Page 18 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 18

I ’m on my bed in my panties. What do you want me to do next, Madame V?

Abby’s message greeted Valerie as she got out of her car. It was late in the evening, and she’d been messaging Abby all day long, teasing her with increasingly salacious instructions. By now, she was in a state of desperation.

What next? There were so many possibilities, each more delicious than the last. Valerie had already instructed her to strip off her clothes, piece by piece. She could make Abby go into her bedroom at the end of the hall and lie down on her own bed instead. She could make Abby touch every inch of her body, all while imagining Valerie’s hands on her. She could make Abby play with herself without allowing her release.

But Valerie wanted to keep her waiting a little longer.

Send me a photo, she sent before slipping her phone back into her purse. She’d have given anything to go home right that instant and finish what she started. That night in her bedroom? It had made her need for Abby even more insatiable. Whenever they were alone, they were barely able to keep their hands off each other.

But with a two-year-old in the house, they rarely had the chance to be alone. So they’d had to make do with subtle flirtations and not-so-subtle messages. Each and every one made Valerie ache with desire. Was there any sweeter torture?

She made her way down the sidewalk in the direction of Club Velvet. Every part of her life had fallen into place. She’d finished reshoots for her historical drama series. She’d secured the funding she needed for The Resort , her most ambitious project yet. Her location scouts had found an island off the coast of Italy that would make the perfect location for the film, and Valerie planned to see it for herself as soon as she had the time.

And Club Velvet? It was thriving. From the day it opened, there had been lines out the door every night, and tickets for every event had sold out, including their masquerade-themed party this weekend. It was the hottest venue in the city’s queer and kink scenes. And Valerie and the other owners were determined to keep it that way.

Which was why, instead of going home to Abby after a long workday, she was on her way to Club Velvet to put out another fire.

She reached the club and pushed the door open. As she stepped inside, she was greeted by the sound of power tools and raised voices. The club had been closed for the last few days for some minor renovations, but they’d hit a snag.

She walked past the bar and into the large space they’d dubbed The Playroom. At the far end of the room, a stage was being erected. And in front of the stage, a dark-haired woman with olive-brown skin dressed in a stylish pantsuit was squaring off with a man twice her size.

“No, you listen to me ,” Olivia said. “The plans were clear. This is not what we asked for. If you think?—”

“What seems to be the problem?” Valerie interrupted.

Olivia turned to her. “Thank god you’re here. Would you look at this?” She gestured toward the stage. “It’s all wrong .”

Valerie examined the stage. Olivia was right. It was smaller than it was supposed to be.

“This is a complete disaster.” Olivia turned back to the foreman. “You need to fix this, now .”

“Look, lady,” the man said. “This is what you asked for.”

Olivia crossed her arms. “We most certainly did not.”

“All right, let’s take a step back,” Valerie said. “Let me see the plans.”

The man handed the plans to Valerie. It didn’t take long for her to find the problem.

“Here.” She nodded to Olivia. “There’s a drafting error on page 2. We should have caught that. It was our mistake.”

Olivia huffed.

Valerie turned to the foreman. “But the rest of the plans have the correct dimensions. You should have noted the discrepancy and clarified it before starting construction.”

The man mumbled an excuse. Valerie held up her hand. “Pointing fingers isn’t going to help. We need to work out how we can fix this. How about you extend the stage so it reaches the sides of the room? You’ll need to adjust the catwalk in the middle to compensate.” It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was close enough. “Can you get that done before the weekend?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the man grumbled. “We’ll get it done.”

“Good. Now, I’m sure you and your team have plenty to do, so we’ll leave you to it.”

The man grunted and walked away.

Olivia let out a heavy sigh. “You’re a lifesaver, Val. Honestly, after the day I had, I could not deal with this.”

“Work again?” Valerie asked.

Olivia nodded. “Things are tense. The rumors of a merger are becoming hard to ignore. Just when I had that promotion in the bag.” She threw her hands up. “I’ve been gunning for the top spot for years, and now this?”

“They’re just rumors. They’re not worth your time.” Valerie wasn’t being dismissive. Olivia was a straight talker, and she preferred the same in others. “And if the rumors prove to be true, you’ll find a way to take advantage of the situation like you always do.”

Olivia murmured wordlessly. That was as close as she’d come to admitting Valerie was right.

Her phone dinged. “One moment.” She pulled it from her purse. It was a message from Abby. She opened it up.

And was greeted by a photo of Abby lying on her bed in nothing but a pair of tiny pink panties, her bare, flushed breasts on display.

Olivia cleared her throat.

