Leo's Desire

by Sundari Venkatraman

  A guilty flush rose up on Chaahat’s face, giving her away, even as she nodded mutely, refusing to meet his eyes.

  Shaan laughed. “Don’t even imagine for a minute that I’ll let you get away with it.” His voice was a soft growl. “I’m going to personally supervise your meals from tomorrow onwards, at least for the coming week.”

  “And how do you propose to do that?” Chaahat gave him a mutinous look. “Dev needs the services of his manager more than I need a nurse. You can’t just…”

  “I have some privileged leave that I can use, now that I need it. You don’t worry your pretty head about all that. I’ll…”

  “Damn you to hell. Will you just get that bitch of a nurse to take this stupid thing off me?”

  “Maybe I will, if you ask me nicely.”

  Had his voice always been so commanding? How didn’t I notice before now? thought Chaahat, giving Shaan a surprised glance. Why had she imagined he was easy going? His stance was firm and the look on his face was cast in iron as Shaan stared right back at her, obviously waiting for her to follow his orders.

  “Oh, just go to hell!” Chaahat turned away from him to face the other side, only to see the IV stand and feel even more frustrated.

  “I’ll take myself off from here if that’s what you want.” Shaan walked away from her without looking back.

  With a look of horror on her face, Chaahat did a swift about turn and yelled, “Please Shaan, help me out here. Please get the nurse to remove this damn thing off me.”

  Shaan whistled softly under his breath as he turned to give her a wink and a thumbs-up before walking out of the room, calling out to Suvarna on his way.

  Chaahat gritted her teeth and vowed to get back at him as soon as she got her strength back. It was just that she felt weaker than a new born kitten the whole of next day. However, she couldn’t help but feel glad of Shaan’s company as he played a few rounds of rummy with her, even chatting with her. He had a subtle sense of humour and made her laugh a few times, whenever she forgot to be angry with him, that is.

  But her patience completely flew out of the window on the fourth day, when Shaan suggested that they go for a ride to check out a health retreat that was but a few hours away by road.

  Chaahat was all set to kill him with her bare hands.

  6

  Chaahat sat in fuming silence even as Shaan asked Dr. Sindhu Raheja a million questions. The doctor answered each one of them with loads of patience and even more knowledge. Her arms crossed primly against her frail body, Chaahat had difficulty controlling the urge to tap her foot as she glared at her tormentor. She had decided to forgive the able doctor since it was not the other woman’s fault that Chaahat was stuck here at this freaking health resort.

  No, it was all thanks to that asshole named Shaan!

  There was nothing wrong with her health. She had fainted. So?! Anyone can take ill. But she was completely recovered now. But Shaan wouldn’t let her go back on her promise to keep his conditions. Grr! And she really didn’t know why she put up with him. Chaahat refused to admit even to herself that this was the first time that someone was showing so much concern about her. Her parents had always ordered her to not do things. They had told her clearly what were the things that were not good for her, especially since she was a woman. Dev had left home when Chaahat was barely seventeen and the age gap had been too big to bring them close at that point.

  Jai, her twin and partner-in-crime, was busy nowadays building his secret career of becoming a writer. He had moved out of home under the pretext of having taken up a job in some company in Shimla, while actually, he was in hiding in Himachal Pradesh, chasing his muse.

  Chaahat had been feeling lonely and sorry for herself when she had escaped to Wadhwa Farm, away from her parents’ constant nagging. While she fought Shaan every step of the way, deep down she knew that he was really concerned about her. She had seen it in the way his molten honey eyes appeared perturbed whenever they landed on her.

  But…

  She would not tolerate his highhanded behaviour. Like the way he had twisted her arm to bring her over to the Raheja Health Resort. Chaahat took a deep breath, having to work really hard at holding back her temper. Did she have a BP problem maybe? Is that why she was angry all the time? She shook her head to herself before she made one more attempt to tune into the conversation between Shaan and the doctor.

  “We look at health in a holistic fashion. It’s not just about healing a sickness. It’s all about eating the right foods and doing the correct exercises to lead a healthy way of life, without medicines. Ayurveda does offer medication for the ill. But the science itself recommends that one’s diet must ensure that one remains healthy without having to resort to medicines.”

  “So, what happens when someone wants to lose weight? Do you have a solution for that?”

  “They can participate in a three-week programme. This will include detox, massages and yoga along with the right diet. We don’t believe in starving or surviving on a liquid diet. They don’t have a long-lasting effect when the guest goes back to their regular life. A qualified doctor will check the guest—we don’t call them patients here since that denotes illness. We believe that even the words we utter have a powerful effect. So, the people who come here for various treatments are addressed as guests.” Dr. Raheja smiled at Shaan when she said that.

  Chaahat sat up straight, her antennae going up as she really noticed the woman sitting across the table for the first time. Sindhu Raheja must probably be in her late thirties considering her qualifications and experience, though she appeared to be barely thirty. She had seemed attractive before. But the smile had transformed her face and she looked beautiful. Was she trying to flirt with Shaan? Chaahat scowled, startled at the urge to claw the woman’s eyes out.

