Page 34 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

A bby threw her hands up. “Where the hell is it?”

She opened each drawer of her dresser, one by one. Nothing. Then she went over to Valerie’s dresser and opened all of her drawers too.

But her collar was nowhere to be found.

Abby cursed. She couldn’t have lost it. She’d kept it in the same place for years, in its box in the top drawer of her dresser, stashed safely away until the next time she had the chance to wear it.

But lately, she’d only gotten to wear it for brief play sessions at home. She and Valerie had been far too busy for anything more than that. Hazel had just started kindergarten, and it had taken her some time to adjust. On top of that, The Resort had premiered a couple of weeks before, and as Valerie had predicted, the film was a hit. She had her hands full with publicity and interviews.

And so was Abby. They’d gone public with their relationship years ago, but with the success of The Resort , Valerie had been thrust even further into the spotlight. Everyone wanted to know about the woman behind the powerhouse that was Valerie Kane. The attention had felt awkward at first, but Abby had gotten used to it. Having Valerie by her side made it easy.

But her time in the spotlight hadn’t been without its problems. All the publicity had drawn the attention of her mom and stepdad, who were suddenly very interested in being a part of her life again. Abby had used the opportunity to reconnect with her brothers, who were old enough now to understand why she’d left home. But after years of silence from her mom and stepdad, she wasn’t interested in rekindling her relationship with them. They were only interested in her girlfriend’s fame, not to mention her money.

Abby didn’t need them. She already had a family, in Valerie, and Hazel, and Erin, and all Valerie’s friends, who, over time, had become her friends too.

And that was what tonight was about. Escaping the spotlight and all the pressures that came with it to spend time with their friends in the sanctuary they’d built together. Valerie had left to take Hazel to the sitter’s house half an hour ago. And when she came back, they were going to Club Velvet.

Which was why Abby needed her collar.

She groaned. “Where is it?”

“Looking for something?”

Abby glanced at the door to the bedroom. Valerie had returned.

“You’re back.” Abby began riffling around in her nightstand. “I can’t find my collar. I don’t know where I put it, but it’s not here. I need it for?—”

“Abby, stop,” Valerie said. “ Breathe . You haven’t lost your collar. I have it right here.”

“You do?” Relief washed over her. She turned to see Valerie holding the black velvet box in her hands. “Oh, thank god.”

But as she reached out to grab it, Valerie moved it behind her back. “I took your collar to the jeweler. It needed some modifications.”

Abby frowned. “Was there something wrong with it?”

“No, not really. I simply wanted to make a few small improvements.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to. Not that I don’t appreciate it,” Abby added quickly. “But it was perfect the way it was.”

“It was almost perfect. I’m sure you’ll like it even more now. Would you like to see it?”

Abby nodded. She needed to know why Valerie was acting so strange.

Valerie held the box out in front of her and opened it up. “What do you think?”

Abby peered down at the collar. It looked the same as it had before, but with one difference. The trio of rubies at the front?

They’d been replaced with three massive diamonds, which sparkled and shimmered every color of the rainbow.

“This is…” Abby’s hand flew to her chest. “These diamonds, they’re stunning.”

“That’s not all. Look closer.”

Abby examined the collar again. Her heart stopped.

Dangling from the collar, right next to the tag that read Owned with love by Madame V , was a gold diamond ring.

Abby’s lips parted in a silent gasp. She looked up to find Valerie gazing back at her, her eyes sparkling brighter than the diamonds on the ring.

“When I first gave this collar to you, it was to mark you as my treasured submissive,” she said. “But that isn’t enough for me. Not anymore. Because what I want to give you, what you truly deserve, is a collar worthy of my wife.”

Abby’s breath caught in her chest. “Do you mean…?”

“Yes, I do.” Valerie got down on one knee. “Abigail Peters. My love. My life. My everything. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Abby’s heart soared. “Yes, Valerie. Yes.”

She fell to her knees and threw her arms around Valerie’s neck, kissing her until she was breathless and dizzy. Then she kept on kissing her until Valerie broke away, forcing her to come up for air.

She took Abby’s hand and drew her to her feet. “Allow me.”

Carefully, she removed the diamond ring from the collar and slipped it onto Abby’s finger.

“A perfect fit.” She took both of Abby’s hands in hers. “And this is only the beginning. I don’t just want you to be my wife. I want you to be Hazel’s mom, too.”

Abby blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I want you to adopt her. And so does she. I asked her how she feels about it, and she could barely contain her excitement. I wasn’t surprised. She loves you to death, and she already calls you Mom half the time. But I’ve been holding off on having a proper conversation with her about it until today so she wouldn’t spoil the surprise. It isn’t easy to get a five-year-old to keep a secret. Especially one as talkative as Hazel.”

Abby stared at her. “That’s why you insisted on taking her to the sitter yourself.”

Valerie nodded. “So, what do you say? Would you like to become Hazel’s mother?”

“Valerie…” Abby’s voice quivered as she spoke. “Of course. It would mean the world to me.”

Valerie smiled. “It will mean the world to me, and Hazel too. You’re already our family. This just makes it official.”

She kissed Abby again. This time, the kiss was soft and slow and sweet. But it was no less possessive, no less intoxicating.

Valerie drew back. “How about we head to Club Velvet and share the good news? I made sure everyone is coming tonight so we can all celebrate together.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Abby said. “Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What do you… Oh!” Her hand flew to her neck. “My collar.”

“Let me put it on for you.”

Valerie took the collar from the box. Abby held her hair out of the way as Valerie slipped the collar around her neck and buckled it closed.

“There,” Valerie said. “Why don’t you take a look?”

She guided Abby over to the full-length mirror in the corner and slipped behind her.

“Finally.” Drawing her in close, Valerie reached around her to trace her fingertips over the collar, her eyes locking with Abby’s through the mirror. “A collar that truly shows everyone how precious you are to me.”

Abby reached up, her hand joining Valerie’s at her neck. There was a comfort, a familiarity, in the collar’s soft leather, the shining gold accents, the way it fit snugly around her neck. But the diamonds transformed it into something new, something different, something unknown, just like their future together.

That future stretched out in the mirror before them.

And it was beautiful.

* * *

Thank you for reading AT HER SERVICE! For more sizzling age gap romance set in the world of CLUB VELVET, check out Simone and Jade’s story in BOSS OF HER .