She finished off her coffee. As she did, Ruby walked through the door.
Yvonne couldn’t help but stare. Ruby had cleaned up since the morning and was looking just as captivating as the night before. She sauntered over to Yvonne and slid into the seat next to her.
“You look like you’ve come to a decision,” Yvonne said.
Ruby smiled slightly. “Not quite.”
Yvonne stifled a frown. “You haven’t decided yet?”
Ruby caught the eye of the bartender and ordered a drink, taking her time. Yvonne narrowed her eyes. What was the woman playing at?
Finally, Ruby turned back to Yvonne. “I’m not going to lie. Your offer is very tempting. But I’m just not sure it’s worth my while.”
Yvonne raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to negotiate with me?”
“I’m just saying, I think you need me more than I need you.”
Yvonne pushed her irritation aside. Apparently, she’d underestimated Ruby. “What do you want? More money?”
“We both know that a million dollars is nothing to you.” Ruby crossed her arms. “I know who you are, Yvonne Maxwell. You own Mistress Media.”
So Ruby had looked Yvonne up. That explained it. “I don’t own it outright. I’m one of the owners. There are five of us.”
“The details aren’t important. What’s important is that you own a stake in one of the biggest media empires in the world. You’re worth millions. Billions, even.”
What Ruby was saying was true, but all Yvonne’s money meant nothing when she couldn’t access it, like right now. It was why she wanted her inheritance in the first place. Once it was in her hands, all her money troubles would disappear.
Yvonne folded her arms across her chest. “How much?”
“Ten million,” Ruby said.
Yvonne scoffed. “I don’t think so.” Ruby had guts, to say the least. Yvonne didn’t know whether it made her like Ruby more or less. Unfortunately for Ruby, negotiating was what Yvonne did for a living.
“Fine. Eight million.”
“Perhaps I wasn’t clear,” Yvonne said calmly. “You’ll be living with me, in my apartment, with every expense paid for, for an entire year. And not just the basics. Everything. Clothes, shoes, jewelry. Expensive dinners. Luxury cars taking you wherever you want to go. Or even a car of your own, if you’d like.” Yvonne locked her gaze on Ruby’s. “You’ll be my wife, after all. If you’re going to play the part, I’m going to give you everything you need to make it so. You’ll have everything you could ever want. Everything you’ve ever desired.”
For a moment, the determination in Ruby’s eyes was overshadowed by lust. Was it lust for a life of luxury? Or lust for something else?
Someone, perhaps?
Ruby pressed her lips into a line, her resolve returning. “What I desire is eight million dollars.”
“Two million,” Yvonne said firmly. “And you’ll get your own credit card to spend as you please. Within reasonable limits, of course.”
“I’m not going any lower. A whole year of my life is a long time to give up, even if I’ll be living it in luxury.”
Ruby was right. If Yvonne was going to exploit someone, she might as well compensate her fairly. And what was a few million in the grand scheme of things? If Yvonne played her cards right, she’d have millions at her disposal soon enough. And that wasn’t counting the billions she already held in assets.
“Five million.” Yvonne held up her hand, forestalling Ruby’s reply. “And I’ll sweeten the deal. The fine print of my inheritance states that I get half of it after being married for three months, and the other half after a year. I’ll make you the same deal. You get two and a half million at the three-month mark. Make it to a year, and you’ll get the rest.”
Ruby hesitated.
Yvonne had her. “Five million. That’s my final offer.” She didn’t give Ruby a chance to speak. “And in exchange, I expect you to play the part of my wife to perfection.” Yvonne leaned in closer to her. “You will be my wife in every sense of the word.”
This time, the lust that flashed behind Ruby’s eyes lasted long enough for Yvonne to know she hadn’t imagined it. And this time, it was no clearer whether it was about the money or Yvonne herself.
Yvonne sat back. “To the outside world, that is.”
Ruby glanced away, chewing her lip in thought. Yvonne waited in silence. She already knew Ruby’s answer. She already knew she had Ruby hooked.
And she couldn’t deny the satisfaction it gave her.
Finally, Ruby spoke. “Five million dollars. Half at three months, half after a year. I’ll be your wife. I’ll be more than your wife.” Her voice fell to a sultry whisper. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
Yvonne ignored the twinge of desire she felt at Ruby’s words. “Just so we’re clear, I don’t want anything from you except for you to act as my wife in public. That’s all. This is purely a business arrangement.”
“Sure, I hear you.” But Ruby’s smile suggested otherwise.
Was that going to be a problem? Yvonne hoped not, because she didn’t have any other options.
“We have a deal.” Just to drive home the point, Yvonne held out her hand for Ruby to shake.
But when Ruby slipped her hand into Yvonne’s, it had the opposite effect. Her soft touch was electrifying.
Yvonne broke off the handshake. “I was planning to fly out in a couple of hours, but we’ll catch a red-eye later tonight instead. That will give you time to pack. Only the essentials, of course. I’ll buy you everything you need when we get back home.”
Ruby nodded, her face suddenly filled with uncertainty. Was it just now dawning on her what she’d agreed to? Yvonne didn’t have time to deal with whatever Ruby was going through. She had business to take care of.
She finished off her coffee. “I need to let my friends know I won’t be flying back with them.”
