Killer Moves

by Varsha Dixit

  Kabir kissed her deeply as Aisha shuddered and climaxed, with him embedded deep in her love pool. Sheathed inside her tight walls, her bare legs wrapped around him, Kabir could not hold back any longer. His orgasm was powerful. His body jerked as he continued to thrust in Aisha, the pleasure deep and soul searing. Kabir felt like he had permanently fused himself with sweet and brave woman in his arms. His possessive touch, heated gaze and seeking hands and mouth left no room for any doubt. Aisha was all that he wanted and more.

  Amidst heated, plundering kisses, roving hands and sweetly spoken words, Aisha learned how an experienced lover’s touch and heated coupling bodies can evoke an earth shattering experience. Twice.

  #

  “Ummm!” Waking up, Aisha stretched her arms above her head. She was alone in Kabir’s bed. Her body felt deliciously worn, her breasts raw from the attention they had received from Kabir’s mouth and hands, the place between her legs still tingling from his long, stroking thrusts.

  Aisha’s heart felt overloaded with love for Kabir. She affectionately stroked the pillow next to her, the one on which he had lain after he had made love to her, his expression awed, his mouth creased in a smile. “Thank you!” he had said with such reverence.

  I love you would have been good too!

  Aisha turned and saw that all her clothes were folded neatly on the ottoman at the foot of the bed. Sometime later, she went looking for her newly-minted lover. She found him sitting with his back to her on the sofa downstairs.

  Chapter 84

  Kabir heard her come down. Swiveling his head, he put his hand out to Aisha, his glance hot and possessive. “Hey!”

  “Hey!” Shyly taking his hand, Aisha came around the sofa and settled next to him. Aisha rested her head against his bare chest for his shirt was unbuttoned. Her eyes fell on the laptop open on his lap. A woman with delicate bird-like features stared back at her. “Holy cow!” Aisha jerked up.

  Next to her Kabir dissolved in chuckles.

  “Hi!” The woman greeted Aisha, her expression bemused.

  “Hi!” Aisha said, even as she dug her elbow into Kabir who was still laughing. “You are horrible.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart.” Kabir sobered. “Shreya, this is—”

  “Kiara, I’m guessing?” The woman on the video call spoke dryly.

  Aisha and Kabir exchanged a puzzled glance. “No Shreya, this is Kiara’s aunt. Aisha.”

  Shreya’s look was bug-eyed. “She is the aunt? But you said she was a pain in the ass.” She covered her mouth. “Oops!”

  “Shreya!” Kabir murmured. He took Aisha’s hand. “That was much earlier. When we . . . met.”

  Aisha patted his hand. “It’s okay. I have said worse about you.”

  Shreya was quick to make amends. “It’s lovely to meet you, Aisha. May I be the first to offer congratulations on the impending nuptials?”

  “Umm!” Aisha looked at Kabir, her expression like what-do-I-say-to-that?

  “Shreya, you are on a roll.” Kabir shook his head.

  Shreya looked sheepish. “Sorry, Aisha, I’m just exhausted. The conference is long and tiring. I’m super happy for you guys.”

  “It’s okay.” Aisha smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “So, when do you get back?” Kabir changed the topic.

  “Actually, sooner than I had planned. A problem with one of my patients.” Shreya’s rolled her eyes. “Anyhow, I look forward to meeting you in person, Aisha. I haven’t seen Kabir happier. And I think it’s all because of you.”

  Feeling awkward, Aisha could only nod.

  “Bye, Shreya. Call me when you land here.” Kabir ended the call. He raised Aisha’s hand and dropped lingering kisses on her fingers.

  Aisha closed her eyes. His lips on her skin set off familiar tingles in her body. She was melting again. “She isn’t mad with me because I spoke to her ex-husband?”

  Carelessly pushing his laptop to the side, Kabir crowded against Aisha and turned her face to his. His lips were centimeters away, but not for long. He kissed Aisha for several minutes and then pulled apart. “She is very nice, just like you. How are you feeling now, sweetheart?”

  “Haven’t felt better.” Aisha snuggled against him.

  “Hungry?”

  “Hmmm!”

  “How does dinner in bed sound?” Kabir pulled her up against him.

  “You, Sir, are a mind reader.”

