Page 16 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 16

T he moment Abby stepped out of her car, Erin squealed at her from the sidewalk.

“Oh. My. God.” She made a beeline for the matte black Mercedes, nearly bowling over a couple standing nearby. “This is really yours?”

“Kind of.” Abby shut the car door behind her. “It belongs to Valerie, but it’s mine to use whenever I want.” She still hadn’t gotten used to driving around in such an expensive car, especially when she didn’t have Hazel with her. But she’d already gotten rid of her old car. It hadn’t made sense to keep it.

“I still can’t believe Valerie Kane bought you a Mercedes,” Erin said. “You’re so lucky.”

“Just keep it down, okay?” Abby glanced around. The car was parked in front of a busy coffee shop, and they were getting more than a few stares. Luxury cars were a dime a dozen in LA, but that didn’t stop people gawking at them.

“Sorry.” Erin lowered her voice. “I know I’m supposed to keep everything about your job hush-hush, but it’s just so exciting. I’ve been dying to ask about it. Let’s go inside so we can talk.”

They headed into the coffee shop and ordered two iced coffees before taking a seat at a table on the sidewalk. It was late in the afternoon, and the weather had finally cooled down, so there were plenty of people outside.

Erin sat back in her seat, sipping her drink. “So? What’s been going on with you? How’s working for Valerie Kane? I have so many questions. It’s been too long since we caught up properly.”

“Where do I even begin?” Abby hadn’t talked to Erin in person since the day she’d moved into Valerie’s house. So much had happened since then.

“Let’s start with your job. How’s everything going with Valerie? Last time you mentioned her, you said things were kind of weird between you.”

“Right.” Abby stirred her iced coffee with her straw. How could she even explain what had happened between them? Plus, Valerie had told her not to tell anyone about their secret affair.

But Abby couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. She had to tell someone . Not because of her excitement. Because of her doubts. She hadn’t been able to shake them, and they were threatening to overwhelm her.

And Erin was her best friend. They’d known each other since grade school. Abby had shared all her deepest, darkest secrets with her, and she’d never told a soul. She could trust Erin with this secret too.

“Look,” Abby said. “It’s a long story. But I can’t tell you anything unless you promise you won’t say a word to anyone about this. Not even Dan.”

Erin nodded. “Of course. I swear on our friendship, I won’t tell anyone. You can trust me.”

“Okay.” Abby took a deep breath. “So, it turns out Valerie wasn’t mad at me at all. Things were tense between us because she was into me too.”

“Seriously? Wow. Not that I’m surprised. Like I always say, you’re a catch. Of course she’s into you. So that’s why she was acting weird?”

Abby nodded. “She was trying to keep her distance because she didn’t want anything to happen between us. You know, because she’s my boss and all. She was worried she’d be taking advantage of me. But then one thing led to another, and, well…”

“ And? Don’t leave me hanging. You kissed? You had hot sex on the kitchen table? What?”

“Not exactly.”

Abby told Erin everything, minus a few details. Her friend didn’t need to know that Valerie had caught her red-handed playing with herself one night. And she definitely didn’t need to know about Valerie Kane’s hidden sex room.

Erin’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s… wow. But hey, what did I tell you? I knew you had a chance with her. So are the two of you like, a thing now?”

Abby shrugged. “I don’t know. I know she wants a sub, but we haven’t exactly talked about anything beyond that.”

“Well, you should. You’re banging this hot rich lady who’s the Domme of your dreams, and she’s into you too. You need to lock that down.”

“I don’t know. It’s just hard to believe that she’s interested in me that way. She was married to Francesca Moreno . Who I’ve met, by the way. She’s a total smoke show. I can’t compete with that.”

“You don’t need to. They’re not together anymore.”

“I guess. But they have a kid together. And, it sort of feels like they have some kind of unfinished business.”

“Oh?” Erin leaned forward. “Got some insider gossip I don’t know about?”

“No, it’s just a feeling.”

Abby didn’t know much about what had happened between Valerie and Francesca, but she knew a little. She didn’t follow celebrity gossip, but when their relationship ended, it had been all over the news. They’d claimed the breakup was mutual and amicable, but they’d been tight-lipped about the details. And the entire time Abby had been working for her, Valerie had never mentioned Francesca once.

