Nothing Lasts Forever - No Secret Can Stay Buried

by Vish Dhamija

  'Thanks. You do, too.' Serena blushed.

  Adam was back with a round of tequila.

  'I haven't had a drink for some time now, Adam. If I have this, I will get drunk.' Serena tried excusing herself.

  'It doesn't matter. I will take you home. Come on… You've got very sexy legs,' he whispered in her ear putting his arm around her shoulder.

  Serena was aware if she didn't ward off Adam now, it might get a bit embarrassing as the night progressed. She quickly took the tequila shot with the others. 'Excuse me. I have to go to the Ladies.'

  'I'll come along,' Elena offered.

  Another girl from the team joined them.

  'You were right, Elena. He's getting a bit out of hand now.'

  'I told you. He definitely wants to take you home tonight. Just be careful. Don't get too drunk,' Elena advised.

  It was getting close to eleven now. Most of the gang were in good spirits and were beginning to feel the alcohol inside them.

  'Should we have another round of drinks before we hit the dance floor?' someone asked.

  'Yes,' the rest of the crowd responded.

  As everyone walked outdoors to the dance floor, Adam asked Serena for a dance again. She agreed this time. It was fine for the first few minutes while they danced in the group. But Adam had other ideas. He was trying to get closer to Serena all the time and each time he advanced she moved a step backwards to avoid him breathing on her. To break eye contact with him, she looked behind him towards the bar and spotted another amazingly handsome, olive-skinned guy dressed in what looked like a dark grey, almost ash-coloured, pin-striped suit. He was staring at her too. She got a bit nervous. Before she could calm herself, Adam put his arm around her and brought her tightly close to him, his hands moving all over her back. Serena could not get away from his clasp even if she tried. Instead of making a scene there, she thought she would dance till the end of this song before excusing herself. But he got more vulgar by the minute, forcing his right leg between her legs to bring her still closer. When he put his hand on her bottom, Serena decided it was enough. 'Excuse me. I need to go to the Ladies,' she said loudly.

  Adam was in no mood to lose the opportunity of holding her, so he ignored the request. Serena thumped her heel into his shoe to make him let go. He did. She turned around to see if the other guy, who was staring at her, was still around. He was gone. Elena walked back with Serena again.

  'I think I should leave now,' Serena told Elena.

  'Why?'

  'I don't think I can take any more molestation from Adam.'

  'What?'

  'What else is it? He's physically mauling me — feeling me all over under the pretext of dancing. I don't want as pleasant a night as this to end in something we all might have to regret.' Serena was certainly not happy.

  'Don't dance with him, but don't leave yet, please.'

  'Okay,' Serena agreed.

  'Thanks.'

  They walked outdoors to a corner and lit up cigarettes. Ravi had bought another round of drinks and brought them over. 'You girls aren't dancing any more?' he asked innocently.

  'Serena is planning to leave,' Elena announced.

  'Why?'

  'She's a bit upset…'

  'Adam is drunk and he's being offensive now… I don't want to be treated like a ragdoll here,' Serena explained.

  'You don't have to dance with him.'

  Syed, who had been around all evening, drinking non-alcoholic beverages, joined the three of them and Ravi told him about Adam creating a nuisance.

  It did not take Adam long to realise that his sexy dance partner wasn't coming back to the floor, so he started looking around and spotted them standing in the corner, sipping their drinks. He continued dancing and impolitely gestured to Serena to return, but she ignored it by looking the other way. Not one to easily take no for an answer, he marched towards her.

  'Here he comes…' Serena murmured.

  'I'll take care of this. Don't worry, Serena,' Syed assured all of them.

  'Why aren't you dancing with me?' Adam rudely asked, looking at Serena as he approached them.

  'Adam, she's tired so let's hang around here,' Syed requested politely.

  'Tired? We've only been dancing for ten minutes.' He was persistent and got really close to Serena.

  'She doesn't feel like it,' Syed argued again.

  'And who are you… her pimp?'

