ARHI FF: Strings of Illusion:T5|LINK 2 T6 - PG 1** - Page 13

"So, what do you think they will do now?" Monica asked as she drew lazy circles over the man's chest as they lay entangled with each other in the plush bed...her chin was resting over his muscled arm as he rattled the ice cubes in his whiskey glass "About what?" he asked her as he disentangled himself and got up from the bed before drinking the rest of the watered down whiskey

"You know about what...that b***ch Garima has a battalion of supporters behind her...whatever i say or do will never implicate her in the murder" she said as she sat on the bed with her back resting against its headboard "We need to do something...otherwise I will once again come under radar" she said as the man turned around and looked at her with angry eyes

"Just shut up Monica! You know you did not order that hit...God only knows who did! But whoever did it made life more of a hell for me..." he said as he paced around the room, his lithe body tensing up as his fists clenched by his sides "Your idiot of a husband was my one and only chance to get that witch off my case...but now...now I need to be very careful" he said as Monica laughed throatily

"You were such a fool darling! Trust me when i say this...Arun's disloyalty towards Khushi came with an expiry date...what ever work of yours he did, was only to get Khushi to either leave Gupta Mills or embarrass her enough to make people talk about it...he would have never supported you in harming her little ass in any...uh...how do i say it? mortal way..." she said as the man grinned

"True...I knew that...but I was never behind her life anyways...and if anyday it would have come to that, I would not have been stupid enough to ask her father to carry it out for me...I would have done it myself and made him take the fall for it..." he said as Monica stretched her hands over her head and smiled at him

"Aren't you the clever one...but at present, your cleverness does not solve our problem...how do we work around this mess? We don't even know who the killer is...who the hell would benefit from Arun's murder?" she thought aloud as the man sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her

"The culprit will be out soon...but for now, you are on high-radar...whatever plan Naik had to intimidate Garima backfired since that Raizada got involved" he said with disgust as Monica leaned towards him, her generous breasts spilling out of the sheet that had fallen from her upper body

"Now that boy is delicious...alas he is too infatuated with my step-daughter..." she said as the man caught her breasts harshly in his hands and squeezed "Oh, that he is...but not for long...now that I have no one to hatch my evil plans with, I think i'll have to go the criminal way..." he said as he latched his mouth onto her nipple and bit hard

Monica screamed in both pain and pleasure as she sunk her nails into him "Wh...what are you planning on doing?" she asked him as she moaned at the assault his tongue and teeth were creating on her body "Oh don't you worry your silly little mind over it...you just work on acting like the sad widow and leave the rest to me...Khushi Gupta will never know what hit her" he said menacingly as he brutally kissed her to shut her up from asking more questions.

...

"Khushi where are you taking me!" Arnav asked as khushi pulled him along the long corridor of the living room towards a an ornate staircase that ran downstairs "Oh come on Arnav...stop asking me questions...just follow me" she said as they started walking down the staircase into a wood lined room below

"Is this your basement?" he asked her as she nodded "Yep...not just a basement...come I'll show you" she said as they walked further into the room, through a door that opened into another room lined with glass walls and marble flooring "This is my pad!" she said proudly as Arnav looked around the room in awe

There was a huge snooker table in the centre of the room with lots of comfortable seating around it, a long bar lined one end of the room with an artificial waterfall spilling over the other, giving the whole place a mesmerizing feel; they walked further towards the other end of the room which opened into a huge floor to ceiling library with books of all kind with recliners around it.

Through another door they came to a room with a huge 64 inch LED TV with state of the art gaming equipment a a huge selection of games with many comfortable bean bags lying around the soft floor. Arnav looked at her in amazement as she smiled widely at him "This is not all" she said cheekily as she led him towards another side where a huge glass door opened up on sensors to lead them into a cooler section

"This is the gym" she said as they walked inside a state-of-the-art Gymnasium with the latest TechnoGym machines gleaming proudly, arnav had his eyes wide open as Khushi took him towards the steps that led them to a more warmer area which had two doors "This one leads to the Sauna and steam room...while this one.." she said opening the door "Leads to the indoor swimming pool...when its raining or something, we use this...plus its temperature controlled" she said excitedly as she shut the door and pulled him along with her

