He roared with laughter before turning on his side and spooning her body against his. “Any time, babe.”
“Screw me? Now?” Chaahat reached out to his manhood, her hand tracing the shape even as he hardened immediately in response.
“Yes!”
It was nine when Chaahat woke up the next morning, ravenously hungry. She stretched luxuriously, feeling a powerful sense of satiation. She smiled to herself when she recalled the number of times they had reached out to each other during the long night.
The object of her thoughts walked in right at that moment, clad in shorts and a t-shirt, carrying a laden tray.
Chaahat moaned when the smell of food and fresh coffee hit her nostrils. “What have you got there, Shaan? I’m dying of hunger.” She sat up straight on the bed, completely unconscious of her nudity.
“I figured that out.” Shaan grinned as he placed the tray on a table before walking up to her, his honey gold gaze running rampantly over her naked frame. “You okay after the wild night?” Not waiting for her reply, he lifted her up in his arms, making her squeal in delight, before carrying her over to a chair and depositing her in it. He nipped her lower lip, ordering her to, “Tuck up.”
Chaahat didn’t bother to answer him as she piled a plate with omelette and bread, along with two batata vadas, before beginning to eat ravenously.
Shaan gave her a fond look as he poured coffee into two mugs and placed one close to her. He sat down before picking a vada from her plate and biting into it, his eyes on her breasts.
“Hey! That’s my food you’re eating.” Chaahat protested, her mouth full.
“So? Okay, have it.” He fed her the leftover piece of vada, grinning when she bit his feeding hand. “Aren’t you violent?! Do you want me to get more food?”
She shook her head, sitting back to sip her coffee. “Not for me, I’m good.”
Shaan eyed the nearly empty tray, before turning to lift an eyebrow at her, his eyes shining with mischief. “I got food for two people and you almost polished it off.”
She grinned. “I know.” She placed her empty coffee cup back on the table before getting up to sit on his lap, throwing her arms around his neck. “Would you like me to get more food?”
He eyed her glowing face, shaking his head slowly. “I’d rather have you for breakfast.”
She laughed, pressing her lips to his rough cheek. “You can have me for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” She bit his earlobe, pleased to hear him groan in response. “Did I tell you what an awesome lover you are?”
A dull red flared up over Shaan’s manly cheeks as he eyed the woman in his arms, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You weren’t too bad either.”
She punched him on his arm. “That’s no compliment, you idiot.”
Shaan laughed, lifting her into his arms to carry her over to the bed. “We’d better be fast about this. Dev’s expecting me in his office in half an hour.”
“Oops!” Chaahat bounced up immediately, a startled look on her face. “I forgot all about my family. Damn! I’ve to go, Shaan. Can we take a rain check on my breakfast offer just now?” She was pulling on her scattered clothes even as she spoke. “I’ll meet you for lunch.”
Shaan sighed deeply, stepping behind to throw his arms around her, his hands seeking her breasts beneath her sweater. “Give me a kiss.”
She turned her face to kiss him deeply, moaning into his mouth as he tweaked her aroused nipples with rough fingers. “Let me go, Shaan.”
He took his hands away from her body before moving away a few inches. “I’ll be seeing you, then.”
Chaahat pulled her sweater down as she nodded her head vigorously and left with a wave, determined to catch him during lunchtime. She had meant it when she had told Shaan that he was an amazing lover.
Shaan watched her go, a smile on his face. Chaahat was one hell of a partner in bed, the kind he had never had before. He couldn’t wait to meet her in the afternoon.
But destiny seemed to have another plan for the lovers, very different from what they had envisaged.
8
Sitting at the dining table for breakfast, Dev looked up to see Chaahat walk into his home. He didn’t need to think hard to guess where she must have been. Shaan! They were getting as thick as thieves and Dev, for one, was glad to note that.
Shaan was level headed and hardworking, while Chaahat was flighty, and with a temper. If anyone could keep Chaahat grounded and at peace, it would be Shaan.
