Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India (Box Set with 5 novellas)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Ruddy colour ran up his manly cheeks as Abhi grinned down at her. “Finally! Thought I’d never hear you say it,” he winked.

  She stood back to look up at him, her forefinger on her chin. “I thought it was us women who needed encouragement,” she said half-teasingly.

  “Wonder who’d have put that thought in that pretty head of yours,” he said, bending down to kiss her hard. “Let’s go, woman,” he said, lifting her and placing her in the passenger seat.

  “Oh my God! Abhi, you’re crazy. How the hell did you manage to lift me? I weigh so much,” she squealed.

  He got into the driver’s seat and replied. “Oh really?! I don’t think so.”

  Shikha sighed happily, placing her head against his shoulder. He really knew the right things to say to a woman.

  Had her streak of misfortune turned for the better after all these years?

  4

  The next day at work, Abhi got in touch with Deepak from HR and informed him that Shikha would be working as his secretary beginning the same day. “I’ll get all the approvals once Ranveer’s back from his holiday,” he told Deepak.

  Deepak nodded his head. “Of course Abhi. I’ll draw up a new contract.”

  “Thanks man,” said Abhi, before going back to his office. He had a plan already charted out to keep Shikha busy. He had guessed rightly that her main issue was her apathy. She needed to be challenged. And he decided to do just that and called her to his cabin.

  She walked in with a pout, looking bored, chewing gum. She took a seat, crossing her legs, checking out her newly painted nails.

  Abhi ran his eyes over her, his heart thudding in excitement. He still found it hard to believe that she was his. And he wasn’t too flustered by the look she was giving him—as if he was something that she had unfortunately found under her shoe. “I see that you’ve spent a busy morning painting your nails. Nice colour, by the way.” He raised a hand to stop her from saying anything as her head came up sharply, in defiance. “I’ve instructed Deepak to give you a new contract…”

  “Am I getting a pay hike?” she asked, looking at him slyly from the corner of her eyes.

  “No way. And unless you pull your weight around, you just might get a pay cut,” he said firmly, his eyes looking deeply into hers.

  “What the fuck!” snarled Shikha, pushing back her chair noisily as she got up in a rush, “you wouldn’t dare.”

  “I dare a lot,” he said softly, turning to his laptop. “You come back when you’re ready to do some work,” he said dismissively, much to her shock.

  “Abhi!” she yelled, walking up to him. “You’re insulting me.”

  He looked up at the woman towering over him threateningly, her hands fisted against her hips, her elbows thrust out aggressively. Blood rushed to his groin, distracting him. He shook his head to clear it and said, “Shikha, it’s not I who’s insulting you. You’re doing well all by yourself. You’ve been with his organisation since three months. Do tell me what work you’ve done all these days,” he challenged.

  “That’s none of your business,” she said, turning away, her shoulders hunched. She had been a glorified secretary, who had almost died of boredom. But she needn’t admit that to him.

  “Isn’t it?” he asked.

  “Now what the fuck do you want from me?” she asked, a sneer on her face as she turned back to him.

  Abhi got up and walked her to the chair she had recently vacated. “Sit down,” he said, his voice brooking no argument. “First things first. You clean up your language at work. You answer to me from today and I’ll not tolerate indiscipline.” He looked at her, waiting to ensure that his words had sunk in.

  She glared at him, wondering where the lover from last night had disappeared to. But she refrained from saying anything.

  “I got an early appraisal done for you and…”

  “But Abhi, Ranveer never wanted me to do anything. I…”

  He raised a hand to stop her from continuing. “Well, that’s all in the past. The appraisal is being readied as we talk. I know enough to realise that you’ll need to work extra hard to continue working with this company. Unless you want to quit and be a rich and bored wife to the company’s vice president?” he suggested, his brown gaze sharp as he studied her reaction.

  Shikha jumped up from her chair. “Oh no! Never! Don’t you dare make me quit.” She glared at him, her breasts heaving. She was going to kill him before the day ended.

  “Good. I’ve mailed you a list of tasks. Get cracking,” he said, before turning once more towards his laptop, indicating that the meeting was over.