"Now one last thing that you just have to see" she said as she took a speechless Arnav trotting behind her "Is our movie theatre" she said with a flare as she opened the door and shut it behind them "I have more that 800 movies stacked along the walls across this room" she said proudly as Arnav admired the tastefully done up room...he eyed the comfortable looking lazy-boys and sat down in one, relaxing himself as the soft yellow lights gave the room a romantic feeling

"Well...aren't you going to say anything Mr Raizada?" Khushi asked him expectantly as he looked at her lazily "Uh...Khushi...is there more? Or is this the end of your wonderland?" he asked her and watched with amusement as her nose flared in anger "Excuse me! Not everyone gets to see this part of the house...I had this designed recently and have spent a lot of energy and effort into making this so perfect!" she said as Arnav smirked at her

"Is that so? Well...I did not know that Khushi Gupta was such a guy!" he said as Khushi's mouth opened up in a huge 'O' "What? All that you just showed me...Gym, Gaming zone, Snooker, this movie theatre...all this is what men fantasize to own...its the perfect bachelor pad!...so...i'm just wondering..." he said as she walked to him and pushed him back on the lazy boy making the chair stretch back with her hands on either side of the armrests

"Is that so Mr Raizada?...well then, if I am such a guy, would you react to me this way?" she asked as she sat herself on his lap and lazily trailed her long manicured finger from his forehead to his lips..she pushed herself more against him making the chair recline further...she felt Arnav's breath hitch as her finger trailed further down to his chest and stealthily towards his groin

"Tell me...would you?" she asked she leaned towards his ears, her breasts at eye-level with him as his body was further pushed over the comfortable plush chair...he groaned as she bit his ear seductively, making him grasp her waist tightly as his head dipped down to trails kisses over her exposed neck near her shirt opening "Never..." he rasped as his hands went down to cup her bottom tightly, moulding them in his hands.

Khushi felt her insides turn to liquid fire as arnav left open mouthed kisses along the column of her neck, he pulled her down to dip his tongue over the indent between her collar bone making her moan in want...she grasped his arms as she leaned down as he took her lips in a scorching kiss making her entire body melt over the sensual assault

She spread her fingers inside his dark hair as his hands slid over her sides before coming to rest over her straining breasts making her arch her back to enjoy the feel of his large hands cupping her "Arnavv..." she moaned as his fingers got busy slipping her buttons off till her lace covered breasts were within his grasp

Arnav grunted as she shifted over him, her feminity aligned right over his burgeoning arousal making him curse his lack of control...he slipped the last of her buttons before burying his face into the sweet valley between her perfect cleavage leaving kisses over it as her perfume wafted over him...his mouth could not resist swirling his tongue over one hard nipple as it strained against the cream lace making her clutch on to him helplessly

"Oh Gosh...Arnav..." Khushi said huskily as he continued kissing her, his hands roaming over her smooth back, finally coming to rest over the hook of her bra...as if waiting for her permission...she smiled as she took his lips again for a mind numbing kiss giving him all the permission he needed...he quickly undid her bra before flinging it over them making khushi gasp out as his shirt rubbed against her sensitized tips

Arnav broke the kiss as he held khushi away from him for a few seconds to gaze at her "Perfect" he said taking in her flushed body...her peachy pink nipples stood erect as his eyes lingered over them, khushi could not help but think of him as boy who was being served his favorite candy...she sighed as his rough palm cupped her "You are so beautiful khushi" he said as he pulled her back towards him, his hands squeezing her roundness making khushi bite her lips from moaning out loud

Arnav felt her hands move restlessly over his shirt as she tried to slip her hands inside his shirt, untucking it from his pants, he pulled her more towards him as his mouth closed over her hard peak making her moan loudly as she touched her forehead to his, her long hair falling gracefully over them...arnav cursed as her hand settled over his arousal, squeezing him over his pants while her other hand trailed over his abs inside his shirt, her nails scratching him in its wake

"Khushi...don't..." he said hoarsely as she continued pressing down on his hard member while she pinched one nipple over his muscled chest... "Dammit..." he rasped as she threw her head over giving him a perfect view of her upper body writhing in desire making him want to take her right then and there...and they would have probably continued had it not been for a sound coming from outside the mini theatre.

