Chapter 5
Madhu hesitated as she reached the door. She didn't know what lay on the other side of the door. Her life had long stopped resembling anything she had imagined or dreamt of as a child. She looked around, there was no one outside. The driver had dropped her and left. For just a moment, she thought about turning back and running away. But then, there was no real escape, was there? She had nowhere to go to and no means to save her brother. Going back to Tony was out of question. This proposition of life as RK's mistress - for howmuchever it was going to last - was her only real option.
RK.
The man was a mystery. He had been a beast to her and she'd suffered the worst trauma of her life at his hand. But she also couldn't help feeling that he was a wounded beast. There was no doubt to her that there was both passion and pain in the touch they shared, in their otherwise silent interactions. She also knew he always avoided looking her in the eye.
As she rang the doorbell, Madhu wondered why RK had bought her. It must have cost him a fair amount of money. What was it he wanted her to do that was worth that much?
The door opened. It was a man, probably a servant. He looked at Madhu from head to toe. Disgust was all over his face seeing how she was dressed, and Madhu lowered her eyes, feeling ashamed.
"Come" he said, and turned, gesturing Madhu to follow. He knew the deal, clearly. How many other girls had RK bought and brought here before her?
She walked in and saw the huge house. She wondered who else lived here? Was she to be shared, or was she exclusive to RK?
"Mitasha" she heard the voice and looked up to see RK standing on the upper floor. She stalled, while the servant continued to go towards the stairs with Madhu's luggage.
"Um.."Madhu struggled with words, wondering what to say. but continued walking towards him behind the other man.
"Thank you for coming." RK suddenly said as she reached close to him."
What? Thank you? Was this man for real? As if she had a choice?
"Umm..RK...I...I don't know what..."
"I know it was sudden...but...I hope...I hope you'll be fine here." Madhu wanted to say no, but hesitated. She didn't want to antagonize RK. Before she responded though, RK turned his attention towards the servant
"Patil, did you keep Mitasha's stuff?"
"Yes. Her room is ready.' Patil answered with a clear tone of disapproval in his voice.
"Ok. Mitasha, do you want something to eat?" RK asked and Madhu only managed to nod her head in denial.
"Ok. You can go rest now Patil. Mitasha, come let me show you your room."
Madhu sat down on the bed of her new room. To her surprise, RK had asked her to rest and simply left the room after showing her around. No other words were said, and on her part, she couldn't find the courage to voice any of the hundred questions inside her. Now that she was alone though, for the first time she breathed out and looked around. It was a big, beautiful room in a big house. And she was supposed to live here now. Who'd have imagined that? As for RK, so far it hadn't been anything like she had imagined. In her worst imagination, he was a cruel, violent, drunk man who had bought her as part of his personal harem and she would have been subjected to more violence and sexual subjugation with RK and possibly others than even at Tony's. That didn't look likely, but then, even in her best imagination, she had expected to spend the night with him like she had every night in the last 15 days. Hell, a tiny bit of her was even looking forward for that, for that brief moment of escape being with RK provided. The physical act, whatever it was called, ultimately was the only place she had felt alive and connected of late. She didn't know if it had to do with the act itself, or if it was something special about RK, but right now, sitting alone in an alien albeit seemingly safe place, she sorta missed it.
A couple of hours later, Madhu was tossing and turning in the bed, unable to sleep. Suddenly she heard a knock, and then again. She sat up and switched on her lights. A minute later, RK walked in her room from what looked like a second smaller door. Their eyes met, and Madhu was surprised to see the restlessness and angst she read in RK's eyes.
"I can't sleep. Can I.."RK stumbled for words.
Madhu nodded and opened her arms. RK got into her bed and Madhu switched the lights off.
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RK woke up sweating. The first light of the morning brightened up the sky, but it was still early. He looked at the girl sleeping next to him. He still didn't understand the madness that had taken over him the previous night when he couldn't get Mitasha for the night. Ever since that night when he found Dipali in his brother's arms, he had been in constant pain. The moments spent with this prostitute had been the only ones where he'd felt he could breathe. He knew it was wrong to find escape in paid meaningless sex, like a drug addiction of some sort, but for now he needed this drug to survive until he figured out how to function again. The worst part was even this drug was a woman. But at least, her intentions were always clear. She was selling him her body and the peace of mind he felt for upfront money. It wasn't a deceitful transaction, even if it wasn't the worthiest. Somehow, he was convinced she was giving it her all and her honesty attracted him. She didn't ask for or manipulate for more than what she was due. In fact, every time he came inside her he felt like she was swallowing away a bit of his pain. But still, she was a prostitute who probably knew very well how to make her clients feel satisfied and relieved. She had probably done that for many like him. At best, she was a doctor curing him of her current affliction. He couldn't trust her any more than any other woman, and what felt like her honesty might very well be a facade.
