She defiantly popped it into her mouth and chewed. Honey, she’d been right about that much. Honey and pecans and cream cheese on a tasty little cracker. Yum.
She licked her lips and cleaned her teeth off with her tongue, looking at the other note.
The honey was still so sweet and bright in her mouth she hated to wash it away with wine. She’d never been much of a drinker.
Of course, she would drink it anyway, if that’s what Wade wanted her to do. She smiled and took a slow turn around the room, looking up at the red and white stripes of the fabric hung from the ceiling. It didn’t really look anything like it, but it made her think of Wade’s ‘Sanctuary.’ It had the same feel, the same vibe. The thought made her flush with warmth. The anticipation she’d been feeling upon getting Wade’s phone call returned as her fingers brushed the smooth, dark walls, her bare feet cold on the stone floor, wondering what came next. She probably should have been afraid—she knew Maddie would have been terrified—but she wasn’t. She trusted Wade, and he had brought her here.
Did he, Alice? Are you sure? Maddie’s imagined voice made her stop and cock her head like a dog listening for its master. Wade has always come for you himself in his own car. He takes you to his place, or maybe out to a club. But he’s never sent a driver, and he didn’t tell you about this place, whatever it is. And by the way, what is it exactly?
All of that was true, but it didn’t mean anything. Besides, strange drivers didn’t just show up unannounced on people’s doorsteps to take them to unfamiliar places in the middle of the night for no reason. She was sure someone had paid him. That Wade had hired him. What other explanation was there?
She didn’t have any more time to ponder the question because a door burst open behind her out of nowhere. Alice’s heart leapt, but when she saw her visitor wasn’t Wade, her belly clenched with fear. The man who entered was a mountain, dressed in a red velvet robe from head to toe, all trimmed in silver. He also wore a silver crown that sat cockeyed on his head. He smiled at her though-that was encouraging. Perhaps he was here to take her to Wade.
“Alice in Wonderland.” The man laughed, delighted, and took her hand. She watched, bemused, as he lifted it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. He had a mustache that tickled her. She was so involved she missed the other figure standing behind him until she spoke.
The woman was similarly dressed, all in red with silver trimmings and a crown, but she wore far less material. Her corset was red with silver lacings, but it ended below her heavy breasts, pushing them upward. The bottom of the thing was open as well, showing the shaved swell of her mound. The outfit was covered by a red lace peignoir that hung open to reveal her lush body.
Alice saw the woman’s sharp look and slowly withdrew the hand the man was still holding. She didn’t know who they were, but they were clearly together, and the older woman didn’t seem to like the attention the man was paying young Alice.
“You curtsy before the Red King, my dear, or you’ll lose your head.” The woman’s lips were as red as her outfit as they stretched into a slow, sly smile.
“I didn’t know,” Alice said by way of apology, awkwardly approximating a curtsey before the king. An idea struck her and she turned to the woman, curtsying even lower before her. “Then you must be the Red Queen.”
It was simple deduction but the queen seemed pleased as Alice rose again, looking between them both. Clearly this was some sort of game, a scene being played out. She’d been to enough BDSM clubs with Wade to know what they looked like, how it all worked. But where was Wade?
“Come child, it’s time to play our game.” The Red King moved so quickly Alice wondered at his speed, given the man’s bulk. He was more executioner than king, at least in size, but he moved as swiftly as a cat, and before she knew what was happening, her dress and wrap had been slipped from her shoulders to a puddle on the floor and leather manacles were attached to each wrist and ankle. They were secured to the floor with a silver length of cord as thin as thread, but when Alice pulled on them, they held fast.
Then the floor began to rise.
Panicked, Alice tried to jump off the dias but the restraints tightened and kept her in place. The Red King jumped up onto the platform beside her as it rose, but the Red Queen stayed below. Alice let him hold onto her, afraid of heights as she was. They were four feet in the air now, on a round raised section of floor.
“Don’t be afraid.” The king breathed his words, warm against her neck, and it made her shiver. “This is only a test.”
Alice relaxed almost immediately. Of course. Wade had created this scenario to test her. But why? How? And what should her response be? Already she could feel the king’s strong hands squeezing her upper arms, the way he held her naked body back against his robed one. He had intentions. But were those Wade’s intentions?
“Transmission!” The queen called out from below and Alice gasped when something flickered across the room against the black wall, a faint glow growing in the dimness. She stared as a picture began to take shape and when she recognized it, she whimpered in response.
“Alice, you have been chosen.” Wade’s words were spoken with a smile. “If you pass this test, you and I will be together. Forever.” The words made her belly clench, her heart race. She knew very well how phobic Wade was about commitment. At the beginning, Alice had talked about marriage and children and houses in the suburbs, but Wade’s silence on the subject had quieted her too. She’d learned to let him go at his own pace. You couldn’t push a man like Wade.
So she had waited and hoped. There had been times, especially with Maddie’s voice in her head, that she’d considered breaking it off. But Wade had a way of keeping her coming back for more, yet always leaving her wanting, just a little.
“Kitten…” His pet name for her. She melted at the word, at the almost shy look on his handsome face. “All you have to do is say yes.” If this was it-well, it was a hell of a marriage proposal. Strange and distant and yet sweet and exciting, just like Wade. Alice felt tears stinging her eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.”
Behind her, the Red King chuckled.
Then the picture went back to black, and the Red Queen cried out, “Consent! We have consent!”
“Wait—” Alice struggled. She’d almost forgotten her restraints, that the king was still holding her in the bulk of his arms.
“No time for that now.” The king stomped hard on the floor with one foot and Alice felt things began to change beneath her. The floor itself was moving. No, it was softening, melting, turning into some other substance. She expected to look down and see herself covered in some sort of goo, but the stuff was solid and it cushioned her feet. It was strange, impossible, but true.
The king let her go and she stood, still manacled, in the middle of the dias. He walked around the edge of it, studying her naked body. Alice flushed and went to cover herself, but the instant she even thought about it, the leads on her restraints tightened and prevented the motion.
“I need to go home.” Alice saw the Red King flash by out of the corner of her eye.