Page 24 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 24

T he rest of the day passed in a whirlwind, beginning with a helicopter tour of the island to give them a bird’s-eye view of the scenic landscape. Lunch was a beachside picnic, complete with champagne and caviar for Abby and Valerie and finger food for Hazel, followed by a walk through the trees to a hidden waterfall.

They’d capped the afternoon off with a spa treatment and a relaxing massage, which was welcome after a day spent on their feet. There were no cars on the island, but Abby didn’t mind walking. It was the best way to experience the island’s natural beauty. And there hardly seemed to be anyone else on the island, which only added to the serenity. Even the staff seemed to be doing their best to remain unseen.

It was like they had a little island paradise all to themselves. The only reminder that it was a business trip and not a real vacation was that Valerie’s attention was divided. But she had plenty of work to do. And she took notes everywhere they went.

By the time they returned to the villa in the evening, Hazel was fast asleep again. Abby dressed her in her pajamas and set her down on her bed before making her way back downstairs.

She collapsed onto the couch with a sigh. “Hazel is completely wiped out. So am I.”

“Not too wiped out for dinner, I hope?” Valerie slipped out of the kitchen, a glass of wine in each hand. “I made a reservation for the three of us at the restaurant, but the two of us can go without Hazel. The resort has experienced sitters on staff. One of them can keep an eye on Hazel for a few hours.”

“Sure, but—” Abby yawned. “Didn’t I hear something about room service? We could just stay in.”

“We could. But we don’t want to miss tonight’s reservation.” Valerie handed Abby a glass of wine. “The chef is world-renowned, and she’s only here one night a week. I had the pleasure of dining at her old restaurant in Florence, and it was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had.”

Abby’s stomach rumbled. “That does sound pretty good.”

Valerie sat down next to her, crossing one leg over the other. “How about this? We have dinner at the restaurant tonight. Then tomorrow night, I’ll get the sitter to take Hazel, and we can order room service and have a night in, just the two of us?”

Abby thought for a moment. “It’s a deal.”

An hour later, she finished tying her hair up and stepped out of the bathroom. The restaurant had a dress code, but luckily, she’d packed a midnight blue cocktail dress and heels, which she quickly slipped into. She’d bought the dress on sale a few years ago. It was far from high fashion, but it was her favorite. She liked the way the blue complemented her hair. Not to mention the way it showed off her figure.

And the hungry way Valerie looked at her when she stepped into the living room told her that she liked it too.

Valerie rose from the couch, her eyes skimming Abby’s body. “Don’t you look beautiful tonight?”

Abby’s cheeks grew hot. She glanced away, then stole a look at Valerie. Her outfit definitely hadn’t come off the discount rack, or any rack at all. The black off-the-shoulder dress shimmered gold and silver when it caught the light, and it fit her like a second skin, flowing down her every curve, swaying as she moved. She wore a string of pearls around her neck, and her lips were a deep, dark red.

“I’m starting to think you were right,” Valerie purred. “Perhaps we should stay in. Have some fun of our own.”

“You don’t want to show me off?” Abby teased.

“Oh, I do. But I’m a greedy Mistress. And I want you to myself even more.” Valerie leaned in close, her lips brushing Abby’s ear. “I want to fuck you in that dress until you come undone around my fingers. And then, I want to take it off you slowly, savoring every moment, before fucking you breathless again.”

Abby exhaled sharply. But before either of them could say another word, there was a knock on the door.

Valerie took a step back. “But the sitter is here. So we’ll have to pick this up after dinner.”

She went to the door and let in the sitter, an older woman dressed in the crisp white polo shirt of the staff. Leading her into the other room where Hazel was playing quietly, Valerie rattled off a long list of instructions. She’d already had the sitter vetted and background checked, but that didn’t stop her from personally making sure the woman understood her expectations.

Finally, Valerie joined Abby by the door. She took Abby’s hand. And together, they left the villa.

They made their way down the winding path that led to the main resort building. The sun was setting, the darkening sky casting an orange glow over the surrounding trees. There wasn’t a single soul around, the rustle of leaves and the faint whoosh of the ocean the only sounds they could hear.

As they neared the main resort building, they crossed paths with some other guests for the first time. But beyond a courteous nod or two, none of them reacted to Valerie at all. Abby wasn’t surprised. Anyone who could afford to stay at the resort had to be rich, famous, or both.

They reached the garden outside the restaurant. There were a handful of guests milling about, all dressed in evening wear. Valerie exchanged polite greetings with them, her hand still clasped around Abby’s.

Abby’s pulse fluttered. Why did this make her heart race more than all the other things they’d done together?

Valerie squeezed her hand. “You have that look about you. Something on your mind?”

Abby shook her head. “I’m just having a nice time, that’s all.”

Valerie put her hands on Abby’s waist, drawing her close. “That makes two of us.”

