My Time in the Affair (16 page)

“Oh my god,” she hacked and coughed when she broke the surface. Her hair was plastered across her face and she couldn't see anything. She went to move forward when her leg was yanked out from under her. She squawked and face planted in the ocean.

“I warned you,” Tal was laughing as he dragged her upright, helping her to stand on her feet.

“You have no mercy,” she coughed, trying to clear the salt water from her lungs while she pushed her hair out of her face.

“Never forget that, baby,” she heard him say, then he smacked her on the ass and brushed past her, heading back to the beach.

Misch chuckled and followed him, straightening out her dress as she went – the same black sun dress she'd been wearing when they'd met. She got right to the edge of the water and stopped to adjust her sandal, which was hanging halfway off her foot.

“You could've drowned me, you know. How do you know I can't -,”

“Babe, look, look, look,” he urged, and when she glanced at him, he was pointing to the sky over her shoulder.

Misch turned around just in time to see a huge firework explode. She gasped as a boom rattled across the beach, followed by a billion little red fires, flying through the air. Another light streaked across the sky, and then a green flower was blossoming within the explosion. She laughed and clapped her hands. She hadn't known there would be fireworks, what a treat. What a way to end the night.

As lights exploded all around them, she looked over her shoulder, smiling at Tal. He wasn't looking at her, he had his head tilted towards the sky, his arms folded across his chest. The different colors washed over his face. Red, green, blue, blue, red. He was in technicolor.

Misch stared at him, then turned to fully face him. Slowly walked towards him as she took in his height. His broad shoulders and black hair. His strong features and long legs. His kindness and caring. His thoughts and his words. So many words unsaid.

He didn't notice her till she was right in front of him, then he did a double take at her. He smiled and went to say something, then stopped. Just stared right back at her, with his heavy black eyes.

I want this night to last forever.

“Why did you come here, Tal?” she asked plainly. Such a simple question. Such a loaded question. He took a deep breath.

“I had to see you, Mischa.”

“What happened to your job?” she pressed.

“I decided you were more important.”

Warmth spread across her chest.

“What am I gonna do with you?” she chuckled.

“I can think of a few things.”

“How long do you have?” her voice was soft.

“Not long,” his voice was equally as soft.

“I only have two days,” she whispered.

“Any time. I want any time with you.”

The fireworks exploded, and her heart pounded, and she knew it was a bad idea. All the decisions she'd made in the last eight years had been bad ones, apparently.

So why not just roll with it?

She ran her fingers across his forehead as green light rained down on them. Down the side of his face while blue light washed over him. Pressed her hand flat against his chest as red light surrounded them.

“
Okay.
”

She all but leapt on him, pressing her mouth to his. His hands immediately went to her hips, his fingers squeezing. They were in fast forward, flying through time, trying to reach a speed where it wouldn't matter any more. He wrapped an arm around her waist and twisted her around, laid her on the sand. She yanked and pulled at his shirt, ripping it open, all while he pulled her panties over her hips and down her legs. She kicked them away while he undid his belt.

Words were still a danger zone, so they didn't speak. She just wrapped her legs around his waist and he put his hands under her ass, lifting her hips into the air, forcing her back to arch. She worked her hands between them, holding the base of his dick as he invaded her space. Conquered her body.

He kept one hand on her ass and moved the other to her breast. She put her hand over his and squeezed. Cried out as he thrust into her, over and over again. His hand slid out from underneath hers and worked its way over her throat, up her chin, two of his fingers sliding into her mouth. She moaned and wrapped her lips around them, ran her tongue over his skin.

He pulled his hand away abruptly, and before Misch could say anything, they were moving. She yelped as he swung her around, moving them so he was sitting flat, and she was sitting on his lap, her legs still around his waist. She was so impaled on him, she couldn't even think. Couldn't make a sound.

“
Look at me.
”

She opened her eyes and was reminded of the first time they'd ever had sex. He'd made the same command, told her to keep her eyes open. She nodded her head and began shivering on top of him, something she also hadn't done since that first time.

