“I thought you had a temporary crush on your boss. Why would someone as beautiful as you want a serious relationship with a guy with my looks?”
“Why not? You have so much going for you.”
“Sure, my business is doing well. But just look at me, Meena.”
“You underestimate your looks, Prajay,” I scolded him. “I happen to think you have a great personality, and you look very distinguished.”
“Thanks.” He gave a helpless shrug. “What can I say? I’m an idiot. I was wrong on many counts.”
Something struck me then. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you telling me this now because Archana turned you down?”
“No—”
“Since you can’t have a tall woman, am I your last resort?”
“Listen, I—”
“Sort of like settling for a stale burger because that’s all that’s available when you’d rather have a juicy steak?”
He clamped a hand firmly over my mouth. “No, I lied a bit about Archana. On the two occasions she and I met, I was so preoccupied with thoughts of you that she came right out and asked me what my problem was. I decided to tell her the truth. Fortunately she had a sense of humor about it and advised me to go after you if you were single and available.”
I yanked his hand off my mouth and rolled my eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
He made that same funny face he’d made the previous week. “She told me I was stupid for letting the perfect woman slip away from me because of some silly hang-up about height and weight.”
“Smart woman.” Suddenly Archana was taking on a golden glow.
“Damn right. That’s why I decided to talk to you about my feelings.”
Hope sparked inside my belly. “What kind of feelings? The kind you feel for all your consultants?”
“Hardly.” He gave what sounded like a frustrated groan combined with an amused laugh. “What I feel for you has been torture to hold inside. I love you. I knew for sure when I kissed you that evening.”
“Then why would you want to hide such fabulous feelings? That night in your condo, you hurt me badly when you pushed me away.”
“I’m so sorry.” He kissed my hand. “At the time, I felt I had to. I’m so much older than you. Besides, you’re so tiny and delicate. Any kind of physical relationship with me would be the death of you.”
“So how’s it different now?”
“Now I know you feel the same way about me. That is the difference.” He ran a caressing hand from the top of my arm all the way down to my wrist. “So fragile. Can you honestly see a man over two hundred pounds making love to a little doll like you?”
The spark inside me was slowly exploding into full-blown fireworks. “I can see it clearly. And it looks pretty good to me.” I was still trying to get over the fact that Prajay was here, sitting next to me, telling me he cared about me, when I’d made myself miserable over him for weeks. Especially this past week. I’d been brooding during the entire flight from Newark to LA, too.
“Just pretty good?” he teased, with a hint of smugness.
“Very good,” I replied, my mouth twitching in spite of my efforts to suppress the smile.
In the next instant he picked me up by the waist and hauled me into his lap. “Can’t you do better than that, Miss PR and talented copywriter?” He drew me closer and touched his forehead to mine.
“All right. Getting physical with you sounds delicious,” I said on a nervous giggle. Lord, even that was too tame to describe what I was feeling at the moment. It felt like heaven sitting so close to him, enclosed in a tight embrace. He smelled super, too—a combination of his signature cologne and clean sweat from a long day of work and travel.
“Much better,” he murmured on a satisfied note. Then his hand cupped my face and his mouth captured mine—curious, achingly hungry, matching my own need.
I twined my arms around his neck and kissed him back, venting all my pent-up emotions from the past weeks. “Okay ... so ... how are we going to do it?” I asked him, finally coming up for air. “Get physical, that is.”
“Exactly like this. I can pick you up with one hand very easily,” he replied with a mocking grin. But the grin disappeared momentarily. “I’m still worried about you. You’d be making love with an elephant.”
I pulled away to look into his eyes. “Does size really matter that much to you, Prajay?”
“Only in terms of your safety. Even if we’re careful and all goes well in the love department, our children will be big, strapping infants. My dad’s a giant of a man, and my mother apparently had difficulty giving birth to three large boys. And my mom’s a lot bigger than you.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’d worry myself sick over your health, baby.”
Baby. I liked that. “If and when the time comes, I’ll manage. Medical care has come a long way since your mom gave birth,” I assured him, before he could dream up a few more excuses. I kissed him with renewed ardor.
“So, how did you magically appear in my room?” I demanded a while later.
He inclined his head in the direction behind my left shoulder. “See that door? I’m in the room that connects with this one.”
I turned to look at the door. “So you planned all this in advance?”
He nodded. “Nice surprise?”
“Um-hmm,” I purred, burying my face in his neck.
Speaking of rooms, I realized I was in this place for a reason. “Oh, no! I have the job interview tomorrow.”
“Not anymore,” he said with quiet confidence. “I’m not going to let you get away from me.”
“It’s unprofessional not to show up for a scheduled interview, Prajay,” I argued. “Ajit’s friend went to all this trouble to fit me in at the last minute and all.”
“It’s all taken care of. Ajit called his friend and canceled the interview.” Prajay’s hands slipped under my shirt—a bold, unexpected move that sent a tremor through me. His big hands were firm but gentle.
“And you guys let me think I had an interview and let me fly out here? How devious is that?”
He stroked my ribcage. “We didn’t want you to guess what was going on. Akka, Ajit, and I planned this together—down to your favorite roses and white wine.”
I glanced at the roses. I should’ve known as soon as I saw them that something strange was afoot. I placed my palms around his face. I loved the raspy texture. “How did you know they were my favorite flowers? You sent me those when I sprained my ankle, too.”
“When I was feeling guilty about your injury, I asked Pinky if she knew what kind of flowers you liked. She told me.”
“Hmm.” Pinky had never divulged that bit of information to me.
“I love your surprise, but poor Brian Murphy is paying for my expenses,” I insisted weakly, giving in to the delightful sensation caused by Prajay’s roving hands kneading the sides of my breasts.
