by Stone, Anna
Ruby recrossed her legs and let her eyes wander around the room. So the woman needed a little convincing. That wouldn’t be too hard. Ruby would wait until the woman glanced in her direction again, and then she’d give the woman a flirtatious, inviting smile. Then the woman would walk right over to Ruby and snap her up, thinking it was her idea all along. That was how it worked.
But as the minutes passed, the woman didn’t look Ruby’s way again. Nor did she do anything else. She simply continued to stare at her drink.
Ruby frowned. Perhaps the woman needed a little encouragement. Ruby liked to let clients approach her, but this was a special case. Ruby needed a client, and this woman intrigued her. The woman was interested in her too, but it was clear that she wasn’t going to make the first move. Ruby would have to do so herself.
So why did the thought of approaching the woman make her chest flutter? It was dangerous, the effect the woman was having on Ruby. When it came to her job, letting feelings get involved made it all too easy for her to get hurt. She’d learned her lesson from her last client. Ruby needed to keep her head.
She steeled herself. The woman was just another potential client.
Ruby picked up her drink and headed to the bar.
Yvonne stared at the bottle of scotch before her. She’d come to the bar after making an exit from her friend’s bachelorette party. She’d originally planned to turn in for the night, but she’d found herself with too much on her mind. Drinking her troubles away instead wasn’t the smartest idea, especially considering how much she’d already drunk over the weekend. She was usually far more responsible.
But tonight, she had a good reason to drink.
Yvonne picked up the bottle and poured a few fingers of scotch into her glass. She stared down at it as she swirled it around. Millions of dollars. Her inheritance.
And it was about to slip through her fingers.
“That’s a lot of scotch for one person.”
Yvonne turned toward the voice. Standing beside her was a tall, slender woman with long, blonde hair, dark as old gold. She wore a stylish red dress and black pumps. Her eyes were a pale blue and her lips were the same inviting shade of crimson as her dress. Yvonne had noticed the woman earlier. It was impossible not to notice someone like her.
But Yvonne wasn’t interested in company right now. Without acknowledging the woman, she turned back to her drink and took a long sip.
The woman sat down in the chair next to Yvonne, a martini glass in her hand. “Don’t worry, I have a drink of my own. I just thought you could use some company. I’m Ruby, by the way.”
Yvonne put down her glass and looked at Ruby again. Ruby smiled. Her red lips were so alluring, her teasing eyes seeming to beg for Yvonne’s attention.
Yvonne held back a sigh. Clearly, she had too much on her mind, because it had taken her far too long to realize what was going on.
“I don’t do escorts,” she said.
“What makes you think I’m an escort?” Ruby asked.
“It isn’t often that women approach me at bars. Or at all.” Yvonne was well aware that she gave off an intimidating air. It was an advantage. It kept people away. Most people.
Ruby flicked her long hair over her shoulders. “Maybe I’m the only one who’s game enough.”
“Actually, I prefer it that way.”
“Oh? So you’re the type who likes to do the chasing? I prefer that in a woman too.” Ruby peered at Yvonne from under hooded eyes. “You’re exactly my type.”
Yvonne gave Ruby a hard stare. “You say that, yet you came over here, dangling yourself before me like bait. I can see right through this act of yours.”
Ruby’s cheeks turned scarlet, and she lowered her gaze. It seemed she wasn’t used to being called out on her games. Yvonne felt a pang of satisfaction.
But Ruby quickly regained her composure. “What act? I got tired of waiting for you to come to me, that’s all.” She looked back up at Yvonne, her honeyed voice dropping low. “And now that I’m here, I’m all yours.”
Desire flickered along Yvonne’s skin. That coy manner of Ruby’s might be an act, but she couldn’t fake the way her skin had reddened when Yvonne had given her that stern look…
No. Ruby was an escort. It was her job to be whoever her client wanted her to be. And although Yvonne had a weakness for women who liked to please her, she had no interest in a woman who wanted to please her for money. Yvonne wanted a woman whose need to serve ran far deeper. She doubted that Ruby genuinely harbored such desires.
“You’re wasting your time,” Yvonne said. “I don’t do escorts.”
“Well,” Ruby said. “It’s been a quiet night for me. And it’s getting late, so I’m not going to find any clients tonight. I’m going to call it a night right after I finish this drink. So how about we chat until then?”
Yvonne raised an eyebrow. So Ruby was dropping the pretense of not being an escort? It was obviously just a change in tactics, another attempt to make Yvonne drop her guard. But Yvonne wasn’t going to fall for Ruby’s tricks. She didn’t like being toyed with.
