Ruby nodded. “I can do that.”
“Good. We’re here.”
Ruby looked toward the nondescript black door beside them. Above it was a sign with the words Lilith’s Den written on it in red flowing script.
Ruby followed Yvonne into a small foyer where Ruby was given several documents to sign. Yvonne explained that the club was highly exclusive, and all members and their guests were vetted and had to sign non-disclosure agreements and waivers. As Ruby skimmed the pages, she resisted the urge to make a joke about how many contracts Yvonne had had her sign over the past few weeks. She had to get her nerves under control.
When Ruby finished signing the paperwork, Yvonne ushered her into the club. Ruby looked around in awe. She’d been to high-class clubs before, but this was something else. For starters, it was far more elegant than the clubs in Vegas.
Plus, there were the more unusual elements. The weird bondage furniture scattered around the room. The fact that while half the crowd was dressed in semi-formal attire, the other half was dressed in leather and corsets. And over in the corner, a woman wearing nothing but a thong was strapped to a cross and being whipped by another woman, while others stood by casually, drinking champagne as they looked on. It confirmed what Ruby had suspected from the moment Yvonne had told her where they were going tonight.
Lilith’s Den was a BDSM club.
“This place is something else,” Ruby said.
“There’s nowhere quite like Lilith’s Den,” Yvonne said. “It’s owned by a friend of mine. If we run into her tonight, I’ll introduce you. For now, let’s go find the others. They should be at our usual spot.”
Ruby followed Yvonne through the crowd, trying not to stare at everything around her. They reached a table near the back of the room. There was only one person there, a wavy-haired brunette with model good looks. She gave Yvonne and Ruby a small wave as they approached.
“Gabrielle,” Yvonne said. “This is Ruby. Ruby, this is Gabrielle.”
“Hi,” Ruby said. Yvonne had filled Ruby in on her friends on the car ride to the club. Gabrielle Hall was one of the women Yvonne owned and ran Mistress Media with. There were five in total.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Gabrielle looked pointedly at Yvonne. “I was beginning to wonder whether you actually existed.”
Yvonne ignored the woman’s comment and sat down with Ruby. “Are the others here yet?”
“Lydia said she was busy, as usual. Madison and Blair are on their way. Amber is around somewhere.” Gabrielle looked over their heads. “Ah, here she is.”
Ruby turned to see another woman striding toward them, a tall blonde with an unmistakable air of superiority.
“Yvonne, you’re here. And you brought your wife.” Amber slid into the seat across from them and crossed her arms. “Well? Are you going to introduce us?”
“Amber, this is Ruby,” Yvonne said. “Ruby, Amber.”
The woman fit the description Yvonne had given Ruby of Amber to a tee. Amber Pryce was the heiress to the Pryce family. She was the closest thing the country had to royalty. It showed in the way she held herself.
“Nice to meet you,” Ruby said.
Amber skimmed her eyes over Ruby, appraising her like she was a piece of antique furniture. “So you’re Ruby. I’d tell you ‘I’ve heard so much about you,’ but Yvonne hasn’t told us a thing. She’s been keeping you secret all this time.”
“What can I say?” Yvonne took Ruby’s hand and drew it into her lap. “I wanted Ruby all to myself.”
Ruby’s skin tingled at Yvonne’s touch. Why was she so jumpy? This was just another pretend girlfriend gig.
A waitress, dressed in a corset and stiletto heels, came over to take their drink orders. As soon as she was gone, Amber sat forward, examining Yvonne and Ruby.
“So,” she said. “How did the two of you meet? Yvonne said it was on one of her trips to Vegas.”
“I already told you the story,” Yvonne said.
“I want to hear it from Ruby. When you talk about the two of you, it’s like pulling teeth.”
Ruby wasn’t surprised that Yvonne had been unconvincing when telling her friends about her ‘relationship’ with Ruby. Fortunately, Yvonne’s friends seemed to think her reluctance when it came to discussing the topic was a personality quirk.
Ruby was a much better actress than Yvonne. And right now, all eyes were on her.
It was time for her to earn her million dollars.
“We met at a bar in Vegas,” Ruby began. “I’d just finished work for the night and was having a drink. Yvonne was sitting at the bar by herself, so I went up and talked to her.”
“Oh?” Amber’s voice was tinged with amusement. “You were the one who made the first move?”
Ruby glanced at ‘her wife,’ who was struggling to hide her discomfort. “I tried to, but Yvonne made it clear she wasn’t having any of it. I had to work hard to win her over.” That much was true. It garnered a smirk from Gabrielle. “Then we got talking, had a few drinks, and one thing led to another. Yvonne flew back here the next day, but we kept in touch, and we started seeing each other casually whenever we got the chance.”
“And how exactly did you end up married?” Amber asked.
“Well, over time, things between us became less casual. Over time, we realized we had serious feelings for each other.” Ruby gazed lovingly at Yvonne for effect. “That was when we decided to tie the knot. It just felt right at the time.”
Ruby glanced at Amber and Gabrielle. It was clear they weren’t convinced.
“Okay, honestly?” Ruby said. “We were both completely drunk when we decided to get married. But once we woke up the next morning, we talked about our feelings and decided we wanted to stay married. We both wanted to be together, but we hadn’t had the courage to do anything about it until that night. The feelings had always been there.”
This time, when Ruby looked at the
