The night I officially took over my family's New Orleans operations was the wildest night of Mardi Gras. I stepped out of a formal dinner. A mob of drunk party idiots surrounded me. They blasted super soakers straight at my chest. The one shooting hardest was my fiancé's childhood sweetheart. Daisy-Mae Thorne. My custom gown soaked through in seconds. The fabric clung to my body like a second skin. Humiliating. I stepped forward and smacked the water gun out of Daisy-Mae's hands. My voice stayed level. "There's a limit to partying." I didn't finish the sentence. Daisy-Mae's face was already drenched in tears. "Avalon, don't be such a killjoy. It's Mardi Gras. Why do you always have a problem with me?" Preston Vance's expression shifted instantly. He pulled Daisy-Mae against his chest. Shot a look behind him. In that moment, a dozen super soakers aimed at me. They opened fire. A dozen high-pressure streams hit my chest and stomach. The water blasted through the fabric. The lace outline of my bra was visible to everyone. *** The crowd of onlookers swelled. My eyes burned red. I screamed. "Preston, I'm calling the cops!" "Call the cops?!" Preston snorted. His grin got wider. "Avalon, get this through your head. This is New Orleans. Not New York. This is my territory. God himself could come down from heaven and he'd still have to answer to me." A cold smile pulled at my lips. I reached slowly into my pocket and pulled out the encrypted satellite phone. I dialed the only number saved on it. "Notify the New Orleans grid control center. Cut all power to Bourbon Street, Star Sea Square immediately. Lock down the block. Send in the Cleaners." The words barely left my mouth. The crowd erupted in deafening laughter. Preston lunged forward and snatched the phone from my hand. He was bent over laughing. He waved it around for everyone to see. "Avalon, did the water fry your goddamn brain?!" He shouted at the crowd at the top of his lungs. "Hey, everyone get a load of this! She's holding some no-brand piece of junk and she's gonna lock down the block! You believe this? I'm dying over here!" A louder wave of laughter crashed through the square. Preston caught his breath. The amusement in his eyes sharpened. He grabbed my chin and squeezed. "Avalon, save that New York act for someone who's scared of it." Daisy-Mae stepped forward, pressing herself against Preston's chest. Triumph was written all over her face. "She's right, Avalon. This is Preston's territory. Nobody here buys your New York attitude." "Baby, no point wasting words on someone like her." Preston pulled Daisy-Mae tight. He pointed at me. His voice turned sharp. "Apologize to Daisy-Mae." "Or you won't be leaving here in one piece." Dozens of men aimed their super soakers at me. Their eyes crawled over the curves of my body, clearly visible through the soaked fabric. Their faces wore lewd, hungry smiles. I scrambled to grab the shawl I'd dropped. Cover myself. Preston ripped it out of my hands. He locked his grip around my wrist. A brutal squeeze. He shoved me down. I hit the ground on my knees at Daisy-Mae's feet. "Avalon, are you deaf?! I said apologize to Daisy-Mae!" Daisy-Mae stepped forward. Her stiletto heel came down on my hand. She ground it in with vicious pressure. But her voice came out sweet and wounded. "Avalon, I really was just being nice. Getting wet is the whole point of Mardi Gras. Why can't you just take it in good fun? Preston, is she mad at me? I was only playing around. Before Preston really loses his temper, you really should just apologize." The crowd pressed closer. Pointing. Commenting on my exposed body.
