Maid for the Billionaire(24)

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."



Chapter Twelve

"I knew this wasn't a good idea," Scott said as the man to his left folded in defeat.

Abby was not going to back down now; she had them on the run. Thank you, Uncle Phil.

She'd not only been tutored in the art of maintaining a straight face, but she'd also always been flat out lucky when it came to cards.

One down, two to go, face to face across the hotel room‘s delicate dining room table that the four of them had gathered around for an afternoon of Poker, Abby let a grin slip out. "Never let them see your fear, Scott." She turned to the silent man beside her and said, "I'll see your Choice of Restaurant and I'll raise you a Choice of Activity."

"Too rich for me," he said and laid his cards down.

Scott was no pushover, but he'd seriously underestimated her skill with the game. When she'd suggested they actually play poker, his first response was that he didn't feel comfortable taking money from her. Easy enough to fix, she'd assured him, they would play for something else. Confident that one of the three men would trump her; he'd agreed and allowed her to write up notes instead of using chips.

None of them had expected that she would be sitting pretty on top of a mountain of most of the cards. They'd groaned in mutual pain when she'd won the card that read "Choice of movie."

Now it was her and Scott, one on one, winner takes it all. She schooled her face to reveal as little as possible.

Scott said, "I'll see your Choice of Activity and raise you One hour of Silence."

Don't you wish, she thought, although she knew that card had been jokingly written in direct response to her "One childhood story" card she'd written. "I'll see your Choice of Activity and raise you One Unauthorized Excursion."

"You're not going anywhere that isn't on the list, Abby," Scott said in a tone that probably dissuaded most from further argument.