Free Maid for the Billionaire by Ruth Cardello Page A

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. Lil 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.

     

Chapter Nine
     
    A few hours later Abby was seated on a long,
built-in plush couch that lined one side of the interior room of
Dominic's private plane. Despite the fact that she'd had time to
explore the whole thing a few times over during their flight from
Boston to New York, she was still in awe of the sheer size of it.
It was ultra modern with light green accent pillows and trim. There
were multiple bedrooms, an exercise room, a shower, a small movie
theatre and even a Jacuzzi. Why any plane would have such a tub was
beyond Abby, but if she'd doubted Dominic's wealth before, there
was no question of it now.
    For a woman who had never flown before, this
was a surreal, knee knocking adventure. She would have liked to
share the experience with someone, but Dominic had been on the
phone for most of the flight, giving orders to employees on two
continents.
    Abby had friends, but none who would believe
her if she tried to explain anything about the last two days. Only
Lil knew and she'd screamed with excitement at the news that Abby
was leaving the country with Dominic. Lil loved the nanny Mrs.
Duhamel had sent over and was thrilled that Abby was finally out
there living.
    Abby wished she were as certain that she'd
made the right choice. It was one thing to spend the day with a man
she hardly knew, it was another to commit to an international
outing. She didn't know where they would be staying, who she would
meet while there, or when they would return.
    She wanted to dig in her heels and demand the
information, but Dominic's entire staff was working in crisis mode.
Dominic himself was fielding questions that seemed to dwarf hers in
comparison.
    Who could order a man to hang up on the
President of the United States to provide her with an itinerary of
their trip? Which Senator could she interrupt to ask about the
hotel they would be staying in?
    During