by Stone, Anna
As her orgasm receded, the feeling of blissful lightness that came with it remained. When Yvonne shifted up the bed and kissed her, her own taste still on Yvonne’s lips, that feeling only intensified.
Ruby sighed into the kiss, pressing herself back against Yvonne. Despite the blindfold, Ruby could see the woman before her clearly, her other senses mingling and mixing. Yvonne’s fingers whispered along Ruby’s skin. Her heartbeat hummed against Ruby’s cheek. Her scent, perfume with a hint of sweat, was sweet and salty on Ruby’s tongue.
Ruby savored it all, all those pieces of Yvonne. All the while, her hands roamed Yvonne’s body, feeling every curve and dip, tracing over her pebbled nipples, sweeping over the swell of her hips. Just as Ruby was sure she had explored every part of her, Yvonne took Ruby’s hand and guided it down her stomach, over the fine velvety hair at the apex of her thighs, and down between her nether lips.
Yvonne released Ruby’s hand, but Ruby knew it was a signal to continue. She skated her fingertip over Yvonne’s tiny, hidden clit, coaxing a soft gasp from her. She circled it gently until she felt Yvonne quiver against her.
She eased off, sliding her fingers down to the other woman’s hot, throbbing entrance. Yvonne arched against Ruby’s hand, urging her on. Ruby entered her with a finger, then another, stroking, curling, delving .
Yvonne exhaled sharply, rocking back against Ruby. She grabbed on to Ruby’s waist, her breaths growing heavier and deeper. Still blindfolded, Ruby felt Yvonne’s lips against her neck, then Yvonne’s teeth against her shoulder, biting into her.
Suddenly, Yvonne’s arms and thighs locked around Ruby, a near silent cry erupting from her as an orgasm overtook her. She pulsed around Ruby’s fingers, gripping and releasing, until finally, she stiffened, then fell back against the pillows.
Ruby kissed her way up Yvonne’s chest and neck. Yvonne let out a murmur, her hands on Ruby’s cheeks, pushing the blindfold from Ruby’s eyes. As she blinked against the lamplight, Ruby took in the sight of Yvonne’s nude body. It hadn’t escaped Ruby’s notice that Yvonne had never stripped down before her, had never borne it all to Ruby, until now. Every inch of Yvonne’s skin was as smooth as porcelain, all her curves perfectly round. Her nipples were a rosy brown that made Ruby want to kiss them again.
But before Ruby had the chance, Yvonne tossed the blindfold aside and let out a long breath. “Now I really am exhausted.” She drew Ruby close. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Ruby nodded, then planted a soft kiss on Yvonne’s lips, before turning onto her side and curling into the hollow made by her Mistress’s body.
As she lay in the dark, pressed against Yvonne, Ruby’s mind drifted back to their earlier conversation, which Yvonne had conveniently interrupted. Why was Yvonne so worried about Ruby meeting her family?
How bad could they be?
Chapter 19
Y vonne and Ruby pulled up in front of Yvonne’s family home. Yvonne parked the car next to her brother’s obnoxious red Ferrari. She’d opted to drive them herself rather than hiring a car service in the hope that she’d find it relaxing. It hadn’t helped her relax one bit.
She got out of the car and opened the trunk. As she grabbed their overnight bags, Ruby appeared beside her.
“We’ve got this, Yvonne,” she said. “Everything is going to be fine. We’ve got this.”
Yvonne shut the trunk. “Let’s get this over with.”
They headed to the door. Yvonne unlocked it. She was always surprised that her key still worked. As they entered the house, a butler took their coats and overnight bags. Yvonne instructed him to take their things to her bedroom, breezing past him before he could insist on escorting them to the sitting room like they were guests. Yvonne wasn’t a guest. This had been her home since she was born, long before her father had married her stepmother. Although Alice owned it now, Yvonne wasn’t going to let her stepmother treat her like she wasn’t part of the family.
They reached the sitting room where Nicholas and her stepmother were waiting. The blonde-haired woman rose gracefully from her chair, greeting them with outspread arms.
“Yvonne, good to see you.” She gave Yvonne a half-hearted hug before kissing the air next to her cheek.