With his hands guiding her, she worked her hips back slowly, then slid them forward. He moaned and pressed his forehead to hers. His hips began jerking forward, and soon enough they were moving like a finely tuned machine. Like a pair of dancers.

The fireworks exploded around them and Misch pressed her hand to the side of his face as she gasped for air. She wasn't able to fill her lungs, she needed him to breathe for her. He stared straight into her eyes, and his lips were moving, but she couldn't hear anything over the explosions. Over her heart beat.

When her orgasm came, she didn't close her eyes. She shouted and shook and cried out. Called out his name, over and over again. He called back to her, and she finally heard what he was saying, over and over again.

“
Please.
”

By the time he came, Mischa knew. She knew it wasn't over. Knew two days wasn't long enough. A week wasn't long enough. Another month wasn't long enough. There wasn't enough time for her and Tal. Not nearly. A tear slid down her cheek, quickly followed by another.

“I don't want you to go away,” she whispered, kissing his lips, his jaw, his cheeks.

“Then I won't,” he was panting for air and kissing her back.

“I don't know how to be like this,” she cried quietly.

“
Then I'll teach you,
” he promised.

Funny how things come full circle.

They spent the night in the suite that was meant for her boss, and they talked. Said the words that were too scary to say before, said the things they felt. The things they wanted. Then they built from there.

“Did you really cut your job short?” Mischa asked, stretching out on her stomach on the bed. Tal was laying on top of the covers next to her, only wearing a pair of boxer briefs.

“Yeah. I was sitting in this room and I just kept thinking, '
I shouldn't be here, I'm not needed here
', you know? I'm more of an in-the-field kind of guy, anyway,” he told her.

“Isn't that kind of necessary, to be a photographer? Are you gonna get in trouble?” she wondered out loud. He shook his head.

“No. I said exactly that to them, that I wasn't needed there, why not just let me go, and call me back when I was needed? They said sure. I came straight here,” he said.

“How romantic,” she teased. He snorted.

“No shit.”

“Ug, never mind, I take it back.”

“Let's go over it again,” he suggested, ignoring her. She cleared her throat.

“Alright.”

“What are you gonna do when he gets here?” Tal asked.

“We're going to go to dinner – I already have reservations. Then we're going to go for a walk on the beach,” Misch went over the plan she'd come up with earlier in the week, before Tal had reappeared.

“Not our beach,” he interrupted.

“No, I wouldn't take him there. We'll walk on the beach, and I'm gonna sit him down and I'm gonna just tell him. I'm gonna make him listen to me, and I'm just gonna tell him,” she said, making a decisive slice with her hand.

“And then?”

“And then, if he's understanding – eventually, obviously – I'll go to the airport with him and say goodbye, then I'll meet you back here.”

“And if he's not '
understanding
'?”

“Then I'll apologize as best I can, as much as I can, but I won't … I won't let it deter me. I won't back down,” she said it in as strong a voice as she could muster.

“
And then?
”

“Then I'll meet you back here, and we'll go to Istanbul, and we'll just see,” she finished.

“We'll see where it goes,” Tal agreed.

“Are we really doing this?” she double checked. He snorted again.

“You better believe it, baby.”

“I wasn't looking for a boyfriend,” she told him.

“Are you kidding? I was just using you for sex, left, right, and sideways. I think I've been brainwashed. That's it, I've changed my mind, the plan is off,” he stated in a loud voice.

She hit him with a pillow.

“But what if this is just like … a rebound relationship?” she voiced her fears.

“Babe, you'd have to be out of your relationship in order to be on the rebound,” he pointed out. She rolled her eyes.

“What if it's cause this is just new and exciting? What if this is just cause I was forbidden fruit to you?” she went on. He reached over and pressed his hand against the back of her thigh.

“You were never forbidden fruit to me – you were just an apple that needed to be plucked,” he told her, and she swatted him in the chest. “And like I told you before, if you can look me in the eye and honestly say this doesn't feel as real as can fuckin' be, that it's just something '
new and exciting
' to you, then I'll walk out that door. Never contact you again.”

