Her Wicked Desire

4: Friends

AVALON

"Princess, would you like black or cream color for the formal napkins?"

"Should we serve your favorites or an array of different drinks?"

"Are you sure about the cake you've chosen?"

"Is this tiara good? Or would you like us to make you another one?"

"Would you like to change shoes twice?"

"Miss Cisneros, is this design good for the champagne glasses?"

"Do you want your red carpet gliterrized?"

If someone ever tells you being a princess- well kind of a princess- is grand and wonderful, you have my permission to smack that b***h in the face because it f*****g sucks.

I just got back from school, where my teachers made it their mission to stress the hell out of me, only for these workers to finish the job by asking me over a zillion questions. Like how the f**k am I supposed to know what kind of glass design is okay? Ugh. I slumped, laying flat on my back. They continued to ask one question after the other, no one was taking my silence as a hint. It just motivated them to ask louder.

"Yikes, they're gonna kill our bestie, we need to do something." I heard a feminine voice say.

Right, to add to all of my problems, I thought it would be wise to bring my two best friends over after school. Now I know you can't see the problem with this, just wait. Jacqui and Steph are like vipers together. Little snakes that bite, and feed you toxins until you're swollen up and can't breathe.

"Hey, leave her alone. Please, if you have any questions just ask her romeo~" Stephanie snickered out, I could hear Jacqui trying- and failing- so hard not to laugh.

Yep, this was a mistake. Why did I think inviting them was a great idea? The only thing they love doing around me, is mocking my love for Ace. Even though they find him attractive, but really, is that a surprise? Who wouldn't find Ace hot?

"Look at that smile Steph, she's thinking about him." Jacqui cooed.

"Aww, I wonder what they're doing in her mind."

"Having six hundred babies?" they burst out laughing at my expense.

Okay, enough. I shot up, stretching my arms a bit. My birthday is on Thursday, and the closer it gets, the scarier it seems. I glanced around the room, the eager faces of my father's workers stared back at me like my next set of words would determine if they'd breathe or not.

"Make me a list of all your questions, and I'll have Ace send them out once I've answered all. Good?" They nodded instantly, and then scurried from my room without needing to be told.

The power of being a Cisneros is great, but equally as terrifying. There are three steps before I can take full control.

My birthday.

The marking.

And Proving.

The first one is going to be fun, dad's been planning it since I was six. But the other two, I just- it scares me. I've never been marked, but to show I'm the leader, I need my father's mark. The proving will be harder, for I need to show every single one of dad's contacts, the people who rely and believe the Cisneros are gods, that I am capable of running his empire. I would be the first female mafioso in our family history, and that just makes everything so much more worse.

"Hey, we were just joking."

"Yeah, no need to look like a kicked puppy."

I groaned, dismayed by their fake apologies. They giggled in fits, it's so contagious because I joined them subconsciously. My two best friends, the only people in school who aren't afraid of me, and don't hate me. You think it's hard being a mafioso's daughter but it's much worse when your father is Marcel Cisneros. They call him the devil, king of hell. His arrest was all over the mainstream media, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know who he is. Some haven't tied him to me, because I was never mentioned, but others have- like the students in school. Who saw him when he came to pick me up on some days, they placed the pieces in quickly. And I became the most hated/feared student in Preston High.

Some people think I'll kill them, I might if I'm tempted, other people throw slurs at me, calling me the devil's spawn.

I'm grateful for these two. My gaze turned to find Stephanie showing Jacqui something on her phone, it made the brunette laugh. We've been friends for years and when they found out about dad, they didn't change at all. In fact, they got clingy. It's like they could tell I needed support. My dad was gone, locked out of my reach and I wasn't allowed to visit him. Sure I have Ace, but it's also nice to have friends. People to gossip about Ace with.

Which reminds me....

"Ladies, pay attention. I have a plan to get Ace Hendrix as mine, but I need your help."

Steph looked up, strands of her light red hair fell to the sides of her face. "Aren't you thick enough to attract him?"

That got her a smack from Jacqui. "Are you an i***t?"

"Of course not. Geezus Jacqui, that hurt. You've got man hands." She rubbed her back furiously. I bit back a laugh.

"I don't have man hands." She said, huffing with scrowl forming on her face.

"Tell that to my broken spine, I think I need surgery."

"Why you-"

"Girls!" They turned face me, giving me an funny look. I rolled my eyes. "Look, I'm not here to seduce Ace into my bed or anything like that."

"Could have fooled me." Jacqui muttered underneath her breath, earning a sharp look from me. She threw her arms up in defeat but the cheeky smile on her face told me something else.

"I'm here to win his heart. Not just his body. Look, I want Ace as mine. He is a tough shell to crack. I know he feels something but getting him to admit it will be tough, getting him to accept and do something about it is a completely different level of difficult. But I have an idea, I think by the end of it Ace will be mine."

Steph had a skeptical expression. "You need to stop reading Katee Robert's books, they're messing with your head. But hey, I'm up for it. Whyyyy"

"Oh god no." I flipped onto my stomach, gripping a pillow and placing it over my head.

