Bollywood Comes to the Chatsfield

by Tara Pammi

  A hint of humour touched his mouth. ‘Go ahead, Ms Singh. I won’t bite. Or even growl.’

  Tanya stared at him, unable to turn away. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. Her breath hitched. What was this? Why did her limbs feel so shaky?

  Blinking, she shook her head. Moving closer to him, she grabbed his collar with her left hand and dabbed at the stain.

  She could feel his pulse thunder beneath her fingers, feel the warmth from his body caress her. Her fingers, not as cooperative as she’d have liked, slipped and grazed his jaw.

  His stubble rasped against her fingers, and Tanya jerked away, feeling as if she had been electrocuted. Her gaze flew to him, and she stumbled, tangling in her own feet. His hand instantly sprang out to grab her elbow.

  Breathing hard, Tanya apologised, heat streaking through every muscle that pressed against his hard body.

  She exhaled in relief when he let her go. Without looking at him, she pocketed the wipe and opened the door for him. Every nerve in her thrummed with hyper-awareness. Was this what came of hiding from life for so many months? Or was it this man’s effect on her?

  Closing the door after her, Tanya started the engine and hoped the hours would pass quickly and that she would soon be done with John Patel.

  Chapter Three

  Having finished a call to his daughter, John picked up a bottle of water and drank half of it. Leaning back against the luxurious leather, he closed his eyes.

  With his ex, Anya, determined to suck every ounce of joy from his life over the past year, he struggled to remember when he had last laughed so much. He hadn’t realised how much the stress of the past year had piled up.

  And all for what…the judge had awarded custody of his little girl to Anya with unlimited visitations for John anyway. For all her insecurities, even after knowing John close to five years, and her bitter recriminations about his alleged affair with a co-star, Anya was dedicated to their daughter.

  And he had to be happy with that. One thing was for sure. His heart wasn’t in acting anymore. He had gone into modeling for money, which had led to acting. The hunt to land the most prestigious role, the competition with other actors, the need for yet another award, the hunger for the biggest production house courting him, how had such petty things become so important? When had he begun to believe in all the vacuous glitter?

  He hadn’t been guilty of cheating on his wife, but he had been guilty of neglecting both Anya and Neena, guilty of forgetting what was important.

  But he was done with acting. He wanted a new challenge.

  Instantly, his attractive and unconventional chauffeur’s cutting, and fittingly acidic, response to his statement, her beautiful eyes looking daggers at him, came to mind.

  ‘Fictionalised, fantasy sex symbol…’ he said loudly, a quiet laugh building inside his chest again. His critics would have a field day with that stinging assessment. He was that and more, his onscreen persona nothing but another role he had fallen into without realising what it had cost him.

  The slender shoulders of the woman who had cut him to size so well stiffened.

  His exposure to Anya’s unrelenting vitriol last year had turned him into a wounded dog, taking out chunks of any woman who dared cross a word with him, or even look at him the wrong way. Wasn’t that why his manager and his assistant pushed him into this trip? Because he needed a change of scene.

  What he needed was not a change in scene, but a change in his lifestyle. He needed to go back to basics, he needed to remove all the artifice his acting had brought into his life.

  He smiled, his gaze once again on his chauffeur. Ms Singh was more real than anyone he had met in a long while.

  ***

  Tanya pulled onto the curb outside the Chatsfield, awed by the majesty of the red-bricked building. Two uniformed guards stood on either side of the huge, arched entrance and she got a peek of sweeping marble foyers and a quietly exquisite lounge as the doorman held the door open for a guest.

  Luxury vehicles were queued up in front of them, each more of an engineering marvel than the next. Sunny had always teased her about her thing for cars, and nothing had changed about it.

  She had no idea if she had made a sound, but Mr Bollywood spoke then, his voice a rugged whisper teasing her senses.

  ‘Now I understand why fictionalised, fantasy sex symbols do nothing for you, Ms Singh. It’s cars that turn you on.’

  Even though his words could have been construed as invasive, there was an easy humor in his voice that made Tanya laugh. She met his gaze in the rearview mirror and smiled. ‘You caught me, Mr Patel. Cars do it for me every time.’

