The Captive (A Dark, Romantic Thriller set in India)

by MV Kasi

  She clutched the wet clothes she had washed, and walked towards the doorway. She was about to pass him and go to her room when he blocked her path.

  “Nina,” he said in a quiet tone.

  With great difficulty, she raised her eyes to him, but remained silent.

  “Why did you stop talking?” he asked.

  She was surprised by his question. She didn’t think he even noticed. “I thought you didn’t want me to talk,” she said. She recalled the last time she had wanted to talk about her past. She had waited for him to return to his room, but he had deliberately chosen to stay away.

  Understanding dawned in his eyes. “I want you to,” he said.

  She nodded.

  They both fell quiet. She expected him to move away, but he stood in her way.

  She felt the awareness heighten between them as they stared at each other. She couldn’t read him as he had his usual expressionless look on his face. It was hard to look away and it was even harder to hold on to his stare. She felt helplessly drawn to the intensity of his dark eyes.

  To avoid it, she lowered her eyes, only to be mesmerized by his lips that looked soft and strong at the same time. Her lips parted involuntarily.

  She dragged her eyes up, about to ask him to step aside, but her words died when she saw something shift in his eyes. And before she knew it, his mouth crashed down on hers.

  Her body responded immediately. Her hands moved on their own accord and held his shoulders, to pull him closer until their bodies were pressed together. She kissed him back with fervor. All thoughts of escape flew out of her mind, along with her sense of self-preservation. She didn’t want to end the kiss or lose any contact.

  It feels much better than my dream.

  As though he could read her, he turned her and pushed her against the door. And then, his hands clutched her backside, pulling her even closer. She moaned in pleasure as tremors ran through her. And her body heated even more when she felt his arousal.

  Suddenly, her captor’s body stilled. And then immediately, he wrenched his mouth away from hers, and stepped away from her.

  A deep frown crept across his face.

  Nina watched him in a daze, trying to figure out why he had stopped. Slowly, she understood.

  “Nina?” Khan’s voice was calling from above.

  THE NEXT FEW days, continued to be a torture for Nina.

  The kiss between her captor and her constantly played in her mind, alternately invoking feelings of guilt and pleasure.

  The reason for pleasure was obvious. She wanted him.

  But the guilt was tearing her apart. And the guilt wasn’t because she was married.

  Unlike most marriages, her marriage was an unconventional one. Suraj slept with Radha, and Nina had no problem with it. She wanted Suraj to be happy. And in return, if Nina were to take a lover herself, Suraj wouldn’t mind. In fact, Suraj had told her so, many times. He kept insisting she do whatever made her happy.

  Nina had never been tempted to take a lover. Part of it was due to fear of discovery. Even if Suraj didn’t mind, the outside society wouldn’t understand. And she being a high-profile man’s wife, it would not only impact her image, but also Suraj’s.

  Another major reason, she didn’t take a lover during the course of her marriage was because she wasn’t attracted to anyone whom she felt was worth the risk.

  Nina felt guilty because she not only wanted her captor, but she also felt he was well worth taking risk over.

  CHAPTER 32

  Gaurav was standing near the cabin door to escort Khan to his room. He wanted to ensure that Khan was taking his medicines regularly.

  “Goodnight, Nina.” Khan waved.

  “Goodnight.” The soft reply came from Nina as she cleaned the dishes after the meal.

  Dragging his eyes away from a small patch of soap suds on Nina’s forehead, Gaurav stepped out of the cabin.

  He waited until Khan lay on his bed.

  “Here,” he said, handing Khan the medicine pouch along with a bottle of water.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Khan took his medicines and lay back on his bed. Gaurav was about to leave when he was stopped by Khan. “Sir?” he said.

  “Yes, Khan.”

  “Nina, I mean Mrs. Bhupati, is a good person. I don’t think she’s involved or even aware of what her husband is doing.”

  Gaurav stayed silent. He didn’t want to discuss her with Khan. Because he, himself, was of two minds when it came to her.

  “All I’m saying is,” Khan continued. “Please give her a chance to explain before she’s punished along with her husband.”

  Gaurav nodded.

  “And sir, I would like to return to the city next week.”

  Gaurav knew that despite medicines and rest, Khan was feeling increasingly tired. “I’ve always given you the choice to leave any time you want, Khan.”

  “I know.” Khan smiled sadly. “But I also know that tomorrow you are going to the city again. I’ll be here until you return.”

  Gaurav hadn’t hidden anything about his mission from Khan. Right from the moment Khan insisted on being involved, Gaurav always ensured Khan was aware of everything.

  “I’ll ask Vikram to drive you back.”

  “Thank you,” Khan replied.

  Waiting until the older man settled in, Gaurav turned off the lights and stepped out of Khan’s cabin. His mind was on the critical task he had to do the next day. He was going to hunt down the last goon involved in killing his sister. And once that was done, he would have to return to the cabin and keep a low profile for a while.

  He stepped inside the kitchen and noticed that Nina wasn’t around. She had finished cleaning the dishes and must have gone back to her room. He was looking forward to listening to her talk that night. She began talking about her past once gain to him.