But that day on set, the tension between them had been thick enough to cut with a knife. And Francesca had made it clear that she was still Hazel’s mom, and she still thought of Valerie as her wife.

Did Valerie feel the same?

“Anyway, I don’t think she wants anything serious with me,” Abby said. “She never wanted anything to happen between us in the first place. Plus, she wants to keep us a secret, and for good reason. She has a reputation to maintain. She’s not going to risk her career over me.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. You’ll never know if you never talk about it.”

Abby shook her head. “I don’t even know what I’d say. And I don’t even know if I want something serious with her.”

Erin let out an exasperated sigh. “I swear to god, you do this every single time.”

“Do what?”

“ This. You find someone you like, fall head over heels for them, then you freak out and sabotage things by finding an excuse to push them away.”

“I do not. And I’m not head over heels for Valerie.”

“Uh-huh. Then why do you blush every time you say her name?”

“I—” Abby crossed her arms. “Okay, maybe I like her. A lot. But I don’t want to rush into anything. I’m just going with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”

“Right. Keep your expectations low so you don’t get hurt. Typical Abby. This is exactly why you’re always single.”

Abby said nothing. There was no point arguing with her, even when she was wrong. Which she definitely was.

Erin seemed to sense that she’d gone too far. “Anyway, speaking of relationships, I have some news. Dan and I have decided to move in together.”

“That’s great,” Abby said. “That’s a really big step for you two.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve been talking about it for a while now. And you mentioned that once you’re settled into your job, you’re going to move out properly. So I was thinking, instead of finding a new roommate, Dan could move in. He can use your room as an office, and you could even keep storing your stuff in the closet if you’d like. What do you think?”

“That’s a great idea. I’m on board.”

Erin grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Dan. I’m just so excited that we’re finally taking the next step. We’ve been together for so long, but we were never really ready. Well, he was never ready. You know what he’s like.”

Abby just took a sip of her drink. She knew exactly what he was like. Erin had been coming to her with her relationship drama since they were teenagers. But for reasons that were beyond Abby’s understanding, he made Erin happy.

She let out a wistful sigh. “I think he’s finally started to grow up. He’s even been talking about us getting married, if you can believe that.”

Abby smiled. “Sounds like things are going well for you.”

“Yep. Everything’s just perfect.” Erin reached across the table and put her hand on Abby’s. “Thanks again for letting him move in. You’re such a good friend. And that’s exactly why I’m always on your back about your love life. It’s why I’m rooting for you and Valerie too. I just want you to find the kind of happiness I have with Dan. You deserve it.”

“That’s sweet of you,” Abby said. “I’m sure I’ll find it, just in my own time.”

Her phone buzzed inside her purse. She pulled it out.

“It’s from Valerie. Give me a second, I should read this. It could be important.” It was Abby’s day off, and Valerie was strict about giving her space when she wasn’t on the clock. Was there an emergency?

But Valerie’s message wasn’t about her job.

I’ve arranged for the babysitter to look after Hazel for a few more hours. How do you feel about ending your day off a little early and serving me this evening instead?

Abby couldn’t reply fast enough. I would love that.

Good. It’ll be just the two of us, and I’m going to take full advantage of that.

Her heart skipped. Ever since Valerie had come into her bedroom for the second time, Abby had longed for just a moment alone with her.

She typed out another message. What do you have planned?

You’ll have to wait and see. Let me know when you’re on your way home.

Whatever you say. I’m yours to command.

Abby set her phone down on the table. “Sorry, I’m all done.” She picked up her drink and swirled it around in her cup. “So, when do you think you’ll have Dan move in?”

Erin raised an eyebrow. But a second later, she launched into her plans with her boyfriend. She could never resist a chance to talk about Dan.

As Abby sipped her drink and nodded along, her mind was filled with thoughts of Valerie.

No, not Valerie. Madame V. That was what she’d called herself the other night.

Was Madame V as irresistible as the Valerie she knew?