Kalpana hummed a love song as she pushed the housekeeping trolley down thecarpeted hallway. Today was going to be a great day she'd told herself, no matter that she was stuck in Cambridge for yet another summer when she'd much rather be back home in India with her mother and two rowdy little brothers.
She smiled as she thought about Aarav and Vihaan . The ten and twelve year olds were probably driving her aai crazy at this very moment with their constant pranks and rough play. If only she could be home with them. She was the only one who could keep those two in check.
She stopped at the door to suite 1206. No time to dwell on that now. She had twelve suites to clean in the next few hours and she wanted to make a good impression. For the last two summers she'd worked at small hotels where the paywas minimal and the hours long. This summer she'd been lucky to land a job at one of the largest hotel on main street.She'd be earning almost fifty percent more than she'd made at her previous job.. It was still a far cry from adequate but if she kept to a tight budget she might just be able to save enough to go home for Diwali.
Kalpana knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again just to be sure then stuck her keycard in the slot and pushed it open. Gathering up a handful of towels and tiny bottles of toiletries she tucked them in the crook of her arm, grabbed the handle of the vacuum cleaner then backed into the room.
The presidential suite was magnificent with a spacious living room filled with antique furniture and ornate carpeting. A sparkling crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Kalpana paused to admire the elegant room. Oh, to be able to live like this. She chuckled to herself. It would probably take a month's salary for her to pay for one night in this suite. Now where to start? She had an armful of towels so the bathroom it was. Still humming she pushed the door and walked into the bedroom.
At that moment she heard a click and the bathroom door opened. She gasped and the towels fell from her hands. Standing in front of her, his face hidden by a thick towel, was a tall, muscular and very naked man.
Kalpana screamed.
"What the..." The man dropped the towel and stared back at her in obvious
shock. "Where did you come from?"
"I...I'm sorry," kalpana said as she backed away. "I thought the suite was empty.
I'm so sorry."
"I was in the shower," he said, raking his fingers through his hair, "so if you knocked I wouldn't have heard a thing."
He was standing there, tall and lean and every inch a man, and he
was making no move to cover himself. Kalpana dropped her eyes, her face hot with embarrassment. She turned to flee.
"Wait. I want to talk to you."
Was he serious? She would not turn back to talk to a naked man no matter how handsome. She was back in the living room and had already grabbed hold of her vacuum cleaner when his voice stopped her.
"Don't leave," he said, his voice imperious and bold. He sounded like the kind of man who expected to be obeyed. He was standing in the bedroom doorway and this time, thankfully, he had the towel wrapped around his waist. "Wait for me in the living room. I'll get dressed."
Without bothering to wait for a reply he turned and went back into the bedroom, leaving Kalpana staring at the empty doorway. Who did this man think he was, to be ordering her around like that? She frowned as her thoughts raced wildly. Come to think of it, that was a good question. Who was he, really? He had to be a very important person or else a very rich one to be staying in the presidential suite of one of the most expensive hotels in town. Her heart pounded as a new thought crowded her mind. Was he going to come back and reprimand her for violating his privacy?
Was he going to report her, or worse, get her fired? Her palms grew damp and she slid them down the sides of her uniform. She couldn't afford to lose this job, she just couldn't. When he came she would have to plead her case.In less than a minute the man was walking out of the bedroom in dark slacks and a white shirt which he buttoned casually as he approached. His long, lean feet were bare.
"Have a seat," he said and beckoned to the couch by the window.
"Excuse me?" kalpana stood stock-still, her hand on the vacuum cleaner, hereyes wide as she stared back at him. Why was he offering her a seat? If he was going to reprimand her why not do it quickly and let her go? He must really plan to lecture her. She decided to speak up, maybe appease him before he got the chance to blast her.
"I'm very sorry for barging in on you like this," she said, her voice earnest. "Itwon't ever happen again. I'll be back later to clean your room." With that she started toward the door, pushing the vacuum cleaner before her. Maybe if she made a quick exit nothing more would come of this. At least, that was what she hoped.
She was halfway to the door when he laughed, a deep husky laugh that sent a little shiver up her back. It stopped her in her tracks. She turned to stare at him.
"No need to fly so fast," he said, tucking the ends of his shirt into his trousers.
"I'm not going to bite. I just want to talk to you about something."
He wanted to talk to her? About what? Her curiosity got the better of her and when he waved her over to the couch again she released her hold on the vacuum cleaner and went to sit demurely on the edge of the chair.
