Tangled Vows (Mistress Book 1)

by Stone, Anna

  “Not really. I was never much of a romantic, and when I went into my line of work, I threw the idea of getting married any time soon out the window. But I don’t plan to be an escort forever. And I hope that one day I’ll find that special someone, and we’ll get to share a special day.”

  “Tell me. What would that special day look like?”

  Ruby thought for a moment. “It would be small, for starters. Nothing like this. Just family and friends. Maybe in the countryside, or on the beach. Somewhere quiet, where we’d be surrounded by nature and the people we love.”

  That actually sounded… nice. Yvonne had never been interested in weddings, but now, she was starting to understand the appeal. There was a certain magic about them.

  “And I know it’s cliché, but I like the idea of becoming a princess for a day.” Ruby’s cheeks flushed, a dreamy look in her eyes. “I want to dress up in a beautiful dress. I want to walk down the aisle. I want my bride to lift up my veil and look at me like I’m her whole world. I want us to read our vows and exchange rings, and I want her to kiss me, and it would be this magical moment where the rest of the world would fade away and it would just be you and me-”

  Ruby covered her mouth with her hand, her face turning crimson. It took even longer for Yvonne to register what Ruby had said. Not her .

  You.

  “I didn’t-” The blush on Ruby’s face deepened. “It was a slip of the tongue.”

  Yvonne stared at her. “Ruby…”

  Yvonne was cut off by a voice calling her name. Her blood turned to ice. It was a familiar voice, but one she hadn’t expected to hear at Madison’s wedding.

  She turned to see a man standing nearby, tall with sandy blond hair. Like everyone else in Yvonne’s family, he looked nothing like her, save for the hazel color of his eyes.

  “It is you,” Yvonne’s brother said.

  “Nicholas.” Yvonne couldn’t hide her displeasure. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here with a date.” He cocked his head toward a woman standing nearby, texting on her phone. “Jane Porter. We just started seeing each other. She needed a plus one for the wedding, so I volunteered.”

  The woman looked vaguely familiar. She must have been one of Madison’s friends. Did Madison know the woman had brought Yvonne’s brother as a date? Probably not, or Madison would have warned Yvonne.

  “I had no idea this was your friend Madison’s wedding,” Nicholas said. “What a coincidence. ”

  “It’s a small world.” Yvonne didn’t know whether to believe him or not. Even if he had known Yvonne was coming to the wedding, he wouldn’t have told her that he was coming. He would have jumped on an opportunity to catch Yvonne off guard.

  “Well?” Nicholas looked pointedly at Ruby. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your date?”

  Yvonne had been dreading this moment. “Ruby, this is my brother, Nicholas. Nicholas, this is Ruby. She’s my wife.”

  Ruby couldn’t hide her surprise that the man before her was Yvonne’s brother, but she pulled herself together quickly. “Nice to meet you.”

  Nicholas looked Ruby up and down. “Likewise. I’d heard rumors of your marriage, Yvonne, but I couldn’t believe it.” He scoffed. “My sister? Married?”

  Yvonne spoke through gritted teeth. “The rumors are true. Ruby and I are married, and happily so.”

  “You misunderstand me. I was simply surprised that my sister got married and I didn’t get an invitation to the wedding.”

  Sure, that was what he meant. “It was a spontaneous decision. There was no real wedding.” Yvonne didn’t elaborate. She hadn’t told Nicholas about her marriage for a good reason. He knew all about the conditions of Yvonne’s inheritance. She was certain that he already considered the money his, since Yvonne had shown no signs of getting married in the past.

  Now that things had changed, Nicholas wouldn’t be happy.

  “Well, congratulations to the both of you,” Nicholas said. “I trust you’re bringing Ruby to our family dinner? ”

  “I wasn’t planning to.” Yvonne had no intention of subjecting Ruby to her family’s general unpleasantness, let alone a full-on interrogation.

  “You must bring her,” Nicholas said. “Mother will insist. Besides, she’s family now, remember?”

  Yvonne held back a curse. Her annual family dinner was more than just a dinner. It had been her father’s wish for his wife and children to get together once a year, along with both his children’s future children and spouses. Just to drive the point home, he’d written it into his will. Yvonne’s inheritance was dependent on it. Yvonne had forgotten all about the ‘spouses and children’ clause.

