by Stone, Anna
Yvonne leaned close, drawing her thumb down Ruby’s lower lip. “From the moment I tasted these lips of yours, I’ve been dying to find something out.” She traced her fingers up Ruby’s slick slit. “Does the rest of you taste as sweet?”
Ruby blew out a hard, sharp breath. Yvonne drew her lips down Ruby’s neck, leaving a wet trail behind. She continued downward slowly, painting them over Ruby’s breasts and nipples, all the way to her belly button. Ruby shuddered, Yvonne’s wet lips soothing her burning skin.
Yvonne looked up at her, her dark eyes alight. “This is the only time you’ll ever see me on my knees. ”
Yvonne knelt, her breath searing Ruby’s inner thighs. Ruby trembled. Yvonne’s lips wandered up to where Ruby’s thighs met, her touch featherlight, and drew her tongue over Ruby’s folds. Ruby groaned softly, her hips pushing out toward the other woman, straining her bonds to their limits. But Yvonne only drew back an equal amount. There was no rushing her.
So Ruby closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the rope above her head, giving in to the sweet torment. The more Ruby relaxed, the more Yvonne rewarded her, her touch growing firmer and more deliberate. She pursed her lips around Ruby’s clit, sucking gently. She teased Ruby’s entrance with her tongue. She grabbed onto Ruby’s ass cheeks, holding tightly as she devoured Ruby. Ruby slackened in her bonds, purring from her chest as she slipped into a trance of bliss.
It didn’t take long for her pleasure to peak. Her head flew back, her body quaking as an explosion of ecstasy tore through her. It faded just as quickly as it came. But Yvonne continued, her mouth working at the peak of Ruby’s thighs, more gently now, but still unhesitating. In her bound, bliss-drunk state, Ruby was powerless against her. Not that she wanted Yvonne to stop. Although Yvonne was unrelenting, her mouth, her lips, her tongue, felt so exquisite.
“Oh, god!” Ruby stiffened as another climax gripped her, just as intense as the last, but it drew on and on until Ruby felt like her body had been sucked dry.
She let out a long, slow breath. Yvonne rose to her feet again, cupped Ruby’s cheeks and kissed her hard and deep, sucking the air from her chest. Ruby’s head spun. She could taste herself on Yvonne’s lips .
Yvonne drew back, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “I have to say, I’m disappointed. That was over far too soon. I was planning to toy with you at least another hour.”
Ruby barely heard her. She was lost in a trance, deep under her Mistress’s spell.
“But I wouldn’t want such a willing, eager captive to go to waste.” Yvonne took another coil of rope from the chair next to her, drawing it through her fingers. “I’m going to take this opportunity to show you all my favorite ties. Would you like that? If you’re good, I might even give you another reward.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Ruby murmured. Despite her exhaustion, she still wanted more.
A smile crossed Yvonne’s lips. “You’re a greedy little thing, aren’t you?” She brushed a stray strand of hair out of Ruby’s face. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
As Yvonne unfurled the coil of rope, a thought floated into Ruby’s hazy mind.
If this was Yvonne’s idea of giving Ruby ‘a taste,’ what else did Yvonne have in store for her?
When they returned home, Yvonne practically had to carry Ruby from the car up to the apartment. She clung to Yvonne’s proffered arm like she was in a drunken haze.
Yvonne knew exactly what Ruby was going through. It was a high, a feeling of euphoria submissives experienced, caused by all the adrenaline and endorphins the body produced in response to intense physical stimulus .
Yvonne steered Ruby into her bedroom. “Get into bed. Get undressed first. I’ll get you some water.”
Ruby nodded and sat on the bed, slipping out of her heels.
Yvonne left Ruby’s bedroom and went into the kitchen. She leaned back against the counter, taking a moment for herself. It had surprised Yvonne, how quickly and deeply Ruby had slipped into that submissive headspace, how easily she’d let go. Clearly, Yvonne’s initial impression of her had been wrong. Ruby wasn’t simply trying to please Yvonne. Her desire to submit was something innate.
And that made Yvonne uneasy.
