by P. G. Van
Five minutes down the dark and lonely running trail, she realized there was no way she could walk, let alone run, without watching every step.
Her pragmatic mind said she had to turn around, but a voice told her she needed the solidarity to think. Her heart won over her mind as she continued up the hill to her favorite spot.
The rain slashed on her rain jacket, and her sneakers were soaked. She started to feel the moisture around her feet and knew it would be absurd to keep walking in the rain.
She finally came up to a large tree and stepped under the branches to stay out of the downpour. She stared into the darkness leaning against the trunk. She replayed their argument over and over again and told herself that if she could not solve her own issues in life, she would never make a good therapist.
With that thought, she pulled out her phone and sent him a text, her wet screen not making it easy to type.
Mantra: Hey.
A distant beep cut through the pounding rain, and she looked in the direction of the low sound and saw something through the darkness. A blurred but bright blob of light.
Yash: Baby.
Mantra: I want to talk to you.
It was not her imagination because she heard the beep again.
“Seriously?” she muttered under her breath before dialing his number.
He answered, and it was at that moment she caught his silhouette.
“Yash… I’m here.”
“Baby… I…” The light moved like he was looking around frantically.
“Yash,” she called out putting all her strength in her voice. She started sobbing when she saw the blob of brightness move toward her.
He was there. He was at her favorite place. Was he there because he was thinking of her?
Her eyes followed the light, and the thuds made it to her ears as he got closer. She was a mess of raw emotions as he came closer and pulled her to him.
“I’m sorry, baby. I was an asshole for lashing out at you.”
“Yash… I… I shouldn’t have said what I said… I’m sorry.”
He cupped her face with his hands to make her look at it. “Mantra, I want you to slap me hard when I’m acting like an asshole… baby, I love you.”
The beautiful words hit home, and there was no controlling the floodgates for her. “Yash, I love you, too… I should have known… I got carried away.”
“It’s not your fault… sweetheart. Please, I can’t handle the tears. Please.”
“I missed you so much I was a total loss all week.” She buried her face into his wet jacket.
He held her to him running his hand over her back. “I couldn’t sleep the past few nights and started driving along the highway. I pulled over when I saw the exit you mentioned…”
“Really? You can be sweet, you know.”
“Please don’t ruin my reputation.” He laughed,
“I promise not to discuss your mushy side with anyone.”
“Much appreciated. You have a similar reason to be here, I suppose?” His voice was soft.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I needed a reset because I was going to show up at your place to talk to you. I wanted to tell you that you were being a moron.” She lifted her face to run her lips on his chin.
“I deserve it.” He tightened his hold on her.
“Yash, I know you were angry, but it didn’t make sense what would make you so angry.” She ran her fingers through his damp hair at the temples.
“I should have told you… I didn’t expect the two people I haven’t seen in almost seven years to show up at my door unannounced.
“What am I missing?”
“I hate my parents. I hate them for the kind of human beings they are… fucking selfish people.”
“Yash… why would you say such a thing?”
“You have no idea.”
“I want to know. I wasn’t kidding when I said you need me… you need the therapist in me.” She leaned in closer to whisper.
“It just leaves me with so much anger that I don’t want to talk about it…”
“Yash, you need to talk.”
“It’s not going to do any good to anyone,” he growled.
She flattened her palm on his chest right over his heart. “It’s still in there, and every time it lashes out, you are bound to hurt someone… and that someone could be me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you… ever.”
“Talk to me. I know what the newspapers and the magazines have said about you and what you did until you walked away from the dream.”
“Wasn’t my dream, and it didn’t do any good.”
“Yash, you were the youngest surgeon on a path to bring revolution to the field.”
“No… I was a kid who was doing things I was told I should be doing. I had no passion for what I was doing, and it took me a long time to realize it. I would have never done what I had done if my parents hadn’t told me over and over again what I was meant to do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I could do anything I wanted. What I did wasn’t my choice, and it came to a head when I made the move from practicing medicine to a more research-oriented phase.”
“Were you unhappy with your accomplishments?”
“No… I was happy. I just didn’t have the attachment to the field, my parents did.”
“Yash… why did you walk away from it all?”
“It’s all I could do to save an unborn child.” He sneered.
“What?”
“My research partner at the hospital was about to have her baby aborted to stay in the program.”
“What?” She shook her head.
“My parents are both doctors who worked in the same facility in different departments. My mother is a gynecologist and knew my research partner had conceived, and they both tried to influence the research board to drop her from the program so she wouldn’t be an obstacle for their prodigal son’s research.”
Mantra gasped and held her breath unable to imagine the sweet couple she had met a week ago could do such a thing.
“I found out the day she was out, and her husband came to me. He told me that my research partner was convinced about how she would be an obstacle to my research if she were to go on a maternity leave and not be able to put in the hours she needed to at that point. She was going to leave the country to get her pregnancy terminated.”
