But after the other night, the idea of simply being around Ruby was torturous. What had passed between them that night—Ruby, offering herself up to Yvonne, Ruby, on her hands and knees at Yvonne’s command?

It had only made Yvonne want her even more.

Yvonne let out a long, hard breath. Her command had been a challenge, one she’d given to Ruby with the expectation that Ruby would back down.

But Ruby hadn’t backed down. She’d done exactly what Yvonne had commanded, without hesitation. And she’d remained at Yvonne’s feet, unspeaking, unmoving, the perfect, willing, eager submissive.

Yvonne closed her eyes, picturing it again. There had been something different about Ruby that night. Something about her in that moment that had stood out to Yvonne. However, Yvonne couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly it was.

It didn’t matter. She had to stop thinking about Ruby. The more Yvonne thought about her, the more she was tempted by her. But getting involved with Ruby in any way, let alone such an intimate way, would be a mistake. For starters, Yvonne was paying Ruby, which introduced all kinds of complications. They were stuck together for a year. If things got awkward between them, it would be an uncomfortable year. And if something went wrong, Yvonne’s inheritance would be at risk.

But the most important reason was exactly what Yvonne had said to Ruby that night. Yvonne wasn’t the right person to introduce Ruby to the twisted world of BDSM, especially not Yvonne’s brand of it. Yvonne was in too deep, her tastes too extreme. Ruby was a novice, and Yvonne didn’t have the patience to hold her hand through it. She wasn’t that kind of Domme.

The door to Yvonne’s office opened. She looked up to find Madison strolling into the room, her coat and bag on her arm.

“You’re still here?” Madison asked.

“I have work to do,” Yvonne lied.

Madison sat down in the chair in front of Yvonne’s desk. “You’ve stayed late every day this week.”

“I’ve been busy. The shareholder meeting is coming up. I need to present them with our strategy for the next quarter.”

“Doesn’t your wife miss you?”

Yvonne pressed her lips together. “She’s not my wife.”

“I know that. But the rest of the world doesn’t.” Madison crossed her arms. “The two of you are newlyweds. It’s awfully suspicious that you’re working all the time instead of spending time with her. Wasn’t the whole point of this charade for everyone else to think the two of you are a real couple? You should be rushing home every day to be with her, not hanging back at work for hours.”

The same thought had occurred to Yvonne, but she’d ignored it.

“So tell me. What’s going on? Why are you avoiding going home?”

Yvonne closed her laptop and pushed it aside. “Let’s just say, Ruby has been getting under my skin.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Yvonne frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”