Page 17 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 17

T hat evening, Abby returned to Valerie’s Hollywood Hills mansion. As she unlocked the front door and headed upstairs, her stomach flitted with butterflies. The house felt unnaturally quiet and still. But Valerie was in her room at the end of the hall, waiting for her.

Come to my bedroom and knock on the door. That was what Valerie’s message had said. She’d felt a pang of disappointment when she read it. Since discovering the hidden room inside the study, she’d been yearning for Valerie to take her back inside.

But that wasn’t happening tonight. Valerie wanted her in her bedroom. And she was the boss, in more ways than one. But Abby had a quick stop to make first.

She went up the stairs and into her bedroom, slipping into the ensuite bathroom. She’d been out all day and needed to freshen up. She splashed some water on her face and tied back her hair, but didn’t change out of the clothes she’d worn to meet up with Erin. While the outfit was casual, the short skirt and low-cut neckline of her top showed off her body in an undeniably flattering way.

She inspected herself in the mirror. That’ll have to do. She didn’t want to keep Madame V waiting.

She left her bathroom and made her way to Valerie’s bedroom at the end of the hall.

Then, taking a deep breath, she knocked.

“Abby,” Valerie said from inside. “Kneel in front of the door and wait for me.”

Abby got down on her knees, her hands flat on her thighs, her head down, and waited. Seconds passed, then minutes, then what felt like hours. All the while, her mind and body simmered with anticipation.

Finally, Valerie spoke again. “You may come in.”

Abby got to her feet, opened the door, and stepped into Valerie’s bedroom. She’d caught little more than a glimpse of it when Valerie had shown her the house for the first time. In the middle of the room was a king-sized bed made of dark wood, surrounded by a thick white rug that was soft under Abby’s feet. Above the bed was an enormous abstract painting that looked like it cost more than the car Valerie had bought her, and the glass doors leading out to the balcony had the best view of all the rooms in the house, overlooking the Los Angeles cityscape and the ocean beyond as the sun set over it.

But there was one thing in the room that was even more breathtaking than the view.

Valerie.

She sat in the corner in a leather armchair, half shrouded in darkness. Her hair was loose, flowing down her shoulders in dark curls and coils, and her lips were an alluring shade of crimson. She was dressed in babydoll lingerie made of intricate ivory lace, and her feet were adorned in raven black heels.

Mistress. Siren. Goddess. Valerie was all those things and more.

And Abby was enthralled .

With a wave of her hand, she beckoned Abby to her. Up close, Valerie was even more captivating. The ivory lace of her lingerie contrasted her deep bronze skin, and it was sheer enough that Abby could see the faint outlines of her nipples underneath.

“Like what you see?” Valerie skimmed her eyes up Abby’s body appraisingly. “Because I certainly do.”

Abby’s skin grew hot. She lowered her gaze.

Valerie murmured with satisfaction. “Oh, I’m going to have fun with you tonight. But business must come before pleasure.” She crossed one long, lean leg over the other, her hands on the armrests of her chair. “You might be wondering why we’re in here and not my little hidden playroom.”

Abby nodded.

“You should understand that I don’t take just anyone in there. That privilege is earned. And you haven’t earned it… yet. Which brings me to another matter—your punishment for going inside that room in the first place.”

Abby’s mouth fell open. Hadn’t Valerie only been teasing her when she said that? Was she really going to punish her?

Abby peered up at her face. Valerie was dead serious.

And that only made Abby hotter.

“I couldn’t possibly let such a thing slide,” Valerie said. “I wouldn’t be a very good Mistress if I did, don’t you agree?”

Abby lowered her eyes again. “Y-yes.”

“You will address me as Madame V.”

“Yes,” Abby said again, more clearly this time. “Yes, Madame V.”

“Good, we understand each other.” Valerie rose from her seat. “Get onto the bed and lie down on your stomach.”

Abby did as she was told, positioning herself on Valerie’s bed. It wasn’t until she was lying down that she noticed a pair of black leather cuffs sitting on the bed next to the pillows. They were attached to each other with a short gold chain that was barely a couple of inches long.

Valerie picked them up. “Hands behind your back.”

Abby obeyed. Valerie took her hands, rearranging them so that they sat folded in the small of her back, one on top of the other, then fastened the cuffs to her wrists.

“There.” She drew a hand along Abby’s shoulder. “How does that feel?”

“Um, good, Madame V.” The cuffs were snug around Abby’s wrists, but not so tight that they were uncomfortable. She pulled at the cuffs, testing them. They didn’t budge. And the short chain between them meant she could barely move her arms at all.

She glanced at Valerie. The woman’s expression hadn’t changed, but there was a glimmer in her eye that made Abby’s heart skip.

“Now that I have you exactly where I want you, let’s begin.”

She swept her fingers down the back of Abby’s neck, between her shoulder blades, along the length of her spine. As she disappeared from view, Abby felt fingers at the zipper at the back of her skirt.

