38A: Sensibilities
A new dawn broke through the sheer curtains casting a surreal hue over the entire bedroom. Rishabh propped himself up on an elbow to prevent the unwanted intruder from disturbing the beauteous figure, that lay peacefully asleep at his side.
At last, he thought, allowing his gaze to sweep boldly over her alluring form.
At last, this togetherness bore no signs of the extraordinary anguish, agony, and heartache they had both toiled through. All of which could now be attributed to a painful memory or even a prolonged nightmare and given a fitting burial.
The only thing left over at the culmination of this arduous journey was an incredible sense of fulfillment and belonging.
He should have felt drained, exhausted, but he did not. Rather, he felt renewed, rejuvenated, all set to embark in another direction with this new constant companion; his beautiful wife, and she was all his. Well, almost.
How long will you make me wait, my supremely covetable mistress? Will you rescind now, later today, or tomorrow? When?
Her eyes snapped open, those clear black pools stared at his face momentarily nonplussed, then as realization set in, he observed a warmth work its way slowly up her visage.
"What are you staring at?"
"Silently extolling my gorgeous wife's innumerable assets, obvious and hidden, intellectual and physical."
"Physical?"
"Yes, physical and undeniably so." He could see she wasn't prepared for this; this uncharacteristic verbal fling with boldness seemed to upset her composure substantially.
Unconcerned, he smiled and continued. It was now his turn to ruffle her feathers. "Would you like me to elaborate on some, my jaan? There happen to be quite a few."
"Nooo! Please don't!" she exclaimed, considerably flustered, placing fingers on his mouth.
Grabbing hold of her restraining hand, he kissed her fingers one by one, sucking gently on the tips.
She emitted a scandalized gasp.
"I will and you have to listen to me," he said while settling his free arm on her other side, locking her in a makeshift cage. "Hmm... Shall I begin from the top or the bottom?" His toes tickled the soles of her feet.
She snatched up her knees. "Will you stop? You""
"Hush! I don't want to hear any more cuss words from your mouth. It has plenty better things to do." He winked suggestively, grinning as her eyes widened with shocked understanding. "Seems like my wife is well versed in the art of pleasing her spouse, at least in theory. Anyway, she has had a very good teacher," he said, picking up the well-worn copy of The Devil's Wife and flicking deliberately through the pages.
"Oh my god! How can you bring yourself to read such junk!" she said, pretending to appear affronted while her crimson-colored complexion was a dead giveaway.
"Junk or not, it is extremely revealing as to the secret machinations of a woman's mind, such as look here and I quote." He rested his head on her stomach and turned to a certain page of the novel while Madhu's eyes focussed steadfast on the ceiling.
"That devil, that cad of a husband of mine, I loathe him with my entire being yet when he looks at me with those wicked eyes, I lose myself to""
She sat up abruptly, pushing him off. "Rishabh, this isn't fair! How could you be so unfeeling and callous?" She reached for and managed to snatch the accursed book out of his grasp. "There, what will you do now?"
"Hmm..." He glanced slyly at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Yes, her husband was a cad, the devil himself who'd wed her for ruthlessly conceited reasons known only to himself and then subjected her to unmentionable misery and hardship, which she had borne without complaint for the sake of her poor sick father but..."
"But?" Madhu stared at him, fascinated as the words poured out of his mouth as though they were his own.
"But slowly inexorably against his will, this evil man was drawn toward his wife's irresistible comeliness, her thick cascading tresses like a dark cloud"," he said, twisting a lock of her hair around his fingers.
"But his wife was a blond," she hurried to correct him.
Rishabh laid her back down. "Her tresses, like a dark cloud fecund with rain, invited him to repose his tired head upon...the unfathomable depths of her luminescent black eyes""
"But her eyes were blue," Madhu interrupted again.
"Luminescent black eyes...which gave him a glimpse of her virgin white soul. That pert nose, which turned red with fury well before she got ready to rave and rant at him. Those lips...ahhh..." He let out an exaggerated sigh.
Madhu giggled. "Go on...those lips?"
"Those luscious lips heady with wine," he said, coming closer so only a hair's breath separated them. "Which I crave to savor every waking moment." He swooped down upon her eagerly.
"Ohhh!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "That's just what a woman longs to hear from her husband, be it the truth or otherwise."
"It is absolutely nothing but the truth!" he said, holding her back. "Would I ever lie to you? Wait, I have a lot more."
"You have more?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes." He nipped the delicate skin on the inside of her elbow. "The silky supple skin, which he yearned to make a meal of"the smooth curves of her bosom, which he couldn't wait to smother with his bare torso." Rishabh grumbled, "God, girl! You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment. This desire has become a permanent ache inside."
She emitted a ragged breath when a feather-light peck landed on the cleft revealed by her deep neckline. He rushed to remove his shirt.
The alarm went off shrilly, shattering the quiet and making her scream.
"Oh no!" She scrambled to the side of the bed.
"What the"! You aren't going anywhere without my say so!"
"I need to go. I've promised Mama I'd make breakfast today."
"Bloody hell! Tell her that her son-in-law is interested in an entirely different type of feast!" He stretched to pull her back.
She fingered his cheek. "I can't. Daddy's waiting desperately for his only daughter's special American pancakes."
He collapsed on his back, lamenting, "God! A wife like this..."
"Sirf kismet waalon ko milti hai!" (Can be treasured only by a lucky few!) She giggled before hurrying into the bathroom.
tbc
PS: Will post 38 B and C later this evening or tomorrow :)
Again I won't be able to post Book 2 here since its a brand new novel that's just out. I will post it on my private blog and give access to those who will comment on a regular basis. You will also get access to my WIP (work in progress). Thanks for understanding.
CID
