The Madras Affair

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Gautam's gaze promised murder while Vimala's turned curious.

  “Sangita?” she first looked at Ganapathi before turning towards her pet grandson.

  Gautam looked to the ceiling for guidance before giving his grandfather a killing glance, which bounced off the old man. Then he turned to his grandmother. “Patti,” he sighed, “It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time. Isn't dinner ready yet? I'm famished.”

  Vimala took pity on his weary face and decided to drop the subject. “Yes dear, dinner's ready. Come along.”

  That his mobile phone didn't ring that night only worsened Gautam's disposition.

  The next evening found Gautam walking into Trilok Hospital with thunder on his face. He had had a terrible day, not enjoying any of his classes as he usually did. He rightly placed the blame on Sangita who tormented his thoughts while awake and his dreams when asleep.

  The object of his thoughts and dreams looked up eagerly from her desk to greet him, only to be ignored royally. She was puzzled at his behaviour. Sangita tried her best to catch his eye to no avail. She was way too shy to call out to him as she didn't want to attract undue attention in the crowded reception. But more than anything else, it was the fear of rejection that stopped her.

  Gautam went directly to the eighth floor to vent his fury on the physiotherapy equipment. He waited for Sangita to turn up so that he could give her a piece of his mind. Only she didn't, much to his increasing frustration. He contacted the reception through the intercom in the Physiotherapy lab. Luckily for him, Rithika answered.

  “Hi, Rithika!” said Gautam, making an effort to be pleasant.

  “Hi, Thunderbolt!” smiled Rithika. Gautam could sense the laughter in her voice and a slow answering smile lit his features.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Worse. So tell me, want to talk to...”

  “No.” Gautam's negative answer was firm. “I need your help.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I do appreciate a woman of few words,” complimented Gautam.

  “Oh, thank you!”

  “Is there a free room in the damned hospital where you know...”

  “I get you.” Normally, Rithika wouldn't have even considered it. But she knew that Gautam was the Chairman's grandson and hence was ready to risk it. “Can you give me two minutes and call back?”

  “Good girl. And thanks, Rithika. I owe you one.”

  Gautam disconnected the line and paced impatiently up and down the hall. By now the hospital grapevine had spread the news of Gautam Sinclair's identity. Ms. Vaijayanthi opted to steer clear of the prowling tiger's path while keeping an eye open for trouble.

  Gautam lifted the receiver in exactly two minutes to call reception once again.

  “Hello, is that you, my friend?” asked Rithika on the other end.

  “Yeah.”

  “Room four-O-five is free. I've the keys ready for you. Anything else?”

  “How busy are you girls?”

  “Not very. I can manage without my partner for a while.”

  “Great, just great.” He thanked Rithika charmingly and promising to be down in a few minutes, disconnected the line. He nodded curtly to Ms. Vaijayanthi before going down.

  A startled Sangita looked up at the fuming figure that had suddenly materialised in front of her.

  “Come with me.” Gautam was used to having his orders followed immediately. Sangita was mesmerised by the expression in the blue gaze and was no exception to falling in with his wishes. She stepped out from behind her desk, looking at Rithika enquiringly. The other girl gave her the 'thumbs up' and winked at Gautam behind Sangita's back. Gautam returned the wink with a tense smile. His grandfather had been right. He had indeed 'caught it bad'.

  Sangita was startled to find herself in Room 405 as Gautam closed the door carefully and locked it behind him.

  But neither the stormy expression on Gautam's face nor the locked door managed to create fear in Sangita. She gave him a tentative smile that he answered with a ferocious scowl.

  “Gautam, what's it?” her voice was soft.

  He didn't reply but stood in front of her in a threatening posture, his arms folded against his massive chest, continuing to glare at her. What did she take him for?

  Sangita looked at his tense face. He was dressed in a white open-necked shirt and dark blue, fitted trousers. Even in the semiformal attire he managed to give the impression of being in command. Sangita's gaze searched his face once again. Something was eating into him. He was so obviously angry. That he might be irritated with her suddenly struck Sangita. Yeah, that was very much a possibility. He had not even said, 'Hi!' to her when he walked into the hospital. Sangita added two and two and got an exact four.

