“You know very well that Ranveer’s not in town this week. Where was the need to give them an appointment?” asked Abhimanyu logically.
Shikha lowered her gaze as she couldn’t meet Abhimanyu’s straightforward one. While she made her accusations, Shikha was well aware that she was just picking up a fight and Abhimanyu was too honest to cheat Ranveer in any way. But she did need a punching bag and he was available.
“Abhi, you do understand that I need to survive, right? I am trying to find a rich guy to get married to and I felt these two men fitted the bill perfectly. See what you have done! You destroyed my chances by meeting them yourself,” she said honestly.
“If it’s a rich man that you want to marry, then come on, let’s get married,” said Abhimanyu, seriously.
Shikha laughed bitterly, sure he was joking. For one thing, she didn’t believe that Abhimanyu was rich and for another she was sure he was pulling her leg. “Just get lost Abhi,” she said, before getting up from her chair.
Only to find him standing in front of her, too close for comfort. Shikha had never noticed how tall Abhimanyu was, at least six inches taller than her and she was 5’ 6”. He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her, much to Shikha’s shock. She had always thought Abhimanyu to be a mild person, insipid in fact. She would have never believed him capable of violence. She felt an unexpected buzz of electricity zinging between the two of them as she saw the temper in his eyes. Did she know the man at all?
“You get this straight Shikha. I’m not in the habit of repeating myself. I am the man for you. Not everyone will put up with your tantrums and attitude. While I’m extremely patient, it doesn’t mean I’ll let you drive me up the wall,” he said, glaring at her.
Red colour flared up Shikha’s cheeks. Was he threatening her? Then why was she not scared? Shikha felt a sudden urge to be held close to Abhimanyu. She had had a couple of affairs and they had all been about sex and not hugging. She had neither friends nor family. Shikha shut her mind and followed her instincts and just pressed her body close to his.
A shudder went through Abhimanyu as his arms went around Shikha’s slim figure and he held her close. That was a gamble he had taken and it seemed to have paid off. He had been a mite worried that she would walk out in a huff. Oh God, it was so blissful holding her in his arms and he had been waiting for this since the day he had set eyes on Ranveer’s secretary.
They were the perfect yin and yang—he was cool and collected while she was brash and loud. While life together might not be easy, it would never be boring.
Abhimanyu put a hand under her chin to raise her face to his before placing his lips on hers. What followed was the most passionate kiss that Shikha had ever experienced. She shuddered as she tangled her tongue with Abhimanyu’s, feeling feverish with ardour. How did she ever think he was boring? It was a while before Abhimanyu raised his head to place his forehead against Shikha’s to ask, “Your place or mine?”
Was that a trace of disappointment he saw on Shikha’s face? The sensitive Abhimanyu could see that she had mentally withdrawn from him even though her body was still close to his. What had he said wrong?
He ran his fingers through her hair as he studied her features minutely. “Shikha?”
For a minute there she had believed that he had meant it when he said that he wanted to marry her. Now it seemed as if he was just one more in a string of men who thought that she was good enough for his bed partner but not for life.
Shikha moved away from him to consider her options. Having an affair with Abhimanyu promised to be hot, even sizzling, considering the kiss they had shared. Their chemistry was simply mind-blowing. Why would she want to marry him anyway? He wasn’t rich enough for her. Shikha came to a decision and replied, “Yours.” After all, she was curious to know where he lived while her apartment was too tiny.
They went directly down to the car park to Shikha’s surprise. She didn’t know that he had his own vehicle. Her jaw dropped when he opened the white Toyota Fortuner that was parked in the slot for the company Vice President. Could that be true? And the shiny SUV seemed to suit Abhimanyu’s personality somehow. An amazed Shikha got into the passenger seat as Abhimanyu held the door open for her.
He had a mysterious smile on his face as he got into the driver’s seat and drove a silent Shikha home to his penthouse apartment. Shikha finally lost control and let her jaw drop when she saw the swanky interior decor in Abhimanyu’s four-bedroom apartment. The hall itself could easily fit half a dozen of Shikha’s whole flat within it. Then there was the kitchen and dining area. It was simply amazing.
