Missing Time [Cavallo/Closed]

[Ripley]

There weren't many days Reese felt completely at peace at the world. She liked to pick a fight, stir the pot, create trouble. She could be a sweetheart, but found that to be pretty damn boring. Who wanted to be at peace all of the time? Make love, not war... Reese scoffed at the thought. She hadn't been with a man in months due to her profession. And she was a professional woman who lived, breathed and died by the sword of horse racing. She didn't have time for a man anyway. Who wanted a stage 5 clinger when they were needed elsewhere by other people and horses? She didn't want to answer to any person, except her boss. And Ripley Marsh was more of a challenge than any man.

Nope she liked no strings attached. No stupid love-lust. It screwed things up. People like Malcolm Floyd were made for love. He'd settled down so cutely with his adorable blonde wife Adele. Nick Landing hadn't been a big fan, but how could you deny the love those two had for each other? They were so meant and so cute in love. Reese couldn't imagine herself as cute and in love with stars in her eyes and butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't a sap, but she sure loved a sappy romance book. That's as close as it got for miss Reese Balling Jones, champion jockey in Argentina and the only jockey to successfully route the Turf Triple Crown. She had her racing detractors, but the game was all hers. She didn't want to split her time and lose her soul.

With that in mind, Reese urged Saintly Touch into a confident jog. The seal brown son of Night Stalker had come out of his workout with Sun King in fine form and looked better than ever. He'd even thrown a rear this morning when Reese had mounted up. Feeling fine and frisky was how Saint felt this morning and Reese was more than excited. She adored the handsome colt, took pride in the fact that Ripley had given her the chance to ride him. Lord knows she'd worked hard for the mount. She wanted a win in the Triple Crown series and this is the horse that would take her there if it was meant. She let a hand sneak from the reins to give the shiny colt a pat. He bowed his neck and moved into a rhythmic lope, ears pricked.

He moved like an old pro, steady as he goes though he picked up the pace a little bit quicker. He had a great cruising speed and seemed to just gallop as smoothly as ever. It was the Night Stalker in him because The Devil's Touch threw loud babies. Those babies liked to warn you when they were coming to trample you. Hourglass was the epitome of loud and proud. Saint only got loud in the throws of a race, but today he was more sedate in his gallop. He wasn't a cocky type of horse. He didn't scream champion like Sun King. He was more of a low key guy with no attachments. He was her perfect partner in horse racing. She could ride patiently on this animal for the perfect moment, but would get an answer upon immediate asking should things change quickly in a race. That was what made an honest race horse and a great team effort.

The pair covered their mile and a quarter gallop just as more horses and riders made their way out onto the track. Saint snorted, already getting his breath back and his energy. He crow hopped for one stride causing Reese to dole out one of her rare smiles. "Easy boy. Don't get too frisky on me. We've still got five days until the big day."

The woman brought the colt to an easy jog and then a high energy walk. She allowed her brown eyes to scan the faces for connections of note. She always liked to keep an eye on the competition though she didn't get as close as Ripley or Brooks did. She didn't think that bringing your enemies closer was necessarily bright. It just seemed to open you more to injury. And wasn't that one of the reasons why she kept people, even people she worked with on a daily basis, at arm's length? To avoid hurt? Reese rolled her eyes at herself, but her fingers played with Saint's black mane. You could always depend on a horse to be honest. If he acted up and you suffered injury, at least he had given signs of impending problems and it was your own fault.

Married to my work, Reese thought and hummed with satisfaction.

[Cavallo]

He watched the hardening lines of the galloping juvenile as Estella galloped Proteus Prince over the track for a tune up. He checked his watch and sighed as he patted the horse head beside him which raised in mild protest. He snorted at the yearling, soon to be juvenile and gave the colt a sharp tug on the reins to remind the colt just who was in charge. The boy huffed and stamped in place, but minded as his eyes took in the sights, smells and sounds of the bustling track. He didn't even flinch as the horses came whizzing by and Ethan had to admire that the colt had confidence. He stroked the muscled neck as the yearling's head dipped to inspect his pockets, huffing when no sugary treats appeared, but settled to watch momentarily, with his hind left foot cocked in a causal resting position. "Well glad to see you're at home here amongst the hustle and bustle King." The colt nickered and then moved again in place. It was rare for the colt to ever truly stand still, but Ethan had to note the colt's decent behavior. They had come a long way since butting heads, fighting leads and scrapping over every other sense of entitlement the colt seemed to have - it's what had let him pair the arrogant colt with his sister. The pair was a match made in heaven and with the BC Yearling Show looming around the corner, he knew he'd have to corner her to get her mind off the other BC events.