  “You're angry,” she declared.

  “Congratulations, my dear Sangita, on your observation skills.” The answering growl was heavily sarcastic.

  She stared at him. Instead of the fear she expected, excitement bubbled up from the pit of her stomach to spread all over her body creating a mild tremor. Her eyes shone with it. Her pulse rate jumped.

  “You're sulking,” she grinned. She was surprised at her own audacity. He stared at her grinning face. He had caught the subtle vibrations of excitement emanating from her and his body responded with a 'zing'. Gautam tried hard to remain angry but he was fighting a losing battle. He so wanted to shake her for ignoring him last evening.

  “Not sulking, exactly,” his voice was supposed to be low and menacing. Gautam was disgusted to hear the purr of a tomcat trying to suck up to his mistress. 'Fool,' he berated himself.

  She shrugged her slim shoulders. “Maybe not. But you were angry.”

  He noted the past tense and realised that even she was aware that he wasn't angry any more. 'Ineffective idiot,' he muttered to himself, before getting to the point. “Why didn't you call me yesterday?” he snarled, his temper building up once again as he recollected his disappointment.

  Her surprised eyes clashed with his tempestuous ones. Sangita was lost for an answer. He had given her his mobile number. But it hadn't struck her that he wanted her to call him that very evening. The number was supposed to be a reference for a vague future. She looked at him askance. “Did you expect me to?”

  Small blue flames leapt from his eyes. His hands clenched into fists as he controlled a strong desire to throttle her. “Just what do you take me for?” His voice softened in inverse proportion to his rising temper. “I did give you my number, didn't I? Wouldn't that suggest that I expected your call?”

  Sangita studied his face. Was it hurt at the very back of his eyes, hidden way behind the wall of temper? She gave herself a mental shake. Who was she kidding? He was a man, after all.

  “Well, Gautam, I did make a note of the number. Only I didn't think...”

  “Thanks for being so considerate,” he interrupted sarcastically. He stared at her in a haze of fury. What was it about this lady that made him so emotionally volatile? He had always had a temper, but he had total command over it. He prided himself on the tight lid he had over his emotions. But his control seemed to go haywire in the presence of this young woman.

  “But Gautam,” Sangita said in a shocked voice, “I do have other things to do. I live in a house full of people. I've a son to look after, dinner to cook beside other minor things, which take up a lot of time. Calling you was definitely not on top of the list.”

  'Liar,' her heart screamed; 'coward,' echoed her mind. She had wanted nothing more than to call him at the first instance, if only to hear his voice. But she had no guts. What if someone else at home had picked up the other line and heard her speak to a stranger? What if someone had walked in, in the middle of the conversation? Her slight body shuddered as she had visualised the consequences. Cowardice had won, hands down.

  Hurt and anger splintered whatever restraint Gautam had. The previous evening, he had done nothing but think of this woman with every breath he drew and here she was, declaring that she had neither had
the time nor the inclination to call him. He saw red. He rushed at her, feeling excessively violent. He pinned her between the wall and his hard frame, glaring down at her, his blue eyes flaming with rage. Only his body played traitor, the rage converting to desire as it came into contact with her soft one. His fingers bit into her shoulders as Sangita winced in pain. She looked up at him beseechingly, “Gautam.”

  Her silky whisper achieved the wonder that nothing had managed to accomplish before. His animosity disappeared as he looked down at the disturbed brown gaze and his biting fingers softened into a caress.

  “Sangita.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply, feeling drugged by the combination of a mild perfume and feminine body odour. His masculine frame shook as he fought for control, his lips pressed against the pulse beating wildly at her throat.

  She tried to push away the panic that promised to choke her at what she perceived as physical assault. 'Gautam wouldn't hurt her,' her mind screamed. But her abused body rejected his hug violently.

