by Amit Khan
“I am surprised,” he said. “There was such dynamite in the house and I did not spot it.”
I laughed and said, “How could you spot me; you were busy with aunts, buas, and amma.”
“That is true,” he laughed.
He was completely in charge and doing everything that he desired. His every move was nice and I was enjoying it.
We were climbing up the summit of pleasure.
After that, there were no more words. We lost all control and became one.
The highest point of pleasure was so great…so blissful. It was like floating in heaven.
We held on to each other for a long time.
This was the first time that I truly enjoyed.
He became my fan after that episode. He would roam around me and bring me gifts. Whether it was perfumed oil or flowers, he would run and fetch everything I wanted. He would even take me out. My every wish was like a command for him. And it used to be more important for him than anything else. It was a lesson for me. A very important lesson of my life! I seriously realized that in human relations between a man and a woman, a woman could always rule. She can be like a ringmaster and the man like an animal obeying her. The only condition was- ‘Woman must rule in the bedroom’. That is how she can cash her appeal. And once she can do that, a man would do anything and go to any extent to make her happy.
Otherwise, things can go the other way. The same man can destroy her and make her life miserable.
●
That was my primary education and name of the school was ‘the brothel on Foras Road’. By the time I was 18 I had learned a lot. Important things for life! Important things for a woman! Important lessons for a prostitute!
I had seen how life takes a bad turn once a prostitute starts aging. Age is a curse. Nobody looks at an old hooker. Men don’t want them. Brothel owners don’t need them. They don’t make enough money. Their condition is like stray bitches. Wandering around the infamous streets, searching for some man who would want to have sex with them so that they could earn some money.
I saw many women suffer like that. I learned the importance of money from that experience.
Money can support a person, especially a prostitute once she is beyond the age of earning. It takes money to take care of oneself in this city. Even a prostitute can show some sense. She can cash her sex appeal as much as she can. That way she can save it for the old age.
Learning this fact was not enough. I decided to take action immediately. I took the most important decision of my life and left the brothel on Foras road. Now I was a high priced call girl at a Night Club.
Only high profile customers at a Night Club could pay me well.
I was not wrong. My world changed after joining the nightclub.
Now my customers were spoilt men from rich families. They used to spend money lavishly. Money was no issue for them. It was Fun they were looking for and I could bring all their fantasies to life.
I was traveling in high-end cars with them.
Sometimes five-star hotels, sometimes luxurious apartments where I gave them nights of passion. I could do anything for them and they were spending money freely on me.
It was a new world for me.
New and colourful world! Colour of money painted my life with all the colours of the rainbow. I rented a posh flat in the plush area of four bungalows.
Elegant clothes, costly cosmetics, and comfortable lifestyle became my necessities.
I had nothing to complain about except one thing. There was a constant fear of losing this comfort. I could not imagine living a sub-standard life as there was no guarantee in my work.
Yes, my income was increasing but so were my expenses. Luxuries had now become my essential needs.
I realized that maintaining this quality of life will not be easy as time went by. What would happen after I turn thirty? It was a terrifying thought. What will happen when I cross forty? I knew that I did not have so much money that would last a lifetime.
I was also worried about catching that dreadful disease of AIDS.
I had seen my mother’s death. I did not want to die like that.
Life was not as easy and carefree as I had imagined.
Remembering mother was a horrible memory. I used to sweat at the thought. In moments like those, this profession of call girl felt heinous.
●
My mind reached an unbelievable decision.
Yes, it was unbelievable, indeed, and for me an earth-shattering decision
Because it led to unbelievable turmoil in my life. The present state of my life is the result of that fretful decision.
I have to face this punishment due to the events that followed the decision.
My mind answered my worries and suggested to me that I should spin a web of love around some rich man and then get married to him. At that time, this decision sounded fantastic. All my troubles would go away, I thought.
I was getting tired of the hassles in Night Club. Future was scaring me every day. Now with this new plan, I could see my present and future life turning in to a cozy journey.
I was excited and started working out my plan. I had targets before me and I made my moves but they were in vain.
After all, it was not as easy as I thought.
I was in the company of rich spoiled brats all the time. It was easy to spend steamy nights in bed with them and make money. But marriage was a different affair. I tried my magic on chosen ones. Some of them turned out to be married. Some of them ran away after hearing the word ‘marriage’. Things looked good in one or two cases and I was moving closer to marriage. But then hell broke loose as soon as their families found out and they had to back out.
●
I remember it well. The night of 22nd December. A handsome man had booked me for that entire night. He took me to his lavish apartment.
He was around thirty, fair with curly hair. He looked like a married guy from a well-to-do family.
“Wife, away from home?” I asked.
He laughed.
“Would I bring you here if she was home?” he said. “This happily married guy would instantly turn in to a divorced guy!”
“Where is she?”
