Club Wonderland (5 page)

“The thing to remember with this club is the need for you to keep an open mind.”

Alice nodded, not understanding at all. But she could do that. No problem.

“You’re going to see a different side to people in here, one that you wouldn’t see outside of these walls. It’s private. They’re baring their souls in here. Are you sure you are able to handle something like that?”

“I still don’t know what
that
is.”

“Wonderland is a club that caters to particular tastes. There’s no alcohol served here. No food. Just people and ideas. Games and rules. You need to figure out which side you’re on, little rabbit. You need to know before everyone else figures it out for you.”

“You’re not making a whole lot of sense.”

Chess chuckled again. “I’ve been told that on more than one occasion.” He pushed open the door and turned sideways, giving Alice room to walk by. “Go on.”

Go or stay? Chess’s answer didn’t shed any light on what she was going to find inside. He didn’t care one way or the other if she stayed or went. Gael didn’t know she was here. And if she got inside and decided she didn’t like what she saw, then she had the option of leaving before he saw her. No harm, no foul.

“Thank you. I think.” She let out a small huff, then stepped inside.

The corridor was lit by the occasional pot light in the ceiling. The air was cool, giving her welcome relief from the persistent humidity outside. Her nipples hardened from the extreme change in temperature, making her a tiny bit self-conscious.

The hallway twisted and turned, giving her no indication as to where she was going or what she’d find when she eventually got there. When she rounded a curve, she finally saw an opening at the end, leading out to a large room. There was a soft rhythm that reached her, but it didn’t sound like any music she was familiar with.

Alice nearly got to the room when a loud moan stopped her dead in her track. Another reached her just as loudly. It was then that she realized what it was she’d been hearing—not the beat of a song, but the cracking of a whip.

What the hell...?

Approaching the end at a far more cautious pace, Alice had to force herself to breathe when she finally crossed the threshold and stepped out into the room. The warehouse space was wide open, with a series of bays around the sides. The mini rooms didn’t have doors, which gave her easy access to see exactly what was going on inside.

And holy shit, what the hell was that?

A woman walked past her, a leash in her hand. It was attached to a collar around the neck of a man in a black PVC suit, wearing a giant horse head. His arms and legs were covered and on his feet he wore shoes that looked exactly like horse hooves. How he was able to walk in those she didn’t have a clue.

The woman didn’t give her a second glance, even as Alice openly stared at the pair as they walked past. She guessed having people look at them was part of the point of wearing an outfit like that. Maybe.

Another thunder crack snatched Alice’s attention. A woman was bound to the wall in one of the side bays. She was completely naked, except for her high heels, and facing away from the main area. Alice gaped as a man, who himself was fully dressed, ran what looked to be a whip with a series of leather ends across his open palm. They were too far away for Alice to hear what they were saying. No one else seemed to be paying them any attention whatsoever. Groups of men and women stood around talking, smiling, making it look like a cocktail party. If it weren’t for the random naked person kneeling on the floor by their feet, or strapped to parts of the club itself, Alice might have convinced herself that was exactly what this was.

“I’m so not in the right place.” She stepped farther into the room, knowing she was most likely going to get herself kicked out for clearly not belonging. Until that happened, Alice figured she might as well look around.

Because she couldn’t imagine why Gael was in a place like this.

The farther Alice went into the club, the more attention she attracted. At first, it wasn’t obvious. She’d turn around to look at something, and she’d catch sight of people turning their face away. The closer she got to them, the less they’d mask their stares. Not that she could meet their gazes. There was something crazy intense about the eyes of many of the women. As for the men, it only took a moment to see the possessive fire burning inside them.

This was wrong. She was standing in the middle of what was clearly a sex club, not exactly where and what she’d intended on being. This was a heavier one-night stand opportunity than she would be able to handle.

And yet, she wasn’t running out of there.

“Well, well, well. I see Chester needs to have a refresher lesson on whom to let into my club.”

Alice turned around and managed to swallow down a gasp. Standing there was one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen. Wearing a red PVC dress laced up the front with black string was a voluptuous woman who appeared to be in her forties. She led a muscular man by a leash. His head was shaved, his body chiseled, and his blue gaze on the floor.

