Page 11 of Wicked King

A familiar face peeks through the crack in the door. “Oh, Mr. Rossi, I’m sorry, I thought Miss Maisy was here.”

Nico signals for the woman to enter. “She’ll be right back, Blanca, please come in.”

My brother’s housekeeper-slash-Broadway actress saunters in, dark curls twisted into a messy bun. The woman is undoubtedly attractive, with caramel skin, pouty red lips and darting eyes. Even the dingy housekeeper’s uniform does nothing to hide those killer curves.

As I ogle the maid, I remind myself she could also be a spy for the Puerto Ricans.

Maisy rushes in a minute later, pink lip-gloss reapplied and sex hair now tamed. “Sorry for the wait, Blanca! I still need a few more minutes with Mel.”

“No worries, chica.” She waves a dismissive hand, then throws my brother a sheepish grin. “I’m in no rush to get back to work.”

Maisy drops a quick kiss on Nico’s cheek, then offers me a wave before turning to the door. Blanca follows her, the two females chattering like the best of friends.

Once the door closes, I eye my brother. “You think it’s wise to let Maisy spend time with Blanca?”

“My little fox insists. Since she was the one to first catch her snooping around the penthouse, she’s taken it on as her personal mission to uncover the truth.” He shrugs. “I ensure Maisy’s safety at all times. They’re always surrounded by my guards, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

Nico draws closer, a dark glint in his bright blue eyes once more. “So about Jia and that bet…”

I grunt before drawing in a steadying breath to give myself a minute to consider despite my raging arrogance. Given my record, this should be a no-brainer. I can’t remember the last time a woman denied me. As if my looks weren’t enough—thank you Mamma and Papà—there’s the Rossi name and Gemini Corp bank account. I wasn’t in The New Yorker’s spread for most eligible bachelor this year for nothing.

“Come on, Marco, do we have a deal or not?” He extends his hand, and I eye it for another long minute.

“Just to be clear, if I get the lovely Jia Guo into my bed—no, wait, if I fuck her anywhere, you’ll never bring up this arranged marriage shit again, right?”

“Right.” Nico offers me that million-dollar smile we share.

“And you’ll come out with me tonight?”

“Sure, why not?” He shrugs, his expression pained, like a night out on the town away from his girlfriend would be tantamount to the wickedest torture.

With a deep breath, I close my fingers around his palm. “Deal, coglione.”

My brother’s smile grows downright feral. “I can’t wait to see you walking down the aisle, fratello. You’ll make such a beautiful bride.”

I shake my head. Coglione. “What makes you so sure you’ll win this?”

“Only because before the loathsome Qian Guo was killed, he shared a tiny bit of information about his sister with me—a way of enticing our deal, let’s say.”

My brow lifts as a swirl of dread tightens my chest. “What’s that?”

“The lovely Jia is a virgin.”

CHAPTER 6

TWINS

Jia

“I still can’t believe you made me go out tonight, Ari.”

My best friend rolls her eyes as she drags me through the crowd to get to the bar. “Even your grandfather said you deserved a night out.”

Well, they aren’t wrong there.

The DJ’s hypnotic beats float on the air of the swanky rooftop lounge. It’s five o’clock on a Thursday in Midtown so the place is swarming with men in suits. Charming smiles, gel-backed hair, and Rolexes fill the glittering scene. It’s not at all my style.

---