by M. V. Kasi
Dhruv laughed, and then he pushed her on her back on top of the simple yet plush rug near his coffee table where they were currently seated. Her heart thumped when he covered her body with his.
She watched with breathless anticipation as he tugged at her top, pushing it off and baring her upper body before staring at her.
Her body was toned due to regular exercise, and she wasn’t too busty. She had never paid that much attention to her body before, but the look in Dhruv’s eyes whenever he saw her bare, made her feel like a goddess.
“See, no spare fat,” he murmured huskily. “Just enough for it to be a handful and a mouthful.” He followed the statement by cupping both her breasts in his palms and then lowering his mouth to suck on one of them.
She moaned as she felt her womb quiver with each tug. “Dhruv…” she gasped softly, feeling the need building within her at a rapid pace.
She reached out and tugged his shirt up, wanting to feel his bare skin on top of hers. She knew he wouldn’t let them completely shed their clothes. He had told her that the sight of her completely naked would break his restraint. So she hadn’t pushed him. Yet.
But she knew or rather always expected ‘the’ moment to arrive at any point—sooner rather than later. Or she wouldn’t have purchased sexy underwear and freshly waxed her legs.
She always seemed to be in a constant high around him. “Dhruv…” Her tone came out agonized.
“Tell me what you want,” he asked huskily while slowly continuing to drive her crazy with each kiss and soft bites.
“I want you,” she breathlessly said. “I want you in me.”
He groaned at her words. “I want you, too. But we are not taking this to completion tonight.”
Shilpa knew he had an early morning flight to catch in four more hours. It was plenty of time for them to go all the way if only the maddening man would agree.
“But I ache.” She realized her tone came out whiny.
There was as a predatory smile on Dhruv’s handsome face. “Poor baby. Maybe it’ll stop when I kiss it better,” he said.
Her breath became even choppier as he unzipped her soft trousers and pulled them away. Then pulling his shirt up and throwing it on top of her trousers, he moved between her legs. He kept his eyes locked on hers.
She lost his eye contact when his dark head lowered between her legs. “Dhruv,” she gasped as felt his warm, humid breath against her core. She tried to wiggle away at the strong, unfamiliar sensations, but his strong hands clasped her and pulled her hips towards him. His mouth closed on her in an intimate kiss, and his tongue teased her.
The sensation blew her mind as she struggled to stay in control. She felt as though she was caught up in a storm. She felt helpless against the sensual onslaught Dhruv was unleashing on her. And he kept at her, relentlessly tormenting her, until she was unable to do anything but let go.
She cried out his name in shock as an orgasm flooded her and carried her away in its intensity. Even as her breath came out in pants, she felt his lips moving over her, upward.
He kissed her still quivering stomach, her swollen, sensitive breasts, and then the pulse thudding at her neck before his mouth met hers again. She could still taste herself slightly on his lips and tongue, and it made her ache for him once again. But not just for his mouth, but for him to be inside her completely.
It scared her how much she needed him. Was it because he was just a warm body to satisfy her sexually? She wondered what would happen when they finally had sex. Would her need towards him dampen?
She tried to imagine how it would be without having him to talk to or listen to him or even spend time with him.
She couldn’t!
When the hell had she begun to feel that way towards him? And if she felt like this now, she tried to imagine how it would be later, when she felt the bond with him strengthen even more. It would hurt worse than cutting off a limb.
No. Maybe she was confusing her strong sexual attraction with emotional needs. She didn’t need Dhruv or anyone. She hadn’t needed anyone for a very long time. And after all, Dhruv was still a relative stranger to her. She had known him for only three months.
A sardonic voice inside her began to say it was too late. The man was already lodged inside her heart.
At her sudden panicked breaths, Dhruv raised his head and frowned slightly. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Shilpa didn’t know what to say. She could have just said nothing, but her panic only seemed to grow and freeze her thoughts. She was saved from answering when his phone began to ring.
But Dhruv ignored it.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” She looked towards the ringing phone desperately.
“No. But I’m waiting for you to answer my question. What’s wrong?” he asked again.
“Nothing,” she said. He looked as though he didn’t believe her.
The ringing stopped, and barely a couple of seconds later, his phone began to ring once again.
“You should answer it. It must be an important call.”
Dhruv rolled away from the top of her and frowned when he looked at the screen. “It’s Neeru. And I already know why she’s calling.” He threw the phone carelessly on the couch and looked at Shilpa with an intent look.
“Why is she calling you?” Shilpa asked in an attempt to distract him from his questioning.
He shook his head. “She wants me to go on a date with an actress I know. I already told her no. Anyway, forget about that and tell me what happened just now between us after I—”
“You should go.”
He frowned. “What?”
“You should go on a date with that actress,” Shilpa said.
His frown grew deeper. “I’m done playing such games for publicity. And I don’t think I will ever need to do such things again.”
“But it need not be just for publicity. It could maybe lead to the real thing, too. Being an actress, that woman would have more things in common with you than anyone else could. You should call Neeru and tell her to fix you up.” Shilpa knew her voice came out a little high and shrill as she blurted those words in panic.
