What did Yvonne want to happen?
“Can you take care of it?” Madison said.
Yvonne blinked. “Yes. Leave it to me.” She had no idea what Madison had said, but as always, Madison would email her about it later.
Madison looked at her, frowning. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Everything is fine.”
Madison put her coat and bag down. “Don’t tell me. It’s about Ruby.”
“Is it really that obvious?”
“I’ve never seen anyone get under your skin as much as her. It’s the only explanation. So, what’s the problem? The honeymoon period is finally over?”
“No, everything between us is great. That’s the thing.” Yvonne paused. “I’m becoming attached to her.”
“Attached?” Madison raised an eyebrow. “Yvonne, Ruby isn’t a puppy. And the fact that you feel something toward her isn’t a bad thing.”
“It complicates things. This arrangement of ours, it was never supposed to be anything more than temporary.”
“But you want it to be more?”
Yvonne shook her head. “I don’t know. Perhaps I should ask Ruby what she wants.”
“Isn’t it obvious what Ruby wants? She’s clearly head over heels for you.”
Yvonne scoffed. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Madison stared at her, incredulous. “You can’t be serious. You really don’t see it?”
“See what? Perhaps there’s some attraction there, but I imagine it has something to do with the fact that I know how to handle a whip.”
Madison shook her head. “It’s so much more than that. The night you brought her to Lilith’s Den, it was obvious to me that the two of you were faking it. But when I saw you with Ruby at my wedding, both of you were completely different people. I’ve long suspected you have feelings for her, but I didn’t know Ruby was into you too until then. All the signs were there. The way she was hanging off your arm like she never wanted to let go. The way she spoke about you-”
Yvonne held up her hand. “That was acting, on both our ends. It’s no surprise that Ruby is good at it. It’s her job, to become whoever her client needs her to be. It’s not real.”
“Yvonne, that wasn’t acting. The way Ruby looks at you, it’s like you’re her everything. She’s completely and utterly enamored with you. You’d have to be blind not to see it.” Madison folded her arms across her chest. “You’re not blind, Yvonne. You’re making excuses. Why are you so afraid of telling her how you feel? Why are you so afraid of admitting to yourself how you feel?”
Yvonne frowned. “I’m not-”
There was a knock on the door. Through the glass, Blair waved at Madison, then entered the room.
She looked from Madison to Yvonne. “I interrupted something, didn’t I? I can wait outside.”
“It’s fine,” Yvonne said. “You’re not interrupting.”
Blair addressed Madison. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Let’s get going.” Madison rose from her chair. “We don’t want to be late for dinner.”
“Speaking of which, when are you and Ruby going to come over for dinner?” Blair said. “I had a great time talking to her at the wedding. She’s lovely.”
“She is, isn’t she?” Madison said. “I agree, you simply must bring her around for dinner one of these days.”
Yvonne shot Madison a pointed look. “I’ll talk to Ruby about it.”
“Good.” Madison gave Yvonne a knowing smile, then turned to Blair. “Let’s go.”
They left the room, Blair on Madison’s arm. Even Yvonne had to admit the two of them were ridiculously sweet together. They were definitely still deep in the honeymoon period.
She shut her laptop, packed up her desk and left the building. It was still rush hour, so she didn’t bother calling a cab, instead opting to walk the few blocks home. She had plenty of thinking to do. For starters, she needed to ask someone to come with her and Ruby to the upcoming meeting with the executor of her father’s estate to act as their witness.
Who would she choose? Yvonne had very few close friends. Madison was out of the question because she knew the truth about Yvonne and Ruby’s marriage. Plus, she was leaving for her honeymoon the same day. One of the others, perhaps? She didn’t know Lydia well enough to feel comfortable asking her. That left Gabrielle and Amber. Although Gabrielle would gladly help Yvonne out, her blunt manner meant there was a chance she’d unknowingly let something slip that would give Yvonne and Ruby away. Amber was far more reliable, and her status as an heiress to a reputable family gave her a certain authority.
Yvonne reached her apartment and got into the elevator, making a mental note to talk to Amber as she did. She was sure Amber would agree to help them out. Amber had no reason not to believe Yvonne and Ruby were a real couple. They had done an excellent job of convincing everyone of that over the past few months.
Was there a reason for that? Was Madison right? Was Ruby head over heels for Yvonne?
Was Yvonne head over heels for Ruby too?
She made her way to her front door. Ruby was inside waiting for her, cupcakes and all. For once, Yvonne didn’t feel like she was alone. She had Ruby. Ruby was hers.
Could Ruby be hers for good? Was that what Yvonne wanted?
Yvonne wasn’t the type to be plagued with insecurities. She rarely felt uncertain about anything. So why was she so uncertain about this? Was she simply making excuses? Was Yvonne afraid of her feelings for Ruby, afraid of getting hurt?
Yvonne took a moment to collect herself, then slid her key into the lock. But when she turned it, it didn’t make its usual click.
The door was unlocked.
Yvonne frowned. Perhaps Ruby simply had forgotten to lock the door after returning home.
She opened the door and entered her apartment. “Ruby?”
Ruby didn’t respond, but Yvonne could hear voices coming from the direction of the bedrooms. As
