by P. G. Van
Nick’s mom looked at me in silence with no expression on her face.
“Your next five concerns mom. Keep’em coming,” I said confidently.
“Where have you been all along, Meera?” Nick’s mom said rather emotionally, and I responded laughing and hugging her, “One floor above you on the other side of the house.”
Nick’s mom and I spent a few hours laying out the plan for the wedding, which would most likely be four weeks later. Once I had the high-level plan, I knew what I had to prioritize. We moved on to the prep for the ceremony at home that evening, and then I went back up to change into a sari.
The ritual was planned for five-thirty that afternoon, and everyone except Nick showed up at five. I watched Reetu as she performed the ritual with Sam and noticed how pretty she looked in the royal blue sari she had on that day. Her dark eyes looked calm, she had pulled her thick curly hair into a partial ponytail, and the ringlets framed her heart-shaped face gracefully. I smiled looking at Sam and Reetu as they performed the ritual as a beautiful couple.
As memories of my conversations with Ann and Nate flashed in front of me, I wondered if it was possible for a person to put on a mask their entire life. I winced internally wondering what the family would have to put up with if Ann and Nate were right about Reetu. I looked at the image of Lord Ganesha and prayed to him silently asking for all obstacles to be removed.
The mini-ceremony wrapped up in an hour and a half, and the family headed out to meet the priest who worked at a temple two hours north of San Francisco.
“If I had known that you were staying back, I would have stayed back too,” Ann hissed when I told her I wasn’t going with them.
Reetu was extremely calm when I told her that Nick did not want the replica of the chain made for at least another ten years.
“What time will you guys be back?” I asked as the group loaded up into two cars.
“We are meeting the priest first thing in the morning, and we will be home for lunch tomorrow,” Nick’s mom said hugging me.
“Pammi, take care of Meera,” she said smiling at the elderly woman who was standing behind me.
I looked at PammiMa as the cars left the driveway and said, “Party time!!”
PammiMa shook her head laughing and said, “Sure. Should we watch TV?”
“Nope, you will do no such thing. You will go home and chill,” I said as we went back into the house.
“Meera, it’s Rahul’s night off, and I need to prepare dinner for you and Nick,” PammiMa declared.
“PammiMa, I am old enough to cook dinner for my husband, and I doubt if he is going to be home tonight,” I said urging her to take a break.
“Okay, I will go home and check on the family but call me if Nick is back tonight,” PammiMa said as she headed towards the deck to go to her house that was on the premises.
I settled down on the sectional in the family room and texted Nick.
Me: Officially home alone…you coming home tonight?
Nick: On my way, love
Me: ETA?
Nick: Just landed…
Nick: Can you put on that red outfit again tonight?
Me: I am in something more interesting
I hit send and looked down at the eggplant colored georgette sari I had on for the ceremony with a satin gold border, and I had paired it with a contrasting ivory blouse.
Nick: I doubt it…especially when you just had a ceremony at home…
Me: I can make you want to jump into the pool to cool off with what I have on…
Nick: Challenge accepted, I’ll see you by the pool in thirty minutes.
Me: Ok
I took the elevator up to our private wing to put on some eye makeup. I added a gold highlighter and finished up with a deep purple eye shadow on the edges. I ran a brush through my hair and decided to skip the hair tie. The material of the sari I had on was translucent but when layered, it offered the required coverage, and I knew the single layer of the material would reveal enough to drive Nick over the edge.
I grabbed a book on my way out and went outside to sit by the pool. The air was starting to get slightly chilly, but it was still warm enough to be out by the pool. I kicked off my sandals and sat on the edge of the pool with my legs dipped into the warm water of the heated pool reading the book.
Twenty minutes later, I heard the crackling sound of the river stones as Nick’s car pulled up the driveway. I didn’t hear the garage door open so I guessed Mitch was probably with him.
I continued reading my book with my back to the driveway. He didn’t show up for almost five minutes, and then I felt him walk towards me.
I turned slowly to look into mocking brown eyes as he walked towards me at a steady yet slow pace. He looked extra crispy in a multicolored checked button-down shirt and a dark sports jacket paired with light wash jeans.
“I see no skin and you say this is better than the fire red dress?” Nick teased as he approached me.
I turned to look at the pool and slowly gathered my hair and pulled it over my shoulder to drape it over my chest to reveal the two thin horizontal strings of fabric that kept the blouse in place leaving my entire back bare.
“I am sorry, my hair was blocking your view,” I taunted.
I heard Nick’s breath hiss at the tease in my voice and asked, “You wore that for the ceremony?”
“Yes. I know when to flaunt and when I need to be decent,” I mocked as he came to where I was sitting and stood looking down at me.
“Let’s go in sweetheart,” Nick said giving me his hand for a boost.
I slapped his hand away gently and lowered myself, flattening my back on to the stone paved section around the pool and said, “I am not leaving until you jump into the pool.”
“There is no way that outfit is going to get me that hot, let’s go love,” he urged.
I lay looking into his eyes and slowly reached for one of the sides of the sari that was pleated in multiple layers over my chest area. I slowly pulled the material away from my body spreading out the material so only one layer of the translucent material draped over my torso. The blouse I had on was designed to accentuate the cleavage area, which peeked through the thin material of the sari.
