Yvonne shut her laptop. She needed a distraction.
She left her office, heading toward the office of Mistress’s CFO. If Yvonne was lucky, Lydia would still be around. Unlike the rest of the members of the executive team who had started Mistress together, Lydia had only joined them recently, although she’d worked with Mistress as a consultant for longer. Yvonne didn’t know her very well, but she had a question about finance, Lydia’s area of expertise.
Yvonne reached Lydia’s office. The auburn-haired woman was still inside, packing up her desk. Yvonne knocked on the door. Lydia waved her in.
“Do you have a moment?” Yvonne asked. “I’ll make it quick. I have a finance question, but it’s personal, not business.”
Lydia shut her bag. “Go ahead.”
“I need to set aside a sum of money for someone without her spouse being able to touch it. How would I go about doing that?”
Lydia frowned. “That’s a little complex. Normally, I’d suggest you create a trust, but in case of a married couple, both spouses would be legally entitled to the money in it. I’d recommend you speak to legal, especially given the circumstances of your marriage.”
“My marriage?” Did Lydia think Yvonne was talking about herself? “This isn’t about me. This is for someone else. A friend.”
“If you say so.”
“I mean it. I want to give someone money she can use for her family’s needs, but I don’t want her husband to have access to it.”
“I see.” Lydia paused in thought. “She has children?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, a trust for the children could work, with their mother as the sole trustee. If you include a provision that the money can only be used for expenses related to the children and their care, it will prevent her husband from getting his hands on it. The definition of ‘care’ is broad enough that there’s a lot of wiggle room, so she’ll still be able to spend the money relatively freely. But once again, I’m not a lawyer. You definitely need to speak with one.”
“I will,” Yvonne said. “I’m just looking into options right now. Thank you for your help.”
“Any time.” Lydia paused. “Is everything all right?”
Yvonne nodded. “Just trying to help a friend.”
Fortunately, Lydia didn’t pry. Yvonne appreciated that about her. She was cordial but reserved.
Yvonne nodded to her. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
She left Lydia’s office and headed back to her own, taking a seat behind her desk and opening her laptop again. Yvonne didn’t actually have any work to do because ever since Ruby had moved in, she’d been staying late at the office. She’d gotten all her extra work done already.
But after the other night, the idea of simply being around Ruby was torturous. What had passed between them that night—Ruby, offering herself up to Yvonne, Ruby, on her hands and knees at Yvonne’s command?
It had only made Yvonne want her even more.
Yvonne let out a long, hard breath. Her command had been a challenge, one she’d given to Ruby with the expectation that Ruby would back down.
But Ruby hadn’t backed down. She’d done exactly what Yvonne had commanded, without hesitation. And she’d remained at Yvonne’s feet, unspeaking, unmoving, the perfect, willing, eager submissive.
Yvonne closed her eyes, picturing it again. There had been something different about Ruby that night. Something about her in that moment that had stood out to Yvonne. However, Yvonne couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly it was.
It didn’t matter. She had to stop thinking about Ruby. The more Yvonne thought about her, the more she was tempted by her. But getting involved with Ruby in any way, let alone such an intimate way, would be a mistake. For starters, Yvonne was paying Ruby, which introduced all kinds of complications. They were stuck together for a year. If things got awkward between them, it would be an uncomfortable year. And if something went wrong, Yvonne’s inheritance would be at risk.
But the most important reason was exactly what Yvonne had said to Ruby that night. Yvonne wasn’t the right person to introduce Ruby to the twisted world of BDSM, especially not Yvonne’s brand of it. Yvonne was in too deep, her tastes too extreme. Ruby was a novice, and Yvonne didn’t have the patience to hold her hand through it. She wasn’t that kind of Domme.
The door to Yvonne’s office opened. She looked up to find Madison strolling into the room, her coat and bag on her arm.
“You’re still here?” Madison asked.
“I have work to do,” Yvonne lied.
Madison sat down in the chair in front of Yvonne’s desk. “You’ve stayed late every day this week.”
“I’ve been busy. The shareholder meeting is coming up. I need to present them with our strategy for the next quarter.”
“Doesn’t your wife miss you?”
Yvonne pressed her lips together. “She’s not my wife.”
“I know that. But the rest of the world doesn’t.” Madison crossed her arms. “The two of you are newlyweds. It’s awfully suspicious that you’re working all the time instead of spending time with her. Wasn’t the whole point of this charade for everyone else to think the two of you are a real couple? You should be rushing home every day to be with her, not hanging back at work for hours.”
The same thought had occurred to Yvonne, but she’d ignored it.
“So tell me. What’s going on? Why are you avoiding going home?”
Yvonne closed her laptop and pushed it aside. “Let’s just say, Ruby has been getting under my skin.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Yvonne frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re not exactly a people person,” Madison said. “And all of a sudden, you’re sharing your life and space with a stranger. It’s no surprise that tensions are flaring.”
That was true. There was plenty of tension between Yvonne and Ruby.
“Yvonne, if you’re going to be stuck with Ruby for a year, you need to figure out a way to coexist. No, you need to do
