Maid for the Billionaire

Chapter Eleven

Two black SUVs and two limousines met them the next morning at the private airport they landed at just outside of Beijing. Abby stepped out of the plane into the hot summer air and was glad that Mrs. Duhamel had thought of everything. She was showered and dressed comfortably in a pair of light blue cotton slacks and a cream blouse.

Four large men, two Chinese and two American, came to greet Dominic as he stepped off the plane. Dominic introduced them to Abby. It was a strangely informal introduction to men who neither seemed like business associates nor friends. Each hand that engulfed hers seemed larger than the next. They were all simply dressed in black pants with white, cotton dress shirts, and dark jackets.

Abby heard Dominic instruct, "I've given you a list of places she can go, but she never leaves your sight. If she wants to chat, you chat. If she wants you invisible, disappear, but at no time should you be further than ten feet from her."

"In the suite, sir?"

"When I'm not there, I want at least one man inside and the others prowling. When I'm there, disappear."

"Understood, sir."

Abby felt as awkward as a new tourist asking if she should tip the porter or not. "Dominic?

Are you sure this is necessary?"

He looked down at her, as confident here as he'd been in Boston, reminding her once again of how very little she knew about him or his world. "They are as much for your protection as for my sanity. There are those who would use you to try to influence the negotiations."

She clasped her hands together in front of her. "Use me?" she repeated weakly.

Her lover from the night before was indistinguishable in the stone-faced man who explained,

"There is no going home now, Abby. You've been seen with me. You and your sister will be under my protection until the dust from this has settled."

With the body guards looking on, Abby knew this was not the time to protest that she didn't even know what his purpose for this trip was. She wanted to say that her personal safety had not been mentioned when he'd asked her to join him and that perhaps constant surveillance and the equivalent to home arrest would have swayed her to reconsider this particular adventure. There was so much that she would have said had they been alone and if his expression had not clearly indicated that the topic was not up for discussion.

For now at least.

"I see," she said and looked the guards over again. They probably liked the idea of babysitting her as little as she liked the idea of four hulking shadows. She decided to make the best of it. "I hope you guys can at least play a decent game of poker."

A general chuckle spread through the men and set the tone for their relationship. She wasn't going to cause them any grief nor act the part of the spoiled brat that she had no doubt they'd encountered in the past.

Dominic lost some of his sternness as his eyes lit with renewed interest. "You play poker?"

She hadn't in years, but she remembered the game well enough. One of her uncles had taught her and for a while there, in her younger years, she'd been known as quite a shark. "Yes,"

she said, adding impishly, "but only with your money."

He threw back his head and laughed, surprising all who surrounded him. The guards looked from him to Abby and back. Their shock was clear. Hadn't they ever seen him laugh before?

The driver held the door to the limo open and asked, "The International Hotel, sir?"

Dominic put a hand on Abby's lower back and ushered her into the vehicle, "Not this time, Scott. I booked a suite at Aman at the Summer Palace."

The driver gave only the slightest hint of surprise. "That is over thirty minutes from the business center, sir."

Perhaps due to a deeper familiarity with this driver, Dominic showed more patience with him than she'd seen the day before. "I am fully aware of its location."

The driver smiled down at Abby before he closed the door and said, "Ah, I see, sir."

With Dominic flush against one side of her, Abby asked, "What does he see, Dominic?"

He looked more uncomfortable answering her questions than he had during any of his business calls the day before. "The Aman is in a tourist area. Its buildings are older but the architecture is traditional Chinese. The Summer Palace and gardens are within walking distance."

Pleasure spread through Abby. "You chose it for me."

The back of Dominic's neck flushed slightly. Abby loved that such a man was still capable of blushing, at least when it came to her. "It's a good location for you. I will accompany you to see the major sites of interest, but you can explore the gardens through the Aman‘s private entrance and even rent a small boat if you'd like."

Abby hugged his arm. "Thank you."

Dominic pulled her closer and gave her a toe-curling kiss. "I won't be going to the hotel with you. You'll have to check in alone. I have people I need to see first, but I will be back this evening." There was a promise in his kiss. "Early," he stressed. The second limo pulled up as if on cue.

Dominic‘s eyes darkened possessively. "Stay out of trouble."

Abby smiled up at him. "What kind of trouble could I possibly get into with my four gorillas?"

"I have no doubt you could find something." He turned to the driver. "Scott, call me at the slightest issue."

"I will, sir."

With one last kiss, Dominic exited the limo and headed for his own. Abby sat there, still feeling that this was all a bit unreal.

She moved to sit closer to the dividing window between the back seats and the driver.

"Have you known him long, Scott?"

Scott pulled out into traffic, but answered her. "He has been one of my clients for several years."

Abby felt like there was something she was missing. Something that just didn't feel right.

"You mean your limo service?"

The driver spared her a rueful look in his mirror. "Actually, I'm CEO and founder of Luros Security."

Abby's eyes widened. She'd heard of that company, it was no start up. The man driving her vehicle was at least a multi-millionaire. "And you drive limos?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Not usually," he said. "However, Dominic called it a personal favor."

"So, you're here to organize the security for his negotiations?"

"No," Scott replied, looking less certain that he should be sharing all of this information with Abby and even a bit irritated as he added, "We were given an alternate assignment."

Abby cocked her head to the side in question.

Scott answered simply, "You."