"Because we are the PrinCess TRIFECTA. The trio of besties, who can do it all." She sang.

"Holy s**t, that's some really bad singing." Jacqui cackled out, I prayed for a saving grace. My ears were close to exploding.

"PrinCess TRIFECTA. We are the best of the best. Yeahhh uhh."

Please someone save me from this torture, I can't take much more.

"Alright Steph stop. Let's talk about something fun, ya know, like our present for her." That got my attention faster than I'd like to admit. I was up on my feet in mere seconds, staring at the two girls seated comfortably on my bed.

"What present?"

They glanced at each other, then me, then each other again. “We're taking you to Greece."

My heart thumped hard. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH, no f*****g way!!"

"Yes f*****g way. We've been planning this for months. I know Ace is probably gonna be pain, and he might forbid you from going but-”

"I'm still going! I've never been to Greece." I've always wanted to go, but since dad was arrested, I've been heavily guarded. I can't go anywhere without six or more guards.

"I know right? Me neither! But Jacqui's parents bought a nice, and secure home there, with an infinity pool. Eeeekkkk." Steph hollered, she was bouncing with excitement. We all were.

"We're leaving next week. It'll help give you a break before the marking." Jacqui said, her tone suddenly went soft. My eyes nearly watered, they were the best. Honestly. The break would help me calm my nerves. I have training as well, we won't be seeing each other much after my birthday, unless they come over.

"Gah, you're gonna make me cry. And my make up isn't water proof." I joked, my voice came out hoarse. I'm not even wearing makeup, it's night time, but my emotions are running wild. I can't help it.

"I'll talk to Ace, he can't say no. And if he does, I'm still going. I need this." the last part I said with alot of emotions. I can pretend all I want, but the fear still lingers in the back of my mind. The responsibilities of being the head, the path to get there, all of it, it's terrifying.

"Wonderful, now about Chad. OMG he's super hot, and you'll never believe what he sent me last night. Ah!"

Just like that, the tense emotional air dispersed, turning into a gossip girl session with Steph as the star.

I made a mental note to talk to Ace while the girls slept.

***The floors made no sounds as I crossed them with bare feet. They're clean as always, you can see your reflection in them. Dad was obsessed with keeping the mansion clean, he would punish anyone who caused a mess and didn't erase it. He liked things as spotless as they could be. If he couldn't see his face, they you'd be getting fired.

I was excluded from this, and assigned a personal cleaning staff. My bed was made before I got back from school as always, and the room cleaner than when I left it. It's unnerving but they still follow dad's rules. I wonder if they think he'll pop up and snap their necks if they don't, well Rafaela might.

She's loyal to a fault.

I miss him. One day he was here and the next he was gone. Taken away, and I can't see him. I get messages through Ace, he doesn't call for a reason but that doesn't stop the hole in my heart from growing. I miss him alot. I miss his stories, the ridiculous tales of his childhood. I miss coming home to hearing the sound of his boisterous laughter and Ace's chuckle while they played cards. Gambling and telling jokes.

"Should you be up by this time?" I flinched, jumping with yelp at the deep voice spoke too closely to my ear.

My heart thundered hard against my ribs, threatening to break through. I stared at the man who had scared the soul out of me with panicked eyes.

"What the hell Ace?" My tone came out tiny.

His brow raised, and he shrugged. "Answer the question princess, why are you up by this time?"

I slowed my breathing, trying to calm my pulse down. My brain couldn't form a complete sentence, so it took a while before I could respond. "I'm seventeen Ace, I don't need a bedtime."

"You need rest, you have school tomorrow. Go to bed." He commanded. I took a step back, drinking in the sight of his shirtless body. He wore track pants this time, showing off his inked torso and muscular build. This man, should be illegal for so many reasons. Butterflies danced happily in my stomach, making me shudder with a gasp.

"I came to talk to you."

"About?" He sounded as blank as he looked, I couldn't tell if he was annoyed by me or not.

"My friends have planned a trip next week." I gauged his reaction with each word, still nothing. Sometimes, I really hate how unresponsive he can be. But he's gorgeous none the less, so I can forgive him.

"To where?" Straight to the point as always.

"Greece."

A flash of a strange emotion crossed his face, but it happened so fast I almost thought it was in my head.

"I'll think about it. Don't go telling them everything princess, they might seem like friends to you, but they can just as quickly turn to enemies." He brushed by me as he walked off, arms buried deep in the pockets of his pants.

A frown formed on my face, I watched his retreating form until he disappeared down the hall and out of sight. This isn't the first time Ace has told me not to trust my friends, but I think he's just being paranoid. Steph and Jacqui would never do anything to hurt me, I can bet my life on that. But I can understand why Ace is like this, he has seen the worst of worst. I retraced my steps back to my room, my friends were passed out on each side of the queen sized beds, leaving an opening in the middle for me.

The door made a soft clicking sound as I closed it. Staring at their peaceful faces reinforced my confidence. Their lives are already at risk from just being my friends, there's no way they would ever betray me. I trust them, and it's good to have people you can trust right?

Or else life might just be a big ball of loneliness.