Estella Marino spotted her brother on the rail with a dancing Natural Selection and clucked to Prince. The Atalanta son responded instantly as they rounded the final turn at a brisk, but easy gallop to carry them over. She relished the brief remaining moments with Prince and slapped his neck in praise. He was as solid as they came and she had a good feeling for next season aboard the black thoroughbred. With Infini's retirement, it would free her up with her other charges and it didn't hurt either that she'd actually have the colt for a whole season and not just the latter half - Kyle was still bitter somewhat about the whole situation, but the colt's improvement couldn't be denied and she relished in that as they soared out and over to the rail.

"Shit Stella!" He cursed as Prince slid in dangerously close, dirt flying. She laughed at her brother as Prince stopped and pranced in place. King gave his own expletive and nipped the older colt's shoulder sharply in reprimand, his ears pinned. Prince backed up, auds flattened, but Stella was down and on the ground and soothing Prince's wild energies. "Serves you right for interrupting our workout." Her cat-like eyes gleamed with mischief, but Ethan didn't have time for that. "You pull another stunt like that and I'll pull you myself from your rides." Her eyes flashed dangerously, but she saw the serious glint in his own eyes and knew belligerence was not going to be the best course of action. Ethan calmed the ruffled yearling, with King huffing in exasperation, but none the worse for the wear. If anything the colt was just growing increasingly interested in the going-ons of the track itself as a steady stream of horses worked over the course.

Having settled the colt he threw the reins at Stella's face, which she caught with a scowl and threw Prince's back at him in revenge. They looked like two sulking children and they both knew it. The reality of the situation began to sink in as smirks touched their features. "Smart ass," He grumbled. "Arrogant bastard," she growled and then they laughed. The tension gone just like that. "You still need to be careful Stella. I know you've grown leaps and bounds this year, but you can never afford to be careless." She huffed as Ethan went into trainer mode and knew any arguing would be a lost cause. "Yes mon capitan!", she quipped as she led King out from the rail and mounted in a leap. The yearling colt snorted, but was only to eager to embrace his rider.

"Show off," he mumbled as he watched the pair go off at a trot on the outside rail. He slapped Prince's lathered neck and continued to observe the track for a brief moment. It wasn't often that he got to just come to the tracks, not when he was working with training the yearlings and weanlings and knocking sense into arrogant jockey's head. He could swear and overabundance of self-confidence was a universal plague among all jockeys...thinking they knew it all...but they didn't and the first step to ever becoming a great jockey was to be willing to admit that and accept advice...once Stella learned that... he huffed at the thought as Prince danced slightly in impatience. His eyes trained down the track to watch briefly Stella and King's progression and hummed in approval at the easy manner in which they were interacting, it would bode well for them in Y15. He heard an approaching rider and horse and stepped into easy action to ensure he and Prince were out of the line of fire. The colt snorted his own challenge to the passing dark seal brown colt and Ethan turned his head slightly to observe the object of his objections. He noted the horse and quickly sorted out it's stable. A Witch Creek equine for sure. He'd seen the colt run one weekend in July when he'd taken the El Joven and he certainly recognized the rider. A small smirk touched his features, but he made no moves to engage, just offered her that small knowing smile.

He wasn't a people person. It couldn't be denied. Pretty much everything he said always cam out wrong and often left the other person offended. That was why he stuck with horses and grabbed occasional drinks with strangers. Strangers that just happened to be riding by now. He' remember her face anywhere and his own body seemed to warm on the inside at the memory of their first encounter...Reese Jones, his own taste of Latin flair. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up on. "Have a nice ride Ms. Jones?" his baritone was smooth and easy, but his tone held a touch of amusement, daring the fleeting vixen to tempt fate and spare him a few moments. He was almost hoping she'd be rude. It would make this little game he had in mind, so much more entertaining...

[Ripley]

Reese shifted uneasily aboard Saint when she caught sight of the two clearly Intrepid horses. Proteus Prince... and a yearling... Reese swore under her breath, alarm circuiting through her slim frame. Saint pranced anxiously beneath her, tossing his head and looking around with his one good eye for the threat. His muscles were tense and he was clearly displeased by his rider's sudden negative feelings. Reese forced herself to relax, tucked her dark hair behind her ear and nudged Saint along. The Night Stalker colt puffed up at the challenging look from Proteus, but didn't give in to the temptation. The seal brown colt would have loved to teach the horse a thing or two about manners. His blood sung with the fire of Night Stalker and Touch Up. A deadly combination that Proteus Prince would have been able to maybe handle.

Reese almost passed by when the voice she had dreaded called her name. Visibly wincing, the brunette glanced down and saw Ethan Marino. Her eyes grew cold in the face of the handsome man. Or they would have if there wasn't so much unease glinting in their depths. She remembered that attractive face and that gorgeous deep voice anywhere. She remembered being so drunk that she'd been acting like a love sick puppy. She wanted to growl at herself for behaving like a teenage girl. She remembered going to his home and after that... all black.

