Page 12 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 12

“V alerie, you’re needed on set,” Alex said.

“I’ll be there soon. I just need to find this damn script.” Valerie searched the papers on her desk, but it was nowhere to be found. “I must have left it in my other bag at home.”

“Do you want me to go get it?” her assistant asked.

“No, you have too much to do already. I’ll sort it out.”

Alex nodded and disappeared from her office. Valerie picked up her phone. At this time of day, Abby would be at home with Hazel. She could bring the script to her.

Valerie had never intended to give her tasks that were outside her job description. However, Abby had noticed how busy Valerie was and had offered to help her out when she could. Valerie had taken her up on the offer and had given her a generous bonus in return, ignoring Abby’s attempts to turn it down. She was so eager to please. So ready to serve.

That night in her bedroom had proved that a thousand times over.

Valerie let out a long, slow breath. She’d been steadfastly trying not to think about that night. The morning after had been like any other. And ever since, neither of them had spoken a single word about what happened. That was exactly what Valerie wanted, no, needed. She needed to pretend it hadn’t happened at all.

She dialed Abby’s number. It took a dozen rings for her to pick up.

“Hello Abby,” she said. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, it’s fine—Hazel, sweetie, let me get that for you.” There was a loud clatter at the other end of the line. “Sorry, Hazel’s a little restless today. We’re about to go for a walk. Did you need something?”

“Yes, actually. I left some important documents at home. They’re in my bag by the door. Can you bring it to me?”

“Sure, whatever you need. I bet Hazel will be excited to see you.”

“Good. I’ll be on set, but I’ll make sure security knows you’re coming. Thank you, Abby. I appreciate it.”

Valerie hung up the phone, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. Just hearing Abby’s voice sent her back to that night in her bedroom, that night when she truly saw Abby for the first time.

From the moment they met, Valerie had been inexorably drawn to her. Now she knew why. Abby tempted an innate part of herself that was embedded deep in her soul. And catching Abby in the throes of self-pleasure had made that part of her roar.

That part of herself? It was pure, unbridled need . A need for control. A need for obedience.

A need to see Abby on her knees.

Can I come for you?

Five words. Five simple words.

Had Abby known then that those words would make Valerie come undone?

* * *

“Cut!” the director yelled. “Okay everyone, let’s take ten.”

Chatter broke out as the crew scrambled to adjust the set and the actors and extras wandered off, pulling out phones that were incongruous with their period-accurate Regency clothing and hair. The director, a stout, middle-aged woman, marched over to Valerie.

“Thank god you’re here,” she said. “This morning was a disaster. If Jackie ruins one more take…”

She rattled off a list of complaints, most of which were about Jackie. Valerie assured her that she’d take care of it, but that did nothing to stop the director’s tirade.

Mercifully, Alex appeared nearby, glancing at her as if trying to catch her eye.

She cut the director off as politely as she could. “I hear you, and I’ll handle it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

As the director made herself scarce, Alex hurried over to Valerie. “Abby and Hazel are here.”

She nodded. “Bring them in.”

A moment later, Abby appeared at the entrance to the set, pushing Hazel in her stroller. As the toddler fidgeted with the visitor’s lanyard around her neck, Abby looked around in awe. Film and TV sets were nowhere near as glamorous behind the scenes, but there was a certain beauty in their chaos.

Abby wheeled Hazel over to her. “Valerie, hi.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Was that Jackie Jameson?”

“Yes, and she better be worth all the trouble she’s causing,” Valerie murmured. She leaned down, unbuckling Hazel from her stroller and picking her up. “Hi, sweetie. How has your morning been?”

But Hazel just nestled her head shyly in Valerie’s shoulder. There were too many people around.

She turned to Abby. “Do you have it?”

Abby nodded and unslung the tote bag from her shoulder. “Everything should be in there.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” Valerie handed Hazel to her and took the bag, pulling a folder from it and flipping through it.

But her relief soon disappeared.

“It isn’t here.” She cursed and began searching the bag. “Where the hell did I put it?”

