The half an hour drive to the restaurant went painfully slow. I did not dare speak a single word not trusting myself. The revelation that he wants me the same way as I want him has put my brain in a state of trance. Though I kept telling myself that what I want from him is one hundred percent different from what he wanted from me, I somehow end up convincing myself the other way.
If I had even the slightest hint of what he might have wanted from me I would have maintained a safe distance from him. Whom I'm I kidding, the truth is I'm useless around him. I'm like a puppet whose string rested in the tip of his fingers. God, please save me from me or I might end up being one of his conquests.
But one needs to go through intense struggle to win his conquest and here I am offering myself to him on a silver platter what does that make me? Honestly, I have no answer to it and a huge part of me didn't want one. I closed my eyes trying to summon my rational side back but she seemed to have disappeared nowhere to be found.
I've been blinded by my desire for this gorgeous man and I'm scared that all it would take is one hungry glance from him and I would give up my everything to him. 'Get a grip you idiot, this is real word and not an erotic novel.' I told myself repeatedly, but the star-struck girl within me was in no mood to listen.
I sneak a peek at my tormentor who had his eyes fixed on the road, with his eyebrows knit and jaw clenched. I gave myself the luxury of studying his handsome face for as long as I could. He really was a handsome man. His sculpted jawline defined his beautiful face. His eyes were the perfect shade of chocolate mixed with black coffee. And his lips looked so sinfully tempting that I would sell my soul just to be kissed by them once.
He pulled into an empty spot in between two other expensive looking cars and cut the engine. He unbuckled his seat belts and stepped out. He walked towards my side and opened the door for me. He watched me struggle with the belts with my shaky fingers and once again leaning into me as he unbuckled my seat belt.
His arm absently caressed my breast and I had to hold back a sign that had almost escaped my lips. Unlike earlier he did not try to hold back any of those unnecessary touches that could have easily been avoided, instead, he kept intentionally rubbing himself on me.
He offered his hand to me as I stepped out of the car and snaked his arms around my waist. He led me towards the grand entrance of The Seashells restaurant which was one of the best seafood restaurants in town. I had been here once for a birthday party of one of my friends and that was it.
"Don't you like this place; do you want to go somewhere else?" He asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I raised my eyes to look at him and he was carefully analysing my face like he was trying to read it. I shook my head, "No-no, it's nice; I was just thinking something." I told him and he nodded.
He removed his hand from my waist and grabbed my hand as we walked into the elegant restaurant. We were greeted by a young good looking host who welcomed us with a broad smile. "Welcome to The seashells, I hope you have reservations?" One thing I forgot to mention about this restaurant is that you can only enter if you have a pre-booked reservation.
I glanced at Aditya who did not look one bit worried by the fact that we had just waltzed in here without a reservation. "Yes we do, it's booked under the name Aditya Talvar." He simply states like it was not at all a big deal for him. But when did he get the reservation? God, I have an entire questionnaire of questions that I have to ask him, starting from where he got my number.
The host smiled at him, "It's a pleasure to have you here Mr Talvar. Please follow me." He replied and He walked us into the restaurant. He led us to the corner booth which kind of isolated us from the rest of the restaurant. There was a long leather couch right under the wall-mounted aquarium with some really exotic fishes swimming around.
I slid onto the couch and waited as he told something to the host in a hushed tone away from my earshot. The host nodded and walked away. Aditya looked down at me with a dark shadow in his eyes and I felt something unsettle within me. Why does he make me feel this way and why I'm I enjoying this so much?
I was hoping he would take the seat opposite to mine but instead he slid into the couch I was sitting on. His thighs brushed against mine and he put his hand over my back resting it on the back of the couch. He leaned close to me and brushed his lips over my earlobe and a soft sigh escaped my lips. This encouraged him and he began to nibble at it instead.
What the fuck is he doing?
The rational side of my brain kept shouting at me, telling me to push this Perv off me. But this new side of me whom I had never met before kept pushing me towards him. Making me grab hungrily at whatever crumbs he kept throwing at me. His hands began to draw circles on my thighs and this kind of snapped me out of my daze. I was hit by the realisation that we were in a public restaurant and I should not be encountering this.
I took his hands off my thighs and he put it right back. I looked up at him all set to ask him to behave but seeing those chocolaty orbs stare hungrily at me melted off all the courage that I had gathered. "We need to talk," I tell him, my voice soft and breathy. He seemed to be enjoying this effect he was having on me.
Stop encouraging him Roohi.
He smiled at me, "I was wondering when you would ask that." He replied. He was genuinely enjoying this conversation and I have a feeling that this is all a game and I'm one of his pawns. "You said you will answer all my questions," I told him. He raised an eyebrow, "did I?" He asked, his tone both mocking and taunting and for a moment I don't like it at all.
"Yes, you did," I told him. He gently squeezed my thighs and I almost escaped into my limbo one more time. "I will answer all your questions provided you answer mine." He replied, dragging me out of my thoughts. I Felt Like I was high on some kind of a drug and no it was not a good feeling.
"What do you want to know?" I ask him. He took a strand of my long hair and started to play with it. His face was void of any kind of emotions except for the one emotion that cast over his face like a dark shadow. Lust. He purposely took his time, his eyes never leaving mine. With every passing second, my anticipation kept growing and I started to get more and more anxious.
"Let's start with the basics; how old are you?" I don't understand his obsession to know how old I am. But I decided to put him out of his misery. "I'm 25, and you?" I asked him and he looked a little disappointed. "You are young." he pointed out and I noticed him hesitate a little. "How old are you?" I asked him again and that seemed to have startled him back to reality.