“Right. Yes.” Valerie put her phone away. “You were saying?”

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Forget about me. Who was that ? I know what that look means.”

“It was just the nanny. She had a question.”

“Did she now?” Olivia looked Valerie up and down. “So, are the two of you fucking yet?”

“Why would you…” Valerie pinched the bridge of her nose. “What did Elle tell you?”

“Not much. Just that you and your nanny have this intense chemistry and it’s only a matter of time before you crack. She bet me a bottle of Macallan 1938 that you wouldn’t last a month.”

“Of course she did. So, who else knows? Simone?”

Olivia shrugged. “No idea. I’ve barely seen her at all lately. She’s been spending every spare moment with her girlfriend now that they’re finally official.”

Simone was one of Valerie’s dearest friends. Olivia and Elle were a few years younger than both of them, so Valerie and Simone had a closer relationship. She’d be hurt if she found out about Abby secondhand.

“So?” Olivia asked. “How long did it take?”

Valerie held up her hands. “I’m not saying a word. I want nothing to do with this bet of yours.”

“Sounds like I owe Elle that bottle. She’s going to be so smug about this.” Olivia brushed some construction dust off her designer jacket. “But it’s good to see you moving on from Francesca. She was a nasty piece of work. You deserve to be with someone who’s worthy of you.”

“I wouldn’t say things between us are that serious. It’s simply been a long time since I’ve had a submissive. And Abby? She’s perfect.”

“So it’s entirely unromantic?” Olivia scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”

Valerie couldn’t deny she had feelings for Abby that went beyond physical attraction. With Abby living in her home, being around her every morning and every night, it was hard not to develop a closeness.

And seeing her with Hazel only intensified that feeling. Abby had a way with her that was unlike anyone else before. It was almost like she was a part of the family.

And that was what gave Valerie pause. After Francesca, she couldn’t risk letting someone into her life—her heart—again. And there was the risk to her professional life on top of that.

“I can’t get serious with her,” Valerie said. “It’s bad enough that we’re involved in the first place. She’s my nanny. If anyone finds out about us, it could tank my entire career.”

“You’re talking to the future CEO of LA’s top publicity firm. I know more than anyone how easy it is to spin a scandal into something palatable. Advantageous, even. It’s a non-issue.”

“So now you’re confident you’ll get that promotion?”

“And you’re trying to change the subject.” Olivia folded her arms across her chest. “Look, you know how I feel about relationships. I’m far more flexible than most, and settling down with one person for the rest of my life sounds like my own personal nightmare. But we’re polar opposites in that regard. You need one person, one woman, to serve all your needs. It’s why you stayed with Francesca for so long, despite her being the conniving monster she is.”

Olivia had never been one to mince words. But Valerie didn’t disagree.

“You need to move on, Val. It’s time.”

“I moved on long ago,” she said.

“Moving on from Francesca was one thing. Moving on from the pain she left you with? That’s something else. You can’t let it stop you from living your life. Who knows, you might end up finding someone who, god forbid, actually makes you happy .” Olivia glanced at her Cartier watch. “I need to go. I’m having drinks with a client later. Will I see you on Saturday night? The masquerade ball was your idea, after all. And Ashton is coming, so we’ll need to impress if we want her to invest in the club.”

Valerie nodded. “I’ll be there.”

The two of them left the club, parting ways at the door. It was a warm night, but a slight breeze cooled the air. As Valerie made her way down the sidewalk, images of Abby filled her mind.

But it wasn’t the sensual moments they’d shared that played in her mind’s eye. It was the mundane. Abby smiling as she greeted Valerie at the door. Abby cradling a sleepy Hazel in her arms. Abby giving Valerie a chaste kiss before she went to bed.

Each kiss? It was even sweeter than the last.

As Valerie approached her car, she noticed a woman standing a few feet away, dressed in a long black coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and dark glasses. It was as if she was trying to look inconspicuous. But in the evening heat, with the sun already gone, the outfit only made her stand out more.

And as Valerie got closer, she realized why the woman was in disguise. It was Francesca. And she was hiding from the paparazzi.

A second later, she spotted Valerie and strode over to her. “Val, it is you. I thought I recognized your?—”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Valerie hissed, glancing around to check for paparazzi. The last thing she needed was for photos of her screaming at her ex-wife to appear on every gossip site tomorrow. “Are you following me now?”

“Of course not. I was having dinner across the street. I saw your car, so I thought I’d come say hello.”

Valerie scoffed. While there was a trendy new Spanish restaurant across the road that was a hotspot for the rich and famous, the timing was too much of a coincidence.