  Everyone present was aghast at his choice of words for Syed and the implication it carried for Serena.

  'I don't want to dance with you and be treated roughly,' Serena said loudly.

  'This is not your office where you say something and I have to agree,' Adam growled. 'This is a club and I want to dance with you. Do you get that?' He caught hold of Serena's arm strongly and pulled, clearly hurting her.

  'Leave me alone,' Serena screamed.

  'What if I don't, you tease…'

  'The lady said, LEAVE,' someone said from behind. It wasn't screamed, but was loud and clear even with the music blaring on the floor. Everyone turned around to see who it was, as it didn't sound like anyone from the office. Moving forward out of the darkness was the guy Serena had spotted in the pinstriped suit; he was a tad shorter than the six-foot Adam, but equally well built, and had piercing blue eyes that were fixed on Adam.

  'Stay out of it; it's between us friends.' Adam was clearly annoyed. 'And who are you?'

  'I am the Sheriff of Dubai,' the man said.

  His voice was cold enough to curdle the blood with fear. Adam, instantly, left Serena's arm and let her go. 'I was only requesting that my friend have a dance.' He was suddenly offering an explanation to the sheriff.

  'I don't think your friend looks interested,' the sheriff said, as he stood amongst them now, looking at Serena.

  'Thank you.' Serena felt relieved.

  'Good night.' Adam walked away, his plans gone awry.

  'I don't think you should drive in the state you are in,' someone called.

  Syed hurried after Adam.

  'I didn't know they had a sheriff in Dubai.' Serena turned to the man.

  'To be honest, I don't know either.' The man smiled. 'I didn't want the situation to turn nasty. Calling oneself the sheriff usually turns drunken men away from whatever they are doing.'

  'Thanks again.' This time it was Ravi.

  'You're welcome.' The sheriff walked away from the group to the bar.

  When Syed caught up with Adam outside the club, the American was still raging. 'What does the bitch think of herself? She cannot tease me and expect me to behave like a gentleman.'

  'What makes you think she was teasing you?' Syed asked politely.

  'What do you know? She's been coming on to me all night.'

  'Adam, she wasn't giving you any such signals.'

  'I'll kill her. I'll kill that bastard — he might be the sheriff, I don't care. I will take her home tonight.' Adam was almost shouting now.

  Syed understood it was unsafe standing there with a drunken Adam swearing at the top of his voice, so he coaxed him to come into the car. Once inside, Syed suggested that he could drop Adam home or call for a cab for him.

  'I'm not leaving here without her; tell her to come with me.'

  'She's not coming with you. And don't forget, this might be a club, but she's still your manager at work. What makes you think she'll sleep with you?' Syed tried reasoning. 'I am requesting you to leave or this will lead to something you might have to repent later. You just brushed with the sheriff and there's enough security in this place to stop you from getting near her.'

  'No. I am not leaving without her.'

  'Do as you want, Adam. I cannot advise you any more. I am going in.' Syed walked out of Adam's car and slammed the door.

  Adam watched him go all the way back to the club. He knew well that he could not drive drunk. He could be caught and the drink driving law in Dubai was very strictly enforced.

  'Has he left?' Serena asked as soon as Syed came back.

/>   'No. He's still outside. He's not in the best state or mood, Serena. He's got some crush on you tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if he acts irresponsibly when you go out,' Syed warned.

  'What should I do now?' Serena asked nervously.

  'Don't worry about it. One of us will drop you home. I hope he does not know where you live.'

  'I don't think so, but he can follow me.'

  'We'll see what happens later. He may leave in time if he does not see us coming out. It's probably best to stay here for some time.'

  'Calm down, Serena. You can come over to my place,' Elena offered.

  'Where did the sheriff go?' Syed asked.

  'He was no sheriff. He just said that to avoid any confrontation with Adam,' Ravi explained.

  'Smart guy.'

