chapter 2

Chapter 2In a strange bedThe two-day getaway had been fun and tiring. On Sunday evening, as they relaxed in the room, Ishiqa saw the time and shrieked. She jumped off the bed hastily. “Oh no! How could I forget? Smriti, I am an hour late for my interview! Do you think it is of any use going now? I mean, even if I get dressed now, there is no point to the whole thing! What am I going to do?” Helplessly she sat down on the bed. Smriti tried to calm her, “I know it is hard on you, but let’s forget about it now and get dressed for the treat. We will call the agency and ask for another appointment if possible.” “How stupid of me, Smriti!” Ishiqa wailed again. “Don’t blame yourself, Ishq. Things like this happen sometimes sweetie. Come now, cheer up. Maybe, this interview was never meant for you. You know, all that destiny and stuff?”Dressing quickly, Ishiqa let her hair down and it fell straight beneath her shoulders. She slipped her feet, with the freshly painted pink toenails, into heels and was ready to leave. They reached the Kashyap’s and almost forgot to breathe as they took in the breathtaking beauty of the place. It was exquisitely built in white marble, giving it a perfect royal touch, with beautiful lawns and fountains. The artificial waterfall made gurgling sounds, adding to the calmness of the atmosphere. The trees, decorated tastefully with small glowing bulbs, enhanced the beauty of the surroundings. It had been a long and exciting day, and it was coming to a joyful end. Ishiqa was sleepy and felt a nagging headache begin. The party was still going on, so she told Smriti, “I will be back in a minute. I am going to the washroom.” In the washroom, she splashed her face with cold water, which gave her some relief, and ran a comb through her hair. She stepped out of the washroom; looking around admiringly at the charming surroundings, she was tempted to tour the place. “After all, I am not going to visit a place like this again,” she told herself.So instead of returning to the group immediately, she wandered about the hotel, through the lobby and down the corridor that led to the lawns past the restaurants. She admired the expensive teakwood panels and the heavy crystal chandeliers hanging overhead.   She ventured further, and was drawn deeper and deeper into her explorations as every part of the property was so beautiful. She wondered if she could peep into one of the rooms, maybe on the first floor. She started towards the elevator and saw one labelled, ‘Only for the private suite’.  She was about to press the ‘up’ button, when, from nowhere, a person in uniform appeared. “Can I be of any assistance to you, madam?” She hesitated and muttered, “Ummm… no thank you.” She gave herself a mental shake. “Why am I getting myself into unnecessary trouble?” She turned to leave but just then the door of the lift opened behind her and she saw the lift attendant step out. Playing right into the hands of her naughty mind, she slipped into the lift after glancing to her right and left. Common sense told her, “Ishiqa, turn back and leave now,” but she ignored it with a casual dismissal. “Just a little wandering will not harm anyone,” she assured herself.She jumped visibly when the door of the lift slid open. Forcing her legs to move, she took each step carefully as her heart hammered loudly in her ears. Once out, there was a dimly lit entrance to the suite; she entered and gasped out aloud. “So this is how the rich and famous live! Wow!” The place screamed of pure luxury. A four-poster king-sized bed covered by a bottle green satin counterpane dominated the  centre of the room. She opened the sliding door to the bathroom and gasped again at the heart-shaped tub. The impeccably clean, translucent black glass shelves showcased a variety of toiletries for men. A full-sized mirror caught her attention. She twirled around gleefully, feeling like Cinderella in seventh heaven. She slid the door back behind her as she returned to the room, and opened another: this one to a large open terrace overlooking the fountain and the lawn to one side, and the swimming pool to the other. The peace and calm of the night dulled her senses, while the excitement of snooping around the hotel made her feel tired and drowsy. She felt her headache returning, making her dizzy. “I better leave before Smriti sends in a search party.” She went back inside. The bed caught her eye and beckoned temptingly. She sat down on the edge gingerly and leaned back against the soft silky material, promising herself that she’d just lie down for a minute as she’d never be able to afford such a luxurious bed ever! Before she knew it, Ishiqa was fast asleep. Ved Kashyap, the owner of the Kashyap group of hotels, walked into his suite and stopped a few paces away from the bed, taken aback at the sight that greeted him. Nothing in the world had prepared him for this. He had especially flown down from London today, cutting his tour short just for the sake of this interview.  Contrary to what the press had to say about him, Ved, the rich tycoon, was not a playboy. His work took up most of his time. Nevertheless, the  magazines and tabloids seemed to take an inordinate interest in his supposed sex life,  blowing up captions that sent his blood pressure rocketing high - ‘The playboy does it again’ or ‘The love life of the owner of Kashyap group of hotels busted’, and so on. And the article itself would be full of speculations only. His business meetings with high profile women – why, even men for that matter – were most often during cocktail parties. But trust the press to twist them out of proportion!The paparazzi followed him everywhere like vultures; he could actually feel their claws digging into his skin and tearing him apart. Today, too, he had seen page 3 of the supplement of a leading newspaper showing him carrying a teenage girl, conveniently cutting out the ambulance in the background. He had just landed from London and was on the airport road, in a cab, driving towards the city, when he saw the girl lying helplessly by her two-wheeler after a car knocked her down. Luckily, she was only in shock. He’d