The Kinky Side Scrooge of Scrooge (13 page)

Chapter Twenty Three
             

In his study, Alec stared at the door, for a few moments feeling a strange sensation on his chest. She was leaving him, again. Well, surely it was the best. She was starting to demand more than he was willing to give.

He poured a scotch and drank it of a single sip, pouring another one right away. He walked to the widow and looked out, just in time to see her car disappear into the street. He closed his eyes for a second, forcing himself to believe this was for the best. He sipped the drink he was holding in his hand, feeling the burning from the scotch down his throat.

He had to keep busy. So he decided to go to work and forget all about it. After all she was right, he would find another submissive in a split second.

He returned to the house late at night, still feeling like shit. He had been drinking the whole day, and not even alcohol had given him the numbness he was looking for. The weight in his chest didn’t go away, by the contrary, it only grew heavier and heavier as the day went by.

The moment he entered the house, a deep silence was the only thing that greeted him, so he went straight to his study, decided to keep drinking. He wanted to forget. Just for today. He hadn’t been able to take her words out of his mind, playing them in his head over and over.

With the bottle in his hand he threw himself over the chaise longue near the window and, just drank himself to sleep.

Alec felt a kick in his hip and the next thing he knew he was landing on the floor, tripping with the empty bottle of scotch.

“What the fuck…?”

“Are you planning on sleeping while your life goes down the drain?” a male voice sounded from behind him.

Still on the floor, feeling a thousand stabs in his head, Alec turned to see who was there. A man, around his age, dressed in black leather, heavy boots and holding a leather paddle in his hands.

“Who the hell are you?” he muttered, slowly getting up.

“I would say that by now you should know the answer to that. Is your memory that bad?” he mocked him, rudely.

“I’m not in the mood for this, so take a hike.” He retorted, lying down on the chaise longue again and closing his eyes.

Another kick knocked him into the floor.

“Get up, although I agree with the redheaded, that you don’t deserve a second chance, it’s my job, and I always do my job.” He shouted, sounding like damn staff argent, making his head ache so much it seemed to be ready to explode.

“Ok, let’s get over it. I want to get back to sleep in peace.” He stammered through gritted teeth, getting up and facing the man.

“Do you really believe you’ll be able to have another night of peaceful sleep in your life?” the other man asked mocking him. “Tell me, did you father find peace when your mother gave up on him?”

“Don’t mention my father.” He threatened, closing his hands into tight fists.

“Or what? I’ll mention him as much as I want, because he’s the one to blame for you being the cold, arrogant badass you are.”  The spirit replied. “His coldness, his indifference was the responsible for your mother’s departure. She got tired of being miserable, of feeling less important than a rug.”

“She left because she didn’t love us.” Alec shouted.

“Of course she did, especially you. But you turned your back on her, too stubborn to listen to her. And you’re doing the same again. You know why Katherine’s words sounded too familiar to you? Because you heard them on your mother’s mouth fourteen years ago, the day she left your father.”

Alec rubbed his face, controlling his urgent desire to knock out the man in front of him. He didn’t want to hear this, he didn’t want to accept the truth in his words, because he didn’t want to admit he had just destroyed the best thing that had ever happened in his life.

“Let’s take a look at the brilliant future you have assured yourself.” The man said, taking him by his elbow and throwing him into a wild swirl that almost made him throw up, when they finally came to a stop.

They were at the club. The place had the usual crowd, but seated at a table, old, with a bitter grin on his face was a man that he recognized as himself. He was alone, and looking at him he was sure he had been alone for a long time.

“Look at you!” the spirit’s voice sounded scornful. “You don’t even bother trying to find someone to warm your bed for a few hours. You know it’s useless. You’re so bitter no one even tries to talk to you. You no longer have friends and your employees only stick around you the minimum time possible.”

Alec crossed his arms over his chest and tightened his lips, and didn’t utter a single word.

“Now, let’s take a look a James’ future. According to you, he must be as miserable as you.” The spirit said, taking him to another spin. They arrived to James’s house. It was Christmas, and the house was decorated with colorful lights and even a huge Santa’s sleigh, over the roof. The main door opened up and an older James came out dragging an older Hannah outside.

