Yvonne gave her a small nod. “That’s good. That’s the point. Now, I want you to go away and read the contract. Make a list of your own limits. Take note of anything you want to negotiate. If you have any questions, ask me. We’ll finalize the contract when you’re ready. I want you to take your time to understand what you’re getting into.”
Ruby nodded.
“You may go.”
Ruby got up and headed to the door, contract in hand. As she opened the door, Yvonne spoke.
“And Ruby?”
“Yes?”
“Until that contract has been signed, nothing will happen between us.”
Oh. Ruby hesitated. “And after I sign it? What happens then?”
Yvonne’s lips curled up slightly. “Then the teaching begins.”
Chapter 10
Yvonne pulled up in front of a large suburban house. Between work and her impromptu marriage, she’d been far too busy to make the long-overdue trip to visit the person dearest to her.
Nita.
As Yvonne parked the car, she caught sight of the wedding ring on her finger. She’d finally gotten used to the feel of it on her hand. Although she and Ruby had been married for a few weeks now, it had only been a week since that night that had bound them together in an entirely different way.
Ruby hadn’t yet signed the second contract. She was taking her time. Yvonne had thought Ruby had gotten cold feet until she’d started asking Yvonne questions about the contract and all the kinky little details within it. And every time she did, she would ponder Yvonne’s answers while looking at Yvonne with eager, lust-filled eyes.
It was making Yvonne regret having told Ruby that nothing could happen between them until they finalized the contract. Yvonne had almost cracked, more than once, but she’d stuck to her guns. She had to take control of the situation. What had happened that night in Ruby’s bedroom had been entirely unplanned. Yvonne still didn’t know what had possessed her to stop at Ruby’s door.
The contract was as much for Yvonne as it was for Ruby. She needed to have clear limits and boundaries in all areas of her life. It kept things simple. If she and Ruby were going to be stuck together for a year, the last thing they needed was for things to get any more complicated than they already were.
Yvonne stared at the ring, wondering whether to take it off. She didn’t want to have to explain everything to Nita, and there was very little chance of her finding out about Yvonne’s marriage through the grapevine. Nita was very much separate from the rest of Yvonne’s life. But at the same time, Yvonne couldn’t keep something this big from her.
Without removing the ring, Yvonne got out of her car and headed toward the house. Nita’s family had lived here for years, but they were at risk of losing it all. Yvonne wasn’t going to let that happen.
She rang the doorbell and waited. A minute later, the door opened. A short Chinese woman, her face faintly lined with age, stood in the doorway.
“Yvonne,” she said. “What a lovely surprise.”
“Nita,” Yvonne said. “Sorry I haven’t been by for a while.”
“It’s fine.” Nita spoke with the barest hint of an accent. “You’re a busy woman. You don’t have to worry about me. Why don’t you come in?”
Yvonne followed Nita inside. The house was quiet. There was no sign of Nita’s husband, Mark, or her kids. At Nita’s urging, Yvonne took a seat at the kitchen table. Nita poured them both some tea and sat down across from her.
She gave Yvonne an affectionate smile. “Xiăo táo. It’s good to see you.”
Yvonne felt a spark of warmth in her chest. Xiăo táo was Mandarin for little peach. It was what Yvonne’s mother had called her as a child. Apparently, when Yvonne was a baby, she’d been so chubby that her cheeks had looked like two round, ripe peaches. Yvonne’s mother had been Chinese. However, her father’s side of the family had Scottish roots, which her father had taken very seriously, proudly displaying their family crest over the mantelpiece in their home. Aside from her dark hair, Yvonne took after her father, so most people didn’t realize she was Chinese at all. That part of her, the part which came from her mother, was virtually invisible. She occasionally got comments about her vaguely ‘exotic’ looks, but she’d learned long ago to shut down any such comments with an icy glare.
Nita began fussing over Yvonne like usual. “Are you hungry? I’ll make you something.”
“I’m fine,” Yvonne said. “I’m not ten anymore. You don’t need to feed me every time I so much as drop by.”
“Yes, I do. If I know you, you haven’t been looking after yourself. When was the last time you sat down and had a home-cooked meal?”
“It has been a while,” Yvonne admitted. “I don’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense.” Nita rose from her seat. “I’ll whip you up something quick. How about your favorite?”
“All right.” Yvonne knew better than to argue with Nita. Yvonne suspected that she herself had gotten her stubbornness from the woman.
Yvonne folded her arms on the table and watched as Nita began gathering the ingredients. Yvonne’s ‘favorite’ dish, a simple Chinese stir-fry made of eggs and tomatoes with rice, hadn’t been her favorite since she was a child, but she didn’t say that to Nita. For Yvonne, it tasted like her childhood, at least, the good parts of it. She had fond memories of Nita cooking it for her, and of helping Nita cook it when her father wasn’t around to disapprove of Yvonne doing something so menial.
Nita opened the fridge and took out a few eggs. “This was your mother’s favorite too. She used to eat this when she was pregnant with you. That’s probably how you got a taste for it.”
Yvonne had vague memories of her mother cooking it, but since Yvonne was only three when