RK looked at a sleeping Mitasha and remembered how she looked last night when he had come to this room. He couldn't sleep in the same bed any longer where he saw Dipali and Sikky. Mitasha was in the room RK used to live in after marriage before he had moved in with Dipali. He had come feeling desperate and restless, and there she was, sitting on her bed, looking beautiful. Unlike other times, she wore no makeup, had her hair tied back and was fully covered in a salwar-kameez. In short, not dressed for business. Yet, she looked exquisite. And when she had opened her arms, RK had felt himself drawn to her as if she understood his desperation. She had embraced him and given all of herself to him like she had always done. But still, he had to figure out how this arrangement was going to work. He had to lay down the rules, and make sure she understood her place and did not overstep her limits or start playing any deceptive games. She was a mistress.
His mistress.
What was he even thinking getting himself a mistress? He, who couldn't keep a wife, didn't even sleep with her for two years after marriage and who didn't even know the woman she was after three years of marriage. What did he know about having a mistress? He was never a casanova like some of his friends who always had a new thing on their arm. What was he going to do with Mitasha?
RK picked up his clothes and walked back to his room.
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Madhu walked down the staircase to the dining table where RK was already setting. She was wearing her regular clothes - a plain kurta and churidar. Somehow, she couldn't wear the sleazy clothes Tony had got her - at least not in the day time - even though RK was a client and she was supposed to dress up for clients. The sunshine made the filth look dirtier. Patil had come to call her a few minutes earlier and was now laying the table. She stopped as she reached the table, not knowing what she was supposed to do. Last night there hadn't been the opportunity to ask all the questions, but now at least she had to understand what the deal was and what her duties were going to be.
"Sit" RK said, breaking her thoughts.
"I...I wanted to know..."Madhu stammered for words as she sat down. Despite everything, she was still quite afraid of RK. "I wanted to know what I'm...what all I will have to do? I mean...my job...your expectations..."
"Job? You do know I bought you right. You are to work exclusively for me now."
Madhu nodded. "So will there be...umm...more clients?" she hesitatingly asked. If RK was going to make her go to other men, his friends or otherwise, she wanted to be prepared. But RK threw down the fork in his hand in fury as soon as she uttered the question.
"No clients." he raged as he stood up. Madhu gasped. RK took a deep breath himself. "As long as you are here, I am your only client. Understood?" Madhu nodded.
RK continued, "Listen. I paid for you and I own you now. You don't do anything without my permission. You don't go anywhere, don't see other men and no other clients. If I find out you've been seeing other men, there'd be no one worse than me. I don't want you bringing disease into my bed. You're for my use only. Ok?"he screamed as Madhu whimpered, nodding her head.
"Now. You'll live here, in your room. If you need something, tell Patil. He'll bring you food and other essentials. Nobody will bother you here, but you can't go out. There's security outside. If you need something in your room or otherwise, tell Patil. Here, in this packet, there's a new phone for you with a new number. Call me only if there's an emergency, but otherwise I don't want you talking to me, bothering me or interfering with anything in this house here. Just be ready for me at all times, whenever I want to come you. Also, there's money for your personal expenses. I don't want you trying to...earn it...in any other way. And finally, you can't tell anyone you're with me and what the arrangement is. Your friends...whoever...no mention of me, ever, ok. Any questions?"
Madhu vigorously nodded her head in denial. RK, who was already dressed for work, picked his bag and left for the door. Madhu held her breath for a couple of minutes, but as it became clear he wasn't coming back, she felt relief, almost joy. The terms RK had laid out had sounded much less onerous than what she'd feared. It was like what Roma di had said, maybe even better because RK has basically implied he was going to leave her alone most of the time. She anyway had nowhere to go to and noone to talk to, so his terms weren't bad at all. Sure, he was cold-hearted and rude and using her, but in her experience all men were like that. He wasn't exactly smitten with her and showering her with things like Roma di had said, but that was great but she didn't want any of that. For her, the best part was there weren't going to be any other men! She didn't have to go through the humiliation, the disgrace and the absolute abuse at the hands of anyone other than RK, and from whatever she knew so far, RK could be brutal, but he wasn't as bad as what could have been. He was even gentle with her these past few days. So what if all there was between them was a mere transaction of the body, she felt less cheap knowing she was going to be touched by only one man even if that one man was nowhere a lover or a husband like she had grown up imagining. After Mukund sold her into prostitution, she neither had faith in love nor a possibility of being someone's wife. Being RK's mistress though still felt more dignified than the fate she'd seen others live at the escort service. And he was even giving her some money, so maybe once he got bored, he would let her go and she could use the money to start a new life.
