by M. V. Kasi
That same dark need consumed him even now.
“Get away from me,” she warned, reading his face. “If you touch me—”
“I’m already touching you.”
“I-If you come near me—” She broke off with a sudden gasp when he twisted her hand behind her back and pulled her against him until her body was pressed to his.
“I’m near you,” he said.
Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, and she glared at him. She looked at him as though she wanted to spit on him once again.
He wanted to warn her not to, but the look on her face made him pause. Along with anger and fear, he saw the hurt look on her face. Something softened inside him.
“I didn’t deliberately set out to hurt you,” he said.
He couldn’t reveal the real reason for their marriage.
Her eyes flared, and she struggled, trying to push him away from her. “I don’t care, and I don’t want to listen! Just leave me alone!”
He didn’t move, which only made her angrier.
She glared at him again. “By the way, you didn’t hurt me,” she spat. “To hurt me, you must mean something to me first. You mean nothing to me!”
Dark anger coursed through him as her words found their mark. He had always known that she had the power to hurt him. A part of him also found it ironic that he had used the same word to tell Vijay and Anirudh how Naina had meant nothing to him.
“Well, darling,” he drawled darkly. “You are my wife now. I guess that makes us mean something to each other.”
Her chest rose and fell with anger as she glared at him. “I hate you!”
Despite knowing her reasons, those words coming from her lips made him want to crush her pouty lips with his until she moaned for him once again. He wanted to channel her anger into something they both would enjoy.
He knew he could make her feel every bit of pleasure and need. He could even make her beg for him to take her. He could teach her that despite her hatred, he could make her shatter in his arms and give in to him in every way.
But he stopped.
He knew that much later, once they got off from their pleasured high, it would only make her hate him more virulently.
Even though everything inside him screamed not to let her go until she listened and understood, he still stepped away from her with great effort. He knew she was running too high on emotions. She needed time.
He decided to leave her alone.
For now.
***
Naina stared at the closed bedroom door with her heart pounding.
Will he come back? What did he mean by he didn’t mean to hurt her?
He forced her into a marriage for the sake of exchanging power between him and her father. Of course, that hurt her. It hurt like hell.
Her eyes prickled with anger and betrayal. She didn’t know why, but the extent of his betrayal hit her too hard. They had only met a couple of times, but the memories she had carried of him, she had expected to cherish them all her life.
Biting her lip to stop from crying, she slowly went towards the bed. She placed the small penknife on the nightstand next to the bed.
She felt mentally and physically exhausted. Even though her clothes felt uncomfortable, she sat on the bed and laid her head against the headboard.
There was no way she was ever going to be Shiv Jaipal’s wife in the true sense. If he wants to take her, he would have to force her. And she would fight him until the end.
***
Shiv downed the fifth shot of scotch. He was seated at the bar area next to the pool on his penthouse balcony. He watched the early morning sky streaked in hues of color while the city lights flickered below.
His mind continued to be dominated by dark thoughts despite the alcohol. He looked at his phone, and a rush of rage consumed him. He didn’t have to open it, but the image he saw nearly two days ago was permanently seared into his brain.
He wanted to throw the phone into the darkness where the image on the phone belonged. But that wouldn’t eliminate the threat.
The whole situation was a clusterfuck. There was no other way to describe it. Had the situation been slightly different, or he had been the same person he was before, he would have broken into Naina’s room like he had done a year ago and mentally prepared her for things to come.
But things were vastly different, and he had changed as well. So now, the woman he married hated him.
He knew Naina. Maybe he hadn’t spent as much time with her, but he had obsessed about her enough to know her past and her relationship dynamics with her father and stepmother.
Trust didn’t come easy to her. And now, in her eyes, he broke that trust by revealing his true identity and forcing her to marry him. She probably now equated him with her greedy, corrupt father.
He hated that she would equate him and her father together. He had always found her father loathsome and disgusting.
He even wanted to break the Home Minister’s fingers one by one when he raised his hand on Naina and was about to slap her. After Naina had left the room, he warned the Home Minister that Naina should not be harmed or ill-treated in any way because she now belonged to him. The Home Minister had resented the warning but grudgingly agreed. Just like he had agreed to the wedding to take place within hours of the negotiation.
Wife.
He still couldn’t believe he was married, and Naina was now his legally-wedded wife.
Over the years, he had dated a lot and enjoyed the company of countless women. He led quite a debauched life for well over a decade fighting any sort of commitment. He only wanted to focus on his goal.
Until Naina.
Right from the first time he saw her when she came up to him at his nightclub and asked him for a dance and a drink, he had been fascinated with her. And his fascination grew into an obsession he could ill afford.
Circumstances made Naina finally his, but he knew one thing for sure.
He was going to face a hell lot of a resistance from her to continue to keep her as his.