“I just want to talk to you,” Francesca said. “There are things I need to tell you. Important things. Please, let’s go somewhere and talk, just the two of us.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Valerie snapped. “Just say whatever it is you want to say to me, or leave me alone.”

“All right, all right. What I’ve been trying to tell you is…” Francesca took off her sunglasses. “I miss you. There, I said it. Are you happy?”

Valerie shook her head. “What?”

“I said, I miss you. I can’t stop thinking about you. About us .”

“Francesca, why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you back! You, and Hazel too. When we ended things, I thought what I wanted was to be free and unfettered, to live as I please, to experience life as a single woman in her prime.”

Valerie said nothing. Francesca had certainly achieved her goal. Her exploits had been the talk of the tabloids. In the three years since they’d divorced, she’d been with half of the out women in Hollywood. And not all of them had been single.

Hearing that news had only confirmed what Valerie already knew—she had no feelings left for Francesca whatsoever. She hadn’t felt sadness, or jealousy, or anything else. She’d felt nothing at all.

“But I’ve come to realize something,” Francesca said. “That life, it isn’t all it’s cut out to be. And now that I know that, I’m ready to come back to you. I’m ready for us to be a family again.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Of course I am.”

Valerie studied Francesca’s face. This wasn’t an act. She was being sincere.

“Fran, you can’t honestly think I’d agree to that.”

Francesca threw her hands up. “What do you want from me? To admit that I was wrong? That I made a mistake? Well, here I am, admitting just that. I messed up. I should never have let you go. And now, I’m paying the price. Since we split, everything in my life has gone wrong. No one wants to work with me. No one will cast me in anything!”

“What about that film with Martin? The one you were working on when you showed up on my set?”

“There is no film. I just didn’t want to admit the truth. My life is falling apart. It’s been years since I starred in anything. The only auditions I can get are for side parts, never starring roles. The last part my agent sent me was for the mother of the leading man! And I didn’t even get it. They cast someone five years younger than me!” Francesca’s voice faltered. “It wasn’t meant to be like this. I’m a star. I always have been. And you understood that.”

“So that’s what this is about? You realized you were riding on my coattails all along, and you want me to make you a star again?”

“No, that’s not—” Francesca shook her head. “I just want my old life back, our old life back. I want you back. So let’s put all this behind us and be a family again.”

Valerie crossed her arms. “We’re done . We were done years ago, even before we ended things. Even before the hell you put me through when I broke it off. There’s nothing you can say or do that can change that.”

Francesca lowered her head. “Please, just give me another chance.”

“No, Fran. I can’t.”

Silence fell over them. And as it stretched on, Francesca’s shoulders began to shake. Was she crying?

But when she lifted her head, there were no tears in her eyes. No, there was something more sinister.

Cold, hard rage.

“You’re making a mistake, Val,” she said. “You’re never going to find anyone who understands you like I do. The real you. Not the person the rest of the world sees. Not even the illustrious Madame V. The person you are behind closed doors.”

Anger boiled in Valerie’s chest. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to this.”

“Why not? Guilty conscience?” Francesca’s lips twisted into a smile. “What would everyone think if they knew the truth about you? What would everyone think if they knew what you did to me?”

Valerie’s blood ran cold. That was a threat. A veiled threat, but a threat nonetheless. And it wasn’t the first time Francesca had made it.

“I’m done,” Valerie repeated. “You need to leave me alone. And if I ever see you again, I’m calling the police.”

Without another word, she walked to her car, got into the back seat, and told her driver to take her home.

As the car took off, Valerie raised the privacy screen and sat back in her seat, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She wasn’t going to let Francesca’s accusations get to her.

And she wasn’t going to let Francesca stop her from living her life.

She took her phone from her purse. She hadn’t replied to Abby yet. And she had something to tell her.

Valerie typed out a message.

You look delectable. I’m going to enjoy devouring you on Saturday night.

Abby’s reply was instant. What’s happening on Saturday night?

I’m taking you to Club Velvet.

Valerie could almost feel Abby’s excitement through the screen. Really? I can’t wait!

That’s not all, my pet. You’re going to need something to wear. Go shopping tomorrow and buy yourself a new outfit. Something to wear to the club, and something for underneath. Put it on my card. Consider it a reward for being a good pet.

Thank you, Madame V. Did you have anything in mind?

I’ll leave the details to you. Just make it something scorching hot. Something that will drive me wild and have me dying to tear it off. Something that will have the whole club staring at you.

Something that will make them jealous that you’re mine .