  5

  Shikha went back to her cabin, fuming. He had dismissed her as if she was a nobody. How could he? She walked the length of her small office, up and down, up and down. He had mailed her a list of tasks, it seemed. So! As if she cared. She had always known what a pompous ass Abhimanyu Mehra was. Just because…just because they had had a good romp in bed, didn’t make him less stuffy. Bastard!

  He was getting her appraisal from the HR. How valid would that be without her signature on it? And Ranveer wasn’t in town. What if she refused to work as Abhi’s secretary? He couldn’t force her. But then, Ranveer gave her no work at all. Shikha frowned, pausing in her pacing. Had Abhi been serious about her quitting? But she needed an occupation.

  Well, she came with almost fifteen years of experience. Didn’t that count? But she had done no work at RS Software, unless you could count the few letters she had typed and the couple of calls she had made in a day. She ignored her inner voice. It was no fault of hers. How many times had she gone to Ranveer’s cabin to ask for work? He had always been too busy for her.

  With a sudden change of mind, Shikha went to check her mailbox. She needed to know if Abhi had sent her some real work or if he was bossing over her simply to get on her nerves.

  She stared at the computer screen, her irritation slowly turning to awe. He had sent a list of seven things for her to do and a time frame to complete them in. And, what the hell, each job was a challenge in itself. What did he think of her? She’d just prove to him that she was capable of finishing the work with her left hand tied behind her back. She refused to admit even to herself that she felt excited about her job for the first time in over five years.

  Shikha worked non-stop, checking against her list as she ran through her tasks and was surprised when she heard her cabin door being opened.

  “Lunch?” asked her lover of last night.

  Shikha gave him an absent-minded look, her attention on her computer. “Later.”

  “Shikha.” He walked up to her desk. “I’m hungry. Let’s go.”

  She frowned up at him. “I’m not.”

  “We had breakfast at eight in the morning. It’s past two,” he argued.

  Shikha took her hands off the keyboard and leaned back in her chair. “Are you going to play the “boss” card again?” she asked him, mildly sarcastic. Her usual sting was missing as she was too satisfied by that morning’s work.

  He shrugged. “If need be.”

  She pretended to glare at him mockingly, getting up from her chair and stretching her arms above her head, drawing his eyes to her taut breasts. “What?” She automatically smiled, enjoying his gaze as it ran over her slender frame.

  “Now I have two kinds of hunger clawing at me,” he growled. “Come on.”

  “But sir, you can’t flirt with your secretary on her very first day at work, sir. It’s against office ethics,” she said with a provocative pout of her luscious lips.

  “Damn these glass walls,” groaned Abhi. “Lunch. Now. Unless you’re prepared to be made love to in front of the whole office.”

  “My my! The cave-man surfaces. Or is it boss-man? Okay, I’m coming.” Shikha blew him a kiss, picking up her bag. “May I take a couple of minutes to visit the washroom, sir? With your permission?”

  “As long as you don’t forget that my cabin has concrete walls and I’m capable of turning you over on my knee
s and delivering the slap that your rear end’s begging for.”

  Shikha rolled her eyes. “My rear end begs to differ. Sir. It begs for…”

  “Shikha,” groaned Abhi. “I’ll meet you at the canteen.” He left, her soft laughter following him, tightening his already aroused body.

  6

  Shikha lifted her extension when the phone rang. She automatically checked her watch to see it was almost six.

  “Hey, are you done for the day?” asked Abhi.

  She looked at her computer before saying, “Fifteen minutes?”

  “Okay! By the way, you’re doing a good job,” he said, disconnecting the phone without waiting for her response.

  She frowned for a second, annoyed at the abrupt manner in which he’d cut the call. But then, his praise rang in her ears and she glowed with pride. She had actually completed all her work and was typing out a report to mail him.

  Exactly fifteen minutes later, Shikha walked into Abhi’s cabin without bothering to knock on his door. “What a day! I’m ready for a few drinks, an elaborate dinner and some steamy sex, in that order,” she said with a straight face.