“You find Alex here attractive?” The woman tugged on the lead and Alex dropped to his knees. “He’s a fine specimen for certain.”

“Yes he is. Ma’am.” Alice wasn’t exactly sure why she threw that onto the end of her sentence, but it felt right. Natural.

The woman cocked an eyebrow, her lips turning up into a smirk. “I see. What’s your name, my dear?”

Returning her gaze to the woman, Alice swallowed. “Alice.”

“Alice. How sweet.” The woman dropped Alex’s leash and crowded into Alice’s space. She wanted to step away, but the woman grabbed her by the chin, chasing all thoughts of escape far away. “What a pretty little thing you are.”

Before Alice could say a word the woman leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “They call me Mistress Red. Welcome to Wonderland, my dear.”

Chapter Five

Alice’s gasp had Mistress Red laughing. “Oh you are precious. So innocent.” Her fingernail scratched Alice’s skin as she ran it down her cheek. “Now how on earth did you find yourself here? Normally my bouncer would chase a little thing like you far away.”

“I was following someone.” She couldn’t remember to breathe. Her lungs screamed for air whenever Alice forgot, forcing her to suck in small gasps. “I saw him come in and I got curious.”

“I don’t think so. I pay Chester very well to keep the curious types far away from here. There’s something more to it than that for him to have let you in.”

The last thing she wanted to do was put Gael in jeopardy with the owner of the club. There might be some rule Alice was unaware of, some secret code that prevented them from mentioning Wonderland and what went on here. But another look at Mistress Red and Alice realized she had no choice but to speak the truth. The other woman was carrying a rather large whip, after all, and Alice had no doubt Mistress Red wasn’t afraid to use it.

“I was already coming this way when the guy ran into me. A coworker, actually. I don’t think he would appreciate me being here and seeing him like this. I should probably head out.”

Sharp nails dug into Alice’s arm when Mistress Red grabbed her forearm to halt her leaving. “His name.” She grinned in a way that wasn’t at all reassuring. “I assume it’s a man you’re interested in more than a friendship with, given how you haven’t checked out my breasts even once.”

As if trained to react to the prompt, Alice’s gaze slipped down and landed squarely on the woman’s cleavage.
Dammit.

“Gael Hernandez.” Alice closed her eyes, not only to save herself any further embarrassment of looking at another woman’s breasts—because what the hell was up with that—but to also hide from Mistress Red’s reaction to his name. “He’s one of the lawyers at the firm where I work. I saw him and two other men come this way and I—”

The rest of what Alice planned to say was cut short as Mistress Red jerked her to the side and then down the edge of the room to one of the bays at the back of the club. There was a desk in the middle with a large black leather chair behind it and a single wooden stool in front. Mistress Red deposited Alice on the stool before she took the seat behind the desk. Steepling her fingers and resting her elbows on the desk, the other woman glared at Alice.

“I’m sorry...” Alice laced her fingers together on her lap to try and stop herself from fidgeting, “Did I say something wrong?”

“Why are you here?”

Shit, she’d lost the playful edge to her tone. Alice was getting interrogated.

“I told you. I was out looking for a club where I could have a good time, meet some people.” There was no way in hell Alice was going to go into details about her intentions to get laid. “I was actually about to call a cab and go home when I saw Gael getting out of a limo with two other men. I got...curious.”

“I’m not going to give you any stupid platitudes about curiosity.” Mistress Red leaned forward, her gaze having grown cold as she stared at Alice. “But I want to be perfectly clear about one thing. This club is a place for people to play. I cater to a specific clientele, and Chester is normally the best bouncer I’ve ever employed. If you’re here to get dirt on Gael, trying to blackmail him into doing something, giving you perks at the office, then I suggest you march your lily-white ass out of my club right now.”

“I—”

“I’ve met bitches like you in the past. Think you can get whatever you want in life by forcing others to give shit up to you. Well that’s not going to happen here.” Mistress Red was on her feet, and for a moment, Alice thought the woman was going to hit her. “This is my club. My rules and my friends.”

“I’m sorry.” She hated how weak she sounded, how small she felt. Ever since she was a child, she’d found it hard to take when people yelled at her. Getting to her feet and doing her best to keep her legs from shaking, she started to back away from the desk. “I would never cause any problems for anyone. Least of all him. I’ll leave.”

