MIRAGE 12: NOW PEOPLE,PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR THIS
Jai was upset. He turned to fix the woman who had interrupted him with a vicious glare. How is it that she always had the worst timing?
"What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.
"Temper temper Jai," she sashayed closer to him, "You really should see yourself right now. You look like a caged lion.But then even you know I don't scare easy."
He took a deep breath to calm his raging nerves, "How many times have I told you to call before showing up?"
"Oh come on Jai, and miss the show I just caught?" her smile was sultry, "Not a chance."
He looked at her and knew exactly what she was up to and smiled, "Any particular reason why you're here?"
He came round the table to stand in front of her and she rejoiced in the look she saw had crept into his eyes. She knew him that well.
"I think the reason is obvious," she said, backing away with a coy smile on her face.
"Is it?" he asked, his voice deceptively soft and low.
"I think it is," she said, and stopped moving when she realized that she had her back to the door.
He placed his hands on either side of her to prevent her escape, though he doubted she would run at all. He inhaled the scent of her, his breath warm on her skin.
"Then I think we must not disappoint you," he said and with that covered her lips in a crushing kiss while his hand expertly snuck behind her and turned the lock on the door.
The kiss was long and hard and when he pulled back it was to reach behind the desk to push a button, scoop her up in his arms and carry her through the secret door that opened in the left side of the wall. It wasn't long before they were a tangle of arms and legs in the bed that took up a considerable amount of the secret room he had had built in his office.
Kaveri took one look at the shaky Bani that rushed past her in the hall way and didn't even bother to call out to her. She knew something untoward had happened as only a few minutes ago, she had seen that Pia woman headed for Mr. Walia's office. She couldn't even imagine what had gone down in there. She followed Bani to her office.
She entered to find Bani holding her head in her hands, her head facing south, "What happened in there?"
Bani jumped at the sound of her voice, and then went another shade darker when she saw it was Kaveri.
"Bani, what happened?" Kaveri repeated.
She looked at Kaveri, uncertain how to tell her of what had happened in the office… let alone that that woman had walked in on the whole scene!
"Forgive me," Bani began, "But I… I can't do this right now," she said, absently beginning to arrange papers on her table.
"Bani…" Kaveri began, knowing the signs like the back of her hand.
"I have a lot of work to do," Bani said without looking at her.
"Bani," Kaveri said more firmly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't…"
"She walked in on us!" Bani cut her off, still not looking at her and still shuffling papers.
"What?!" Kaveri exclaimed.
Bani looked curiously at he, and then understanding her line of thought gasped, "Oh no no, not that!"
Kaveri let out a sigh of relief, "You should be more specific when dropping bombs like that you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I'm sorry," she said, getting up and pacing the little office, "I mean one moment I was saying thanks for the flowers, the next thing I know he is almost kissing me and then she walks in!"
"Before or after?"
"What?" Bani stopped pacing in confusion.
"Before or after he kissed you," she elaborated.
"Are you not listening?" Bani hissed, "He almost kissed me!"
"But he didn't," Kaveri said.
"Only because she walked in!" Bani said waving her hands in excited panic, "Oh I feel like such a fool!"
"Calm down honey, it's not the end of the world."
"Isn't it?" Bani whirled around to face her, "That woman does not like me, she is going to wage war on me for…"
"Scared?" Kaveri raised a brow in question.
That got Bani's attention and she stopped pacing. Kaveri watched as the unsettled woman before her virtually turned from a babbling woman into a steel backed one.
"Not a chance," she said, going to settle in her chair, "I just don't want a repeat of what happened at the Conference."
"That will be impossible," Kaveri said, "Like you rightly said, she is going to wage war. Question is will you let her win?"
"Not if I can help it," Bani said, a small smile playing on her lips.
"But I must warn you Bani," she said seriously, "Mr. Walia is a wolf. He eats people like you… nice and sweet people like you for dinner."
Bani leaned back in her chair, "You know, everyone has insinuated as much, and I understand that. Truth be told it even scares me a little. I don't know what I feel right now Kaveri, I just know that I feel something. With all I have heard it should go away… but it isn't going away. It just…"
They both sighed, and Kaveri said, "Just be careful honey. That there is a deep hole and if you fall in, you have to realize you may never get out."
