Page 15 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)
CHAPTER 15
V alerie shut Hazel’s bedroom door. It was late in the evening, and she’d spent the better part of an hour getting her daughter to sleep. Just one more book had turned into three, an indulgence Valerie rarely allowed.
But she’d broken all the rules today already.
She went into her bedroom and picked up her phone from her nightstand. She had a dozen missed calls and messages, all from the last hour. Was there an emergency at work?
She unlocked her phone and scrolled through her notifications. The calls and messages? All were from Francesca.
I’m sorry about today. I just wanted to see you.
I’ve been thinking about you lately. About the way things ended between us.
Why won’t you answer me? I just want to talk to you.
Answer the phone, Valerie.
Stop ignoring me.
She dismissed the messages. Francesca was becoming a problem. Valerie needed to deal with her.
But right now, she had something more important to do.
She made her way to Abby’s bedroom and knocked on the door. “It’s Valerie. Can we talk?”
This time, she waited for Abby to give her a clear answer. “Come in.”
Valerie opened the door and entered the room. Inside, Abby sat on her bed, her legs crossed and a book face-down beside her. Her hair was loose, and she was dressed in a thin cotton tank top and a pair of pajama shorts that left little to the imagination. But that didn’t stop Valerie’s imagination running to wicked places.
Just one word and I could have her on her knees again. But they had already gone too far today, much further than Valerie should have allowed without prior discussion and negotiation. That was a rule she enforced even with the most experienced of submissives.
It couldn’t happen again. No, if they were going to do this, they needed to do it right.
She shut the door behind her. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all.” Abby grabbed a bookmark and slipped it into her book, then set it on top of the stack of books on her nightstand.
“That’s quite the collection,” Valerie said. “You like to read?”
Abby nodded. “Always have. Books were a big escape for me growing up. Actually, that’s why I ended up in your… room.” She averted her gaze. “I got a little excited when I saw all those books. I wanted a closer look. But I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snooped.”
“Yes, well, clearly we both need to stop marching into rooms uninvited.”
A blush spread across Abby’s chest and up her cheeks. Was she, too, remembering the last time Valerie had come into her room?
“So, um, I didn’t find that script in the end,” Abby said.
“Oh, that? It was in the car wedged beside the seat. It must have fallen out of my bag. But that’s not why I’m here.” Valerie sat down at the end of the bed. “It’s time we talked about what happened today.”
“Right. Look, I know you’re going to say that you’re my boss, so we can’t get involved, but I want this. I?—”
Valerie held up her hand. “That’s not what I was going to say. But you’re right. Yes, I’m your boss. Yes, this goes against everything I stand for. Yes, my life is complicated enough already.” Saying it out loud was almost enough to change her mind.
Almost.
“But there’s no denying what’s between us. And we both have something to offer each other. Something we both want.” She locked eyes with Abby. “I want a sub. And you clearly need a Domme.”
Abby’s lips parted silently. Those lips? They begged to be kissed. And her body begged for so much more.
“Well? What do you have to say to that?” Valerie drew a hand along Abby’s thigh. “Don’t keep Madame V waiting.”
“You’re…” Abby glanced away before looking up at her again. “You’re not wrong. I’ve been a submissive for as long as I remember, even before I knew what that meant. But I’ve never had a Domme of my own. I’ve had casual play partners and one-off things, but that’s it.”
“I suspected as much. I could tell that you know who and what you are, but you’ve never had someone truly tame you the way you want to be tamed.”
Abby bit her lip. Was she imagining just that? Because Valerie was.
Abby tucked her legs to one side. “I guess that’s true. That’s what I’ve always wanted. But not with just anyone. I want it to be someone I have a real connection with. Someone who I can just be myself with. Someone I can feel safe with.”
“It’s only natural to want that. Submission puts you in a vulnerable place. Trust between a Domme and her sub is paramount. And it’s my job to make you feel safe, all right?”
Abby nodded.
“So what I need to know is what you like, and what you don’t like. What are your limits? What are you comfortable with?”
“Well, hard limits are anything that falls under edgeplay. Degradation too. I’m okay with discipline, dirty talk, things like that. But I don’t like being humiliated. I don’t like being made to feel worthless.”
“I hear you. And you should know, that’s not my style. While discipline has its place, I treat any submissive of mine like the precious treasure she is.” Valerie traced her fingers up the front of Abby’s thigh. “In exchange for her devotion, of course.”
Abby quivered. Valerie felt a pang of satisfaction.
“What else?” she asked.
“That’s pretty much it. Other than that, I’m up for most things. Bondage, impact play, toys.” Abby paused. “Except for maybe anal? I guess you could say it’s a soft limit. It’s a little intimidating. I’ve never felt comfortable enough with anyone to try it, you know?”
Valerie squeezed Abby’s thigh gently. “I understand. Is there anything else?”
Abby shook her head. “That’s it.”
“All right. So those are your limits. But you haven’t told me much about what you like. I want to know what really excites you. What thrills you.”
Abby hesitated. “There’s nothing in particular. Besides, that’s part of the thrill of it for me. You know, experimenting, trying new things. Letting someone else take control and make those decisions for me.”
Valerie studied Abby’s face. What aren’t you telling me? What secret desires do you harbor?
But now wasn’t the time to push her. “That’s what I enjoy the most too. Delving deep into my submissive’s desires, exploring the parts of her she’s never explored before. Pushing her to challenge her boundaries, her beliefs about herself and what she’s capable of. It requires a certain amount of intimacy and trust.”
“That sounds… intense,” Abby said.
“It is. But the rewards are greater than you can imagine.” Valerie took her hand. “Just know that I will never push you further than you can handle. And ultimately, it must be you who chooses to step across that line. Your power is yours to give. I can only take it if you offer it to me willingly.”
“I understand. And I don’t mind you pushing me a little.”
Valerie took Abby’s chin in her fingers. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
Valerie kissed her gently. But as Abby deepened the kiss, Valerie drew back.
“We can’t,” she said. “I have an early start tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Abby peered up at her from under her eyelashes. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
“Not unless you want to stand before the investors I’m meeting with tomorrow and explain to them why I’m late in intimate detail.”
Abby sighed. “Okay.”
Valerie caressed her cheek. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get to have our fun soon enough. After all, I need to punish you for going into that hidden room of mine without permission.”
Abby’s face flushed crimson. That will give her something to think about while she lies in bed tonight.
“But until then, I’m your boss, and you’re my nanny,” Valerie said. “And nothing else. Especially around Hazel, understand?”
Abby nodded. “I understand.”
Valerie squeezed Abby’s hand, then got up from the bed. But when she reached the door, she stopped and turned back to Abby.
“One last thing. I expect you to keep what’s between us under wraps. It goes without saying that I can’t have this getting out. It would cause a scandal that could end my career.”
“Of course,” Abby said. “I can’t imagine how stressful it is to have the media digging through your personal life.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”
But that was only half the truth. It wasn’t just the media that Valerie couldn’t risk finding out about them.
But the less Abby knew about Francesca, the better.