  Gautam was blissfully unaware of the turmoil in Sangita's mind as he had her exactly where he wanted, in his arms. His lips trailed hot, wet kisses along her jaw line, while whispering sweet nothings. His hands slid down from her shoulders to her waist to pull her closer into his embrace. She raised her hands and placed them on his chest to push him away. But her hands stilled as they felt the violent beat of his heart through the thin fabric of his shirt. Her eyes were tightly closed, partly in dread and partly from excitement. She didn't understand why she moved her head this way and that—whether to avoid Gautam's marauding lips or to accommodate them. New and terrifying sensations flooded her body.

  Gautam's lips pressed against Sangita's soft cheek in an adoring kiss. It felt hot against his lips. Dr. Sukumar had called her 'frigid'. The thought flashed through his mind. He couldn't give a damn; the woman in his arms was anything but cold.

  He explored every inch of Sangita's face with his lips and finally reached her rosyred ones.

  He didn't know what hit him the next second as he braced himself from a fall against the cot. He wouldn't have believed that this slender woman could pack such a powerful punch. She had pushed him bodily, all 190 pounds of him, away from her. One minute he had been locked to her in a passionate embrace and the next he found himself almost floored, literally.

  Sangita didn't know she had it in her either. One part of her had been blissfully enjoying his passionate kisses. But another, more cautious part of her, had been slowly simmering under the surface. That part of her had never forgotten the violation her body had undergone. The moment his lips touched hers, this part of her automatically switched on to 'self-defence' mode. This man wasn't her husband. There was no need for her to subjugate to his will. He had no power over her. He could never blackmail her emotionally. This gave Sangita the strength to wrench from him and push him with both her hands. Even she was surprised that he fell back so easily. But then, Gautam had been at his weakest, in the throes of passion, the kind he'd never felt before.

  “How dare you?” her voice was a fierce whisper. Gautam forgot to be angry as he saw the hurt and agitation in her eyes that were swimming in unshed tears. He was sorry if that was what his kisses had done to her. “How dare you kiss me? You… you male animal!” Sangita's chest heaved violently as her breath came in gasps. Her upper lip was beaded with sweat and the hand that rubbed against her lips was trembling uncontrollably.

  “Sangita!” He took a step towards her.

  “No, don't come anywhere near me.” Her eyes rolled in fear. She had moved several steps away from him.

  “Sangita,” said Gautam gently, as he would try to calm a frightened animal. “Calm down, darling. I'll ne'er hurt you,” he promised.

  She shook her head vigorously, “It's but natural for a man to hurt a woman. It's automatic. I don't blame you for what you are. You are, after all, a man,” she said bitterly.

  “Sangita, what's this nonsense you're talkin'? I don't understand you. I only want to kiss you and love you. I'll never hurt you,” he repeated.

  “But you don't understand. I hate to be kissed. I don't like any man's touch. I'm not normal. I'm frigid.” Her voice broke on the last sentence. She couldn't remember the number of times she had been called that, first by her husband and later on by the likes of Dr. Sukumar. For a minute there she had enjoyed being in Gautam's arms and was almost convinced she was normal. Obviously not!

  “Sangita,” he took another step towards her only to have her move to the furthest corner of the room. He sighed impatiently. “Sangita, stop where you are,” he ordered firmly. “Do you or don't you believe that I'll never harm you?” he asked in a pacifying tone.

  Her eyes searched his face thoroughly, unsure of what to believe. She looked at his eyes for a while before nodding her head in affirmation. He could see that her body was still shaking, as if from a high fever.

  “Then let me come near you, Sangita,” he requested in a pleading voice, moving towards her, one step at a time.

  Gautam was terribly sorry to see her pale, pinched face and tearful eyes. He put out his hand towards her, his blue eyes compelling her to trust him.

  “Let me just hold you, darling. I won't do anything you don't want me to do. Let me hug you,” he requested gently, unable to bear the pain on her face.

  Sangita continued to look at Gautam's face searchingly. How she wished she could trust him. She had always suffered her pain alone. How she wished that she had someone who'd shoulder the burden of her life. She could see no light nor hope for the future. Her brothers were too involved in their own lives. She trembled as she recalled her mother's whining voice complaining on the unfairness of Giridhar's death. She shuddered violently.