CHAPTER 2 2
Naina slowly opened her heavy-lidded eyes. Her throat felt scratchy, and her eyes felt slightly swollen.
She blinked in confusion. But when she saw the breathtaking view of the city washed in bright sunlight, she sat up suddenly, remembering everything.
With a sharp gasp, she turned. The bed was empty, and the pillow next to her was not dented.
Shiv Jaipal had not returned to the bedroom.
With her heart thudding, she slowly turned to take in the bedroom. The previous night, she hadn’t been in the state of mind to register much. But now that she looked at the room, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The furnishings of the bedroom, especially the huge yet sleek dark grey-colored bed with matching nightstands looked very familiar.
She must still be tired and exhausted if she was imagining being in this bedroom before.
Shaking her head to remove the odd feelings, she focused and listened for sounds to check whether Shiv Jaipal was nearby. When she couldn’t hear anything, she slowly stepped down from the bed.
Shivering slightly due to the cold air from the air conditioning vents, she went towards the bathroom. Turning the doorknob hesitantly, she pushed the door open, and then she sighed in relief when there was no one inside.
The bathroom was huge. A sunken tub that could easily fit four people was right under a large window that overlooked the city. A shower cubicle was right next to it. And on the opposite side, there was a wall-to-wall mirror with dual sinks. Slowly, she went towards the sinks.
She noticed a small bag of sealed toiletries placed on the shiny surface of the marble counter. Without much thought, she made use of it to freshen up a little.
A few minutes later, she returned to the bedroom. The digital clock showed that it was close to noon, which meant she had slept through for nearly seven hours.
Where was he? She knew he must be somewhere in the penthouse.
She did
n’t want to go out looking for him. But at the same time, she didn’t want to remain hidden inside the bedroom either.
She stood waiting uncertainly for a few moments, feeling reluctant to face the devil. Then feeling angry that she was scared of him, she went towards the bedroom door.
She refused to show him any fear. All she would let him see was her anger and hate. With that resolution, she opened the bedroom door and stepped out.
There was a long hallway that looked somewhat familiar too. She followed it until it ended in a large open living area. The penthouse was beautiful during the day with sunlight filtering in and the sense of déjà vu continued to prevail.
Rubbing her arms lightly due to the cold air, she took in the wide-open space. She was only used to houses or the university housing and had never been to a penthouse before. Despite herself, she felt curious to explore.
The entire decor was modern with white and silver-grey marble floors. The furniture was sleek with leather, glass and chrome finishes. But what made the place breathtaking was the view she could see from a massive glass wall that dominated the far end wall of the penthouse. She also noticed the glass wall led to a balcony and she could see light reflecting off the blue water of a swimming pool.
She couldn’t guess the exact location of the penthouse, but based on the shoreline at a far distance, she knew that the penthouse was right in the heart of the city.
“Good afternoon, madam.”
Naina jumped when she heard a man’s voice. She turned and saw a very old man dressed in crisp, ironed clothes and a sweater vest. A look of recognition passed on his face as he watched her. Strangely, she found him somewhat familiar too.
“Would you like to have lunch, madam?” he asked.
Naina opened her mouth to ask if they had met before when a deep, masculine voice cut in. “Yes. We’ll have lunch.”
Her heart began pounding. Slowly, she turned. Shiv Jaipal was wearing another dark three-piece suit that was different from the one he had worn early that morning. His hair looked slightly damp indicating he must have showered recently.
In contrast, her clothes were thoroughly rumpled, and she looked haggard due to a lack of proper sleep. Despite the circumstances, her cheeks heated in embarrassment.
“Sitaram, this is Naina… my wife.”
The old man looked at her with a small surprised smile. “Ah, I see. Welcome home, madam.”
“Please call me Naina,” she automatically blurted.
It felt strange behaving normally and having a polite conversation when there was a storm brewing inside her head. She should be screaming and threatening Shiv Jaipal with consequences.
Maybe she was still too shocked.
“Would you like anything special for lunch, Naina?” the old man asked with a polite smile. “Our cook can prepare all the popular dishes from various cuisines.”
“No, thank you. I’m not really hun—”
“Have Geetabhai prepare a simple meal. Naina and I will have our lunch inside our room.”
Nodding at the instructions, the old man went away. He walked through an archway where a part of the dining area could be seen.
Naina waited until he was gone to erupt on Shiv Jaipal, but a gasp escaped her when she felt a large, warm palm at her back. She tried to step away, but her feet froze when she saw the look in the devil’s eyes.
He was watching her closely, expecting her to either burst out in tears or throw a tantrum.
She gritted her teeth, controlling herself from doing both, and let him lead her towards the bedroom.
When they were out of earshot, she turned towards him. “I don’t want to share the bedroom with you. I want to stay in a different room.”
There was silence as he continued to lead her.
“I said I didn’t want to—”
“No.”
