“What do you want in exchange?” she asked
“For you to be my wife,” Yvonne replied. “At least, to outside eyes. In order to claim my inheritance, I need to have a witness to the fact that our relationship is genuine, so we’ll need to convince the world that we’re a real married couple. You’ll come live with me, in my apartment. For the majority of the time, you’ll be free to do as you please. Your life will be your own.” Yvonne crossed one slender leg over the other. “But when I need you by my side, as my wife, you’ll be mine.”
A thrill whispered through Ruby’s body. “I don’t know.”
“I’d give you time to decide, but unfortunately, time isn’t something I have to spare right now. I fly out of Vegas tonight. You have until 4 p.m. this afternoon to think about it.”
It was already almost midday. That wasn’t enough time to make such a big decision.
Wait, am I seriously considering this?
“In the meantime,” Yvonne continued. “I’ll fill out the annulment paperwork. If you decide you want to go through with the annulment, I’ll submit it. But if you want to take up my offer, we’ll remain married, and you’ll fly home with me.”
Ruby nodded. She was so overwhelmed that it was all she could do.
Yvonne rose from the bed, smoothing down her dress. “I have to go meet my friends for lunch. Keep the room for the rest of the day. Order room service, do whatever you like.” Yvonne locked her gaze on Ruby. “Consider it a taste of what lies ahead if you agree to our arrangement.”
Ruby’s breath caught in her chest. Yvonne’s look had that effect on her. And it made her want to say yes.
“I’ll see you this afternoon, at the bar where we met,” Yvonne said. “You do remember where we met, don’t you?”
Ruby nodded.
“Good.” Yvonne paused. “For the record, I spent the night on the couch. We did not sleep together.”
With that, she turned and left the room.
Ruby wandered over to the bed in a daze and lay down. Her head was swimming from both the hangover and Yvonne’s offer. One million dollars? A year, married to a stranger, and an incredibly sexy one at that?
She glanced at the ring on her finger. Why was she hesitating? She desperately needed the money. Her credit cards were maxed out, and it was only a matter of time before she went home to find an eviction notice on her door. It should have been a no-brainer. She’d done jobs like this before, jobs that were long-term and exclusive. But the last time she’d done that kind of gig, her client had turned into something more. They’d started a relationship.
And that relationship had shattered her.
Ruby shook herself. This wasn’t like the last time. This time, it would be a business transaction only, with no feelings involved. Ruby definitely wasn’t going to let feelings get involved. Although she was wildly attracted to Yvonne, that was just on a physical level. Ruby found Yvonne’s presence irresistible, but it was nothing more than that.
She looked around the room. One million dollars would probably make things worth her while. Judging by the lavish suite Ruby was in, as well as the way Yvonne dressed, the woman was seriously loaded. Was one million dollars even worth anything to her?
Ruby picked up the marriage certificate from the nightstand where Yvonne had left it. It had both of their full, legal names on it. Ruth Josephine Scott. Yvonne Lin Maxwell.
Ruby frowned. Why did that name sound familiar? Ignoring her hangover-induced nausea, she got up from the bed and located her purse. She pulled out her phone and typed Yvonne’s name into a search.
As she read the results, everything started to fall into place. A smile tugged at Ruby’s lips. She was no more certain of whether she wanted to accept Yvonne’s offer or not.
But if she was going to do this, she had to make sure Yvonne really made it worth her while.
Chapter 3
Yvonne sat at the bar, nursing a cup of coffee. She was tempted to order something stronger, but after the previous night, she’d learned her lesson.
Yvonne hadn’t been lying when she’d said she didn’t remember the events of the previous night. She’d never do anything as rash as marrying a stranger while sober. When she’d woken up, she’d wondered if Ruby had conned her somehow, seducing Yvonne into a marriage in order to steal her fortune. That was, until Ruby had come out of the bathroom, clearly just as surprised about the situation as Yvonne.
It was a crazy situation. But now that the opportunity had presented itself, Yvonne wasn’t going to let it slip away.
She checked the time. It was just past 4 p.m. Ruby would be here any minute. Yvonne had brought the required forms for the annulment, but she doubted she’d need them. She was certain that Ruby would say yes. Although Ruby had appeared unsure earlier, something had sparked behind her blue eyes when Yvonne had mentioned the money.
And the same thing had happened when Yvonne had said that Ruby would be hers.
Did the idea appeal to Ruby? It certainly appealed to Yvonne. Although she had no intention of their arrangement being anything but business, she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Ruby. Was there a chance that Ruby was the type of woman she pretended to be?
Did Ruby truly have a submissive side?
It didn’t matter. This was purely a financial agreement. A transaction. It could never be anything more. Yvonne needed to focus on the reason she was doing this—to get her inheritance.
Although Yvonne didn’t need the money, she wanted it, for good reasons. Not to mention, she hated the idea of her half-brother getting what was rightfully hers. Nicholas had already stolen all her father’s love and attention growing up, and now he was going to get this too,
