Maid for the Billionaire

Chapter Eight

It wasn‘t until they‘d reached the interior of the limo again that Dominic realized he still held Abby‘s hand in a crushing grip. Poor woman, he must have dragged her down the hallway behind him during his grand exit. He let her go with more reluctance than he would have liked.

He braced himself for the verbal assault he knew was coming. It was no more than he deserved. What kind of idiot invites a woman he barely knows to share one of the ugliest moments of his life? She had every right to call him her full vocabulary of insults.

Her silence beside him was as painful as any thrashing could have been.

He wished she'd just say it and let it be done. He was a horrible human being, he knew it.

An unspeakably poor example of a son, a disappointment as a brother, and a money driven monster in general.

Abby was with him today only because he'd threatened her sister's job. He was a multi-billionaire who wasn't above blackmailing a school teacher . Doesn’t that just say it all?

Was that what held her tongue? Was she trying to think of way to get out of the vehicle without incurring his wrath? During the construction of his financial empire, he'd bent his moral code more than he cared to admit, but today was a new low, even for him.

If only she'd just say it.

―Where to, sir?‖ the driver asked.

Abby answered before Dominic had the chance. ―We'll need to go shopping,‖ she said.

―There is a mall in North Attleboro on Route 1.‖

Dominic turned to Abby in surprise. If she were any other woman he'd assume that her own self-gratification had overshadowed her comprehension of the past hour. However, her amber eyes were brimming with a compassion he neither deserved nor welcomed.

―It's time for me to get back to New York,‖ he said to the driver. ―You take Ms. Dartley home. Stop at the mall on the way if she wants. Have any charges billed to me and call a second limo to take me to the airport.‖

―Wait,‖ Abby said.

The driver hesitated which gave a direction for some of Dominic's anger. ―If you like your job, I'd make the call.‖

The driver began to call in the order for the second limo.

―It's just a mall,‖ Abby interjected as if issuing a dare.

Dominic sat back and squared his shoulders. ―I'm not in the mood for shopping.‖

―Afraid?‖ she asked softly, so softly he almost missed it. His head whipped around. His sweet little middle school teacher had an impish glint in her eyes.

―Not interested,‖ he lied. He was becoming more interested each time she surprised him.

She crossed her legs slowly, fully aware that she had his attention once again and folded her hands over her exposed knee. She let out an actress like dramatic sigh. ―Then you'll never know where I was going to take you after the mall.‖

There wasn't a man on the planet who could have resisted her in that moment. She was pure temptation. He leaned toward her and growled, ―Why not take me there now?‖

She shrugged lightly as if the opportunity had passed. He reached across the foot that separated them to drag her into his lap, but she scooted further away and said, ―We're not dressed for where I want to go.‖

He shifted closer to her. ―Are you sure clothes will be necessary?‖

―Positive,‖ she said. Her laughter just about sent his blood pressure through the roof of the limo.

Forget the plane. He instructed the driver to cancel the other limo and head toward North Attleboro. This was one merger he wasn't going to miss.

Abby refused to start doubting herself now. If she hadn't wanted this throbbing, almost visible sexual tension to return, she could have accepted his offer to end the day early. He would have let her go and that probably would have been the last she'd ever see of him.

The problem was, she didn't want the day to end. Yesterday, he had been a two dimensional, gorgeous, amazingly arrogant sexual fantasy.

Today he was also a man. A complicated man who had escaped the misery of a controlling father only to hold himself in an even more painful vice grip of guilt.

He wanted to run. She knew that feeling far too well. She'd spent most of her adult life running from the sadness of the loss of her parents. No, she hadn't gotten on a plane and flown away, but she had distanced herself emotionally so much from whom she had been that she barely knew herself anymore.

She wasn't the strict, rule following, penny pinching, starched shirt facade she'd hidden behind for years. No wonder Lill had rebelled. Abby had tried to force her sister to hide from life with her; afraid that if either of them stepped off the straight and narrow, tragedy would strike again.

Dominic was fighting his own emotional demons. On the surface he looked like a man who needed nothing and no one, but he‘d shown her the man behind that fa?ade when he‘d clung to her hand.

Their connection was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. Dominic had offered her the chance to end this adventure, but something told Abby that they were meant to meet. Being with him was teaching her about herself and she hoped that on some small level she was able to give him that same gift.