“You’re kidding, that’s illegal.”
“Not when it’s a bunch of slime balls messing with people’s heads,” he growled, and she knew he was referring to his parents.
“What happened with your research partner?”
“It was a blow to my head at that point. I would never consider doing anything like that for my work, and it was at that moment, I walked away from it.”
“Was that the reason you don’t have a relationship with your parents?”
“Let me make this clear, I hate my parents. I still cannot forget how they had no sympathy when I told them my research partner was going to terminate her pregnancy for the research. In fact, they shrugged it off as the right decision. The very life, their sole purpose of their jobs, was to save that life, and they didn’t consider the unborn child a life worthier than their dream for their son.”
Mantra didn’t know what to say but held onto him as he spoke.
“I sent an email to the research board that I no longer intended to be part of their institution and sent a note to my parents essentially telling them to go fuck themselves because I was done.”
“Yash, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sorry I walked away.”
“Will you let me help you get over this anger?” Her voice was soft.”
He nodded tightening his hold on her.
“But first, we need to make amends for what we said to each other.”
“I know how to express a sincere apology,” he crooned.
“Really?”
“I shouldn’t have lost my cool… I…” His words were lost on her
lips as she pulled him closer to her.
“Yes,” he groaned, his fingers sliding past her waistband of her running pants to find the wetness that awaited him.
“I like how sincere you are.” She dropped her head back against the tree trunk as he pushed her waistband down and plowed into her with a deliberate stroke.
“I’m sorry I said those mean things to you,” he grunted pounding into her.
“Yash…” She grabbed his shoulders unable to handle the intensity of the moment and the strength in his stride.
“I want you… I promise never to hurt you.”
Mantra was lost in a whirl of emotions. She felt the depth of his feelings for her in the way he rammed into her while holding her to him like she was the most precious thing in his life.
Chapter 31
The breeze that fanned her face brought in the smell of the beach and the feel of the warm sun. It was too real for her to be dreaming, the warmth was way too familiar, and her nostrils told her the masculine scent had to belong to him. Mantra’s eyes fluttered open to find piercing eyes looking at her, his eyes pools of lust and more.
“Yash.” Her arms flew around his neck as he scooped her into his arms right off the seat of the Mercedes where she had spent the past couple of hours napping. The car that had picked her up from home had stopped right on the private beach which was part of Yash’s resort.
It was the weekend of the grand opening, and Yash had been at the resort all week. Mantra had stayed back for her thesis submission.
“I’m done with my thesis.” Her cheek hit his temptingly bare and sweaty chest as his lips found hers with an unbound hunger.
“Calls for a celebration!” He brushed his lips against hers.
“I missed you, Yash.”
“I missed you, too, sweetness.”
Yash pulled back when they heard Sona calling out his name. He brushed his lips one more time before looking over her shoulder at the driver, Mike.
“Mike, Mantra’s luggage in my suite.” He turned away to smile at Sona who was walking toward them with Gaurav right behind her.
“I’m so glad to see you again. For the record, you are the first girlfriend of his who I met… when he was sober.” Sona smiled, and Mantra noticed how similar her eyes were to Yash’s when he smiled.
“Are you sure he was sober in the coffee shop?” she whispered leaning closer to his sister making her laugh.
“Good to see you, Gaurav.”
“Welcome to Yash’s beach resort.” Gaurav smiled, his eyes looking brighter as he sported a full beard.
“It’s beautiful here.” She smiled looking up at Yash whose eyes were riveted to her face.
“It’s nicer at night. We should go get ready for the launch party,” Yash urged almost sounding impatient.
“We will see you guys around seven. I need to go catch a nap before that.” Sona and Gaurav walked away leaving Yash and Mantra by themselves on the private beach with the staff going about their tasks to get ready for the event later that night.
“I’m not thrilled you are showing off your abs to everyone on the beach,” she teased running her arms around his waist.
“And I’m not thrilled with all the clothing you have on.” He nipped her outer ear running his palms on the globes of her rear. He ran his palms up her back crushing her to him as his lips descended over hers.
“Let’s go in. I got you a launch party gift,” she mumbled against his lips.
He groaned pulling away and leading her by her hand toward the entrance. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she struggled to keep up with him. They raced each other to the bank of elevators, and she slipped into the first open one laughing as her back crashed into the mirrored wall of the elevator. He smiled cupping her cheeks with his large palms bringing her swollen lips to his hungry ones.
“I missed you so much. I want to take you right here,” he growled sucking the air out of her lungs.
“What floor are we on?” she moaned reaching for the panel of buttons on the wall.
“Always the top, baby,” he crooned digging his stubble into her neck nipping at the delicate skin.