I saw Nick catch his breath and smiled at him. He smiled back at me and said in a mocking tone, “Nice job seducing me baby, but still not going into the pool.”
Refusing to give up, I pulled my legs out of the water and twisted my body to show off my curves. Nick kept staring at me without making a move as I slowly pulled out my waist chain from under the waistband of the sari’s skirt. I let the waist chain drape over the darkness of the sari and let out a deep moan.
I saw Nick clench his teeth and saw his chest rising and falling. I knew he was completely aroused when I looked at the bulge in his jeans. Nick did not move but kept staring at me with his hands in his pocket with an enigmatic look in his eyes. I looked up into his eyes as he stood tall and strong not giving in to my seduction. I rolled to my side facing him and let the thin material of the sari slide down my chest to reveal my bare midriff and the deep cleavage that was formed by the shaping cropped blouse.
Nick jerked slightly pulling his hands out of his pockets and grumbled as he came to me, “I can’t take this anymore.”
He came to lie down next to me by the pool pulling me on top of him and pulled my lips to him with his teeth. I moaned and pulled back to look at him. The raw need that he exhibited sent waves of electricity through my body.
I grabbed onto his shirt collar ripping open a few buttons and took my lips to his bare chest. He groaned loudly rolling over to come on top of me and brought his lips to my cleavage sending waves of pleasure down to the apex of my thighs. I rolled him over to go on top of him and saw Nick’s eyes widen. The next instant, I heard the splash as Nick went into the pool first, and I went in over him still hanging on to his shirt collar. We surfaced holding each other and ignoring the fact that we were in the five-foot deep pool, we continu
ed to relish on each other, drinking in each other’s sexual drive through our lips.
Nick pushed my hair away from my face bringing his lips to mine in a hungry passion and said, “You had me when you showed me your bare back.”
I giggled against his lips and reveled the feel of water against my skin as Nick touched every part that was in reach. He stroked me, held me close as his lips traveled lower, and went under water to dig his tongue into my navel. I arched my body in the water as he came out of the water and asked, “You like that huh?”
“Nick…” my voice trailed off as he went underwater partially to flick his tongue over my cleavage. He gently pushed me against the wall of the pool and ran his palms over my breasts. I immediately felt my nipples harden which showed up through the soft material of the fitted blouse. He kissed me as he lapped and flicked his tongue and held my face securely between his palms as his lips worshipped mine. I pulled him towards me with one hand around his neck while the other danced over his hardness that was threatening to cut through his jeans.
“Let’s go in baby,” Nick said in a husky voice.
“Nick, we don’t have towels. We will drip water all over the house,” I said as I got out of the pool with great difficulty as the pleated skirt of the sari was wrapped around my legs.
I grabbed my phone and the book that I had intended to read and asked in horror, “Nick, is your phone in the pool?”
Nick laughed as he led me towards the garage entrance and said, “I had Mitch take my stuff upstairs just in case you did manage to set me on fire. I have to admit you did a fine job of seducing me.”
“Yes!!” I celebrated as Nick opened a door to the far left of the garage. I realized that I had not used that door in all the days I had lived at the family residence. The door opened up to a foyer, and I realized that this door was one of the many access points to the gym that was on the same level as the garage. He led me through the foyer as he grabbed a stack of towels from the closet pushing open a glass door and led me into the steam room and closed the door.
The steam immediately engulfed us, and I welcomed the warmth from the steam after being hit by a cold breeze as we got out of the pool. Nick stepped away for a minute to put the towels away on the tiled seating area. He was back with his fingertips digging into my back and his lips devouring on mine.
“Meera, please don’t be mad,” Nick said in a gruff voice and before even I could ask for clarification, I felt him rip through the two thin horizontal strips of fabric that held the blouse over my shoulder and on the sides.
I moaned as his fingertips slipped into my blouse to find my hardened nipple. He dug his teeth gently into my outer ear and asked, “No bra again?”
“Yes, my husband does not like bras,” I rasped as he tugged on the blouse freeing my breasts from the confinement of the fitted fabric.
I moaned fisting my fingers in his hair as he brought his cool lips to my burning nipple.
I reached for his sports jacket and pushed it off his shoulders with great difficulty as he ran his lips along my neck. As if to return the favor of ripping each other’s clothes, I tugged at his shirt to open up his chest taking my lips to the soft skin and started to nip on the taut skin over his muscles.
“Don’t tease me, give me a bite, Meera,” Nick demanded throwing his head back. I swirled my tongue over his nipple and repeated the same with the other one. He groaned and clenched my hair in his fingertips, and as if in reaction to the pressure in my hair, I dug my teeth through the thin material of his shirt over his biceps and felt him shudder.
He flattened my back against the wall of the steam room and took his lips lower as he unwrapped the dripping wet sari with his hands. He pulled my undergarment halfway down and dug his tongue into the moisture that had pooled in my epicenter. I grabbed onto to his hair and flattened my back further against the wall as he probed and flicked his tongue over my clit. He continued his tease until a strong surge of pleasure shot up through my body making my knees buckle. Nick held me against him with one arm and came up and whispered, “Put your legs around me baby.”
