ShortFF:The Wallflower:End updated(25/12/09) - Page 11

Chapter Twelve

"Nope, he didn't. You have got to stop listening to what those two say, Rano! Trust me, I have inside information. The night Ranveer was supposed to be with Arushi he was with Jai!" Rano looked unconvinced. "Look, let's try and figure this out logically, okay?"

"Okay," Rano drawled reluctantly. She seated herself gingerly on the sofa next to the sprawled out Zorro outfit and watched Bani pace.

"Fact one: Pia Chopra is a class-A b*tch. Yes or no?"

"Yes."

"Fact two: Arushi Deb is also a class-A b*tch. Yes or no?"

"Yes." Rano sighed impatiently.

"Fact three: Pia and Arushi hate our guts for some obscure reason, possibly to do with the fact that cherry punch is a b*tch to get out of white satin. Yes or no?"

"Yes."

"Fact four: Pia and Arushi are both interested in making sure no other woman gets either Jai or Ranveer. Yes or no?"

Rano looked uncomfortable. She bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. "Yes?"

Bani snorted. "Trust me, when Pia finds out I've hooked up with Jai she's going to sh*t a brick." Bani waved off Rano's sputtering, startled laugh with a small frown. "Arushi is just as bad, but she wants Ranveer."

"So?"

"So, from what I've heard, and seen, I should add, Ranveer seems to want you."

Rano blinked. "You know, I've heard they've got some pretty good outreach programs for drug abusers. You should look into them."

Bani sighed. "Rano, the man made his Madonna look just like you. Only smiling and happy instead of grouchy. So maybe it doesn't look exactly like you."

"Har-de-har-har. Seriously, Bani, Ranveer's never shown a lick of interest. And, frankly, knowing where his tongue has been I'm not certain I want him licking me."

Bani eyed Rano with disgust. "Quit making excuses, Rano. Wear the costume and see how Ranveer reacts. If he's interested, he'll let you know."

"And if he isn't interested?"

Bani grinned. "Somehow I don't think you need to worry about that." Ignoring Rano's sudden blush, Bani headed out the door. She'd made an appointment to have her hair done for the masquerade and she had no intention of missing it.

The gossip in the salon was running fast and furious. None of the women there knew about her hooking up with Jai yet, so a lot of the gossip fluttered around who the town's hottest hunks were taking to the masquerade. Some believed Jai was taking Pia, a rumor Pia herself skillfully confirmed without actually confirming anything. Bani had a hard time keeping her snorts of amusement to herself. Jai wanted no one to get wind of their relationship until the masquerade when she would enter on his arm; otherwise she would have taken great delight in setting Pia straight. Everyone agreed Ranveer was the wildcard; no one had any clue who he'd be taking, although Pia tried to make it sound like he'd be taking Arushi. Since Bani knew for a fact that Ranveer was flying solo, she kept her mouth shut.

Aditya Khanna was also rumored to be flying solo, something Bani could have confirmed but didn't. There were a few other men the women were interested in, but she didn't know those men personally so she just closed her eyes, relaxed into the stylist's chair and let the rumors fly over her head.

"And, of course, we all know Rano will be taking Bani." Bani popped one eye open to see Pia smirking at her. She did the one thing she knew would piss the woman off the most. She smiled serenely and closed her eyes, ignoring her for the rest of her appointment.

Jai walked into the house a half an hour late. He had very little time to get showered and dressed before the masquerade, and the quickie he'd been hoping to indulge in wasn't going to happen. The Pride Alpha couldn't be late, especially when he planned on introducing his Curana to the rest of the Pride for the first time.

"Jai?"

"Hey, sweetheart." Jai put his briefcase down next to the sofa and headed for the bedroom, pulling his tie off as he went. "How'd your?day?go?"

Bani stood in the middle of the bedroom in the pirate outfit he'd picked out for her. The skirt hit her mid-thigh, just as he'd predicted. The boots hit her just below her knee, showing off an awful lot of skin. The thigh-high stockings were nowhere in evidence, not that she needed them. She'd had her hair styled in a half up, half down thing, with curls and twists she normally didn't have, framing her face beautifully. The frilly captain's hat was the icing on the cake.

Her makeup was a little darker and richer than she normally wore. The pale rose lip gloss she preferred had been exchanged for a darker shade, closer to wine. Her eyes were dark and smoky. Thick gold hoops adorned her ears and around her neck was a stylized golden cat. She stood with her hands behind her, an uncertain look on her face, the toe of one boot digging into the carpet as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror she'd moved from her apartment. She looked like a confection just waiting to be eaten. "Jai?"

"Huh?" God, he hoped she didn't want him to actually talk, since he was pretty sure he couldn't form complete words, let alone sentences.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and bit her lip, and Jai nearly swallowed his tongue. "Are you sure this skirt isn't too short?"

Jai gulped as he took her in from her incredible face to her edible legs. "Is that a trick question?"

Bani rolled her eyes, some of the uncertainty leeching out of her face as she turned back towards the mirror. "Why don't you go take your shower and get dressed? We have to be at the Rathore's in an hour." She reached up to adjust her br**sts in her br* and Jai nearly fell on the floor. When she shimmied everything back into place, he practically ran for the bathroom. It was either an ice cold shower or throw her to the ground and mount her, to hell with Danraj Rathore and the masquerade.

He showered quickly, since ice bathing wasn't his favorite sport. He dressed in record time as he listened to Bani putter around the great room muttering to herself. At the last minute he remembered to grab the signet ring before going to gather up Bani.

When he stepped out of the bedroom, he was gratified to see Bani just as spellbound as he'd been when he'd seen her costume. His long jacket was burgundy, with the same gold embroidery that was on her waist cinch and overskirt. Black lace peeked out at his wrists. He wore a black shirt with a black lace jabot underneath, skin-tight black pants and black boots cuffed just below his knees. He carried his saber since he couldn't wear it while driving. His tricorn hat was black with gold trim. Three black feathers in the hat polished off the look.

"Oh boy. If we don't get out of here now, we are so going to be late." Bani's voice was husky with desire and her eyes had turned gold. Jai had to struggle not to push her up against the wall, free his aching c*ck and give them both what they wanted.

Jai clenched his hand around the signet ring and stopped, the ring reminding him of something important he had to do before they left. "Wait, give me your hand." Bani held out her right hand. Jai took it and gently slipped the signet ring of the Curana onto her middle finger. The Curana's ring was identical to his own, but smaller and daintier. Two stylized pumas surrounded a gold oval, paws to tails. In the center of the oval, the face of a puma had been engraved with two yellow diamonds for eyes. When she looked confused Jai held up his own right hand, displaying his ring on his middle finger. "You are my Curana. Now everyone will know it."

Bani stared at the ring on her finger, a slow, utterly content smile stealing across her face.

"Pia is seriously going to sh*t a brick."

"Bani!"

Laughing, she rose up on her toes and kissed him with all the love in her heart, knocking both their hats to the floor in the process.