  A sudden tension swamped the interior and Tanya dragged her gaze away from the mirror. His comment had sounded funny. Hers sounded weirdly intimate. So much for remaining professional. She still had the rest of the night to get through.

  Even keeping her gaze resolutely away from him, curiosity about why he was in London beat like a drum in her head. An important meeting, he had said, irritated at a mere lipstick stain.

  She had read about his alleged affair with his co-star, who incidentally hailed from London. Was he here for a tryst with that actress? Had the emotion she had heard in his voice earlier just been another bow in his acting skillset?

  As another car cleared from in front of them, Tanya pulled forward a little more, and pulled the handbrake up. Straightening her shoulders, Tanya struggled not to betray the butterflies in her stomach. She met his gaze again in the rearview mirror.

  ‘I hope your stay is pleasant, Mr Patel. If there’s anything else I can help you with, have reception page me.’

  For a few seconds, he didn’t say anything. Then he nodded. ‘Wish me luck, Ms Singh.’

  Struggling to keep her expression one of pleasantness, Tanya kept her gaze on him. She couldn’t tell if he was playing with her or if he was being genuine. ‘You need luck, Mr Patel?’

  ‘All of us need that mystical element, whether luck or chance or just a kick up the backside from time to time.’

  Had seeing him today, when they inhabited two very different strata of life in two different parts of the world, been a sign to Tanya that she needed to start living again?

  When his silence swelled in the decadent interior, she cleared her throat. ‘Of course, good luck to you with your meeting.’

  His mouth twitched and he nodded. Dragging her gaze away from him by sheer will, Tanya looked straight ahead. A uniformed attendant opened the car door. The next few seconds felt like a few hours as she fought the temptation to turn her head and see Mr Bollywood step inside the famous hotel.

  Now, he was truly out of her sphere.

  ***

  Having parked the car in the waiting zone, Tanya entered a narrow carpeted corridor towards the back of the hotel, following the signs to the chauffeur/driver zone. What she saw stole her breath instantly.

  First of all, she had been surprised there was a separate waiting lounge for chauffeurs and drivers. Secondly, she hadn’t expected it to be this grand hall with thick carpet, luxurious lounging chairs, and an open buffet that ranged from fresh fruit to flaky croissants and a variety of cakes and scones.

  Two huge plasma screen TVs were blaring on either side of the room and a stack of the latest magazines lay on a coffee table. Pouring herself a black coffee in a mug with the trademark C logo of the Chatsfield on it, Tanya grabbed a magazine and sank into the lush chair.

  Meeting the gaze of another chauffeur, she nodded, and gave into the smile pulling at her lips. The almost upstairs-downstairs arrangement both amused and surprised her. If the waiting hall for hired staff was like this, she couldn’t imagine what the interior of the hotel itself looked like.

  Just like any other room, Sunny would have said with his down to earth humor. The sudden reminder of him coming to her in the middle of the day didn’t bring the usual melancholy with it and Tanya expelled a shaky breath.

  She took a sip of the coffee and sighed with pleasure as the dark
blend pumped her with much needed caffeine. When a small ruckus at the other end of the waiting hall sounded out, Tanya looked at her neighbour inquiringly.

  ‘There’s a small gap in that door from where you can see the front lounge. And sometimes, you can catch a quick glimpse of the guests. It’s like a who’s who of celebrities out there.’ The older man stood up, his excitement palpable. ‘Want to come and watch?’ he asked Tanya.

  Shaking her head, Tanya laughed. ‘No, thank you. I’m great here.’

  Seeing the gorgeous John Patel was all the excitement she could handle for this year.

  Chapter Four

  Lulled into sleep by the comfortable excitement around her, Tanya startled awake when a hand shook her arm gently.

  Squinting, she checked her watch and looked up. It hadn’t even been an hour since she had come into the waiting hall. It was the older gentleman she had spoken to earlier.

  He pointed a gnarled hand up to the domed ceiling where discreetly hidden speakers called her name again.

  ‘Paging for Ms Singh. Pick up required at the front entrance.’