"My name is Raghav Singhania," he said and plucked a business card from the
desk. He reached over and handed it to her. "And you are?"
"Kalpi.. a kalpana Jadhav"
"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Jadhav ," he said with a smile then cocked an eyebrow "Now that we know each other we can talk." He leaned against the desk and folded his arms across his chest. His face grew serious. "I'm in a dilemma, Ms. Jadhav, and I wonder if you can help me?"
Kalpana frowned. What in the world could she do to help a man like him? He was obviously a powerful, wealthy man and she was nothing but a PhD student moonlighting as a hotel maid.
"I'm a busy man," he said, deftly buttoning his cuffs as he spoke, never once
taking his eyes off her, "but I suddenly find myself in a difficult situation. I've got my business to run and now I've got a four year old. I need the services of a baby seater."
Kalpi could only stare at Raghav Singhania, convinced that the man had gone
mad. He didn't know a thing about her. What was he thinking?
"I know this sounds crazy," he said, giving her a smile that told her he'd seen the confusion on her face, "but I was just appointed guardian for my cousin's little girl and...I'm a bit lost, to say the least." He shrugged. "What do I know about children?"
"So you're looking for someone to take care of her."
"Yes, Baby sittter, companion, helper. Whatever you call it. I already have a
housekeeper but she's got her hands full and I don't think she's up to the challenge of a four year old. Mrs.celiene Kapoor is almost sixty."
"But what about the agencies? They can help you find lots of people who would
be happy to take care of a child."
"I went that route already. Hated it." He grunted as if in disgust. "They sent me
young, old, fat, thin. Kaira hated all of them. She's really picky, that little one."
"And you think...she'd like me?"
He chuckled. "I'm sure of it. From the second I laid eyes on you I knew you
were the girl for Kaira."
The second he laid eyes on her? How could he form an opinion that fast? And
then she remembered she'd formed an opinion of him in that split second, too. And as she remembered their encounter her face grew warm. Kalpana shook her head. "I don't understand."
He laughed then stood up and walked over to the window. He looked down at
the street below then turned to look at her. "As funny as it sounds when my eyes met yours something clicked. You have a freshness about you that I think will appeal to Kaira. And you look like a girl who isn't afraid to have fun."
Now what did he mean by that? kalpana frowned and rose to her feet. "I'm sorry, Mr. Singhania . I don't think that would be a good idea. I've got a good job hereand-"
He laughed. "Working at what? Minimum wage? I could give you many times that without blinking."
Kalpana sucked in her breath. The nerve of him. "Money isn't everything. I don't know you. How can I leave my job to go to a man I don't know?"
"Is that all?" He waved his hand dismissively. "I've got great references,
starting with the man who owns this hotel. He's one of my clients."
"Mr. Simson?" she asked, her voice a reverent whisper. "You know him?"
Every one of the hotel employees knew and respected Pierce Simson. He was one of the few billionaire businessmen in the area who took a personal interest in his employees. He was in his seventies but he remained as involved in the operations of his businesses as when he'd started out. The veteran employees never stopped talking about him.
Raghav shrugged. "We've been doing business for years. Ask him." Then he gave her a grin .
"He'll stand by my character. I don't go around ravishing innocent maidens, if that's what you're worried about."
The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. He glanced at the heavy gold watch on his wrist then back at her. "Listen, I have to go. Keep the card and call me. You have until tomorrow. I'm heading back to Springfield and I need an answer before I go."
Kalpana nodded and slid the card into her pocket. "Of course," she said, hurrying to retrieve the vacuum cleaner. "I'll think about it and let you know."
"Good." He nodded and before she was even out the door he was heading back to the the bedroom.
Kalpana closed the door behind her, leaned her back against it and closed her eyes.Talk about an interesting start to the day. She'd just met the most seductively handsome man and her heart still raced at the memory of Raghav Singhania with his broad shoulders, narrow waist and the silky strands that nestled around his face
She had to get a hold of herself. But the image of Raghav was burned into her mind and she knew that, like it or not, it would haunt her for a very long time.She pushed her trolley on to the next suite. She had no intention of still being in sight when Raghav exited his room. The next time she saw him, if there ever was a next time, it would be on very different terms.
ps:It would be my pleasure if you leave comment about the story 😳
i am not going to present characters like kamala,vittal,pakhya i hate those characters to the core 😡
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