Hey guys!
this is my second FF - not yet completed my first one...but i have a lot of free time right now being my holidays so being ambitious and starting a new a FF..Let me know what u'll think!!
1st FF link - Key trilogy - Nora roberts -
http://www.india-forums.com/forumsts.asp?TID=1411855&PID=30921340�
The Proposition
Story Line:
A practical marriage...
Nupur believed in being practical. She needed a husband, so decided to investigate suitable candidates -- and propose! Mayank Sharma was perfect, and their marriage would also combine their business assets. Surely Mayank would find such logic irresistible?
But this passionate Guy believed in marrying for love, not meeting his bride for the first time as she walked into his office bearing matching wedding rings! He thought Nupur was crazy -- but adorable. In fact, he was beginning to take her proposition seriously!
BTW its not my story, its based on a book i had read really long back, unfortunately cant remember the name. But i have adapted it to the mayur characters..So I cant take credit for it...I liked the story so thought id share it with you'll.
PROLOGUE
"Mayank Sharma is the absolute, hands-down, last man on this earth I'd ever trust."
"Oh, come now. Why do you say that?"
Nupur leaned across the tiny table where she sat, ostensibly to reach for a pitcher of cream for her coffee. In truth, she was blatantly eavesdropping on the conversation going on beside her and didn't want to miss a single word. The two chatting women were both young and attractive, clearly businesswomen taking advantage of the warm sunny weather to lunch at an open-air caf that catered to the suit-and-tie crowd in downtown San Francisco. They were also talking about the very man Nupur intended to proposition.
"Granted, they weren't able to prove anything," said the first woman, a perky blonde who radiated shrewd intelligence. "But everyone knows he did it, Lisa. The facts are indisputable." The second woman-Lisa-nodded. "A logical deduction supported by circumstantial, if not direct evidence. How ... unfortunate," She was a brunette-haired beauty with pouty lips highlighted an interesting shade of plum and the sort of sultry voice that left men puddled on the floor. "Such a shame when a good man falls from grace. Honor is so rare these days." The blonde shook her head. "I doubt anyone will ever trust him again. Not on a business front, even with the Sharma name behind him. And no woman in her right mind would trust him as a Boyfriend Not after what he did to his ex-fiance."
"But, Kim, I've heard he's so good-looking."
"Oh, he's gorgeous. That just makes him all the more dangerous. Women adore him. Or they did. He excels at smooth charm and Indian graciousness. One of those men who makes you feel you're the most adored creature on earth. You know the sort I mean?" Lisa released a half moan, half sigh and Nupur ducked her head to hide a smile. The irony was almost too much. Here she sat, an investigative dossier on Mayank Sharma open in front of her, and she was learning more about the man in a few minutes of crass eavesdropping than what she'd read in the first twenty pages of the report. If only she'd had the opportunity to get to know Kim before this, she could have saved herself a fortune in detective's fees.
"Maybe the rumors are wrong," the brunette offered. "I mean, you said yourself that nobody could prove anything."
"Nor did he defend himself. And Ria Mehta, his fiance, left him when the story broke. Come on. Use your common sense. Since she was the one most intimately affected, she must have known the truth about the incident."
"Where there's smoke?" Lisa asked delicately.
"There's not just a fire, but an inferno. If he'd been innocent, don't you think she'd have stuck by him?"
"I assume by leaving she pretty much confirmed his guilt?"
"Oh, he's guilty." Kim hammered home her point by rapping a French manicured fingernail against the tabletop. "I doubt he'll ever be able to repair his reputation despite all the Sharma brothers rallying around him. You watch at tonight's charity benefit. Assuming Mayank has the nerve to show up, people will keep a careful distance. No one will want to be associated with him. Who'd want to risk being seen doing business with a thief?" Lisa grinned. "Or be caught in bed with one?" Kim glanced around and Nupur made a production of studying her file so she wouldn't be caught staring. "To tell the truth, it's tempting. If I weren't afraid of losing my job, I just might be willing to chance it,"
"He's that attractive?"
"Looks like a dark angel and acts like one, too."
"I'm drooling."
"You'd do more than drool if you saw him." Kim checked her watch. "Come on. It's getting late and I still have that Carter deal to put together before the end of the day. Will you be at the benefit tonight?"
"After the build up you've given Mayank? I wouldn't miss it!"
"Then I'll see you there."
Nupur waited until the two women left the cafe before gathering the file spread before her. The conversation she'd overheard put the final touches on the information her detective had gathered and she smiled in satisfaction. It also allowed her to reach a decision. Mayank Sharma was perfect. He was everything she hoped and more. Of course, it was the "more" that had her a little concerned. But no matter. She'd find a way around that part. Anchoring several bills beneath her coffee cup, Nupur left the restaurant and walked briskly toward Sharmas. She wouldn't delay this matter any further. Time to speak directly to Mayank. Time to make him a small-and she hoped irresistible-business proposition. Time to be caught in bed with the man.
