The Mafiosa's Thorn

Rafael

Ding!

Signora Orchidea sees no one at the register, but a sign that says "Be right back!"

She takes a walk around to smell the flowers. Baby's Breath begins to alleviate the stress on her mind. Ripples will travel and affect the Petali organization. Rumors of weakness will spread to question her leadership. Red lips slowly exhale. It's more than just money for her.

"Miss?"

She turns to the pleasant voice. Her heart almost jumps.

A 5'9 suave looking Hispanic man in his mid-to-late 20s looks at her with dark chocolate eyes. Buzzcut brown hair that suits his caramel complexion. His green apron covers his work t-shirt with a black neck covering for the weather. A small mole accents his right cheek. His bicep peaks and broad shoulders can't be ignored.

He tilts his head. "Miss?"

She glances at his name badge and clears her throat. "Sorry, Rafael. It's been a long day." Checking the clock on the wall, the shop has five minutes left before closing. "Oh, shit. I'm so sorry. You're waiting on me to lea-"

He gently raises a hand. "It's fine. It's been slow anyway. And I'm sorry about your day. Would you like some tea?"

"You don't have-"

"I insist. I was going to have some too. Do you have a preference?"

"Anything you will have."

He nods and walks behind the counter. Her eyes are glued to the tight-fitting jeans that accentuate a firm butt. Her body shudders from the wild thoughts running through her head.

He hands her a mug of tea. 

"Thanks." Taking a sip, she's surprised by the sour yet pleasantly sweet taste. She feels a tickle in her throat.

"It's lemon with honey and ginger," he explains with a white smile and dimples. Another shovel of coal to add to her urges.

"Thanks. It was a difficult meeting today with the Board. Lots of stress from that."

"I hope it gets better for you."

"Me too. It wasn't easy. I....essentially stopped operations for a pharmaceutical drug. Profitable, but they were furious."

"Was it for a good reason?"

She nods. A reassuring smile tells her that he supports her choice, even though he has no idea who she really is.

They sip tea in a comfortable silence. A little escape from her hectic lifestyle.

He sees her looking around at each plant. "Do you have one in mind?"

"I...have no idea what to pick. I would just kill it, like everything else in my life," before sipping again.

"May I suggest a cactus?"

She looks at him with a puzzled look.

"They don't require much attention so you can focus on the big stuff."

She flashes a little smirk. "And if I happen to kill that one?"

"I can give you the whole lot of them," he jokes blankly.

Laughter escapes from her mouth without a filter. She finds him so easy to open up to. He leads her to the section of potted cacti.

The whole time, she buries the part of herself that wants to press her body against his and ride him like there's no tomorrow. She doesn't care if it's on the floor or against the shelf of peonies. Or if anyone is watching.

"I will take this one," she picks a cactus with a pink flower. They go up to the register, but he doesn't press a button.

"It's free."

Her jaw drops. "What? But that wouldn't be fair to you."

"We still have plenty of them that haven't sold. Take it as a gift."

His kindness melts her heart even more. She thinks of getting out paper and pen to write her phone number, but she doesn't. Even if it's a fling, her enemies could find and hurt him.

"I appreciate it. Thank you, Rafael."

"Oh, I didn't get your name."

She stays silent. He's not offended by it. She takes her gift and briskly walks away with crimson cheeks.

"I hope to-"

The door closes his sentence. With a quick hand, she motions Alejandro to get back in the limo. He listens and they get inside.

Luis drives away. She tenderly holds the potted cactus. His handsome face, body, kindness, and his casual nature has her slowly exhaling.

"Everything okay, signora?" Luis asks.

"It is. Can we stop by here over the next few days? They have some good deals in this area."

Her crimson cheeks give away she met someone. Luis smiles and gives her a wink in the reflection.

"What happened?" Alejandro asks.

"Got this as a free gift. No thieving or anything like that."

"So you gave him the Petali charm?"

She nods. More like he almost charmed this suit off of me.

---

Rafael precisely prunes thorns from a bundle of roses with quick cuts before closing up shop. He heads up to his room to retire for the day.

In the reflection of a mirror, he notices something on his face. A wide smile. It's been so long since he had that expression. The thought of that kills it.

I don't deserve to be happy. Not since....

He clutches his chest while leaning on the wall near his bed. The floor stretches while the blurry walls almost collapse on him. The door to escape was miles away from him. He squeezes his eyes shut and breathes shakily.

"Uno.....dos ... .tres... .quatro.........cinco......... .seis.........siete.................ocho."

He opens his eyes to find a normal room. He leans against the wall to catch his breath. He's glad that she didn't see that part of him during their talk.

Maybe it's best that we don't see each other again. She deserves happiness away from me.

Over the next few days, he spots a black SUV that would park on the opposite side of the street. He couldn't see through the dark tinted windows, but there's no ominous feeling behind it. He continues to help customers with flowers and gardening needs.

Little does he know that Orchidea is admiring him from afar. Taking in every detail of his tapered body to save it for a "later activity." The gentle touch of how he handles plants is what she wishes he would do to her. She notices his smile is different from what he gave her.

The smile she received was like a blanket on a cold night. His default is polite while hiding some sadness beneath it. She wants to kiss it all away for him but can't risk his safety.

Sometimes, Luis would leave the car locked while he "gets a drink" for almost two hours.

Bianca Petali takes advantage by slipping a hand under her waist. She imagines Rafael's soft lips kissing both sets of her lips, driving her to completion. Even then, her lust continues just from looking at him. He makes her feel like a young college grad again, just by getting her riled up.

She "prays" that fate will have them crash paths so she can punish him for the torment. She makes a plan in her head to enact it once the deal with the Board is finalized.

Rafael, you're now my target. I plan to empty you out, bello (handsome).