But she did enjoy making Ruby squirm.
“All right,” Yvonne said. “Let’s chat.”
Ruby draped an arm on the bar next to her. “So, what brings you to Vegas?”
“A friend of mine is getting married. We’re here for the bachelorette weekend.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Perhaps if you’re easily entertained.” Vegas wasn’t Yvonne’s idea of a good time, but Yvonne was maid of honor, so she’d had no choice but to come along. Between that, and the constant reminders of all things marriage, she’d been in a bad mood the entire weekend.
It must have shown on Yvonne’s face. “You seem preoccupied,” Ruby said. “Something on your mind?”
Yvonne scoffed. “What’s on my mind is above your pay grade.”
“You’d be surprised. People talk to me about their problems a lot. It comes with the territory.”
“You’re admitting you’re an escort?”
“Maybe I’m a therapist.” Ruby stirred her drink with the toothpick, swirling the olives around in it. “So what is it? Is it about a woman?”
“What makes you think I’m into women?”
Ruby shrugged. “It’s just a feeling. So you are into women?”
Yvonne fixed her eyes on Ruby’s. “Are you?”
There it was again, that faint flush that rose up Ruby’s cheeks at Yvonne’s words. Yvonne held back a smile. She had Ruby wrapped around her finger.
But Ruby’s confident facade quickly returned. “I wouldn’t be over here if I wasn’t. So, what’s this problem of yours?”
Yvonne folded her arms across her chest, scrutinizing Ruby. Was it reckless telling a stranger, an escort she met at a bar, about her inheritance? Probably. However, she doubted that this woman was capable of scamming her. Yvonne wasn’t easily manipulated. She was one of the most successful businesswomen in the country, with a reputation for being ruthless and unyielding. Despite Ruby’s attempts to seduce her, it was clear that Yvonne had the upper hand.
“All right,” she said. “Here’s the short version. When my father died, he left me an inheritance. But it came with conditions. In order to gain access to it, I need to get married within ten years of his death.”
Yvonne’s father had never liked that she was a lesbian. He hadn’t liked a lot about his daughter, but that was one major sticking point. He’d obviously hoped that the terms of the inheritance would sway her into a relationship with a man, but he hadn’t specified the gender of who Yvonne needed to marry. Her father had been so old-fashioned that the possibility of same-sex marriage being legalized had never occurred to him.
But that had been no help to Yvonne. She wasn’t the relationship, let alone the marrying, type.
“It’s been almost ten years since my father died,” Yvonne said. “And here I am, unmarried, which means all that money is going to go to my half-brother instead.” It was ba
d enough that Nicholas had already inherited most of Yvonne’s father’s fortune. Now, he was going to get the rest of it.
“Huh.” Ruby took the toothpick from her drink and slid it into her mouth, sucking the olives from it. “So there’s really no way around the whole marriage thing? No loopholes?”
“If there was, I would have found it.” Yvonne picked up her scotch and swallowed a mouthful. “I’ve already accepted it. The money is as good as gone.” She’d resigned herself to that fact already, although she wasn’t happy about it.
Silence fell between them. Yvonne wasn’t surprised that Ruby had nothing to say about her problem. However, Yvonne had to admit, she was intrigued by the woman, though she had no intention of employing Ruby’s services. She didn’t sleep with escorts.
But there was no harm in enjoying Ruby’s company for a little while longer.
Ruby took one last sip of her cocktail, emptying her glass. “Well, that’s my drink done.” She stood up. “It was good talking to you.”
She glanced at Yvonne, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. When Yvonne said nothing, she turned and began walking away.
“Stop,” Yvonne commanded.
Ruby halted, turning back to Yvonne.
Yvonne beckoned her with a finger. “Do you drink scotch?”
Ruby nodded.
“You were right. This is too much scotch for one person. Why don’t you help me with it?”
Ruby’s lips parted slightly. She gave Yvonne a tantalizing smile. “Like I said, I’m all yours.”
For a split second, Yvonne wondered if this was a bad idea. Getting drunk with an escort in Vegas? That was irresponsible.
She pushed the thought aside and caught the eye of the bartender. He came over to them.
“We need another glass,” Yvonne said.
The story continues in TANGLED VOWS, available now on Amazon!
About the Author
Anna Stone is the bestselling author of Being Hers. Her sizzling romance novels, featuring strong, complex, passionate women who love women, are sure to bring the heat.
Anna is in her 30s and lives on the sunny east coast of Australia. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found relaxing on the beach with a book.
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