  Rubbing her face, Tanya grabbed her bag and headed for the parking arena. Pushing her shades on, she realised dusk was just a couple of hours away. Within minutes, she pulled up to the main entrance.

  And Mr Bollywood walked out. His jacket was missing and his cuffs were undone and he looked distinctly unhappy.

  As soon as the car door closed after him, Tanya turned around, her GPS device switched on. ‘Where to, Mr Patel?’

  Without meeting her eyes, he rattled off an address in a highly expensive suburb southwest of London. And Tanya, releasing a breath of relief, drove towards the motorway.

  Only when they were cocooned on either side by the traffic leaving London, did Tanya chance a peek at the rearview mirror. Had something gone wrong?

  His eyes were closed, and the passing flash of lights from the motorway illuminated his striking features in flashes. Something in his expression as he had stepped out of the hotel, so devoid of that charisma and dry humour, stayed with Tanya.

  Keeping her eyes on the road again, Tanya strove to keep her voice matter of fact. ‘How did your meeting go, Mr Patel?’ she said, aware that he hadn’t been gone long enough to have had one.

  Shaking his head, he looked out the window. ‘I had to cancel it just as Mr Giatrokos arrived.’

  ‘Christos Giatrokos, the newly appointed CEO of Chatsfield? That’s who your meeting was with?’

  He opened his eyes lazily and met her gaze. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why did you cancel it then? I thought it was important.’

  ‘It was. But just as we were about to sit down, my ex-wife called. Her mother was hospitalised this morning in New York. She’s going to leave early tomorrow and take Neena with her. If I don’t see her tonight, I won’t get to see her again for a month.’

  ‘Neena is your daughter?’ Even though their divorce itself had been a highly publicised affair, his daughter’s name had been kept out of the media.

  He nodded, his gaze suddenly wary. Of course, he didn’t want to talk about his daughter. She respected that.

  ‘Were you able to schedule another meeting then?’

  ‘No. We had this meeting planned for almost three months. He has my proposal. It’s his move next anyway.’

  ‘Proposal for what?’

  She almost waited for him to tell her off. She didn’t know why she was asking or why he was indulging her. Only that she wanted to. It was a strange and compelling thing to see the man beneath his onscreen persona. He was no less arresting but more complex than she had thought.

  ‘To build a Chatsfield Hotel in Mumbai,’ he said, after a small pause.

  ‘Oh.’ Blinking, Tanya licked her lips. ‘I didn’t know you had other interests.’

  ‘You thought I was every inch the pretentious playboy the media calls me?’

  ‘Yes, no…I mean…’ Sighing, she tried again. ‘I’m aware that I know nothing about you, Mr Patel,’ she finally said, ashamed of how much she had based her assumptions of him on what she read in the gossip news. ‘Just as you don’t know anything about me.’

  He was silent for a few seconds, and she knew he was wondering if she was being cheeky or genuine. ‘I’m branching out into real estate. All this sex symbol stuff and adoration of millions has gone to my head,’ he said, and Tanya grinned, hearing the humour in his voice.

  In the rear view mirror, she caught a quick glimpse of that dimple in his cheek. Which was just as attractive as the self-deprecating tone of his words. ‘As soon as I finish the last movie I’m contracted for, I’m walking away from acting.’

  ***

  By the time Tanya pulled the Audi into the quiet suburb, night had fallen. The neighbourhood was every inch the paradise of suburbia that she had imagined. And of course, the media didn’t even know that he owned a house here or that his daughter was being brought up here.

  His quiet declaration about quitting acting still ringing in her head, Tanya switched off the engine. She stepped out of the car and opened the door for him.

  He stretched his long legs. And pressed some cash into Tanya’s hands. ‘Find yourself dinner, Ms Singh. I shouldn’t need you for a few hours at least.’

  ***

  Tanya was listening to the radio after scarfing down her peanut butter sandwich when Mr Bollywood stepped out of the house. His buttons were undone, there was a grease mark on his jaw, and his hands were coated in something black. Before she could open the door, he rapped on the window on her side, and she lowered it.

  Tanya smothered a smile with the utmost effort. His thick hair stood up wildly in several directions. ‘Is something wrong, Mr Patel?’

