OK, I guess I couldn't really finish it in this part either, so Niruba, I will go according to your wish.
This part is dedicated to Nir_Jaanu, Hima, Nikita28, Henna, and all the March babies...
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Part 6B
"Call him and ask him to come in two weeks, Bani!" he commanded a tad sharply. By the set of his square jaw, he brooked no arguments from her.
"He is a busy man!" Bani whined.
"So am I, and If he is not running after previously married women, then he wouldn't be so busy!" She could have sworn that he gritted his teeth.
"I am only doing this to show you that living together for two weeks is not going to make any difference and this condition is utter futility." Even as she said it, she was sure, he could see the fear in her eyes.
"The Bani I knew used to be fearless!" He couldn't help commenting.
"The girl you knew didn't have a life, now she has one."
"Guess you better get on with it then." He turned away. "with me for the next two weeks." He added for good measure.
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"God! He has become a hard ***" she whined to Tarun.
"I want to reply to that sooo bad, Bani! But because of our new found friendship, I will refrain from doing so!" Tarun replied with control.
"Yeah, take his side, won't you?" she threw the jacket she was wearing on the deck because it was getting hot.
"About a year after you left, he came to New York, to get you back. He told your dad he'd never seen anything like it. He knew that it would take more than an apology to get you back. He'd have to conquer the world first. He's been trying ever since." Tarun stared intently at the tattoo she had on her waist that was uncovered when she took off her jacket.
"Is that the reason why he refused to sign the divorce papers and sent them back every year?" she was curious. "Because, he is still trying to conquer the world?"
Tarun changed the subject. "Is that the same tattoo you got when we all got drunk in Mumbai?" He asked curiously.
She blushed. "None of your goddamn business, Tarun!" she plopped herself and ignored him.
"Oh my God! Wait till Jai sees it!" he whistled.
"He is not going to see it, and if you tell him, I will throw you in the ocean, new found friendship or not!" she threatened him with dire consequences.
"He will see it alright!" he had the last word before lying down on a towel and closing his eyes.
She blushed just thinking about what Jai would do if he saw it on her lower waist and felt that she was crazy to have kept it still.
The boat docked with a small lurch. And she hastened to get out of it.
"Bani, 8:00pm, I am coming to pick you up, be ready!" Jai shouted as she descended the steps quickly.
"You should know by now that I am never on time, Jai! Make sure you are prepared to wait." Bani retorted equally loudly.
"Oh baby, I was told that good things always happen to those who wait!" he chuckled as she stuck her middle finger at him.
"Keep waiting JW, you ever heard of the man who waited and grew warts?"
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When she told Jigyasa that he was moving in with Jai, she saw her mother's smile widening.
"Ma, don't get your hopes too high! I am not coming back!" Bani warned her.
"I am going to make dinner, what do you want honey?" Jigyasa patted her lovingly. Bani knew she was changing the subject and let her do it.
"Ma, Daksh's mother is coming with him from New York in about ten days. She is a New York council woman and she wants to check Goa out."
"Your dad gave up giving the city tours, honey!" Jigyasa had no intention of helping Karuna with anything.
"Ma, don't be a 'you know what'!" Bani said cynically. "Whatever happened to the Goanese hospitality?"
"Don't you twist my arm, Bani! Where is she going to stay? Our house is not even big enough for the four of us." Jigyasa whined.
"How about they stay in the new hotel near the chemical plant?" Rano supplied with a grin.
"Well, if that doesn't work out, they can always stay in the bed and breakfast inn next to the cemetery. There are friendly ghosts who visit it." Pia stuffed her mouth with the expensive candy that Bani brought with her.
"How about they stay in the room above the bar? I think it's very popular with the local men." Pushkar smirked.
"Yes, with old, drunken lechers. Guys, we are talking about one of the richest women in New York" Bani wasn't amused.
"When is being rich qualification for respect, Bani?" Aditya showed his leftist tendencies.
"You guys are all mean!" Bani sulked. "I am going to ask Tarun to host them, they can be his paying guests."
"You do know that Dadi Sablok is still alive? She is hard of hearing now but she still kicks ass." Pushkar grinned widely.
"Dadi is a sweety pie, she always had a soft corner for me!" Bani smiled.
"I know that I am not going to get along well with this Karuna woman!" Jigyasa tied the apron a little too tightly around her waist, as if she was getting ready to do a battle.
"Stop it, ma!" Bani ordered her and snapped her suitcase shut.
"How will they like you staying with Jai when they come here?" Adity sounded concerned.
Bani chewed on her lip, "I have told them that I am staying with a cousin who needs psychological counseling."
Pushkar let out a guffaw. Pia and Rano joined in as Adity and Jigyasa looked astonished at Bani's audacity.
"I heard that you were kissing cousins!" Pia smacked her thigh and laughed hysterically.
"Damn Tarun, he should have got a job in Reuter's broadcast media. And that subject is a taboo for all of you!" She pointed a finger and threatened her family.
"You are no fun, Bani!!" Rano pushed her eyeglasses and hid her amusement.