Bani smiled softly, "I'll remember that. Thank you."
Nodding that she had done what any other sister would do, she exited the office to her station. No sooner had she sat down than she saw Pia once again waltzing past her and heading towards the elevator. She looked closely at the woman and instinctively didn't have to think hard to know what she had been up to in her boss' office. While waiting for the elevator to come up, Pia turned to fix Kaveri with a knowing gaze and an curlish smile curved her lips, daring her to go tell Bani what she knew that Kaveri had figured out for a fact. Kaveri averted her gaze in disgust and Pia's smile increased.
She had said she wouldn't give up without a fight, and this was a battle she was going to win.
Bani went over to see her grandparents earlier on that evening as she hadn't see them in a while. Choti Ma was over the moon.
"How are you my child?" she beamed, the lines on her face becoming more prominent with the action.
"I am fine Choti Ma," she hugged the woman hard, "How are you?"
"Me, fit!" she said, clenching her fists in a show of power, causing Bani to laugh.
"Dadi Ma aur Dadaji kahan hai?" she asked.
"Upar se, aaye," she said, leading the way to the stairs and muttering under her breath, "You have to start taking care of yourself child, look how little you have become."
Bani laughed, "I'm fine Choti Ma," she said.
Kamna was reading to Saahil from the papers when she walked into their room, taking them by surprise.
"Arre Bani beti," Saahil exclaimed, his face breaking out in a wide smile, "Kab se aa gaya?"
"Bas abhi," she said, going to touch his feet and give him a hug, before turning to her Grandmother, "Kaise ho Dadi?"
"Bohot bohot theeku," she cupped her granddaughter's chin, "Aap kaise ho?"
"Bilkul theeku," she said happily, "What are you reading?"
"Oh my child, it's this horrible bombing that happened a few days ago. Such a sad story, all those innocent people."
"I know Dadi, it's so sad," she sighed, thinking of the horror some of the families would have to face in the days following the incident.
"It all seems so senseless," Saahil shook his head, "I mean why kill your own people?"
"These are things we will never understand," Bani said.
"Chor do yeh sab," Kamna said, "How is office work?"
"It is so exciting," she said, a spark entering her eyes as she proceeded to tell them about the occurrences over the last few weeks, beginning with the Spa project and then the Conference.
It did occur to her several times that her Grandparents were exchanging looks from time to time but she thought nothing of it as she put it down to their either being excited or amused that all the theatrics she was describing actually took place.
"You seem like you're having a lot of fun," Saahil smiled at her.
"I am. I mean I thought I would hate it there seeing as it was Ma who forced me to consider it," she said and sighed happily, "But I'm glad I did take the chance and work there. My interview wasn't exactly what you would call encouraging."
"I can imagine," Kamna smiled again and covertly winked at Saahil.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Saahil asked.
"Of course, or Choti Ma would kll me!" she said, looking over her shoulder to make sure the woman wasn't there, "She thinks I've lost too much weight and she wants me to fatten up here and now."
"And right she is," Kamna said, giving her granddaughter a once over, "You look pale."
"It's hot outside," she said with a smile on her lips.
"How is Tarun? We hardly get to hear from him nowadays," Saahil said, frowning.
"He's fine Dadaji, he's pretty busy what with his team playing right now in the championships," Bani said.
She knew fully well that was in fact busy and barely even called her. Half the time when she called him he was either out or too drained for her to have a sensible conversation with so she just said to call him back.
"Terrible times these are, when your Grandson cannot pick up the phone to call you," he said with a disapproving frown on his face.
"I will make sure he calls you soon Dadaji," she said, hugging him, "I'll go see what Choti Ma needs help with."
So saying she bounded from the room and went down to the kitchen, leaving her Grandparents alone to finally say what they had been bursting to say since she started talking.
Saahil chuckled to himself, "Oh Kamna, I must say I am proud of our daughter. She turned out to be quite the player na?"
"Indeed, persuading my granddaughter to work at Walia Group?" she said shaking her head, "Shaabash Kiran!"
"It is a good family," Saahil nodded sagely, "I have met Uday Walia several times and he seems a good man. I quite think an alliance between the two families is not a bad idea."
