Yvonne raised an eyebrow. So Ruby was dropping the pretense of not being an escort? It was obviously just a change in tactics, another attempt to make Yvonne drop her guard. But Yvonne wasn’t going to fall for Ruby’s tricks. She didn’t like being toyed with.
But she did enjoy making Ruby squirm.
“All right,” Yvonne said. “Let’s chat.”
Ruby draped an arm on the bar next to her. “So, what brings you to Vegas?”
“A friend of mine is getting married. We’re here for the bachelorette weekend.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Perhaps if you’re easily entertained.” Vegas wasn’t Yvonne’s idea of a good time, but Yvonne was maid of honor, so she’d had no choice but to come along. Between that, and the constant reminders of all things marriage, she’d been in a bad mood the entire weekend.
It must have shown on Yvonne’s face. “You seem preoccupied,” Ruby said. “Something on your mind?”
Yvonne scoffed. “What’s on my mind is above your pay grade.”
“You’d be surprised. People talk to me about their problems a lot. It comes with the territory.”
“You’re admitting you’re an escort?”
“Maybe I’m a therapist.” Ruby stirred her drink with the toothpick, swirling the olives around in it. “So what is it? Is it about a woman?”
“What makes you think I’m into women?”
Ruby shrugged. “It’s just a feeling. So you are into women?”
Yvonne fixed her eyes on Ruby’s. “Are you?”
There it was again, that faint flush that rose up Ruby’s cheeks at Yvonne’s words. Yvonne held back a smile. She had Ruby wrapped around her finger.
But Ruby’s confident facade quickly returned. “I wouldn’t be over here if I wasn’t. So, what’s this problem of yours?”
Yvonne folded her arms across her chest, scrutinizing Ruby. Was it reckless telling a stranger, an escort she met at a bar, about her inheritance? Probably. However, she doubted that this woman was capable of scamming her. Yvonne wasn’t easily manipulated. She was one of the most successful businesswomen in the country, with a reputation for being ruthless and unyielding. Despite Ruby’s attempts to seduce her, it was clear that Yvonne had the upper hand.
“All right,” she said. “Here’s the short version. When my father died, he left me an inheritance. But it came with conditions. In order to gain access to it, I need to get married within ten years of his death.”
Yvonne’s father had never liked that she was a lesbian. He hadn’t liked a lot about his daughter, but that was one major sticking point. He’d obviously hoped that the terms of the inheritance would sway her into a relationship with a man, but he hadn’t specified the gender of who Yvonne needed to marry. Her father had been so old-fashioned that the possibility of same-sex marriage being legalized had never occurred to him.
But that had been no help to Yvonne. She wasn’t the relationship, let alone the marrying, type.
“It’s been almost ten years since my father died,” Yvonne said. “And here I am, unmarried, which means all that money is going to go to my half-brother instead.” It was bad enough that Nicholas had already inherited most of Yvonne’s father’s fortune. Now, he was going to get the rest of it.
“Huh.” Ruby took the toothpick from her drink and slid it into her mouth, sucking the olives from it. “So there’s really no way around the whole marriage thing? No loopholes?”
“If there was, I would have found it.” Yvonne picked up her scotch and swallowed a mouthful. “I’ve already accepted it. The money is as good as gone.” She’d resigned herself to that fact already, although she wasn’t happy about it.
Silence fell between them. Yvonne wasn’t surprised that Ruby had nothing to say about her problem. However, Yvonne had to admit, she was intrigued by the woman, though she had no intention of employing Ruby’s services. She didn’t sleep with escorts.
But there was no harm in enjoying Ruby’s company for a little while longer.
Ruby took one last sip of her cocktail, emptying her glass. “Well, that’s my drink done.” She stood up. “It was good talking to you.”
She glanced at Yvonne, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. When Yvonne said nothing, she turned and began walking away.
“Stop,” Yvonne commanded.
Ruby halted, turning back to Yvonne.
Yvonne beckoned her with a finger. “Do you drink scotch?”
Ruby nodded.
“You were right. This is too much scotch for one person. Why don’t you help me with it?”
Ruby’s lips parted slightly. She gave Yvonne a tantalizing smile. “Like I said, I’m all yours.”
For a split second, Yvonne wondered if this was a bad idea. Getting drunk with an escort in Vegas? That was irresponsible.
She pushed the thought aside and caught the eye of the bartender. He came over to them.
“We need another glass,” Yvonne said.
Chapter 2
Ruby awoke with a blistering headache. It was like someone had taken a jackhammer to her skull. As she rolled over, a wave of nausea hit her.
She groaned. She hadn’t had a hangover this bad since she was nineteen.
Ruby lay there with her eyes closed, waiting for the world to stop spinning. She definitely wasn’t in her own bed. The sheets enveloping her were too soft, the mattress too springy. Whose bed was she in? A client’s? She could barely remember a thing.
Ruby opened her eyes, immediately raising a hand to shield them from the harsh sunlight streaming through the window. It appeared to be late morning. She looked around the room. It was one of the premium suites at the hotel of the bar she’d been at the night before. She’d only been in a suite like this once. Only the real high rollers could afford them, which made them out of reach for most people, even her usual clients.
She glanced at the bed next to her. She was alone. At the very least, she remembered who she’d
