The
drive to the office was awfully silent, especially for a chatterbox like Khushi.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and from the corner of her eye, she
glanced at Arnav. He was studying a file, as though completely oblivion of the
fact that Khushi was seated next to him; the very same Khushi whom he saw
practically in nothing but her innerwear and a frigging skirt. She turned her
face away in embarrassment and looked outside the window. Violet is my favourite colour. She involuntarily blushed. Why on
earth did he have to say such things? Stealing yet another glance at him, he
noticed his facial features closely. Dead-Drop-Sexy.
Britney Spears started singing inside her brain. I'm addicted to you, Don't you know that you're toxic. She almost
sighed about her imagination, and Arnav spoke up, without looking at her. "If
you're done admiring me, I'd like to say something" Khushi's eyes grew wide. Oh damn. Anything but not the morning's
incident. And as though reading her mind, he looked at her and said, "Oh,
it's about your work. It has nothing to do with the little show you put up for
me this morning. As much as I appreciated the view then, I need to remind you
two things. One, you're one of my firm's biggest client's daughter. And two,
you're now going to work at my office as an intern. I do not fancy gossiping,
and I'd hope you wouldn't run around telling people that your boss saw you in a
violet lacy number. And as for your friend, I'm guessing if she's really your
friend, she wouldn't do such horrific things either." Khushi blinked. This guy
could actually compete with the "Breathless" by Shankar Mahadevan. She
hesitated to smile at her thoughts. All that she managed to do was nod her head,
with the blush evident on her face. And resuming his talk, he said "I've seen
women in lesser clothes. Rather, in no clothes. So quit the shying." Khushi
gasped. This man had the audacity to stare at her in the way a hungry mountain
lion would look at a bunny rabbit, and now he tells her that he has seen better
view. "I wasn't putting a show. You walked into my room. It was an accident. I
didn't know you would be standing there" Arnav looked intently at her as she
mumbled, fidgeting with her strands of hair that were falling on her face.
Arnav's
inner devil nudged him. "You fool of an
ass! Look at those lips. She would taste so good on yours. And then, imaging
tasting her tongue, her whole mouth. And then imagine those lips going below on
your..." Arnav shut the file and reached out to drink a sip of water from
the bottle. These wild thoughts will have
to be dealt with, later. Of course, the inner-devil did the boogie-woogie
and danced in glee. Thankfully, they reached the office or else the devil would
have convinced Arnav to act on his thoughts, right in the car. Also, it did not
help that he knew the kind of body she possessed and what lay beneath her white
formal shirt. Dismissing the thoughts, she opened the door for Khushi after he
got out himself.
As
he entered the building, everyone who saw him greeted him with awe in their
eyes. The females at his office flashed him an outrageously flirtatious grin to
greet him, while he simply nodded a hello, maintaining his I-am-Batman kind of look. He waved a hello to Aakash, who happened to reach the office a few moments
earlier, and was talking to another man dressed in a suit. Entering the
elevator, he pressed the 18th floor button after ushering Khushi
inside, and waited patiently. The elevators dinged
and opened at the 18th floor and he walked out in long strides. Khushi
scurried to keep up to his pace. Punching his smart phone, he looked at Khushi
and said, "I forgot what I wanted to tell you in the car." Pausing for a few
seconds, he continued. "I wanted to talk about your training schedule for the
day, but I guess I'll leave you in good hands. I've already spoken to Grace.
She'd guide you. If you've got any doubts or questions, don't bother me. Grace
will help you out. Have a good day at work. See you around later" Pushing the
door of his large cabin, he vanished. Khushi saw her reflection on the glass
door stare back at her.
She
felt awkward standing in the empty passage of the long corridor. Not a soul was
in sight and everything in the passage was white. White walls, white flooring, white
carpets, white doors, white desks, white chairs, white flowers. It reminded her
of hospitals, sans the disgusting smell. She
shut her eyes and breathed deeply. Just as she exhaled to calm herself, a hand
patted her back. She turned around to find an elegant middle-aged lady smiling
at her. Her hair was tied together in a tight bun, and she wore a black formal
skirt and a sky-blue shirt. She appeared to be someone of her Mother's age.