  Kabir’s hand purposely brushed her breast. “But I’m hungry for dessert first.”

  Chapter 85

  A week later

  “Have you decided what to wear tonight?” Kiara asked as she and Aisha walked through a Mall, looking for a gift.

  “I don’t know. Maybe the pink skirt or the one you got for me from Cottons.” Aisha scrunched her nose up. “I hope Shreya likes me.”

  “Of course, she will! What is—”

  Just then Aisha’s cell rang. It was Parth. “Hold on to that thought!” Aisha answered her cell.

  “Hello?”

  “Aisha, can I meet you today? The sooner the better.” Parth sounded serious.

  “Sure. Everything okay?”

  “I will tell you when we meet.” Parth replied.

  “I can meet you in an hour.” Aisha said. “Can you tell me what it is about?”

  “It’s about Kabir.”

  #

  In less than an hour, Aisha walked into a coffee shop. Parth stood up and waved her down. He had taken the last booth in the cafe.

  Aisha made her way past the other occupied tables. The smell of baked products and coffee left a pleasant aroma inside.

  “How’s the arm?” she said, pointing at Parth’s arm in the sling.

  “A pain in the ass!” Parth said rubbing the gray strap around his neck. “Now I know how a collar feels around a dog’s neck. Have a seat, please.”

  “So, what is it about Kabir?” Aisha came straight to the point, placing her purse on the plastic padded bench with a small rip in it.

  Parth lowered himself across from her. “You want something? Coffee?”

  “Regular, no sugar or milk.” Aisha waited as Parth placed their orders. She watched quietly as Parth tipped half the sugar jar in his cappuccino.

  “I like it sweet,” He offered, stirring his coffee.

  “No kidding,” Aisha murmured.

  “Stay away from Kabir,” Parth too was a straight shooter.

  Aisha jerked her head back. “Excuse me?”

  Parth opened a folder kept on his side and placed two pictures on the table. “Do you know these women?”

  Aisha glared at him. “His sister and his wife.”

  “His dead sister and his dead wife.” Parth placed the pictures back in the file. “Both died when Kabir was the only one with them.”

  “No, he wasn’t!” Aisha contested, her insides curdling at Parth’s insinuation.

  Parth raised an eyebrow. “Did he tell you that?”

  Aisha frowned as she tried recollecting that particular conversation.

  “And is it a coincidence that a prolific and active serial killer works with him for so many years and Kabir has no idea what his assistant is doing?”

  Aisha opened her mouth to defend Kabir but Parth cut her off.

  “You must have had an assistant. What do you know about him or her?”

  Aisha sat back, her expression sullen. “Everyone has different personalities. I know more about my assistants because we both like to share things. I don’t think Vikas, sorry, Tony was good at sharing and we all know why. And Kabir doesn’t talk much about himself until he is very close to someone.”

  “Like he is to you, nowadays?” Parth sipped his coffee.

  “Excuse me?”

  “We are watching him. That is how I know you and he meet every day for prolonged hours at his apartment.”

  Aisha turned a deep shade of red. “You are watching him? Seriously?” She placed her elbows on the table and narrowed her eyes. “Are you watching everyone
who worked with Tony?”

  Parth placed a transparent plastic bag with a smaller picture in it. Aisha sucked her cheeks in and retreated into the leather sofa.

  “So, you saw this too? I’m guessing we both saw it at same place, a peeling wall.”

  Aisha nodded, turning her gaze away from Lavina’s photograph—the one Tony had put up on his shrine.

  “Any idea why a serial killer, who decorated a wall with pictures of all his victims, had Kabir’s late wife’s picture there?”

  “Well, the only one who could shed any light on this is dead.” Aisha mumbled.

  “Or maybe he is alive.” Parth replied quietly.

  It took Aisha a few seconds to comprehend Parth’s insinuation. “Are the doctors sure only your arm was damaged?”

  “Just because you are involved with Kabir, you are not seeing all these connections. Princess Kritika, Lavina Salve and the serial killer who killed numerous women. They all have one common thread—Kabir Rana.”

  Aisha grabbed her purse. “I think I’m done here!”

  “A good cop never shies away from evidence.”

  Aisha paused. “Neither does a good cop fabricate evidence.”