  As he neared her room, he noticed that the door was wide open. And she wasn’t in there. She must have been in the bathroom.

  He waited for her to come out, so he could lock the door from the outside.

  “I’m here,” he heard her say softly. Her voice had come from the next room. His room.

  Frowning, Gaurav went towards his room and opened the closed bedroom door, only to see a shocking sight.

  Nina Bhupati was lying on his bed—completely and utterly naked.

  Why the sight of her waiting on his bed to seduce him shocked him, Gaurav didn’t know. He was expecting something like this to happen right from the day she had rubbed her body against his in the narrow hallway, making it very clear to him that she was going to use seduction as a method to escape her captivity.

  The only thing that had changed since that day was… he wanted to take her up on her offer right now.

  But he knew that by taking what was offered, he would be stepping off an edge into an unknown abyss.

  Gaurav willingly jumped.

  He stepped inside and closed the door before locking it. Then keeping his eyes locked to hers, he pulled up his t-shirt and shed his shorts along with his underwear, until he was completely naked like her.

  He saw her eyes widen as she ran them over his nude body.

  He returned the favor by taking in every inch of her delectable body which was illuminated only by the soft moonlight coming from outside the window.

  She is stunning. And mine to take.

  His body had craved her for so long that no second thoughts ran through his mind. In three long strides, he covered the distance between them and moved on top of her.

  He groaned out loud at the feeling of his skin touching hers. The next instant, he seized her mouth with his and kissed her like he had wanted to in what felt like forever. And with one thigh, he nudged her legs apart to fit his hard body against her soft one.

  It felt like heaven.

  He heard her gasp and moan as he ran his hands over her soft yet firm curves. Her moans drove him crazy along with her nails digging into his shoulders. They drove him to increase the i
ntensity of his kiss, wanting to consume her completely.

  He growled when her nails dug into his shoulders hard enough to draw blood. It took him a few moments to realize that something was off. And that the tone of her moans was not out of pleasure.

  He froze on top of her.

  Slowly, he lifted his mouth away from hers and watched her face. He couldn’t see her clearly as darkness had taken over the sky because of the clouds. He could only hear her. Their loud breaths were the only sounds in the otherwise quiet room.

  Reaching a hand towards the night lamp next to him, he switched it on. The first thing he saw when the light illuminated her face was the fear in her eyes. Her hands were braced against his shoulders, the pressure was still leaning more towards wanting to push him off of her.

  What the hell had happened?

  Although he didn’t know for sure, he could only guess what might have happened. She wanted to seduce him to bargain with him. Unfortunately, what she didn’t count on was being attacked like an animal.

  His eyes fell on her lips that were red and swollen, and he could feel her thighs quivering around his hips. She was completely at his mercy since he pinned her under him on the bed.

  He should feel guilty. In fact, a better man would roll away and send her back to her bed.

  But he didn’t.

  He wanted her. He was done fighting it.

  But first, he needed to soothe the seductress under him until she lost her fear.

  NINA’S BREATH SPED up in panic, and a gasp escaped her when her captor began to shift away from her.

  “Please, don’t leave,” she whispered and dug her nails further into his skin to keep him from leaving.

  He winced. “Shh…” his deep voice soothed. “I am not leaving,” he said, pushing himself up a few inches until he balanced his weight on his knees on either side of her hips.

  His eyes burned intensely as he moved them over her body. Slowly, he raised his hands to brush the back of his fingers against her breasts, eliciting shivers in her. And then, his hands moved lower, leaving a trail of heat that left her skin sizzling.

  She slowly loosened the grip on his shoulders while his fingers gently traced her neck, her shoulders, her waist, and then returned to her throat. She felt transfixed by the look on his face as he explored her. All his attention was completely on her, and his eyes looked reverent.

  She felt his eyes on her lips and saw him lowering his mouth towards her. She involuntarily stiffened, but this time when his lips landed on hers, they were gentle. It was a stark contrast to how he had kissed her earlier, ravaging her mouth.

  His kiss did not deepen, but instead, his lips kept brushing against hers softly. She let out a soft moan in protest when his lips left hers to move lower. They landed on her throat, making her further tremble. His mouth kissed every inch of her throat and chest before trailing towards her stomach.

  Slowly, she felt her body beginning to come alive in a way it had never been before.

  He twirled his tongue in her belly button, before following it up with soft kisses as he moved even lower. She let out a panicked gasp as he buried his face in between her thighs.

  She clutched his head, but couldn’t hold on due to his buzz-cut. And the prickly buzz-cut magnified every sensation as it rubbed against her sensitive skin.

  Her breath came out noisy and choppy as she felt his warm breath on her intimate folds.

  “Please,” she whispered, torn between wanting him to continue or stop.

  “Shh…” he said once again, soothing her as he prepared her for what seemed to be inevitable between them.

  Her body jerked as she felt his lips on her intimate folds, and then without giving her too much time to adjust or protest, he feasted. His lips, teeth, and tongue tasted and explored her.

  She felt overwhelmed by the sensations that hit her. She cried out and tried to move away, but he held her hips firmly.

