by MV Kasi
“Come on, Dev. Stop playing hard to get. We both know you want me. I want you, too.” She moved closer. “Take me now, Dev. Take me like the beast that I’ve heard some women whispering in awe about you. Show me how much you want me.”
“I don’t,” he said coldly. He was done being chivalrous. It wasn’t getting him anywhere. A few months ago, he would have taken up the offer without his conscience bothering him. But now, he just couldn’t stomach having sex with a woman whom he had zero interest in.
Tia put a hand on his crotch and slowly licked her lips with her tongue in a suggestive manner.
He wasn’t in the least bit turned on with the display.
But that didn’t seem to deter her. She was about to pull down the zip to his pants when he caught her hand. “That’s enough. Stop embarrassing yourself,” he said.
She finally seemed to notice the hard look on his face because it slowly dawned on her that he was being serious. “But I’m… but you…”
His face slightly softened when he saw tears welling up in her eyes.
Sighing, he picked up her clothes and handed them to her. “Tia, you are a beautiful, successful woman. Most men would find you extremely desirable. I’m just too busy, and I have a lot going on. I’m not available to see anyone.”
She slowly dressed and looked at him with hopeful eyes. “So maybe later when you are not busy? You’ll be willing to see me then?” she asked.
He stifled a groan. “I don’t think you should wait for me, Tia. There are a lot of good men who are fighting for a chance to be in your company. You should see one of them.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m going to wait for you,” she said with a determined look. “You are definitely worth the wait.”
When she left the room, Dev sighed tiredly.
He was used to women throwing themselves at him. He wasn’t being cocky or arrogant in acknowledging it. Because he knew it was a fact.
He knew he had the good looks he inherited from his family that drew the women to him. He wasn’t insecure or anything, but he also knew that more than his looks, it was the old Singham money and power that made the entire deal of being Mrs. Dev Singham even sweeter for some ambitious women.
And it was public knowledge how much he had inherited. The inheritance was huge—the kind that would allow several future generations to live comfortably without having to earn a living.
But Dev refused to live off his inheritance. He had worked doubly hard to earn his own money and to prove to himself that he could make it in the world without his family background. But as much as he still enjoyed the high he got each time he closed a business deal, unlike before, he no longer felt excited about dating or scoring with a new woman each time.
The fact that he had outgrown temporary flings even though he was only twenty-seven, didn’t trouble him. What troubled him was that his mind was completely and undeniably filled with only one woman.
Sabitha Prajapati.
He didn’t know why he was fascinated with her.
She wasn’t like the glamorous women he had dated most of his life. Granted, he found her quite impressive and accomplished based on what he had observed so far and knew about her. But he still couldn’t figure out the intense fascination with her.
Maybe it was her beauty. She held a timeless beauty that shone through even though she didn’t apply makeup or wear beautiful clothes all the time. She had the kind of face that would be more suited for a portrait on the mansion walls rather than on a magazine.
An image of her portrait on the Singham Mansion walls flashed in Dev’s mind, jolting him.
What shocked him the most was the fact that he didn’t mind her portrait being there. In fact, some part of him felt it belonged there… right next to his.
What the fuck?
He must be going crazy. He recalled reading about one of his ancestors who had gone crazy because of a woman.
Maybe the crazy ancestor’s genes had been dormant in him until now.
He recalled how the news of a possible alliance between Sabitha Prajapati and Revanth Senani made him feel insane. It still did.
Why that thought bothered him so much he didn’t know. In fact, the alliance would help the Singhams as well. Because whatever he had heard about Revanth Senani’s reputation, and whatever he knew about Sabitha Prajapati, everything pointed to the fact that she would end up killing Revanth Senani within a day of their marriage, ridding the Singhams of the bothersome Senani.
But Dev couldn’t stomach the thought of her being with any other man. Even when he had hated her with a passion, he still couldn’t bear that thought.
He recalled how much it had enraged him when he found the letter she had sent to Abhay. The letter was to ‘discuss’ the details of another possibility of making the Prajapati-Singham alliance even stronger. He had intercepted the letter before it even reached Abhay and took the room that had initially been assigned to the bridegroom. During the night that followed, he had ensured that he completely sabotaged Sabitha Prajapati’s seduction attempts and also her dreams of being Abhay’s wife.
Dev didn’t feel guilty about it.
Even without their family histories, Dev knew Abhay and Sabitha would have made a terrible couple. Dev had been studying people long enough to know that fact.
Abhay was a controlling man due to the circumstances in his life. And controlling men preferred submissive women, or at least softer and gentler women like Anika. Dev knew that Sabitha Prajapati wouldn’t have a submissive bone in her body. He also knew that she was the kind of person who would want to be involved in every little decision taken when it came to the people. Abhay and she would have ended up being miserable together, if they were trapped in a marriage.