  Abhi got up from his chair, walking close to her. He took her hand and placed it against his fly. “Are you sure?” he asked, bending down to nip the top of her breast that peeped above her neckline.

  “Abhi.” Shikha placed her arms around his neck, pressing his head closer to her body. “Don’t think all is forgiven just because you’re sweet talking me now,” she threatened softly. She could feel his grin against her body even as his facial fuzz tickled her sensitive skin, arousing her to fever pitch.

  He raised his head to ask, “Do you want to eat out or shall I make you dinner?”

  “Let’s go out. Or we’ll just land up in bed and I’ll be on an empty stomach for a long time,” she grumbled.

  “Okay, you get to choose the restaurant,” he said, picking up his laptop case.

  “Benevolent boss,” she declared cheekily, as they left the office, hand-in-hand.

  It took them almost an hour to reach the Lounge Bar at ITC Sheraton. Shikha was thrilled to be escorted by the handsome Abhimanyu and that too in the lap of luxury. “Will Scotch be too expensive?” she asked him in a loud whisper.

  Abhi shrugged. “Go ahead and order what you want. I’m sure I can afford it,” he said indulgently. They relaxed on a sofa and placed their orders.

  They chatted desultorily, watching people come and go.

  “So, do you still want to work for me? Or…?” asked Abhi, playing with the fingers of her left hand.

  “Or what?” she asked, finishing the drink in her glass, raising a hand to the bartender for a refill. She had already downed two large pegs.

  “Or you can be a rich man’s idle wife. I did offer,” he said. He got up, not waiting for her answer. “Let’s go have that elaborate dinner that I promised you.”

  “Sit down Abhi. Don’t be a pain. I’ve just begun to enjoy my drink. And see, my order’s come,” said Shikha, pulling at his hand.

  He sat down reluctantly, noticing that her speech was slurred. It looked like her work that day hadn’t been exciting enough; or his lovemaking last night. She craved her whisky and soda. He signalled to the waiter to get their bill.

  Their talk got around to office politics. “Oh, did I mention? Ranveer told me that he’s married. Just to escape my attention, I think,” grimaced Shikha.

  “It’s the truth. He’s married,” said Abhi.

  “What! The bastard wasn’t lying then?” Her eyes turned curious. “Wonder who the wife is!”

  Abhi thought on his feet. He was serious about marrying Shikha; might as well treat her as family. “He’s married to Chanda,” he said, his face dead pan, watching her face minutely for a reaction.

  He wasn’t disappointed when Shikha spluttered into her drink, placing her glass down on the table in a hurry. “What! Are you having me on? That chick from college is Ranveer’s wife? Don’t tell me.”

  Abhi grinned, glad to shake up the cynical woman he had fallen in love with. She could do with lightening up. “It’s a long story. I’ll let Ranveer tell you about it.” He didn’t think it was fair to Ranveer or Chanda that he let out that they had been married as children. He wasn’t sure if either or both of them wouldn’t be ashamed of the fact.

  Shikha gave him a curious look, but could see from the clammed-up look on Abhi’s face that he wouldn’t say any more. She still persisted, “Have they eloped to get married?” Neither of them had been coming to work since the past few days. But then, Ranveer had told her he was married even before Chanda began to work for their company. It was so damn confusing.

  Abhi got up the moment he saw her finish her drink. “Let’s go Shikha. I’m damned hungry.”

  Shikha went with him reluctantly when he escorted her to the Pan Asian restaurant. She gave the menu a cursory glance before saying, “You order the food for me, Abhi, and a refill of whisky and soda too.”

  Abhi shook his head, not saying anything. He ordered for a Barbeque Pork Bao—dim sums served with soy chilli sauce for starters and Roasted Duck in Red Pineapple Curry for the main course.

  “Abhi, you forgot my drink,” complained Shikha, her lips drooping petulantly.

  “No, I didn’t. Here you go,” said Abhi, offering her the glass of water that was placed near her plate.

  “Are you mad? You want me to drink water?” Her voice had gone up by several decibels and people turned around to look. Not that she cared. She wanted—no, needed—a drink.