  “What happens at the end of three weeks? I mean, what kind of a result do you promise?” Shaan smiled right back at Dr. Raheja, making Chaahat clench both, her teeth and her fists. He was definitely going to die at her hands, and soon.

  “The guest will definitely lose weight, though I can’t really predict how much. It depends on the state of the person’s health, age, any habits they have and how much they are willing to work along with us. Oh, by the way, we would rather the guest comes here voluntarily. That’s really very important. It’s next to impossible to work on someone who’s reluctant to undergo treatment.”

  Chaahat got up with a jerk, her scowl replaced by a wide smile. “There you are, Shaan. Let’s go. This place isn’t for me.”

  Shaan turned his head towards her to give her a piercing look. Now, why the hell had she imagined that his eyes were the colour of molten honey? They looked like burning flames just now as they commanded her to sit down.

  Chaahat tilted her head defiantly, refusing to oblige.

  “Will you please sit down, Chaahat? Let’s at least find out all the details since we have come all the way to do just that.” Though his voice was soft, Chaahat knew it was still an order.

  Her stormy grey eyes promised retribution as Chaahat decided to oblige him this one time, only because he had said, ‘please’. She wouldn’t have listened to him otherwise. She ignored the amused look on Dr. Raheja’s face.

  Shaan continued with his questions. “What about substance abuse, doctor? If this person is an alcoholic or chain smoker for instance?”

  “You must call me Sindhu. Doctor sounds so formal.” The doctor smiled again, making Chaahat grit her teeth all the harder. Maybe she would join one of the programmes at the retreat only to bring the doctor down a peg or two. Flirt! She was probably married with a couple of children. She definitely must be ten-fifteen years older than Shaan. Shameless bitch!

  “As for substance abuse, as I mentioned earlier, there must be a willingness from the guest to be cured of it. I wouldn’t advice anyone to do it only to please one’s parent or other members of the family. If they aren’t willing, chances are high that the guest might just slide back into the habit once the
y get back to their regular life. But if they are willing, then they can definitely be cured in three weeks. It’s all about the right kind of diet, treatments and yoga amidst nature, to cure anyone of anything that’s ailing them. As you can see, we have the Mulshi Lake on one side with the Sahyadri Hills on the other three sides. Plants and trees are in abundance while pollution is next to nil. In fact, we grow most of the herbs and vegetables on the premises. I don’t think I need to even mention that they are grown organically. We give our guests the best. If they participate with hundred per cent enthusiasm, then they can really work wonders.”

  They talked some more, as Shaan had questions about a regular day at the resort and the kind of treatments offered for someone trying to lose weight and give up smoking. Chaahat tapped her foot impatiently, beyond caring now. Well, she hadn’t asked to be brought here.

  They had lunch there, just so that Shaan could check out the fare. Dr. Raheja—Chaahat refused to think of her as Sindhu even though Shaan had begun to address the doctor by her first name—explained why the meal began with a dessert and ended with a glass of thin buttermilk.

  Meh!

  Chaahat was not at all impressed by all that talk. The food was vegetarian. How awful! Who would live on a vegetarian diet for all of three weeks?! Either Shaan was stark, raving mad or he believed that Chaahat was. She shifted the food around in her plate, eating just a couple of spoonsful, her appetite non-existent.

  Chaahat put her foot down when Shaan asked to see the herb garden. “Come on yaar, this is getting too much. I’m too tired.” She had decided to play on his sympathy, pretending not to have recovered from her recent bout of illness.

  “Are you? I’m so sorry, Chaahat. Let’s go.” Shaan threw a gentle arm around her waist, holding her close to his body.

  Sindhu Raheja caught the adoring look on his face and realised that her smiles had all been wasted on the man. He was obviously smitten with the sickly young woman who had accompanied him. Sindhu could see for a fact that Chaahat would never step anywhere near the retreat if she had her way.

  Refusing to be cowed down by her observations, Sindhu made another attempt to get Shaan’s attention back on herself. “Why don’t you come over for a three-day treatment, Shaan? I’m sure you’ll love it. You obviously appreciate alternate healing. I promise that you’ll leave here completely rejuvenated.”

  “My head!” Chaahat put a hand to her temple as she pretended to a non-existent weakness, giving the doctor a sly look from the corner of her eyes when Shaan picked her up bodily to carry her over to the car. Chaahat smirked even as the doctor grimaced when Shaan gave the latter a hasty wave of his hand, his concentration fully on the woman in his arms.

  Chaahat 1; Doctor 0.

  Chaahat threw both her arms around Shaan’s neck and held on tightly, excited to be manhandled for a change. If Shaan was surprised by her docile behaviour, he put it down to her recent recovery.

  Placing her gently in the passenger seat, Shaan pulled the seat belt and buckled it up. “Are you okay?” He placed a hand on her forehead to check for temperature. “You ate almost nothing.”

  “I didn’t like the food.” Her voice was firm now. “Kiss me, Shaan.” Chaahat noticed through the rear-view mirror that Dr. Raheja was still standing where they had left her, staring at them, a frown marring her flawless features.

