by Mahi Jay
‘This is a bad idea,’ whispered Nina. He saw the helpless tremble of her moist lips and his mercury-grey eyes darkened in hunger.
‘I don’t think so. I’ve been aching to do this from the moment I laid eyes on you again,’ he muttered, and before she could edge another word in Aadith lowered his lips to hers in a soft, unhurried kiss. It was the merest brush of their lips yet it unfurled in her a veritable storm of desire.
Her eyes fluttered to a helpless close as he moulded the softness of her body to the hardness of his. He heard the shallowness of her breathing and felt the warmth of her body curve instinctively into his. He had thought of this moment long enough, he realised as her lips parted and yielded to his. He gave a low groan as he deepened the kiss. Devouring. Plundering. Possessing … There was no room for thought other than to satiate the fierce hunger that was raging between them.
It felt as if her body were melting, with the way his hands skimmed down the side of her body to pull her more firmly against him. The sensations were so powerful that her knees almost threatened to buckle under her.
Aadith’s lips left hers to murmur throatily against her ears, ‘Nina, let’s get out of here.’ She felt her cheeks burn. She gave him a light push and when he immediately loosened his hold on her she quickly put the distance of her desk between then. Nina lifted a trembling hand to her temple and groaned in dismay.
‘This is a terrible mistake. We never should have done this.’
Aadith’s mouth tightened. ‘Speak for yourself. I certainly enjoyed it and don’t have any regrets.’
Nina blushed furiously. ‘Mixing business with pleasure can backfire so easily, besides which I’m not ready to join the long line of women who’ve graced your bed.’
‘A few minutes ago you didn’t seem to have any such reservations and I’d go so far as to say you wanted it as much as I did,’ he said harshly.
‘Maybe I did but I don’t intend to act upon it in the future and I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance too,’ returned Nina sharply.
Ice flashed in his eyes as he leaned forward, his hands encircling her wrists, his movements precise and controlled, radiating a tightly leashed power. Yet his voice when he spoke was alarmingly cool.
‘Nina, you and I both know where this is going to end. In my bed. I for one feel the thrill of the chase will make your surrender that much sweeter. So I will look forward to it immensely.’ He raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss there, looking for all the world like an old school gentleman bidding adieu to his beloved.
But a gentleman he definitely was not. A rogue, more like, Nina thought, narrowing her eyes in warning. He audaciously winked at her and let himself out, closing the door gently behind him. She flopped down onto her chair and rested her burning forehead against the coolness of the glass table. It was hard enough resisting temptation, but doing it for the both of them was going to be next to impossible, especially when he had made it clear that he wasn’t going to play by the rules.
Nina’s mind went back to the bitterness in his tone when he had spoken about love. Granted, he’d grown up without a mother’s love, but as far as she had known his grandmother had showered him with a lot of love to make up for it. She faintly remembered his father being a bit aloof, just as hers had been. But it still didn’t add up to the almost cynical disbelief he’d displayed when talking about love. She couldn’t help wondering if there had been someone in his past who had marked him so. There was no time to dwell on it as Payal entered her office.
She took one look at Nina’s face and a slight smile hovered on her lips, but she didn’t deign to pass a comment. Nina felt grateful that for once Payal had chosen not to pepper her with a million and one questions. She was not in any kind of shape to even attempt answering. Since they lived close to each other they usually opted to share their ride to and from the office. Today was Payal’s turn to drive home, which made Nina doubly grateful as she sank back into the seat of the i10 listening to the soft melodic tunes that were the usual nighttime fare on the FM station.
The following days were just as busy for Nina as she scrambled around to get everything organised for the audio and trailer launch of the movie. Music composed by the legendary Ranjit Singh promised to be a treat, from what she’d heard.
They’d chosen the historic Taj Palace and Tower hotel in Mumbai as befitting the period genre of the movie. Nina had sent out invites to the who’s who of the industry, who were all clamouring for a first look at the movie.