She didn’t quite understand why. Was she worried Ruby wouldn’t respect her own limits, that she would push herself too far? That was a risk for new submissives. But Yvonne had stressed the importance of being honest with herself and Yvonne about what she could handle, and Ruby seemed to understand. Besides, Yvonne was experienced enough that she would never push Ruby too hard. She had every intention of taking things slow and treating Ruby with a careful hand.
So why did Yvonne feel this irrational level of concern for her?
Yvonne poured a glass of water, then returned to Ruby’s bedroom. Ruby was already in bed.
“Here.” She handed the glass to Ruby. “Drink this, or you’ll feel terrible in the morning.”
Ruby did as she was told. Yvonne took the empty glass from her and set it on the nightstand, then sat down on the edge of the bed .
“How are you feeling?” she asked. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No, I’m good,” Ruby replied.
“I’ll stay here until you fall asleep, just to make sure you’re all right.”
Ruby looked at her curiously. “That’s sweet of you.”
“I’m just doing my job. You’re my submissive. It’s my responsibility to look after you.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Right. Because everything is just ‘business’ to you.”
“I didn’t mean-”
“Relax, I’m just teasing you. But honestly, you don’t have to fuss over me like this.”
“Yes, I do. What we’re doing together, it involves a certain level of vulnerability. That state, it leads to all kinds of good feelings. But sometimes, negative feelings surface in their wake, leading to a drop, physically, mentally, emotionally-” Yvonne looked down at Ruby. She had a distant look in her eye and was clearly on the verge of sleep. Now wasn’t the time for BDSM 101. “As your Domme, I need to take care of you and make sure all your needs are met in order to prevent that drop. It’s simple aftercare.”
Ruby gazed up at Yvonne, her thick eyelashes fluttering. “Now that I think about it, there is something you can do for me.”
“What is it?”
Ruby hesitated. “Can you get into bed with me?”
Yvonne wasn’t surprised by Ruby’s request. Physical intimacy was an important part of aftercare. She could leave after Ruby fell asleep. “All right.”
She slid into the bed next to Ruby. Ruby settled against her, her back to Yvonne.
Tentatively, Yvonne wrapped an arm around Ruby, drawing her in close. “How’s this?”
“This is good.” Ruby peered back at her, smiling. “I’m feeling better already.”
Ruby grabbed the sheets and pulled them up over them, letting out a contented sigh. The room lapsed into silence. The scent of Ruby’s hair filled Yvonne’s head. It was something sweet and light.
Yvonne spoke quietly. “Ruby?”
“Mmhm?”
“Thank you for tonight, with my friends. They can be… a lot.”
“It’s no problem. I had fun.” Ruby turned to face her. “I hope I made a good impression.”
“You did. You were perfect. You seemed comfortable. Genuine.”
“I tried to do what you said. To be myself.” Ruby’s voice faltered. “But it was hard. I’ve spent so long being who people want me to be. Who clients want me to be…”
Yvonne examined her. The distant, unfocused look in Ruby’s eyes suggested she was still in a vulnerable headspace.
She stroked Ruby’s arm reassuringly. “You don’t have to do that anymore. Not for me. You can just be yourself. I want the real you, Ruby.”
Ruby was silent for a moment. “It’s just that, sometimes, I feel like I don’t even remember who the real me is.”
“And now is the perfect time for you to try to figure that
out. You have a whole year of no obligations. No clients to please, no expectations. You should take advantage of that. Do things for yourself, things that make you happy. You have unlimited time at your disposal, not to mention money. I checked the statement for that credit card I gave you. You haven’t bought anything for yourself other than food and clothes.”
“What else am I supposed to buy?”
“Anything. Whatever you want.”
Ruby sighed. “I guess I’ll have to figure out what that is.”
She closed her eyes. Yvonne watched and listened as Ruby’s breaths grew slow and deep. After a few minutes, Yvonne got up from the bed, taking care not to disturb Ruby. Ruby didn’t stir. She was asleep.