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Madhu was sitting alone in her room, with nothing to do. RK was at work, and after a long time, she was experiencing the feeling of boredom. It had been two days since she had come here. She had learnt a few things so far - that nobody else lived here except RK and Patil who lived in the servant quarters. Yet, there were many rooms, so maybe someone else used to live here too. There were no pictures or anything across the apartment. She spent the whole day in her room. Patil - who apparently hated her - brought her food in her room. RK left early in the morning and had come late both days. At some point, he came to her room. They had sex, they slept off, and sometime before she woke up RK left. Also, he didn't talk much and she was afraid to ask questions. That part still felt quite similar to what it was in the hotels. In some way, she felt like one of the pieces of furniture in this whole house that RK would just use when he needed to and then walk away. It felt degrading and relieving at the same time. Yet, now that her initial fears had gone, the silence started to catch on to her. Earlier, she had Roma di and some of the others to talk to. She could go out if she needed to, though not far. Now, she was all alone and had nothing to do except to wait for the night when she would dress up and wait for RK on her bed. She decided to go downstairs.
She wandered into the kitchen. Nobody was there. Suddenly she thought maybe she could cook something. She had always liked cooking, esp for her brother.
"What are you doing here?" Patil's voice startled her, five minutes later. She was cutting vegetables and cut her finger in the shock.
Ignoring the blood, she said, "I...I uh...I just thought I'll cook something." and tried to smile a little.
"If you needed something, you should have called me. How dare you enter my kitchen. Get out of here. You've polluted everything with your touch." Patil stormed in angrily, picking up the vegetables she was cutting and threw them in the trash.
"This is a pious house. This kitchen was a temple that Rishabh's mother made even before he was worn. Thirty years I have been working here. I wouldn't let the aura of rotten women like you destroy everything. Already whatever has been happening in this house is beyond..."Patil continued to yell "Now leave, what are you doing here?"
Tears streamed down Madhu's cheeks as she walked out and then ran upto her room, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Half an hour later, RK walked in the living room, looking agitated. He threw his bag and slumped on the couch.
"Rishabh beta, What are you doing home at this time? Is everything ok?" Patil rushed in with water.
"Do you want something to eat?"
"No. My head is bursting Patil kaka. I am going to my room. I need a shower."
RK walked towards the stairs, when he stopped. "Kaka, why is there blood on the stairs?"
"Oh...that...i'll just clean it" Patil came running out. "That girl you brought, that cheap woman, she tried to come to the kitchen today. I was out in the garden and she started cutting vegetables. I have been cleaning everything of her touch."
"Kaka"
"No Rishabh beta. I will not listen to you. That kitchen, it has memories of your mother. She was the only woman who made his house a home, a temple. I let Radha memsahib come there, and even that was a contamination of your mother's love. I don't know why you brought that girl here, but I can't let her tarnish whatever is left by her dirty touch."
Rishabh visibly squirmed. For years, Radha was his mother, the only mother he knew and he had loved her with devotion. But memories of her betrayal started pounding at him again. Anyway he had spent all morning with his lawyers trying to get the divorce through as soon as possible, and that had meant his wounds were all scratched up again. And now talking about Radha was tearing through her heart. Even though he had got all physical memories of them removed, Radha Dipali and Sikky still resided somewhere in this house. He had thought about selling the house, but this was where his real dead parents had also lived and he had hesitated. But now, it seemed like he had to move out of here because otherwise he was going to suffocate.
"Enough kaka."
"Ok. But you tell her..."
"Yeah. I will tell her."
"Rishabh beta. i know what you went through and that's why you brought her. But it's not really you, sleeping around with fallen women. Why are you..."
"Kaka. I've said before and I won't say again. It's my business what I do." He yelled in anger and walked away.
"Mitasha" RK barged into Madhu's room in anger. His headache was worse. He needed to tell her to stay in her place and not interfere. But he stopped short as the door opened. Mitasha was lying on the bed, crying heavily. Hearing him, she turned and looked up. RK saw the pain on her face and immediately felt something twitch inside him.But soon enough, that pain turned to fear as she hastily wiped her tears and got off the bed.
"RK...sorry...I didn't know..."She began to say, whimpering. Why was she so scared?
