Shlok waited till Astha finished everything in her plate. He was pleased and he smiled at her. "Good. Now shall we leave?"
"Wait." Astha's voice was firm. Shlok silently raised a brow in query. Astha continued in the same voice. "What about you? You never told me about yourself Shlok." Shlok was surprised at her query. Usually no one dared question him back. He was surprised and slightly pleased that this chit of a girl showed some spirit.
Shlok's expression became serious and he answered her in an expressionless voice. "What do you want to know?"
"Anything. Everything. Just like how I shared everything with you." Astha's retort was immediate and swift. Shlok thought to himself. Everything? Then why didn't you mention your lover who's dead now?
"My father is Niranjan Agnihotri and you know who he is. My mother, Anjali Agnihotri, is a home maker. I have an elder brother Varad. They live in this same city and I stay alone."
"Why?" He shrugged.
"That's how I am. I need my space and my independence. I have lived alone since I came from the States after my education." His tone forbade her to question him more. He got up after carelessly throwing a few notes on the table.
Astha got up more slowly and they went to the car. He started and was driving away from her hostel. "Mr Shlok, where are we going?"
Shlok looked at her briefly. "No Mr, It's just Shlok for you. I won't repeat this again Astha. You always call me Shlok." He threw that at her while she meekly nodded.
"We are going away from my hostel."
"I am taking you to my house." Astha immediately panicked. It was a different matter to have coffee in public. But his home? Good lord, how will she get out of it? Shlok threw her a side ways glance and was amused at her obvious worry.
"We have a few things to discuss and at the end of it you can choose to see me more or walk away from me."
"Really?" Her tone was skeptic. She didn't know what was going on and he was not helping her at all. What was all this about seeing him? He said he didn't have girl friends. Only..only sexual partners. Then why in heavens name was he taking her to his house? Didn't he realize it was a waste of time to spend with someone as old fashioned as she?
Astha didn't want to reach assumptions. Let me first hear him out and then decide what I should do. With that, she leaned back and concentrated on the roads until they reached a huge, modern house with automated gates and a garage that opened straight to his living room.
It was a huge mansion with tastefully done decor. Huge paintings hung on the walls. For all she knew it could be original art pieces. A huge staircase led to rooms upstairs she presumed. They passed the living room with the comfortable sofas. Shlok took her upstairs and let her to a room where a huge TV was mounted against the hall.
Another comfortable couch was present in that room. On one side, there was a huge shelf on the wall with so many books and CDs. It looked like some sort of a library and the smell of the leather from the couch dominated the room.
Shlok briefly went out and came back with a set of papers in his hand. Astha was perplexed. Did he want her to do an assignment sort of thing? She breathed a little easier. Maybe that's why he has brought her here, she thought.
Astha waited for Shlok to speak. He came in minus his jacket and with a loosened tie. Astha noted he looked good enough to eat with his hair slightly tousled and his tie loosened. She wondered what it would be like to be his girl friend or his wife. And then she remembered his words. It acted like a bucket of cold water on her thoughts.
"Sit." No please, and certainly no asking. Typical, she thought with irritation. However Astha complied.
"Read this carefully and sign it if you're willing."
"What is this?"
"Yes, I am coming to that. Astha, first of all whatever goes on in this room must not get out of this room so you have to sign the NDA - Non Disclosure Agreement."
"Is this some business dealing?" Astha was still confused.
"Sort of." He gave a lopsided grin and thoughtfully stroked his nose.
Astha first signed the NDA after reading it, and then she took the second set of papers from him. "Now what is this?"
Shlok gave a huge sigh. He got up and started walking towards the huge window. "I told you earlier Astha, I never do relationships. I only have sex." His tone was blunt and he was to the point. Astha blushed at his statement and wondered what it had to do with her.
She then started reading the paper. The agreement listed that the sexual partner who was chosen will chose to remain exclusive for him till the agreement ends. The partner should not even date another man platonically. The agreement also talked about the clothes, the gifts that the person was entitled to keep after the agreement was over.
