Page 8 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 8

A bby unbuckled Hazel from her car seat. They’d spent the afternoon at the beach, and Hazel had fallen asleep before they’d made it back to the car.

She picked up the sleeping toddler, balancing her on one hip as she made her way into the house and up to Hazel’s bedroom. Once inside, Abby set her down on her bed carefully. She stirred, but didn’t wake up.

Abby crept out of the room and shut the door. She had an hour before Valerie came home, which would give her a chance to relax once she cleaned the place up a little. Valerie had a housekeeper who came in every day, but Abby had enough spare time to tidy up here and there. Hazel was an easy kid. Abby had never had an easier nannying job.

Not to mention, a cushier one. Working for Valerie Kane had its perks. On top of the spacious bedroom Abby now called her own, she had free use of the entire house, along with all the other luxuries it had to offer.

The job was perfect, except for one thing. She couldn’t stop fantasizing about her boss. Every time Abby was around her, it took all her willpower not to turn into a flustered mess that betrayed all the naughty thoughts in her mind. And living in Valerie’s house meant that there was nothing she could do to escape her, to escape those thoughts, those feelings . When she lay awake in bed at night, she longed to quench her thirst herself, all while imagining her own hands were Valerie’s.

But every night, she resisted the urge. She didn’t need to add more fuel to the fire.

She made her way downstairs and began tidying the living room, putting away the art supplies scattered across the coffee table and making sure to set Hazel’s latest drawing aside for Valerie. She’d instructed Abby to save all of Hazel’s artwork for her. Was she actually keeping it? She didn’t seem like the sentimental type. And most of the parents Abby had worked for didn’t care about those kinds of things. Any crafts their children made for them ended up in the trash.

She headed into the kitchen and stacked Hazel’s bowls in the dishwasher, then started it up and returned to the living room. Stretching herself out on the couch, she took out her phone and began flicking idly through her social media feed. A girl she’d gone to high school with had gotten engaged. A distant cousin had posted photos of her wedding. Erin had shared a selfie she’d taken with her boyfriend, the caption underneath it consisting of nothing but heart emojis.

Romance was in the air. At least for everyone else.

As she scrolled on, another photo caught her eye. It had been shared by her mom, who posted obsessively on social media. So did her stepdad. They were the stereotypical image-obsessed Los Angeles couple, flaunting their extravagant lifestyle for all to see. But Abby knew the truth. They were nowhere near as well-off as they pretended to be. Their lifestyle was a thin facade funded entirely by credit card debt.

Abby studied the photo. In it, her mom stood on a beach in a bikini and sarong, her face filtered to look far younger than her 40 years. She had an arm around her husband’s waist, the other hand on the shoulder of one of her two teenage sons, who stood at either side of their parents. All four of them had gleaming white smiles and beach blond hair. Beneath the photo was the caption, Family vacation!, followed by a long spiel about how lucky she was to have such a beautiful family.

A family that didn’t include Abby.

Suddenly, she heard the tap of footsteps down the glass stairs. She put away her phone quickly. While Valerie didn’t mind if she relaxed when she was done with all her tasks, she didn’t want to push her luck, especially while she was still new to the job.

A moment later, Valerie appeared at the bottom of the stairs in a stylish pantsuit, her hair gathered into a tight bun at the top of her head. Even dressed in workwear, she sent all kinds of sinful thoughts rushing through Abby’s mind.

“Valerie,” she said. “I didn’t know you were home.”

“I left the office early. Too many people wanting things from me. I needed some peace and quiet so I could actually get some work done.” She joined Abby by the couch. “Is Hazel down for her nap?”

Abby nodded. “Out like a light.”

“You must have done a good job tiring her out today. I don’t know how you manage.”

“It’s easy. Hazel is a smart kid. Give her something to do that challenges her mind, and it’s as good as having her run around for hours.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Valerie reached up and freed her curls from her bun, then drew her fingers through her hair. “I have something for you. Come.”