  “Do me a favor, ask Kabir where he was the night Lavina allegedly killed herself.”

  “Don’t waste my time, Parth. If you have something to say, then say it. Obviously, holding back is not you forte.”

  “So, his wife stumbles around in a drunken stupor, crashing and upturning furniture in her bedroom and living room, somehow manages to pull open a heavy balcony door of their high-rise apartment on a particularly windy night and jumps to her death. And Kabir who is asleep in the guest room, a few feet away from the living room, claims to have heard nothing. Absolutely nothing!”

  Aisha hated herself for asking that question. “There were no servants in the apartment?”

  “Coincidentally, it was their monthly night-off. So, no witnesses. Convenient, don’t you think?”

  Aisha slid out from behind the table. “I think we are done here.”

  Parth too got to his feet. “I wasn’t kidding when I said you would have made a good cop.”

  Aisha chewed her lower lip. “If I ask you to back off, will you, Parth?”

  “You know I can’t!” Parth’s expression was stony.

  “Because a good cop does not shy from evidence?” Aisha repeated his words.

  “Something like that.” Parth finished his coffee in one sip. “Then I guess our lines are drawn.”

  “You follow your evidence and I’ll follow my instincts.” Aisha turned to go.

  “Evidence relies on facts not feelings.”

  Aisha paused. “Exactly. Kabir was found innocent because there was no evidence that he had anything to do with his wife’s unfortunate death. Factual proof!”

  Exasperation flashed in Parth’s eyes as he put his dark shades on. “Just be careful, will you? Kabir is not what he looks.”

  “Another feeling?” Aisha scoffed, walking away.

  Chapter 86

  Later That Night

  “Right on time!” Kiara said as the doorbell rang and she went to open it.

  Aisha got up from the sofa and smiled in anticipation.

  Kabir stood at the door, looking handsome in sharply fitted black trousers and a crisp pale lavender formal shirt. “Hey, Kiara!”

  “What, no black Kabir?”

  “Just …” Kabir self-consciously tugged at his collar.

  “Ignore her,” Aisha walked up to them.

  Kabir took Aisha’s hand. “Kind of hard to. She is my top model.”

  “See?” Kiara poked her tongue at Aisha. “Okay, I will get Dada.”

  “And the gift.”

  Kiara left them alone. Kabir dropped a swift hard kiss on Aisha’s lips. “You look beautiful.”

  Aisha took a second or two to recover. Kabir’s kisses always left her weak-kneed. “Thank you. You look very handsome too.” She stroked his cheek.

  “Can we go to my place after dinner?” Kabir pulled her suggestively against him.

  “Behave! Papa might come out any time.” Aisha put some distance between them. “We’ll see. I can make excuses in the day but at the night, what will I say when I leave?”

  “Then I guess you shouldn’t have to make excuses. Maybe it’s time—”

  Aisha stopped him. “Let’s just take it one day at a time. I hope Shreya likes me.”

  Kabir pulled Aisha close again. “Hey, Shreya will love you just like—” he paused.

  Aisha glanced at him. Is he going to finally say the three words?

  Kabir and Aisha spent as much time as they could with each other, made love every time with crazy intensity, talked for hours, enjoyed finding out and doing what the other liked, yet Kabir never said those three words. Call me old-fashioned, but I want him to say it first.

  “You have nothing to be nervous about.” Kabir finished.

  “Yup!” Aisha nodded, hiding her disappointment as she moved away just as her Dad and Kiara joined them.

  Thanks to Mumbai traffic, by the time reached Shreya’s flat it was close to 9:00 in the night.

  “You should have eaten a snack, Papa.” Aisha admonished, getting in the elevator.

  “Aisha, stop fussing.” Her father returned, pursing his mouth.

  Aisha heard Kiara whisper to Kabir. “She’s a nag. You can have her for good.”

  “Kiara!” Aisha used her warning tone. Kabir chuckled behind them.

  Dinner went well. The food was great and Shreya a pleasant person and a very good host. Except, Aisha had to fake her enthusiasm.

  So, what if he is taking his time saying those three words to me? They are just words. His actions are what matter. Is Kabir unsure of us? And that idiot Parth. He and his silly insinuations. Should I ask Kabir where he was both those nights when his sister and wife died?