All thoughts flew out of Shikha’s mind when Abhimanyu walked from behind her to gather her within his arms. “Do you think I will make a rich enough husband for you, Shikha? This flat is all mine and I don’t have any other family to share it with.” He turned her around, removing his arms from around her.
Shikha watched in wonder as Abhimanyu moved a few inches away from her to go on his knees. With his right hand extended towards her, he asked, “Will you marry me?”
The hardheaded Shikha broke down as tears flooded her eyes. She nodded wordlessly as she placed her right hand within Abhimanyu’s.
Abhimanyu got up to lift Shikha into his arms and walked to the master bedroom while Shikha felt an overwhelming sense of having arrived home after all these years.
1
Shikha was surprised by a wave of shyness when she met Abhi’s intense gaze. Her eyes widened when she looked into—really looked into—his dark brown eyes. They were dark brown, shot with gold, the colour of premium whisky. OMG! And he looked so handsome. Abhi—staid and boring Abhi—handsome? But he was. And—colour ran up her thin cheeks—he was a dream lover. He had left her totally satiated, at the same time craving for an encore.
She abruptly got off the king-sized bed and bent down to pick up his shirt that was lying on the floor. She wrapped it around her body, buttoning it as she turned around. “Pass me a smoke,” she requested Abhi.
He shook his head, as he leaned against the bedhead, his pose relaxed, obviously comfortable in his nudity. She brought her straying eyes to his face with difficulty. “What? Don’t you have a cigarette on you?”
Abhi gestured with his palms facing up, shrugging. “Nope.”
“Damn it. Let me go get my bag,” she said impatiently, walking towards the door. Her bag was not in the bedroom. It must be in the living room, of course.
“Wait!”
Shikha yelped, startled to find a strong, muscular arm around her waist, holding her back. He must have moved fast and so silently too.
Abhi turned her around to give her a swift and hard kiss, leaving her lips tingling. “Forget your cigarettes, Shikha. Come back to bed,” he invited. His hands cupped her breasts through the soft linen of the shirt, his thumbs caressing the tips.
Shikha’s eyes glazed over, her brain scrambled. She groaned aloud, throwing her arms around his neck, her legs going around his waist, as he walked with her to the bed.
He drove her crazy with his lovemaking, making her forget her own name in the process. “Abhi…” her voice came out in a shiver. She bit his neck hard, leaving her mark on him. Not that he objected to it as he thrust into her hard, determined to reach out to utopia yet again.
Abhimanyu looked down at the woman in his bed and smiled. He had wanted her from the moment he laid eyes on her a few months back. She was lovely and audacious. And he adored her. She was way sexier than he had imagined. A perfect partner in bed!
“Abhi.” A feminine hand was pushing at his shoulder, as he lay on her. “Will you move? I need a smoke.” She glared at him, her eyes running over his features. He had large eyes that were framed by long, curling lashes that any woman would kill to have. Now, why the hell had she never noticed that before?
“What’s with you and smoking, Shikha? Can’t you lay off the stuff for a few hours? Nobody smokes in this house,” he said firmly.
“What?!” shrieked Shikha
. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”
Abhi moved his upper body a couple of inches away, her voice ringing in his ears; though he continued to trap her legs under his. “Just that. No smoking in this house.”
“Is your house a bloody temple or what?” Shikha’s amber eyes burned bright in a fine fury.
Abhi shrugged, bending down to kiss her. Only, she turned her face away and he moved his attention to her shoulder, nibbling it.
Shikha’s body sprang to life, agog for more of his lovemaking. But ‘no’, no way was she going to let him love her. She had to get to the bottom of this. How did he expect her to live here as his wife, if he didn’t let her even smoke in this stupid house? She gritted her teeth, doing her best to control her libido, even as her hands wove into his dark hair, pulling his head closer as he moved lower, taking bites of her luscious breasts.
“Abhi, let me go,” her order came out as a squeak.
“Hmm.” His mouth closed around the rosy peak of her left breast and she was lost.