"Shut up" he interrupted. "Didn't I tell you to not talk until spoken to?" Madhu quieted down, controlling her sobs though RK could still hear her muffled breathing. Her gaze was downward. RK walked closer to her, still wondering why she was so scared. She was supposed to be a professional, yet, RK recalled in the last three days of her being here 24x7 she had behaved not all as he would imagined. She was meek. She was somewhat meek earlier too, when he'd met her in the hotels, maybe. He hadn't really noticed then. He had never talked to her or even observed her too much. He knew she was passionate in bed and he knew her arms were comforting. But now that she was here, her frightfulness and her pain was more visible. The last two nights, she had waited for him in her room, all dressed up and made up. And when he'd come, she had willingly and gently embraced her, letting him do whatever he wanted to her body. She was responsive, but she never took initiative. And then he'd left. But right now, she had no make up on and was wearing a simple salwar kurta like an ordinary girl. Her face was stained with tears and one of her fingers was still covered in blood. RK held that hand in his and walked over to the side table, making Madhu follow.
He took the first aid box and asked Madhu to sit down on the bed. She winced as he cleaned her cut with dettol but still didn't meet his eye. He watched her closely, noticing how frail she looked for the first time. His attention went to the bruise on her arm and the slight swelling on the right side of her face. How come he had never noticed these injuries before? Maybe because he'd usually seen her in the darkness, or maybe because the darkness inside him had kept him from seeing. How come she looked more beautiful right now than he had ever seen her in those sleazy clothes she liked to wear?
RK put a bandaid on her cut, then kept the box aside. He took his finger to her chin, then pulled it up so she was now looking straight at him. Yeah, she was beautiful. Gradually, RK took her lips in his. She didn't resist, but didn't immediately respond either. He got up, removed his tie and shoes, then bent Madhu to make her lie on bed, taking her lips in his mouth again.
It was the first time he had been with her in the daylight, and he deliberately had gone slow, taking his team to see her, feel her, penetrate her. Focusing on her took his mind off things, and he liked it. She had moaned effortlessly when he had touched her, and even though her eyes was closed, RK somehow knew she wasn't faking. The purity and fire of her responses made him feel less empty inside.
Afterward, RK wondered if her other clients had been violent with her and that was why she was afraid. He had seen the other injuries on her body. Then he recalled how violent he himself had been on the first night he had met her and felt guilty. To him, that night was a haze, but he was pretty sure he remembered her screaming. He had been a maniac in his fury over Dipali. He looked over at her, now lying wordlessly at his side with her eyes closed and wondered if he should apologize. But he stopped himself, remembering who she was, and more importantly how little she could be trusted. He wasn't going to be used and manipulated again.
But his curiosity was piqued. He wanted to know what made her so afraid. Maybe those who she had worked with were still troubling her. Somehow, he didn't like that look of helplessness on her.
"Mitasha" he called out. She didn't respond. "Mitasha" he said again, this time touching her.
She immediately sat up, covering herself almost in panic. That was weird, he thought, but then dismissed it. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." she managed to say. She had been trying to stay in that hazy place of escape she tuned out to when she was with RK and wasn't so used to the name Mitasha to have immediately got her attention.
"Who hurt you here?" RK asked, pointing at her arms. "Your clients?"
"What clients?" she immediately asked, then nodded her head. "I've only been with you."
That surprised RK. "Then who?"
"Tony" she said, looking away.
"Any particular reason?"
"He didn't need one. Mostly to get me to do...this...to make me ready for clients...before my first night...our first night. And some later."
RK looked at her. He hadn't thought about it, but now he recalled that Tony had first sold her to him as a fresh piece, a virgin. That's why he had said it was going to be expensive and had charged 50k for that night. And then he had been an absolute monster that night.
"Virginity is over-rated" he said after a pause "You're safe here. Just don't interfere around the house."
"Sorry. I have nothing to do all day here. But I won't..."
"What would you like to do?" he suddenly asked, his voice much softer than Madhu had ever heard. "In here, though. In the room." he added.
"I like reading. I used to read a lot. Maybe I will ask Patil to buy me some books from my expense money."
"No need. There's a big library in the basement. You can go there and pick out what you like. And if you need something else, tell me the name..."
"That's ok. I can read anything. Thank you so much." She said, excitement in her voice. For the first time ever, RK saw a hint of a smile on Madhu's face. Almost reflexively, he smiled a little too, but then he quickly got back to reality.
Madhu watched as RK's expression suddenly changed and he rushed out of the room, picking up his clothes.
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