Mischa leaned over and kissed him, working her tongue against his. His fingers clenched into her thigh, then raked their way up to her ass, moving under the edge of her underwear.

“I think it's real,” she whispered.

She had to believe that. She had to have faith in that. If she didn't, then she couldn't believe in anything ever again, and her soul would be beyond saving.

“Whenever you get doubt-y, I'm going to fuck you. That seems to clear your head,” he suggested.

“Oh, well then, I have
lots
of doubts. You snore, I don't know if I can be with a person like that. And you do this weird thing when you eat, where you scrape your fork with your teeth. I think my mom will hate you, and I -,” she started rambling. He moved swiftly, rolling her onto her back and pinning her to the mattress.

“We need to work on your inhibitions. If you want me to fuck you, then just say it. Repeat after me – '
Tal, I want you to fuck me so hard, I won't walk right for a week
',” he instructed.

“Tal, I want you to – wait, for a week!? I wanted to go sight seeing,” she complained, trying not to laugh.

“Whatever happened to my good girl? Who is this person? That's it, I'm going to teach you a lesson, Ms. -,” his voice stopped, and they stared at each other. He cleared his throat. “I can't call you that.” She nodded.

“I don't want you to call me that.”

“Your maiden name,” he said it as a statement, rather than a question, as he sat back on his heels.

“Duggard,” she responded while he picked up her left hand. She had put her rings back on when she'd gotten to Positano. Tal took them back off.

“Ms. Duggard, it's lovely to meet you,” he said, setting her rings on a night stand.

“Thank you, Mr. Canaan, the pleasure is all mine.”

“It's certainly about to be.”

*

Since she was now Ms. Duggard, Tal insisted that they go out on a real date, so he could get to know this woman.

“I hope she's not as neurotic as the last chick I banged,” he said as he got dressed. His luggage had been delivered late the night before.

“Oh? And who was that?” Misch asked, leaning close to the mirror while she did her eye makeup.

“Mrs. Rapaport.”

She threw a bar of soap at him.

They went on a day date, out to lunch at a fancy cafe. He got them a table on a balcony that sat over a cliff, looking out over the ocean. Misch breathed in the salty air, glad to be alive. Glad to not be thinking of what the next evening would bring.

“So, Ms. Duggard –
Mischa
– tell me more about yourself,” he insisted. She sipped at her tea.

“What would you like to know?” she asked back.

“You're very exotic, you know,” he told her. She blinked in surprise.

“Me? Boring old, insurance agent me!?” she exclaimed.

“God, you're annoying. You're not just an insurance agent, you twit, you're a woman, with tits and ass and legs for days and a smile that doesn't quit and a wit to match. Do you ever look at yourself?” Tal demanded. She blushed.

“No. Not really. Not anymore.”

“See? Annoying. What's your dad like?”

“My dad? He's awesome. Grew up in Kansas, then moved to Detroit to go to school. Met my mom, and the rest is history. He's my buddy, I love him more than anything,” she answered.

“What about your mom? Is she awesome?” Tal continued.

“Yeah, in a mom type of way,” Misch responded, working around the question.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“We don't quite get each other, you know? She's half Chinese, and her mom was super old school, and very strict. So here I am, this kinda mutt, a little Chinese, a lot German and Dutch, and all American. I wanted to dance and meet boys, she wanted me to study and become a brain stem surgeon, or something. She's super supportive and sweet, but it's kinda like, eh, I'm
that
kid to her,” Misch tried to explain.

“
Chinese!
I was guessing Puerto Rican,” Tal mumbled, his eyes wandering over her face.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your ethnicity. You look amazing, your parents were a good blend – there should be more Chinese-German-Dutch babies in the world,” he commented. She blushed again.

“Well, what about you, tall, dark, and verbally abusive? What's your deal?” she asked, leaning back as their waiter delivered their food.

