Part 7
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They ran toward the house, their fingers interlaced, everything blank except their burning longing to be in each other's arms.
He stopped in the palm grove and kissed her again, his body flush against her, her heart throbbing against his as held her high in the air. She combed her fingers in his hair, clutching him for support. He couldn't wait any longer. He lifted her in his hands and started walking toward the house. She didn't know when they reached the cottage, she was too intent on unbuttoning his shirt and exploring his firm skin, enjoying the touch of his quivering flesh. She dared to touch her lips against his flat ni**le, eliciting a groan that rumbled through his chest.
He dropped her on his bed, flinging the sheets carelessly to the side. The t-shirt and the bra were disposed off and he pushed the sweat pants down, stopping to bend down and kiss the tattoo, just below the bend of her waist. His tongue sought the tight rose bud on the tattoo and licked it, his tongue slightly rough. When she squirmed with delight, he succumbed to closing his mouth on it and sucked at the tight skin. She arched high on the bed, almost toppling him in the process. Her hands went to his jeans and she made a feeble attempt to push it off his waist. He acquiesced to her unasked request by unbuttoning and removing the jeans, exposing the navy blue boxers underneath, and that too was gone an instant. The bed dipped as he came to lie down on her. She closed her eyes, her dreams didn't justify the man in flesh.
"Bani, open your eyes!" he husked. She fluttered them open, the large limpid pools made him swallow hard. She looked fascinated at him as his Adam's apple moved and rose on her elbow to touch his throat with her lips. He brought her face back to stare at the stormy eyes.
"I want you to know who are you in bed with, Bani ā I am not Daksh or any other man. I am Jai, Jai Walia, your JW." He whispered softly, his eyes never moving an inch from her face.
She nodded, "Yes, my JW!" his name did not sound strange on her lips, but familiar, and utterly dear.
They craved to satisfy the hunger that was fed by each touch, each kiss and each look. Their appetite only got whetted and the voracious need for each other scaled rapidly to new heights.
When the end came, the rapture was so intense, Bani sobbed in delight and Jai's eyes brimmed with tears. No one could bring him to this state except Bani. He understood a long time ago, what Bani meant to him. He always knew she was in his destiny, he was too careless when he had her, but no more. He will have her in his life, whatever it took. He would just go to the earth's end, not just New York for her. He will prove it to her.
Sleep eluded Bani. She had succumbed to Jai so easily, it felt so natural to lie with him in the crook of his arm. They had made love in the broad daylight, and it had not even been a day since she moved in with him. Suddenly she remembered the 160 crores in his account. What kind of trouble was he in? Was he doing something crooked? Drugs, may be? How did he earn so much money in just 7 years? She should help him to turn a leaf and become straight.
Determined, she lifted her head to look at him and met his slumberous, lazy eyes.
"Jai, I know about the money in your account. How did you make so much money?" she tried hard to remove all judgment from her voice.
He stiffened. The droopy, sexiness vanquished to be replaced by an expressionless face.
"Is that the reason you slept with me, Bani? Because I am rich and successful now?" the bitterness was evident in his eyes.
She stopped her hand that was about to caress his cheek. "Is that what you really think? I slept with you because of your money?" The unfairness of his accusation hit her hard.
She sat up, pulling the bed sheet around her. He kicked himself for forgetting his brand new decision to take care of her and prove to her that he loved her. The distaste in her face told him about the big mistake he made.
"I probably deserved that!" She said quietly, "I always pestered you to become rich and successful. But it wasn't because I wanted to lead a luxury life, it was because I knew you had too much potential and I knew you were wasting time on motorbikes and drinking buddies. I was ambitious, for you and I." Tears slid over her cheeks and she made no attempt to wipe them. "I hope that you made all that money legally, because I don't want to see you going to prison. Whatever you think of me, I only wanted the best for you." She stepped down from the bed and walked heavily toward the bathroom. "Please give me the divorce, Jai! We only know how to hurt each other! I will go back to New York. I am sorry about Lucy, I had no right to be jealous or get mad at you. You are a red blooded man, after all." She closed the door softly and slid the bolt.
She switched the taps on and started weeping until she had no more tears left.
"Bani, please open the door! I am sorry, I didn't mean what I said. If it wasn't for you constantly encouraging me to more, I could never have achieved the success. Please, Baniā¦I can't talk to you with a shut door between us." He waited for her to unlatch the door but when he didn't hear any movement, he shoved the door hard with his shoulder. The door creaked and gave in easily. He saw her sitting on the edge of the thumb, a pathetic figure covered in a bed sheet. Her eyes and face were swollen with crying. He sighed, and came down on his haunches next to her. "You can hit me, if you like! You had a mean punch and punished me whenever I dared to kiss you when we were in high school." He raised her hand to him on his cheek. When she refused to participate, he put her head on her lap, enveloping her in his arms.
"Bani, I can't let you go, this time, I would really die if you leave me. I changed myself into what you want me to be, I worked hard, I started a fishery and shrimping business. I started exporting to the middle east, I opened hotels in India and middle east. That's how I made the money. I am not doing anything illegal. Trust me, Bani!"
"Whatever happened your real love, making hand crafted glass?" Bani was sad that he had to give up his love for art to be a successful businessman.
He smiled bashfully. "Have you heard of 'Akasa'?"
"The glass factory based in Goa, that makes wine glasses, chandeliers and vases? All the rich people in New York collect them!"
"Well, I own it, I make some of the original pieces there, but we collect from local artists and I give them part of the profits from the sales." He slowly lifted his head from her lap to look at her.
