Club Wonderland

by Christine d'Abo

  “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.

  Alice was clearly where she wanted to be.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alice sat on the back steps of her mom’s house trying to contemplate her escape. She’d brought her mom home the next morning with only a brief detour to the store so Alice to pick up some essentials, once the doctors had been able to confirm she was clear of any clots. They’d connected the fainting spell to her mother’s insomnia and her two skipped meals. Relief wasn’t a strong enough descriptor for what Alice felt when they were finally able to leave.

  Her mom was going to be okay.

  For the first four days, they’d gotten along wonderfully. So much so, Alice thought the idea of moving back home wasn’t so bad. There were a few law offices around town where she might be able to get some temp work, get her name out there. Worst case, she could keep her job at Gibson, Murphy and Dow and commute to Toronto. She wouldn’t be the first to do it.

  It wasn’t until her mother invited Gwen and her son Kevin the dentist over for supper that things started to go downhill. Alice should have known this time would come sooner or later. She remembered meeting Gwen during a few of her visits, but it was the first time she’d been introduced to Kevin. He was a nice enough man, good looking, polite. He would stand up whenever she came into the room, would pull her chair out for her to help her sit. Hell, he even offered to do the dishes with her.

  It wasn’t until they were side by side, hands wet and coated in bubbles that they had a chance to talk. Kevin plucked a plate from the rack and started to dry it. “I get the impression our mothers are trying to set us up.”

  “They’ve been pretty obvious about the whole thing. Sorry about that.”

  He smiled. It was a nice smile, but it lacked a certain devilish charm she now looked for. “No worries. To be honest, I’m not looking to get into a relationship right now.”

  I want you to know that I’m not looking for a relationship. Not now. Probably not ever.

  “My divorce is still pretty fresh, and despite what mother thinks, getting back out there isn’t what I need. I hope you’re not offended?”

  She forced a smile. “Hell no. I’m not really looking for something myself.”

  “I thought so. You have that look about you. Like you’re trying to forget someone.”

  Setting the plate back down in the water, Alice turned to face him. “You’re very perceptive.”

  “I’m familiar with what heartbreak looks like. Bad breakup?”

  “More of a breakup before we had a chance to see where it could go. We were just figuring things out when Mom fell.”

  “Well then, you still have hope. Once you head home you can try again.”

  The conversation had moved on to other topics, but Alice’s mind had latched on to that tiny thread of hope. Could they try again? It had only been two weeks; though Alice hadn’t spoken to Gael. Carmella had checked in a few times, reassuring Alice that she could take the time she needed to make sure her mom was okay. But there’d been nothing from him.

  Not that she’d left him any reason to call.

  After that her mom had jumped into full matchmaking mode. She would leave real estate books lying around, opened on pages of homes close to hers. She started telling people they met that this was her daughter, oh and she might be moving home. Yes, I’m so happy to have her back with me.

  It quickly grew to be too much for Alice. Gael had been right back at the hospital. She’d been running on guilt and fear and had been in no condition to be making life-altering choices. What she needed to do was to make sure her mom would be fine, then go home. Back to the life that waited for her.

  “What are you doing out here?” The bang of the screen door echoed as her mother came out onto the small landing. “It’s going to rain.”

  “The breeze is nice. It’s been a hot few days.”

  “Alice, what’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself all day. All week for that matter.”

  The problem with contemplating escape was that eventually, a person either had to put her plan in action, or else give up and accept her fate.

  “I love you, Mom.” She looked up into the concerned face of the woman who’d given so much to her. “You know that, right?”

  “And I love you. Now what’s this all about?”

  “I think I’m going to head home tomorrow.”

  Rather than fly into a tirade of reasons Alice needed to stay with her, her mom nudged her over and sat down on the step beside her. She took Alice’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “Okay.”

  Alice frowned as she cocked her head. “That’s it?”

  “Well I’m not going to lock you in the basement, if that’s what you mean.”

  “No, but you’re not upset that I want to go?”

  Her mom smiled. It wasn’t one of the ones she normally put on when she was trying to impress another person. This one was smaller, more contained, and put a soft spark in her eyes. “I would be ecstatic if you told me you wanted nothing more than to live with me for the rest of my life. But I’m not a fool. I can see how being here with me is making you miserable. I...I’m sorry for that.”

  �
��I’m not miserable—”

  “Don’t lie to your mother.”

  “Sorry.”

  Her mom sighed. “I’m selfish. When your father left us, you became my whole world. I promised you I would give you a special life. I’d make you feel like a princess instead of poor little Alice whose bastard father walked out on her. When I started getting your modeling jobs, I thought that was the way to do it, while being able to keep you with me.”

  “I’m sorry you’re lonely.”

  “It’s my fault. I’m more than capable of making friends. I simply chose not to. I realize now that I’ve been pushing you away as I tried to bring you closer.”

  “I want to spend time with you, Mom. But I’m happy with my life. I love my job, my friends. I’ve offered to help you find a place in Toronto so you can be closer.”

  “Too noisy. And I love my house. No, I think it’s best for me to stay here and you to live there. But you need to promise me you’ll visit more.”

  “I promise.”

  “Good.” She patted Alice’s lap. “Now, have you spoken to that man of yours?”

  There was something about the way she said man had had Alice giggle. “I take it you’re not a fan of Gael.”

  “He had that same look about him that your father did. Always needing to be in charge. You should stay away from men like that. And really, three days of sex? That’s a bit excessive.”

  “Mom!”

  “Not that I can tell you who to date.”

  “No, you can’t.” She wasn’t even certain Gael would want anything to do with her after the way she’d reacted in the hospital. “Mom? I was wondering—”

  “Apologize, but don’t grovel. You’re a lady and he should be willing to accept your word as being sincere.” Getting to her feet in one smooth move, her mom started for the door. “I was doing your laundry. I’ll start packing for you.”

  “No, I’ll come.” She stood and pulled her mom into a hug. “I want to spend some more time with you before I go. Love you.”

  “Oh baby.” She pressed her face into Alice’s neck. “I love you too.”