“See, this year there are no flaws.” He was saying to a mesmerized Hannah, holding her close to his chest.

“Oh, Sir, it’s so beautiful. The kids will love it!” she whispered, delighted.

“The only one that matters for me is you, pet. You’re the owner of my heart, and the keeper of my soul.” He said between kisses.

“Oh, yes, I can see it clearly. The man couldn’t be more miserable.” the spirit said, contemptuous. “The woman, you thought only wanted him for his money, is still beside him, thirty years later, and still loves him as much as she did on day one.”

“I’m happy for him.” Alec said coldly. And he was, but he was also sorry for losing his friend, for not believing in him. At the end, he seemed to be a better judge of character than he was.

The spirit shook his head with despair. “No wonder you ended up alone. A dead fish has more emotions than you.” He retorted. “Let’s take a look at the woman you destroyed a few hours ago.” He added, taking him inside the turmoil again.

They landed on a grave yard, in front of a recent grave, still bearing no name.

“She died?” Alec turned to the spirit, grabbing him by the lapels of the jacket he was wearing, his voice hoarse from the bulge on his throat, and the crashing weight in his chest.

“Why do you care? After all she was just a fuck toy to you. I’m sure that by now, you don’t even remember her.” The punch landed on his face throwing him a couple of feet away. The spirit slowly got up, rubbing his chin. “I’m just using your own words to describe her.”

“Shut up. Just shut up.” Alec threatened. “Where is she? What happened to her?” the dream didn’t look like a dream anymore, and desperation was lodging in him like a weed.

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t lie there. That’s the grave of her dreams and hopes.” The spirit admitted with a sneering smile. “She resigned to BDSM, and never found someone to share her life with. She dedicates her life to her work.” He made Alec turn around in time to see Katherine strolling through the park near her house. She looked older, but she still had the power to warm his heart, and arouse his body. She still looked amazing.

“Are you done?” he asked the spirit, turning to face him.

“I just have a few questions for you: is saving your heart from a remote possibility of getting hurt worth the price of losing her? Is your stubbornness worth losing the love and respect of a man you care for, more than if he was your brother? Is your misdirected loyalty to your father worth losing the opportunity to fix things with your mother and enjoying her last years?” every word felt like a dagger directed to his heart.

“What do you want from me? To admit that I screwed everything? Yes, I did. I let fear from getting hurt to lead my actions. But now it’s too late!” he shouted, his words pouring all his pain and regret.

The spirit led him through an even wilder swirl to make him end up back in his study. This time it was impossible to Alec to keep the contents of his stomach and he was only able to reach for the paper bin next to his desk, before he threw up violently. He had drunk way too much.

“Feeling better now?” the man asked, mocking him.

Alec looked up to him, with a murderer shine in his eyes. “I’m sure you’ve done your job, so get lost.” He got up and faced the other man.

“All this time you’ve missed the point to these visits. We haven’t gone through all this trouble just to rub your mistakes in your nose. Someone up there thinks you deserve another chance to rectify, to change your life.” The spirit pointed out. “The future isn’t written yet, but only you can change it, only you can make it different. On his visit to you, your father asked you to open your heart and mind, to avoid committing the mistakes he committed.”

Alec looked at him, still filled with doubts, still afraid.

“Man, are you sure you’re a Master? Because you resemble more to a chicken to me. Man up, damn it.” The man poked him, furious.

Alec lunged at the other man, but only managed to land on the floor, after the spirit disappeared into thin air, the echo of his laughter lingering behind him.

Chapter Twenty Four
             

Alec got up and walked to the window. This time he wasn’t able to convince himself that it all had been just a dream.

He was wide awake, and for the first time in years he let hope to creep back to his heart and light up a tiny light.

At least he had to try. And he was starting from the beginning.

He grabbed his cell phone and called Jack.

“I need a favor.”

“You still owe me one from last time.” The other man laughed.

“I’ll pay them, no matter what.”

“Wow that must be big.”