  Nicholas was right. Yvonne had no choice. “I’ll talk to Ruby about it.”

  “She’s right here, isn’t she?” Nicholas addressed Ruby. “Dinner is next Friday. It’s at our family home in the mountains. Are you available? We’d love to have you join us.”

  “Er,” Ruby glanced at Yvonne. “Sure. I can come.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Nicholas looked over his shoulder toward his date. “I should get back to Jane. I’ll see you both at dinner. Mother will be so delighted to hear of your marriage.”

  He flashed Yvonne a smile, his eyes gleaming wickedly. Yvonne’s stomach dropped. Nicholas knew. He’d made the connection between Yvonne’s marriage and the inheritance money. He was already scheming behind those eyes of his.

  He was going to try to stop Yvonne from getting her inheritance.

  Nicholas turned and walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Yvonne cursed.

  “What’s the matter?” Ruby asked her .

  “Nothing.” Yvonne didn’t want to stress Ruby out with the news that someone was threatening their marriage scheme right now. They were in a high enough pressure situation as it was. “I just wasn’t expecting to see him here.”

  “Your brother? He didn’t seem so bad.”

  “Trust me, he’s not the perfect gentleman he appears to be,” Yvonne said. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that.”

  “It’s fine. What’s this dinner, anyway?”

  “Once a year, we have dinner at my family home. It’s just me, Nicholas, and my stepmother, Alice. It’s a bit of a trek, so we usually stay overnight. That’s all there is to it, really.”

  Ruby frowned. “You only have dinner with your family once a year?”

  “In case you couldn’t tell, we’re not particularly close. You’ll have to trust me when I say my family dynamics are… complicated. But now isn’t the time for all that. This is a wedding. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves.”

  “I’m definitely enjoying myself. Dressing up, drinking champagne, meeting all these people. I’m having a great time. We should do this more often.”

  “Isn’t this normal for you?” Yvonne asked. “You said yourself that your clients love to take you out and show you off.”

  “That’s true. But this is different. It feels different, with you.” Ruby glanced down at her feet. “What I mean is, this doesn’t feel like work. I’m genuinely enjoying it. Being here, with you. Being your wife.”

  Yvonne felt warmth rising within her. “And I’m enjoying having you as my wife.” She held out her arm to Ruby. “Let’s get back to playing happy couple. ”

  Ruby peered up at her. “Does playing happy couple involve dancing?”

  Yvonne gave Ruby a stern look. “Under no circumstances.”

  As Ruby took her arm again, Yvonne recalled Ruby’s earlier slip of the tongue. Surely it hadn’t meant anything. Ruby didn’t think about Yvonne that way.

  Did she?

  Chapter 18

  R uby lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was glad to be home. She and Yvonne had remained at Madison and Blair’s reception until the last of the guests had left. In the end, Ruby had taken to the dance floor while Yvonne had watched from the sidelines.

  The entire time, Yvonne hadn’t been able to take her eyes off Ruby.


  But as soon as they’d returned home, they’d gone straight to their bedrooms, exhausted. And now that Ruby was in bed, she was wide awake. She still had Yvonne on her mind, along with that stupid slip-up she’d made.

  Ruby sighed and got out of bed, giving up on sleep entirely. She left her bedroom, intending to head to the kitchen to grab something to drink. Instead, her feet carried her in the other direction, further down the hall and to Yvonne’s bedroom door.

  She paused in front of it, then knocked.

  “Come in,” Yvonne called from inside.

  Ruby opened the door and stepped into the room. It was lit only by the lamp on the nightstand. Yvonne stood in front of her dresser, brushing her long, dark hair out.

  She glanced at Ruby. “Is there something you want?”

  Ruby wasn’t even sure why she’d come here. “I couldn’t sleep, that’s all. Thought I’d come see if you were still awake.”

  “I was about to get into bed.” Yvonne put the hairbrush down and turned to Ruby. “Why don’t you join me?”

  Ruby smiled. “Sure.”

  Yvonne gave her a firm look. “To sleep only . I’m much too tired for anything else.” She waved toward the bed. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll join you in a moment.” She disappeared into her bathroom.

