chapter 3

Chapter 3Caught in a webIshiqa evaded telling her friends about the incident. Smriti understood her need for space and deflected all questions, a concerned eye fixed on her friend.Ishiqa was soon unaware of all around her, remembering only the sexy lips that had crushed her own, the gorgeous body with muscles rippling as he moved. She shivered as she thought that she had almost kissed him back, unable to resist his sexual appeal. The dim lighting of the room and his muscular body had almost tempted her to give in. The soft dark hair aglow in the morning light had made her want to rake her hands through them. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, “It was a dream, forget it.” Ved was standing on the terrace of his suite after Ishiqa had left. Thinking about his behaviour of a few hours ago, he wondered aloud, “God, what did I do! Did I actually kiss her? A strange woman on my bed, and I couldn’t stop myself!” He shook his head disapprovingly at his momentary weakness. He should have woken her up and thrown her out last night itself. What madness to not only let her sleep in his bed, but wake up and kiss her like some sex-starved desperado! She could be a thief or somebody from the press, trying to malign his name, for no reason other than for a good story! But try as he did to give his feelings a rational direction, he had to acknowledge that the lovely lady had stirred something deep within him. His heart was still beating hard against the armour of his ribs, and his body demanding more such kisses and something more – a stirring he had felt in her response that promised passionate nights. “Passionate nights!” he tried to scoff. “Are you out of your mind, Ved? Get a grip, guy, you have better things to do in life.” He slapped his forehead and went inside to find work to keep himself occupied.Ishiqa tried to put that night away from her mind by trying to keep herself busy during the day, but solitary moments were a different matter altogether. She tried hard to forget and almost convinced herself that she had, until two months later, when Smriti told her in an excited tone, “Hey! You know what, I have news for you. The Ved Kashyap is coming to our college for the performance night, to celebrate the inauguration of the new auditorium!” “He is? And who is he?” Ishiqa asked. Unlike her friend, she was not much into society gossip.“No, don’t even try to tell me you don’t know who Ved Kashyap is! My dear, he is The One! Eligible bachelor, owner of the Kashyap hotels, the mighty tycoon whom the press loves to hate! Famed for a great body, sexy smile and handsome looks. I believe his grandmother had once done a play here, so he has got the auditorium built in her honour. Wait, let me show you his picture.” Ishiqa felt uncomfortable, wondering if the person she had met in Kashyap hotel was Ved Kashyap, when Smriti shoved the magazine on her lap. Ishiqa stared bemused at the magazine cover in front of her. With his thumbs hooked into jeans that tightly hugged his lean hips, Ved’s eyes seemed to be fixed on Ishiqa questioningly. It was the guy in the suite! She felt a shiver pass through her spine. She must keep away on the day of the inauguration’, she decided.Should she care, though?! Why would he even remember her? Hadn’t Smriti informed her that he was a playboy and he had girls ready to drop into his bed at his bidding? The magazine was suddenly wrenched out of her hands, bringing her back to the present and the building excitement at what lay ahead for the institute.  The performance night arrived, along with a chorus of oohs and aahs from the girls, as in came the chief guest. His red BMW convertible came with two security cars in front and two behind. He stepped out, immaculately dressed in a charcoal grey suit, with his hair gelled. He walked regally, like a predator on the move, leaving behind a waft of his tangy aftershave. The girls were positively gawking at him, leaving the guys fuming with jealousy. Smriti managed to drag Ishiqa to the front. “You have to do this for me! You can’t abandon me now, when I so want to see him up close!” she pleaded, and there Ishiqa stood, right in his line of vision as Ved entered the auditorium. Ved saw the line of girls, his eyes resting briefly on Ishiqa, and he smiled dismissively. “Good, he has not recognised me,” Ishiqa thought, partly relieved.  