Dev didn’t know when during the past two months his feelings towards Sabitha Prajapati had begun changing. He no longer felt angry with her. He also realized he did not harbor any intense hatred towards her. She was not to blame for what happened with his parents.
One thing that terrified him about his recent change in feelings about her was—that without his previous anger and hate, he had nothing to buffer him against her potent lure.
CHAPTER 18
“We think that’s him.”
Dev was seated with Abhay and Anika in the enclosed office along with the lead investigator who was showing them pictures and updating them with the status of the investigation.
The pictures were very grainy, but one of them showed the enlarged portion of the man’s neck with the green and red patterns which must be the tattoo.
“Yes, it appears to be him,” Dev remarked. He put the pictures back on the table. “Where were these taken?”
“Many places. But they are from ten days ago.” The investigator explained how Raidu, after landing in India, immediately began to travel to remote places.
“The problem is that most of these places lack internet or even cameras placed in public areas. It’s hard to track someone without the use of technology. We had to use the old-fashioned way of showing his photograph around to people and asking them whether or not they had seen him.”
“Any recent leads so far?” Abhay asked.
“Only a few. We are checking their validity.”
“Any information on which airport he flew from to the United States?” Dev asked.
“We don’t know yet. We have been searching the archives of many travel agents around the cities closest to the Singham province. But we haven’t found a passenger with his name or the alias he had been using.”
Twenty years ago, there weren’t options for online bookings. People had to use a travel agent or purchase a ticket at the airport. Dev knew it wouldn’t be an easy task for the investigators to get that information.
“What about the investigation on Neelambari Prajapati?” Anika asked. “Anything linking her to Raidu?”
“Nothing so far,” the investigator replied. “We just have information that she had you and your family followed. She still ha
s a few people keeping eyes on you. But nothing linking her to Raidu.”
The investigator looked at Dev. “Sabitha Prajapati is not searching for Raidu.”
“Then who is she looking for?”
“We don’t know exactly who, but we know she’s looking for two females.”
CHAPTER 19
“How can you lose them again?” Sabitha asked the man on the phone icily.
“We have been trying to find out what happened, madam. We got the information just an hour ago. But by the time we reached—”
“It’s the same bloody excuse each time. I’m sick of it. I need results, not excuses.”
“We understand, madam. I—”
Sabitha ended the call and threw her phone on the office desk with frustration.
Every bloody time with every bloody agency she had hired over the years, it was always the same. She was going crazy hitting a dead end each time.
“Madam…” There was a faint voice calling out from the door.
“Come in,” Sabitha ordered.
“Madam, another delivery.” Dhruv was holding a large bouquet of flowers with a grim look.
“Next time, don’t ask me,” she said. “Trash them. Better still, let the delivery man know, he’ll have no hands remaining to continue delivering in the future if he comes anywhere close to the site again.”
Dhruv nodded and took the offending package away.
Sabitha sat back in the chair sighing. It was already dark outside with thunder and lightning along with a slight drizzle. She knew she had to stay at work that night. Her men were too tired to drive back to the Prajapati Estate. Their day had started the previous morning and they couldn’t catch any proper sleep.
It had been close to two months since the projects had started. The planning and initial set-up was progressing well with no major glitches.
It was also surprising that she even had a resemblance of a cordial working relationship with Dev Singham. Without any bloodshed, they spent long working hours together, going over the details of the project plan, and making any changes that were necessary. She realized that Dev Singham was more experienced at dealing with projects than her and had made several good suggestions.
After calling her an illiterate on the first day, he never brought up the fact she couldn’t read. She had expected him to mock her in some way or other, but he was fine when Dhruv helped her during their meetings requiring some paperwork.
Sabitha also grudgingly admitted to herself that Dev Singham was a good employer. Unlike the Prajapatis, the Singhams addressed him by his name. She observed that he spent a good amount of time with the workers, laughing and mingling closely with them. He listened to their concerns and took quick actions when needed.
Surprisingly, the workers, in turn, did not take him for granted like she had expected them to. They still respected him and followed all his orders.
And on a personal front, each time she saw or met Dev Singham, apart from giving her a quick sweeping look from top to bottom, he did not make any disparaging comments.
For a change, Dev Singham was being reasonable and didn’t give her a reason to want to kill him.
Yet.
She was glad things were moving smoothly because she was spending more and more of her time at the site rather than at the Prajapati Mansion.
One of the reasons was because her aunt was getting on her nerves lately. The Senanis had sent a proposal which her aunt wanted her to seriously consider.
Revanth Senani wanted to marry her.
And instead of simply sending the proposal formally and waiting for an answer, the fool was also making a nuisance of himself. He kept sending gifts to the Prajapati Mansion. When she sent them back with warning messages, he still continued to send them.
During the past couple of days, he even began to send flowers through a delivery service to the construction site.
She knew she had to deal with him sternly to remove the ridiculous idea from his head permanently. She just needed to think of a more diplomatic way without causing any major bloodshed.
