The Billionaire's Assassin [COMPLETE]

File 8: Flowers and Tutors

Maya 2010

Maya instantly regained her composure, snatching her gaze away from Rex and onto the woman walking around the corner. She recalled pictures of her during her study of the family, the woman taller than she expected. Cara Luciana Henson was a woman of luxurious yet modest taste, her flower apron wrapped around her thin waist. Her clothes were simple, a light orange t-shirt with jeans that stopped at the straps of her heels. If she hadn’t known she was Rex’s mother, she wouldn’t have even thought she would be a mother of a teenager. The soft tan of her skin flawless with only the delicate laugh lines around her mouths that displayed her true age, if you looked closely.

Blinking away her hesitancy, she granted Cara a smile, suddenly feeling apprehensive in front of her. “Hi, I’m, um, actually I’m here for…”

Rex stepped forwards, placing the soaked rag on the once vase-sat table. “Mama, this is Maya, a classmate from school. She’s here--”

“As his tutor,” Maya interjected, feeling all eyes on her. The officer by the counter smiled in her direction and the guy with cornrows stood from the floor, ears perking at the introduction. “I tutor him in Korean.”

Cara’s brown eyes widened with luster. “Korean? I heard my son transferred classes but I would have never guessed it’d be Korean.” She eyes him suspiciously, his eyes pinned admirably to Maya with a vacant grin. “He never showed any interested in anything so challenging.”

“Yes, I have,” he defended, feeling his cheeks redden.

Girls had met his mother before. But he never felt the gravity of his successes, or lack of them, like he felt with Maya standing before the woman of his life, his mama. With an atmosphere of brilliance surrounding her, he knew Maya was well accomplished in more than just Korean. All her other classes were AP courses, displaying her college-bound goals and more promising future outcomes. An unfamiliar knot of embarrassment snagged at his throat, loosening the tie of his uniform. He scowled when the feeling didn’t disappear.

His mother shook her head, further escalating the humiliation. “No, you haven’t, mi amor. He’s been that way since he was a niñito, always so stubborn--”

“Mama!” Rex exclaimed, the foreign emotion overwhelming him with every word she spoke. His mother always meant well but she never knew how to take a hint, obliviously to his discomfiture. “Por favor! Ella no necesita saber todo eso!”

An airy chuckle slipped from Maya’s tongue unwillingly before she could catch it. The heated color of Rex’s face granted him an innocent charm and their intimate bickering made her smile woefully. She cleared her throat, hoping to conceal her indiscretion. “Mrs. Henson, when Rex first asked me to be his tutor, I thought he was joking around, hearing about his reputation. But then I thought about it. Maybe this guy really does want to challenge himself and be better. College applications are just around the corner and junior year is when most students start to buckle down so they can prosper. I just want to help Rex meet his full potential.”

Cara's face shined with appreciation, grinning from ear to ear. “Ay qué lindo.” She pinched Rex’s cheek playfully. “Mi hijo is finally getting his act together.” She turned to Maya. “Oh, I was going to make him clean up his mess, but his studies come first. You can study in my office in the back.”

Rex beamed at the suggestion while Remy’s mouth scowled, throwing the rag on the table. Before either of them could respond, Maya shook her head with a modest smile. “If Rex made a mess, he should take care of it first. I’ll get my books from my car while he does.”

“Ah!” Cara looked impressed with an approving nod. “I like you. Responsibility. I’ll go make some tea. Rex, Remy, get back to cleaning.” Now both the boys scowled while Maya turned towards the door.

Officer Leo sighed for the first time, pushing himself off the counter to adjust his uniform. “I should be heading out, Cara. Have to get back to the station.”

They all said their goodbyes to him, Officer Leo stepping out behind Maya. Quickly, Maya strolled towards him, their cars parked next to one another conveniently. This was the best opportunity to grab information on the people closest to Rex and his family, including his Uncle Leo. She knew the basics of the officer such as occupation and personal records, but she wondered if he had any connection to Rex father, Micky.