It said over the weekends the partner had to live in with Shlok and could leave by Sunday night. The partner should not attempt to contact Shlok over the weekdays. And then came the sexual preferences - no threesome, no dangerous acts, no violence allowed. So many other rules were mentioned in the agreement. When she almost completed the do's and dont's, her head was spinning.
It finally went through her thick head that Shlok Agnihotri was asking her to sign this bond to become his sexual partner. No sex slave. Astha's eyes welled up with angry and frustrated tears. Never in her life had she been insulted like this.
Shlok turned around to watch the emotions pass over her face. She blushed while reading through the agreement and then he saw indignation and finally anger. Shlok wondered why she should be angry. He presumed she was already experienced since she had lived in with a man for over one year.
I didn't lie to her or mislead her. The agreement cannot be more clear than this. So why is she reacting as if she is a Victorian maid? Shlok was confused. She spoke even before he could ask her.
"Mr Agnihotri, if this is some sort of a joke, I definitely don't feel like laughing. I don't know what you think of yourself. But if this is how you live, I pity you and I want nothing to do with you. I will never sign this and I will never be your bloody partner." She almost spat out her words. He could practically feel steam coming out of her ears.
Astha placed the agreement on the table and turned to leave. "Wait." His voice was stopped her. "I will drop you to your hostel."
"There's no nee..." He cut her off abruptly. "There is. I asked you to come and I will drop you. Come." That swine, as dominant as ever. As if everyone should fall at his feet. How dare he? Astha was still fuming and she didn't look where she was going. She stumbled on the doorway, straight into his arms.
Shlok caught her on time as she stumbled. Clumsy as always. He caught her forearms and saw her with her huge eyes full of pain and hurt. Even her lips were trembling. She bit her lips from sobbing. Shlok's pulse rocketed at her action. He could stand the heat no more.
Shlok gave a groan. "To hell with the paper work." He pushed her against the wall and slammed his mouth into hers. Astha definitely didn't expect it and she gasped at the sudden attack. Shlok used that opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth.
Astha felt several sensations run through her. The paperwork and his insult was completely forgotten by both. Astha could smell and taste only Shlok. She didn't want this to end. For the first time in her life she felt secure in his arms. With no one to love since her childhood, she found it all too easy to fall for him.
His lips were slowly tracing the inside of her mouth. He brought his hands from her shoulders to her waist, roughly bringing her against his hardened member. Astha's eyes widened. She felt him against her belly. Astha couldn't believe a man as experienced and as attractive as Shlok will want someone like her, who had nothing.
She arched up against him instinctively and caught his silky hair. Astha tried to get closer to him but Shlok stopped and pulled her away from him. He looked as dazed as she felt. In an instant Shlok's eyes cleared and he moved away from her.
"Am sorry. I shouldn't have done it. Not before you signed the agreement. I assure you this will not happen unless it is pre-mediated." Astha was shocked. She definitely didn't expect him to talk about the blasted agreement. She had been a fool to think he too felt something different for her.
Astha turned away in anger. His words were barely audible. "Astha, please consider this for once. What you just had was only a glimpse of the heaven I could give you. I want you like no other woman. You will never regret this. I will make your entire body sing with pleasure."
Astha was stumped at his words. How could she tell a man who wrote agreement for sex that for her it meant more. She wanted the flowers, the chocolates, marriage, everything. Astha simply chose to ignore his words and she went out of his house in swift strides.
Shlok dropped her at her hostel. Astha didn't wait for him to get around. She hopped out of the car and almost ran into the hostel without looking back. She went to her room and finally shed the tears she had been holding for over an hour.
Her dreams and romantic notions had come crashing in a second. Astha could still taste him on her mouth. She cursed her treacherous heart for wanting a man who was not worth wanting. Astha lay down on the bed, too tired to think. She closed her eyes and simply let exhaustion take over her fragile body.
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