called an ambulance and helped her as nobody else had stopped to assist her. Ah! But try explaining that to the reporters!! Who would believe that at that moment, his mind was on his grandmother who had been complaining of all sorts of health problems. He was looking for someone to keep his grandmother company – he suspected boredom and the desire to see him ‘settled’ in marriage were the cause of these symptoms. An educated companion would keep her occupied and also keep him tuned in to everything. The agent that helped him place the advertisement in the newspaper told him that a girl – a graduate from a city college - was to be interviewed this evening, and so he had dropped everything and rushed down. He adored his grandmother and she meant much more to him than his own parents. But the whole thing had turned into a fiasco, a complete waste of time. The girl had not shown up for the meeting. He had hoped that the infamous concept of ‘Indian stretchable time’ was at play and she that would come – albeit a bit late, but finally had to give up his long wait. He was upset with the agency too for having fixed up only one interview this evening! Was it so difficult to find educated companions these days?He glared at the strange girl asleep on his bed, who was completely unaware of his presence in the room. His hand shot out to wake her up, but he stopped at the last minute and straightened. He ran his hand through his hair, dishevelling it in the process, and slowly dropped to his knees on the floor beside the bed. His features softened as he gazed at her sleeping form. The girl lay with her head on the pillow; her heart shaped face framed by hair like a veil, made her look innocent and sensuous at the same time. The soft light emanating from the bedside lamps played on her attractive features, giving her milky white complexion a golden glow. His eyes moved down further, to the glowing pendant carelessly askew on her delicate collarbone. Her top stretched tightly, hugging her full breasts. Ved swallowed hard and felt something clench deep in his abdomen. In spite of the excellent cooling system in his suite, he broke out into a sweat. Of their own accord his eyes travelled down to where her skirt had ridden up slightly, exposing the milky expanse of her long legs. He put out a hand and touched her cheek softly; he just had to, her perfume drawing him to her irrevocably. Her beautiful face and her generous mouth were making his blood pressure rise and fall in unsteady waves. “Whoa! What’s wrong with me!” he asked himself. He had never felt like this before for any other girl; just one or two infatuations during college, but lusting after someone was a first for him. He tried to get a grip on his thoughts, furious with himself for letting himself go. He shot up and rushed to the bathroom. The cool shower calmed him somewhat. He slipped into pyjamas and came out to see her still blissfully asleep. He covered her slim form with a duvet, lay down on the other side of the bed, and turned his back on her to catch up on much needed sleep.  But sleep eluded him. Her presence on the bed made his heart race. He couldn’t even twist and turn for fear of waking her up. When all efforts at sleeping failed, he turned over and looked at the girl, who still slept peacefully. He wondered, “Is she drunk or something? Who is she, anyways? What is she doing in my private suite? How did she get in here?” But the questions seemed redundant as he lay there captivated by her innocent beauty.At some point he must have fallen asleep too, for he woke up with a start as the girl stirred beside him sensuously. Ishiqa opened her eyes and looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. She immediately sat up, wide awake. Before she could come to terms with the strange surroundings, the deep, sexy voice of a man growled beside her, “Hi sleeping beauty! Can I help you?”She turned to his side startled, and her eyes, still not fully open, went from small to big, widening like two big saucers. Her lips followed suit, wide open in shock. She threw off the duvet and made to jump off bed, when a hand on her wrist detained her, pulling her back on the bed. “Hey! Where do you think you are going? You cannot leave without answering my questions!” She struggled to break free from his tight grasp, but he caught her other wrist too and pinned her to the soft bed, her head falling helplessly on the pillow. She quickly averted her eyes from his naked torso and struggled to break free. Her breath quickened.   “So, who are you and what are you doing, sharing my bed?” He seemed to be smirking at the word ‘sharing’, or so she thought. “How did you manage to get into my private suite?” he demanded. She swallowed in fear, her cheeks going red; she finally managed to mumble, “Let me go,” and started to struggle again. Ved’s head dipped down of its own accord and he kissed her lips, softly crushing them, as though dealing with a delicate petal. She struggled violently and managed to push him away, but the soft bed made escape difficult and he caught her again. “Hey wait! Perhaps I shouldn’t have done that.” Even she was stunned when her hand met his cheek, delivering a tight slap. She looked up in horror, and saw her fingerprints imprinted on his cheek that had turned an angry red. Caught unawares, he staggered. Before he could grab her, she jumped off the bed and ran into the elevator.With her heart in her throat, she ran out of the lift and was relieved to see Smriti standing near the exit. She hugged her wildly, “Come, let’s get out of here fast!” But Smriti had been worried sick. “Ishiqa, where were you! I have been looking for you all night! You just vanished. Are you okay?” A phone buzzed somewhere nearby and somebody shouted, “Catch that girl!” Ishiqa licked her dry lips in fear and saw the lady at the reception talk to somebody on the phone. “A girl was reported missing in the hotel last night. I think she is the one…  Are you sure, sir?” She looked up and instructed the hotel security in a calm voice, “Let her go.” The receptionist shrugged as the guards looked at her stunned. “Sir says so.”