Dhruv didn’t respond. In fact, there was silence. A heavy, loaded silence. And Shilpa could barely hold on to Dhruv’s stare.
“What’s going on here?” he asked finally.
“Nothing. I was just saying you should date women with whom you have more common interests with.”
“I’m already doing that. Why did you think I was spending all this time with you?” His look was thunderous.
“No. Not this kind of dating. I meant… All I’m trying to say is we should set expectations and shouldn’t get the wrong idea.”
“And what idea is that?”
Shilpa desperately searched for words. “You are a movie star. I’m a police officer. You don’t even live in the same city as me. We have different lifestyles. Getting involved—”
“We are already involved.”
“I meant in a different way.”
“What way?” he snapped.
She took a deep breath. “I meant involved emotionally.”
His nostrils flared. “We are already involved emotionally. What the hell did you think the last four weeks were about?” he demanded.
They had spent every spare minute together, talking about their day and talking about their lives in general. Each minute and all of their conversations were imprinted in her mind.
Shilpa got up from the rug and stood on her legs which were still slightly wobbly. Her cheeks felt hot recalling the reason. And it felt odd being completely naked while Dhruv was half-dressed and glaring at her.
She put her clothes on, trying hard to ignore the heat of his glare. When she finished getting dressed, she looked at him. He was seated on the floor of his penthouse, looking completed pissed.
“When you think about this rationally, you’ll know I’m right,” she said in a soft voice. “Goodbye, Dhruv.”
“You are breaking up
with me?” he asked in shock.
“No. We were never together or in a committed relationship to break-up. We are just… friends.” She saw the incredulous look on his face, and her cheeks heated even more, considering where her ‘friend’s’ mouth and tongue had been a few minutes ago. But she forged on. “We can still be… friends as long as we both know where we stand.”
The pissed-off look on his face returned along with a hint of vulnerability. Shilpa felt like shit, but she knew it was better this way.
He didn’t stop her when she went towards the main door. Shilpa didn’t expect him to.
With a deep, shuddering breath, she convinced herself she did the right thing before either of them got hurt.
Chapter 25
A week had passed since Shilpa last saw or had spoken to Dhruv.
Shilpa was miserable.
She missed Dhruv. She had almost dialed his number a hundred times over the week only to chicken out at the last moment.
She had binge-watched Dhruv’s movies and obsessively followed the latest news about him on social media and news outlets. There were murmurs of gossip about a romance brewing between him and a popular actress.
The actress looked stunning in the pictures. It only made Shilpa more miserable.
The sound of loud ringing of the phone on her SUV’s speakers interrupted Shilpa’s thoughts.
“Shilpa, where are you?”
“I’m—” Shit! She had missed the turn to the Commissioner’s office where they were going to hold a Special Task Force meeting. And usually before that, she and the Commissioner spoke briefly to discuss what they would be addressing. “I’m on my way, sir. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
She was going to reach there a few minutes later than anticipated. She needed to stop thinking about Dhruv. Ma had noticed it too, how absent-minded and distracted she had been during the daily calls. Dhruv was still calling Ma and talking to her regularly. Ma told her that while also throwing curious glances at Shilpa.
“Did DJ and you fight?” Ma had asked.
“No. Dhruv’s just busy with his work as I am. And we can’t fight because he’s just a good friend, Ma.”
The older woman didn’t seem like she believed Shilpa, but she didn’t comment either.
Shilpa missed Dhruv during the nights too—especially during the nights when she lay awake tossing and turning recalling their moments together. His laughter, his kisses, his touch. Her body felt restless and alive, wanting him desperately with her.
Unfortunately, life had taught Shilpa a bitter lesson that what she wanted didn’t matter. She had to maintain distance to protect herself from getting hurt.
“No more thinking about him,” she muttered, coming to a firm decision.
She turned the car and drove towards the Commissioner’s office.
She loved her work, and when she was working on a case, nothing filled her mind except the task at hand during the working hours. But not a damn day passed when Dhruv’s name was not mentioned even at the police station. Everyone still spoke about how awesome DJ was.
Shilpa agreed with them. Dhruv was awesome. An awesome conversationalist. An awesome cook. An awesome actor. An awesome kisser. An awesome lover. The way he—
“Stop it! Don’t think about him anymore.” Shilpa scolded herself yet another time.
Chapter 26
Dhruv was in hell.
He had spoken to Rhima Kumar the previous evening who casually mentioned to him that Shilpa had met a man who was a prospective groom. When he first heard that, it only caused a slight irritation and didn’t really bother him because Shilpa had already told him about the various matches she was made to pursue to make Rhima happy.
But what totally blew Dhruv’s gut and made him jealous as hell and wanting to go on a rampage was the fact that Shilpa had apparently met this man for the second time. Rhima seemed excited about that fact too. She even made some passing statements about grandchildren.
Like hell! Dhruv had thought. Unfortunately, his irrationality didn’t stop there. It led him to pick up the phone and call Neeru to confirm his next evening’s plans.
