The Billionaire's Assassin [COMPLETE]

File 13: Invitation Declined

Seattle, Washington

2018

“Who is this?” Mia barked. They stood in her office, Rex presenting his new “assistant” which threw her off more than she’d been expecting. Squinting at the man, a cloudy memory of him stepping out of a black Cadillac materialized in her mind. “Wait, this is your worker bee from before! What’s the meaning of this, Rex?!”

The expression of twisted shock and salty anger across Mia’s face humored Rex to no avail. To bring his number one man, Malcolm, might have been a stroke of genius watching Mia’s clenched jaw and pretty, heated eyes. She rarely allowed her emotions to get the better of her, especially at work. And Malcolm, known to her already as someone of lethal abilities to be working alongside Rex, made her uneasy. And this is how he liked her: apprehensive and alert.

Rex clicked his teeth, basking in toppling her expectations to ‘Smile and look pretty’ approach. “This is my associate, Malcolm, who, from now on, will be my assistant. Just to speed things along.”

Mia kept shooting his shady glances from her desk. This wasn’t the plan. She knew Rex would be planning to make things harder for her but adding an additional piece to the game, truly caught her off guard. Another one to monitor.

However, he wasn’t going to win, no matter the tricks he pulled.

“This is business between us. Does he even know what’s going on around here?”

Malcolm only stared between the two from the couch, observing their banter while he hid the slight amusement of seeing his boss so rattled over this woman. When Rex called days ago urging him to come to Seattle earlier than expected, Malcolm predicted Rex to be in a critical wars zone of mafia violence and sadistic manipulation. However, to find him working behind a desk with little to no productivity, honestly worried him to the core. He’d never seen Rex look so...lost. And because of a small woman in a pencil skirt, of all things.

Rex smirked. “He knows everything.”

For days within the confinements of office life, Rex was beginning to lose himself to the past, to her wicked beauty, having to chant his hatred for her each time they crossed paths. He hated living that way. Prickles of adrenaline yearned to be elicited, to be used for something other than useless paperwork and mundane chatter. And he knew Malcolm, a man who lives as much in the present as he did, who knew the ruthlessness of his past actions, could be the help he needed to deal with Mia and her damn contracted lifestyle.

“Everything?” she questioned suspiciously. “The Sun? Our deal?”

Rex nodded, starting to find this conversation trivial. This is what she did to him, even with Malcolm watching them both so intensely, she made Rex feel like that pathetic, lovestruck teenager. Get a grip! “Malcolm is here to help me find The Sun more quickly so we both can get what we want. I’m tired of sitting around, twiddling my thumbs while you make me out like some figurehead for your company. I need real work! And with him here, we’ll get the job done more effortlessly. He’s good for the tasks at hand.”

This time her words were directed at Malcolm, who adjusted his posture in his seat at the sudden awareness. “Really? You do know what going after The Sun entails, right? I assume he’s your boss at the agency, as well.”

Malcolm nodded, licking his lips before answering. “Yes, The Sun is someone I never imagined crossing but my loyalty lies with...Rex. I owe him my life and if he needs my help with this, I’m here, no questions asked.” Plus, I’d rather work with the devil I know than the one I don’t.

Rex rolled his shoulders back, sporting a winning smile in response to Malcolm’s words. “You see! Absolute loyalty to the mission at hand.” And to me. He needed at least one person he could trust considering Mia had more than enough loyal counterparts with her day and night.

Mia already kept her guard up with Rex and now an unknown addition added to the equation. But should she allow him to have this one or fight him on it? Within the deep flames of his eyes, she knew he was adamant about Malcolm’s ‘help’ and wouldn’t back down until he got what he wanted. She knew that competitive spark and knew she wasn’t going to win this time. A minute rolled by before Mia took a breath to speak, eyes darting between the both of them.

