But here Ruby was, blatantly trying to steal back control.
Yvonne locked her eyes on Ruby’s. “What did I tell you about trying to tempt me? Trying to get me to do what you want?”
Ruby withdrew her hand. “That if I did it again, you’d do far worse than make me crawl.”
“And what are you doing right now?”
Ruby lowered her gaze, a gesture of contrition that was entirely unconvincing. “Trying to get you to do what I want.”
“If you don’t stop, your punishment will only last longer. Don’t play games with me, Ruby. You won’t win.”
Ruby crossed her arms and sat back in the chair, but didn’t say anything. As Yvonne began to read again, Ruby glanced back at her, her expression becoming more and more agitated.
But Yvonne only ignored her, until finally, Ruby let out a huff and strode out of the room.
When Yvonne heard Ruby’s bedroom door shut, she put down her book and stretched out on the couch. She wasn’t the type to play games with her submissive, but she needed to keep Ruby in line without extinguishing the woman’s playful side entirely. It was becoming more and more clear that it was a genuine part of Ruby’s personality. The last thing Yvonne wanted was to discourage Ruby from expressing herself, especially not now that Ruby was finally letting that mask of hers slip, letting Yvonne see through to the real woman behind it.
Yvonne liked what she saw. She’d thought that Ruby had engineered herself to appeal to Yvonne’s fantasies, to be her perfect woman. However, the real Ruby was even more appealing to Yvonne than the woman she’d met at the bar that night. The Ruby who was completely unaware of the flour on her cheek was so much more beautiful. The Ruby who didn’t hesitate to express her true desires was so much more irresistible. The woman who had asked Yvonne to get into bed with her that night after they’d returned from Lilith’s Den stirred far more inside Yvonne than that seductress who had approached Yvonne at the bar in Vegas.
Was Yvonne getting too attached to Ruby? That was not a good idea. Their arrangement was just temporary, and Yvonne had essentially hired Ruby. She had no interest in anything more than physical with the woman. She’d already crossed a line by taking Ruby on as a submissive.
She couldn’t let the lines blur any further.
Chapter 14
“Hi, Yvonne.” Ruby stretched herself out on the couch, peering up at the other woman. “When did you get home?”
Yvonne’s gaze skipped along Ruby’s body. “What are you wearing?”
“You mean this?”
Although it was still early in the night, Ruby was dressed in what could barely be described as sleepwear. The low-cut satin nightie was a deep red color and had a bow at the front. It was barely long enough to cover the matching panties underneath it. Ruby didn’t normally dress so provocatively at home. Most of the time, she wore casual but classy designer outfits in an attempt to dress in a way that was ‘befitting of her status’ as Yvonne Maxwell’s wife. But right now, Ruby was trying to catch her ‘wife’s’ attention.
And the look on Yvonne’s face told Ruby it was working.
“I went shopping again today,” Ruby said. “I picked up some new clothes. You told me to buy whatever I wanted. This is something I want.”
“That’s why you’re lying around in practically nothing?” Yvonne scoffed. “I think you have an ulterior motive. I think you’re trying to make me end your punishment.”
“I’m just doing what you told me to. If my outfit is distracting you, that’s not my fault.”
Yvonne gave Ruby a sharp look. “Careful. I don’t want to have to spank you again.”
Ruby flushed. “I didn’t mind that. It was everything that came afterward.”
Yvonne had told Ruby that the spanking in the kitchen wasn’t Ruby’s real punishment. It hadn’t taken Ruby long to figure out what her real punishment was.
Since that night over a week ago, Yvonne hadn’t so much as touched her.
It wasn’t the kind of torture Ruby had expected when she’d signed that second contract with Yvonne, but it was torture nonetheless. Ruby had spent the entire week in a state of constant frustration. Every time she’d walked into the kitchen, she’d found herself reliving that moment when Yvonne had had her bent over the counter over and over. And she might have been imagining it, but Yvonne seemed to be playing games with her too. Every time Ruby was in the kitchen with Yvonne, Yvonne would get awfully close, ostensibly to grab something nearby. Whenever they passed each other in the hall, Yvonne would brush against her. And several times a day, Yvonne would summon Ruby to her, as though she intended to finally put an end to her game, but instead, she’d simply ask Ruby an unnecessary question before dismissing her.
It was driving Ruby mad.
“While we’re on the topic,” Yvonne said. “I’ve been doing some thinking. Perhaps it’s time I ended your punishment.”
Ruby sat upright. “Really?”
Yvonne’s lips curled up at the side. “Come with me and find out.”
Ruby followed Yvonne into the hall, and toward Ruby’s bedroom. But Yvonne strolled straight past it, continuing until they reached the bedroom next to Yvonne’s.
Yvonne’s ‘playroom.’
Nervous excitement bubbled up inside Ruby. She hadn’t returned to that room since that fateful night. She’d been waiting for Yvonne to take her back inside, to finally give her a taste of all the toys hidden in the drawers and closet.
Yvonne opened the door and pulled Ruby toward the bed. She drew Ruby into her, running her hand up the side of Ruby’s thigh, over the silk of her nightie. Ruby’s heart began to race. Yvonne was being unusually gentle. Considering Yvonne spent over a week tormenting Ruby, she couldn’t help but be suspicious.
Yvonne grabbed the hem of Ruby’s nightie. “This needs to come off.” She pulled it over Ruby’s head, leaving her in just her panties, then gestured toward the