“Hold it in, mister.” She chuckled dashing to the opening elevator doors laughing as he caught up with her. Her strides were no match for his long legs, and he caught up to her within seconds pulling her to him with his arm around her waist. “Wrong side, our suite is that way.”
She laughed wiggling out of his hold and running in the opposite direction enjoying the sound of his laughter as he followed her. She turned to look at him, but he had stopped, looking at someone behind her.
“Yash?” She heard a woman’s voice and turned to find his parents walking toward them. Yash was laughing, but he had stopped running and stood looking at the couple approach them.
“How are you, Mantra?” the elderly woman asked taking Mantra’s hand in hers.
Yash had gone visibly stiff around his parents.
“Good to see you again, Mantra,” his mom spoke with a polite smile on her face, and his father took part in the pleasantries, but Yash had gone silent. He stood next to her with a pasted smile on his face.
His mom finally turned to him placing her palm on his cheek. “I haven’t heard you laugh like that in years. I almost didn’t recognize it.”
“We need to go get ready for the party,” he urged slightly pushing on Mantra’s back to keep moving.
“Nice to see you, Mantra, we will see you soon.” His mother and father left after a brief glance at Yash.
“Don’t behave like they are not your real parents,” she whispered with a tease in her tone.
“You know it’s not easy for me,” he almost growled making her smile die.
“Yash, relax.” She looked at him as he held the door open to let her into the suite.
“I will… now.” He smiled taking her into his arms as he shut the door with his foot.
She gasped into his mouth when his lips sucked hers with a sheer force crashing her back against the wall. Her palms roamed all over his body indecisively. Her back arched flattening her breasts on his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck taking in his spicy smell.
“Are you sure you are not my gift?” he crooned digging his teeth into her shoulder over the thin material of her shirt.
She had completely forgotten about the gift she had brought for him. It wasn’t a typical gift but knew it would bring a smile to his glorious face. She grunted gathering the strength to push him away to reach for her bag.
He hugged her from behind as she opened her bag that was placed on the table in the massive suite.
“Please tell me you are my gift,” he hissed burying his face in her hair.
“I could be part of the gift.” She laughed pulling out the small pouch containing the two finger-sized bottles she had packed herself.
“Open it for me, sweetness.” He tightened his hold around her waist.
She loosened the drawstring on the pouch and pulled out the two bottles. One was a sauce she had made—a concoction of delectable flavors they had used to taste each other during the past couple of weeks—and a bottle of extra virgin coconut oil.
“Looks interesting, do they come with instructions?” he growled running his tongue on the nape of her neck.
“I want to… I want it rough, Yash.” She held out the bottle of coconut oil. “Research says the oil helps, and I can’t wait to try it.”
“Will you be disappointed if I don’t use my gift right now?” He didn’t wait for her to respond before swiftly pulling her leggings down and bending her over the table. She asked for rough, and he knew how to deliver.
He held her in place kissing her ass, his hands running up her back and down her sides in circular massaging strokes. Her body writhed as his lips trailed from the small of her back and down to the top of the crack of her globes of flesh. He went at her with his kisses going lower and deeper.
Her heart thumped as he turned her around. Her stomach clenched with a
nticipation while her folds were wet with arousal. She writhed and leaked when she felt his stubble scratching at the most tender flesh of her body.
“Yash…” Her body gave in, whimpering, letting him have his way. His kisses were more insistent as he switched to licking tighter and tighter circles. She grabbed the edges of the table, her knuckles turning white as he got nearer and nearer to where she badly wanted to feel his tongue—a place she’d never been so acutely aware of before. His tongue found the deepest spot and everything in her life she had thought was earth-shattering pleasure was irrelevant and insignificant.
Her body shuddered as he insistently swirled his tongue around the bunch of delicious nerve endings before probing into her territory of pleasure. She felt her wetness trickle down her inner thighs as her body processed the euphoria.
Yash pressed his face in deeper sucking on the folds, and when an orgasm erupted inside her, she was sure it incinerated her soul. She let out a cry of sheer joy and pleasure that she never knew she could let out as he continued his assault until everything was way too sensitive, tender, and overwhelming.
She pulled her folds away from his mouth almost in an attempt to escape his torturous tongue just to catch a breath. He withdrew his face, but his grip on her hips was unrelenting.
She moaned when his middle finger and then his ring finger found no resistance as they slipped inside her. His fingers were pressing and aggressively rubbing something inside her that sent surges deep to her inner folds. Jolts of pleasure were steadily increasing, becoming more powerful and out of control.
“I need you, Yash,” she commanded, but it was barely a whisper.
“Not yet, sweetheart,” his voice was commanding, but soothing. He continued to saw his two fingers in and out, finding that place inside her massaging it, then pumping, and then rubbing it again.
She was in an abyss of bliss, no passage of return, and she reached for it, but it wasn’t anywhere close. The release she longed for was straight ahead in front of her and yet it was out of reach.