A loud knocking interrupted Sabitha’s thoughts. Before she could ask the person to come in, the door opened and slammed shut while the tall figure of Dev Singham strode in to sit in front of her.
She wanted to snap at him for taking the lenience, but she stopped due to the look on his face. He banged his open palm on her office desk causing things on it to jump and shake. “What the fuck is this?” he asked.
She frowned. “What the hell are you referring to—” She broke off when her eyes fell on the little card with a note that had come with the flowers.
Anger erupted inside her. “You went through my private property?” she demanded.
His jaw was clenched in anger and a vein popped on his temple. “It is no longer private if my enemy, a bloody Senani, sent a fucking love note to my personal property.” There was an obvious outrage in his tone.
“Personal property? I have an equal share in this project, too, Singham. And besides a warning has already been sent not to allow the Senanis to send any deliveries here again.”
“Why was he sending the note in the first place?” he gritted out.
She frowned. “None of your business.”
“It is my bloody business. Answer me!” he roared.
She watched him quietly. “Get out,” she ordered softly.
Immediately, he got up, and instead of walking out of the door as she had ordered, he came around her desk and placed his hands on either side of her chair, caging her.
“Why. Is. He. Sending. You. Fucking love notes?” he demanded again.
She looked at his blazing eyes. “I’m giving you ten seconds to step out of my office before I start to shoot.”
The softly uttered threat she issued made him even more agitated. He leaned even closer. “I will not allow him even to touch you, let alone marry you!”
She frowned. “What?” Her brain tried to process what the crazy bastard looming over her just growled out. Hadn’t she just been admiring the asshole a while ago for being reasonable and professional? She took back her words. He was still an arrogant and hateful bastard.
“I’m not letting anyone else get you!” he growled into her face again, before closing the gap and capturing her lips with his. She felt his hands fisting in her hair as he tugged her even closer. His tongue parted her lips and found its way in until his taste exploded inside her mouth.
She was too stunned at first to react immediately. Then ignoring the goosebumps and tingles that erupted on her body, she bit his tongue hard until he let go of her hair and jerked back.
“What the hell do you think you are doing, you crazy bastard!” she snapped, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to remove the addicting taste of him.
Her breath was coming out in loud pants just like his. Seeing the look on his face as he watched her with anger and something else she couldn’t define, her blood heated even more and began sizzling.
The tension and awareness she had tried very hard to ignore whenever he was around her began to take over. Then something snapped inside her, and she grabbed his hair to smash their mouths together. His taste exploded inside her mouth again. This time, she let it consume her completely.
She was so lost in the kiss and the intense feelings which took over her body that she only vaguely realized he had pulled her out from the chair and had placed her on the desk. His hands were frantically exploring her body over her clothes.
Meanwhile she clutched his shirt and pulled it apart, ripping the buttons. She ran her hands greedily over the ridges on his chest before moving even lower. Her hands fumbled as she tried opening the belt buckle. When she made frustrated noises, he reached down without pausing their kissing and undid his belt and the buttons of his trousers in no time. As soon as he was freed, she held him, making him groan out loud.
She felt his fingers opening her shirt buttons and then unbuttoning her khaki trousers without her help. She r
aised her hips when he began to push her trousers down her legs. She was about to raise her hips again for her panties when he held them, but she felt the tug and then the sound of the material tearing as he ripped them off her.
He dragged her to the edge of the desk and roughly pushed her thighs further apart. Before she could brace herself completely or hold on to him, he entered her in one swift move and groaned into her mouth. She cried out as she felt the pressure of his size stretching her. It stung and burned even while pleasurable tingles ran through her body.
He paused, but only for a few seconds. Before she could completely adjust to his invasion, he began to move. He tucked his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder and thrust. He moved in powerful, fast and desperate movements, making her gasp while her body hummed in intense pleasure and pain. She clutched his shoulders hard, and dug her heels into his back.
He grunted in pleasure as he slammed into her. He drove so hard and deep into her, she felt as though he wanted to either meld their bodies together permanently, or kill her by trying to split her into two.
Within what felt like barely a few seconds, she felt a pressure build inside her as her legs began to tremble. She tried to control the feeling, but she couldn’t. Bolts of pleasure shot up from within, making her muscles tense even more while her heart slammed faster. Soon, she lost her control completely as ecstasy ripped through her body, starting from her toes and through her core to the top of her head, making her cry out loudly due to the sheer force of it.
She opened her eyes in shock as she lay on the desk. She felt paralyzed and helpless as her body continued to shake with her intense orgasm while the man on top of her continued to grunt into her neck and slammed into her with an incredible force.
Her orgasm went on and on. The sounds of his grunts grew harsher and more ragged indicating he would join her. She watched him in a daze as he reared up and threw back his head, exposing his powerful neck with corded veins. Baring his teeth like an animal in pain, he thrust hard one last time before he roared out his release and collapsed on top of her.