“Hello, Alice,” Yvonne replied. She nodded in her brother’s direction. He hadn’t bothered to get up. “Nicholas.”
“Yvonne.” He shot Ruby a smile. “We meet again, Ruby.”
Before Ruby could respond, Alice turned her attention to her. “So, you’re Ruby.” Alice gave her the same awkward hug and kiss she’d given Yvonne. “It’s lovely to meet you. Why don’t you both have a seat? Dinner will be ready soon. Would you like something to drink?”
As Alice called for refreshments, Yvonne couldn’t help but feel like something was off. It wasn’t that Alice was being polite and friendly. Alice was always polite at first before the backhanded comments started.
“So,” Alice began. “It’s true. You’re really married.”
“That’s right,” Yvonne said.
“Well, it’s a bit late, but congratulations. I hear it was something of a spontaneous event?”
“Yes, it was.” Yvonne didn’t elaborate.
“Now, Yvonne, don’t be short with me.” Alice crossed her ankles and folded her hands neatly in her lap. “I want to know the details. How did the two of you meet? When did you decide to get married?”
Yvonne sighed. Here we go again .
But before she could speak, Ruby put her hand on Yvonne’s knee and gave her a look that said, let me handle this.
Yvonne gave her an almost imperceptible nod and sat back. Ruby began telling the story of how they’d ‘met’ years ago, with Yvonne adding the occasional detail. Madison’s wedding had proved that Ruby was much more convincing when it came to telling people about their ‘marriage.’ She had a knack for it.
“Then, we both realized we wanted to be together for good,” Ruby said. “So we thought, why wait? And that’s how we ended up in a chapel in Vegas saying our vows in front of an Elvis impersonator.” Somehow, Ruby made the story sound charming.
Alice gave her a wide smile. “Isn’t that lovely? I’m so happy for you.”
Yvonne held back a frown. That was it? No questions? No judgment? Usually, Alice didn’t hold back her criticism of Yvonne. This was a woman who, when Yvonne was growing up, had insisted that the family get two sets of family photos taken, one with all four of them and one without Yvonne. Why was Alice being civil and polite now? And Nicholas hadn’t said anything at all. Why wasn’t he trying to poke holes in her story?
Was Yvonne being unfair to them both? After all, Yvonne wasn’t exactly objective when it came to Alice or Nicholas, for a number of reasons. Their treatment of Yvonne as a child. The circumstances of Alice and Yvonne’s father’s marriage. It wouldn’t be wrong to say Yvonne had always resented them. Yet, here they were, being kind to her. Alice had even congratulated her. Was her stepmother actually being genuine?
Ruby smiled at her. See, her eyes seemed to say. Nothing to worry about.
After half an hour of small talk, they went into the dining room for dinner, a formal multi-course affair at Alice’s insistence. As they ate and made small talk, the atmosphere remained pleasant and civil. Although Nicholas didn’t speak much, Alice seemed to be making an effort to get to know Ruby.
As they finished off the main course, Alice addressed Ruby. “Do you do anything for work?”
Ruby’s mouth was full, so she couldn’t answer immediately. Yvonne glanced at her stepmother. There was something odd about the smile plastered on her face. Yvonne looked at her brother. His face wore the same expression.
Suddenly, Yvonne was aware of an eerie stillness in the room.
“She used to be a waitress,” Yvonne interjected. “But for now, she’s settling into her new life here.”
“Don’t be rude, Yvonne,” Alice said. “I asked Ruth, not you.”
“That’s basically it,” Ruby said. “I was a waitress
back in Vegas. I’m not sure what I’m going to do now though.” She looked at Yvonne. “I haven’t talked to Yvonne about it yet, but I’m thinking of going to culinary school.”
Yvonne barely heard her. Ruth. Alice had called Ruby ‘Ruth.’ Her stomach turned to ice. She looked from her brother to her stepmother.
They knew.
That was why they’d been behaving so kindly. This whole thing was a trap. Her brother and stepmother had just been waiting for the right moment to spring it.
She needed to get ahead of this.
Yvonne crossed her arms. “You can drop the act. If you have something to say to Ruby and me, say it.”