  Throughout the evening, Aisha caught Kabir glance at her questioningly and each time Aisha replied in a smile more blinding than the sun itself.

  Post dinner, Shreya led Aisha into the kitchen when Aisha offered to help with the coffee.

  “You have a lovely family.” Shreya said, filling the percolator.

  “Thank you.” Aisha stopped inside the modular kitchen in the shades of cream and gold marble, complete with deep brown cabinets. “Your flat is so beautiful.”

  “Thank you. Interior decoration is my hobby.” Shreya took out two small cappuccino cups. “Let’s have a cup each first.”

  “But the others are outside.” Aisha murmured.

  “Kabir will take care of them.” Shreya remarked, pouring some sugar in a porcelain dish.

  “You and Kabir are tight,” Aisha said.

  Shreya paused and gave Aisha a clear-eyed glance.

  “I’m not jealous. I’m just saying. It is good that he has you.” Aisha was quick to assure her. “Everyone needs a family.”

  Shreya smiled and nodded. “And Kabir needs a woman like you. One who can overlook his past and accept him for who he is.”

  “What do you mean?” Aisha asked, a part of her dreading the answer.

  Please don’t be the second person today to ding my boyfriend.

  Shreya gazed at her, her expression guilty. “Umm . . . nothing. Nothing at all. So Kabir said you write for television. Any current shows?”

  Aisha immediately warmed to Shreya at the evasion. “It’s okay, Shreya, I know about his late sister and wife.”

  Shreya smiled relieved. “You do? I thought I had let the cat out of the bag.”

  Aisha shook her head. A sudden thought pierced her mind. Shreya can help me. She would know for sure. Aisha scratched her temple as she cleared her throat, “So do you know where Kabir was when Lavina jumped from the balcony?”

  Shreya’s eyes hardened; she went back to arranging the tray with more cups. “You should ask him, Aisha.”

  Crap, she took offense.

  “It’s kind of a delicate topic to broach with Kabir. You know . . .
” Aisha trailed off uncomfortably.

  Shreya kept her back to Aisha. “Then check the Internet. Enough sleaze was posted about Kabir and his family at the time of Lavina’s death,” her voice was curt.

  Grimacing, Aisha persisted. “Kabir mentioned that he met Lavina at your place.”

  “More of social acquaintances; she lived in the same building as I.” Shreya removed the boiling percolator and set it on the tray. Her movements were brisk. She pivoted with the tray in her hand. “Maybe we should just have coffee with everyone else.”

  Aisha nodded, her eyes downcast.

  So much for becoming BFFs.

  Shreya walked past Aisha and then paused. “FYI Kabir will be his moodiest in the next few days. Kriti’s death anniversary is coming up.”

  Aisha felt a shiver go through her as Shreya mentioned Kriti. Aisha immediately started counting the number of things in the kitchen.

  “And so is Kabir’s birthday. Those two dates are mere days apart. He doesn’t commemorate either. Please be kind to him.” Having said that, she sailed past Aisha.

  Aisha hunched as she followed Shreya.

  Kabir’s face lit up as Shreya and Aisha rejoined them. Gazing at Aisha he patted the seat next to him on the sofa.

  Gosh, now I feel like scum. Stupid Parth!

  Aisha sat down next to him and nodded sedately to his questioning gaze.

  For the rest of the evening, Shreya was distant, not even glancing Aisha’s way, focusing all the while on Kiara and the retired Judge. Aisha stayed quiet for the rest of the evening.

  Something tugged at Aisha’s mind, but she ignored it because of the self-reproach going at her heart with a sledgehammer.

  Chapter 87

  “All evening, I have been dying to do this.” Kabir leaned across from his seat grinning wolfishly.

  Aisha put her hand on his chest. “Wait!”

  Kabir glanced over his shoulder. “Your Dad and Kiara have gone up.”

  Aisha shifted in her car seat, her expression uneasy. After dinner at Shreya’s place, Kabir had driven them all back. Her father and Kiara had gone upstairs, giving Aisha and Kabir some time to say their goodbyes in private.

  “Dammit, come here, woman!” Kabir growled possessively as he unbuckled her seat belt.