"Whatever!" Bani marched off to the porch with her luggage. "Where the heck is he, it's nine o'clock already!"
"If I knew you were waiting for me so eagerly, I would have come long time ago, sweetheart!" He walked lithely toward her.
"In your dreams!" she said spitefully. She was disappointed when he didn't come back with a retort.
"Let's go!" Jai lifted the bags effortlessly. "What do you have in the bags, Meteorites from New York?" he didn't wait for her to answer before throwing them carelessly in to the pickup van.
The ride to the cottage was short but the distance seemed never ending as their silence stretched uncomfortably.
"Where am I sleeping?" Bani asked him as soon as he stopped.
"In the attic!" he replied blandly.
"I am being serious!" she hesitated to enter the house.
"You can sleep in the guest room, Bani! I am going to take the other girl to my room" he smiled disarmingly.
"What girl?" her heckles rose.
"Calm down, I am just talking about Bessie! The old girl has been sleeping in the guest room." Jai raised his hands in defense.
"Oh!" Bani let out a sigh.
"Jealous, are we?" he passed a sidelong look at her.
She hissed at him angrily, making him back down in mock fright.
She changed into sweat pants and an old shirt, and sat on her bed for a while and decided that it was too childish to do so, and came out to look for him.
She saw him placing a bowl of water in front of Bessie and came down to sit next to the dog, rubbing it gently behind the ears.
"Did you eat?" Bani asked him quietly.
He hesitated briefly before being truthful. "No, I was busy at work."
She got up and opened the cupboards, checking them for the necessary things to cook him something. She looked at him questioningly when she found nothing except eggs, milk and some fruits.
"I don't come here that much!" Jai answered self-consciously.
"Who is the bimbo you are staying with, Jai?" she straightened her back, it hurt her terribly to think of him with any one.
"Why? Are you jealous?" he picked up a pan and put it on the stove and walked to the couch to lie down tiredly.
She wanted to say something caustic but felt it safer to stay quiet. How could she tell him, that her heart burned with acidity just thinking about anyone else in his arms?
She cracked the eggs and beat them with a fork venomously, almost spilling the contents on the counter.
She made the eggs, they came out fluffy and light, just the way he liked it. She put it on a plate and set it in front of him noisily.
He opened an eye and scrambled to a sitting position. "Thanks, Bani!" a sweet seductive smile appeared on his face.
She smiled without meaning to. His smile always made her stomach flip. She watched him tuck in the omelet hungrily. "You should eat more, you hardly eat!" Bani complained.
"I need a nagging wife to feed me food and take care of me." He stretched his long feet on to the couch and rubbed his stomach contentedly.
"What about the *itch you are staying with, she should be taking care of you!" she picked up the plate in front of him and dropped it into the sink, almost breaking it. For some odd reason, she felt like weeping.
He didn't reply for a minute. "No one can really take your place, Bani!"
She laughed through her tears. "You are such a bad liar." He looked at her as if he wanted to straighten her assumption, but decided to let it go. She busied herself cleaning the pan and the plate.
She heard a soft snore after a few minutes later. She wiped her hands on a towel and came to sit next to his head. She reached out and wiped the perspiration on his forehead under the raven locks of hair. It was a typical humid day in Goa, she wiped him gently with the towel. He had unbuttoned his shirt and it hung loosely exposing his broad chest. She longed to touch the curls that disappeared into his trousers. Instead, she headed toward her room, which was lonely and unwelcome.
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"Bani, wake up!" he shook her softly. "I am going to Daisy's, to get some breakfast, do you want to come with me?"
She muttered something incoherent and turned restlessly. Her shirt rode up and he stared at the tattoo on her lower waist, in pink and green, "JB Forever!" A rose bud with greenery around the words indelibly printed on her pale skin. He traced it delicately, encouraging more mumbling from her.
He had one too, they both got a little crazy in Mumbai, on their honeymoon. They didn't have enough money to go on their own, so they went with Tarun and a bunch of friends in his car, stayed in a cheap motel and the boys mostly drank while he and Bani checked out the city in search of the Bollywood stars. That was the best time they had together, without a worry in sight.
Jai had got a tattoo saying "Princess B" on his bum, with Bani chortling away and rolling in laughter when she saw it.
He retreated slowly, not wishing to invade her privacy. He let out a sigh of relief. May be she wouldn't have got married to Daksh if she still had a tattoo on a very visible place.
She woke up with a start after ten minutes, realizing where she was and scrambled to get up. She looked thoughtfully at the mutt lying near her legs and wondered who let him in, she remembered closing her door when she slept in the night.
She brushed her teeth and cleansed her face before searching for Jai. She saw him sitting on the porch steps, with a large mug of coffee.
"Is that mine?" she sat next to him and reached for the cup. He hit her lightly on her hand. "No, it's not! If you want yours, you need to make it!"
"Meano!" she said without rancor and pushed herself off of the steps to get her cup.
He looked up from the papers he was looking at. "Actually, I am going to Daisy's, I wondered if you want to go to get some breakfast."