“Can you please send me my mother’s address?” though he had refused to talk to her ever since the day she left, he had always had someone checking on her for him, making sure she didn’t need anything.

“On its way. But that’s not the favor you want.” Jack could read him well. They had known each other for years now, and as they say, it takes a loner to know one.

“When you looked for Katherine for me, did you get a lot of information about her?”

“You know me, thorough should be my second name.” Jack admitted. He always digs all he could on everyone. “I have a whole file on her, but it’s a very boring one.”

“Do you know where her parents live?”

“Of course. Sending that information too. Need company?”

“Thank you, I need to do this on my own.” Alec answered, rubbing his face. He needed a shower first, though.

“As you wish.”

“Wait, maybe there’s a place I could use your assistance.” Alec remembered Lucy, Katherine’s best friend. He felt he owed her an apology.

“Just name it.”

“I need to find Lucy, Katherine’s best friend, and I’m sure I’ll need moral support when I meet her.”

“I’ll send you her whereabouts as soon as I find them. We’ll meet there.”

“Perfect, Jack, thank you.” He ended the call and went straight to the shower. He got dressed, packed a few clothes, hurriedly, and before he left, he went to her room to pick up her collars. Somehow, having them made him feel hopeful.

He grabbed his SUV from the garage and entered his mother’s address to the GPS system. In less than thirty minutes he was parking his car in front of a small house. Its gardens looked beautiful despite the winter cold.

It took him a great deal of courage to hop out of the car and stand in the sidewalk. All of a sudden, the front door opened up and his mother came out, almost running towards him. She stopped a couple of steps away from him.

“Alec…” she whispered, and he could see in her eyes all the love, the hope and just how much she had missed him.

He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms, holding her tight to him, his nostrils being invaded by the familiar perfume of roses his mother had always worn.

“I’m sorry…” he started to say but his mother rested a finger over his lips.

“Let’s not waste time in useless excuses or explanations. You’re here now and that’s all that matters.” She dragged him inside the house, and they spent a next two hours updating the news of their lives. “Your friend Jack keeps me updated, actually. He seems to enjoy my chocolate cake, so we spend a nice time together.” Her mother informed him.

“Jack comes personally?” that surprised him, but not as much as it should have.

“Yes, he has become a good friend.”

“I’m glad to hear it, mom.”

After a little while he said goodbye to his mother promising to come back soon, and headed to the address Jack had sent him.

He parked the car in front of a park, near a few office buildings. Jack was already there waiting for him.

“Thank you.” Alec said when he met him at the entrance.

Jack seemed to know exactly what he meant, because he just shrugged. “She’s having lunch at the park and she’s alone.”

“Let’s go then.”

The two men walked in silence until they found a lovely brunette sitting in a bench, eating a sandwich while talking over the phone with someone.

“I’ll kill him for you. You just need to tell me where I can find him.” She was saying when they stopped in front of her. She looked up, and her eyes shined in recognition. “Never mind, I’ll call you later.” She ended the call, setting the phone carefully inside her purse, and putting down her sandwich. “I must say you have guts.” She said, staring directly at Alec.

“Before you kill me, can I convince you to listen to me fort a couple of minutes?” he asked, with a self-deprecating grin. 

“Well, I always say everybody is entitled to their last words, so choose yours carefully.” Her tone showed all the disdain she felt for him.

Jack, beside him, chuckled amused with the woman’s belligerence, getting elbowed by Alec.

“Even if it takes me the rest of my life, I’m going to solve things with Katherine and I’ll make her the happiest woman on earth.” He told, exposing his heart. “But before I go up north to meet her, and beg her forgiveness, I thought I owed you an apology. I should have accepted you invitation on Thanks Giving, and only my stubbornness stopped me from doing it. I’m aware you’re Katherine’s best friend and a very important person in her life, and that’s why I’m here.”

Lucy looked at him in silence for a couple of minutes, and Alec could feel the tension between them as thick and heavy as it could be.

“You just bought yourself a temporary pardon on your sentence. Don’t hurt her even more or I swear I’ll make sure your life is a living hell.” She finally said, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Thank you, I promise I’ll only live to make her happy.” He vowed. “I know I don’t deserve your favor, but can I ask you something? Don’t tell her I’m going there. I don’t want her to run away from me.”

