Page 12 of Wicked Union

I squeeze her hand so tightly she winces and tries to pull away. I’m not fond of the vitriol at all. Her callous remarks only show how little she knows about this family. We are thicker than blood, bonded with an ancient tradition of honor and loyalty. Even if he weren’t my father, I would still respect him more than she does, simply because it is the way of this organization.

“Watch your mouth,” I tell her as we approach one of my uncles who’s had his eyes on me all night. Unable to attend our wedding festivities, Uncle Tommy has yet to meet my new bride. She’s respectful at least when speaking to other people. It seems to be me she abhors, and probably because she blames me for being forced into marriage against her will.

“Uncle Tommy, this is Aria, my wife,” I say, a note of pride in my voice as I present her. He shakes her hand, and she bows at the shoulders before they engage in polite small talk. At least she can play the part when she needs to.

“Aria, I hear your family has chosen an alliance with the Ramiro tribe. They are very wise for leaning into the strength of our family.” Tommy grips my elbow and nods his head. The gray hairs sprouting from odd places on his face and in his ears attest to his age. He’s older than my father by a few years, but just as faithful to the time-honored tradition of passing the torch. Their father chose mine, and he chose me. Tommy was never like Carlos, though, never coveting my father's authority.

“Mr. Ramiro…” She pauses and smiles. “I’m sorry, there are so many Mr. Ramiros here this evening, it all becomes a little too overwhelming.”

He chuckles at her and releases my arm. “Tommy is fine. You’re part of the family now, Aria. Feel free to call me Uncle.”

I relax a little, relieved she isn’t going to cause a scene in front of my uncle. There will be time for that later when we are alone and I can explain her place without unscrupulous ears listening in.

“Thank you, Uncle Tommy,” she says with a genuine smile on her lips that makes my heart ache with longing. Why couldn’t she always be this way? She is resilient and strong, quick-witted and short-tempered, everything a Ramiro wife should be, but she allows her hatred of my name and authority to keep her at arm’s length. I stand convinced the only reason we have such passionate sex is because she’s never had a man make her body feel the way I do. Otherwise, she would still be fighting me on that too.

“May I steal her away for a moment?” I say to Tommy, and he pats Aria’s hand and nods.

Carlos appears with his wife on his arm. They make quite a picture together. Marcela is pretty in her own right with her auburn hair and hazel eyes that seem to sparkle all the time. Her hand settles on his forearm as he leads her toward the table where Dad’s staff has the drinks situated. I need to speak with him about certain matters, but Aria’s presence makes that challenging.

“Go get a drink,” I tell her, but the plastic smile on her face, showing only a smidgen of her pearl-white teeth, is so tight I know she’s about to rebel again.

“Go fuck yourself,” she says, and she looks up at me so adoringly that if I didn’t know better, I’d have said she was in love with me. “I don’t know any of these people. I’m staying with you.” Hertalons wrap around my arm more tightly, and she clings to me. She's been nothing but a pain in the ass for the past two weeks of our marriage, and I'm fed up.

I turn to her and lift my hand, cupping the side of her neck. I smile at her adoringly as I press my thumb into her pulse point. She gasps quietly and stiffens even as I wrap my other arm around her waist and pull her into my body. Anyone else in this room will think I’m just showing her special affection. None of them will pay any attention to me because watching their soon-to-be boss kissing his wife would be seen as disrespect, and no one will ever disrespect me.

But Aria doesn’t know that. The hands that gripped my bicep only seconds ago now grip my wrist as I push my thumb in harder and lean in closely to brush my lips over her cheek. Then I whisper into her ear, “Do not test me.” I keep my grip firm for a second as she nods, and her grasp on my wrist loosens.

“I was just saying I don’t know anyone, and I’ll feel more comfortable with you.”

My hand slides down her neck and across her shoulder to her lower back where I lace my fingers together as if it is the most comfortable thing. She plays with my tie, straightening it and fidgeting. She’s shocked and maybe a little afraid, but she won’t cause a scene. She knows better.

“I’m sure you will be fine, Aria. Go mingle while I speak with my brother.”

Luckily, she has enough sense not to argue further, and she melts into the crowd, cozying up to a group of women her age who’ve been eyeing us all night. Good, let them have her for now.I have business to attend to, and as much as I hate to admit it, some space from my new bride will do us both good.

I make my way toward Carlos, who now has a drink in his hand and stands with Tony and Vinny. The two of them are dwarfed by Carlos's size, appearing like mini versions of him in nicer suits. They are huddled in deep discussion about something, and I know what it is. Carlos is having difficulty with a few of his business ventures, and partnering with my cousins is the only way he can work things out. He hasn't brought it up to me yet, but Sal has, and I'm waiting to get involved until Carlos asks me to help.

"Brother," I say, slapping him on the back as I step up beside them. He winces and closes his eyes for a moment before turning with a half-smile.

"Tito," he acknowledges me, and then he nods at the others. "We were just talking business."

"At a party?" I ask. My feigned playful tone makes the other men smile and chuckle. "What could be so important with business that you have to discuss it here on a night we're celebrating our father?" My words are meant to drive the dagger home. He's being secretive about his ventures, and I want to know what's going on in detail. As his leader, I deserve that respect. After all, what he does will inevitably reflect on me as the boss.

"It's nothing to be concerned about," Carlos says, waving off my concern, but I won't be assuaged so easily.

"Come now, do tell. What's the matter?" I turn to Sal, who pushes his lips out thoughtfully.

"Carlos needs a little reinforcement. That's all, Tito." Sal shrugs a shoulder and nods at Tony, who offers nothing more than a nervous snicker.

"If you must know, we are going to partner together to run things and we're looking for the best option. That's all." Carlos is irritated by my insistence, but he would do well for himself if he just communicated with me openly. I'm his brother. I have no problem supporting him. He just got offended over the fact that as the eldest, I was chosen and not him.

Dad chose the right leader, as did his father before him. Carlos expected our father to do what his father did—choose the younger son. But the tradition was never choosing the younger son, but rather, the best son.

"I see. Well, I believe you will work it out easily, then. If you're all on the same page." I slide my hands into my pockets but feel the familiar feeling of hands wrapping around my elbow. I look down, and Aria is back, this time holding a drink in her hands.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, dear." Her tone is overly familiar. She's up to something. I can see it in her eyes. "Carlos, you know many large corporations use mergers to maintain their status and grow. You should consider merging all of your finances. Let the wealth of one business flow to the others like liquid gold. In time, as one grows, they all grow, and when one is weak, the stronger ones will support it."

Carlos's eyes widen with revelation and he then furrows his brow, as if questioning to himself why he hadn't thought of that. Sal and Tony nod and grunt approval of Aria's wisdom, and I have to admit that having only heard a bit of the conversation, she was spot on. It would have occurred to me and Carlos too atsome point, but she was quick to know the answer, and even in this, she impressed me.

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