Either her mind was protecting her from whatever happened or preventing her from remembering crazy good sex. She hated blacking out with a passion. She'd only done it a couple times, but she hadn't puked the next morning as she left his home before dawn, before he'd been awake. She could only speculate as to what had happened for she had never actually taken it upon herself to find out the truth. She'd paid the consequences of worrying over possibly pregnancy, but nothing had come about and her period had arrived. She was a ferociously independent woman, hell bent on maintaining her common sense. That night she had been looking for trouble and the devilish Ethan Marino had certainly fit the bill.

He was a sexy man to say the least, the heart throb of many in the racing world due to his bachelor status. Her lips twitched at the thought of bagging the hot man, but a moment later the grin turned into a frown. She didn't know if she'd actually bagged him or not, but she'd certainly wound fantasies around it that was for sure.

"Oh yeah..." Reese crooned, her sultry voice flicking through the air with confidence. "I'd say we would have crushed your colt had he stayed in the race. It's too bad... We'll just have to wait for next year." Saint snorted, tossing his head and mane at the most appropriate time. The woman grinned in her cocky way, patting her handsome colt. She didn't know for sure if they would have beaten Ultimate Revenge, but she liked her colt well enough to think he'd put up a hell of a fight. "Haven't seen you around here in a long time... You're just as married to your work as I am... Neither of us have time for fun and games at the moment." She didn't know exactly how to broach the topic she had in mind. Her skin warmed at the idea of his hands on her and her not remembering. Her dark eyes glittered with curiosity and interest and she wondered if he had a possible advantage on her because of drunken moment.

She cursed herself for giving this man an advantage. A stinking Italian man for goodness sake who would use that advantage to its utmost. She swung down from the saddle, landing with poise beside her near black charger. Saint turned and whuffled his lips over her shirt and she grinned. "What a good, handsome man you are."

[Cavallo]

She had no idea, no clue and the realization dawned on him as he saw her dance around him, as if unsure how to respond to him and he instantly zeroed in on it. That easy, self-knowing smile formed on his face as she manned up and faced him. He had to admire the effort she was making to make this look natural and effortless, but honestly, how could one truly do that when they couldn't remember whether or not they had slept with said person. He knew for a fact that they had not slept together. The only action he'd gotten that night tequila flavored kisses and an unsatisfied ache. His mind quickly remembered the night in detail, the crew had all dispersed, but Reese had come to show up and have a good time and she had been doing just that. They had been shamelessly flirting the whole night and he couldn't have denied his attraction to her, you'd have to be dead to not respond to the hot Latina. He'd ensured the crew he'd get her home, she was in no state to drive and he had been as sober as the grave, watching, admiring and entertaining her, but the night had to come to an end and when push came to shove he'd been too tired to drive all the way out to Witch Creek and he'd taken her home.

She'd walked into his cabin like she'd own the place and he'd told her to make herself at home while he went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and she'd done just that. He'd walked back to the living to find her gone and he'd huffed in exasperation when he'd found her passed out in the middle of his bed. He'd grunted and made his way over. He'd taken her shoes off and tossed them to the side and shifted her over. She hadn't woken and slept like the dead, sleeping in an alcohol induced coma. He'd stripped his shirt off, kicked his jeans and shoes off and slipped into some sleeping pants for decency and promptly crawled into his side of the bed in a huff.

Needless to say it had been a long night for him and he'd played ignorance when she'd slipped out in the morning. He hadn't felt like explaining to her the situation, but now as she looked down on him with her shield of wit and sarcasm, he was suddenly glad he hadn't called her up and informed her what had really gone down. It looked like whatever mind was cooking up was much more pleasurable than reality. He saw the subtle want and he was drawn into her like a moth to the flame. She prodded him with barbs about Nick pulling Fin, but he only arched his eyebrow at that. He'd let the colt's romping victory in the field speak for itself. The colts themselves were equally matched in his mind and knew that when the two colts did indeed start showing down that they would clash against one another brilliantly. She made small talk comments about being married to work and he had to laugh a little bit at that because it was true. He hadn't been out truly since his little encounter with Reese and that had been months ago. Months since he'd been close enough to see the easy fire and confidence sparking in the small woman's eyes. Her head reached his chin when she stood upright and it had been so easy to move and lift her in his bed. His eyes heated slightly at the thought if she'd been conscious for that moment. It could happen still...

She crooned praises to her colt and he put on a mock face of wounded pride. "Well I see your tastes have change," he teased, "It's a shame too...because I would have rather liked to take you for a real time this go around and one that you wouldn't forget." His brown eyes were heated with challenge and desire as though to dare her to turn him down. Heck he might even be nice later on and let her know what had really happened, but first he needed her to take the bait.