Anger filled her along with fear and panic. “You can’t just say no!”
“I just did.”
Anger won at his highhandedness. “I refuse to share the bedroom with you! How dare you—”
“Why? Are you worried you won’t be able to control yourself?”
She was taken aback by his response. For a moment, he sounded like the man she had fallen for. But she knew it was all a lie.
The man who had forced her into a marriage to gain her father’s political power was the reality.
“I’m serious,” she gritted out. “You already gained my father’s political power. There is no reason for us to share a bedroom and keep up the farce of this marriage.”
He watched her closely. “I’m serious too. Our marriage is real in every sense, which means you will sleep next to me in my bed each night.”
She sucked in her breath as a strange quivering awareness took over once again. She didn’t know whether it was with fear or excitement or both. But before she could say something, he opened the bedroom door and pushed her inside.
“Your clothes are placed in the walk-in closet to the right. You can shower and change while lunch is being prepared. You’ll feel much better after freshening up.”
She didn’t move from her spot. She was angry and momentarily confused. She wanted to shout and rage against him and the situation he put her in. But when he waited for her to freshen up before they could have lunch together, she could see flashes of her stranger.
Shiv Jaipal was truly the devil. She realized he must be a master manipulator as well. He knew about her weakness for the man she thought he was when she met him as a stranger. He was trying to get her to lower her defenses.
But she won’t let him. She was determined to constantly keep up her guard against him.
Taking a deep breath, she went towards the closet, wondering what clothes he was talking about. She hadn’t packed anything from her father’s home. She was barely given any time.
“Let me know if the clothes don’t fit you or if you don’t like them,” she heard Shiv Jaipal saying from behind her. “I can have new ones ordered.”
Feeling reluctantly curious, she opened the closet doors and was stunned. There were dozens of dresses hanging inside, but none of them were hers. She noticed the tags on them, which meant they were new.
Frowning, she pulled open the drawers. They were again filled with clothes—underclothes. Her cheeks burned when she saw that the panties and bras were exactly her size.
How did he know? And since when had he been planning all of this?
She felt outraged. She turned towards him with an angry glare and saw that his eyes were already on her.
She wanted to demand an explanation, but gritting her teeth once again, she stopped. She did not want to give him the satisfaction of explaining anything to her. She turned back to the closet and picked out a t-shirt and sweatpants along with a set of underclothes before going into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut.
Then locking the door, she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief.
She was feeling confused in his presence. She wanted to hit him, hurt him and demand an explanation from him, but at the same time, she didn’t want to risk listening to him.
Pushing her confusing thoughts away from her mind, she tried to focus on the task at hand. She was going to take a long shower and come up with a plan of action of what needs to be done next.
She tried to remove her clothes, but it wasn’t easy. The buttons were at the back. After struggling for a few minutes, she wondered if she should get help. Her cheeks burned at the thought of asking him for help. Feeling impatient and angry, she tugged at the heavy top until the buttons gave away. Finally, she stepped into the large shower cubicle and turned on the taps.
The warm water felt soothing on her body, but instead of feeling relief, her eyes prickled with sudden tears. She tried to control them, but she couldn’t. They flowed uninterrupted from her eyes.
Leaning against a marble wall, she let the silent tears flow.
Her father finally did what he had threatened for so many years. He used her to f
urther his political ambition regardless of her feelings. Although she had been bracing herself for something like that to happen and had experienced his abuse, a foolish part of her still expected her father not to do as he had threatened.
She was truly a fool to feel let down by her abusive father. And now, once again, she felt let down by a man she thought was different from others. She knew she wouldn’t ever trust anyone. She would have to find a way out of the current situation on her own.
She stayed inside the bathroom until her skin began to prune. When she couldn’t stay any longer, she finally turned off the shower and stepped out.
She dried herself and dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. And then, sucking in a deep breath, she stepped out of the bathroom.
Shiv Jaipal wasn’t in the bedroom. Did he leave to give her privacy?
No. She didn’t think he was that considerate. If he were considerate, he would have allowed her to stay in a different bedroom.
She jumped when she heard a knock on the door. She expected Shiv, but she realized he didn’t seem the kind to knock on his own bedroom door.
“Come in,” she called out.
The door pushed open, and a middle-aged heavyset woman came in with a cart covered with dishes.
“Hello, I’m Geetabhai.”
Naina smiled tentatively at the woman who had a cheerful smile and face. “I’m Naina.”
Her cheeks burned slightly when the woman looked at her for a few moments. The woman probably wondered why the newlywed bride was dining in workout clothes on her first day at her new home.
No! This is not my home. It’s only my temporary prison.
Geetabhai placed the cart in the corner of the room where two chairs faced each other with a small round glass table in between. “I was told you were tired, so I just made dal along with simple chicken and vegetable curries. But since it’s your wedding day, I also made a special dessert to go with it.”