However, another part of her heart spelt out a different story. She did not like being dismissed so easily. Her heart grew heavy. She slipped out, wiping hot angry tears away, and blurted out in anger to herself, “Oh, to hell with him! Who does he think he is! And why the hell am I so upset about nothing!?” She had no idea of the time passing as she sat in the small garden behind the auditorium. She was brought to the present when she heard someone come up from behind. A hand tapping her shoulder made her jump. “Hi, Ishiqa Chawla.” The voice was unmistakable. The smile on his lips oozed magnetism so powerful that she felt breathless. A know-it-all expression made her eyes flash fire. “How do you know my name?” He quirked his right eyebrow up and laughed out aloud. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? Your friends were looking for you and left a lot of details with the hotel staff to help them locate you.” His mouth twitched. “Let us cut things short, dearie, as I do not have much time to waste. I have a proposition for you.” saying, “Save whatever you have to say, Mr. Kashyap, for somebody else. I am not interested. That night I made an honest mistake by falling asleep in your suite. I was just looking around the hotel.” And haughtily she turned away to leave. He whirled her around harshly, pulling her close to him. His fingers dug into her soft flesh, hurting her. “Listen to me, madam, no one - and I mean no one - says no to Ved Kashyap. Nor does one keep him waiting for a meeting for several hours, got it Miss Ishiqa Chawla?” She cried out in pain, as fear welled up inside her chest. “You are hurting me!” she wailed. He let go of her abruptly and then put out a hand to steady her as she staggered backwards. “What meeting are you talking about?” she asked, rubbing her upper arms. “You still don’t get it? Or are you feigning innocence? You had applied for a job, remember? We were to meet at the hotel that day.” She recalled and said, “But I was supposed to meet a Mr. Kaif.” He waved a hand, “From the agency, yes; And he was supposed to escort you to my office.” He raised a hand arrogantly, cutting her off before she could say anything. “Now you listen to me, without opening that beautiful mouth of yours again.” She flashed him a look of disdain as he continued, “I have a job offer for you. My grandmother thinks we are in a relationship.” Ishiqa exploded, “Excuse me!” Ved grinned, “I am glad you think the idea preposterous. I felt the same when she interrogated me about the snap.” Puzzled Ishiqa asked, “What snap? You are not making any sense, Mr. Kashyap.” Ved replied arrogantly, “Will you let me finish instead of interrupting my every word?” Satisfied that she was ready to listen, he continued, “When you were enjoying your beauty sleep stealthily in my bedroom that night in the hotel, your friends had handed over a photograph of yours to the hotel security. After you were found, he handed it to me and it was lying on my desk when my dear grand mom found it. She is getting senile, or so it seems, for she has decided that we are either married or about to. When I denied it, she chose to interpret it me covering up a rough patch between us! She tells me – can you imagine this! – that I have become irritable and difficult to talk to because of ‘our’ break-up. Though I tried to explain that I don’t even know you, she thinks otherwise. She wants us to ‘patch up’.”Ishiqa shrugged, incredulous that this was reason enough for her to take up his ‘job offer’. “You have a problem, I see. But it hardly concerns me!”“Look!” he said, angry at her indifference. “I rushed to India because my grandmother has not been keeping well. The doctors tell me that her health is very fragile. Much as I would rather not have anything to do with you, I cannot cause her any more stress. I will do anything to ensure her happiness and peace of mind, which presently, to my misfortune, is your presence in my life.” Ishiqa gasped at the outrageousness of the man. “Don’t look at me like that! It is for appearance’s sake only.” He looked at his watch. “That’s enough talk for now; further discussions will be held at my house. Will send a car to pick you up at your flat, 10 ‘0’ clock tomorrow morning.” With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving her numb with shock. Seeing his receding back, she strode after him indignantly. “You cannot order me around like that! What makes you think I will even do this for you?” In response, he turned only a fraction without even pausing in his stride, “Be there, Ishiqa. Kidnapping is not my style and I am sure you don’t fancy it either.” She kicked a stray pebble and shouted, “I will not come! Do you hear me, Mr. High and Mighty?” He stopped, turned slowly and smiled, “Sleep well, my sleeping beauty.” His ominous tone sent a chill down her spine. With all her heart, she wished she hadn’t gone exploring the hotel.