“It's seemed like that for a while, Mikey. Look, is there anyway you can bump up your trip?” she asked. She couldn't tell him over the phone. She had to tell him to his face.

“You know I can't. I'll be there in three weeks, babe. I miss you, too,” he told her.

“Alright. But when you get here, we are going to have a long talk,” she informed him.

“Whatever you want. Look, I gotta go, mom just rolled up. Love ya,” he prattled. She rolled her eyes.

“Love ya.”

The phone went dead.

Misch spent the day in bed, trying not to feel sorry for herself. Failing miserably. The whole thing had been like … sky diving. It was all fine and dandy for a person to say they were gonna jump out of a plane, but a mile in the air, it was a little different. She'd told herself she wouldn't do it. She'd told the plane to turn around. In the back of her mind, she'd really thought she'd never leap.

Boy, did I leap.

She took another shower, cried some more. Ordered room service for herself. She knew she had to get her shit together, she had to be back in the office the next day. Which that thought only reminded her of something else – she had to get her purse back from Tal. She needed that insurance manual.

Fuuuuuuuuuck.

~Night Games~

“Let's go, go, go! We ain't got all day!”

A hand beat against a car roof top, and Tal looked up as he walked out of his hotel. A black Range Rover was parked at the curb. A man was standing on the other side of it, now drumming his fingers on the roof top.

“Be careful with my baby,” Tal warned as he slid into the vehicle. “I let you borrow my car – that doesn't mean you get to abuse it.”

“Someone's in a peachy mood. What the fuck happened to you?” the other man, Ruiz, asked as he got in the car as well.

“Nothing happened to me.”

“Really? Cause I called you a dozen times last night. Why didn't you answer?”

Tal finally smiled.

“I was busy,” was all he said, but Ruiz smiled as well.

“Aw, shit. I knew it. Can't leave you alone for a second. You gotta slow down, man, leave some Italian hotties for the rest of us,” he joked. Tal shook his head.

“She wasn't Italian. American,” he corrected his partner.

“Whoa. Switching it up. Where'd you find an American?”

“I've seen her around.”

“You've been scouting this chick?”

“Eh. She wound up in my line of sight,” Tal answered sideways. The car roared down side streets, earning curses and shouts from locals.

“Sounds dangerous. Was she any good?” Ruiz questioned. Tal closed his eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah, she was pretty good.”

Mischa, Mrs. Rapaport, had definitely been a pleasant little surprise. The first time he'd seen her up close, she'd been in her own hotel's bar. All dressed up, with nowhere to go. She had seemed skittish, and whenever men talked to her, she'd looked ready to have a nervous breakdown. But she'd been dressed up like she wanted to get fucked.

What was the deal? He had to know more.

Saving her from her unwelcome guest the night before had been a calculated move – Tal had only been at the cafe because he'd walked by and had seen her sitting at a table. Helping her, well, that had just been a treat from fate. A way in, an excuse to talk to her.

She was good looking, but had no clue, which was usually the best kind of woman. Dark hair, hazel eyes, amazing body, fan-fucking-tastic legs, great tits. She was racially ambiguous, he couldn't quite tell what all was going on there. Maybe Spanish. Definitely some Caucasian. Possibly Asian. Exotic. She looked exotic, and Tal loved to visit exotic places.

He didn't give two fucks that she was married. Clearly, Mr. Rapaport wasn't taking care of his business at home. Tal was more than happy to look after his interests abroad. She'd been nervous, and scared, and at war with herself, but Tal knew he was a hard man to resist. He was used to getting what he wanted.

God, I wanted her so bad.

Despite her nerves, she'd been incredible. So eager, so ready, so excitable. Wet at just a look from him, he loved women like that. Loved it when they spread their legs and said “please, sir, I want some more”; he was ever so happy to oblige. She was a little lost, and had been willing to let him guide her. Gave him the excuse to be bossy – not that he needed one, but it was so much better when it wasn't a battle. There had been hesitancy in her eyes, but she'd always done as she was told. Got down on her knees in his shower, bent over the railing on his balcony, rode his face in the bedroom.

Charming. What an utterly charming woman.

He would have gladly gone for round two and a goodbye fuck the next morning, but she snuck out while he was in the shower. He had halfway expected her to, but a small part of him had hoped she wouldn't. She was gorgeous, and great in bed, and clearly was only looking for someone to remind her what sex was like – they were a perfect match. Doubles tennis, they could pass away the summer days batting each other back and forth.

Apparently, Mrs. Rapaport doesn't like to play.

“You gonna hit her up again?” Ruiz interrupted Tal's thoughts. They finally broke out onto a dirt road, and the Rover ate up the kilometers.

“I don't know. Depends on how busy we get,” Tal replied, shaking the steamy memories out of his imagination.

“But you would?”

“Yeah. Sure. She was nice.”