Alice gave her a disdainful look. “Yvonne, these outbursts of yours aren’t very ladylike.”
“Don’t play games with me, Alice. You called Ruby ‘Ruth’. Neither of us has told you her real name. What, you did a background check on her? Went digging around in her life?”
Alice brought her hand to her chest, feigning offense. “I would never-”
“Yvonne’s right,” Nicholas said. “It’s time to drop the act. Yes, I had a background check done on Ruby. What I found was very illuminating. We were giving you the opportunity to come clean, but you insist on keeping up this charade.”
Yvonne looked at him blankly. “What charade?”
“Ruby isn’t a waitress.” Nicholas crossed his arms triumphantly. “She’s an escort.” When Yvonne showed no outward reaction, his expression darkened. “Don’t you have anything to say? And don’t try to deny it.”
“I’m not going to deny it,” Yvonne said.
“So you’re admitting it?” Nicholas sputtered. “You married an escort to get Father’s money?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What-” Nicholas took a deep breath. “But you just admitted Ruby is an escort.”
“She is. That’s how we met. She was also a waitress until recently, but she gave both up on account of marrying me. It would hardly be fitting for my wife to continue her previous occupation now that we’re in a committed relationship.”
Nicholas looked from Ruby to Yvonne. “Do you seriously expect me to believe the two of you are in a relationship?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Really, Yvonne?” Alice said. “Did you actually think such a desperate farce would work? Did you think you could make us believe you fell in love with this woman?” She gestured dismissively at Ruby.
“I don’t see why it’s so hard to believe.”
Nicholas scoffed. “While I’ve heard all about your twisted sexual tendencies, you would never enter a relationship with some Vegas prostitute. This is obviously a plot to get your hands on Father’s money. On my money.”
Yvonne spoke with an icy calm. “You’re very much mistaken. Firstly, that money is mine, not yours. Secondly, Ruby is not a prostitute.”
Nicholas turned to Ruby, his lips twisting up into a fake smile. “I’m sorry, it’s hard to keep up with which terms are politically correct these days. What do you prefer to be called? A call girl? A hooker? A whore ?”
Yvonne rose from her seat, planting her fists on the table before her. “Say another word about Ruby, and I will end you.”
Yvonne glared at him, her fists clenched and her body tense. It was taking all her effort not to unleash the full force of her anger on him.
Nicholas smirked. “I don’t see what the problem is. I’m just being honest.” He turned to Ruby. “That’s what you escorts do, isn’t it? Whore yourselves out for money? How much is she paying you to fuck her?”
Rage boiled up inside Yvonne. Before she could say a word, she felt Ruby’s hand on hers.
“It’s okay, Yvonne,” Ruby said. “You don’t need to defend me.”
“Yes, I do.” Yvonne took in a breath, steadying herself. “So what if Ruby is an escort? That doesn’t make her any less deserving of your respect. Ruby is my wife. We are in a committed relationship. You need to respect that.”
For what had to be the first time ever, Alice looked cowed.
Nicholas, however, did not. “I don’t believe you for a second.” He scoffed. “You’re so desperate, you had to pay someone to marry you? In ten years, you couldn’t even find someone who actually wanted to be with you. You’re pathetic.”
Next to her, Ruby began to speak.
But Yvonne cut her off. “I will not sit here while you insult me and my wife.” She looked at Ruby. “We’re done here.”
She grabbed Ruby’s hand, dragged her out of her seat, and marched out of the room.
Yvonne pulled Ruby into the bedroom and shut the door. Their bags were by the bed, so Ruby assumed the room was Yvonne’s bedroom. There was little else to indicate the room belonged to her. It was sparse and impersonal, the only remnant of Yvonne’s childhood a small stuffed bear on a shelf in the corner.
Yvonne sat down on the bed, her body stiff and tense.
Ruby joined her. “Are you okay? Things got pretty heated in there.”
“I’m fine,” Yvonne replied. “It wouldn’t be a family dinner if it didn’t end in a verbal brawl between Nicholas and me.” She leaned back and crossed her legs. “Are you all right? I’m sorry about my brother. I can’t believe he had the nerve to say those things to you.”
“I’m fine. I’ve been called worse before. It comes with the job.”
