3. Delicious Prey
CHAPTER 3
DELICIOUS PREY
M arco
“Oh, fuck, yes. Harder, Marco, don’t stop.”
A symphony of ragged breaths and moans fills Melanie’s tiny bedroom. I fist her long, blonde locks tighter and twist her head to the side so I can see her face as I plow into her from behind. She’s on all fours on the bed, her skirt hiked up to her waist and panties around her ankles. My cock plunges into her pussy in a mesmerizing rhythm, in and out, in and out.
Dio , that feels good. Nothing like a good fuck to clear my head.
My executive assistant was on her way into the office, as I should have been, before I stopped her. Living with your fuck-buddy did have some benefits after all.
“Hurry, I’m going to be late,” she groans.
I bend over her and nibble on the shell of her ear. “I think you’re forgetting who’s the boss here, Mel.” Grabbing a palm full of her ass, I knead her silky flesh before I yank my hand back and spank her flushed cheek. The crack echoes over our haggard breaths and she cries out, back arching.
“Yes, Mr. Rossi,” she pants.
“That’s a good girl.” Gripping her hips, I sink deep inside her then quicken my thrusts to a punishing pace. She’s not wrong; we are going to be late if I don’t hurry up. As enjoyable as this is, I simply can’t get out of my head today and the damned orgasm eludes me.
I’d hoped a quick fuck would get my mind off things, but even Mel’s throbbing pussy isn’t enough to clear my jumbled thoughts. Damned Nico. This is all his fault. I can’t stop thinking about his request.
My brother has never asked me for a single thing our entire lives. Me, on the other hand, I’ve definitely been the needy one between the two of us. Despite being identical twins, Nico was technically born ten minutes before me and as a result, has taken the older brother role to heart. I always allowed him to take care of me. He enjoyed it on some level, so what was the harm?
But this ask is just too much.
He can’t seriously expect me to marry this Jia girl.
“Marco…” Mel whines.
I blink quickly and realize I’ve stopped moving. She rubs her ass against me, sliding her wetness across my shaft and I start to thrust again. I’m so distracted my dick is starting to get soft.
“Come on, baby, I’m close.” She grabs my hand and tugs it between her legs, rubbing her needy clit against my palm. “Don’t you want me to come?”
“Fuck, Mel, I’ve got a lot on my mind.” I jerk my cock out of her before I go completely limp and embarrass myself.
She lets out a groan of frustration and flops down on the bed.
“Finish yourself off,” I hiss as I stuff my dick back into my boxers, then pull up my slacks .
Mel spins around and scrambles to the end of the mattress. “You’re an ass, Marco.”
“Maybe, but I’m also your fucking boss.”
“And you’re living in my damned apartment,” she barks as she squirms into her panties and tugs down her skirt.
“Clearly, that was a mistake,” I mutter before I can stop myself.
“You’re right, it was. Get out.” She buttons up her blouse, and bright blue eyes sear into me.
“You’re joking, right?”
Her pink lips press into a tight line, and she shakes her head. “No, I’m not. I can’t keep doing this. It was one thing when we were just screwing, but you’ve been living with me for months now, Marco. And nothing has changed. I don’t want to sneak around anymore. If you want to keep doing this, then let’s make it official.” The hope in her eyes is worse than a kick to the balls.
Sure, I like Mel, but I don’t do official. The only reason I’ve been living with her for the past three months is because my brother kicked me out of our penthouse when Maisy moved in. I’ve been too lazy to find a place of my own. A part of me kept wishing Nico would take me back, that surely this thing with Maisy wouldn’t last.
Damn was I wrong.
“I’ll take your silence as my answer.” Mel huffs out a breath and disappears into the attached bathroom. The door slams behind her with a depressing ring of finality.
I stand there like an asshole for an incredibly long moment before my brain finally starts to function again. I scan the room while reaching for my duffle bag beside the bed, noticing my t-shirts strewn across the floor. Three months and I hadn’t even unpacked. Mel offered me half her closet after the first week.
Maybe I have been a bastardo , leading her on all this time.
“I expect you gone by the time I’m out.” Mel’s voice seeps through the crack in the bathroom door .
“Right,” I mumble back. It’s not like we’re not going to see each other in half an hour at the office. Fuck. Maybe Nico hadn’t been completely off base with his incessant hounding about not messing around with our admin staff.
Once I shove everything back into my bag, I stagger out of her apartment and slam the door behind me.
Staring out onto Park Avenue and the sprawling skyscrapers surrounding Gemini Tower, I heave out a breath. The city moves in a frenetic pace, but I’m somehow still stuck. I spin my chair back around to face the sleek glass desk and reach for my phone once again. I’ve texted four of my consistent hook-ups and each one has denied me a temporary place to stay.
What the actual fuck?
The door to my office swings open and my brother darkens the entryway. His lips are pulled into a snarl, and his wavy hair looks like a storm rolled through. Fuck. Melanie must have ratted me out.
“How many times did I tell you not to fuck our assistant?” he roars.
Yup. Busted.
