to give her head a shake before she grabbed her things and made her way to the elevators. Her cell phone rang, sending her
scrambling through her purse.

  “Hello?”

  “We’re still on, right? Because if you’ve changed your mind or if you have to work that’s cool. I don’t really need a dress. Or to go to this thing. It’s really a dumb idea. There’s no way I can pull off being PC. I’m boring and...and frumpy. That’s what your mom always called me. Who am I kidding? You know what? Forget it. I’ll email the committee and—”

  “Petra!” Alice closed her eyes. She should have expected the meltdown call to have come sooner. “I’m just leaving work now.”

  “Oh. Really? Because if you need to—”

  “I’m coming to your place. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Maybe a bit later if I don’t make it to the subway in time. But I’m coming and you’re not getting out of this.”

  “Fine.”

  “You don’t have to sound so disappointed. We’re going shopping, not to a funeral.” Alice’s mother never understood how she could be friends with Petra. The fact that her friend didn’t care about her appearance, didn’t judge others on how they looked, spoke, the clothing that they wore, were the things Alice loved most about her. Petra cared only about the things they did together, not what Alice was like on the outside.

  “It feels like the same thing. I don’t think I’m going to be able to pull this off.”

  She pressed the button for the elevator and switched ears. “Yes, you can. All you need to do is look the part. The rest will be easier if you can convince yourself that you’re PC, sex advice goddess.”

  “Maybe. We’ll see.”

  “Look, I’m about to hop into the elevator. I’ll be there soon and we can chat. If you really don’t want to do this, then you know you have my support. But I don’t think you should give up on yourself. Not yet.”