Page 3 of Maximus

I resisted, I threatened, and I implored, but my father was adamant. I must marry the heiress to the Sorconi empire to join our two families. To cement our place as the most powerful mafia family in the mid west.

However, somewhere between that meeting and now a plan formed, and I wonder if I’m brave enough to see it through. It’s why I came to Vegas. Why I pretended to be here on my stagweekend and why I brought my brother with me. Because smoke and mirrors are what’s required now while I form an escape plan and strengthen my position in the family at the same time.

What mafia don in waiting does as his father tells him with no fight? I would be unworthy of that title if I didn’t manipulate the situation to my advantage and when I take over the family business, it will be on my terms and not those my father carved on to my soul.

My plan is simple, and it begins tonight.

I wander across to the double doors leading out onto the balcony and gaze at the vulgar skyline outside. Neon lights and raucous music, even at this time of the night, assault my senses. Vegas is the destination many come to for fun and a place I avoid like the plague, despite my business interests here. Casinos are many in Vegas, but The Virago is decadence on another scale.

My family owns this hotel casino, and yet it is significantly more than that. It’s a myriad of extremes. Dining, gambling, shopping and entertainment, all with luxury and excess in mind. Only the wealthy can afford to trip through the doors because inside the Virago, the stakes are high.

I hold the alcohol to my lips and breathe in the scent of smokey decadence, fueling my desire for excess and ruin.

“Maximus.” A hushed whisper causes me to turn, and my heart sinks. How the fuck did she get in here?

“Miranda.” I turn and regard her with an indifferent gaze.

“You left.”

I say nothing and note the gold dress she is wearing attracts the light as she shimmers before me like a wanton goddess of seduction.

“We have unfinished business.”

Her voice is laden with meaning, causing me to grunt, “We have no business.”

I jerk my head toward the elevator.

“Leave through the door unless you wish a more speedy exit.”

I nod toward the balcony and she shrugs, advancing coolly, testing my threats.

“Someone’s tetchy tonight. You need to get laid.”

“And you’re the woman to help me with that, I suppose.”

She smiles with wicked desire lighting her painted lips. “I could help you with that.”

“I’m not interested, Miranda. Besides, I’ve ordered takeout in that department.”

“A whore.” She laughs softly. “I can be your whore, Maximus. You only need to say the word, and I’ll drop everything right here.”

I set my glass down on the balcony edge and the amber liquid glows in the glass against the backdrop of decadence.

I advance toward her slowly and, stopping just short, say heavily, “I want a distraction but not one that’s distracted most of the men I know and some women—so I believe.”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you tried it, baby. It could be just the distraction you need.”

“I’ll call you when every other option in the universe runs out and so, if I were you, I’d take the fact you’re still breathing as a win and leave and if you ever step foot inside one of my establishments again without an invitation, you will be evicted to hell.”

Anger runs through her expression that she attempts to disguise and fails miserably, causing me to wonder who she is working for. If I was bothered, I would attempt to find out, but I have more pressing things on my mind and decide to delegate that job to my consigliere instead.

Her perfume is seriously messing with my breathing, so I growl, “Get the fuck out of here and find somebody else to play with. I’m not and never will be interested.”

With a deep sigh, she turns on her heel and walks away, not even attempting to deliver a parting shot, and I wonder what she hoped to gain from her visit.

Miranda Cascade is a wealthy woman who likes to hang out with danger. She married a man old enough to be her grandfather who owned the Palazzo, among other properties. When he died, she inherited the lot and has been tied up in litigation with his kids for five years now. The fact he hated his kids and married her to spite them means she’s unlikely to lose any lengthy court case they may bring against her. Now she spends her time living like a queen and seducing any dangerous man she sets her sights on, secure in the knowledge she has a certain attraction and it’s not just her availability. Miranda would have made an excellent revenge against my father, but I’m not that desperate - not yet, anyway.

The cool breeze from the night air draws me over to the edge and I grasp the glass and empty the contents down my throat, relishing the fiery sensation as it slides inside and numbs my emotions. I am playing with fire and will be badly burned, but I’ll live with the scars if it means I seize control of my destiny.

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