"Shit" Khushi said as both realized at the same time the position they were in; they were in Khushi's home...with her family in the house...she leapt up from his lap at the same time he got up to tuck in his shirt...he helped her find her bra in the dim light and looked on in amazement as she wore it quickly before donning her shirt haphazardly over it...buttoning it in record time.

Both hardly had a second to check if everything was ok before the door opened up and in came Payal with her head swaying to the music from her headphones...the lyrics of which were being belted by her before she came at a sudden halt to find the two people looking at her awkwardly.

"Oh...i'm sorry" she said eyeing Khushi warily before her gaze went to the handsome man next to her...both looked throughly bothered as they looked at her, not sure what someone should say in such situations... "Umm...I did not know anyone was here...uh...carry on..." she said as she started walking back out before khushi stopped her

"No...Payal...I mean, I was just showing Mr Raizada the basement...we are done here...did you come down to watch a movie?" Khushi asked her as she eyed the DVD in her hand, she smiled at Payal who gave her an odd look before giving a quick glance to the man named 'Mr Raizada' who was suddenly very busy with his phone 'So lame!' she thought as she nodded at Khushi

"Uh..yeah, its a rescue whale thing...need to do some work on it for uni...I thought i'll come by and watch it here...this place is awesome by the way" she said as she saw khushi look at the man pointedly "You don't mind me using it, do you?" she asked her as she smiled genuinely "No, off course not...you and your...brother right? You guys can come here anytime you want" she said as payal gave her a tight smile, still not sure what she had walked into

"Oohkay...great!" Payal said as Khushi started moving towards the door with arnav behind her...but stopped short making arnav bump into her from behind "Uh...sorry, where are my manners...Ar...I mean, Mr Raizada...this is Payal, Shashi Dinkaran's daughter..." khushi introduced them as arnav nodded politely...not really making any eye contact with Payal

"He knows my dad?" Payal asked Khushi as she nodded "Yes, Arnav is my partner at GR..he knows your dad pretty well" she said as Payal said a quick "Hmm...well, it was nice meeting you Mr Raizada" she said in a fake cheery voice to a stiff Arnav, which made Khushi hold back a laugh...they proceeded to walk right out of the mini theater after that leaving payal behind but turned around when they heard the door opening again.

"Uh...Khushi, I don't know if you know this...but your Shirt is buttoned up wrongly..." she said as she quickly shut the door making Khushi's cheek redden under arnav's amused gaze "What?" Khushi said as she re-buttoned her shirt while arnav looked on with interest

"I like that girl...she had spunk!" he said as she hit him on his arm "Shut up you cradle snatcher!" she said as he laughed at her comment "Really! That's the best you can come up with...she's not that young...at least she did not look it" he said pulling her leg as she pinched him "You better not notice her...or for that matter any other woman..understand!" she said as arnav put his arm around her shoulder "How can I, when i have you around me!" he said as she pushed his hands away

"Good...now act like my boring business partner...we are going up for dinner" she said as arnav said a quick "yes maam" and followed her through the basement up the stairs... "Stop looking at me like that arnav!" she moaned as he raised his eyes "Like what?" he asked her as she turned around on the last step "Like your going to eat me" she said as he leaned forward "But that's what i want to do...eat you...and after that little nibble...i can hardly wait" he said as he left her breathing hard while he cooly made his way to the dining area.

...

"Where the hell is this girl?!" Shashi cursed under his breath as he tried payal's phone again while walking down the cobbled pathway that led towards the main mansion...Payal has texted him an hour and half ago that she was going over to the mansion to watch a movie in the mini theatre for academic purposes...he wondered what wonderful things they are teaching in college to students, that they are needed to watch a movie..whatever happened to books!

He punched in a reminder to get a DVD player as soon as possible for all future movie sojourns his kids needed...he did not want them spending too much time at the main house...somehow after the morning incident, he too wanted to stay away from there...best not to entertain thoughts which would never materialize he thought as he walked briskly up the path only to bump into someone

"Shashi!" arnav said as the older man smiled at him and gave him a quick handshake "Arnav...great to see you..." he said as Arnav nodded and smiled back "Yeah, you too...going for a walk?.Khushi just told me you guys are staying here for the time being...oh and I met your daughter too earlier" he said as Shashi nodded "yes, Shalini ji has been very generous with me and my family...i'm finalizing a deal for an apartment soon actually...we might move out in a month or so if everything works out" he said as Arnav smiled

"Thats great! If you need any help do let me know...I know a lot of Property guys...good ones..." Arnav said as Shashi thanked him "Ok, I gotta go...had come over for some work but got pulled into having dinner...a really large one!" he said as shashi laughed...He said a quick good night to Shashi before sitting in his car that the driver had got around the driveway.