2
Shikha sat on a bar stool in the dining nook, sipping from a glass of whisky and soda, watching Abhi working in his kitchen. She’d have never believed it if someone had told her that the Vice President of RS Software was an accomplished cook. Her stomach rumbled as she inhaled the delicious aroma wafting from the saucepan as he lifted the glass lid to stir it. He tossed some pieces of chicken into the simmering curry, stirred again and shut the lid.
“How long for dinner?” she asked impatiently, drinking from her glass again.
He walked towards her, shutting the other stove on which he had been cooking rice. She stared at his bare chest that was lightly sprinkled with dark hair, her eyes moving down to the snug shorts that covered his privates. They were barely decent.
“Five minutes,” he replied, picking up his glass of red wine, watching her sneer from the corner of his eyes.
“No ordinary whisky for the classy Abhimanyu Mehra,” she declared sarcastically, tipping her glass towards her mouth and finishing off her drink in one gulp. His elaborate bar consisted of wines by the dozen and a number of premium whiskies and brandies. Yeah, he even had white rum.
Abhi took the empty glass from her hand and placed it on the nook, next to his half-full one, twisting her barstool towards him, bending down to kiss her.
She placed a firm hand on his mouth, saying, “Oh no! Not again. I’m starving after the three—or was it four—bouts of energetic sex. While ’twas thoroughly entertaining, I need something to boost my blood sugar levels.”
Abhi grinned, biting her middle finger. “Entertained, where you?” he asked, his whisky coloured eyes looking into hers intently.
“Make me another drink,” she ordered, shoving her glass towards him.
“I’ll do better than that and serve dinner,” he replied, taking her glass to the sink.
“Abhi,” she yelled, “are you refusing me a second drink? How ridiculous is that!”
He gave her a smouldering look over his shoulder that had her catching her breath. “Let’s eat before the food turns cold. And you need to replenish your energy,” he winked, even as he brought the pan of delicious smelling chicken gravy to the dining nook. He removed a couple of plates and placed them on the table. She watched him avidly, her eyes following his precise movements as he went back to the stove to get the rice.
Imagine being fed such yummy dinner by a delicious half-naked hunk, the same guy who had taken the trouble to cook the food too. ‘Have I died and gone to heaven?’ wondered Shikha as she forked a spoonful of gravy mixed rice and a piece of butter-soft chicken into her mouth. “Umm…this is fantastic,” she said, forgetting to be sarcastic for once.
Abhi spent the next few minutes watching her eat and found it a totally sensual experience. Shikha shut her eyes whenever she munched on her food, making the sexiest of sounds as she relished it. She could do with some more flesh on her bones, not that he found her any less attractive. But she was on the thinner side. He knew that she smoked and drank more than she ate. All that would have to change. Yeah, it’d be an uphill task, but if anyone could do it, it was he. He had to gain her trust and confidence and that would be the biggest challenge. But he was surely up to it.
“What are you staring at? Do I have some food sticking to my chin?” she growled, frowning at him.
He shrugged, shaking his head. “Just watching you eat. You look cute,” he smiled.
“Abhi, are you dumb or what? How can one look cute wolfing down food? Tum bhi.” She shook her head at him. “The butter chicken’s perfect, by the way. It’s even better than what my mom used to make,” she complimented, dropping her spoon on the counter and wiping her plate with her fingers, planning to lick them. Only, Abhi beat her to it, grabbing her hand and licking her fingers for her.
“Abhi, how could you? I so wanted to taste it with my hand.” She glared at him.
“Here.” He dipped his hand in the gravy and offered it to her.
He watched on as a pink tongue ran over his fingers one by one, licking every drop of gravy sticking to it, her gaze clinging to his. Shikha got off her barstool and leaned against him, her elbows on his thighs. “Are you done?”
“Not yet,” he said, helping himself to some more food, watching her from the corner of his eyes.
“Now I need a smoke. Or I might just die,” she declared dramatically, turning to walk towards the living room. She’d still not got a chance to get to her handbag.