Nina changed her outfit half a dozen times but nothing seemed to fit the occasion. She wanted something businesslike but not too severe. She was bound to be overshadowed by several beautiful actresses who would be there, but that didn’t mean she had to be a wallflower, did it? She knew she wanted something chic and feminine but didn’t stop to examine why when by all accounts she was supposed to be avoiding Aadith’s unwanted attentions.
Trying not to think too much about it, she finally settled on a less than businesslike but far more feminine blush pink lace sheath that had been one of her rare extravagant purchases. Pearl drops at her ears and a loose messy side braid added the right touch to keep the look flirty yet formal.
The big ballroom of the luxurious hotel was in a flurry of activity when Nina arrived. Huge pillars and curved domes were decorated with gauzy chiffon and silk drapes interspersed with beautiful flowers. Waiters stood by with sparkling glasses of champagne. Soft melodic music greeted the guests upon their entry.
Nina stood just inside the ballroom directing and assisting the media people who had been invited to cover the glitzy event. An excited flurry at the entrance heralded the arrival of Aadith. The entire media group she’d been assisting immediately descended on him. He fielded the dozens of questions thrown at him with practised ease.
His eyes scanned the room until he found Nina watching him from behind the throng of reporters. His blood felt hot and thick as he took in her hourglass body encased in a form fitting dress. Aadith had never been turned on by a shy or coy look yet, when she lowered her lashes to hood her eyes, he felt an involuntary need for her that stunned him in its intensity.
When he walked into a room everyone else paled in comparison. He radiated a raw masculinity and vitality that instantly drew people to him. He was born to hold attention, thought Nina dazedly. It felt as if there were an electrical current zinging between them. It was almost palpable, and was turning her into a puddle of nerves.
Nina didn’t want him to have that sort of hold on her, so she quickly fished her mobile out and pretended to be busy. She refused to look at him even when she felt him staring at her, willing her to look at him. She watched in trepidation from under her lashes as Aadith broke away from the group and made a move towards her. Nina could not decide if she wanted to stay or run to the nearest exit and disappear.
Then a stunning young girl waylaid Aadith with an adoring smile on her face and when he leaned in to hug her Nina felt a sharp pain cut through her. Trying to be indifferent towards him didn’t seem to be working for her. She felt a primal urge to rudely rip the girl out of his arms. She watched him lead her to a seat in the front and wondered in irritation about her identity.
The event went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to appreciate the first look at the movie and the music. Soon they all headed to the buffet area for dinner and just as she was about to follow suit a disturbingly familiar voice behind her called out softly, ‘Why didn’t you say hello earlier?’
Nina’s heart was hammering wildly as she turned around to face him. Aadith had been waiting for her to acknowledge him the whole evening and when she hadn’t he had felt disgruntled.
‘Well, I was busy and then later there was no time,’ murmured Nina.
‘Oh, really?’ asked Aadith sceptically. Nina bristled at once.
‘Of course I was. We don’t all lead charmed lives where we just have to grace the occasion—some of us have to work hard for a living.’
Aadith’s
mouth quirked. ‘Nina, if you’re trying to pick a fight with me, it’s not working! Why are you hiding from me? I let you hide the first time around but this time … I don’t think so.’
In the past she had been the one who had kissed him and then completely cut him off the next day. Yes, he had pushed her away but she had made him feel as if he had been the one in the wrong. He never should have stopped trying to sort things out with her, he thought wryly. It didn’t seem to have done her any good, nor him; he still wanted her badly.
Nina stiffened. She knew he was referring to what she had done all those years ago. She remembered that disastrous evening long ago. When she had finally scrounged up enough courage to try to seduce Aadith, he had gently pushed her away after a single steamy kiss. She had felt bewildered and insecure that he had found her unattractive. Monica’s comments afterwards had left her humiliated to the core and she had refused to see Aadith when he had repeatedly tried to meet her. She had known that he was moving away shortly, so until then she’d avoided running into him.