  Abhi was too confident to be bothered by strangers staring at them as Shikha made an exhibition of herself. “Yes, I do.”

  “This is it!” Shikha got up, pushing her chair back. “I don’t think it’s going to work between us. I’ll leave.”

  Abhi pinned her with his brown gaze. “You’ll break my heart, just like that?” he asked in a soft voice that shivered down her spine.

  Shikha frowned, confused, wondering if she’d heard him right. His right hand was placed against his heart, the expression in his whisky coloured eyes that of a puppy that had been kicked hard, pulling at her heart strings. Was this the same guy who had ordered her about in the office that morning? What was he playing at?

  “Please sit down and have dinner, Shikha,” he appealed, as the waiter approached with their order.

  The aroma wafting from the serving bowl took the decision out of Shikha’s hands and she settled down in her chair to tuck into the food. She didn’t notice the twinkle in her lover’s eyes as he waved the waiter away, serving her the food with his own hands.

  7

  “Welcome back, Ranveer,” said Abhimanyu, entering the other man’s cabin.

  Ranveer looked up and smiled at his second-in-command and friend, getting up from his chair. The two men hugged before Ranveer pointed to a chair, seating himself on the corner of the table.

  “So? Are congratulations in order?” smiled Abhi, looking at Ranveer’s happy face.

  “Oh yeah! Chanda and I got married again, actually,” he admitted, his face glowing with joy.

  Abhi shook Ranveer’s hand, saying, “That’s awesome. I’m so glad that everything worked out perfectly for you both.”

  Ranveer nodded. “Absolutely. Will you call for a brief meeting at around 5 pm? I’ll talk to the staff. I’ll give everyone the news and also personally invite them to the party we are planning end of week.”

  Abhi nodded. “Sure, will do. Will you be taking off on a honeymoon soon after that?” he asked.

  Ranveer shook his head. “Nope. Not for the next few months. We’re planning to wait till Chanda finishes her graduation. She can’t miss any more of college and exams.” But she had already left her hostel and shifted to their home and he was too happy about that to complain about the lack of a honeymoon.

  “Well, in that case…I’d like to apply for some leave.”

  “What gives?” asked Ranveer, his right eyebrow touching the lock falling on his forehead.<
br />
  “Shikha’s agreed to marry me. We haven’t fixed a date yet. But soon.” Abhi turned a bit red as he shared his piece of news.

  Ranveer slapped his friend’s back. “Congrats, bro. I’m happy if you are.” He grimaced. “I mean no offence. But I’m sure you know what you’re doing.” They had always been honest with each other and it had been only a little more than a week since Ranveer had told Abhimanyu to get rid of Shikha from RS Software.

  “I do, and thank you. I love her, Ranveer. And she’s perfect for me, exactly the way she is.”

  “That’s great then. I wish you all happiness. So how long do you plan to go on leave?”

  “Two months,” said Abhi, much to Ranveer’s surprise. “I know it’s a long time. But I’ll be in touch and do as much as I can while I’m away. I…”

  “Well, Abhi, I don’t quite know what to say. If anyone deserves his leave, it’s you, since you haven’t taken any long leave since we started the company. And it’s not fair expecting you to work during your honeymoon. That’s fine. I’m sure we’ll work something out. By the way, where do you plan to go?”

  “Thailand. I’m planning to get Shikha into a renowned rehab centre there, with 5-star facilities. I’ll also be able to stay with her. She really needs help and it’s like urgent. I’m planning to take her there in the pretext of a honeymoon. Otherwise, I can’t see her agreeing to the treatment.” He sighed. He straightened after a second and said, “Now you know why I’ll be able to work from there.”

  Ranveer looked at Abhi with admiration. His company VP was truly a gem of a man. He only hoped Shikha valued what her future husband planned for her. “I’m sure, Abhi. I appreciate your offer. Go ahead and send a mail to me with your leave dates. I’ll reply my acceptance along with a copy to the HR. And Shikha?”

  “She’s working for me since the past three days. So, she also will be needing leave. Maybe, she’ll lose her salary since she’s been with us only a few months.” Abhi shrugged.