A plan for the day was forming in Abby's mind; a purely impulsive plan that she would have dismissed last week. Today, she gave in to the possibilities. Lill was right, it was time to start living again.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the mall, Abby gathered her purse to her side and announced, ―This is a race. The first one back in the limo dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers wins.‖

The seriousness of the day fell aside and Dominic‘s predatory smile returned. ―And what exactly will I win?‖

Overconfident billionaire, Abby thought smugly. He might rule the business world, but when it came to shopping, she doubted he'd ever purchased his own clothes. That alone would slow him down.

―The winner gets the right to decide how we spend the rest of the day,‖ she declared.

His eyes flared with interest. ―I like the sound of that. I know just where I'm going to take you.‖

Not giving him time to plan his strategy, Abby threw her door open, sprinted onto the sidewalk and announced over her shoulder, ―So do I!‖

Upon his return, Dominic flung the rear door of the limo open before his driver could scramble to get it for him. He grunted in response to Abby‘s triumphant smile. She had already given the driver directions to their destination and was loving every moment of her victory.

As luck would have it, she'd shopped in that very mall a few days earlier and impulsively tried on an expensive designer pair of jeans. They hugged her curves as if made for her. Since they weren't practical, she hadn't purchased them, but today she'd snatched them off the rack with confident abandon. She'd added a maroon, v neck t-shirt that revealed just enough of her cleavage to make most men take a second look and had dashed for her favorite brand of sneakers; determined to not only win this race, but look damn good doing it.

Dominic climbed in and slid onto the seat next to her, appearing less than pleased with the outing. ―Do you know that no amount of money will raise the IQ of a teenage clerk? What kind of department store hides everyone above the age of twenty from the public?‖

―Don't be a sore loser, Dominic. You never had a chance.‖ Abby patted his jean-clad knee in mock sympathy and snatched her hand back in response to the jolt of attraction she felt from that brief touch. If she'd been hoping that he'd be less appealing in casual clothing, she couldn't have been more wrong. His dark blue cotton t-shirt revealed his natural athletic build and flat stomach.

He grabbed her hand and placed it back on his thigh, holding it neatly captive beneath his much larger one. ―Why do I get the feeling that you cheated?‖

She let out a shaky breath. Remembering her original altruistic reasons for the day‘s outing was proving difficult when all she could think about was her body's reaction to their one point of contact. Her stomach quivered with an anticipation she was beginning to associate with any proximity to Dominic. ―You're a businessman. Are you above using a natural advantage to win?‖

He slid her hand up his thigh an inch, his breath quickening along with her own. ―When it comes to winning, there isn't much I wouldn't do.‖ He leaned toward her, close enough for a kiss, but stopped before their lips met as if he were debating something with himself.

She said, ―You sound like you're warning me.‖

He released her hand and with very little effort, turned to lift her so she was facing him, straddling him, on the seat. ―You made your choice an hour ago. I just don't want you to imagine this is more than it is.‖ He held her still with one hand on either hip. ―Or that changing your mind is an option.‖

She sat back, tossing her hair over her shoulder. ―So many threats. Haven't you ever heard of the honey and vinegar adage?‖

―That's never been my maxim. Not then, not now. You're here only because I threatened your sister's livelihood.‖ His right hand caressed upwards until his thumb rested just below the swell of her breast.

Abby almost laughed, but gazing down at him, she realized he was serious. She put a reassuring hand on one of his well-muscled shoulders. ―Do I look like a woman who was blackmailed into being with you today?‖

His gray eyes darkened to near black as an inner storm raged. ―No, but you do look like the kind of woman who should run from a man like me.‖

There was such pain in his expression, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead rather than his lips. She whispered, ―I‘m not worried.‖

With both hands on her sides, he leaned her back so he could see her expression. ―You should be.‖ He shifted her hips forward so she could feel his excitement throb through their denim.

Unusually brazen, Abby rubbed herself against him, reveling in the way his thighs tightened and his hands moved to halt her hips, as if he feared his reaction if she continued. She said,

―Maybe you should be, too.‖

He put a hand behind her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Abby tasted him hungrily.

Everyone deserved one night so good the memory of it would elicit a secret smile decades later.

She just hoped her surprise destination didn‘t break the mood.