Well, that was then! She had been an anxious teenager with an unrequited crush on him. Not so now. Yes! She was attracted to him but that didn’t mean she was going to cower from him while he flaunted his girls in her face.
‘I have no intention of hiding from you. You’re just going to have to accept that I’m not going to join the line of fawning females desperate for your attention,’ she said boldly.
Never had a woman roused his interest so much. She made him furious one moment and the next he wanted to bury his hands in her hair and ravage her mouth. Striving for a mock apologetic tone and not quite managing it, he said, ‘The feeling is, of course, not mutual. I’d join any queue to win you over.’
Nina looked at him in frustration. He was the very devil. The serpent in paradise. Here she was trying to keep him at arm’s length, while he was using every trick in the book to get under her defences with a lot more success than she was having. Nina gritted her teeth and was about to snap back when the beautiful young girl from before walked up to them and slipped her small hands into his. She turned to smile at Nina with an enquiring look on her face. From up close she looked to be no more than seventeen.
Nina’s eyes flashed fire. If he needed to boost his ego playing with a girl so young she thought she wouldn’t ever be able to respect him. She could not hide her contempt.
Aadith, picking up on it instantly, glared at her and said, ‘Nina, this is Lila Khan, the daughter of Malik Khan, the co-producer of this movie. Lila aims to direct a film someday so she often hangs around with Vinay on the sets.’
When Nina still looked at him suspiciously he added fondly, ‘I’ve known her for the past ten years and she is an amazingly talented kid.’
Nina noted the hurt in Lila’s eyes but Aadith seemed to be completely oblivious to it. Nina suddenly felt sorry for the girl. She had once been in the girl’s shoes and knew the pain of it. The pain of being regarded as a kid when you no longer felt like one.
The girl’s father, Malik Khan, joined them and congratulated Nina on the success of the event. He shortly afterwards led his reluctant daughter away to meet some other friends of his.
‘What is it about me that makes you jump to conclusions?’ he asked furiously. ‘She is barely seventeen and you thought I’d dally with her? How low am I in your estimation?’
‘Well, you don’t exactly have the reputation of a saint,’ retorted Nina stingingly.
‘Maybe not, but if you’d care to remember I didn’t take advantage of you even then,’ exclaimed Aadith.
Nina blushed scarlet. ‘You’re never going to let that go, are you?’
‘Well, when you insist on painting me pitch black at the slightest provocation, you leave me with little choice.’
Nina knew that this time she’d been in the wrong. Her jealousy had prompted her to jump to an erroneous conclusion about him. She felt compelled to apologise.
‘I … I’m sorry, I did think you were involved with her, although if left up to her you probably would be,’ she said tartly.
Aadith looked at her as if she were nuts. ‘What are you talking about? She’s barely more than a child.’
Nina smiled wryly. ‘She sees you as more than that,’ she said simply.
‘No! What she sees is not me. Not the real me, anyway. She sees the romantic lover-boy/bad-boy image I have,’ he snapped. ‘Sometimes I wonder if anybody even knows there is a real person underneath all the characters I play. Do they see me when they talk to me or only imagine me as any one of the characters I’ve played? It often makes me want to say or do something to break the image everyone has of me until they see just me. Which is why I’m in this current predicament,’ he admitted.
Aadith caught her look of surprise at his outburst and stopped short. What was it about her that made him reveal thoughts that he had never shared with another soul? he wondered. He tensed with anger at himself. He didn’t like losing control.
No, not one little bit.
He didn’t believe in sharing anything more personal than his body. Sharing meant trust, and trust inevitably led to disappointment, he thought impatiently. The need to keep himself distant from everyone around him was instinctive. It was almost like a knee jerk reflex.
Nina could almost see his withdrawal. She had never imagined that a man as confident as Aadith would ever have any insecurities. This glimpse into his hidden vulnerabilities pulled at her heartstrings as nothing else had ever done. Fighting mere physical attraction was manageable, but when finer emotions tugged at her heart it was a losing battle, she thought sadly.