"Well bad or not, our lovely granddaughter has fallen in love with Jai Walia," Kamna said, "I just worry with the reputation that boy has."
"People change when they get married Kamna," Saahil said, "Maybe this is what the boy will need."
"For all her exposure my granddaughter may not be the kind of woman with a back strong enough for that kind of task," Kamna worried.
"You'd be surprised how strong people are when they have something worth fighting for," he said, a knowing smile creeping unto his face as he looked at his wife.
She smiled back, "Yes, I suppose you're right."
She remembered she had been quite the hell raiser in her day. She had run away from home when Saahil's parents had come to her house for the proposal. They had searched for her for days on end. Ironically it was still Saahil who found and brought her home and subsequently said he would not want to pressure her into marriage. They had met on neutral occasions after that and a slow but sure friendship had developed between them and in months to come, the same man she had run away from was the same man she was going home with. It wasn't until a few years later that he had told her that she had been his choice, since she had refused when he asked her hand, he would make her give him her hand herself. More than one way to kill a rat, he had told her.
"Think we should call Kiran?" Saahil asked, a mischievous glint entering his eyes.
"No, let's sit back and watch for a while," she said, mulling over the whole thing, "I think it best to let her handle this one herself. She seems to be doing a good job of it too."
"I agree," Saahil said and chuckled again, "Who would have thought that my own daughter would do the very same thing we tried to do to her to her daughter? Hardly seems fair."
"She was in love with someone then Saahil, and thank God she followed her instincts," Kamna said, a faraway smile on her face, "Look what wonderful grandchildren he gave us."
"Mhmm, I am just happy we made peace before he died," Saahil said, remembering how he had grown to like and respect his son-in law Carlos.
He took his wife's hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
Jai ran his hands through his hair for the gazillionth time and still could not figure out why on earth he could not shake the feeling of this girl! I mean even after his tryst with Pia he couldn't shake her. Oh, the look on her face when he had almost kissed her… it was pure, it was heady, it was thrilling to see the different emotions chase themselves around her face, each bidding to be the one that lasted the longest.
He relaxed in his high backed chair and laced his fingers through behind his head and smiled into the darkness that was his office. She really was a sight to behold, he had to admit she was nothing like the women he usually went for, may be that was why he couldn't stop thinking about her. Everything else, no no, more like everyone else had suddenly taken back seat to her.
Bani Dixit, he thought to himself, you will be mine, I assure you.
A polite tap on his door, "Come in."
Tony entered, "Sir, dinner is served."
"Thank you Tony," he said, sighing heavily.
Natchiket was having dinner at home tonight. He smiled at the irony of it all. His mother had tried on numerous occasions to get him home for dinner when Natchiket was going to be there and had failed miserably. On the other hand, he was so preoccupied thinking about this girl that he had completely forgotten what day of the week it was and had come home early.
Fascinating as she was, he was going to watch have to watch out for this girl, she seemed the sticky kind. Not necessarily clingy but more like the kind you never forgot, and he avoided those kinds of women. Well, not that he met them often.
Pensively, he made his way out of the room and headed to the dining table.
THE NEXT DAY AT WORK…………….
"Michael you are such a bad person!" Bani said in a scolding tone, "You haven't called me in weeks."
"I'm sorry my love, it's just woman trouble," he said mischief evident in his voice, "It's not easy being me!"
"Chup! Badmash," she reprimanded him.
"So how is work?"
"It's amazing now that I've settled in fully," she said, "Everyone here is so nice."
"That's not what you said about whatsizname a few weeks ago," Michael said.
Bani could feel thr frown on his face when he said that, "It's your fault. If you had kept in touch you would know what was and what isn't anymore."
"So what happened?"
"I don't know, things just kinda changed after the Conference I told you about," she said, "He just became more humane, sort of."
"Humane, and that guy?" Michael was skeptical, "I think he's up to something."
"So does everyone else from what I gather," she said.
"And you. How are you?"
"I'm fine Micheal, I really miss being able to talk to you whenever I want," she said.
"I miss you too honey," he said, and his mother called to him in the background, "Ma says hi."
"Give her a hug for me will you?" Bani said, her eyes tearing up.
"You're not going to cry on me are you?" Michael teased.