  He was relentless in his onslaught.

  She couldn’t take it anymore. And there wasn’t a slow build-up like she thought there would be. Within what felt like split seconds, she simply combusted.

  She let out a scream, that she desperately tried to muffle into a pillow.

  It was overwhelming and scary and wonderful—all at the same time.

  Her breath came out in gasps as she tried to breathe in lungful of air. But before she could completely catch her breath, he moved on top of her.

  Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he reached for her hands. He twined each of his hand in hers, and held them on top of her head.

  She noticed that his breathing had turned even more ragged, and he looked out of control as before when he had seen her naked for the first time.

  Her breath hitched in panic once again. She braced herself for a swift, rough, and painful entry, but when he began entering her, it was slow and deliberate.

  He moved in shallow strokes, all the while watching her face as though he was waiting for her panicked breaths to completely disappear. And when her breathing turned into soft gasps, only then, did he take his time to join their bodies further.

  It hurt, but she ignored the pain as his eyes kept her captive.

  He was again relentless in his pursuit. Thrusting in and out, each time going a few inches further, making her gasp in pleasure and pain and in awe. He did it for a while, continuing to watch her face. Only when he filled her completely, did he stop.

  They stared at each other. Man and woman. Captor and captive.

  Nina felt shock and something much deeper between them. And it wasn’t only because they were connected to each other in the most intimate way.

  Not wanting to acknowledge the strange connection, she lowered her chin and closed her eyes.

  Immediately, his hand let go of hers, to hold her chin and raise it. “Look at me,” he softly ordered.

  When she followed his order and raised her eyes to him, giving him her complete attention, he lowered his head and kissed her again on the lips.

  And then, he began to move.

  It was slow at first, drawing out soft moans from her. She held onto his shoulders, and tightened her legs around his hips while moving to his rhythm.

  Each time he entered her, the pleasure inside her built up. She tried to move along with him, but soon her movements became erratic. He held her hips to calm her down while he continued thrusting into her at a steady pace.

  She couldn’t bear it after a while. She dug her nails into his shoulders and moved her hips wildly against his to find relief from an intense pressure that had built along with the pleasure. “Move!” she snapped.

  She saw his eyes flare, and a growl rumbled in his throat. Then his control slipped and holding her still by her hips, his thrusts turned harder. And rougher. The entire bed shook with the intensity of it.

  This time she wasn’t frightened. She craved it. She lay still, simply clutching him, and letting him take over completely. All she did was simply feel the pleasure.

  Soon, the pleasure inside her built even more in intensity, reaching the peak. Another scream tore from her throat as soon as she felt an explosion inside her.

  She muffled her screams against his shoulder, biting into his skin as she got swept away by the waves of her release.

  Vaguely she heard him groaning her name into her neck.

  CHAPTER 33

  “Everything will get better, Gaurav. Don’t worry about us. Just stay brave and do what you have to do.”

  “I really hope so, Ma.”

  He was driving his mother back from a temple. She had wanted to spend some time praying to God, asking for peace of mind while wading through the rough patch they were going through.

  Gaurav parked the car in front of their modest house. “Sure you don’t want to join Rohan, Shruti and me for the movie, Ma?” he asked.

  “No. You three go ahead.”

  Gaurav nodded. Shruti’s exams were going to start soon. She was a topper and hard worker. Unlike most students, she act
ually liked to unwind before she began her exam preparations. Gaurav had called her the previous day and they made plans to watch a movie and relax.

  Gaurav stood in front of the maindoor and entered the code of the security alarm to inactivate it. Meanwhile, his mother opened the main door using her key. Gaurav immediately sensed something was wrong.

  It was eerily quiet and dark. His sister hated the dark, and she always watched a marathon of TV serials during the evening.

  “Shruti?” his mother called out in a worried tone, probably thinking along the same lines.

  He and his mother hurried towards Shruti’s room. It was closed but not locked.

  Gaurav pushed the door open and turned on the lights.

  “Shruti!” His mother’s scream reverberated in the house.

  Gaurav woke up with a start. His mother’s scream when she watched her daughter’s body hanging from the ceiling continued to reverberate inside his head.

  He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before opening them once again.

  Everything was quiet except for the sounds of the birds within the forest as daylight crept in.

  He turned his head and looked at the clock next to him. It indicated that he had barely slept for more than two hours. And then, slowly he turned and looked at the woman lying next to him on his bed.

  Nina Bhupati was in a deep sleep.

  Memories of the previous night rushed through his mind, along with the sounds of her soft moans and cries as he took her body over and over.

  He forcibly pushed the memories away and he forced his eyes to look at the hand lying on his chest. Even in the soft morning light, the wedding ring on Nina Bhupati’s finger glinted brightly.

  What did you do? How could you have risked your mission so easily?

  As soon as his rational mind demanded answers, he realized that Nina Bhupati was a colossal mistake.

  Being inside her body and developing softer feelings for her—was the worst mistake he made.

  Moving her hand away from his chest, he slid out of the bed. He picked the clothes he had shed the previous night from the floor, and put them back on.