The mood between them had somehow turned sombre and Aadith couldn’t wait to get away. He refused to meet Nina’s eyes as he made his excuse to leave. Nina watched him disappear into the crowd of humanity without a backward glance.
CHAPTER FOUR
HOW COULD HE look so fresh at four a.m.? wondered Nina enviously as she saw Aadith breeze through the arrival hall of the terminal. The launch party had carried on until well past midnight yet he didn’t show a hint of the late night they’d had.
‘You can hand over your check-in baggage to my assistant here,’ instructed Aadith when he reached her.
‘I don’t have anything to check in.’ Nina shrugged indicating the only piece of luggage she was holding.
Aadith lifted his brows in surprise. Will wonders never cease? he thought. All the women of his acquaintance travelled with a minimum of three matching pieces of designer luggage.
Nina felt self-conscious at his surprise. No doubt she stood out like a sore thumb in his world. She frowned in annoyance.
‘There’s no need to look so surprised. It’s a short trip, after all, besides which you’re the one in the spotlight, not me!’ she exclaimed huffily.
Used to hangers-on vying to have their five minutes of fame, he found it a refreshing change to see Nina shy away from it. Aadith smiled at her prickliness but refrained from comment.
Travelling with a celebrity did have its moments, thought Nina as they were whisked through security clearance. She’d hated the envious glances she’d garnered from all the women around, nor had she cared for the thoroughly appraising stares from the men.
Their plan was to kick off the weekend in Kolkata, followed by Delhi and finally back to Mumbai. This would allow them time for the rest of the promotional activities planned in the latter city.
‘I love visiting Kolkata,’ declared Aadith from the seat next to hers. Nina rolled her eyes. Did they even have to be different in this? she wondered.
‘I spent the first ten years of my life there but I can’t really say it holds any special memories for me,’ she confessed.
Aadith looked up at her with a frown marring his face. ‘I remember now. Your brother, Mohit, mentioned something along those lines.’
At the mention of her brother Nina’s eyes clouded over. She’d shared an uneasy relationship with him for a long time. She’d blamed him for her parents not sparing her a
ny attention. It hadn’t been until a few years ago that she’d reached out to him.
‘Well, the next ten years in Pune were much better. I had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of a future superstar,’ teased Nina.
He laughed.
‘Though he hardly knew I existed,’ she added in mock despair.
‘Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t forget you and my grandmother were as thick as thieves. I knew you existed all right. When you’d grown up a bit, I should add,’ said Aadith looking deeply into her eyes.
Nina blushed hotly. She marvelled at how quickly he switched from casually cool to warmly intense.
When a yawn caught her unawares, Aadith let out a short laugh. ‘You are very bad for my ego. No one’s ever accused me of putting them to sleep.’
Nina bit back muffled laughter. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t get much sleep last night.’
Her laughter. It did something to him. It captivated him. He shrugged off the uncomfortable thought. He didn’t want to be captivated by anyone.
After they checked into their respective hotel rooms in Kolkata Nina caught up with her sleep and later headed for a shower. Towelling her damp hair, she returned to find the message light blinking on her phone. When she pressed the button to play the message, Aadith’s deep smoky voice filled the room. ‘Join me for breakfast in half an hour.’
‘He obviously doesn’t seem to know the existence of the word please,’ she grumbled as she slipped on a loose off-the-shoulder purple tee over a grey vest top. She caught her still-damp hair back in a serviceable ponytail, grabbed her handbag and headed to his room, where he was reading the paper in the sitting room of the suite.
As she made her way over to him he ran his eyes over her clothes and pronounced with a grin, ‘I’m glad there is still some evidence of the old Nina. I was afraid the prim and proper Ms Shah had completely taken over the sassy, irreverent girl I used to know.’
‘You mean the silly girl who used to follow you around adoringly?’ asked Nina with a questioning lift of her brow.