  Ruby pulled back the covers on Yvonne’s pristine bed and slid between the soft sheets. Somehow, it seemed cozier than her own bed. Ruby had never slept in it before. She hadn’t even been inside this room since that day she went snooping.

  After a few minutes, Yvonne returned, turning off the light and slipping into the bed next to Ruby, her eyes falling closed as soon as her head hit the pillow. The room was still half lit by the moonlight streaming around the blinds. It gave Yvonne’s skin a pale glow.

  “Yvonne?” Ruby whispered.

  Yvonne stirred slightly. “Mm?”

  Ruby hesitated. What did she want to say to Yvonne? What did Ruby want from her in the first place? Every time she thought she’d come close to figuring it out, she’d catch herself wanting something more from Yvonne, something inexplicable and intangible .

  Yvonne rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. “What is it?”

  Ruby said the first thing that came to her mind. “Why do you want your inheritance so badly? What I mean is, it doesn’t seem like you need the money.”

  “You’re right,” Yvonne said. “I don’t need it, but it’s a lot of money. I’d be crazy to let it go.”

  Ruby turned to face her. “But marrying someone you don’t even know for it? That’s extreme. What do you plan to do with the money?”

  “To start with, five million of it is going to you. As for the rest? A few million is going toward helping someone I care about. A friend of mine. She was my nanny growing up.”

  “You’re doing this for your former nanny?”

  “Nita wasn’t just my nanny. She was far more, and she still is. She’s family.”

  “So that’s who Nita is.”

  Yvonne frowned at Ruby. “Have I mentioned her name before?”

  “Just in passing,” Ruby said quickly. She wasn’t going to admit she’d snooped in Yvonne’s study and had found the check made out to Nita in the very week she’d moved in.

  “Well, she’s in some financial trouble,” Yvonne continued. “I want to solve her money problems once and for all. Pay off her family’s debts, her house, send her kids to college. Make sure she’s set for life.”

  “That’s so generous of you.” Ruby couldn’t deny her surprise.

  “Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not doing this just for her. I’m keeping most of my inheritance for myself. I lost some money in investments recently, so I need to rebuild my portfolio.”

  “Well, it’s sweet of you to want to help Nita. She must be really special to you.”

  “She is.” A small smile crossed Yvonne’s lips. “Perhaps I should introduce the two of you. I think you’d like her.”

  “I’d love that. I am already meeting the rest of your family, after all.”

  Yvonne’s smile faded. “About that. I’m going to think of some way to get you out of it.”

  “Why don’t you want me to go?”

  “You don’t understand my family. They’re toxic. And did I mention my inheritance goes to my brother if I don’t claim it?”

  Ruby nodded.

  “I have no doubt that Nicholas and my stepmother are going to feel threatened and resentful now that I’m stealing the money out from under them. At best, they’ll simply spend the whole night interrogating you, trying to expose you as a ‘gold digger.’ At worst, my brother will use the opportunity to try to prevent us from getting the inheritance, and he’s not afraid to play dirty. If he finds a hole in our story, he’ll take advantage of it.”

  Ruby touched Yvonne’s arm reassuringly. “Then we’ll have to make sure there are no holes in our story. Didn’t tonight prove how good I am at playing the role of your wife?”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about,” Yvonne muttered.

  “If your family is that bad, why are you going at all?”

  “It was my father’s dying wish that his family get together once a year. And because he likes pulling the strings, even from beyond the grave, he wrote it into his will. My inheritance is dependent on me going. Spouses are supposed to attend too, but I’m going to get you out of this. It’s simple enough just to pretend you had some kind of emergency.”

  “Yvonne, it’s fine. I can handle it.” Ruby crossed her arms. “I’m coming, and that’s that.”

  Yvonne narrowed her eyes. “That’s that?”

  Ruby felt herself flush under Yvonne’s intense stare. “Yes. That’s that.”

  Before Ruby could blink, her Mistress was above her, pinning her back to the bed with nothing but her gaze.

  “Someone is being awfully bossy.”

  Ruby’s breath caught in her chest. The look in her Mistress’s eyes was the very same one she’d had before she’d spanked Ruby over the kitchen bench.