“Shikha, how many times do I tell you that you can’t smoke here?” he asked, unruffled as he tucked into a third helping of the food.
She turned back to scowl at him. “Where the hell do you pack all those calories? They can’t all be converting to muscle, can they?” He didn’t have a spare ounce of flesh.
“I run, every day,” he said. “Six to eight km,” he added, for good measure.
“Ugh! Where do you get the energy from?”
“By leading a healthy life?” He looked at her, a dark and shapely eyebrow up in query.
“Don’t give me a lecture on health, please,” she begged, her eyes mocking. “And tell me, what’s this phobia you have about not smoking in your home?”
“My mother died of lung cancer that was caused by passive smoking, thanks to my father, who is a chain smoker. She died when she was barely forty and I was ten. My father’s still alive, smoking his way through life.” There was no expression on Abhimanyu’s face as he said this, though his voice had turned rough with emotion.
“Abhi,” said Shikha, hugging him from behind as he placed their plates in the sink. “I’m so sorry to hear about your mother.” She pressed her cheek to his bare back, trying to soothe his obvious pain. But did that mean she could never smoke in her own house? He did plan to marry her, right?
3
“Let’s go for a drive,” said Abhi. “And you have your damn smoke,” he smiled.
Shikha pouted at him before rushing into the bedroom to wear the clothes she had discarded earlier. “Abhi,” she called out. “Can we go to my place and get some of my stuff? I can’t go to work in these tomorrow.”
He walked into the bedroom to get a t-shirt. “Why not?”
She turned to look at him as he pulled the t-shirt over his head. His muscles rippled, making her drool. “Abhi, are you going in those shorts? They’re barely there.” Her eyes were wide as she ran her gaze down his long legs.
Abhimanyu grinned as he walked close to her. “So?” He pulled her close, his hands cupping her bottom.
Shikha rolled her eyes, pulling out of his arms. “Let’s go before you distract me,” she said, pulling her shoes on.
Abhi tucked his wallet into his pocket, picked up his keys and walked out of the flat with her.
Switching on the ignition, he said, “By the way, you’ll be working as my secretary from tomorrow.” Ranveer had been clear that he wanted Shikha out of RS Software. It had only been on Abhi’s request that she still had a job.
Shikha scowled, drawing deeply on her cigarette. “Why? I was hired as Ranveer’s secretary, right?”
“I want you to work for me.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a possessive sort of guy,” teased Shikha, feeling pleased. She was surprised at her own reaction to his he-man attitude.
Abhi nodded, shrugging. “I ne’er knew it until you,” he winked. He was confident he could handle her.
And that settled the matter for Shikha.
In the end, she packed a suitcase full of clothes and an extra couple of bags. Well, there were the shoes, scarves, make-up and all that stuff a woman couldn’t do without. She managed to smoke three cigarettes during this time.
Though he didn’t say anything, Abhi shook his head to himself. The lady sure needed taking in hand.
“Where’s your family?” he asked suddenly.
Shikha turned to him, shutting her wardrobe. “What family?”
“Your parents, maybe siblings,” he said, looking into her eyes that had suddenly gone dull.
“I don’t have anyone. I was an only kid and my parents are no more.”
It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk more on the subject. Abhi didn’t ask anything further, respecting her privacy.
After her luggage had been packed into the SUV, Abhi frowned when he saw her lighting yet another cigarette.
“What? You don’t approve. Abhi, let’s get something clear. I respect you enough not to smoke in your house. But don’t forget you aren’t my mother.” She dragged deeply into her cigarette, turning her head to blow the smoke in the other direction. “Don’t you smoke?” she asked, her right eyebrow touching her hairline in query.
“Nope, never.”
“Am I in a relationship with a saint or what?” she groaned, rolling her eyes, throwing down the cigarette stub to squash it under her foot.
“All that lovemaking seem saintly to you?” he asked, his brown eyes glowing in the street lights.
“Aah…yes.” She walked close and hugged him, reaching up to kiss him on his lips. “You’re just fantastic in bed.”
Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India (Box Set with 5 novellas) Page 9