She forged ignorance with a smile. “You wouldn’t be Mr. Henson, by any chance?” she greeted, stepping down to her car. “I had no clue his dad was an officer.”

Leo let out a burly chuckle. “No, I’m just a family friend. Came to check up on them.”

“Oh, sorry. I thought it was rude of me not to--oh!” Maya’s keys fumbled out of her hands and slid beneath the police cruiser closest to the driver's side. “I'm so sorry about that. Let me.” She bent down to grab them before he held up a hand to stop her.

“Allow me,” he offered graciously.

While preoccupied grabbing her keys, Maya slipped a tracking stick, thin and transparent in appearance, to the open arm of the door. Even if he spotted it, he would think it was only tape, the electric strings so tiny, they mimicked strands of hair. It would track his whereabouts and listen in on conversations in the car. Maya held a box of them with her to put around the flower shop, Kenny’s orders. And when Gabe told her about Rex leaving in a rush, she thought it be the best opportunity, thinking he was heading home. To her astonishment, he was heading to the shop. Even better.

Leo jumped up with the keys in hand, handing them to her. “There you go.”

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure.”

He entered his car and she walked away, grabbing her books from her car before returning into the shop. The sly smirk on her face prominent for a few seconds before disappearing.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“All of this is going to be on the test?” Rex whined, throwing his head on the desk.

It’s been a few weeks since Maya started tutoring him. She’d noticed he’s been struggling with memorizing the verbs with the Korean characters. “Damn it!”

Maya rolled his eyes at his overly dramatic gesture, laying his head on the table while “accidentally” placing his hand on her. She quickly snatched it, feeling a galvanized sensation coursing through her fingertips. “Take the flashcards home and study.”

He peeked his head up with a smoldering look. “Or I could take…” Immediately, he caught himself before he could say something lurid. A groan tore at his throat, placing his head back down in defeat. “This is so hard!”

Maya tightened her lips, knowing exactly what he was going to say. “Which one? The Korean vocab or not flirting with me?” The enjoyment of watching his desire for her was unmistakable.

He’d gotten better at retaining his flirting. He’d already received two warning while in session, with only one strike remaining. The loopholes of place and time, he used to his advantage while they study at his mother’s flower shop. “In the library. We’re not in the library.” That’s when he received his first strike on the first day. In spite of that, he expressed the suppressing urge before, during, and after class with flirtatious gestures and hints. Slowly, Maya could feel her iron will to resist his dalliance fading with every playful grin, the sly remarks about her appearance, and “accidental” touches that would make her body hunger for more.

Rex looked up, his eyes catching the wall light as he consumed her stunning demeanor. Curls swayed down over one of her shoulders, her head tilted to the side staring at him. “Both.” He sat back, stretching his arms in the air before dangling them over the back of his chair. The clock ticked above her head. “Wanna make a bet?”

Scoffing, she weaved her fingers together, masking her amused smile. She enjoyed taking chances, he’d noticed. And he would use that to his advantage. “Sure. On what?”

Sucking his teeth with a smile, he leaned forwards, matching her bodily movements. “This upcoming test on Friday.” His finger tapped the study sheet. “If I get a B--”

“A.”

The corner of his lip twitched with a smile before continuing. “An A, you have to go on a date with me on Saturday.”

Maya crossed her legs beneath the table. His grades for the two test they’ve already taken in the class were both C pluses. And this upcoming test wasn’t idealistically his more comprehensible. “What do I get if you lose?”

“What would you like?”

She tapped her lip in contemplation. Her mocha eyes that usually glistened bared a dark undertone. “You have to apologize to my friend, Jenna, by taking her on the date.” The bow of her lip lifted. “And treat her well.”

His eyebrows furrowed, the mention of Jenna making his stomach tighten in unpleasant knots. Deep silence bled between them. Strong ticks of the clocks hand tearing at the air each second. Rex sighed heavily, looking away from her for the first time, hiding his bitter shame. She knows. To conceal his discomfort, he returned a playful smile. “I think I might like you at your worst as well. It’s a deal.”