  Another round of drinks followed and they became oblivious to the fact that Adam might still be outside. Serena confided in the others she shouldn't have agreed to come for the evening, though she hadn't anticipated that events would turn ugly. Others comforted her that it wasn't her fault at all. Adam had drunk too much and obviously misread her attire as something she had worn to attract him in particular.

  'It's not that I have worn anything too provocative. Looking at some of the other women here, I am well covered,' Serena said, looking around at some other women who were scantily clad.

  'Of course you are well dressed. In any case, what you wear is totally your choice. He's no one to make conclusions about our dresses. We are not living here at his mercy to dress according to what he thinks is decent enough for him. Nor to treat us like cheap pick-ups,' Elena added.

  They moved back to the dance floor and chose to remain in a group this time and not fragment into pairs. Elena saw the sheriff sitting and chatting with a woman at the bar. She went to ask him for a dance and he excused himself from the lady and followed her back to where the others were sitting.

  'Has your admirer gone?' The sheriff asked Serena, as Elena brought him to the group.

  'I am told he is waiting outside in the car.'

  'Don't let that bother you. If need be, I will drop you back.' He meant every word he said.

  'Thanks, but that shouldn't be necessary.'

  The sheriff danced with Elena for ten minutes before he excused himself. 'I am sorry everyone, I have to leave now. My friend is waiting for me at the bar,' he apologised.

  'Thanks for intervening at the right moment,' Serena thanked him again.

  'You're welcome.' He went back to the bar to the girl he was with before he had joined them.

  'I wish he was alone,' Elena said.

  'I do too,' Serena seconded it.

  'Just the kind I like...' another one said.

  'Smashing, isn't he?'

  Elena kept eyeing the sheriff till his friend left him alone at the bar. She walked up to him, as he sat on the barstool.

  'Can I buy you a drink, Sheriff?' she asked.

  He looked up. 'I should buy you one. What would you like to have?'

  'Whatever you want…' Elena wasn't in a mood to play hard to get.

  'Two scotches on the rocks please…' he told the barman before turning to Elena, 'I am sorry; I didn't get your name…'

  'What do you want it to be?' She was obviously flirting now.

  'Excuse me…?' He winked at her.

  Serena joined them at the bar to get her drink. 'Someone's got company,' she commented.

  'Join us,' Elena offered.

  'You know, two's company, three is a crowd…' Serena said, mischievously.

  'Maybe I'm the odd one out,' the sheriff said.

  'You know you're not,' Elena said almost immediately. 'Maybe I am.'

  'What is your name?' Serena asked looking at the sheriff.

  'What do you want it to be?' He repeated Elena's line and both of them laughed. Elena told Serena about their conversation a minute ago.

  'Let's party,' Elena said.

  The three of them moved to the dance floor again to join the rest, and the sheriff danced with both the girls for a while. Elena was a tall, bleached-blonde southern Spanish belle with almost the same skin colour as Serena, but she was a few years younger. Tonight she wore a striking off-shoulder dress that ended around her knees; originally the dress was worn with a grey-silver stole, which was kept somewhere that even Elena did not know now. The mood of the evening had definitely got into her and she was enjoying herself with an infectious abandon.

  It was close to two in the morning now. The discothèque music had turned from loud jarring mixes to slower tracks as it got near to closing time. In a surprising move, the sheriff pulled Elena for a close dance; close enough for any stray onlooker to have mistaken them for a honeymoon couple. As the music faded into another track, Elena asked Serena if she wanted to have a close dance with the Sheriff. Serena looked sceptical at first; she was fully aware that the rest of her team was watching, but eventually gave in to the request. As she came into the arms of the sheriff, she wondered how the evening would end. She had just started getting comfortable with him when they announced that it was time to close and the lights came on. Serena's head lay against the sheriff's chest completely unmindful of the people around her.

  'Time to leave, Serena.' Elena tapped on her shoulder.

  'I don't want to leave.' Serena sounded slightly drunk.

  'I can take care of her, you guys can carry on,' the sheriff offered.