And in one swift motion, Valerie pulled the zipper down and tore the skirt from Abby’s legs.

Her breath hitched. It wasn’t hard to figure out what kind of punishment Valerie had in mind. Just thinking about it made her burn all over.

“I can see that you’re eager to get started,” Valerie said. “But keep squirming like that and I’ll make you wait even longer.”

Abby stilled. She hadn’t realized she was moving.

“Now, where was I?” Valerie traced her hands up to the waistband of Abby’s panties, hooking her fingers underneath it and tugging gently. Abby lifted her hips, allowing Valerie to pull her panties down her legs. But Valerie made no effort to remove them, leaving them tangled around her ankles.

Her pulse began to race. Her hands were bound. Her ass was bare, exposed. She was at Valerie’s mercy.

At Madame V’s mercy.

She peered over her shoulder. Valerie was standing beside the bed in line with Abby’s hips.

“Eyes forward,” she said firmly, waiting for Abby to obey before continuing. “It’s a pity the rest of my toys are downstairs in that little room of mine. But I don’t need them to have my fun with you tonight. You see, I’m not only going to punish you. I’m going to find out exactly where your limits lie.”

Abby’s breath quickened. Valerie skimmed her fingertips over Abby’s ass cheek, her touch feather-light.

“Yes, I’m going to find out just how much you can take,” she said. “When you’ve had enough, ask me for mercy, understand?”

“Yes, Madame V.”

Abby drew in a breath. Seconds passed, the silence stretching out.

It wasn’t until she let out her breath and relaxed into the mattress that Valerie brought her hand down on her ass cheek.

Abby inhaled sharply through her teeth. The impact had shocked her more than it hurt. But Valerie was only getting started.

She brought her hand down again, a sharp smack on Abby’s ass cheek. Abby winced, reflexively pulling her hands even higher up her back. That one stung. So did the one that followed.

She whimpered into the pillow beneath her head, the heat between her legs growing with every strike.

“Oh?” Valerie drew her hand over Abby’s ass cheek, soothing her inflamed skin. “Sounds like you’re enjoying this far too much. You really are a naughty girl, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Madame V,” Abby panted.

Valerie chuckled softly. “Then I must be going too easy on you.”

She struck Abby again, hard enough to make her jolt against the bed. Abby hissed. That one had hurt .

But that was what she wanted, no, craved . To be pushed to her limit. To drown in sensation. To lose herself completely and fall into that space where the rest of the world slipped away.

Because in that space, she could truly let go.

In that space, she could truly surrender.

She shut her eyes as Valerie rained her hand down on her ass cheeks and the backs of her thighs, once, twice, three times, on and on and on. Each sliver of pain only amplified her desire, each impact sending aftershocks through her. The skin of her ass and thighs burned tender and raw, her whole body blazing.

Every part of her was sensitized. Every part of her throbbed.

Every part of her ached for Valerie.

She brought her hand down, harder than before, the loud crack filling the air. Abby cried out. The pain, the pleasure—she couldn’t tell the difference anymore. The onslaught of sensation, the need inside her, was too much to handle.

“Mercy,” she said, breathless. “Mercy.”

Valerie’s hand stilled, silence falling over the room. Valerie’s name spilled from Abby’s lips, then Madame V’s, then Valerie’s again, until both melded into one.

And in the space of a heartbeat, she was right there beside Abby on the bed. “I’m here,” she said. “I’m here.”

Valerie cradled her face in her hands, turning it toward her before parting Abby’s lips with her own. Abby returned the kiss, tenderly at first, then desperately, urgently. With her hands cuffed behind her back, she could do little more than kiss her, strain toward her, urge her on with pleading moans.

Valerie murmured into Abby’s lips. “Do you want me inside you?”

Abby looked down. There was something hard pressing against her hip. A strap-on? She’d been so drunk with desire that she hadn’t noticed Valerie put it on.

She tipped Abby’s chin back up with a finger. “Do you want me?”

“God, yes.” Abby’s words were barely a whisper. She needed Valerie so badly that she could hardly breathe.

“Lie back down for me.”

Abby lay down on her stomach again, sinking into the bed beneath her. Valerie drew her lips down the side of Abby’s neck and the back of her shoulder blade, moving down to straddle Abby’s thighs. Abby lifted her hips from the mattress impatiently. She wanted to feel Valerie inside her and all around her all at once.

But Valerie didn’t make her wait. Grabbing hold of Abby’s hip with her hand, she guided the strap-on between Abby’s thighs, skating it over her clit then back up to her entrance before burying herself inside.

Abby exhaled sharply, the ache in her core rising. She needed Valerie deeper inside her, harder inside her. She pushed back against her, urging Valerie on. But she only shoved Abby’s hips down to the mattress, pinning her to the bed with the weight of her whole body as she plunged deeper into her, filling her completely.

She gasped. And as Valerie began moving inside her, she sent wave after wave of pleasure through her body.