“What’s the matter?” Abby asked.

“The script. I could have sworn it was in here.” Valerie pinched the bridge of her nose. “I must have left it on my desk in my study.”

“Do you want me to go back and have a look for it for you?”

“I can’t ask that of you. You’ve done enough already.”

“It’s no trouble. I don’t mind.”

Valerie kept her study locked for a reason. But she needed that script today. She had no choice but to trust that Abby wouldn’t snoop.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll write down the title for you so you know what you’re looking for. I need some paper.”

She looked around until she found her assistant, who jumped to attention and came rushing over. At Valerie’s request, he took a notepad and pen from his pocket and handed them to her before scurrying off again.

“Here.” She scribbled the script’s title on a blank page, then ripped it out and handed it to Abby. “I wrote down the code for the door too. If the script isn’t on my desk, you’ll have to look around for it.”

“Got it. Want me to?—”

“Valerie?” A woman’s voice cut through the air, loud and crisp. “Valerie, darling, is that you?”

She tensed and turned around. A woman strode toward them, tall and slender, with olive skin, raven black hair, and an air of elegance. She paid no mind to the people scattered around. The people, on the other hand? They were entranced.

It was exactly that charisma that had propelled her to fame. To everyone else, she was actor and Hollywood darling Francesca Moreno.

To Valerie? She was her ex-wife.

Francesca stopped before her. “Hello, Val. It’s so good to see you.”

Valerie crossed her arms. “What are you doing here?”

“Why, I’m working, of course. I’m shooting my next film nearby. Did you hear? I’m starring in Martin’s new picture. Rather, it was written for me. Marty thinks it’s a real Oscar contender.”

“How wonderful for you,” Valerie said flatly. “What are you doing on my set?”

“What do you think? I came to see you.” Francesca flashed her a smile. “It’s been so long since we’ve spoken. I just wanted to talk to my wife in person.”

“ Ex -wife,” Valerie corrected.

Beside her, Abby shifted Hazel from one hip to the other. Valerie had been so focused on Francesca that she’d almost forgotten they were there. She couldn’t let her ex set her sights on either of them.

“Abby, take Hazel back to the house and look for that script, will you?”

Abby nodded. “Sure, I’ll just?—”

“Leave Hazel here,” Francesca interrupted. “I want to see her.”

“No,” Valerie said. “Absolutely not .”

“But Valerie.” Francesca brought her hand to her chest, projecting her voice to carry across the set. “You wouldn’t deny a mother a chance to see her daughter, would you?”

Valerie spoke through gritted teeth. “Hazel—” She looked around. Everyone in the room was pointedly avoiding looking in their direction, but Valerie didn’t miss the murmurs and whispers that rose from the crowd.

She held back a curse. This was exactly what Francesca wanted. And Valerie had no choice but to play along.

For now.

“ Fine ,” Valerie said. “Abby, leave Hazel with me. You can pick her up when you come back with the script.”

Abby glanced from Valerie to Francesca and back again. “Uh, sure.” She handed Hazel over. “I’ll be right back.”

As she turned and walked away, Francesca flashed Valerie another smile.

“Now, where were we? Ah, yes, Hazel.” She leaned down, her face level with the toddler’s. “Hello there, Hazel. You’ve gotten so big.”

Hazel clung harder to Valerie, burying her head in her mother’s chest.

Francesca scowled. “What’s her problem?”

“She can tell when a stranger can’t be trusted,” Valerie said.

“Still as sharp-tongued as ever, I see.”

Valerie ignored the barb. “You want to talk? Let’s talk. But not here.”

She buckled Hazel into her stroller and marched off the set, Francesca following close behind her, until they were out of earshot of anyone else. Depriving her of an audience meant she had no one to manipulate.

But that didn’t stop her from trying.

She twirled a lock of her hair around a finger. “Eager to get me alone, are you?”

“What do you want?” Valerie said.

“Straight to the point, I see. You always did like to play the ice-cold bitch, didn’t you?”