"Shut up," she said, laughing through the film that appeared over her eyes, "So what's new with you?"
"What can I say Bani, the world has not been kind to me since you left," he sighed, "Elaine and I broke up."
"What?!" she shot forwarding her chair, "How did that happen? Why?"
"Slow down Bani, it's…"
"What the hell happened?" she was agitated now, "She cheated didn't she?"
"Right on the money," he said bitterly.
"That two-timing conniving…"
"Bani, no names," he said quickly.
"But how dare she..." Bani stopped as realization dawned, "It was Gareth wasn't it?"
"Wow, have you been spying on me?" he gave a half hearted laugh.
"This isn't funny Michael," Bani said seriously, "When did this happen?"
"Two weeks ago."
"What?!" she was really distraught this time, "And you're just telling me?"
"Come on Bani, I was in a bad place at the time…"
"But we share everything," she protested, "Why would you keep this from me?"
"I'm sorry, I just… I'm sorry love."
"How are you holding up?" her voice was warmer now.
"I'm doing okay," he said, "Better than the day I walked in on them anyway."
"You walked in on…"
"Yeah, and let's not go there right now. The wounds are still fresh."
"Oh Michael," she genuinely felt his pain.
"Hey, I didn't call you to be a wet blanket," he said in a dismissive tone, "I want to hear about you and that monster of a boss you've got."
"He's not a monster," she said quickly, perhaps too quickly, "He just… doesn't like what he doesn't like."
Michael was quiet for a while.
"Michael?"
"You like him!" his tone was accusatory yet amused.
"I do not!" she denied hotly.
"Yes you do!" I do not, stop saying that."
"My not saying it does not make it any less true," he said, "Talking about not telling."
"Gosh I hate it when you do that," she said with an air of resignation.
"Yeah, I hate it too, now tell me all about this guy," Michael said.
Bani proceeded to tell him all that Jai was rumored to be and what she perceived him to be. She knew she shouldn't feel the way she felt but she could not just help it.
"I think they're right Leanora, maybe you should not get involved with this guy."
Bani smiled. He only called her Leanora when he was afraid for her or worried about something.
"And they are probably right," she said, "I think that's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it. Just don't want to think about it right now."
"I guess we both are at that place in our lives," he said sadly.
"I miss you so much Michael," she said her eyes watering, "It would have been so much easier with you around."
"I know mami, I miss you too."
"I have to get back to work now," Bani said, glancing at her wrist watch, "Speak to you soon?'
"Yeah, take care of you babes."
"Bye Michael," she said softly, took a moment to run her hands under her eyes to make sure her mascara did not smudge and swiveled her chair around to replace the receiver.
For the second time since she had begun work at WGI, she jackknifed out of her seat at the sight of Jai standing in the doorway, only this time he had a look as black as thunder on his face.
"I thought we paid you to work at Walia Group Miss Dixit, not make incessant phone calls to lousy boyfriends," he said through gritted teeth.
Bani was thrown, "Boyfriends?"
"You're on shaky grounds Miss Dixit, if you want to keep your job you will do what you are paid to do here and nothing else!"
She was still looking at him confused by what was happening. What the hell did he have to be so mad about anyway?
He threw a thick manila file on the table, "This is the file on a Housing Project in Lonavla. Make sure you spend billable hours working on it."
With that he turned and strolled out of her office, still frowning, leaving her to wonder what she had done wrong now, and what the consequences would be. She sighed heavily. After what she had just heard Michael say and now this, it was obvious this was going to be a rotten day.
Jai entered his office and banged the door behind him. Just what the hell did she think she was playing at? And who the hell was Michael? He had walked in on the last part of her conversation and it shouldn't bother him that she was talking to some guy, but this was obviously someone she loved. He remembered the way she had sounded when she said I miss you Michael. He swore under his breath. Who the hell was Michael?
He took a deep breath and relaxed his nerves. Well there were two options here; he could find out who this Michael character and deal with him, or he could wait to see what he was up against.
He went to stand by the window and look out over the chaos and the wonderful beach line that made up the back drop of the scenery.
He would wait. He could be a very patient man….
OKAY GUYS, THAT'S IT FOR NOW. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL COME SAME TIME NEXT WEEK.CIAO!
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