"Wow? You have become a big shot, Jai" she was happy for him. "I only want you to be happy. I am too much of a free spirit, I have always brought unhappiness to everyone. My place is not here!" she tried to get up and move past him.
"I am not letting you go, Bani! Not in this lifetime anyway. Your days away from me are over and if you want me to be in New York with you, I will come there, I will miss this place, but my place is with you from now on." The intent on his face was clearly visible.
"You still want me, even when you think I am only after your money?" she hiccupped.
"Always, foreverā¦in factā¦right now!" He lifted her in his arms and took her to his bed.
"I love you, Jai" she smiled through her tears.
"And I love you, Bani" he stopped her from talking further.
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(I added this for fun, couldn't resist an all out war between Jigz and Karuna)
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Epilogue:
Three days later,
"Jai, Daksh called to say he was coming tomorrow, with his mother. What am I going to tell him?" Bani whimpered.
He stopped from buttoning his jeans and raised his head to look at her in astonishment.
""You haven't called him yet?" The frown on his forehead scared her.
"I didn't know how to tell him." She looked down at her toes guiltily.
"Give me the bloody phone, I will tell him." She wondered if it was steam that was coming from his ears.
"Hmm, he is already on the plane. He called me before boarding it." She had the grace to look ashamed.
"Bani, I want to kill you!" he squeezed her neck with his fingers.
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Tarun and Pushkar were on the welcome committee along with Pia and Rano.
Council Woman Karuna was suitably impressed with the limousine that came to pick her up the airport. Adity got his local troupe to do him a favor by asking him to come and pretend like they were dignitaries of Goa. All they needed was an incentive, and Jigyasa offered to make them the Chicken pakodas afterward.
George, her business manager decided to show up along with Daksh and Karuna. He was completely taken in with Tarun, they stared at each other, and knew they were soul mates.
Karuna brought the reporters from New York, the gossip hungry paparazzi had a field day. They smelled a story from miles away.
As Daksh got out of the car, he eyed Bani waiting for him and moved in the general direction. The paparazzi were ready with their cameras to see him greet his future bride. The expectant journalists brought their mikes forward to ask the relevant questions.
When Daksh reached Bani, Jai came in between them, drawing a frown in Daksh's forehead.
"Randheria!" Jai sized him up and down.
Daksh reached out with an outstretched hand. He was an old hand at this. He knew how to handle crowd.
"I am sorry, I don't know your name sir, but you are coming between my bride and I" Daksh politely shook his hand and tried to steer him out of his way.
"My name is Jai Walia, Bani's husband. I don't know about New York, but here in India, it's illegal to marry a woman who is already married." Jai took pleasure in telling Daksh how it is.
Daksh paused midway. "What the hell did you say?" The cameras flashed brilliantly on Daksh and Jai's faces and the slight figure of Bani slinking behind Jai.
"He said, Bani is his wife. And she is not coming with you to New York." Jigyasa rubbed it in delightedly.
"And who the heck are you?" Karuna knew she looked her best in a light blue pant suit, with a string of pearls around her neck and a wide brimmed hat to protect her face from the harsh sun. Her eyes were covered with Gucci glasses. She didn't appreciate this cheap woman in front of her, dressed in a long skirt with large flowers and a crimson top that showed more cleavage than it covered. Her short hair was still in rollers and she looked like an Italian who just landed in the Bronx.
"I am my daughter's mother, that's what I am!" Jigyasa smiled. She was looking forward to rub this bitty's face in the mud.
"I am sure that's very helpful in your 'world', but can you tell me, who is your daughter?" Karuna wrinkled her retrousse nose.
Jigyasa bristled, "I am Bani's mother, and she is not coming back with you to New York, as you see she is married to Jai here and she is quite happy!"
Karuna was ready with a snide remark. "Oh! Why don't you go back to your double-wide and fry something. By the look of your sagging chest and enormous bums, it looks like you enjoy cooking and eating it too!"
Jigyasa lost it, "Pushkar, why don't you pull out the poker that's shoved up her boney ass!"
George jumped up and down, clapping his hands in delight. Finally some one to answer back the snotty witch who thinks she is the empress of New York.
Karuna stared at him with flinty eyes. "Oh why don't you just go to a gay bar!"
Bani jumped in to save George from the wrath of Karuna, "George, why don't you take Tarun and go to the bar down the street?"
George batted his eyelashes at Tarun, so he was right, his gay antennae did spot Tarun as one of his own kind. They silently consented and turned to go.
Pushkar stared in surprise. "But why would Tarun need to go to the Gay bar?" Pia elbowed him to stay quiet.
"Daksh, I have to talk to you! Let's get out of here! I need to explain something to you." Bani grabbed his hand to get him out of the crowd.
Jai walked behind Daksh and Bani, escorting them in to the cottage.
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Daksh found the younger sister Rano to be more of his cup of tea and his campaign managers rushed to put a spin on the break-up as if Daksh broke the engagement in favor of Rano ā the New York public ate it up, they are suckers for romances.
Jigyasa and Karuna were seen last trading insults and calling each other names ā Jigyasa was winning the battle because of her enormous vocabulary due to her rearing in the fisherman's village.
Tarun and George got along like house on fire and Bani sold her business to George and started something new in Goa. She and Jai decided to have several babies in the future.
Pushkar and Pia had twins and went on to have half a dozen more. Adity enjoyed his grandkids sitting on the porch and conducting skits and dramas in the children's theater in Goa.
The Endā¦
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Please leave your comments. Sorry for a lame last part...
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