Abby got up and followed her through the house. When they reached the door to the garage, Valerie stopped.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your car.”

Abby winced. “Right.” She’d been driving the same car since she got her learner’s permit in high school. It was older than she was, and it looked like it too. “I know it’s a little old?—”

“That’s an understatement. I can’t have my daughter being driven around in a death trap.”

Abby couldn’t argue with that. It was falling apart. It was just one breakdown away from being written off entirely.

“Fortunately, I have a solution.” Valerie opened the door to the garage and turned on the light. “Go on in.”

Abby stepped into the garage. It was big enough to fit half a dozen cars, but there were only three inside. A sporty Porsche, which she’d never seen Valerie drive. An SUV with a child seat strapped into the back. And a third car, one Abby hadn’t seen before. It was a sleek, matte black Mercedes with an oversized red ribbon on the hood.

“The bow is a bit excessive, but the dealership insisted,” Valerie said. “What do you think?”

“About what?”

“About the car. It’s yours.”

Abby stared at her. “You’re giving this to me?”

“For as long as you’re working for me, yes. Come, take a closer look.” Valerie led her to the car and opened the driver’s side door. “Have a seat, get comfortable.”

Abby slid into the driver’s seat, the scent of new leather filling her head. Inside, the car was as luxurious as outside, with plush leather seats and gold accents.

Valerie got into the passenger seat and shut the door behind her. “It has all the latest safety features, including an advanced collision avoidance system. Not to mention heated seats, a state-of-the-art sound system, a mini-fridge. Everything you could possibly need.”

“No kidding,” Abby said. “This is great.”

“I’m glad you like it. As I said, it’s yours to use whenever you want. You can even use it on your days off. It doesn’t make sense to have you juggling two cars.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Abby shook her head. “I don’t know what to say. This is awfully generous.”

“Like I told you when I offered you the job, I always make sure that every one of my nanny’s needs is taken care of.”

“Well, I appreciate it. Thank you.”

“You can thank me by continuing to do a good job.”

Abby nodded. “I will.”

Valerie rested her arm on the center console between them. “I have to admit, I was skeptical about hiring such a young nanny, but you’ve proven to be more competent than many of the others I’ve tried.”

“I have plenty of experience. I’ve been nannying full-time since I was eighteen, but I did a lot of babysitting as a teenager. And I spent lots of time looking after my brothers growing up. I was much older than them, so I ended up being a kind of third parent. Actually, I was more like the only parent.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, my mom and stepdad were around, but they didn’t exactly do much parenting. They wanted kids the same way some people want pets—for the cute family photo ops, but not the sleepless nights and tantrums. All the benefits with none of the hard work.”

Abby trailed off. She was rambling again. Maybe seeing the photo her mom posted had thrown her off balance.

But Valerie only gave her a sympathetic nod. “I’m familiar with the type. And I’m sorry you had to look after your brothers when you were still a child yourself.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Abby said quickly. “And it taught me a lot about kids, about what they need. That’s part of why I became a nanny. I want to make sure the kids I look after have someone they can count on. And I genuinely enjoy the job too.”

“It shows. You really have a way with Hazel.”

“She’s a great kid. Makes it easy.”

That was the truth. Hazel was the complete opposite of most of the rich kids Abby had cared for, like Connor and Owen. Their parents barely paid any attention to them, so they’d never learned boundaries. And they got so little love from their parents that misbehaving was the only way they knew how to get attention.

Abby understood that from experience. Her mom had never paid much attention to her either. She’d gotten pregnant at 16, but she hadn’t wanted to be a mom so young. She’d tried to hide it, but Abby had sensed it.

“I’m glad the two of you get along so well,” Valerie said. “Truth be told, you’re the only nanny she’s ever felt comfortable with. Perhaps even the only person other than me. She’s really opened up to you. I could hardly believe that she told you her name at the park. It was a long process just to get her to say a few words to me . She’s never said a single word to anyone else. Not until you.”