"Hi, I'm Grace Fernandes. You must be Ms. Khushi Gupta?" Khushi smiled warmly
at her and nodded her head in a yes. "Mr. Raizada told me about you. Come let
me show you your desk" Guiding her by the hand, Grace led Khushi to a desk,
located outside Arnav's cabin. Khushi frowned. Not only was she working in his
office, now she had to sit outside his cabin for six long months.
"So
dear, would you like to start off with a coffee or tea?" Khushi instantly loved
Ms. Grace. "No thank you Ma'am, I'm just fine. We could start right away."
Grace loved the enthusiasm in the girl. "You are such an angel. Call me Grace"
Looking at Khushi, she sensed hesitation in calling an elderly woman by her
first name. Only after insisting, Khushi agreed. Grace then spent the next hour
telling Khushi about the profile of the company, how the departments worked and
were interlinked, and even gave her a few documents about the company policies to
go through. She then spent another hour, explaining Mr. Arnav Raizada's
schedule. Throughout the whole scene, Khushi looked confused. "But Grace, why
do I need to know about Mr. Arnav Raizada's schedule?" Grace was about to
answer Khushi, and the speaker phone buzzed on Grace's desk. It was Arnav.
"Grace.
Coffee. Now" and his voice was gone. Khushi's jaw dropped. This man was so
demanding and mean. Grace smiled as though it was her daily routine, which it
was, and brought his coffee near Khushi's table in less than a minute. "He
likes his black coffee almost steaming, with just one teaspoon of sugar" and
she held out the mug to Khushi. "Grace? Why do I need to take his coffee to his
cabin?" Khushi rose from her seat in utter confusion. She knew she wouldn't
like the reply. "Dear, you are his Personal Assistant. That is why"
The
speaker phone buzzed again. "I asked for a coffee in the morning. Not in the
evening" And gone again. Khushi was too shocked. She thought she was to work
with a team at the Raizada's. And here was Grace, telling her that she was Mr Arnav's
P.A.? "No Grace, there must be some mistake" she mumbled and took the mug to Arnav's
cabin.
She
knocked at the door twice and entered. Arnav was in a horrible mood. She took
tiny steps towards his table. "Will you walk a little faster? I don't have all
day, waiting for a cup of coffee" he bellowed. Khushi rushed and placed the
porcelain mug on his table, next to his laptop. Arnav shook his head with a
disgusted look on his face, closed his eyes and drank a sip. Well, at least his
coffee was worth the wait.
"Mr.
Raizada, why am I working as your P.A.?" He opened his eyes at Khushi's strained
voice. "It's the only vacancy available here at the moment." Pausing for her
reply, he saw a million questions in her eyes. "My previous assistant went on
maternity leave for six months. I figured you'd fit the profile. I spoke to your
dad, he seemed fine with it"
"But you SHOULD have spoken to me first." Her
voice raised and vibrated the glass walls round the cabin. Arnav raised his
brows in question. "I was expecting to work on a marketing team here. And you
make me your personal assistant. I know there are many crazy botox-overloaded
oestrogen-packed females out there dying for this post, but I will not work as
a P.A. for you. I have a report to present in college about my internship. What
am I going to say? That I work as a P.A.? I do not wish to work here in that
case. I want to work on some team, not in this post, at your beck and call" She
stamped her feet and crossed her arms at her chest.
Arnav
took a long breath before he responded. "Are you on a period?" he asked
casually, to which Khushi mouthed a "Whaat" that left her lips in a gasp. "I've
heard women go hormonally berserk during the time of their month. So, are you
menstruating?" The nerve of this man!
"Mr. Arnav Raizada!" she almost yelled
from the bottom of her lungs. "I refuse to work as your P.A. You are not only
mean, but you're disgusting as well. You can shove my appointment order inside
of you, from whichever end you would like" She turned her heel to leave. Arnav
got up from his table, walked to her, held her hands and pinned her to the
wall.
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