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About Mermaid of New York by Jincey Lumpkin
Title: Mermaid of New York
Author: Jincey Lumpkin
Series: Mermaid of Venice #3
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Mermaid Gia Acquaviva’s thrilling adventures continue. She must travel to New York to fight a battle in the public arena with the powerful media moguls, Royce and Bronwyn Langley. Her casino empire is under attack, threatened by her Greek relatives. Meanwhile, Gia is paired up with a rising movie starlette to create the perceptions a tabloid romance tabloids. With tensions rising, will Gia survive after burning every bridge to get what she wants?
Fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies will love Mermaid of New York, a sexy psychological thriller with lush fantasy elements. The chic mystery of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley with a juicy splash of the lavish lifestyle in E. L. James’s 50 Shades series. This is not the Little Mermaid you grew up with. Gia’s out for blood.
Mermaid of New York is the third installment of the Mermaid of Venice series, 6 novels about Gia Acquaviva.
Excerpt from Mermaid of New York
© 2022
Jincey Lumpkins
Gia strutted into The Odeon wearing creamy over-the-knee vegan leather boots. Her mini dress was covered with over- sized, opalescent palettes. The white cat-eye liner and teased up hair completed her 1960s-inspired ensemble. She felt sexy, but also terribly overdressed for a first date—even though it was tech- nically a fake date, arranged by her publicist.
The French-by-way-of-Philly diner’s windows overlooked West Broadway. The sidewalk was thick with photographers, influencers, and fans, all eyeing Gia, capturing her every move. Gia’s security team flanked her and then moved out of the way, as she slid into a booth that faced the street.
Rising film star Riley Rose was already there, waiting for Gia.
“Hey,” she whispered in an Australian accent, “I know this is intimidating at first, but I promise we’ll finish dinner quickly and get out of here.” Riley grinned and took a sip from a skinny highball glass.
“Ciao,” Gia said, scooting over to Riley, “what are you drinking?”
“It’s their house cocktail. Tequila. Here, try it.” Riley pushed the drink toward Gia.
Gia wrapped her lips around the paper straw and sucked. “That is delicious.”
“Mmm. So are you.” Riley then burst out into hearty laughter. “I promise I’m not actually that cheesy. I just… wow… you look incredible.”
“I am not allowed to wear my own clothes anymore.”
“Tell me about it,” Riley said, easing into the back of the banquette. Gia drank in the movie star’s androgenous vibe. Riley’s hair was cut short, shaved on the side, and styled into a rockabilly curve that cast a shadow across her angular face. Her amber eyes were smudged with dark liner. She wore a backless button-up, and since the shirt was also sleeveless, it showed off Riley’s arms, which were covered in tattoos.
Gia ordered the same cocktail as Riley and tore off a piece of a baguette.
Riley stared down at Gia’s plate and remarked, “It’s been forever since I’ve witnessed anyone eat bread.”
“This, Riley, is a tragedy. How is one able to live without bread— or pasta?”
Riley shook her head, smiling. “It’s a poor quality of life, I’ll give you that. But the fucking camera is unforgiving.”
Gia frowned and thought, America’s unending obsession with diets is making the world sick.
“Tell me all about you, Gia.” Riley brushed Gia’s hair off her shoulder and whispered to her again, “It’s a good idea if we can get some shots of us really close like this. The press just loves that. Lower your head a bit and smile with your lips closed.”
Gia did as instructed.
“That’s perfect,” Riley crooned, before returning her back to the banquette. “So, damn, you’re a real-life mermaid, huh?”
Riley’s question annoyed Gia very much, and she pulled away. “Woah, woah,” Riley said, hovering her hands above the table.
“We don’t have to go there. Is there something else you want to talk about?”
Gia crossed her arms over her chest.
“Gia,” Riley spoke in hushed tones, “that’s really bad body language. It’s not going to play well on camera. We need to look like we’re connecting. It will be better for both of us, I promise. Please, drop your arms and let me get closer to you again. You can trust me.”
Trust you? Gia scoffed in her mind. She narrowed her eyes at Riley. Only untrustworthy people assured others of their trustworthiness. Gia knew this because she’d deployed that line herself—many, many times before.
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About Jincey Lumpkins
JINCEY LUMPKIN is a writer and creative director in Luxury Beauty. She is the author of the Mermaid of Venice fantasy thriller series. Recognized as a thought leader on women and culture, Jincey has written more than 50 columns for the Huffington Post and Playboy. She headlined Sex Week at Harvard and gave an infamous TEDx talk, “Are Robots the Future of Sex?” She has been profiled by Dateline NBC, Vice, and GQ, among others. Out Magazine listed her in its “OUT 100”, naming her as one of the world’s most influential LGBTQ+ people, alongside celebrities like Laverne Cox and Ricky Martin.
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