Mistress Red also got to her feet, her arms crossed and her lips turned up into a sneer. “Good.”

Yet another colossal mistake to add to the pile she’d created in her life. She shouldn’t have tried this, attempted to reach out and live on the wild side. Maybe her mother had been right all these years, and Alice needed to look for a man with a nice simple job to settle down with. But before she could leave, she needed to resolve one final thing.

“For the record.” Forcing herself to meet Mistress Red’s gaze, Alice kept her tone even as she spoke.
Picture you’re talking to a selection committee.
“I would never do anything to hurt Gael. He’s been nothing but kind to me since he started working with the firm. When I saw him come in here tonight, I wanted to understand a bit more about the type of man he is. I...like him...and wanted to know if there was a chance for me to...be with him.” Alice turned to leave.

“Stop.”

Again, her body reacted without thought. Alice was too scared to turn back around and look. Thankfully, she didn’t have to. Mistress Red came back around the desk and stood beside Alice.

“Do you know what this place is?” Gone was the harsh edge to the Mistress’s voice.

Alice was finding it difficult to keep up with the changing situation. “It’s a sex club.”

“Close. We’re a BDSM club. Sometimes there is sex between partners, but not always. No one underage is allowed in, and no one who looks like they might not understand the lifestyle can enter. We do have an open door policy for anyone who is interested in learning more.”

Mistress Red took Alice by the chin once more, forcing her to meet her gaze. “I think I understand why Chess let you in.”

“You do?” She couldn’t stop the bubble of nervous laughter from escaping. “I’m glad one of us does.”

“Well, princess, it’s not actually about you. Our boy Gael needs to have a few things straightened out in his life.” She let Alice’s chin go and grinned. “Oh yes, this is going to be fun. I’ve changed my mind. Come with me, darling. Let me give you a little tour of my playground. You can decide what you like about it, and if you want to stay.”

With her mind reeling at the sudden change of events, Alice stumbled as Mistress Red took her by the hand once more and led her around the club. “I pride my club on its simplicity. There are other places in town that are more specialized, more gimmicky. Wonderland is about the fantasy, meeting others with similar interests and then disappearing to explore the dreams with your chosen playmates.”

“Like a speed dating bar?”

“A kinky one. We have the playrooms where people can try things out. Masters and students can work together on techniques. Dominants and submissives can be as they are in a public setting. It’s relaxing.”

“Submissives?” Alice’s gaze slipped to the men and women on their knees on the floor, splayed over laps, getting spanked and flogged. “They choose that?”

“Oh yes. They get off on having their Masters take control, push them to the limits of what their bodies can take, and then push them over.” Mistress Red leaned in and bit down on Alice’s earlobe. “A good Mistress can make her sub come
hard.
”

I’m not a lesbian.
I’m not even bi.
I’ve never been attracted to women
...

“Now, our boy Gael is not a sub.” She laughed as she tugged Alice in the direction of the stairs. “Can you imagine? It makes me want to fall down laughing with just the thought.”

No, of all the men of her acquaintance, Gael was the least submissive. It was one of the things that attracted her to him, that unwavering confidence and his ability to get everyone to do what needed to be done, regardless of the circumstances.

“So he’s a dominant. That means he likes to hit his partners?” It wasn’t something Alice would have ever considered. Gael, although not a soft man, never seemed to have any issues with women. If fact, whenever an abuse case would come in, he was the first to double-check to ensure the accused wasn’t guilty. If things didn’t look right, he’d fight against the firm taking the client on.

“Gael only hits people if that’s what they ask for. He’s a very conscientious bastard. This way, princess. Let’s go find our boy.”

Each stair up that Alice took, the more nervous she became. Although the thought of catching Gael’s attention had been the catalyst for her coming in here, now that she had a clear picture of what went on, Alice was beginning to believe this was an even bigger mistake than she’d originally realized. This was discovering a part of him that she had to imagine he wanted to keep as private as possible. How could she face him every day at the office now, knowing what he did after hours? It would be better if she disappeared now and he didn’t learn of her presence.

But as she crested the top of the stairs and Mistress Red tightened her grip on Alice’s arm, she realized it was too late for second guesses. The second level was another open-concept floor. A series of couches, beanbag pillows and benches were strategically placed around the area. Gael and the two men were sitting on three chairs all facing each other, close to where Alice and Mistress Red now stood.

