Unexpected Connection

Playing with fire.

But she squared her shoulders, pushed those feelings down, and reminded herself that she was in control now. Shah Rukh had taken her body, but she had taken his peace.

And she wasn’t giving it back.
Shah Rukh remained in the boardroom long after Kajol had walked out, the echo of her heels fading down the corridor. He clenched his fists, jaw tight with frustration. He followed her to her office, Kajol sat at her mahogany desk, her fingers gliding over documents, her expression calm and poised.

Shah Rukh remained rooted near the door, his broad shoulders taut with frustration, eyes fixed on Kajol. She didn’t look up, determined to focus on the papers even though her pulse raced, betraying her composure.

"You’re really going to pretend like nothing happened between us?" Shah Rukh’s deep voice cut through the silence, sharp and demanding.

Kajol didn’t pause, only humming noncommittally. "We finalized the deal. That’s all that matters, you should be happy," she replied evenly, ignoring the way his presence set her nerves on fire.

Shah Rukh strode forward, hands braced on her desk as he leaned down, forcing her to look up at him. His dark eyes burned with a mix of frustration and desire. "I’m not talking about the deal, Kajol," he growled, his tone low and dangerous. "You left me that night without a word. You didn’t even look back."

She raised a brow, forcing her voice to remain steady. "I thought that was the point—no strings attached, remember? We both knew what it was. You’re a married man, Shah Rukh. You have a wife and kids, you should go back to that."

His jaw clenched, and his hands fisted against the desk. "You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t lie awake at night thinking about how wrong it was? But that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t get you out of my head."

Kajol’s heart squeezed painfully, but she forced herself to scoff. "Spare me the sweet talk. You had your fun, whatever this is that you're doing right now is beginning to look pathetic. I hope that night was worth risking your family over."

His eyes narrowed. "Why are you acting like it meant nothing to you? I know it wasn’t just sex. I saw the way you looked at me when I was inside you—"

"Stop." Kajol’s voice cracked, and she pushed back her chair, standing abruptly to put distance between them. "Don’t make this more than it was. I’m not some silly girl, Shah Rukh. I know exactly what we did and why we did it. You wanted an escape. I gave it to you, I wanted to scratch an itch and you helped me out. That’s all."

He moved around the desk swiftly, caging her between his body and the wall. Her breath hitched, and his fingers traced her jaw, forcing her to look at him. "You think you can dismiss me like I’m nothing? You were all over me that night—”

Kajol’s hand shot up, pressing against his chest to push him away, but he didn’t budge. "And now I’m over it," she hissed, trying to summon the steel in her spine. "Go back to your wife, Shah Rukh. Forget I ever existed."

His hand slipped to her waist, fingers digging in possessively. "Your body betrays you." He dipped his head, brushing his lips over her ear. "I can feel your heart racing. You still want me."

Kajol bit her lip, hating herself for the way her body leaned into him despite her resistance. "You’re nothing but trouble," she whispered, her voice trembling.

He smirked, the heat of his breath fanning over her neck. "Then why do you still react like this?" He nudged his knee between her thighs, pressing her against the wall. "Admit it—you’re just as hooked as I am."

Her hands fisted in his suit jacket, torn between shoving him away and pulling him closer. "I won’t be your mistress," she whispered fiercely, eyes blazing with defiance. "I won’t ruin myself for you."

Shah Rukh’s expression softened, his fingers tracing her cheek. "I never meant to ruin you, Kajol," he murmured. "But I can’t seem to stop myself when it comes to you."

A bitter smile twisted her lips. "You’re right—you can’t stop. But neither can I."

Before he could respond, she pushed him back, gathering her composure. "Leave, Shah Rukh. We both know this is dangerous. We had our night—now it’s over."

He looked at her, jaw clenched, his frustration palpable. "You think I can just walk away after what we shared?"

Kajol forced herself to stay firm, even though every inch of her wanted to collapse into him. "You’re going to have to. Because I can’t afford to be reckless. Not with you."

He took a step back, his gaze lingering on her with a mix of longing and resentment. "This isn’t over, Kajol. You can pretend all you want, but we both know you’re mine. You’ll come to me when you’re done fighting it."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out, leaving her to sag against the wall, trying to convince herself that resisting him was the right thing to do—even though her heart throbbed painfully at his absence.

On his way back home, Shah Rukh felt conflicted by Kajol’s indifference.
She was ice-cold. Unbothered. Untouched.

It didn’t make sense. The way she had surrendered to him just the other night in Belgium, the way she had let him dominate her, then flipped the script and rode him like she was born to take control. No hesitation, no shame, just pure, raw unadultereted passion.

No one had ever done that to him. No woman had ever left him feeling used before like her, he felt powerless  and he hated the feeling.

He was supposed to be the one in charge, the one women fell over themselves to please. But Kajol, she had flipped everything on its head.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way her nails had scraped down his back, the way her breath had hitched when he kissed her neck. How she had taken him to the brink and back, making him forget his name, his purpose, everything that was important to him, everything but her.

And then today, she was nothing but professional pushing him away and that drove him insane.

He couldn’t stand it.

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. He was supposed to be back at home today, back to his wife and kids, but his mind was still trapped in that hotel room in Belgium. He should be planning his next move at work, but instead, he was obsessing over every little thing Kajol had done to him.

He could still feel the imprint of her touch on his skin, his muscles sore, his body craving more. Last night, he had made her his over and over again, in his head, she inhabited his dreams, while sleeping next to his wife, he should be riddled with guilt yet now she acted as if nothing had changed.

Irrelevant?

She called it irrelevant. As if he hadn’t memorized every curve of her body, every sound she made when he pushed her to the edge.

He gritted his teeth, running a frustrated hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to pin her against the wall and demand answers or drag her back to his bed and remind her that she couldn’t just walk away like this.

The most infuriating part was how she looked at him today, calm, collected, like she wasn’t reliving every filthy thing they did. No remorse, no guilt nothing at all.

He had come across women, beautiful ones, super models, business acquaintances, women who threw themselves at him just to taste a piece of his power but he never indulged them, he prided himself in being a faithful husband and family man. None of them had left a mark on him. None of them had made him feel vulnerable enough to pull them into bed with him. Kajol had shattered it all down, his image, she was tempting and he indulged in her, without a care in the world.

But She was different, he was instantly captivated by her. She had left him raw, exposed, craving more despite knowing he shouldn’t.

Damn it.

He didn’t like feeling powerless. And she made him feel just that.

Shah Rukh adjusted his suit jacket, his jaw tense. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

One way or another, he would make her admit that he still lingered on her skin, just as she lingered on his.