“Fine,” she sighed defeatedly. “But he’ll be considered a temporary employee within the company as your assistant and will have to sign an employment contract. If either of you refuses, then you can kiss him goodbye.”

“Of course,” Rex agreed to all too quickly, adding to Mia’s discomfort of the situation. “He’s prepared to sign one of your ridiculous contracts but don’t try any sly tricks--fine print, fees, that kind of bullshit.”

This time, beads of discomfort rolled down Rex’s back, Mia smiling beautifully and with little to no ill intent--or so he could perceive. “I would never even consider the thought.”

“Good.” He turned to Malcolm who immediately stood from his seat, standing straight and dauntlessly with his head high. “Malcolm, please give us the room a moment. This won’t take long.”

“Yes, sir.” Passing Rex, he quickly headed out the door, closing it behind him.

Walking around her desk, Mia leaned against the frame while granting Rex a perfect view of her curvature assets he hadn’t noticed while sitting down. She wore an over the shoulder blouse and pencil skirt that pressed against her body lovingly. The curls of her hair framed her golden face perfectly and her lips shimmer with a dark, sensual burgundy hue. It took everything inside Rex to keep his emotions and hands intact, biting his bottom lip at the sight.

“Now tell me what all this is really about?” she began, crossing her arms over her chest. “Did you really bring him in for the mission or is it something else?”

Acting nonchalant about the inquiry, he stuffed his hand in his pockets, taking a step forward. “I brought him here for me. He keeps me grounded.”

As if to taunt him, she uncrossed her arms, placing them behind her on the desk with a smirk. A smirk that had his heart trembling in delight. “And what, pray tell, do you need to be grounded for?”

With an annoyed chuckle, he rolled his eyes, approaching the vixen with crazed eyes. “YOU! I need to be reminded of who I am, who I need to be because of you, Mia! This corporate s**t isn’t my place.” He took a step forward, damning her in his mind and heart as their eyes burrowed into one another. “Being with you isn’t my place. The sooner we get through with this contract”--he now towered over her, the scent of sweet mint clinging to his every being--“the sooner we find The Sun, then I can have you all to myself and watch you bleed.” His broad arms barricaded her on both sides, refusing to let her escape. The only indication of her sudden fright was the hammering of her heart ringing in his ears. “I haven’t forgotten my true agenda, Bruja. I fight for the i***t boy you manipulated and the parents you slaughtered. I’m not some puppet you can deck out in fancy suits and play with, got it?!”

Trying to catch her racing heart, she watched the man who once loved her sink loathful daggers into her. Pain flashing through his green eyes only made catching her breath that much harder. She wanted to surrender herself to him, to beg for forgiveness, for him to love her again. However, she knew that was an impossible dream. He’d been holding everything against her for eight long years for good reason. She broke him in the worst ways possible. Yet, she wanted more than anything to have her funny, sweet Rex back.

“Rex,” she breathed, his name escaping smoothly. “About that ni--”

Ring, ring! Her phone speaker crackle to life with the receptionist's voice on the other end. “Miss. Lee, Mr. Bridgemont is here for you. Should I send him up to your office like usual or have him wait in the lobby?”

Like usual, Rex thought in agitating, keeping his eyes on her. He dug his fingers into the table, waiting for her to speak. His eyes wandered down to her sultry lips, watching them quiver slighting and having the strongest urge to bite them and have her moan on the intercom.

“Um,” she hesitated, eyes refusing to leave him. Her finger slid to the intercom button. “Lobby. Have him wait there.”

A few moments longer, they kept their eyes trained on one another until Rex finally broke their connection. He pushed himself off the table, stepping away. “Have fun with your boyfriend. I’ll get to work with Malcolm.”

Finding the strength in her footing as she adjusted her skirt, Mia interjected before he could walk out. “We have dinner tonight and there will be a few extra guests besides us that pertain to our contract. I’ll see you then?”

“Maybe.” He walked out before she could say anything else, closing the door behind him. Malcolm had been waiting by his door, still as a statue like always until Rex motions for him. “What are your plans for tonight?”