And so now, he was seated at an exclusive restaurant feeling like he was in hell.
“All right, who is she?”
Dhruv glanced over at the beautiful woman who had asked him the question.
Tina Raheja was one of the top actresses during the last decade until she took a break when she had gotten married. The marriage had ended in a divorce recently, and since then, Tina had been trying to get a good break in the movies. Dhruv had worked with her in the past and enjoyed her company. Unlike the sexy siren image she had on the outside, Tina was a warm, nurturing person who had a strong mothering instinct.
“What do you mean?” Dhruv asked with a forced, pleasant smile.
“Oh, please, DJ. When the man appears distracted while he’s on a date with me, I know it’s because his mind is filled with another woman.”
“Sorry. Am I being that obvious?”
“Yes! So tell me all about her. Tell Mama Tina who dared to mess with Dhruv Jagannath and leave him hanging.”
“Mess with me?” Dhruv asked in amusement.
“Well. I doubt if any sane woman would let you out of her grasp and send you off on a date with another. She really must be a genius to use that technique to lure you further in or really insane.”
“Neither,” he answered. “She isn’t the kind to lure someone or play games. She’s just… complicated.”
“Aren’t we all?” Tina asked. “Tell me more about her.”
Dhruv hesitated. He never ever discussed his personal life with anyone. But Tina was a good friend of his, and Shilpa was driving him insane enough that he was desperate to get an outside opinion. Especially a woman’s. He could call his mother, except he never discussed his love life with her. Maybe because he never had one before.
“She’s a police officer.”
Tina looked surprised. Dhruv didn’t blame her. He had an active dating life if not a love life, but he was never seen with someone who wasn’t a celebrity in some way or the other.
“Ooh. Interesting. How did you meet her?” Tina asked.
“I was getting mentorship from her to prepare for my role.”
“Ah. For your upcoming movie. So you got involved with her while you are working together?”
“No. Later. We were done with the contract by then.”
“If she agreed to see you when you weren’t working together, that’s a clear signal to say she is interested in you.”
“I thought so, too. But then, she pushed back saying we belong to different worlds and cannot get into a serious relationship.”
“Hmm… I see. Do you agree with her?”
“No.”
“Then my next question to you is, she might be shying away from having a serious relationship, but what are you doing not wooing her? And why are you on a date with me?” Tina didn’t sound offended. In fact, she was smiling conspiringly. “Is the heartthrob of millions using me to make his girlfriend jealous to get her to commit?”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said. His mind immediately added ‘yet’ to the sentence. “And guilty as charged about the jealous part. Sorry.”
Tina laughed. “Don’t be,” she said. “I’m glad to be of some help, considering you are helping me regain popularity and hopefully helping me get my sinking career up again.”
Although Tina was really good at acting, she hadn’t received the offers she wanted yet. And Dhruv knew how the industry and audience worked. One always had to be constantly in the limelight to be able to maintain a certain status. And although Dhruv didn’t enjoy the limelight so much, he still ended being in one constantly.
Tina and Dhruv finished dinner. Dhruv led her outside. He was holding her hand, making it seem intimate. Several cameras clicked their pictures, and despite being warned not to, some of them even followed Dhruv’s vehicle.
“All right, mission accom
plished for both of us,” Tina said. “So what are you going to do next? Let her see the pictures of us together and stew for a few days?”
Dhruv laughed. “No. I don’t think I’m known for my patience. And I’m not very sure of how she would react or feel at this point. I don’t know if she likes me enough even to feel jealous. So I’m going to her right now.”
He kissed Tina’s cheek. “Thank you,” he said. Although Dhruv had arrived at his decision on his own, he was grateful to Tina for playing along with him.
“Anytime, handsome.”
Dhruv dropped Tina at her hotel.
Dhruv knew the reporters would follow his car. So he waited for a while and then left in one of his other cars which Viren had brought beforehand. And luckily, Tina was staying in a high-rise hotel to make it easier for him to sneak away.
IT WAS CLOSE to midnight when Viren dropped him in front of Shilpa’s place in a heavily-tinted car.
Dhruv’s heart was thumping hard inside his chest filled with anticipation. He rang the bell and stood impatiently waiting for it to be answered.
He hoped Shilpa wasn’t asleep. Even if she were, then he would break open the damn door or camp outside the door risking discovery. But no matter what, he was not leaving until they talked.
He waited for ten minutes before he was about to call Viren and ask for something to break the lock on the door with, but he stopped when he heard footsteps.
Shilpa opened the door with an irritable look on her face, most likely because the bell had been ringing constantly for the past ten minutes. When she saw who it was, her irritation melted away.
She looked shocked and then moved out of his way while he barged inside and shut the door.
Dhruv’s eyes searched Shilpa’s face for any indication that she had missed him like he had missed her. He couldn’t read anything as she kept it deliberately blank.
Irritated, his eyes slid down. She was in her nightclothes. It was a simple cotton nightshirt and pants. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a few strands escaping and floating around her face. Her skin looked freshly scrubbed, as though she had just stepped out of the shower and was getting ready to go to bed.
