After what felt like forever, Amber finally spoke. “I’m happy for the two of you.” She leaned back and crossed her legs. “And I’m glad you’ve found love, Yvonne.”
“I’m happy for you too,” Gabrielle said.
“Thank you,” Yvonne said.
As the waitress returned with their drinks, Yvonne pulled her phone out of her purse, frowning.
“Madison’s calling me. I should take this somewhere quieter.” She looked at Ruby, wariness flickering behind her eyes. “Do you mind?”
“Go ahead.” Ruby didn’t exactly want to be left alone with Yvonne’s prying friends, but what choice did she have?
“I’ll be right back.” Yvonne gave Ruby’s leg an affectionate pat. Was this Yvonne attempting to behave like they were newlyweds, madly in love? At the very least, it was in character for Yvonne. Ruby couldn’t imagine that Yvonne was big on public displays of affection, even with a real partner.
As soon as Yvonne left, Gabrielle looked at her, a sly smile on her face.
“So,” Gabrielle said. “You’re Yvonne’s wife.”
Ruby nodded. She wasn’t sure what else to say.
Gabrielle examined Ruby intently. “Why hasn’t she ever mentioned you?”
Ruby swallowed. “I-”
“Gabi,” Amber warned. “You’re making the poor thing uncomfortable.”
“I’m just curious about this woman who has melted Yvonne’s heart,” Gabrielle said. “You have to admit, this is unexpected.”
Amber scoffed dismissively. “The marriage? Yes. The fact that Yvonne had a secret girlfriend? Not so much. She’s not the type to shout this kind of thing from the rooftops.”
“I suppose you’re right. It would explain a lot. In all the time I’ve known her, I don’t remember Yvonne ever having a girlfriend. Lovers, yes, but that was all. Perhaps it’s because she’s been secretly pining over you this whole time.” Gabrielle swirled her drink in her glass and sipped it slowly. “I always suspected she had a heart under there, despite her ice-cold bitch act.” She looked at Ruby. “No offense toward your wife intended.”
“None taken.” Ruby smiled. “Why do you think I married her? I like that about her.”
Gabrielle’s mouth curled up at one side. “This is all starting to make sense. It seems Yvonne found someone who’s happy to put up with her demanding ways.”
Amber gave her a disapproving look. “Be nice, Gabi.”
“What?” Gabrielle said. “It’s true. We all know how Yvonne is. I like a little power exchange as much as any other Domme, but Yvonne takes it all so seriously. Where’s the fun in that?”
Ruby’s stomach flipped. What exactly had she gotten herself into? Was she going to regret signing that contract?
She decided to change the subject. “So, how do you know Yvonne? You all run Mistress together?”
“Yes, but we were friends before that,” Gabrielle said. “We spend a lot of time here, actually. It’s how we got to know each other.”
That explained a lot. Ruby had been starting to wonder if there was something in the water over at Mistress Media that had all their execs hanging out at a BDSM club just for fun.
Before Ruby could question them further, Yvonne returned, taking a seat next to her.
“Madison and Blair got caught up with some kind of wedding emergency, but they’re on their way.” She slipped her hand into Ruby’s. “Is everything okay here?”
Was Yvonne worried that Gabrielle and Amber had interrogated Ruby in her absence? Ruby gave her a reassuring smile. “Everything is great.”
Gabrielle and Amber picked up where they left off, grilling Yvonne and Ruby about their relationship. They were soon joined by Gabrielle’s girlfriend, Dana, as well as Madison and her fiancée, Blair. After a flurry of introductions, Ruby found herself fielding an endless stream of questions about herself and Yvonne.
When the conversation finally moved on, Yvonne spoke quietly to Ruby. “Enjoying yourself?”
Ruby nodded. “I am.”
“And what do you think of this place?”
Ruby glanced around the room. Nearby, there was a woman in a cage while another woman sat casually on top of it. “It’s… intriguing.” It wasn’t just the club that intrigued Ruby. This whole world Yvonne inhabited—one of glamour and luxury, pleasure and power games—was exhilarating.
“What you see before you is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more to Lilith’s Den than what’s down here.” Yvonne glanced toward the others, then back to Ruby, a dangerously sexy look in her eyes. “We’re going to play nice for everyone for a little while longer. Then I’m going to give you a taste of what you’ve been begging me for.”
Chapter 12
After a couple of hours, the others slowly dispersed, leaving Yvonne and Ruby alone.
“It’s time I showed you the real reason I brought you here.” Yvonne rose from her seat, beckoning Ruby to follow. “Come with me.”
Ruby followed Yvonne toward the back of the club, drawing more than a few glances as they passed through the crowd. Ruby couldn’t help but notice that every time someone’s eyes fell upon her, as soon as they spotted Yvonne with her, they would look away. Was it that obvious that Yvonne was Ruby’s Mistress? Was it that obvious that Ruby belonged to her?
They reached a set of doors which were guarded by a bouncer. Yvonne flashed a key, and the bouncer waved them through.
They continued up some stairs to find a long hallway with an endless number of doors at either side. Yvonne walked purposefully toward one of them and unlocked it with the key.
“Go on in,” she said.
Ruby stepped through the door and looked around the room. It was plain and bare, with only a couple of wooden chairs and a scattering of cushions on the floor as furniture. There were a series of wooden beams along the ceiling, low enough for a person to reach up and touch. The wall at the far end of the room was covered with a seamless mirror, and on all the other walls were tasteful, artsy photographs of nude women bound up in ropes.
Heat rose to Ruby’s skin