  “Sangita,” he curbed the urge to lift a hand to wipe the tear that had stolen down her left cheek despite the tight lid she kept over her emotions. “Come to me, darling.” Gautam opened his arms wide, standing where he was.

  She looked at him pathetically, a battle raging within her. Her mind and body fought against her heart that wanted to trust him. After a vicious tug of war, her heart won as Sangita flung herself into Gautam's arms, her face buried in his chest.

  His arms came around to hold her firmly as he rubbed his chin against her head. He felt a thrill of joy steal through him as he realised that she had put her trust in him after an immense struggle. His hand rubbed against her back, pacifying her.

  Sangita looked at Gautam a few minutes later, her face calmer. As he bent his head to kiss her again, she pressed a hand against his lips, shaking her head. “No, Gautam.”

  He sighed, impatient. “But...”

  “Please.” Sangita's voice was a soft plea. Her gaze begged him to understand. “I don't want you to kiss me.”

  “Why not?” A frown had gathered between his golden eyebrows.

  “Because I don't like being kissed, that's why,” she told him in no uncertain terms.

  Gautam felt that he knew better. “But just now you...”

  “Just now was a mistake. I'm shocked at myself. I'm sorry that I misled you.” Sangita's eyes were downcast, unable to meet his intense gaze.

  “Sangita.” He was insistent, his hand under her chin, forcing her head up. She looked up at him, her gaze disturbed.

  His finger moved on her left cheek, tracing the soft skin as he couldn't help himself. “Will you call me today on my cell?” he asked.

  “Let me see,” Sangita's reply was non-committal, “I can't promise.”

  He removed his arms from around her with great reluctance. He didn't want the rest of the hospital to send out a search party for their missing receptionist. They had been holed up in the room for more than ten minutes.

  She felt bereft when he let go of her. Was she mad? She wondered; or may be a glutton for punishment?

  Gautam opened the locked door and let her go first. He waited for a couple of minutes before leaving the room, locking the door carefully behind him after making sure t
hat there was no hospital staff in the vicinity.

  He went to the reception where Sangita was back at her desk working diligently on her computer. Only the trace of colour on her cheeks acknowledged his presence.

  Gautam decided not to bother her any more for the day and turning to Rithika, slid the key on her desk. He gave her a broad grin that split his face and said, “Thank you, my dear friend in need. What will it be? An ice-cream or...”

  “You're welcome, Gautam. And thanks, I'll collect my dues when the right time comes,” Rithika smiled in reply. She was too happy to see Sangita's blushing face after their rendezvous.

  “Hey, that's sounds ominous,” teased Gautam.

  Rithika laughed. “Hmm. Beware!”

  “Well, if you're sure,” said Gautam, looking at Sangita from the corner of his eyes. She was typing some information into her computer quite furiously, her eyes glued to the matter beside her monitor.

  What's with these two? Sangita wondered. Their friendship seemed so easy and uncomplicated. While...

  “Hello, Mr. Sinclair,” bellowed Dr. Sukumar as he walked into the hospital for his evening shift. He pumped the younger man's hand with enthusiasm, while Gautam's only response was a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

  That didn't stop the doctor. “How are you? You're looking fit,” he answered his own question. “And how is Mr. Ganapathi? You must give my regards to him,” he gushed.

  Gautam pointedly looked at the hospital clock. Dr. Sukumar squirmed and said, “I'd better run. I don't want to be late for my first appointment.” It didn't even strike him that Gautam could have been looking at the clock for his own sake and not to rebuke the doctor.

  Gautam's face broke into a sly smile as he watched the doctor move in a half-run towards the lift. “Egotistic fool,” he muttered under his breath. Rithika grinned at him in complete agreement.

  But Sangita wasn't listening to him. Her curiosity had been tickled when Dr. Sukumar had mentioned Mr. Ganapathi's name. “Which Mr. Ganapathi was Dr. Sukumar asking you about?” she asked Gautam.