Madison scoffed. “It’s also the craziest solution.”
Yvonne held up her hands. “It’s already done, Madison. And now that I’ve told you, you can’t tell anyone else. The conditions of my inheritance are clear—my marriage must be genuine for me to be able to claim the money. No one can know that our marriage is a sham.”
“You want me to lie for you?”
“Of course not.” Yvonne would need to find a witness to attest to the authenticity of marriage to Ruby, but she couldn’t ask Madison to do it. She’d find someone else. “All I’m asking is that you keep this to yourself. Madison, you know I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important.”
“You’re right.” Madison sighed. “I won’t say anything. But this is so extreme. Are you sure you’re not in any trouble?”
“I’m fine.” Yvonne paused. “The truth is, this isn’t just about investments. I want to use some of the money to help someone. Nita.”
“Ah. I understand. Say no more.”
“So you won’t tell anyone?”
“I won’t tell a soul,” Madison said. “I can’t say I approve, but you have my word that I’ll keep your secret.”
“Thank you. I mean it.”
“So.” Madison crossed her arms. “Who is the poor woman you roped into your scheme? Her name is Ruby?”
“Yes. She’s an escort. We met at the hotel bar on Saturday night. And trust me, I’m not exploiting her. She’s getting several million out of it. It’s purely a business arrangement.”
Madison smirked. “I’m sure it is.”
“I’m serious. We’re not even having sex.”
“And why not?”
“I don’t want things to get complicated.”
Besides, Yvonne had certain needs when it came to the women she took into her bed. What she required, what she demanded, of her lovers went far beyond just sex. She needed a woman who was willing to surrender herself to Yvonne completely. Ruby wasn’t that woman. Although it was clear that she was far from innocent, it was unlikely she could handle Yvonne’s twisted tastes. They weren’t for the faint of heart.
Madison didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press any further. “Does this mean you need a plus one for the wedding?”
Yvonne hadn’t even thought about that yet. Madison’s wedding was still a couple of months away. “It will look odd if I don’t take Ruby with me. I’ll speak to her about it.”
“Let me know. It shouldn’t be any trouble to squeeze her in. I’ll talk to Blair about it.” Madison smiled. “She’ll be excited to hear you’ve coupled up. We’ll have to have you and Ruby over for dinner sometime.”
Yvonne rolled her eyes and changed the subject to something work-related. However, the others would be here soon, and she’d need to tell them about Ruby. Fortunately, she wasn’t quite as close to them as Madison, so they’d be far easier to lie to.
What was Ruby up to right now? Yvonne had told her to make herself at home, but she couldn’t imagine Ruby doing that. In the short time they’d known each other, Yvonne had gotten the impression that Ruby would simply do whatever she thought would please Yvonne.
It was starting to get to Yvonne. She liked nothing more than a woman who wanted to please her. But with Ruby, it was just an act. Yvonne knew that.
But that didn’t make it any less enticing.
She shook her head. Yvonne wasn’t going to go down that road with Ruby, and she certainly wasn’t interested in anything romantic with the woman. Yvonne wasn’t interested in relationships at all. She didn’t need anyone else. She’d gone through her entire life alone.
And that was how she liked it.
Chapter 5
“Let’s get down to business.” Yvonne gestured toward the couch at the other side of the coffee table. “Have a seat.”
Ruby sat down. It was telling that the first thing Yvonne had done after arriving home from work was ‘summon’ Ruby to the living room for a formal discussion. Was Yvonne going to behave so coolly toward Ruby for the entire year? That was going to get on Ruby’s nerves quickly.
Yvonne reached for the bottle of scotch on a nearby side table, offering Ruby a glass. Ruby declined. Yvonne poured herself a glass before settling back in her seat.
She pushed a sheet of paper across the coffee table toward Ruby. “I drew up a contract outlining our agreement. I’ll give you some time to look over it, then we’ll sign it later tonight.”
“Sounds good to me.” Ruby skimmed the contract. There was nothing surprising in it.
Yvonne crossed her legs. “Now, about our cover story.”
“Right. I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet.” Ruby had spent the day settling in and shopping for essentials. She’d only gotten home half an hour ago and had barely had time to order takeout before Yvonne had arrived.
“I’ve come up with some ideas myself. The simplest way to make sure we don’t slip up is to tell the truth as much as possible. If there are any elements of our history that we can use, we’ll stick to those.”
Ruby nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
“I already told my friends about you,” Yvonne said. “We work together, so it was unavoidable. I wasn’t specific about the details. I told them we met in Vegas a couple of years ago, which is plausible enough.”
“Do you go to Vegas a lot? You don’t seem the type.”
“I travel for work regularly. I go to Vegas often enough. It’s a good place to do business. All the money and decadence help prospective investors loosen up.” Yvonne took a swig of her drink. “There’s a certain type of person who is in their element when surrounded by luxury and excess. Why not take advantage of it?”
Ruby twisted a lock of hair around her finger absently. “Are you one of those types?”
“I’m not so easily impressed,” Yvonne said. “Now, where were we?”
Clearly, Ruby’s attempts to lighten the mood were falling flat. She was just trying to get Yvonne to relax a bit. They were stuck together for a year. Ruby