She nodded. They walked in silence a short distance on to the beach and entered Daisy's coffee shop that also sold the best croissants in the whole town. She sat on a bar stool and munched on it happily and drank the strong coffee that probably was made in the wee hours of morning and brewed until it became thick and condensed.
Daisy took a break from the register to come and say hi to Jai and looked at Bani in surprise. Bani spotted Lucy clinging on to Jai's arm, Lucy was Daisy's not so young daughter who was still looking for a husband. Bani seethed when she saw Jai smiling down at the woman and talking to her amicably.
When Jai looked at Bani, Lucy walked toward her in a haughty manner and looked her up and down.
"So who might this be? Some wannabe actress that landed up in Goa after things didn't workout in Mumbai?"
Bani gave her a chilling smile. "Well, you must be Jai's wannabe date. I'm Bani, Jai's snotty bitch wife whom he refuses to divorce." She got up from the stool and walked out.
"Jai, you need to control that woman, she is a bit hoity, toity, isn't she?" Lucy simpered.
"Lucy, I can't control her, any more than I can control the weather!" he left the woman standing to go and join Bani.
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She ignored and walked into the bank after giving him the slip. Bani needed to cash some of her American Express travel checks.
Mrs. Mistry looked at her from her desk. "Bani, is that you? After such a long time? Have you come to withdraw or deposit into your account?" – Kanta was a friendly woman and tried to help Bani courteously.
Bani paused. Her account, she had forgotten about it already, she had a joint account with Jai…her eyes glittered with revenge. She will show him.
Bani greeted Kanta eagerly and nodded. "yes, please! I would like to withdraw all the money and close my account."
Cherry and Taz were listening to the conversation and nearly choked on the Tazo chai they were sipping from starbucks. "All the money?" they exchanged puzzled looks.
"Why, Bani? Is there a problem with the bank? Jai is our high value customer, we will help you with any issue that you have. Please give us one more chance!" Kanta looked bewildered at the sudden development. As the manager of the branch, she wanted to retain her best customers.
"Oh no! Please! I love this bank, it's just that I need some money transferred over to my bank in NY. I want to expedite this, is there a way I can wire all the money to my bank in Manhattan?" Bani looked at Taz and Cherry who were still looking at her boggle eyed.
"But that's over 160 crores, close to $40Million dollars. You are sure you want to close the account?" Kanta was skeptical. "Besides, we have all these new rules like Sorbannes Oxley, we need to divulge the information to the respective governments, you know…because of terrorist acts." Kanta explained.
Bani paused. Did she say 160 crores? "Come again? How much did you say, I have in the account?"
Cherry looked on with a knowing smile on her face. She didn't know how much money her husband deposits in their joint account either. She was as clueless as Bani. 😉
Taz looked enviously at Bani, but she was more envious about the handsome hottie 😳that Bani is married to than the 160 crores in her account. The two junior tellers Hima and Nirali rolled their eyes, 🤔they knew all about Jai and how Taz is lattoo over him. If Cherry wasn't married, they knew she would have been all over him too.
Bani turned and left the bank. Just at the moment, she saw Lucy hurriedly joining Jai and saying something to him urgently.
She ran toward the beach, she was sick with jealousy. The urge to claw the woman's eyes out was so incredible, she needed to get away from her.
"Bani!! Wait for me!" He cried sharply.
"Look, I don't care about Lucy, she is going through a rough period now, her husband left her and her kid is refusing to see her. I was just being compassionate, I am not interested in her." He grabbed her arm, and explained after he caught up to her.
She straightened to her full height of five feet one inch. "And who asked you for an explanation, do you think I care? You can have her and you can have her on a platter. Take your hand off of me!" she pushed him with all her might.
"Really, and I thought that JB are forever, so how can any one come in between?" he smoothed the goose bumps on her upper arm. He pulled her effortlessly into his arms and caught her face between his palms. He stared into her face for what seemed like an eternity before swooping down to devour her lips with a hunger that was eating away at his gut.
Her arms reached up to wrap them around his neck and she tiptoed to get a better access to his firm and sensual lips. He picked her up as if she was feather-weight and carried her into the cove that was their favorite haunt.
He leaned her gently against the wall of the cove and placed his hands on each side of head, kissing her and not giving her a respite.
"Jai!" She sobbed with desire that was shaking her slight form.
"I want you, Bani! I want to lose myself in you, I have been waiting for you to come back to me for a long time!" He muttered thickly while reaching up under her shirt.
"Jai!" she clutched at his shoulders, wanting to rip open his shirt.
"Not here, Bani! Let's go home! I can't make love to you here, I want the privacy and I want you to be in my arms all day and night without interruption." The husky timbre of his voice made her stomach somersault. The darkened eyes, the heavy lids, the slash of red on his cheekbones…they all attested to the passion. She swallowed hard, she knew his passion is equally reciprocated. She wanted him badly.
He pulled her out, with a single handed determination, intent on taking her home.
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You know the drill, please leave your comments... 😳
And forgive me if it is disjointed, wrote it while I was having my hair done...😕😕
Edited by Sheena_Row - 17 years ago
Pushpa Impossible
CID
