Entry#1Shlok
Agnihotri was staring at the invitation in his hands. He was in a bind
and knew he had to attend the Valentine's day party even though he did
not care much for the mushy sentiments. His phone blinked and when he
saw the display, took the call. A minute later, he was in a sweat and
wondering to what he had agreed to, as he had to bring his wife.
Wife,
the word brought a grim smile to his face and recollected a face that
he had buried deep in the recess of his mind. He saw her face and all
that transpired, 8 months ago to be precise. He had lost his parents in
an aircrash when he was 25 and for the last 3 years had been handling
the business empire built by his father. There had been some labour
disputes and he was badly in need of some cash inflow when the news
came, bearing fruits and then some. A distant uncle on his mother's side
Vinayak Lokhande had left him all his wealth with the condition that he
marry his only daughter Aastha and stay married to her for a year
before gaining full control of the funds and property. Shlok was
flabbergasted to say the least but then matters had become so bad that
he had capitulated and married Aastha as the will stated. He laid eyes
on his bride to be for the first time at the temple where a simple
ceremony had been arranged. She was gawky, painfully shy and had refused
to look at him with her large hazel eyes. She had grown up motherless
and was unaware of her beauty. She had dressed in atrocious colours and
whispered when asked a question. Shlok has his caretakers the Kirloskars
who were with the family for as long as he could remember. It was the
just the four of them and the priest who conducted the wedding rites.
Once the deed was done, the lawyers came, both of signed some papers and
Shlok took Aastha to his farmhouse nestled in the hills, a few hours
away. He took the Kirloskars with him too. On reaching, he dumped his
wife of a few hours unceremoniously at the house, told her she could do
what she wanted, that he would send a cheque for her expenses and to
call his secretary if she needed anything from him. He took the
Kirloskars aside and asked them to take good care of his wife and was
off before the streaks of dawn.
A loud honk outside the
jolted him out of his reverie. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he
picked up his phone and dialled a number. He gave some instructions to
the person at the other end and signed off by saying that he wanted her
to be there at the hotel by 3 pm sharp.
Shlok tried to
sleep but it proved to be elusive. His mind kept going back to the
accursed invitation and the call he was forced to make. The party was
being hosted by one of the most influential businessman and the elderly
Mr.Patil wanted to meet Shlok's wife. Shlok had neither seen nor talked
to her after that fateful day. He had arranged with the Kirloskars to
come to town early and he had set up appointments with the salon and
boutique for his wife. Just before they arrived, Mr. Patil wanted to
discuss a proposal and Shlok sent his secretary to receive Aastha with a
set of instructions. The meeting went on much longer than anticipated.
He
rushed to his suite to change into a tuxedo. There was a single red
rose laid atop his tux and he fixed that in the buttonhole. He made his
way to the lobby pulling out his mobile when a sight struck him near
the bank of lifts. There was a vision dressed in a sheer red sari that
revealed and hid her curves, skin milky and pale, as alabaster and hair
that flowed down her back like a river, in dark waves that rippled with
the slight movements. Her face was hidden from him and he could only see
the neck that was adorned by a simple gold chain. There was a tug on
his arm, someone calling out his name and when he turned he saw Avdhoot.
He smiled in relief and ignored the vision in red, asked him if Aastha
was there and if she was ready. Avdhoot nodded and pointed at someone
and called out to them.
There was a roar in his ears and
his heart thumped, raced and the blood drained from his face when the
vision in red stood before him. She seemed familiar at the same time, he
could not believe his eyes, at the transformation. It was his wife
Aastha who was looking drop dead gorgeous from her hair to the tips of
her red painted toes. She was a stunner and he was speechless, for the
first time in his life.
There was a hand on his shoulder
and it was their host, who was introducing himself to Aastha. Shlok
controlled his anxiety with an expertise born of practise and prayed for
a miracle, that she would not rub Mr. Patil the wrong way. To his
amazement, she spoke softly and very charmingly too, who escorted her to
the ballroom on his arm. She walked gracefully and spoke in a low tone
and listened attentively while Shlok was poleaxed. He walked behind them
and added a comment or two when he remembered to speak.
Aastha
had a smile playing on her lips when at last Mr.Patil relinquished her
to Shlok, her husband who found himself tongue tied. In the months since
their marriage, she had under the tutelage of the Kirloskars blossomed
into a ravishing beauty with all the required social skills and also
learnt a lot about her husband from them.
The music began
to play and all the couples were asked to come to the dance floor.
Aastha looked at Shlok and said Shall we'. Shlok could not take his eyes
off her for even a second and grasped her waist tightly as he swung her
round the dance floor. The rest of the night passed in a daze for him
and he was aware of the looks being cast his wife's way. His black looks
and thunderous expression kept the men away. He could not wait to get
away from the party, to his suite and meet his wife properly.
Shlok
made his excuses to their host at the earliest and dragging her by the
arm, made his way to their suite. He shut the door and advanced on
Aastha who was standing in the middle of the room, looking at him with
her large almond shaped eyes and a hint of worry in her them. When he
stood before her and held her arms, she put her finger on his lips and
said softly ' Don't say a word'. He pulled her closer to him and crushed
her to him. The air was humming between them, the attraction stark and
obvious leaving them spellbound in it. They drew closer and closer until
their lips met, their breaths mingled and the hearts raced. Shlok could
not resist the call of the siren and crushed her ruby red lips under
his. How long they stood like this, they did not know. When he came up
for air, he saw that Aastha's pale milky skin was flushed and had a rosy
hue, her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily. He swung her
in his arms and then proceeded to lay her on the bed, that was now
strewn with rose petals, the fragrance of vanilla scented candles
filling the air. He spied the box of chocolates by the bedside that was
held by a big teddy bear with the words ILU emblazoned on it and he
quickly snagged one and placed it on her navel and proceeded to lick it
slowly and thoroughly. Aastha was writhing now, hot, ablaze, awash in
strange sensations and things were getting out of control. Before she
could form a coherent sentence, Shlok was kissing her senseless and then
her surroundings faded ...merged...blended into the light, darkness,
where only passion ruled.
As dawn broke, the sun's rays
peeked through the white filmy curtains and kissed the two entwined
figures still asleep on the bed. One could not know where one ended and
the other began. A new chapter in the life of Aastha Shlok Agnihotri.
Shlok was in for a journey of a lifetime, one that he was happy to make,
with thunderstorms that soon became the soothing raindrops. A life full
of love and spice.
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