“I’m not doing this with you, so cut the bullshit. You’re not here to see Hazel. So just tell me what you want.”

“I don’t know what you mean. I can’t come by for no reason other than to see you both?”

Anyone else would have believed her. Francesca was a star for a reason. She knew how to put on a show. She knew how to tug at her audience’s heartstrings. She knew exactly what to say, to do, to charm whoever she wanted.

But Valerie knew her better than anyone.

“ Enough ,” she said. “These games of yours? They don’t work on me. So drop the act and tell me why you’re really here.”

“All right.” Francesca crossed her arms. “You want the truth? I’ve already given it to you. I came here because I want to talk to you. You refuse to pick up my calls. You refuse to respond to my messages. What choice do I have but to come see you face to face? And I wasn’t lying about wanting to see my daughter.”

“She’s not your daughter. She never has been. We divorced before she was even in the picture. You have no claim over her.” Valerie had made sure of that before Hazel was conceived. She’d cleared it with her lawyers and had started over at a new IVF clinic to eliminate any doubt.

“But she was meant to be ours . We were meant to have her together. I wanted to stay. I wanted to work things out. I wanted a family with you.”

“We both know that’s not true. Or have you actually started to believe your own lies? You never wanted a child. You wanted an accessory to show off to the cameras.” That realization had been the straw that broke their relationship.

No, it had been broken long before then.

“You’ve only ever thought of other people as pawns for you to use to your advantage. Even now, you’re using Hazel as a pawn to get to me.” Valerie gestured toward the set. “All those people? They don’t know that she isn’t yours. You knew I couldn’t say no to letting you spend time with her in front of everyone without looking like a monster.” It took all of Valerie’s willpower to keep her voice calm so she wouldn’t upset Hazel. “You have some nerve.”

“I’d never?—”

“I’m done entertaining you. You need to leave.”

Francesca scoffed. “ You’re making demands of me ? After everything you did to me?”

“ Leave, ” Valerie repeated. “Or I’ll call security and have you thrown out.”

“Honestly, Val. Do you really think that’s going to work? I’m a star, darling. The goons in security wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me.”

Valerie put her hands on her hips. “Let’s find out if that’s true, shall we?”

Silence fell over them. Francesca held Valerie’s gaze.

But only for a moment.

“All right,” Francesca said. “I’ll leave. But you’re going to wish you’d listened to what I have to say. You’re going to?—”

“ Leave, now.” Valerie leaned in close, dropping her voice to a firm whisper. “And if you ever use Hazel to manipulate me again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“All right, all right. I’m leaving.”

Valerie didn’t take her eyes off Francesca until she was out of view. As she took a deep breath to settle her anger, she noticed Alex nearby, trying his best to look as if he hadn’t been listening.

“Yes, Alex?” she said.

He scurried over to her. “It’s just, well… it’s Jackie. Her girlfriend called, and they started fighting, so she locked herself in her trailer and won’t come out.”

“I swear to—” Valerie let out an exasperated sigh. It had been a long day. It was only mid-afternoon, but they’d started filming early in the morning. The crew was exhausted. The director was losing her patience. Everyone needed a break.

She needed a break.

“Let’s call it a day,” she said. “Tell everyone to go home. We’ll start again tomorrow. And tell Jackie if she’s not on set first thing in the morning, I’ll kill off her character and replace her with someone who knows how to behave like an adult!”

Alex nodded. “Understood.”

As he headed back to the set, Valerie peered into Hazel’s stroller. She was due for her afternoon nap, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Looks like it’s time to go home.” She drew her fingers through Hazel’s baby-soft curls. “I’ll let Abby know we’re on our way.”

Abby. Sweet Abby. She’d be waiting for them at home, eager and ready to serve as always. And as always, Valerie would suppress her attraction to her, ignore the chemistry between them.

But it was becoming harder and harder to resist.

All it would take was a word, and Abby would be so much more than just her nanny. Abby wanted to be hers. She yearned for it. It only made Valerie want her more.

And her resistance was starting to crumble.