―Why are you smiling?‖ he demanded between kisses.

Abby rested her head on his shoulder, trying to regain some self-control. ―I‘m wondering how you are going to like where we are going.‖

He slid a thumb beneath the lace edge of her bra. ―Oh, I like it.‖

―That‘s not what I meant,‖ Abby said and playfully pushed his hand away. ―Stop. I can‘t think when you do that.‖ The markers on the side of the road warned that they were not far from their destination. An hour ago, she‘d been confident in her choice. Now she could barely think from wanting him and the whole idea seemed silly.

Dominic‘s chest rumbled with a pleased chuckle, his hands beginning to wander again.

―And that‘s a problem?‖

―No. Yes.‖ Abby shook her head and caught his hands in hers. ―I didn‘t pick the kind of place you‘re imagining.‖

He pulled her close again, his breath hot on her neck as he said, ―I don‘t care where we spend today, but I‘ll choose tonight.‖

The dividing window lowered and the driver‘s amused voice halted further exploration.

"We're here, sir. Southwick's Zoo."

Dominic surveyed the parking lot, like a man discovering he'd stepped in animal waste. My God! There was even a school bus parked amid the ocean of mini vans. When he'd decided to go along with Abby's game, he'd envisioned a more intimate destination. What the hell were they doing at a zoo?

Abby took him by the hand as if she could read his thoughts. ―Would you just trust me?‖

she said.

He shook his head. Every man had his limits and he could think of a hundred places more appropriate for what he had in mind. ―I'm not in the mood for crowds and small children.‖ Her choice of entertainment highlighted the differences between them and he wondered again if they both wouldn't be better off if he ended the day now.

She tugged on his hand until he looked down at her. The stubborn expression was back on her face. ―I won and this is where I choose to go. So, suck it up,‖ she said in direct challenge.

He straightened, an involuntary response to her tone, eyebrows shooting up toward his hairline and almost laughed but caught himself at the last second. She didn't always appreciate his humor.

―Yes, ma'am,‖ he joked and tucked her against his side, under his arm. Whenever he thought he had her figured out, she surprised him. It was becoming impossible to imagine himself with the perfectly groomed, nauseatingly dull, arm candy he usually went for. If just a sliver of her audacious nature spilled into her lovemaking, he wasn't sure he'd be able to let her leave in the morning.

―Come on.‖ She pulled him into forward motion toward the entrance, not quite shaking him free of the images he'd just conjured of exactly how he was going to enjoy her that evening.

After graciously allowing him to pay for their admission, she escorted him with a purposeful stride past small furred creatures he didn't have time to catch the name of. They breezed by a tortoise, some large caged birds, and, thankfully, the petting zoo. Her pace began to slow as they passed the African Plains area.

They came to a stop before a double-gated enclosure labeled, ―Deer Forest.‖ She pulled out several coins and a small plastic bag from her purse and began filling the bag with corn kernels from a dispenser.

―For the right price, I bet they'd let us feed the lions,‖ he suggested, seeing nothing tempting about her choice.

―I'm sure they would,‖ she said, pushing the first of the two gates open and passing through the second without waiting to see if he followed her; which, of course, he did.

About ten feet inside the enclosure, she stopped walking and waited for him to join her. Her eyes held a bit of a dreamy expression as she pointed to the area around her. ―This is one of my favorite places to come when I need to think.‖

Thinking was the last thing he wanted to do, but something about her love of these woods drew him in. They walked in union deeper into the park at a slow, comfortable pace.

She sat down on a wooden bench, slightly off the main path. He sat beside her, completely at a loss for why she had brought him there. Their earlier passion was put on pause. She didn't say anything at first, so nor did he. For a man who continually, almost compulsively, charged ahead, he was amazed by the comfort he found in their shared silence and inactivity.

Despite the fact that they were both fully dressed and separated by a few inches, he had never felt closer to a woman. That this feeling of intimacy could come before sex scared him.

She was supposed to be a distraction; enjoyable but brief. She wasn‘t supposed to make him wonder how he was going to return to his normal life without her and if returning there was what he really wanted to do at all.

In the shade of trees, he studied her content profile. Her makeup had begun to smudge. The hard work of her stylist was losing ground to her hair‘s natural curl. She sensed his scrutiny and peered back at him from beneath her naturally long eyelashes. He‘d never seen anyone more beautiful, but wasn‘t the type of man to spout flowery words. He settled for laying his hand lightly over hers on the bench.