“Wow. I never would have guessed it. I guess some kids start talking late, but they catch up.”

“That’s what the doctors said. And her speech therapist. They think it’s because she was premature. She was born with some serious health issues, so she spent the first eighteen months of her life in and out of the hospital.”

“That must have been hard for you,” Abby said.

“It was harder on her than me. While it’s in the past now, it took its toll on her. All those doctors prodding and poking at her made her anxious and wary of strangers. That’s why it’s been so difficult to find a nanny for her. And that’s why, when I met you in the park, I offered you the job on the spot. I’ve learned over the years to trust my instincts. And my instincts told me I needed to hire you for Hazel’s sake.”

Abby studied Valerie’s face. The woman was so reserved in her emotions, except for when it came to Hazel. Whenever she left her daughter with Abby, she could see the struggle in Valerie’s eyes as she wrenched herself away from her child. Whenever she and Hazel reunited at the end of a long day, Abby could feel the relief radiating from her. Whenever she spoke about her daughter, Abby could hear the love in her voice.

Seeing this commanding powerhouse of a woman melting in her daughter’s presence? It made Abby’s heart flutter.

“I understand,” she said. “And I’ll make sure you don’t regret giving me this job. You can count on me. So can Hazel.”

Valerie nodded. “That’s all I want. It’s all any parent wants. Someone I can be confident will keep Hazel safe. Someone who has her best interests at heart. Someone who genuinely cares.”

“I do. It hasn’t been long, but I’ve already come to care about her.”

“I can tell.” Valerie gave her a gentle smile. “Now, let me give you the keys. They should be in here.”

She opened the glove box and took out a set of car keys. As she handed them to Abby, their fingers touched. At once, Abby was sent hurtling back to that moment in the park. On her knees. At Valerie’s feet. The woman’s hand grasping hers, her fingertips caressing her skin, her gaze locked on Abby’s.

Deep within her, desire sparked to life. All of a sudden, the spacious car was tiny, and Valerie was so close, close enough to feel the warmth of her body, to hear the whisper of each breath that emerged from her luscious red lips. Valerie’s fingers lingered on hers, her skin soft and smooth, her other hand stretched toward her on the center console, just inches from Abby’s bare leg. Her dark curls cascaded down her shoulders, framing her breasts, which peeked out from her half-unbuttoned blouse in the most tantalizing way…

Heat rose through Abby’s body. She looked up at Valerie’s face. And suddenly, she couldn’t look away. She was pinned in place by Valerie’s gaze.

“Abby,” she said softly. “There’s something I need from you.”

Abby’s breath hitched. “Yes?”

Valerie leaned toward her, lips parting slightly. But no words emerged from them. Was she, like Abby, mesmerized? Was she desperately fighting the urges inside her too?

No, she was Valerie Kane, Abby’s boss . The thought was outrageous.

Was it?

A shrill buzzing filled the air. Valerie’s phone, vibrating in her jacket. She tensed and pulled her hand from Abby’s, reaching into her pocket to grab her phone.

As she glanced at the screen, her face warped into a grimace.

“Is everything okay?” Abby asked.

It took a moment for Valerie to answer her. “Yes.” She silenced her phone and slipped it back into her pocket, leaning back in her seat. “Now, where was I? Ah, I need you to start early tomorrow. I have to be at work by six for a shoot.”

Abby blinked. “Okay. Sure.”

But before she could say another word, Valerie opened the door and stepped out of the car.

She straightened up her jacket and smoothed down her hair. “Take the car for a test drive. You need to get a feel for it before you start driving Hazel around. Make sure you’re back in time for dinner.”

With that, she shut the door and left the garage.

Abby let out a long, slow breath, her pulse racing. One moment, Valerie had been warm toward her. The next, she couldn’t get away fast enough.

What the hell had happened?