And Dev knew who Shaan actually was, though he had never shared his knowledge with anyone, not even his manager or Anya, the love of Dev’s life. It had happened when he had been trying to find Anya’s complete identity when she had been lying in a coma last year. Dev had come across Google image search. In a burst of curiosity, he had checked out Shaan’s picture much later, when he had got back home with Anya in tow. That’s when he had discovered that Shaan was actually Nishaan Ahuja, the scion of Ahuja Constructions, based in Delhi.
There were a few articles about him, the latest one being a gossip column about how the Vice President of Ahuja Constructions had broken away from his family and disappeared. Well, the world wasn’t aware that the same man had surfaced at Wadhwa Farm to work as Dev’s manager. Dev had to give the devil his due. Shaan was totally reliable and worked as hard as he did himself.
“Good morning, Chaahat! Why don’t you join us for breakfast?” Dev called out to his sister.
Meena turned to look at her granddaughter and was glad to find her glowing with health for a change. The child had appeared too peaky for her liking. The recent fainting spell had got her even more worried. “Aajaa beta.” Meena patted the empty chair next to her.
Chaahat walked over to sit with them, returning Anya’s greeting as well. “No food for me. I’ll have just coffee.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to starve yourself, Chaahat.” Dev’s voice, though soft, was equally firm.
Chaahat sighed. “You too, bro. Isn’t it enough that Shaan harasses me about my state of health? Anyway, I just had breakfast with him.”
So, his guess had been right. “Glad to hear about the breakfast part,” said Dev, giving her a penetrating look. “But why do you let Shaan harass you?” He had a twinkle in his eye as he looked at Anya before turning his attention back to his sister.
This time, Chaahat’s sigh was louder. “You know how it feels like, to stop an earthmover that’s determined in its path.” She grimaced. “That’s how your Shaan is. ‘Don’t smoke,’ ‘eat properly,’ ‘do this,’ ‘don’t do that,’ oh God! The man’s impossible.” While there was a scowl on her face, the expression in her eyes was soft.
The observant Dev didn’t miss that. “Do you think that maybe I should get another manager?” he asked, his tongue tucked firmly in his cheek. “I don’t want to work with a guy who’s pestering my little sister.”
“Huh?!” Chaahat gave him a startled look. Now where did that come from? Would Dev really do that for her? That was her main issue in life—a deep sense of insecurity that the people around her didn’t care for her. “No, no. He’s not so bad, Dev. Just a bit annoying, but nothing that I can’t handle.”
Anya placed a hand over her mouth to hide her grin as she sent a twinkling glance towards her husband.
Dev shrugged. “If you’re sure. So, tell me something. Dad called a while ago. He says…”
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Chaahat jumped from her chair to walk up and down, totally agitated. “What did he want?” The call must have been about her, otherwise why would Dev mention it.
“He has set up three interviews for you this week and he wants you to get back to Mumbai like right now.” Dev looked at the mutinous expression on his sister’s face and could commiserate with her feelings.
“No!” Chaahat almost screamed her protest. “He can’t make me go to those interviews. And you, Dev, are you going to chuck me out of your house?” She did her best to hold on to her temper, but her trembling lips betrayed
her nerves.
“Are you mad? Why would I do that?” Dev got up to throw an arm around Chaahat’s slender shoulders. “Alright, let’s talk. It’s been ten days since you came to stay here. I…”
“Am I overstaying my welcome?” Chaahat looked absolutely pathetic by now.
Dev looked down at her pinched face before pressing it down on his shoulder, his large hand rubbing her back in gentle strokes. “Hey, kiddo. You do know I love you, right?” He kissed her on her forehead when she lifted her face to look up at him, her eyes damp with unshed tears.
“Do you?” Her voice was hoarse as a single tear fell down a thin cheek.
“Chaahat!” Dev hugged her tight. “Of course, I love you kid.” He pulled her along with him up the stairs and settled her down in the library on the first floor. He sat next to her and continued to hug her. “Now tell me. Why are you so angry with life?”
