“Why not? What are you afraid of? That you’ll hurt me?”

“Physically? No. But there are so many other ways to hurt someone.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Ruby said. “I trust you.”

Yvonne scoffed. “You don’t even know me.”

“You’re right. I don’t know you, not really.” Ruby looked down at the toys on the bed around her. “But I understand what it is you want, on some level. You want control. You want power. You want someone who will give both to you.”

Yvonne didn’t move or speak, but her eyes, which had shifted from green to brown in the low light, seemed to sizzle.

“And I can tell that you’re the kind of person who takes this seriously. I can tell that if I give you control, if I place myself in your hands, you won’t abuse that power. I know that you’ll take care of me.” Ruby fixed her gaze on Yvonne, her voice growing softer. “Yvonne, I want this so badly. I want you so badly.”

Silence fell between them. Yvonne stared back at Ruby, saying nothing, but Ruby could see the battle going on within her. Yvonne held her body stiff and still, as poised to pounce on Ruby like she was Yvonne’s prey.

But when Yvonne finally spoke, it was with an icy calm that sent a shiver through Ruby’s core.

“Show me.”

Ruby blinked. “Show you?”

“Show me how much you want this.”

“I will. Anything.”

Silence fell between them. Ruby awaited Yvonne’s instructions, the sound of her pounding heart filling her head.

Still standing in place in the doorway, half in shadow, Yvonne lifted her chin and looked into Ruby’s eyes, before speaking a single word.

“Crawl.”

A prickly heat rose to Ruby’s skin. She stared back at Yvonne, the cold fire in the woman’s eyes enthralling. She didn’t try to fight it. She was powerless to do anything but follow Yvonne’s command.

Ruby slipped off the bed and dropped to her knees.

Her palms hit the wooden floorboards.

She cast her eyes down, and she began to crawl toward Yvonne.

Deep within her, desire flared to life. As she crawled to the other woman, the space separating them seemed to grow even more vast. But slowly, on her hands and knees, Ruby crossed the distance between them.

She reached Yvonne’s heeled feet, but she didn’t look up. She simply knelt there, her head bowed and her eyes downcast, her heart thundering in her chest. Seconds stretched out. Yvonne was still and silent. Ruby remained on the floor, prostrating herself before the other woman, awaiting her command.

But instead, Yvonne took a step back, then another.

Then she turned on her heel and strode out the door, shutting it behind her.

Chapter 7

Yvonne looked at the time. Almost 8 p.m. It was a Friday, so the office was nearly empty, save for a few stragglers. Yvonne would normally be heading home around this time too, but she had no intention of leaving any time soon. Not with Ruby in her apartment.