“Not yet,” I said and reached for the button on his jeans pulling it open and rasped, “Why do you still have your clothes on?”
Nick laughed as I struggled to pull down his drenched jeans. I reached for Nick’s hardness as I took my lips to his and started stroking him. Nick moaned as I peeled my lips away from his to take them lower to the tip of his virility. He ran his fingers through my wet hair as I doused him with my saliva. I let him out of my mouth to stroke him with my fingertips. I ran my lips on his chest gently nipping at him as I continued to pleasure him with my hand. He reached for my lips with his as he was about to peak and came down with his teeth digging into my lower lip. We moaned in unison as I felt him explode against my palm.
“You have skillful hands, baby,” Nick said catching his breath.
“And I know when to use them,” I teased and hoisted myself onto him with my arms around his neck. I felt the steam engulf and soothe me into a never-ending land of passion and love when he brought his lips to my nipple,
Nick pressed me against the wall for support while I clung to him with my arms around his neck and my legs wrapped around his waist. I left one leg wrapped around him and placed one foot on the tiled seating of the steam room.
Nick groaned against my lips and held me to him with one hand while he guided his hardness into me with the other hand. I rose up and down automatically to take in the cool hardness into my fired up cavity. He stayed on my lips as he rocked and pressed me into the wall with every shove.
I felt the droplets of sweat splash all around us as we heated up the steam room further. Nick’s lips continued to suck the air out of my lungs, and I felt myself being transported to a new dimension of pleasure. I felt the eruption build up inside me as he increased the pace. Nick tore his lips away from my lips taking them to my nipple and landed a deep dent with his teeth as I was about to peak; at that moment, I thought I was going to explode into a million pieces. I called out his name as I tugged on his hair and collapsed on his shoulder and floated away into an endless cloud of sheer solace.
“Are you okay baby?” Nick asked as if he could tell that I was breathing with difficulty, and I responded in a rasped voice, “I am more than okay, and I want you again.”
“That’s my tigress,” Nick teased as he brought his lips to mine with an undying hunger.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Nick, last bite. I can’t eat anymore,” I said shaking my head as Nick and I sat at the dining table the night of the mehendi event for Sam’s and Reetu’s wedding. I had an elaborate design applied on both my hands all the way from my fingertips to my elbow, and Nick was feeding me dinner that night as I waited for the mehendi to dry.
“I never realized you were such a poor eater,” Nick said grabbing more rice with a spoon.
“Nick, I am full. I am serious. I have been munching on all kinds of goodies all day,” I pleaded.
“I am counting on you to give the Bhatia family their warrior princesses and the prince. You need to eat more,” Nick whispered in a teasing tone.
I laughed and said, “Let’s go Nick. Mom called for a meeting on the deck.”
“Not happening. I don’t go to Ma’s meetings especially when it’s before a big event,” Nick said getting up from the table.
“Nick, you have skipped every ritual in the last month, and you are going to be part of every ceremony over the next few days,” I declared.
Nick shook his head showing me the path and said, “After you.”
I laughed and teased back, “No, after you so you don’t sneak away from me.”
I followed Nick out onto the deck two days before the wedding. It was a little over a month ago since the priest had selected an auspicious weekend for the wedding. Some of the relatives had arrived that day and were staying at a hotel was close to the family residence.
Nick had hosted a bachelor party for Sam a week b
efore the wedding. Nate had gotten very jealous when Srini would not stop talking about how much fun they had at the bachelor’s party.
“If Reetu were normal, we could have had a party too,” she had complained to Ann and me. Reetu stated that she did not want a bachelorette party when I offered to plan one for her. She kept her distance the past few weeks from me, and I figured it was because she could not have the chain made for Sam.
We gathered around the fire pit on the deck in the backyard of the family residence for an hour of peace after an intimate mehendi event at the house. Ann and I got our mehendi done a day sooner than Reetu so we could take care of her at the Sangeet event planned for the night before the wedding.
I cuddled closer to Nick and whispered, "We should plan our wedding right after Sam’s wedding. I can’t wait for my own Rajput wedding.”
"Just tell me when you are ready. Do you want to get married right after Sam’s wedding on Saturday?” Nick asked nuzzling my ear, and I felt thrills down my spine when I felt his facial hair on my skin. I smiled thinking of how magnificent he looked with a well-trimmed beard and a strong well-defined mustache with its ends twisted slightly.
The facial hair added a tinge of mystery and a whole lot of sex appeal to his overall look especially when he wore his business suits. His looks were as penetrating as they could be when he wasn't even trying to be seductive, and I knew I would miss running my fingertips through his beard and watch him melt in my arms as I massaged his cheeks.
"What is it with you and wanting to crash everyone's wedding. We have already crashed Nate's and Srini's wedding, and we should let the weekend be all about Sam and Reetu,” I said giggling as I held my hands to the warmth of the gas fire pit to let the mehendi art dry out completely before I went to bed.
Nick laughed and said, "Yes, I agree" and looked at his mom and added, "She is either not freaking out or has figured out a way to maintain a calm appearance.”