"Hey, check out the body on that one. Not bad." "Curves in all the right places. Definitely got something going on." "Look at that outfit. She was asking for trouble." The whispers fed the smug satisfaction in Preston's eyes. A cold wave of disgust washed through me. I had turned down every arranged match my family proposed. I stuck with Preston for eight years. Eight years. Three times the Vance family business faced collapse. Three times I begged my father to pull strings from New York to save them. Earlier this year, Preston proposed. I thought I had finally found my happy ending. The day after he put the ring on my finger, his childhood sweetheart Daisy-Mae came back from Europe. Everything changed the moment she returned. The reason I agreed to take over the family's New Orleans operations was to give Preston one last chance. Give us one last chance. I didn't need to anymore. "Avalon, if you don't apologize soon, I'm going to be really sad." Daisy-Mae pouted. Tears rolled down her face like pearls falling off a broken string. I swallowed the nausea clawing up my throat. I surged to my feet. I swung my arm. My palm cracked across Daisy-Mae's face. I grabbed the super soaker from the man next to me. Aimed at Daisy-Mae's chest. Pulled the trigger. Instantly, her thin dress was drenched in filthy water. Her hot pink bra was on full display. "Don't run!" I kept the water gun trained on her. Didn't let up for a second. "It's Mardi Gras! Getting soaked is the whole point! Come on!" Daisy-Mae clutched her chest. She shrieked the whole way as she scrambled into Preston's arms. My handprint was still bright red on her face. I ripped the shawl out of Preston's grip and wrapped it around myself. I shot him a cold look. Turned to walk away. I barely took a step. A boot slammed into my lower back. Preston. A searing, bone-deep pain spread from my spine through my entire body. But it didn't come close to the ache in my chest. Three years ago, Preston was kidnapped by a rival. I led my family's elite team from New York to extract him. A knife stabbed straight through my lower back. Eighteen hours of surgery. Thirty-six titanium screws to barely hold it together. When I was discharged, Preston knelt in front of me. He swore he would spend the rest of his life repaying what I did for him. For three years, every rainy day left me paralyzed with pain. Preston canceled every meeting, every obligation. He stayed by my side and applied heat packs without stopping. And now, for another woman, he aimed his boot directly at that same spot. "Avalon, I told you. Apologize. Or you don't walk away from here in one piece." Preston's cold voice snapped me back to reality. He pressed his foot down on my lower back. A sickening crack. An unbearable, numbing ache shot through my spine. A strangled sound escaped my throat. I knew something in my vertebrae had snapped. The doctors warned me after surgery. Another serious injury to my lower back, and I would be paralyzed. Not even a miracle could fix it. The pain turned my vision black at the edges. My father's warning echoed in my ears. I gritted my teeth and forced the words out. "Preston. Stop now. And I'll—" "What'll you do?" He cut me off. Nothing but vicious cruelty in his eyes. "Beg? Too late." "Avalon, these eight years, I've spoiled you rotten. Today, I'm going to teach you your place." He glanced behind him. Dozens of water guns aimed at me in perfect unison. Instantly, the dense water streams hit me like whips.
The force slammed me to the ground. Preston took Daisy-Mae's hand. He guided her water gun. Pointed it directly at my face. Water flooded my nostrils, my ear canals. A sharp, burning pain exploded through my head. I tried to get up. The pressure blurred my vision. I couldn't even lift my head. I just lay there, letting the freezing water pound against my body. Every hit came with the agonizing pressure of those high-powered streams. Daisy-Mae watched me flailing on the ground. High, piercing laughter spilled out of her. Preston only stopped when he saw Daisy-Mae was satisfied. He wrapped an arm around Daisy-Mae's waist. His voice dripped with tenderness. "Baby, you happy now?" "Preston, everything you do makes me happy." Daisy-Mae's coy reply pulled a smug laugh from Preston's throat. But the laugh barely hit the air. Daisy-Mae's expression shifted. Her voice went soft and wounded. "But..." Preston's smile vanished instantly. His brow creased. "But what, baby?" "Daisy-Mae, you're with me. Whatever you want, just say it." Daisy-Mae took Preston's hand from her waist. She stroked the back of it, slow and deliberate. Her voice turned sickly sweet. "My dress got all wet because of Avalon. I'm so cold." "No problem. I'll take you to get a new one right now." "No." Daisy-Mae pointed at me. She tugged on Preston's arm, pouting up at him with pleading eyes. "I want the one Avalon's wearing. Right now." "Absolutely not." My sharp voice cut through her whining. This dress was the sacred heirloom of the Romano family. My family valued this dress as much as our family honor. This specific gown had been altered to fit my body by my mother's own hands. Stitch by stitch before she died. My father had kept it safe for twenty years. He waited for the day I would take over the New Orleans operations. This was that day. I wrapped my arms around myself. I stumbled to my feet. The cold, wet fabric against my skin made me shiver uncontrollably. Preston glanced in my direction. Something unreadable flickered through his eyes. A few seconds of silence. He pulled Daisy-Mae into his arms. His voice dropped low. "Baby, that dress isn't even special. The style is outdated. And it's soaked in dirty water. You'll catch a cold if you put it on. Let's not take that one. I'll buy you a new one." "No!" Daisy-Mae tore herself out of his arms. Tears flooded her face instantly. Her voice pitched into a tearful tantrum. "I want Avalon's dress! If you won't get it for me, is it because you're protecting her? Is she more important to you than me?! Oh my God, Preston, you're still in love with her, aren't you?!" "No. I just don't think it looks good. And it's wet." "I think it's beautiful! I don't care if it's wet!" Preston froze for two seconds. "You definitely still have feelings for her." "I don't!" Preston's denial came fast and sharp. He spun around to face me. His voice went ice cold. "Avalon, you heard her. Daisy-Mae likes your dress. Take it off and give it to her." I swept my gaze over the dense crowd of men surrounding us. I stared at Preston in disbelief. I lowered my voice. "Preston. You want me to undress. Here." "Take it off!" The moment I spoke, the mob erupted. They tightened the circle around me. Their eyes devoured every visible curve of my body. "Take it off! Preston told you to strip! What are you waiting for?!" "Preston, thanks man! Without you, we wouldn't be getting this show!"
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