Yvonne lingered at Ruby’s bedside, that feeling of concern she’d felt earlier striking her again. At the back of her mind, a voice whispered a single word.
Stay.
But that wasn’t an option. Yvonne couldn’t afford to get too attached to Ruby.
She slipped out of Ruby’s bedroom and shut the door behind her.
Chapter 13
R uby wandered through the department store, her arms saddled with bags. She’d been shopping all morning and half the afternoon, with the intention of buying something for herself. Once again, she’d ended up with nothing other than more clothes and shoes.
Her feet ached, and she couldn’t carry anything more. She was ready to go home. But she still hadn’t found what she was looking for. The problem?
She didn’t know what she was looking for.
She’d said as much to Yvonne that night. Ruby didn’t know who she was. She didn’t know what she wanted. She’d almost confessed the truth to Yvonne, about him , about who he’d been to Ruby, about everything he’d done. About how she’d gotten so used to becoming who he’d wanted her to be that she’d lost all sense of herself, of her identity.
In hindsight, she could see that it had been her way of coping with her situation. It had been easier just to be compliant, to do and say and be whatever he wanted. Ruby had always been the type of person who thrived on pleasing others on some level. He had taken advantage of that.
But that was all in the past. Now, Ruby had the opportunity to find herself again. She needed to figure out how to do that.
And buying another pair of shoes wasn’t the answer.
She sighed. It said something about Ruby that it was only because of Yvonne’s encouragement that she’d finally decided to figure out what she wanted. Here Ruby was, under someone else’s control again. But Yvonne was different. Despite her thirst for control, she wasn’t controlling. Whether they were in the bedroom or otherwise, Yvonne would provide Ruby with direction while allowing her to choose whether to follow it. In becoming Ruby’s Mistress, Yvonne had given Ruby a sense of stability that she hadn’t even known she’d needed. Yvonne was helping Ruby find her way, without even knowing she was doing so.
It made Ruby all the more determined to ensure she was holding up her end of the bargain, both as Yvonne’s ‘wife’ and as her submissive. But Ruby wasn’t sure what that entailed. What could someone like Yvonne possibly want? What did she need? The woman was a mystery.
Ruby stopped in the middle of the aisle and looked around her. She’d been wandering aimlessly in the maze of the department store for what felt like hours now, and she was lost. Somehow, she’d ended up in the kitchenware section. Ruby didn’t need any kitchenware. She didn’t even cook. Why would she cook when she could order a chef-prepared meal from a fancy restaurant every night on Yvonne’s dime?
As she tried to get her bearings, Ruby’s eyes landed on a display in the aisle. In the middle was a shiny red stand mixer. She wandered over to it, drawn by a sense of familiarity. The mixer almost looked like one her mother had had in the kitchen growing up, although this one was higher tech.
Suddenly, a memory came back to Ruby. She’d been eight years old, attempting to bake cookies for the first time. She’d had no idea what she was doing, and she’d immediately broken the stand mixer. After her mother had found out, she’d scolded Ruby for a solid ten minutes before taking her hand and teaching her how to bake cookies properly, from start to finish.
That single incident sparked her love of baking. Ruby grew up harboring a silly little dream of opening her own bakery, so she could share her creations with the world. That was what Ruby had loved the most about baking. For her, it was about making and sharing something that came from the heart, something real and genuine, complete with imperfections and flaws.
When had Ruby lost that love? It was one of those frivolous activities that she’d just lost interest in over time. No, that wasn’t true. She’d stopped baking because he had never approved of it. He’d never approved of her doing anything that didn’t serve his interests. He had snuffed out all Ruby’s wants and desires in favor of his own.
Ruby stared at the shiny red mixer intently. She knew exactly what she wanted to buy.
The timer on the oven dinged. Ruby opened it up and pulled out the tray of blueberry muffins, placing it on the counter next to the others. This batch looked a little overcooked, but it was better than her last attempts. It had been years since she’d done any baking, but she was slowly getting back into the rhythm of the process.
“What is going on here?”
Ruby jumped. Yvonne was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, her arms crossed.