  “You know what?” Yvonne said. “I’m not so tired anymore.”

  Yvonne took Ruby’s wrists and drew them above Ruby’s head, holding them against the pillow with the slightest of effort. Ruby’s pulse began to flutter. Was she in for some kind of kinky punishment for daring to challenge her Mistress?

  Instead, Yvonne asked her a question. “When you came in here tonight, what were you looking for?”

  Ruby’s lips opened. I don’t know, she tried to say. But as she looked back into Yvonne’s eyes, she realized she knew exactly what it was that she wanted.

  “I want you,” Ruby said softly. “I just want you.”

  The air in the room grew cool and still. Yvonne didn’t speak. She didn’t move. She just continued to stare down at Ruby, her expression unchanging. Ruby trembled underneath her, awaiting her Mistress’s direction.

  Wordlessly, Yvonne got up from the bed. Her eyes searched the room, landing on a nearby chair over which her bridesmaid dress was hung.

  Ruby watched as Yvonne walked over to the chair. She took the dress and pulled the sash around the waist from it before returning to the bed.

  Yvonne held the sash up before her, issuing a command. “Sit up and close your eyes.”

  Ruby obeyed. Yvonne tied the sash around Ruby’s eyes, shrouding her in disorienting darkness. Her heart began to pound.

  “You want me? Now you have me, and only me.” Yvonne pushed Ruby back down to the bed again, speaking into her ear in a low purr. “Forget about the rest of the world. Forget about everything else. Surrender to your Mistress.”

  There was so much Ruby wanted to forget about. This crazy marriage plot. All the conflict and confusion she felt about Yvonne. Ruby’s fears about falling for her.

  Would it hurt to forget about it all, just for a moment?

  “I’m all yours,” Ruby said softly.

  At once, Yvonne’s lips crashed against hers in an unrelenting kiss, drawing the last of
the breath from Ruby’s lungs. She dissolved into her Mistress, the sudden burst of passion overwhelming her. Yvonne pulled at Ruby’s t-shirt, drawing it over her head in one swift motion.

  Ruby let out a sharp breath. She heard the swish of clothing, then Yvonne was on top of her once more, bare skin against bare skin, her breasts against Ruby’s chest, hard nipples pressing into her. Ruby clutched blindly at the other woman, the thirst within her growing.

  She groaned. “Yvonne…”

  Yvonne trailed her lips down Ruby’s neck, lower and lower, letting her teeth graze and bite into the soft parts of Ruby’s shoulders and breasts. Ruby shivered, trying her hardest to calm the flame within her, but it was hopeless. Her need for Yvonne was too great.

  “Please,” she murmured. “I want you.”

  Yvonne paid her no mind, continuing her slow, painstaking descent down Ruby’s body, trailing her lips over every inch of Ruby’s skin. When she finally reached the base of Ruby’s stomach, Ruby thought she was going to burst. The whimper that flew from her sounded wholly unfamiliar to her ears.

  Yvonne took the waistband of Ruby’s panties and peeled them down, drawing them from her legs. She pushed Ruby’s knees apart carefully, positioning herself between them, and ran her hands along Ruby’s thighs.

  Goosebumps sprouted on Ruby’s skin. Yvonne wrapped her arms around Ruby’s upper thighs, yanking her down the bed and closer to her. Ruby gasped softly. Although she was blindfolded, she could feel the warmth of Yvonne’s breath between her legs, and the brush of Yvonne’s hair on the insides of her thighs.

  Not a heartbeat later, Yvonne’s lips were against Ruby’s folds, soft and supple and warm. Yvonne slipped her tongue into Ruby’s slit, searing her to her core. She sucked on Ruby’s aching bud, sending jolt after jolt of pleasure through her. She grabbed onto Ruby’s hips and thighs, digging into them with her fingers. Ruby’s hand fell loosely to cling to the side of Yvonne’s neck, needing something to hold onto in the darkness.

  Finally, she couldn’t take any more. Yvonne’s name tumbled from her lips as ecstasy overcame her. She writhed on the bed, swept up in an ocean of pleasure, holding onto her Mistress like an anchor.