There was a naked woman standing in the middle of the trio. The two men were running their hands over her hips, down her thighs and along her ass. One of them forced the woman to bend over and he gave her ass cheek a hard smack. Alice jumped at the sound, but couldn’t look away from the expression on the woman’s face.

Holy shit, she looked like she loved it.

Gael wasn’t looking at the woman or his friends. His gaze was roaming over the rest of the room and the various groups in different positions. He actually looked a little bored, as though he were being forced to sit through another rundown of corporate office procedures.

“Fun, fun, fun.” Mistress Red chuckled before she tugged at Alice once more, sending her stumbling after her.

Shit, this was such a bad idea. Gael must have sensed their approach, because he turned around to look at them before they got more than a few steps from the stairs. His gaze landed immediately on Alice. Everything seemed to freeze—every muscle in his body, her ability to pull air into her lungs, the sounds that filled the club—as time stretched taut. In that moment, all that existed were the depths of his brown eyes and the look of shock on his face. Then the world rushed back around her, sending her head spinning.

“Master Gael.” Mistress Red practically purred as she spoke. Alice was pulled beside the chair where he sat, forcing her to keep eye contact with him. “What a pleasure to see you once more. And you brought company. Hello, gentlemen.”

He closed his eyes, breaking the invisible hold he’d taken on her, and shifted his attention over to Mistress Red. “They’re friends of mine from out of town. I thought they would be more comfortable here than some of the other clubs.”

Mistress Red made a sexy humming noise and began to play with her hair. “You’re sweet to say so. But you don’t look like you’re having a good time yourself.”

“I was looking for something particular.”

“Interesting. May I ask what? I might have someone who can meet your needs downstairs.” Mistress Red put a hand to Alice’s shoulder and pushed down. “You know I’m always looking to pair the right people up.”

Her intent was clear—Alice knew what kind of man Gael was now. If she truly was interested in getting to know him more, she needed to play her part. A part that she didn’t fully understand. If he was a dominant, that meant he was looking for a submissive. Remembering the men and women downstairs on their knees, how they all seemed to have an air of contentment around them as they waited for...something, that was the sort of thing she needed to do for him.

She’d have to give up her hard-fought control. She’d have to trust that she wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

Without thinking too much about what this all meant, Alice dropped to her knees, keeping her eyes locked on Gael.

He didn’t look away from her. If anything it felt as though his eyes were able to see through to her soul. “It’s highly specialized. Honestly, I’d given up on the idea. Though I’m starting to think that there isn’t anything you can’t provide, Red.”

“You know me—I’m always trying to make my boys happy.” She patted Alice’s head. “Is there anything else I can get you gentlemen? Some restraints and a paddle perhaps?”

One of Gael’s friends grinned. “I think we are ready to go downstairs to one of your bays.” He squeezed the girl’s ass—hard. “A paddle is an excellent idea.”

“Come with me, boys. I’ll get you all set up.”

No one bothered to ask Gael or Alice if they were going to be joining them. In fact, Alice was fairly certain that neither man had even noticed her there on the floor. Or if they had, they didn’t care in the least about her opinion. It was almost like being back on the pageant trail. Say what the others expect you to say, not really what you think.

Once the group had gone downstairs, leaving them alone, she expected Gael to say something to her. Demand an explanation about why she was here. Have him give her a hard time about tracking him to the club, whether intentional or not. Anything. What she wasn’t expecting, and was honestly having a hard time dealing with, was this stretch of endless silence.

She hated the quiet. It was why the television was always on in her house. Her childhood had been a state of constant noise and chaos. Quiet normally meant her mother was in the bathroom, crying. That would lead to Alice being thrust into another series of child pageants, until the cycle spun around once more.

Being on her knees in front of Gael was turning out to be no exception. The urge to talk, ask him the thousand questions that were rolling through her mind—what was wrong, was he mad at her, should she leave—was overwhelming. But when she opened her mouth to do just that, he held up his finger and gave his head a hard shake.

“Not a fucking word. Not until I calm down.”

Shit. “It’s not what you think—”

“I said not a word. And don’t you dare move. You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”