“At her friend’s place. Her friend’s brother is getting married. My wife will be back tomorrow.”
“And kids?”
“With her of course.”
“Great! So you have the whole night to play with me.”
“No doubt.” He gave me a lustful look and said, “I was getting bored with the same menu every night. Thought I should taste something different tonight.”
“New dish!”
“Hmm. Right before me. And I am going to relish it all.”
I giggled.
“Good idea.”
He smiled.
I knew it. It was a common problem with men. No matter how smart and sexy their wives were, they would always feel bored. The thought of having sex with the same woman every night is boring for men. And then they start looking for fun outside.
It becomes a regular habit after that.
He was still smiling at me thinking about the wonderful night that lay ahead for him. Then he opened the wardrobe and took out a nightgown and a towel for himself.
“Where are you going?”
“Take some rest,” he said. “I need to freshen up a bit.”
“Is it so important to take a wash?”
“No. but what’s the rush? We have got all night, dear.”
He left me alone there and entered the bathroom. I rested on the bed and picked up a newspaper to pass time.
This customer was different from others. Most of them used to be worried about call girls stealing from their houses. They would never let us alone in a room like he did. I liked this man for his trust. He was a nice guy.
I was thinking randomly when my train of thought stopped with a jolt. An advertisement caught my attention.
It was a strange advertisement. Strange and appealing to me
.
“Needed…A Skilled Lady care-taker…Someone who will able to take care of seriously ill woman aged twenty-eight. Someone who can also take care of house-keeping responsibilities. Meet urgently.
-Tilak Rajkotia
Rajkotia Group of Hotels
“Rajkotia Group of Hotels?” I whistled and propped up in bed.
This Rajkotia guy sounded like a big shot. If he was the owner of five-star hotels then he must have been filthy rich.
My mind was working fast. My eyes were shining with new dreams.
At that moment my customer came out of bathroom wiping his hair dry. He was wearing a nightgown.
“What are you reading darling?”
“Oh…nothing. Just an advertisement.”
“What advertisement?”
“Who is this Tilak Rajkotia?” I asked, putting away the newspaper.
“Tilak Rajkotia?” he was surprised.
“Yes.”
“You don’t know Tilak Rajkotia?”
“No.”
“Surprising. He is a well-known person in Mumbai. A rich elegant man.”
“What does he do?”
“He owns a chain of five-star hotels across India,” he said. “He is also a major player in the construction industry. He has constructed many buildings and housing complexes in Mumbai. But he is a worried man these days.”
“Why is he worried if he is so rich and successful?” I was curious. I wanted to know more about this man. Tilak Rajkotia was the only name ringing in my head at that time.
“His wife is the reason of his worries. She is very sick. People say that she will not survive for long.”
“Oh…too bad,” I said. “What is she suffering from?”
“I don’t know details of her illness but it must be something serious.”
“Oh!”
He walked closer to me and hung the towel on a hook.
“How old is Tilak Rajkotia?”
“Not much. Must be around thirty-five.”
My excitement was increasing.
Everything was perfect. Tilak Rajkotia was the perfect target that I was looking for.
After all, I needed a man just like him to get married to. That was how I was planning to secure my future.
A billionaire like him!
My customer was wondering what caught my mind. He climbed on the bed and rustled against my body.
“We must get on with our program now,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Why were you asking so much about Tilak Rajkotia?”
“Did you feel bad?”
“Why should I, sweetheart?” he came closer and kissed me. He was wearing a nice cologne.
Talking time was over and we were soon indulging in what we were actually there for! To be honest, he was the one focused on that game. My mind was somewhere else. I was thinking about Tilak Rajkotia.
His wife was ill and he needed a woman to take care of her. It means that there was no other woman in his penthouse.
The line was clear.
I could play my game.
That’s when I sighed in pleasure. My customer was expert in the game moves and soon we both were at the height of happiness. The night was witness to that excitement we had just experienced.
●
3
My New Life Begins
It was ten thirty in the morning when I reached Hotel Rajkotia. I was wearing tight jeans, high-neck pullover, and a leather jacket. I had made sure that I would present my best look.
Obviously, the hotel belonged to him and his office was located there.
“Yes?” a guard stopped me right across the office. “Whom do you want to meet?”
“I am here to meet Mr. Rajkotia,” I said, as politely as I could.
“Regarding what?”
“He had put up an advertisement in the newspaper yesterday. Regarding his requirement of a lady caretaker to take care of his wife,” I said. I had rehearsed my words at home.
“Oh, you are here for caretaker’s job?”
“Yes.”
The guard scanned me from head to toe. As if he was trying to guess something; trying to understand my personality.
“You think you can manage this job?” he asked.
“Why not? I can do it,” I answered with a snap. “You have any doubt?”
The guard was bowled over by my answer. “Why would I have any doubt?” he babbled.