Their peace was broken by a wave of visitors who passed through the forest at a breakneck speed; obviously thinking like he had that this was the least impressive part of the zoo. After the intrusion, Dominic was uncomfortable just sitting there and mooning over Abby like a boy stricken with his first crush.

He said, ―I don't see any deer. What are we doing here?‖

"Waiting," she said. ―The deer will come.‖

―Shouldn't you call them or something?‖ Dominic asked.

Her warm brown eyes crinkled with amusement as she smiled up at him. ―They won't come if I call. That's what is amazing about this place. You can't force a deer to come to you. You can chase it, corner it, make all the threats you'd like, but a deer won't come until it wants to.‖

And then it dawned on him. ―If this is your attempt at an analogy between my sister and these timid creatures, you obviously missed her claws.‖

Abby opened the bag of kernels and threw some on the ground around them. ―I'm a good judge of people. Your sister was scared.‖

He scoffed at that. ―Pissed is more like it. Don't think you know her from one brief meeting.

She's not a little deer who is going to come running just because I toss some corn down.‖

―Why did you come back to Boston?‖

Her question threw him. He'd come back because Thomas had implied that his sister's welfare depended on his presence at the reading. He'd thought that perhaps this time she'd see reason and finally take his offer of money; therefore escaping whatever web of control his father had spun.

Abby continued her cross examination. ―You said you don't care about the money, so you came back for your sister.‖

This woman saw too much.

―A lot of good that did,‖ he ground out. ―Do these deer throw the corn right back in your face as my darling sister tosses any of my offers of assistance?‖

Abby didn‘t seem put off by his anger. ―Maybe you've never made her the right offer.‖

Ha, if only that were true. ―I‘ve repeatedly offered to help her financially. You heard her.

She doesn't want anything from me.‖

―All I heard her say is that she didn't want your money.‖

―And that I'm a lousy brother.‖ Dominic added with self-disgust.

―No, that may be what you heard, but that's not what she was saying.‖ Abby‘s confidence was grating.

―And after meeting her once, you know her so well?‖

―After a lifetime of being her brother, do you know her at all?‖ she challenged. ―I‘m not saying I have all the answers, but my sister and I had a similarly strained relationship for years.‖

Dominic remembered what he‘d read in Abby‘s profile. She‘d practically raised her sister.

Their situations were nothing alike. ―You and your sister still live together. You seem to be close. It‘s not the same at all. I haven‘t had a real conversation with my sister in years.‖

Abby turned her hand under his to give him a supportive squeeze. ―Neither had I, until last night. Sure, we lived together, but that just made it worse. I got to see up close and everyday how distant we had become.‖

―And all of that changed last night?‖ He raised a doubting eyebrow.

Abby‘s expression grew wistful. ―We reconnected. I‘m not saying it‘s perfect, but it‘s better now – so much better. You and your sister could find that, too. Nicole just needs time and maybe a softening in your approach.‖

A small doe came out of the tree line, leading a tentative group of about six other deer.

They watched Abby and Dominic carefully as they nibbled on the furthest and safest kernels.

One large buck stepped out of the group and approached the seated pair. Abby reached into her bag and filled her palm with his reward. The others became bolder and soon the small bench was surrounded by hungry deer.

Abby poured some of the kernels into Dominic's hand. He reached forward and was surprised by how softly the fragile animals took the treat. He was further surprised by the feeling of triumph he felt that they trusted him enough to bring their young ones closer to the bench.

Abby looked on with a real expression of pleasure.

He announced, ―This changes nothing. You heard my sister. She doesn‘t want anything from me.‖

Abby simply gave him more corn and said, ―Who are you trying to convince, me or you?‖

The ring of Dominic's cell phone scattered a few of the deer. It rang again, but he didn't reach for it.

Abby turned to him as the rings grew louder, ―Aren't you going to answer it?‖

I should. Jake wouldn't call him again so soon if it weren't an emergency. Dominic dug the phone out of his front pocket and flipped it open. ―Corisi,‖ he said with all the impatience he felt.