  ‘No, Ms Singh. But my ex-wife is out getting ready for the trip and we have a four-year-old-needs-cheeseburger crisis. And I can’t leave her.’

  This time, Tanya laughed. She switched on the ignition and keyed in a search for fast food joints into the GPS device. ‘Be back in a few,’ she said, and proceeded to make a U-turn.

  ***

  She was dropping off the cheeseburgers at the front door when her phone rang. Smiling at the little girl who grabbed the bag from her fingers like a hungry lioness, Tanya said, ‘Hello?’

  Her cousin Jessie’s loud squeal startled her so much that her fingers slipped over the touchscreen, clicking the speaker on. The phone slipped from her fingers and landed on the plush carpet with very little noise.

  But Jessie’s invasive and overexcited questions were loud in the ensuing silence.

  So…Tanya, what did you think of the surprise? Tell me, is he as hot as we used to think he was?

  Her gaze colliding with his flinty one over the little girl’s head, Tanya froze as she cringed at the blatant curiosity in Jessie’s words.

  It was one thing to gossip about an actor, a hero that was a fantasy. But to hear Jessie’s questions when he stood two feet away from her was, his emotions slowly but surely inching out of his face, completely another.

  Do you know why he’s in London? Is he back together with his ex? Please tell me you clicked a pic of him. I know you’re not supposed to but…

  Tanya? Are you there?

  Her breath hitching in her throat, Tanya picked up her phone and finally clicked it off.

  The vicious scowl on his face speaking volumes, John opened the door. ‘Get out.’

  Swallowing at the banked fury in his gaze, Tanya stepped out into the clear night, cursing Jessie and her juvenile blather.

  ***

  An hour later, Tanya pulled out of the driveway with John in the backseat. Every inch of her thrummed with growing tension, waiting for him to say something.

  Finally just before they were about to hit the motorway, she heard his icy command. ‘Pull over and step out, Ms Singh.’

  She had barely stepped out of the car when she felt him as a solid presence next to her. In the relative quiet and dark of the street, every sense of hers became hyperaware as he locked h
er against the car with his wide frame.

  ‘Give me your phone.’

  Shaking, Tanya met his gaze, her gut twisting into knots. ‘Sure but first…let me explain.’

  ‘You have two minutes before I call the police and lodge a complaint against you and your business.’

  ‘No, please. Don’t do that. My cousin, Jessie, she… didn’t mean it the way it sounded.’

  ‘What did she mean then?’

  ‘I used to have the biggest crush on you. Used to. A long time ago. My brother, who owns the business-’

  ‘Thought it would be ok to violate a confidentiality agreement? I specifically hired your company because a friend recommended you. Do you even have a business licence?’

  ‘Of course, I do.’ Even as fear twisted her stomach, Tanya still couldn’t silence the tremble in her legs as he stood glaring at her.

  ‘I know how it sounds, but it’s not-’

  ‘I heard her telling you to snap a pic, Ms Singh. Are there cameras in the back that you haven’t disclosed too?’

  Damn the man and his hearing. Tanya couldn’t believe this was happening. He had every right to be angry.

  ‘No, no. Please, let me explain.’

  ‘Give me your phone.’ He didn’t wait for her to hand it over to him. Just grabbed it from her grasp. His jaw tight, he waved it in front of face. ‘If I find even one picture of Neena on this, I’m suing you and your brothers for violation of privacy.’

  ‘I was in there for barely a minute.’ Shaking, Tanya quickly ducked into the car, and pulled her licence. ‘Look at it, Mr Patel. What you heard, it’s true. But you don’t know the whole story. Don’t understand why she was being so...’

  ‘What is the whole story?’

  It should have been hard to talk about Sunny. She should have hated him for forcing her to. But once she started, the words came easily. ‘My husband…he…died twelve months ago suddenly. I…was devastated. I don’t know how I made it so long without him…My family, they have been trying to get me to join the living again. I think, when they saw your name come up in the client list, they jumped at the chance. I think they just thought it would make me laugh. Remind me of the person I used to be. You have to believe me. I would never betray a client’s confidence and especially a child’s.