“Melanie is threatening to quit.” He stalks toward me and slams his palms on my desk. The glass quivers beneath his weight. “We’re lucky she’s not threatening to sue us. And she has every right to because you couldn’t keep your fucking dick in your pants.”
“Relax, Nico. We just got into a little fight.” I stand and meet my brother’s burning glare. “She’s overreacting. I’ll smooth things over in a few days, and everything will be fine, I’m sure of it.”
“I’m not,” he growls.
“I’ve learned my lesson, okay? No more screwing around with girls from the office.” I hold up my hands, palms out. “I swear.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” He pushes off my desk and presses his arms across his pristine jacket, nostrils flaring.
“What’s going on with your housekeeper, by the way?” Anything to change the subject until he calms down.
“Still nothing. I’ve run countless background checks on Blanca, and she seems squeaky clean. No ties to the Puerto Ricans…”
“So you think Maisy just forgot to log off your computer that day when she found the girl hunched over your screen, and it truly was all innocent?”
His dark brows furrow as he snags his lower lip between his teeth. “I’m not sure, honestly, but I have eyes on her at all times now when she’s in and out of the penthouse, so we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Speaking of the penthouse… I kind of need a place to crash.”
Nico’s eyes narrow as he regards me. “I’ve told you for months it was time to get your own place. You’re an adult, damn it, Marco, not a teenager couch surfing. Are you really that frightened of commitment?”
I snort on a laugh. Frightened of committing to an apartment? No way. “I will, all right? I just need somewhere to stay for a few weeks so I can find a place.”
“What’s wrong with a hotel room?” he hisses.
“Seriously?” I growl right back.
“It’s not like you have a lot of things. I still have the grand collection of your furniture and boxes in our storage.”
“Fine, asshole. I’ll get a damned room at the Waldorf again.”
“Good.” He steps closer, leaning across my desk and jabs a finger at my chest. “It’s time to grow up, fratello . Find an apartment and get serious about your life.”
“Just like you have?” I snap .
“Yes!”
“So it’s true, then, love conquers all. Now everything is magically fixed in your life? You and Maisy are the perfect couple, and you’re the perfect man?”
“Fuck off, Marco. Don’t be jealous. It doesn’t look good on you.”
I drag my hand through my hair, tugging at the short tips. A part of me knows I’m being an asshole, but I’m too pissed to care. I can’t believe I was actually considering my brother’s request to marry the Triad princess and restore peace in the chaos of the Lower East Side . Well, fuck that. I’m not doing anything for this coglione anymore.
If he thinks marrying me off to this Four Seas heiress is going to fix me, he’s got another thing coming. “Whatever,” I finally mumble. “I have work to do—you know, like an adult.” I tick my head at the door in a clear invitation for him to get the fuck out of my office.
“We’ll speak more on this later.”
“Right.” The hell we will.
The moment after Nico walks out, I grab my jacket and head to the door. I need to get out of here and really clear my head. Maybe I’ll luck out and stumble across a vacant apartment in my wanderings.
A few hours later with my earbuds stuffed in my ears playing my favorite songs, I’ve made it all the way down to the Meatpacking District. On the plus side, my head does feel much clearer. I can pick a damned apartment. It’s not a big deal. I’m not a child. On the downside, my crisp button-down shirt is soaked in sweat. It’s only June and already the heat in the city is suffocating.
Maybe I’ll just look for a house in Montauk to rent for the summer, which will buy me some extra time to commit to an annual lease. Dio , is my brother right? Am I that afraid of commitment that I can’t even choose an apartment?
I walk past a small boutique, and a head of dark, silky hair catches my eye. I stop midstride and peer through the window. A striking woman stands in the far corner dressing a mannequin. Her skin is flawless, a milky porcelain with high, proud cheekbones. A pencil is tucked between her ruby red lips, and she holds a sketch pad of some sort against her chest with her free hand.
There’s something familiar about the woman. Is that…?
No, it can’t be.
It’s been months since the day we squared off against Qian and the Four Seas, and I caught a glimpse of Jia Guo. I do not remember her looking like that . Granted we were in the middle of a deadly shootout, so perhaps I just wasn’t paying enough attention.
I tear my gaze away from the midnight-haired beauty to scrutinize the sign on the door. Closed. Too bad, I could use another shirt.
Movement in the back of the store pivots my gaze to an older man in a silk robe shuffling toward the woman. The pencil drops from her lips as her mouths splits into a smile. As she turns toward him, her eyes flicker to mine.
A pair of dark orbs latch onto my own, and an unfamiliar twinge tightens my ribcage. I pull out the earbuds with Perfect by Ed Sheeran playing in the background as I continue to stare mindlessly. Those pouty red lips purse as she regards me, a hint of recognition flashing through the starlit night I’m staring into. I stand there frozen as I memorize every detail of her perfectly sculpted face, then drift lower to her petite form, going from her proud shoulders to the long neck and the low cut of her blouse, which flows down to a tiny waist and a slight curve to her hips.
Dio , she’s gorgeous.
The Chinese dragon tattooed across my chest twitches, as if coming to life at the sight of its formidable prey.
Maybe I’d been too hasty in dismissing Nico’s idea, after all.