“Yvonne,” Ruby said. “You’re home early.” It was barely 6 p.m. Yvonne was usually still at work for another hour or two.
Yvonne’s disapproving eyes swept around the room. “Why does my kitchen look like it’s been hit by a tornado?”
Her description of the state of the kitchen was accurate. The counters were covered in flour, the sink filled with pans, utensils scattered everywhere. Plus, a shiny new stand mixer took up half the counter. Ruby had planned to clean everything up before Yvonne got home.
“Well, I was thinking about what you said the other night,” Ruby began. “About doing something for myself. I wasn’t sure where to start, so I went shopping, and while I was out, I remembered that I used to like to bake. So I decided I wanted to do some baking, but you don’t own any baking stuff, so I bought some.”
She looked at Yvonne. Yvonne was staring back at her, the irritation in her eyes replaced by amusement.
Ruby folded her arms across her chest. “You told me I could buy whatever I wanted.”
“I did.” Yvonne picked up a stray spatula. “And I meant it. But I tell you that you can buy anything, and you buy kitchen utensils? ”
Ruby shrugged. “They’re very expensive utensils.” That stand mixer had cost a small fortune, but Yvonne was paying for it.
“I didn’t take you for the domestic type.”
“I’m not. I can’t cook to save my life, but baking is different. I’m not going to win any competitions, but I enjoy it. Plus, it gives me a way to kill time while you’re at work.”
“Oh?” Yvonne raised an eyebrow, her voice lowering. “So you’ve been sitting around every day, waiting for your Mistress to return home?”
Blood rushed up Ruby’s face. “I meant that I need more things to fill my days, that’s all.”
Yvonne stepped in close. Ruby found herself backed against the counter, the other woman’s hands at either side of her. Desire flickered deep within her.
“That’s disappointing,” Yvonne purred. “I think I like the idea of you waiting for me all day like a good little housewife, longing for me to come through the front door and fuck you right here in the kitchen.”
Ruby trembled. The heat between the two of them had only strengthened since that night at Lilith’s Den. It was as if Yvonne had finally stopped fighting the attraction she’d had toward Ruby from the moment they had met. This unrestrained side of Yvonne was even more intoxicating.
Yvonne brought her thumb up to stroke Ruby’s lip. A wave of lust washed over her.
“So,” Yvonne said. “How about a taste?”
Before
Ruby could react, Yvonne reached around to grab one of the muffins. Reflexively, Ruby swatted Yvonne’s hand away from the hot muffin tin.
Yvonne’s mouth fell open. “Did you just slap me? ”
Ruby grimaced. “Sorry! Those are too hot to eat.”
Yvonne didn’t respond, but the dark expression on her face made her annoyance clear.
Crap. “I didn’t mean to. My brothers, they were always trying to steal things I’d bake before they were cool. It was a reflex, I swear.”
“I am not one of your brothers,” Yvonne said firmly. “That’s no way to treat your Mistress.”
Ruby’s heart began to race. Despite Yvonne’s sharp tone, Ruby could feel the desire radiating from every inch of the other woman’s skin. She looked into Yvonne’s eyes and found a storm raging behind them wasn’t at all due to irritation.
“I’m sorry, Mistress,” Ruby said softly.
Yvonne took Ruby’s chin in her fingers. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
Heat suffused Ruby’s body. What did Yvonne want? Ruby to grovel at her feet? She’d already done that once before.
“You have two choices,” Yvonne said. “You can write me a long, detailed letter, explaining just how sorry you are.” She paused. “Or, you can accept a more physical punishment.”
Ruby hesitated. “What do you mean by ‘physical?’”
Yvonne’s gaze flicked over to the utensils scattered on the counter, a spatula and some mixing spoons.
Ruby’s eyes widened. Did Yvonne mean what she thought she did? Ruby had enthusiastically signed up for doing all kinds of kinky things with Yvonne, but this wasn’t what she’d had in mind.
Yet, Ruby found the idea hot as hell .
“So,” Yvonne said. “Which do you choose?”
Ruby sucked her lip thoughtfully. “The second one.”