“Me? Just a good ol' boy, raised in New York,” he replied. But she already knew that, from their many conversations.

“If you're gonna badger me with questions, you've got to give some stuff up, too,” she pointed out. He sighed.

“I was born in Jerusalem. My family moved to New York – Brooklyn. When I was thirteen, we went back to Jerusalem. When I was eighteen, I joined the Israeli Defense Forces,” he covered everything.

“So your parents are both from Israel?” she prodded. He shook his head.

“No. My mother was from New York, she's mostly Italian. Catholic, her parents were not happy when she decided to marry my very Jewish father. They forgave her when I was born, that's why my parents moved back to the states. But my dad hated it, and my mom didn't really care where we were, so we went back to Israel,” he elaborated.

“Oh. So when was the last time you were back in the states?”

“Never.”

“Huh?”

“I've never gone back. I didn't like it in America, never really had a reason to go back. Both my grandparents died, so there was no one left over there to visit. I was busy with the army, then busy with my job. When you get to see all different parts of the world, America isn't so great,” he told her. She scowled.

“It's good enough for me. I like it there,” she pointed out. He smiled.

“You'll like it better in Istanbul. Or how about Tokyo? Ever been there? Maybe I'll take you to Dubai,” he sounded like he was talking to himself.

“How about I take you to California, so you can see some of the most beautiful coast line in the world? Or maybe New Orleans, probably the most interesting place I've ever been in my life,
including
the places I've been here,” she responded.

“Baby, if I'm with you, I'll probably love it.”

Well, it's hard to keep arguing when he's being cute.

When they'd been in Rome, they'd already spent a lot of their time together just talking, but usually fun stuff. Favorite foods, movies they liked, books they hated, places they'd been – now it was interesting to get more into the nitty gritty. To hear about his time in the army, about how scary it had been, how secretly he'd been glad to leave it. For her to tell him about how she used to dream of opening her own dance studio, but had long since given up on it, especially after the knee injury. Her body scared her now, she didn't know if she could go back full time.

“
You can.
”

They really hadn't known each other that long – Misch had always known the men she'd dated. They'd been acquaintances or schoolmates or friends. Tal had been sex first, ask questions later, but it seemed to be working. And what she was feeling with him was definitely something she'd never felt before; she wouldn't deny that, and she wasn't even trying to sugar coat her situation. If anything, she'd already spent a great deal of time trying to convince herself that it wasn't real. And she wasn't blinded by lust. It was fact. There was something strong between them.

Maybe it was fate. A really fucked up, long term play by fate. If I hadn't met Michael, we wouldn't have started dating, which means we wouldn't have gotten married, which means I wouldn't have become miserable, which means I wouldn't have come to Italy, which means I wouldn't have met the most amazing person. But why does my happiness have to come at his expense?

She asked Tal the same question, later that evening, while they were playing around in bed. They'd gone on a day date because Tal would have to leave early in the morning. Mike was due in the next evening, they didn't want to cut it too close. Tal didn't want to waste time not touching her, so they went back to her room. Explored each other a little more.

“Maybe fate's holding out for him, too,” Tal suggested. She was laying on top of his chest, running her hand up and down his side.

“She's being a pretty big bitch about this whole thing,” Misch replied, and he laughed.

“She isn't known for being nice.”

“I don't want him to be sad,” Misch whispered.

“It's unavoidable now, baby.”

“It's going to be the hardest thing ever.”

“Want to back out? Go home with him?”

“... okay, the second hardest thing ever.”

“
Good girl.
”

*

Mischa woke up to something tickling her. She batted at her leg and tried to go back to sleep. Whatever it was didn't go away, though, but continued its path up her leg. She was half asleep, and her body couldn't decide whether to wake up and investigate, or sleep and pray it wasn't anything nefarious.

She clued into the fact that it was fingers right around the time her underwear was yanked down.

“What are you doing?” she grumbled, shifting her legs around as the material slid down to her feet.

“Having breakfast,” Tal said simply, his breath hot against her thigh as he moved between her legs.