“I’ve already reimbursed him for everything,” Prajay assured me.
This was a pleasantly aggressive side of Prajay I’d never encountered before. And I liked it a whole lot. I liked strong, decisive men who went after what they wanted. And yet it was empowering to know he’d been uncertain of my feelings for him. I didn’t want to be taken for granted. I took a shaky breath and basked in the wonder of it all.
This was what I’d been seeking all along.
“You took care of everything.” I batted my eyelashes at him, savoring the moment. “You’re so efficient.”
“That’s why I’m the CEO of my company,” he said, none too modestly. His heated gaze held mine for a long moment. “Am I moving too fast for you?”
“No.” He was moving at exactly the pace I wanted. Needed.
“Won’t your parents get upset if they find out you’re alone in LA with me?” he teased.
“They’ll be ecstatic that their wayward brat has finally fallen in love with a suitable man.” I didn’t want to tell him I had no intention of telling my parents about certain things surrounding
this trip. Of course I’d have to tell them a few things, including the canceled job interview. The rest was going to be my private, slightly guilty pleasure.
Before his wandering hands could shift again, I caught them in mine. “I have to ask you some questions before we go any further.”
“Is this some kind of test?” His eyebrows were raised.
I gave it a moment’s consideration. “You could call it that.”
“Multiple choice?”
“Uh-uh. Right or wrong answers only.”
“Damn.”
“First of all, how long are we staying in LA? I have to let my family know.”
“I thought we could make it a well-earned, week-long vacation—get to know each other without any interruptions. We’ve never had any time to ourselves. And we could spend Christmas together.”
“Good answer.” This could turn out to be my best Christmas ever. I squeezed his hands to show my approval. “Second, are we dating exclusively now, or are you going to start with that ‘fragile piece of fluff’ and once again go off on some wild quest for an Amazon in a sari?” I held my breath for his answer.
“Why would I want anyone else, now that I know you care about me? I’ve been crazy about you since the day I met you.”
I let the joy of it settle around my heart before continuing. “Third, you’re sure you won’t regret your decision later?”
“The only decision I regret is not telling you earlier. I wasted a lot of time.”
“You certainly did.” I proceeded with my questioning. “Since this is clearly a conflict of interest, will I still be working for you?”
“Oh, that, yeah.” He sighed. “Uh ... I suppose I could make you a junior partner in the firm or something,” he said. “That way you won’t be working for me but with me.” He gave me one of his rare grins. “How am I doing so far on the test?”
“You’re this close to a perfect score.” I held my thumb and forefinger very close together. “I have one more question. Is this a short-term or long-term relationship?”
“Neither.” His mock frown was fierce enough to look like the real thing. “This relationship is permanent. You’re going to marry me right away, Miss Shenoy.”
I sent silent messages of thanks to Lord Ganesh and Akka, then threw my arms around Prajay’s neck and smacked a noisy kiss on his mouth. “You aced the test, Mr. Nayak. You may now propose to me the old-fashioned way. Ask me nicely.”
Author’s Note
I have always been a strong believer in karma, and entirely fascinated by it, a mystical word that comes from my Indian-Hindu culture.
It is a complex term, used widely across the world in varied contexts, yet impossible to define precisely. It is loosely used to mean fate or destiny. But on a deeper level, it is closely related to reincarnation, the Hindu concept of the soul being reborn again and again, to pay for the sins of previous lives, until it has atoned for every ill and become perfect enough to achieve moksha. Immortality.
In my latest novel, The Reluctant Matchmaker, my heroine is anxious to seek her own destiny, to shape it to her vision and ideals. But little does she know that karma cannot be molded to one’s way of thinking. It is a potent, mysterious, and unpredictable force that strikes in bizarre ways, and along the way teaches some valuable lessons in life.
I love to write stories that entertain and educate my readers, women’s fiction with romantic elements and that reflect my ethnic Indian culture, what I call “Bollywood in a Book.”
I sincerely hope you enjoy this refreshing new story with its karmic touch, which depicts the unique challenges faced by young, second-generation immigrants.
Happy reading.
Shobhan Bantwal
A READING GROUP GUIDE
THE RELUCTANT
MATCHMAKER
Shobhan Bantwal
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included
to enhance your group’s
reading of this book.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Despite growing up in a culture that places so much emphasis on arranged marriage, a practice that has worked well for so many in her family, why do you think Meena Shenoy firmly rejects the notion? Discuss the concept of arranged marriage.
2. Discuss the pros and cons of growing up in a mixed cultural environment like Meena and Prajay have. Does straddling two or more diverse cultures help or hinder personal growth?
3. Despite Prajay’s remarks that he doesn’t place emphasis on looks, he still wants to marry someone based on physical appearance. Discuss the contradictions and the implications of his statement.
4. Discuss Meena’s relationship with Deepak Iyer. What does Deepak bring to her life and to the story?
5. Meena’s mother is a successful career woman and a dominant matriarch. How does she influence her children’s lives?
6. After admitting to herself that she’s in love with Prajay, why is the intrepid Meena so afraid to confess that love to him?
7. What roles do Meena’s brothers play in her life? How do they factor into her quest for the perfect man?
8. Discuss the scene that involves Prajay’s young niece and nephew. How do they enhance the story?
9. Akka, Meena’s elderly great-aunt, plays an influential part in Meena’s story. How does Akka bring a whole new twist to the plot?
10. Another character who makes the story more complicated is Ajit Baliga. Discuss his role in the story.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2012 by Shobhan Bantwal
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-7980-4
The Reluctant Matchmaker Page 30