He had not expected such an answer from me.
He reached out for a blank paper from the bunch kept under paper-weight and gave it to me.
“Write a request letter please.”
I wrote down the purpose of my visit and a request to see him. Guard took that paper inside while I waited.
I was feeling anxious and my throbbing heart was proving it.
I did not know what was going to happen next. It was my first time- being in an office looking for a job. It was very important for me as my entire future depended on it.
The guard came out after a short while.
“You can go inside,” the guard said. “Rajkotia sir is waiting for you.”
My heart started beating faster and faster.
I entered the cabin.
It was a well furnished and elegantly decorated room. The impressive design of the ceiling was giving the room an aura of aristocracy. The walls were covered with wallpaper with a fine chequered design. A lavish carpet was covering the floor of the cabin. The desk was enormous and behind the desk seated on a revolving chair was Tilak Rajkotia.
He was much younger and a lot more handsome than I had imagined.
He scanned me carefully.
“Are you Shinaya Sharma?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
I had a choking sensation and every word came out of my throat after great effort. A conversation had never made me so nervous before. Speaking fluently was otherwise not a problem for me. I had even learned to read and write a little bit when I was living on Foras Road.
“Have you worked as a caretaker before?” Tilak Rajkotia asked.
“No.”
Tilak Rajkotia looked surprised.
“If you don’t have any experience then how are you going to manage this?”
“Sir, I don’t think any special training is required to work as a caretaker.”
“No?”
“It is a family-type of the job,” I said. I was choosing my words carefully. “This responsibility needs a sympathetic nature- an ability to understand pain. There should be a desire to serve. Being a caretaker demands dedication. All these qualities are within some people and no special training can develop it.”
Tilak Rajkotia’s expression changed. He looked impressed.
“That’s good,” he said in an admiring tone. “That’s a beautiful thought. Where did you work before this?”
“I was connecting with people; used to share their sorrows and pain in a totally different way.”
“In what way?”
“Forget it, sir. Some things are better left unsaid.”
“I don’t mind. Your history is not my concern but I am concerned about two things and I am going to be very clear about them.”
“What are they?”
“First thing,” Tilak Rajkotia said. “You will have to stay in the penthouse round the clock. My wife may need you anytime. She is critically ill because she is suffering from Malignant Blood Dyscrasia. Only a few unlucky people in the world suffer from the complicated type of this disease complex. And there is no cure.”
I was hearing those words for the first time in my life. I was clueless that there was an illness of that name and that too incurable.
It didn’t matter to me anyway.
In fact, it was a good news for me that the disease was incurable.
“I don’t have a problem to stay in penthouse all the time,” I responded at once.
After all, my plan was not going to work unless I moved in the penthouse.
“What was
the second thing?”
“It’s about your salary,” Tilak Rajkotia said. “You won’t be paid much in the beginning. Your salary will not be very high.”
“How much will it be?”
“Rs 20,000 to begin with. Of course, you will be paid more if you perform well in your job. You do a good job and your salary will be raised.”
“Fine by me.”
I did not argue about salary.
“All right then…before you make the final decision, take a look at the penthouse. Meet the patient that you are going to take care of. You can then tell me your decision.”
“All right,” I nodded in agreement.
“I will arrange to send you upstairs.”
Tilak Rajkotia used the intercom to call someone.
The next moment, a security guard entered.
“Yes sir?” the guard reported earnestly.
“Take this madam upstairs to the penthouse. She will meet memsaab.”
“Yes sir,” the guard said and turned to me. “Please come with me,” he said to me.
I followed the guard and joined him in the lift to go upstairs.
●
Hotel Rajkotia was an impressive luxury hotel with ten floors dedicated to guests. Spanned across the eleventh floor was the lavish palatial penthouse with 20 rooms. These were living quarters of Tilak Rajkotia. This penthouse was more elaborately decorated than the five-star hotel. The entire floor was air-conditioned. Even lobbies had expensive carpets. Walls were adorned with attractive paintings. Guard took me straight to the bedroom of Mrs. Rajkotia.
I was stunned as soon as I entered that bedroom. It felt as if I had been jolted by electricity.
My fate was playing a cruel joke on me. The moment I entered Mrs. Rajkotia’s room, my head spun so badly that I could barely stand.
“Brinda?” I almost shouted.
When I saw the woman lying on the bed, I received one of the biggest shocks in my life.
The woman on the bed was not just someone familiar. She was my friend.
She was Brinda.
Many memories flashed through my mind as soon as I saw her.
It was the same Night Club that connected Brinda’s life with mine. She was a call girl like me. Just like me, she used to cash in on her blooming youth. Even our dreams were common. We both had plans to marry some filthy rich guy. We wanted our lives to be super-comfortable and lavish. But to be honest, Brinda wasn’t quite like me.