Suddenly, a cacophony of clicks rattled the air, coupled with blinding flashes of light. At once, Valerie swiveled around, looking for the source.

Abby blinked, her eyes filled with stars. As her vision cleared, a security guard dressed in black sprinted over to the bushes nearby and dove headfirst into them. A second guard quickly followed. Not a moment later, both emerged, dragging a third man by his shirt.

They threw him down onto the path, ripping a camera from his hands.

“Are you all right?” Valerie said. “Abby, are you okay?”

She nodded, tearing her eyes from the scene playing out before them. Only then did she notice that Valerie had stepped forward and put her arm across Abby’s body as if to shield her from the scuffle.

Valerie took her hand, leading her toward the safety of the building. “I don’t believe it. We fly halfway across the world, and we still can’t escape this.” She opened her purse. “I need to talk to my people. I need to make sure those photos don’t get out.”

But before she could pull out her phone, the resort’s owner appeared before her. “Ms. Kane, I am so, so sorry. I do not know how he got onto the island. Let me assure you, this kind of thing does not happen here.”

Valerie crossed her arms. “And yet, it did happen.”

He held up his hands. “I promise you, Ms. Kane, we take our guests’ privacy very seriously. This breach will be rectified. The man will be taken to the mainland and charged with trespassing. Our security will ensure that any photographs he has taken are destroyed.”

“Yes, they will. It’s the least you can do.”

He gave her a small bow. “Thank you for understanding. Please, come inside now. Dinner is on the house tonight. Drinks, too. To make up for all of this.” He waved his hand toward the paparazzo, who was protesting loudly in Italian as the security guard dismantled his camera in search of the memory card.

Valerie took one last look at the scene, then led Abby into the small, intimate restaurant. Once inside, the resort owner ushered them to their seats. The candlelit table was set for two, with rose petals scattered across it.

“Here, allow me.” He scrambled to pull out a chair. “The best seats in the house.”

Valerie gestured for Abby to sit, waiting for her to obey before taking the seat across from her.

“Now, if there is anything at all you need, let me know,” the man said.

Valerie gave him a nod. “Just give us a moment.” As soon as he was gone, she turned to Abby. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah. That was just… intense, that’s all.” She glanced at Valerie’s face. “Are you okay? It was you they wanted a photo of.”

“I’m fine. It’s far from the first time something like this has happened. You get used to it.” Valerie took her phone from her purse. “I need to get my people on this. While I’d like to believe that security here has taken care of the photos, I need to make sure nothing gets leaked. Those photos cannot, under any circumstances, get out.”

Would it be so bad if they did? But Abby didn’t say that. Valerie had been clear from the beginning that no one could know about them. That it could ruin her career, her whole life.

Abby was Valerie’s dirty little secret.

She took a sip of her water to settle her stomach. And when she looked up again, Valerie was frozen in place, her eyes fixed on her phone screen.

“Valerie?” Abby said.

She cleared her throat. “Yes. Just give me a moment to send this message and get those photos taken care of.”

She began tapping away at her phone, her face stiff as stone. Was she more upset than she was letting on?

“There. It’s done.” Valerie put her phone away. “Now, let’s try to enjoy dinner.”

Abby hesitated. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“ I’m fine , ” Valerie said. “ Don’t ask me again.”

Abby’s heart sank. “I’m sorry. I was just worried, that’s all.”

“No, I’m sorry.” Valerie reached across the table and put her hand on Abby’s. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Perhaps this incident has me more shaken than I realized.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

But it wasn’t only this evening that Valerie had been acting preoccupied, dismissing Abby’s attempts to talk about it. Hadn’t the same thing happened when they arrived at their villa in the morning? Hadn’t Valerie seemed distracted all day?

Abby had put it down to her being focused on work. But that wasn’t it. Something was wrong. She was sure of it.

A server came by, introducing himself before describing the evening’s menu to them. It was an eight-course meal, starting with handmade wild mushroom ravioli in white truffle butter sauce, paired with prosecco.

Abby nodded along, but her mind was elsewhere. Maybe she already knew what was wrong with Valerie. Maybe it was her . This was the first time she and Valerie had been out in public together without Abby acting as Hazel’s nanny. Maybe Valerie was having second thoughts about the two of them.

Or maybe there was some truth to what Erin had said to her that day in the coffee shop. That whenever Abby started getting feelings for someone, she’d panic and find some reason to end things. Because that was easier than the inevitable rejection.

Abby took a deep breath. She wasn’t going to let her doubts get the best of her. Not when her Mistress needed her. If there was one thing Abby could do to help, it was to take Valerie’s mind off her problems, if only for a moment.

Tomorrow evening. After dinner, when we’re all alone, I’m going to give her a night to remember.

I’m going to give her what she wants from me more than anything.