The Corporate Monster ✅

V A C C I N A T E D

Unable to cope with the strangling crowd inside the vast hall of her house, Krithi sneaked into the kitchen to have a snack. Her growling stomach approved of her decision, and she skidded into the colossal room without anyone noticing her. She searched the cupboards for a snack, preferably chocolate, or biscuits. She swirled through the circular room, opening and closing the dark brown cupboard doors, scavenging for food. Her stomach growled again as she found a box of cookies in the highest shelf.

She frowned at the height. She was five foot ten, but the shelf was too high for her to reach. The saree came apart at her waist as her husband entered the room to see what the ruckus was about. Aniket saw his wife jumping up and down like a little kid, begging her parents for cotton-candy. His eyes moved up to see the chocolate chip cookies, and smirked.

He strode towards her, picking her up by the waist. She used the opportunity to grab the box from the shelf, and grinned down at her prize victoriously. "Hey there, little lady." He said, looking up at her sitting on the counter.

Although she hated the nickname, she smiled at him, clutching her box of cookies as if it was a treasure grove. Aniket's eyes strode to her neck, the marks which littered the base of it and perfectly golden makeup matching her skin tone. A sudden sense of guilt rushed up in the pit of his stomach. He shouldn't have been so harsh with her; although the seductress sitting in front of him was partially to blame.

He slowly retrieved his hands from her waist, but Krithi's hands instantly went to protect her precious cookies. She slapped his hands as it neared the box, and he took a stumbling step back, afraid he was back to square one. He could not afford to coerce her to trust him again, with the extent of his libido.

"Hands off, mister." She scolded him jokingly.

Her smile returned as she ripped open the cardboard box of cookies and plunged her hand into its depths to retrieve a perfectly round piece of the goodness the front of the box displayed.

Aniket sighed with relief as he witnessed her take a bite of the cookie with excitement filling her nerves. She had forbidden him of cookies, not herself. "What are you looking at?" She asked, turning away from his judgmental eyes.

"My pig." He joked.

She stuck her tongue out childishly. "Hubby, you're not getting any of this tonight if you make fun of me." She said, pointing at her body with the half-eaten cookie.

"I don't plan to." He said, his heated gaze returning to her neck. She caught the scent of his guilt, and shook her head.

"I'm fine." She assured him.

"Are you really? You couldn't walk into the tub." He recalled, smirking at the effect he had on her after their previous night together.

A blush creeped up from her neck as she bit into another cookie. "Hmm." She replied, partially embarrassed, and partially afraid that someone will overhear their conversation.

Aniket closed the distance between them, standing in between her legs. She unconsciously wrapped them around his waist, smiling down at him shyly. Although she had gained her confidence and washed away her insecurities, it still felt like a dream for him to be near him. She thought he had died. He had another man's face. Waking up to someone other than her husband beside her, was quite frightening.

Krithi scooted to the edge of the counter, meeting her forehead with his. She wished she could stay like that forever, away from the the arrogant, sexist, materialistic world around and just focus on the perfect man in front of her; and stay in his protective embrace till death parts her from him.

"Why are you hiding here?" He asked her, rubbing off a cookie crumb from the corner of her mouth.

Krithi pulled back. He knew her so well. "Pssh. I'm not hiding." She quickly denied. "Why would you think I'm hiding. And what could I possibly hide from?" She said with a sheepish grin on her face. "You should know that you're wife is not afraid of anything." She flipped her long braid back to prove her confidence.