Tangled Vows
Anna Stone
© 2020 Anna Stone
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be replicated, reproduced, or redistributed in any form without the prior written consent of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover by Kasmit Covers
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
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Chapter 1
Ruby entered the hotel bar. It was past 2 a.m., but as usual, the room was buzzing. The excitement never stopped on the Vegas strip.
She took a seat at a table midway between the bar and the entrance, the perfect spot for people-watching.
And the perfect spot for people to see Ruby.
A waitress came by to take her order. As Ruby waited for her drink to arrive, she crossed her legs and leaned back, surveying the room. The hotel was one of the most exclusive venues on the strip, not to mention one of the most expensive. The guests were of the highest caliber, all wealthy, upper-class, with discerning tastes.
It was the ideal place for Ruby to find clients. And she needed clients. She’d been out of the escort game for far too long, having given it up after entering a long-term arrangement with a client. When the arrangement had ended, Ruby had taken up a job as a waitress, but she’d quit after a few weeks so she could return to escorting.
However, getting back on the horse was proving difficult. Although she’d had plenty of interest, Ruby was struggling to find anyone she wanted to take on as a client. It should have been easy. In the past, she’d been able to pick and choose her clients as she pleased. Ruby wasn’t just any escort. Only the wealthiest could afford even a minute of her time. It was how she’d been able to make a living without needing to hustle. At least, until now.
Ruby needed to start making money soon. She was behind on rent. Her credit cards were maxed out. She was broke.
The waitress returned with her drink. Ruby sipped it slowly as she watched the crowd. What had changed? Was she losing her touch? She’d always been good at her job. She knew exactly what her clients wanted. They wanted the experience of having a young, beautiful woman at their beck and call for everything from dinner to far more intimate activities. They wanted a whole experience, and Ruby delivered just that.
And she knew how to attract the right kind of clientele. Her dress and shoes were designer, the jewelry she wore expensive but understated. She’d scrimped and saved for her outfits or had received them from former clients as gifts, all so she’d look the part. Her dark blonde hair was styled to perfection, and she’d learned to carry herself with sophistication and class, all to mark her as an escort of a special kind.
It was all an illusion, of course. Even before she’d taken a break from escorting, Ruby’s life had been far from glamorous. She spent most of her time lounging around her crappy one-bedroom apartment in sweats. The effortless confidence and charm she projected for her clients? Also an illusion. She was a mess of anxieties and unpaid bills.
Ruby sighed. Why was she finding this so difficult? Could it be that the problem was Ruby herself? Could it be that her heart just wasn’t in it anymore? It would be understandable, considering everything that had happened with her last client. Over time, that person had become far more than just a client.
And then he’d shattered her, along with her life.
Since then, Ruby had been trying her hardest to pick up the pieces, to rebuild her life, herself, again. But after being powerless for so long, she didn’t even know where to start.
Ruby sat up straighter. She wasn’t going to let that get to her. She was going to get back into the game.
She stirred her drink, a martini, continuing to scan the room. As she did, she noticed a woman walk through the door.
Ruby watched the woman surreptitiously. She had long brown hair, one shade away from black, and dark, bewitching eyes. Her elegant black off the shoulder dress was form-fitting, but in a tasteful way. She was on the shorter side, but her confident bearing, the purposeful way she walked, made her presence feel far more imposing. Several heads turned as she walked past, but the woman paid them no mind. She simply sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
Ruby took another sip of her martini. If she’d learned one thing, it was that the kind of women who employed her services—rich, powerful, confident in their sexuality—had extremely specific desires. Some of them were exactly the same in bed as they were in all other parts of their lives, commanding and in control. Others were the complete opposite, seeking refuge in Ruby from their demanding lives, wanting to let go and hand Ruby the reins.
She knew which type she preferred. Which kind of woman was this dark-haired goddess?
Ruby was getting ahead of herself. Was this woman even interested in women? Was she looking for company?
Ruby studied her, searching for answers. The bartender set the woman’s order in front of her, a bottle of top-shelf scotch and a single glass. That was a good sign. For starters, it meant that the woman was wealthy enough to afford Ruby’s time. More importantly, it suggested she wanted to drink her troubles away. In Ruby’s experience, people in that situation wanted company just as much as they wanted to drink.
Providing company was the main part of Ruby’s job. Her more