It came pouring out, all of Chaahat’s woes. “I’ve been telling Mom and Dad that I want to be a fashion model. But they insist that I take up a management job, same as them. They keep harping on and on about security. I feel sick, Dev. It was a mistake doing well at college. But I’m not a loser. I like winning. And my course was too damn interesting for me to fail. I thought they’d happy that I became a graduate and let me get on with my life. But they insisted that I do my MBA.” She shook her head, a bitter expression on her face as she thought of what had happened more than two years ago. “When I really thought about it, I felt that there was no harm. It was only two more bloody years of my life. If nothing, it would help me market my own brand and that’s the reason I agreed.”
She looked into Dev’s face beseechingly. “I had made them promise that they would let go of their stranglehold on my life once I finish my post grad. I…”
“But Mom and Dad, being what they are, must have agreed to just about anything as long as you did what they wanted.” Dev said with a smile that sympathised with his sister’s woes but held no bitterness. He had become too successful to hold any grudge towards his parents.
“Exactly. You’re lucky, Dev. You just escaped from their clutches. Even Jai. The rogue’s hiding somewhere in Himachal, and not working in any company as Mom and Dad believe him to be.”
Dev burst out laughing. “Yeah, I know about that.” In fact, it was he who had egged him on when Jai had spoken to him about that. Dev believed in chasing dreams. Now he asked his sister, “And what’s stopping you from doing exactly that?”
Chaahat stared at him, wondering if she had heard right. “What are you saying?”
“You want to become a model, right? In the fashion industry. What’s stopping you from doing that?”
“But…but Dev, how could I just do that? To begin with, I need to lose weight. I’m too fat. And then there are our parents, insisting that I attend interviews. How can I…?”
“Why don’t you move out of the house? You are welcome to live here. But I don’t think living in Karjat is going to land you any modelling assignments. You should…”
Chaahat jumped up again, visibly distressed as she walked up and down the room. She stopped suddenly in front of Dev and said, “I don’t have any money of my own. I did earn some, but blew it all up. I…”
“You idiot!” He pulled her back down to sit next to him. “You have a billionaire for a brother and you say you don’t have money. Come on, Chaahat! How can I help you unless I know what you want?” Dev shook his head at her. “You can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen in life, Chaahat. You need to go grab what you want out of it, with both hands. That’s exactly what I did.”
“I know.” Chaahat sighed. “And I’m so proud of you, Dev. What do you suggest that I do?”
“What’s happening with you and Shaan?” Dev asked suddenly.
Chaahat shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just that he insists that I’m doing all the wrong things while trying to lose weight.”
“What have you been doing?” While he knew the answer to it, Dev wanted to hear it from her.
“First of all, promise not to go all big brother on me.” Chaahat raised her hand, palm up.
Dev grinned as he slapped his own hand over hers, saying, “I promise.”
“I’ve been skipping meals and also smoking cigarettes to control my hunger pangs. Wait! You promised me just now, so no scolding.” She held a hand in front of her in defence as she noticed the irritation in his eyes. “Believe me, it worked like a charm. I have lost seventeen kilos.”
“Are you crazy, Chaahat?” Dev’s voice was a growl. “Smoking will kill your stamina.”
Chaahat hung her head, muttering. “And here I thought I had a fail proof method for losing weight.”
“Listen, it’s not enough if you lose weight. You need to maintain it. How did you plan to do that? We Wadhwas love food.”
She looked at him with a deep scowl on her face. “How the hell do you manage to keep the weight off?”
Dev cracked up, laughing. “For a girl who’s passed her MBA with distinction, you are pretty dumb, Chaahat. How do people stay fit? By exercising, of course. It’s as simple as that. Eat what you want, but exercise, every day. If nothing, you can go for a run or jog, a few kilometres each day. That’s what I do.”
“Tch! It’s all fine for you to talk. I hate exercising.” Chaahat glared at her laughing brother.