Shashi sighed as he saw arnav's car moving away from his sight...he had an inking that something was going on between Khsuhi and Arnav...but it was not his place or right to say or think about it...he shook his head as he headed towards the mansion door, only for the door to be opened at the same time by a startled Garima

"Shashi?" she asked him, bewildered to find him standing on the steps as he looked a bit stunned to find her there "Uh...Garima...hi" he said as Garima smiled at him "Come in...did you need anything?" she asked him as he walked inside making sure he kept a large distance between them "Yes, I had come to get Payal...she is watching a moive in the theatre i suppose" he said as Garima smiled at him and nodded

"Yes, she came in earlier...why don't you sit down, i'll ask someone to let her know" she said as Shashi shook his head "No, please don't worry...i'll just call her" he said as he tried calling Payal again "It won't work...the signal...it doesn't reach the basement...please, come and sit down...it will only take a minute" she said as she went inside to ask one of the help to go and call Payal

She then walked back to where Shashi was still standing awkwardly "Will you like something to drink Shashi?" she asked him warmly only for him to shake his head "No thanks...just had my dinner...I warmed the soup up for Payal and then realized that she is still here..." he said as Garima looked on fondly "Uh...she drinks only soup in the evening...dieting and all that crap" he said as Garima burst out laughing

"I can imagine...Luckily Khushi was never into dieting...She can eat a whole house and still have place for more!" she said as Shashi joined in laughing with her...this felt so natural to him, both of them talking about their kids, berating them and loving them at the same time...he missed this...but he sobered up quickly as the reality of the situation hit him.

"You did not know about me, did you?" she asked him as he gave her a confused look "That I am Garima Gupta...Arun Mehra's..." she said as Shashi looked away "I could make out from your reaction today morning" she said as Shashi looked up at her face...she gave him a sad smile and sighed

"I understand Shashi...and its ok...its natural" she said as Shashi gave her a questioning look "I know I am a divorced widow...and its only natural that you would want to..." she said as Shashi felt horrified at her thoughts...is that what she thought had made him back away from her?

He knew they had both felt that instant attraction...and all that flirting he did with her...yes, he was terming it correctly now...had maybe made his intentions clear to her...and she had never backed away...giving him hope...but the reason he backed away himself was miles apart from the one she was thinking about...he wanted to correct her...he needed to correct her

"Garima..." he interrupted her only for her to step back a little "Please, don't try and explain...I don't know what i was thinking...but after a long time i felt like I had found a friend...but its totally understandably why you..." she started saying when Payal's footsteps came right behind her "Papa! Your'e here! I told you na, I'll come after the movie is over!" she said as Shashi was torn between answering his daughter and correcting Garima

"Uh Payal...It was late...and I did not want you walking back alone" he said as Garima looked away...her lips pursed as she tried to reign in her emotions "Arre baba! I would have called you na! Its only 9:30!" she said as she glanced at Garima "Thanks for letting me watch the movie aunty" she said as Garima smiled warmly at Payal "My pleasure beta, come anytime you want...you are more than welcome here" she said as she patted payal's cheek before turning towards Shashi

"And she can stay over anytime if it gets late...don't worry" she said to Shashi as he tried to catch her eyes...this was not right...she could not think this way about him...he had to explain to her "Papa! Where are you lost? Lets go now!" Payal said as she linked her arm with him "Thanks again aunty...i'll surely be using that awesome place soon!" she said as she pulled her father along with her...making Garima give him one more fleeting look before closing the door behind them.

<SIGH> I know...how many more people will interrupt them! Lol...but you cant have a ARSHI romance without the miss-kisses and interruptions right!!

PS: For those who did not know, I work for an IT Publication and the basement i described is exactly per my Super boss's (A woman!) in Delhi...so damn dreamy! Plus coincidentally...her last name is also 'Gupta!' lol