“Please don’t say that! Yvonne, being your submissive has meant so much to me. You’ve shown me what it’s like to have a Dominant who really cares. I always knew that was how it was supposed to be, but I’d never experienced it. It doesn’t matter that our relationship is just an arrangement. You’ve shown me that I can trust someone with my desires, and that you won’t break that trust. I’ve always found joy in submission, in serving, but he took that from me. You’ve helped me reclaim that part of myself. You gave me a safe haven to pick up all the pieces of my life. That means the world to me.” Ruby’s voice caught in her throat. “I don’t want to lose what we have. I don’t want to lose you.”

Yvonne took Ruby’s cheek in her hand. “You won’t. I promise you. But we need to change how we approach things. We need to be more careful, more open and honest. Both of us.”

Ruby nodded. “Okay.”

“There’s something I need you to do for me,” Yvonne said. “When you feel ready, I want you to write down something you want me to do with you, something you want more than anything else. Your deepest, most hidden desire.”

Ruby shook her head. “There’s nothing I want from you that you don’t already give me. And I like it when you take the lead.”

“No,” Yvonne said. “This is about you, not me. You’re going to have to take the lead for once. You’re going to have to tell me what you want. Once you figure it out, sit down and write it down for me. Be specific and detailed.”

Ruby frowned. “Why do I feel like you’re giving me homework?”

A slight smile crossed Yvonne’s lips. “I suppose I am. And for good measure, there will be no more games between us until then.”

Ruby sighed. “Okay.”

Yvonne squeezed Ruby’s shoulder. “Are you ready to go home? We’ll take a nice long bath, then cuddle up in my bed together. How does that sound?”

Ruby smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

As they left the park and headed toward home, the anxiety in Ruby’s stomach turned to butterflies. She’d definitely fallen for Yvonne.

But was it possible that Yvonne, a woman so guarded with her heart, felt the same way Ruby did?

Chapter 21

Yvonne stood in her darkened living room. It was late at night, and she’d just arrived home as silently as possible. Ruby was in her bedroom waiting for Yvonne, just like Yvonne had told her to an hour ago. That was plenty of time to get her all worked up for what was to come.

Ruby had done her ‘homework’. She’d written down exactly what she wanted from Yvonne. Tonight, they were going to live out Ruby’s fantasy.

And it left Yvonne feeling unsettled.

It wasn’t that she felt uncomfortable with what Ruby was asking of her, or that she had any reservations about continuing their Dominant/submissive relationship. They were being extra careful. After the other night, Yvonne had given Ruby a long lecture about limits, trust, the importance of communication, including using her safeword.