[Ripley]

Reese cocked a brow at Ethan's words, her dark eyes flashing with indignation. Her skin tingled with goosebumps from her outrage and his openness. So apparently they'd done the dirty deed and now he was lording it over her. She scoffed, lip curling in disgust. "You, my friend, are a typical Italian." Her voice was laced with heat due to her personal irritation at being attracted to this man. Any man who knew the power of their personal attractiveness was dangerous and Reese just happened to be affected by this certain type of man. Doubly dangerous.

Saint stood at her side, aiming a look at Ethan through his seeing eye. His nostrils flared as he sensed the ripple of emotion, but he hardly moved. He was as loyal as they came and brave too. His ears pinned at Ethan and then his horse, snaking his head out in pure threat. Reese let out a shaky laugh, jiggled the reins. "And if my tastes have indeed changed, obviously they have changed for the better. This one doesn't choose to run and hide behind his daily routine." She met Ethan challenge for challenge, cocked her hips and aimed him a bored look. She was done with this Italian man. He wanted to take her out and show her a real good time... Her body shook inwardly with laughter. He'd given himself away, though Reese couldn't quite be certain. She obviously would never get her memory back thanks to her alcohol induced coma.

Reese peeled her helmet off, undid her hair and threw it over her shoulder. Tucking her helmet beneath her arm, she walked up to Ethan, looked him square in the eye. "Trust me Italy, if we had done it, there would be no real good time this next go round. We'd already have had that real good time and it would have been spectacular and you would have heard angels sing." She knew in that moment she would go for a real round with this guy then. He was ballsy. And she liked that. She could dare him and he would have to meet her or admit failure. It was flipping perfect.

She was confident that her current appearance could rock any man back on his toes. She traced a finger down her gleaming, sweat coated neck, brown eyes contemplating. "I just hope you can live up to your high talk. I don't want to be disappointed."

Reese's eyes flicked briefly past Ethan and landed on Brooks who was watching her with his arms crossed. She could not tell what his blue eyes were thinking from here, but his posture said it all. He'd seen this routine before. This seductive Reese look. Only once in the time he'd known her and that was at the bar months ago before she'd vanished with Ethan Marino. He shook his head and turned his back, just in time to meet Ripley's knowing gaze. Reese smirked at that, but once again aimed her killer eyes Ethan's way.

"So what's it going to be... you in or out?"

And, oh the tables had been turned...

[Cavallo]

A devilish smile crossed his handsome face as the cat unsheathed her claws. This was exactly what he'd been hoping for and he entered their little game with gusto and eagerness. He attempted a mock look of hurt as she jested about her tastes being an improvement, but he knew the truth...she hadn't really ever tasted him and he was out to change that. She knew his type and yet, wasn't running for the hills screaming and a part of him just wanted to prove her wrong. He was not just a handsome face. That internal thought unsettled him for a moment, but his outside veneer was calm assurance as he ignored the inner warning bells to not get truly involved with this woman....for where would the fun be in that. He truly did want to know more about this spitfire.

He grinned broadly as she tried to belittle their had-been encounter, but arched an eyebrow at her verbal challenge. He was more than ready to rise to this occasion. " Well Ms. Rese, I'd be more than happy to oblige you, seeing as this next round will be one you actually remember...you still might hear your angels sing..It looks like I, however, will just have to take one for the team...but we aim to please." The corner of the right side of his mouth smirked, ever so slightly as he tried to hide his amusement. He knew the truth. Everything would be a first with this woman and he found the anticipation tantalizing.

He patted an impatient Prince's neck and smiled a casual easy smile. "How about I pick you up for dinner and drinks this Friday at 8pm and see if we can't jog your memories from your alcohol induced coma..." He teased and turned slightly to go, but paused briefly to get confirmation from the object of his desires. This would prove to be very entertaining indeed, but she needed to say yes. "So I'm in...and you?"

[Ripley]

Reese didn't bother to look at Marino after that. Italy could handle a little heartbreak. She wasn't sure of his type. This could be another thing like the bar scene: a hit and run. Reese inwardly shrugged. It would be one nice hit and run, but she wasn't sure if she was looking for a physical relationship or something more. From the look of him, Marino would do the physical relationship well. But could he handle the emotional, routine life that Reese led. She had yet to find a man that could. She shook her head, throwing away the thoughts. It was just a first date. She didn't even know if she wanted to show up alone. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard his voice call back to her... He was in... Of course he was.

His suggestion caused her skin to tingle, her hair to stand on end. Friday at 8 P.M would be the telling evening. Would they hit it off or not? Would he challenge her to stay and investigate... She couldn't be sure. She did glance back at Ethan, despite her earlier thought, her dark eyes cautious and for the first time nervous. "Yeah, I'm in Italy. First date, so keep your pants on. I put my suitors through the ringer first time out. Gotta prove your worth after all."

A smile lit up her face, but she turned to hide it, patting the three year old beside her. Saint snorted as if he was above all of the human's foolish flirting.


AND FINISHED