  Shaan stared at Chaahat, his face on a level with hers, his eyes studying her pouting lips. He didn’t need a second invitation as he placed a hand at the back of her neck to pull her face closer to his, pressing his lips to hers. He traced the shape of her mouth with his damp tongue, relishing the taste before seeking entry. With a sigh, he gathered her thin body close to his with his right arm, kissing her hard, their tongues in a wild tangle as each one fought for supremacy. It was a while before they came up for air, Chaahat giving him a broad grin and a wink.

  “I wonder what you are up to, you little devil!” Shaan saw Chaahat looking into the mirror as she laughed and turned his head right to see Sindhu walking away to her office. “So that’s your game.”

  Her gurgle was arrested midway when Shaan kissed her once again, his teeth nipping her lower lip, as if in punishment. Chaahat didn’t really care as she unsnapped the seat belt to press her body closer to his, purring like a satisfied cat as the sensitised tips of her breasts came in contact with his iron hard chest. This time round, the kiss was not to impress the doctor, but for herself. No, Chaahat didn’t intend to let Shaan know that. Nor was she going to tell him that he was a damn good kisser, in fact the best she had known.

  7

  Chaahat couldn’t sleep that night. There were two reasons for that. One, she hadn’t eaten anything, as usual, and her stomach was grumbling furiously, refusing to let her be at peace. The second was Shaan. While she had pretended to ignore the chat between Shaan and Sindhu, Chaahat had had her ears fully open, listening to what they had to say. She didn’t like Shaan’s highhanded nature. But that still didn’t stop Chaahat from admitting—only to herself—that he had caught the crux of her issues. That had been obvious in the questions he had asked the doctor at the health resort.

  But who the hell was he to interfere in her life?

  That’s what miffed Chaahat. She had come down to Dev’s farm to escape her parents’ nagging, only to be pushed into a corner by Shaan’s constant advice. She wasn’t to know that the Leo man was a know-it-all and would always insist on imparting advice. That she agreed with him, deep down, only made Chaahat angrier with the man. Why couldn’t he mind his own business?

  And then there were his kisses. He drove her wild with his lips and tongue while the thoughts just seemed to leak out of her mind, leaving it a complete blank whenever he kissed her. Chaahat was an Aries through and through. She wasn’t ready to admit even to herself that she was the one who had instigated the kisses half the time. Only, she was clear that she did not like being controlled by anyone. And that’s what Shaan seemed to do to her. She felt mesmerised by his charm and his physical proximity. No way was she going to let anyone wield that kind of power over her.

  She walked down the veranda that wrapped around the first floor of Dev’s farm house, once, twice and now the third time. But she still had no solution to the issues that faced her. Chaahat was determined to become a fashion model, come hell or highwater. And for that, she needed to get into the right shape. But according to Shaan, it wasn’t enough to just be slim. She needed to have a lot of stamina and energy too. Damn him! Why the hell did he have to be right, all the time?

  But no way was she going to listen to his advice and go to that health resort. First of all, Chaahat just wasn’t the type to cow down to someone’s wishes. Secondly, she hated Sindhu Raheja passionately. No, she wasn’t going to explore the reason for that. Chaahat suddenly grinned to herself when she recalled the other woman’s miffed expression when she saw the way Shaan had kissed Chaahat. Served her right, the flirt.

  But where did that leave Chaahat? She was confident of losing the last three excess kilos from her body. But what really bothered her was the way she had blacked out the other day. Shaan insisted that she was starving herself to death. But how else could she lose the stubborn weight that refused to go?

  Round and round Chaahat walked on the veranda, frustrated to the core of her being, her temper rising by the minute. She needed a punching bag. And who better than Shaan?

  Chaahat quickly went down the staircase and let herself out of the house. What if it was two in the morning? She walked down the paved road to reach Shaan’s cottage fifteen minutes later. She knocked a couple of times, not wanting to ring the calling bell in the middle of the night. Oh yeah, she wasn’t totally inconsiderate. But when there was no response for all of two minutes, she rang the bell. No, she wasn’t going away. And she didn’t give a damn that she might be disturbing his sleep. It only served him right. Wasn’t he the reason for her own sleeplessness?

  Just as she lifted her hand to ring the bell a second time, the d
oor was yanked open from the inside as Shaan growled, “Who the hell…you! I should have known.” He gave an exaggerated sigh before stepping back to let her in. “What happened now?”

  She didn’t answer, not having heard his question, thoroughly distracted by the man in front of her, clad only in a pair of boxers that had obviously been hastily pulled on, hanging low on his manly hips. With an effort, Chaahat shut her wide-open mouth, just managing to stop the drool from dripping to the floor. Shaan had a perfectly proportioned body. He was even taller than Dev’s six feet. His leonine head with dark, silky hair, was screwed tightly on muscular shoulders that sloped down to strong biceps and large hands. And his chest! Whoa! Silky whorls of springy hair—not too much of it—was spread over his broad chest that tapered to a lean waist that gave him a perfect V-shaped body.