―We've got a problem,‖ Jake announced. ―You need to get back to New York ASAP.‖

―That is a problem,‖ Dominic answered, ―because I have no intention of returning till next week.‖

Jake was not deterred by his refusal. ―I just got off the phone with a contact we have within the Chinese Promotion Investment Agency. He says you've offended the Minister of Commerce.

By missing his meeting, the Minister has lost face and is doubting your guanxi.‖

―My what?‖

―Your personal relationship with him. Your mutual trust. Whatever. I can't fix this without you. You're going to have to drop whatever you're doing and fly to Beijing to meet with him in person this week or the whole project is going to be tabled.‖

Beijing was the last place Dominic wanted to be. He wasn‘t ready to step back into his old life yet. He wanted a few more days of simply being with Abby. No pressure. No expectations.

With her, he was rediscovering who he was beneath all of his anger and ambition and he liked the man he saw reflected in her eyes.

―This contract will benefit them as much as it will us. What are they stalling for?‖

Dominic‘s voice revealed his growing frustration.

―We didn't take into account the level of importance the Chinese place on personal relationships. They aren't going to move forward until you go out there and talk to them. Our contact says, unlike the impatient Americans -- they have all the time in the world. We can't afford to have this project put on hold. Our investors are already getting nervous.‖

A group of children saw the deer that still lingered around Dominic and Abby and came screaming toward them.

―What is that noise, Dominic? Where the hell are you?‖

―At the zoo,‖ Dominic answered absently.

Jake grunted in agreement. ―Sounds like one. Where are you -- outside a toy store or something?‖

―No, I'm actually at a zoo.‖ Abby shouldered the blame with a shameless shrug and continued listening to his side of the conversation with undisguised curiosity.

Jake's voice rose an octave. ―A zoo as in with real caged animals?‖

―Are there any other kind?‖

―Huh.‖ For a moment that stumped Jake. Dominic could almost hear his thoughts, This is worse than I thought. ―Ok, then. Give the monkeys the rest of the peanuts and head for the airport. Your plane is fueling up at Logan as we speak.‖

Dominic hadn‘t become successful without learning how to adapt quickly to changing situations. He turned to his deer wise companion and asked, ―Would you like to see Beijing?‖

Abby‘s mouth dropped open. ―You mean in China? I don't have a passport.‖

Dominic addressed Jake again while he stood, pulling Abby up next to him. ―I'll be flying out of Boston in a little over an hour. Have a passport for Abigail Dartley waiting in New York along with the paperwork I need. Have Duhamel fly back before us and pack luggage for two.

She'll know what I'm talking about. We'll fuel up and fly over tonight.‖

―You‘re taking your housekeeper?‖ Jake asked incredulously.

―Just do it.‖ Dominic clicked his phone shut. He held onto Abby‘s cold hand despite her attempts to tug it free. Bringing her with him made sense and taking action made him feel calmer, more in control of the situation.

Abby held her ground when he tried to pull her with him along the path. She dug her heels in until he was forced to turn around and look down at her.

She was one stubborn woman.

―I can't go to China. I have responsibilities here. Lill is still sick...‖ Abby said in rushed tones.

Dominic brushed aside her concerns. ―Duhamel sent a nanny over to help her while you were out today. We'll just hire her to stay.‖

Simple enough. He tried to guide her forward, but she wasn‘t budging.

―China? I can't just go there...with not even a toothbrush,‖ Abby said. Her hand fluttered within his, giving him the first indication that she wasn‘t as confident as she appeared.

"We'll buy everything you need. Now come on,‖ he said in a voice that made most businessmen rush to action and most women try to appease him.

She did neither.

"I can't..." she said again, undaunted by his tone.

Now was not the time for her adorable stubborn streak to rear its head. He‘d already decided that he wasn‘t going to China without her. Still, outright ordering her had not been effective so far. He was going to have to try something else.

He reached for her, drawing her fully against him. Desire quickly replaced resistance and proved to be an effective bargaining tool. ―I want you to come. You know you want to come.

Just this once, don‘t play it safe.‖

"China?" she asked weakly, as if she was trying to remember the topic of their discussion.

Dominic swept down to taste the lips she‘d licked moist in anticipation. Her quickly indrawn breath brushed her excited nipples against his chest. It was the best yes she could have given him; leaving them both trembling with desire, and him looking forward to the long flight ahead.