“I have an assignment two hours away in the capital. Why?”

Rex’s gut burned for something exciting to get his mind off of Mia, off of that unknown Bridgemont, and off of paperwork. He opened his office door and they both entered, closing the door behind them. “I’m coming with you.”

Malcolm c****d his head but didn’t refuse. “I could use the helping hands. I have four to take out and they’re pretty high up on the social status.”

“Anything to keep me from dinner tonight.” He sighed, collapsing in his swivel chair. “I have a feeling she wants to introduce me to her new boy toy.”

Malcolm leaning back in his chair, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. “Do you think he’s the one she’s trying to protect from The Sun? Because they’d be f****d up to call on your ex to protect your new lover, right?”

Rex stroked his chin at the thought. Would Mia be the type? Years ago, he’d say no but after what happened, after that night, and the years that changed them both, he didn’t know what type of person she’d become. “I don’t know if it’s him but I damn sure don’t want to find out.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

To Rex

If you weren’t coming, you should have said something else besides maybe!! *angry face*

Three hours had passed since Mia arrived at the restaurant, The Pier, and her patience had long dried up. “That bastard,” she muttered under her breath, barely audible. She’d texted and called him at least twelve times only to get his voicemail or no reply. He’d feel her wrath on Monday morning.

“Would you all like any boxes for your leftovers?” the waitress asked.

Looking up from her phone, Mia forced a tight-lipped smile. “Yes, with the receipt. And can we get two ice creams to go?” The waitress nodded, slinking over to other customers as Mia leaned over the table with a smile. “You know you both are sharing, right?”

“Again?” Yuna whined, sinking into her seat. She held onto two pictures of Rex between her fingers, a fading picture of him from high school and another Mia had reluctantly taken of him at work. Keeping her eyes on the guests entering the restaurant outside, she held onto hope that one of those guests would be the man in the picture.

Her twin, Cameryon, kept his attention on his fantasy book since they’d finished their meal. Pushing up the frame of his glasses, he looked up at his mom before yawning. When they first entered, the sun was still out and now the moon peered over the river bank. “Yuna can have it all,” Cameryon offered, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Mia patted her sons’ hand, admiring his generosity, especially when it came to his twin. “That’s nice of you, Cam, but you both get hyper when you have too much sugar. It’s a precaution.”

“When is he going to get here?” Yuna grumbled, crinkling the hem of her dress. She rare forced herself to dress well but she took it upon herself to look especially well-kept for tonight, even allowing Evelyn to brush the kinks out her hair; which was a tiring process all on its own.

Taking a breath, Mia knew he’d never show up so late, and would have to deal with the aftermath of the setback. All honesty, they weren’t even supposed to know about his arrival. However, Yuna has always had the nasty habit of eavesdropping on her moms’ conversations and informed Cameryon of his arrival. And for days, she’s been bouncing around, ecstatic about meeting their father they’d only seen through photos and heard stories about from their mother. Cameryon, the calmer twin, had only displayed his excitement once that evening about meeting him. Which was more than Mia expected since her son, even at seven, rarely kept his hopes up when it came to ever meeting their father. And now that he was a no show, Mia wondered if there’d be two children to console tonight.

“I told you he texted me saying he had to work and we’d reschedule,” she lied, her smile faltering. Neither of them noticed the hesitance, one staring out the window and the other at his book. “Plus, Evelyn’s been waiting at home. It’s been a while since she hasn’t picked you both up from school Must be bored.” They both stayed quiet and Mia yearned for the waitress to return, feeling the awkward silence envelop them.

Rex had missed out on a chance to meet his children, the ones she needed help protecting. Internally, she’d hope he’d come to adore and allow her to explain the entire situation in a calm setting. But now what? It took everything inside to compress her intense frustration with the man.

You better have a good explanation for this, Rex. Or else...