“I apologize for subjecting you to this. We never should have come here. We should leave.”
“Is that a good idea? It’s getting late.” The drive would be dangerous in the dark.
“You’re right. We can leave first thing in the morning.” Yvonne rubbed her temples. “Coming here is always tough. There are so many memories here. Very few of them are good ones.”
Her gaze flicked over to the nightstand. Ruby followed the path of Yvonne’s eyes to a framed photo on top of it. Yvonne reached over and picked it up. The faded picture was of a young woman with the same dark wavy hair as Yvonne, holding an adorably chubby toddler in a frilly dress.
“Is that you?” Ruby asked.
Yvonne nodded. “My mother and me. It was taken a few months before she died. I was three. It was a car accident.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been awful.”
“I don’t remember it, really. I have very few memories of her. Most of them are so vague and muddled that I don’t even know if they’re real. But someone has to remember her. Everyone else seems determined to forget she ever existed. Even when he was alive, my father wanted to forget her, probably out of guilt.”
“What do you mean?”
“My brother, Nicholas. He was born exactly nine months after my mother died.”
Ruby frowned. “Are you saying…”
“I’m saying, either my father barely waited until my mother’s funeral before he started fucking his secretary, or he’d been cheating on her long before she died. I’ve always suspected the latter. It would explain why he tried so hard to erase her, and why he resented me. I was a reminder of the woman he betrayed.”
“Your father resented you?”
“He never said anything, but it was obvious. He wasn’t kind to me, growing up. And his new family—Alice, and Nicholas—they took their cues from him, treating me with the same hostility. I was the unwanted stepchild. It didn’t help that I didn’t look anything like the rest of my pale, blonde-haired family.” Yvonne’s voice wavered slightly. “I spent my entire childhood feeling like I wasn’t really part of my family.”
“Oh, Yvonne. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe anyone could be so cruel to their own family.”
Yvonne placed the photo aside onto the bed. “I wasn’t family. Not to them.”
Ruby put a comforting hand on Yvonne’s arm. So much about the woman Ruby called her Mistress was starting to make sense. She would have had to grow a thick skin to endure such a painful childhood. But did her icy exterior serve another purpose? Was it to hide the pain of loneliness, of feeling unwanted? Was it to keep others from getting close enough
to reject her, just like her own family had?
“It wasn’t all bad,” Yvonne said. “I still had one person I could call family.”
Ruby recalled what Yvonne had told her that night after the wedding. “You mean your nanny. Nita.”
Yvonne nodded. “She and my mother were close, despite the fact that Nita worked for her. After my mother’s passing, Nita was the only person in my life who acknowledged her existence. She told me stories of my mother, taught me how to cook all her favorite dishes. She kept the memory of my mother alive for me.
“But it was so much more than that. In erasing my mother, my father also erased any connection I had with my Chinese heritage, my mother’s culture. Having that part of myself ignored and unacknowledged was so isolating. Nita, she helped me connect with that part of myself. She made sure I didn’t grow up feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere, made sure I knew I had a place, both in the world and with her. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
“She really means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” Ruby said. “That’s why you’re going through so much trouble to get the money for her.”
“Yes. I owe it to her.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
“I’m simply repaying her for helping me, that’s all,” Yvonne said. “I’ll breathe easier once this money comes through and everything is sorted for her for good. Nicholas finding out the truth puts a wrench in the works. ”
“It’s not like he has any proof. And you said all we need is a witness who will say our marriage is genuine. We have plenty of those, especially after the wedding.”
“That’s true.”
Ruby smiled. “We’re doing a great job at this whole marriage thing. We make a good couple.”
“You’re right. We do.” Yvonne picked up the photo and returned it to its place on the nightstand, then turned back to Ruby. “So, you want to go to culinary school, do you?”
“Right.” In the chaos that dinner had descended into, Ruby had forgotten she’d said anything about it. “I was only half serious. I like baking, but I’m not very good at it, so it could be fun to learn how to do it properly. And, when I was a kid, I had this dream of opening my own bakery.” She looked down at her lap, shaking her head. “I always thought it was silly. But right now, the idea doesn’t seem so silly.”