“Valerie,” she pleaded. “ Valerie… ”

She turned her head until her lips found Valerie’s, kissing her feverishly. Abby was consumed by her. By Valerie inside her. By the press of her breasts against her back. By her lips, her scent, the whisper of her breath on her neck and the embrace of her body.

“Madame V,” she murmured. “Oh?—”

Abby cried out as pleasure erupted deep within her. Her back arched and her hips rose from the bed, her feet and toes curling. Every part of her was alight, every fiber of her being overcome with ecstasy. And Valerie was right there with her, inside her, all around her, drawing out her climax until there was nothing left but bliss.

And Valerie.

* * *

“Here.” Valerie set the glass of water down on the nightstand. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

“I’m okay,” Abby murmured.

Valerie slipped into the bed beside her once again. After freeing her from the cuffs, Valerie had wrapped her up in her arms and kissed her until neither of them could breathe. Only then had she allowed Abby a moment to come back to herself.

Abby stretched her body out, settling into the bed on her stomach. Her ass and the backs of her thighs still burned, but it was a pleasant, calming burn.

Valerie traced a gentle hand over Abby’s tender skin. Abby purred. Nothing had ever felt so heavenly.

“Tell me,” Valerie said. “What are you thinking about right now?”

“Nothing at all,” Abby replied. “I’m still on cloud nine.”

“You enjoyed that, did you?” Valerie propped herself up on her side, drawing a line along the back of Abby’s thigh with her fingertip. “So, are you going to tell me what else you enjoy? I want to know what really gets you going. And don’t tell me ‘nothing’ like you did the other night. I know you’re holding something back.”

Heat crept up Abby’s cheeks. How did Valerie know? “It’s… it’s just, well, I’ve never admitted it out loud before.”

“Whatever it is, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Valerie’s gaze softened as she draped a hand across the back of Abby’s waist. “Our desires are a gift. They’re an expression of all the innate, complex, wonderful parts of us that we keep hidden, sometimes even from ourselves. There's beauty in that. In embracing those parts of ourselves. Especially in a world that likes to tell us otherwise.”

“That’s…” Abby chewed her lip. “I’ve never thought about it that way.”

“Tell me, then. What are your deepest, darkest desires?”

Abby hesitated. Am I really telling Valerie this? “I like… being watched.”

“Oh?” Valerie’s voice dropped low. “Like how I watched you in your bedroom that night?”

“Well, yeah. But not just that. I like the idea of people watching me. Of all of their eyes on me…” Abby shook her head. “But I haven’t been game enough to try it before. So much can go wrong when you’re vulnerable like that, you know?”

“I understand. It requires a great deal of trust, both in those around you and in any partners involved. You need to know you’re safe. And you need someone you feel confident will look out for you.”

Abby nodded. “Yeah. Something like that.”

“Is this something you’d like us to explore together?” Valerie asked.

Abby hesitated. If there was one person to try something like that with, it was Valerie. She was an experienced Domme. She knew what she was doing.

But more than that, there was something about her that made Abby feel at ease. Was it the way she was just as warm and kind and patient as she was firm and commanding? Was it the way she seemed to understand exactly what Abby wanted, needed , without her having to say a word?

Was it the way that when Valerie looked at her, it made her feel like she was the only person in the world?

“Yes,” she said. “I’d like that.”

Valerie gave her a soft smile. “How about this? One night soon, I’ll take you somewhere we can explore exactly what you want more deeply.”

“Like where?” Abby asked.

“Have you heard of Club Velvet?”

“Are you kidding?” She sat up on the bed. “Of course I have. Ever since it opened, I’ve been dying to go, but it’s impossible to get in. The place is always packed. And the events are always booked out.”

“That’s something we’re working on. We don’t want Club Velvet to become another exclusive LA venue for the elite and no one else. From the very beginning, it was important to us that the club be open to everyone, but interest has been greater than we anticipated.”

“Wait, what do you mean we ?”

“The club’s owners. I’m one of them.”

Abby blinked. “ You own Club Velvet? ”

“Yes, alongside a few close friends. So getting in won’t be a problem. And at Club Velvet, we won’t have to worry about privacy. There are rules, both unwritten and written, that whatever happens in the club stays in the club. Which means we can be as open as we want.”

Abby smiled. “That sounds amazing.”

Valerie squeezed Abby’s arm. “Just give me some time to get a babysitter sorted, and I’ll take you there, okay?”

Abby nodded. “I can’t wait.”

“Now, come here.”

As she lay back down, Valerie drew her into an embrace. Abby melted into her body, a sigh swelling in her chest. Never in her life had she felt so content. But Valerie made her feel safe in a way no one else ever had.

Was Erin right? Was she falling for Valerie? It didn’t make sense. She was Abby’s boss. Their relationship was forbidden. They could never be together without risking everything.

But at the back of her mind, Abby wondered.

Would it be so bad if she simply let herself fall?