“I won’t, but not for you, for her, so don’t make me regret it.” She warned him.

“I assure you I won’t.” he promised her, planting a smacking kiss on her cheeks, and leaving the park.

“Wow, that’s quite a little caldron.” James whistled surprised.

“You have to meet Katherine. I compared her with Katherine from
Taming the Shrew
, even before I knew her name was Katherine.” Alec told his friend with a nostalgic smile. Despite his words to Lucy he feared his meeting with Katherine. He was afraid he had been able to kill any feelings she might have had for him, but he had one more thing to do before he went to meet her. He had to find James and Hannah. "Thank you for coming with me. You can tab that as body guard work." He chuckled, but deep inside he knew Lucy had all the right in the world to be mad at him.

"Always a pleasure working for you." Jack said saying good bye.

Alec looked at his watch. It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. James should be about to get home, so he decided to wait for him at his place. He drove there and waited parked in front of the house.

When he saw his car pulling in his drive way he hopped out of his car and strode to meet him before he entered the house.

"James." He called him when he got close enough.

The other man stopped and turned around surprised. When he confirmed it really was Alec walking towards him, his expression changed and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"This is a surprise. What happened? Did I leave any debt at the club?" he asked in an icy tone.

"What?" Alec asked, a bit lost. "No, I'm not here to talk about the club." He clarified.

"Then I can't think of any other reason to explain your presence in my house."

Alec could sense all the pain James had in storage, through each of his words. "I'm aware that I lost all rights to visit you in your house, and I can't say I blame you. I'm leaving up north to spend Christmas, but I couldn’t leave without apologizing to you and Hannah." He explained, decided to put his heart out to convince James he was sincere. "Ever since my mother left my father, and a few other women left me, I tagged all women as gold diggers, unworthy of trust and obviously undeserving of love. Hannah wasn’t the exception, and if you add that to the fact I feared I would lose your friendship, she became the target of all my hatred." He sighed, and moved uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to expose his feelings that way and he was having a hard time doing it. Add that to James' tense silence, and he was more than ready to flee the place. "I realized I was acting as real bastard and that you two really love each other."

James snorted. "What made you have this sudden epiphany?"

"Falling in love with my other half, the keeper of my soul." He answered, putting into words for the first time his feelings for Katherine. "Listen, I don’t expect you to forgive me for all the bad times I made you go through. I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and that my club will always welcome you and your wife. And, I'm really happy for your baby."

"Since I wasn’t the most aggravated person in all this, I believe you should apologize as well to Hannah." James replied, walking towards the door without waiting for Alec's answer.

He opened the door and Hannah was waiting for them a few feet from the door, obviously ready to receive her master, but without knowing how to act in presence of Alec.

"Hannah, Alec wants to talk to you, and I decided to let him do it." James explained his wife.

Hannah looked at Alec, all her rage shining in her eyes. "I have no idea what he might want to say to me, Sir."

"Like I already told James I just want to apologize to both of you for my past behavior. I know I hurt you both and I'll never be able to show you two just how sorry I am." He said, locking his eyes in hers, letting his soul show itself to her. He wanted to make sure they couldn’t doubt he was been truthful.

"Do we owe this change of heart to your new submissive?" she asked, with a different shine in her eyes.

"Yes, she made me realize just how fucked up I've been most of my life." He recognized. "I know I was especially rude with you, and I'm sorry for that. I just wanted you to know that." He added. "I won't take more of your time. I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you back at the club, whenever you feel like going back."

"Can't you stay for dinner?" Hannah asked, and Alec looked at her surprised and then looked at James. His friend had his usual broad smile captured in his face.

"I would love to, believe me, but I want to get to Katherine tonight." And he was being honest. Seeing James back to his old self had taken a huge weight from his chest. "If I manage to get her back, we'll be celebrating New Year's Eve and I would love to see you guys there."

"I'm sure you'll get her back. Just show her your heart." Hannah, advised him and with a self-deprecating smile he nodded.

He said goodbye and left.