N -"I HAVE a very simple business proposition for you, Mr. Sharma." Nupur Bhushan made herself comfortable in the chair across from her chosen target and adjusted a pair of practical wire-rimmed glasses before fixing Mayank with her most determined gaze. It could be quite determined, too, considering she'd been using it to great effect since the tender age of ten. "I want you to marry me." If she'd startled him, he didn't show it by so much as a flicker of expression. Instead he kept his dark brown eyes trained on her as though she were a unique specimen he'd never seen before. She was used to that, too, often finding herself on the receiving end of that type of look-also
since the tender age of ten. The looks didn't bother her. At least they hadn't since she'd turned twelve and learned that the adults in her world were far more intimidated by her than she was by them.
M -"Since when did marriage become a business proposition?" he asked.
She almost smiled at the casual way he asked the question, as though he were indulging idle curiosity. She might have believed him if it weren't for the deadly stillness that had seized him the instant she'd popped her question.
N -"Marriage is always a business proposition. Most people cover up that fact by hiding behind an excess of emotion. A foolish indulgence, if you ask me."
He surprised her with a quick, flashing smile and she forced herself to conceal her reaction, though it was difficult. She should have given more credence to that girl's claim about him, instead of dismissing it as the sort of feminine exaggeration women indulged in when attracted to a man. She hadn't exaggerated. Not even a little. It annoyed Nupur to discover that all the research and computations she'd run on Mayank Sharma had failed to take into consideration the sheer presence of the man. It was quite a presence. "Dark angel" struck her as all too apt. He was extraordinarily good-looking, his features arranged in a way guaranteed to turn most women into total idiots. And yet, he still managed to retain an air of undeniable masculinity. His arching cheekbones tempted a woman's touch, while an aggressive nose kept him from appearing too pretty. A bold, kissable mouth sat at odds with his authoritative--and no doubt, stubborn-jawline. Thick black hair tumbled across his brow above the most enticing earthy brown eyes she'd ever seen. Calm. Knowing. Focused. And sharply intelligent.
M -"I see. Thank you, Ms .... ?"
N -"Bhushan. Nupur Bhushan." A hint of amusement drifted through his gaze - a gaze almost as disconcerting as her own.
M -"Thank you, Ms. Bhushan. But I'm not interested in marriage, whether it's a business proposition, a romantic entanglement or at the end of a shotgun."
N -"I see," she said with a brisk nod. "I assume that's a direct result of your failed engagement and that unfortunate incident that preceded it." He surged to his feet and Nupur pressed her spine tight against the back of her chair. Oh, dear. Maybe she should have chosen a different angle. This had clearly been the wrong one with which to initiate negotiations. He circled his desk with slow, deliberate strides, coming to a halt directly beside her chair. When he reached for her, it took every ounce of self-possession not to flinch. Not that her well-practiced self-possession helped. Grasping her arms, he yanked her from the chair and towed her toward the door to his office, her glasses bouncing on the tip of her nose with every step.
N -"What are you doing?" she demanded. My goodness! She sounded downright breathless. That had never happened before.
M-"I'm throwing you out of my office, Ms. Bhushan.'
N -"Would you mind telling me why?"
M -"I don't mind in the least." He wrapped a large hand around the knob and yanked open the door. "I don't marry nutcases. Hell, Nupsie. I don't even talk to them." With that, he propelled her from his office and slammed the door in her face. Well! Nupur frowned at the solid oak door as she straightened her glasses. How rude. He hadn't even listened to what she had to say. Not giving herself time to reconsider, she turned the knob and re-entered the room. He must not have been accustomed to having people cross him. He'd returned to his desk and buried himself in his work. It wasn't until she slammed the door that he looked up. She caught her breath at the expression in his eyes. Why had she thought they were calm? They were the most volatile and impassioned she'd ever seen. Slowly he regained his feet, thrusting back his chair with such force it crashed against the wall behind him, making the windows shimmer.
M -"What part of being thrown out don't you understand?"
A trace of a lilting accent slipped into his words, adding a raw, elemental quality to his anger. She lifted her chin and poked her wire-rimmed glasses more firmly on the bridge of her nose. If he thought he could intimidate her, he'd have to work a lot harder than glaring and tossing chairs around and smoldering with overwrought testosterone. She'd faced endless business meetings with an endless assortment of testosterone-wrought males. She could handle one more. After all, it was simple emotion and simple emotion rarely withstood the overpowering force of cool, calculated logic. Besides... She was determined.
Index
Chap 1 - Page 2
Chap 2 - Page 3
Chap 3 - Page 5
Chap 4 - Page 6
Chap 5 - Page 8
Chap 6 - Page 9
Chap 7 - Page 11
Chap 8 - Page 13
Chap 9 -Page 15
Chap 10 - Page 16 (Last Chap)
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