“You know something, it’s tough to become a cordon bleu chef if you hate food. It’s the same with your life.” Dev didn’t mince his words. “If you hate exercising, then fashion modelling may not be the profession for you. Keeping fit is supremely important in a career where thousands of women are chasing the same dream. And most of them are way younger than you, Chaahat. You…”
“And whose fault is that?” Her voice wobbled, angry tears building up in her throat.
“Look here, kiddo. You have a choice. You can either chase your dreams with singlemindedness or you can sit back on your ass, blaming others. It’s up to you what you choose to do.” He looked at her, a thick eyebrow raised in query. “Are we on the same page this far?”
Chaahat looked into his eyes, nodding her head slowly. “Yes. I want to be a model, come hell or highwater.”
“That’s my gal. You need to get into better shape for that and I don’t just mean your physical shape. You need a healthier lifestyle, stop…”
“…smoking, begin to exercise, do yoga, meditate, eat well, blah, blah, blah. Did Shaan set you up?”
“What?!” Dev shook with silent laughter. “Has he been telling you that? Remind me to thank Shaan for doing way more than the call of his duties…”
“Oh, shuddup Dev. Shaan’s head is too blown up for his own good anyway. Don’t make it worse.” But there was a smile in Chaahat’s voice when she said that, as she couldn’t help recalling the highly sexed night she had spent in Shaan’s arms.
“Okay. Then we need to focus on your health first.”
“Shaan took me to a health retreat yesterday.” Chaahat admitted in a quiet voice.
“He did? So, what do you think about going there?”
Chaahat shook her head. “I don’t think I can afford it.”
“You can. I just told you that you have a rich brother.” Dev’s voice was stern now.
“But this is too damn expensive, Dev. From the conversation I heard between Shaan and the chief medical officer there, I’ll need to attend a three-week course, at the least. And that would cost around two and a half lakhs. I…”
“Done. You don’t worry your pretty head about all that. What do you think of the place? Did you like it? Do you believe it can help you in the long run?”
Chaahat nodded slowly. While she had fought with Shaan all the way, she had been able to see that the serene atmosphere of the retreat and the varied treatments would definitely help her get on the right track. She hadn’t bothered to say anything positive only because she had been convinced that she could never afford to go there. Right now, Chaahat felt too tired, both mentally and physicall
y and was more than ready to give herself up into safe hands. It would be just awesome to follow orders and not worry too much about the consequences.
She looked at Dev and said, “It’s a great place, Dev. I’m sure they can help me. But are you sure you want to spend so much money on me? I…”
“Idiot!” He hugged her tight.
One hour later, brother and sister left to go to Raheja Health Resort, to book Chaahat into the three-week treatment for detox, weaning her away from smoking and improving her overall health.
Dev also had a long chat with Dr. Sindhu Raheja once they reached there, keen to know that he was leaving his sister in safe hands. Just before he left, he took Chaahat’s hand and said, “Leave Mom and Dad to me. You get healthy and beautiful. And, Chaahat, listen, I’ll be in touch. If you think spending a few more weeks here is going to help you, do not hesitate. I can easily afford that for my little sis.”
Chaahat hugged him. “Thank you, Dev. I’ll return every rupee once I begin to make money.”
Dev grinned, tweaking her nose. “Let’s see. You take care. And Shaan, do you have a message for him?”
“Nothing that I want to pass through my brother, for sure.” Chaahat gave him a mock glare, making Dev laugh. “But don’t tell him that I’m here at the retreat. I won’t be able to bear his ‘I told you so’, expression, saala.”
But Dev never got a chance to talk to Shaan about Chaahat when he returned to his farm. All hell had broken loose in Shaan’s life by evening.
9
Shaan pulled out his mobile from his jeans pocket, a sense of premonition hitting him right at that moment when he saw his mother’s face on the caller ID. “Hey Mom! What’s up?”
“Nishaan…your dad…” Nalini started sobbing before she could complete the sentence.
“Mom! What happened? I’m on my way home. But please tell me what happened to Dad.” He would never forgive himself if something terrible had happened to his father, not after the way he had left home in a rush.
Leo's Desire (Written in the Stars Book 2) Page 7
