That was all in the past. Ruby was free now. And yet, she didn’t know how to deal with her freedom. She felt overwhelmed, completely lost and directionless. She’d felt this way for so long now, ever since she’d left him. That self-assured siren Ruby pretended to be wasn’t real. It was a mask to hide all her uncertainties.
She stretched out on the couch. She needed a distraction. As she glanced around the apartment, an idea popped into her mind. Perhaps she could try to find out a little more about Yvonne.
The day Ruby had arrived, she’d checked out every room in the huge apartment, except for Yvonne’s bedroom and study. Yvonne kept those doors closed at all times. Perhaps Ruby could find some more hints about the woman inside her spaces. Besides, this apartment was Ruby’s home for the next year. It was odd that she lived here, yet she didn’t know what some of the rooms looked like. Taking a peek inside them wouldn’t hurt.
She got up from the couch and crept to Yvonne’s study. Yvonne spent a lot of time inside it. There had to be some clue, some hint inside about what was behind Yvonne’s mask.
Ruby turned the door handle. It was unlocked. She slipped inside and looked around. To her dismay, it was just a regular, boring home office, with a desk in the middle and some bookcases and cabinets. Ruby tiptoed to Yvonne’s desk. It had a few folders and documents on it, including the contract she and Ruby had signed. Their marriage certificate was there too, as well as some other papers that looked to be work-related.
Ruby’s eyes landed on a check sitting on top of a pile of documents. She picked it up. The check was made out to a ‘Nita Chen,’ and it was for almost a hundred thousand dollars. That was a lot of money, although it probably wasn’t much to Yvonne. Who was Nita and why was Yvonne paying her so much?
She put the check down. It was none of her business who Yvonne gave her money to. Ruby left the room and headed to Yvonne’s bedroom at the end of the hall. She opened the door. The bedroom was even more disappointing than the study. It was decorated much like the rest of the house, and just as neat and tidy. So was her bathroom, although it was twice the size of Ruby’s. But there were no clues to who Yvonne was in the room.
Ruby shut the door. As she did, she realized that there was another room next to Yvonne’s bedroom that she hadn’t noticed earlier. How had she missed it?
She opened the door to the room to find another spare bedroom. But unlike the others, which looked rarely used, this bedroom was well decorated and furnished, the bed fully made with linens and extra pillows.
Ruby frowned. Was it a guest room? It was too nice. Too made up. It looked too well used. And the decor in it was different. Whereas the beds in Ruby’s room and the master bedroom were made with crisp cotton sheets in neutral, light colors that matched the rest of the house, this bed was made up with dark satin sheets and velvet pillows. The lighting was different too. Darker, softer.
More sensual.
Ruby took a step into the room, then another, not knowing what she was looking for. She simply had this feeling. She walked over to the four-poster bed, running her hands along the satin sheets. Next to the bed were matching nightstands. She opened one of them up.
Her mouth dropped open. Inside the drawer, laid out neatly on a bed of velvet, was an assortment of handcuffs.
Ruby slammed the drawer shut and opened the one below it. More cuffs, this time made of leather. She opened the bottom drawer. Ropes, all neatly coiled, lined up by length and color.
Ruby’s heart thudded hard inside her chest. She looked around the room. There was a dresser and a closet on the far wall. She walked over to the dresser and opened the drawers one by one. Two held an assortment of whips. Another was filled with blindfolds, gags, and all kinds of leather straps. Another held an array of intimidating-looking metal tools and restraints. She found more of the same in the closet.
Heat suffused Ruby’s entire body. So this was what Yvonne meant about her ‘tastes.’ Ruby had suspected that Yvonne was the dominant type, but she’d had no idea just how seriously Yvonne took it all.
This had to be why Yvonne kept rebuffing Ruby. Did she think that Ruby wouldn’t be interested in all this?
Yvonne couldn’t be more wrong.
Ruby picked up a coil of rope from the shelf, letting her fingertips run over the rough fibers. Desire ignited within her. Despite what she’d been through with her last client, everything in this room excited her. She shouldn’t have wanted this. But she did.
Ruby wanted a taste of what Yvonne had to offer. And while she wasn’t sure if Yvonne was willing to give her one, one thing was certain.
Ruby was going to make sure Yvonne knew how much she wanted this.
Ruby sat on the bed in the bedroom next to Yvonne’s, waiting for her. It was late at night. Yvonne was due home any moment now.
Something fluttered in Ruby’s chest. Was she really doing this? Was she making a huge mistake? Would Ruby’s actions simply infuriate Yvonne? That was a possibility. Ruby knew she was overstepping. She knew she was pushing Yvonne’s boundaries.
But she had to get through to Yvonne.
Faintly, Ruby heard the front door open at the other end of the apartment. Yvonne was home. It was