  One could noticeably see that the office crowd was hesitant in leaving Serena in this state with a guy they had only met a few hours ago. He might have been nice in fending Adam off, buying a few drinks for the girls and dancing with them, but no one knew anything about him. Serena didn't seem to care; Kim's words resonated in her ears and the vodka helped her understand them better — she hadn't been with a guy for over two years now. She recognised that she could be acting recklessly by ignoring the advice from her colleagues and staying back with a stranger to take care of her, but she insisted on continuing with her party. Elena was disappointed that Serena had swept the good-looking sheriff away from her. However, she eventually kissed her good night and started to leave. Everyone else followed.

  Before she made her exit from the club, she grudgingly glanced back at the dance floor to see the sheriff and Serena kissing. She was envious it wasn't her in his arms. She was the one who had flirted with him first, but it was Serena's day, she convinced herself, and stepped out.

  Serena was playing Kim's sexy single woman to the hilt tonight.

  Adam woke up to someone knocking on his car window. It was the police. He didn't realise he had dozed off in the car, waiting for Serena. A quick glance at his watch told him it was three in the morning. He opened the window and explained to the police that he had drunk a bit over his limit and hence did not wish to drive. The police asked him to take a cab and go home, as he was not allowed to sleep in the car park; he could come and take the car the next day. Adam got out of the car, locked it and walked to the small queue waiting for cabs. The club had wound up some time ago and he comprehended he had missed the group and Serena coming out, and hence wasn't left with much of a choice but to leave as advised by police. He reflected that his behaviour had cost him a probable steamy night with Serena; he had an eye for her since the first time she had met the team. He hadn't made a noise, nor had he resigned when she made him report to Tony because he was certain that his good looks would melt her sooner or later. He had organised the whole club event for her to come, and he was still convinced she had come as a tease for him. Organising another one like this and expecting anyone, especially her, to turn up would be highly optimistic now.

  'Damn,' he murmured as he sat in the cab. 'Bar Dubai behind the Hotel Ramada, please.'

  He tried calling Serena on her mobile phone from the cab, but it was switched off.

  ***

  Next day

  Adam got up with a huge hangover at eleven in the morning.

  If only he had had a few less drinks, he would have woken up with Serena
in his bed this morning, he reckoned.

  As he gulped down aspirins, he couldn't do much but be disappointed about the lost opportunity and his inappropriate, unruly conduct. It would be difficult to save face in front of his colleagues in the office the next day. He wondered if he should call Serena to apologise. He tried her mobile and it went to the voicemail after a few rings, but he did not leave a message. He made several other attempts during the afternoon, but the calls kept being diverted. It was evident that she did not wish to speak to him.

  ***

  Serena reached home around noon after spending the whole night out. Sitting in her apartment in the evening and going through the events of the previous day, she wondered if she should update Kim on the sexy single woman's one night adventure with a stranger. It was no longer uncommon for singles to pick up dates in discothèques or nightclubs, but it was rare for her. After deliberating on it for some time, she couldn't resist confiding in Kim about the glorious time she had with the sheriff.

  'You are such a slut,' Kim said in way of appreciation.

  'Hmm…'

  'It was time you looked after yourself. Was it good?'

  'Very good,' Serena said timidly.

  'Going out with him again tonight?'

  'No.'

  'Why?' Kim wanted to know.

  'I am not ready for a relationship yet,' Serena explained.

  'Understandable. When are you getting back here?'

  'It will take a few more months.'

  'Hook up with someone else next weekend.'

  13

  Elena walked into Serena's room on Sunday morning at ten to inform her that Adam had called to resign from the job.

  'Why didn't you stop him?' Serena exclaimed.

  'I tried. I think he's reluctant to even turn up here. He asked me to send the papers over to him through the local courier. He's dreading disciplinary action.'

  'Sad. We're right in the middle of the project. I realise more than anyone that his behaviour was inappropriate in the club, but we were all drunk and it was out of the office, so there is no reason for anyone to take any disciplinary action. He could have simply come in, apologised and carried on,' Serena tried reasoning.