An Imperfect Lady

Don Daniels was a man who liked to surround himself with classy and sophisticated women. Dawn had only known the polished and vicious side of women growing up all his life. They might be soft and demure on the outside, but there were also thorns or poisoned barbs behind those pretty smiles. One could never be too careful around women as they have the ability to disarm a man.

“Behind every successful man is a successful woman. Without women, men are useless,” Dawn’s father used to say. It was a lesson beaten into him from a young age. No matter how awful a lady was, no true-blooded mafiosi would ever lay their hands on her. Even Ricardo, the slimy bastard, respected this rule. They still followed a code of chivalry in the modern era, and Dawn questioned it.

Looking at the mermaid before him, Dawn wondered what his father would say about this imperfect lady. She was very different from the women he knew. Yet, Dawn liked how rough around the edges she was, l