"Darling, it's my turn to ask questions," he replied and I did not miss the darkness in his eyes. If I wasn't this drawn to him I might have called him a creep. But the mere fact that he was so damn sexy it was hard to resist his advances. "Why did you move into Adora?" he asked me.
I had this urge to roll my eyes at him but held myself back remembering his warning to not roll my eyes at him. "I think I've answered that question earlier." I pointed out and he frowned at me. "Not the complete story." unable to resist the urge anymore I rolled my eyes. He glared at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
He roughly grabbed my chin and crashed his lips on mine. His lips were soft but not gentle. He bit and nibbled on my lower lip like he intentionally wanted this to be rough not to mention painful. I should push him off me, I should give him a piece of my mind reminding him to stay in his limits but I did no such thing. Instead, I parted my lips giving him access to my mouth but instead of taking my offer, he pulled away leaving my lips sore and violated.
He looked pleased with what he had just done and he ran his fingers through my hair. "Next time you roll your eyes at me, I will bite you so hard that you will scream my name." His words were threatening and unapologetically seductive. I don't have a good feeling about whatever this is but I'm so very blinded by my desires that my rational side has completely lost control over me.
"Now tell me, what brought you to Adora." I closed my eyes and sighed heavily, "My mother, the previous owner of the penthouse died six months back leaving a will in my name. I've told you the rest of the story."
He studied me for a moment and then his face morphed into a smile. I was hoping he would make some kind of a comment but surprisingly he didn't. A waiter walked up to us and Aditya placed our orders which I had absolutely no say at. The rational side of me did not like it one bit but the new star-struck side of me loved the control he was having on me.
The waiter walked away probably to place our order and we were once again left alone. "Time for your next question, are you seeing someone?" he asked.
I shook my head and looked down at my hands. My faded dark scars on my wrists stood out on my pale skin. I tried to hide it by turning my hands around but he got hold of it and turned it around to get a better look at my scars. His eyes moved to my scars and back to my face and I could feel my heart throbbing inside its cage.
His face turned red and he tightened his grip around my wrist. "Are you a cutter Roohi? Do you cut yourself?" I looked away from him and shook my head, "Not anymore." I told him honestly and he did not comment on it. He brought my hands close to him and he studied my scars. "These look pretty deep, were you trying to hurt yourself or kill yourself." I refused to answer his question but he was not ready to back down and I had no other choice but to give him what he wanted.
"I tried to kill myself,'' I replied and he clenched his jaw. "When did this happen?" he asked me. I swallowed hard as the memories of those dark days threatened to come out and I had to suppress them back into the box.
"It was a long time back; please let's not talk about this anymore." I almost begged my eyes laced with tears. He studies my face for a long minute and then nods in reply. The waiter returns with our order and he begins to set the food before us and after finishing his serving he leaves us alone.
"Look I'm sorry if I pushed it too far, I just want to know everything about you," he tells me as we start having our lunch. Surprisingly he keeps his hands to himself throughout lunch. And he keeps the conversation to the minimum like did I like the food or did I want to order something more. Even as we drove back home he did not speak at all.
Until now I had thought the darkness I saw within him was much worse than mine but guess I was wrong, the darkness that hides within me is much worse than anything else and once again it has managed to take away my chance at being happy with someone else.
He pulls up in front of the B block and steps out of the car. I quickly unbuckle the seatbelt as he opened the door for me. "Thank you for lunch, Aditya. It was very thoughtful of you." Honestly I don't approve of the lame parting statement I had come up with but there was nothing else I can think of. The corner of his mouth curled into a grin. "The pleasure was mine Roohi, come let me drop you off to your apartment," he told me,
I shook my head, "You might have to go back to work, don't worry I can take it from here." I assured him but he was in no mood to listen to me. He took my hand and walked me into the elevator. I was hoping for a sexy elevator kiss but fortunately or unfortunately that did not happen. He was in his best behaviour until we reached my apartment.
I dug through my bag for the keys and when I finally found it, I turned towards him and found him staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. I unlocked the door and let him in. I had barely closed the door when he pinned me against it, my back glued to his chest. He put his hands on my shoulder and turned me around.
"Listen to me Roohi and listen carefully; I'm not the chocolates and roses kind of a guy. I don't waste time wooing and beating around the bushes. I want you, all of you. Your past does not bother me and mine should not concern you. I want you to be mine from this very moment till as long as it lasts. And yes we will be having sex."
I stared at him with disbelief, was he for real? How can somebody make such an offer to someone they barely even know? "Say something Roohi." he pleaded and I saw the desperation in his voice. "What do you want me to say, Aditya?" I asked him honestly not knowing what I was supposed to tell him. "Say yes," he insisted and for the first time since I met him I saw fear in his eyes, but fear for what?
"Why should I say yes, when I will be practically signing up to be your mistress." I'm still having a tough time digesting the fact that how he could have the guts to make such an indecent proposal. He pursed his lips, "That's not how I would call it," he defended himself and I have an urge to roll my eyes at him.
"It doesn't matter what you would call it, the truth is that's what I would be for you."
"No, I swear to God I will never treat you like that. I just want us to be together. Please say yes Roohi, please say yes." I closed my eyes knowing that I was making the biggest mistake of my life but I'm willing to take the risk.
"Yes," I replied and his eyes lit up with joy. He leaned into me and kissed me passionately. "Tonight I'll have dinner with you here at your place. I hope you know how to cook." I nodded in reply. He kissed me one more time and then he was gone.