Chapter Ten(B) - The cracked mirror

Arnav dips his head into the shadowed valley of her bronzed cleavage. With his tongue, he carefully licks the region between them. A shudder and a harsh cry later, he slides further down, now kissing the open expanse of the naked belly. She arches her back and moans, as his hands pursue their relentless ministrations of her breasts. Her nipples, taut, ache for release, along with the rest of her. “Please” she whispers, her hands digging into Arnav’s shoulders. Arnav looks up almost lazily. “What?” he asks her. “Please ... I ...”

 

Arnav already feels bored. With a smooth movement, he nudges her legs apart. Entering her in smooth movement, he moves in and out with tandem. “Yes ... more ... more ...” she shouts, drunk with the ecstasy of Arnav’s ministrations. The dim lights of the room make them glisten. Their sweat mingles into each other, and they rock in tandem, in a dance, with Arnav leading.

 

The next moment the door bangs open. “What is going ...” His partner gets up in shock and casts a terrified look to Arnav and then at the visitor.

 

“Its not what is looks like!” she cries to the visitor. “I just ...”

 

Arnav interrupts her bleating with a smirk. “Actually, it is exactly what it looks like”

 

He smoothly reaches over for his pants. In another swift motion he slips them on, and in the next he strides out of the door. “You see dad, all these years later, I’m still the winner.” Arnav steps out of the door and closes it with a soft click.

 

Leaving his father and his father’s fifth wife to settle the terms of the divorce.

 

* * *

 

Akash is having an easy day today. All the meetings had been postponed, thus reducing Akash’s workload by 75%.

 

Akash sits down on the laptop, and proceeds to screen and forward all the important emails to Khushi. It is an onerous task, for Khushi refuses to read any email which has gone beyond four lines. Akash could understand where she came from – having to read and reply to 400 emails on a daily basis was no mean feat, and if people started writing an entire novel to her, vie emails, then Khushi might as well give up her job, sit at home and reply to those emails.

 

Akash is busily engrossed in screening those emails, when he looks up and realises that he is not alone.

 

Khushi is comfortably seated on the chair opposite him.

 

“Akash” she begins, without preamble. “I have a job for you”

 

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India forums thread - http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3389861

 

Also - this update is dedicated to SS88. A very happy birthday to you, my dear =D

 

I split chapter ten into two parts, for 10(A) and 10(B) are not sequenced one after the next. There is actually a gap of a few days, between both the parts.

 

Thank you for waiting so patiently, for me to update!

 

Chapter Ten (A) - The Living Dead

Khushi stepped into the empty graveyard. The graveyard, a source of horror to many others, was her sanctuary. Whenever she’d have a problem, she’d step into the graveyard and think. This was her den, where the lion rested before the attack.

 

Khushi’s restaurant had not been her dream, yet she was determined to go ahead with it. The restaurant would be her back up. It was the perfect foil. Should anything ever arise, the restaurant would still be there, holding her ass up. Also, the restaurant would reflect nicely on the business. It was a chord of mutual benefit. The business would get the restaurant its diners and the restaurant would get the business its share of glory. It was nothing personal for her, this restaurant. Just another business venture.

 

A faint laugh echoed in the dark abyss of her mind, a sudden whiff of cardamom and chilly overcame her senses. The memory flashed in front her eyes, colouring everything in its warm golden glow. The graveyard abruptly shifted, and was replaced by a couch and a large window. The shadows and shapes soothingly faded into each other. There were no colours, only the golden of the warm sunlight, and the black of the shadows. A voice echoed from somewhere behind, like the faint voice of a broken radio - “We will open a small restaurant, all four of us. I’ll cook and he can look after the business. You both will help us, yes?”

 

The memory abruptly shifted, and the gold was replaced by the black of the graveyard. Khushi shivered - her jaw taut, her breathing heavy.

 

A phone call cut into her silence. She glanced at the caller ID, regained her composure, and attended the phone call.

 

It was nothing personal, this restaurant. Just a business deal.

 

* * *

 

After ten years of service, Anjali had thought nothing would surprise her. She had been proven wrong by the grave young man, sitting on her bed. She felt irritated at this man, what on earth was his problem? Why was he after her? With these questions whirling around her head, a single word dropped out of her lips.

 

“What?” she snarled.

 

“I just want to-”

 

“Talk?” she asked, suddenly angry. The throbbing in her head increased. She felt tired. After having to fuck more than thirty men in a day, she had to deal with mad men ‘wanting to talk’.

 

“Yes” Shyam answered.

 

“What would you like to talk about?” Anjali answered. Anger wouldn’t get her anywhere, she knew it. She controlled the poisonous flames choking the back of her neck. Control, she told herself.

 

“I am a writer and...”

 

“Oh, so one of your characters is a whore?” The anger level suddenly rising, for a reason she could not fathom. Calm Down! She commanded herself. The anger had reached to her mouth, however. Try as she might, it wasn’t going back in.

 

“When you put it like that-”

 

“What do you mean – put it like that? IT IS LIKE THAT” She shouted, venom coursing through her veins. She noted with a vicious stab of pleasure that the man jumped. The anger had won. “YOU KNOW HOW MANY MEN COME TO ME, SO I SUCK THEIR COCKS? YOU KNOW HOW MANY? THIRTY. THAT’S RIGHT. THIR-FUCKING-TEE. I TRADE SEX, SHYAM MANOHAR JHA, AND NOTHING YOU CAN SAY WILL EVER CHANGE IT. YOU KNOW, YEARS BEFORE, I RAN AWAY FROM HOME TO BECOME A MODEL. LOOK AT ME NOW, HAVING TO LET STRANGERS TOUCH ME IN WAYS YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE, TO EARN MY LIVING. I DIDN’T PUT ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IT IS LIKE THAT. I LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE MY MOTHER CONSIDERS NEXT TO DEATH. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. I HAD DREAMS TO GO BACK, AS A SUCCESSFUL PERSON, SO THEY WOULD TAKE ME BACK. LOOK AT ME NOW. DO YOU SEE A PERSON WHO CAN SHOW HER FACE BACK HOME?”

 

Shyam looked at her quietly. “Do you?” she repeated forcefully, a fleck of spit flying from her mouth. Her mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile, when her companion did not reply.

 

“I think we both know the answer. Please leave, I cannot help you”

 

She closed her eyes, and breathed in deeply. She heard the door close, and opened her eyes.

 

With a fleeting stab of guilt, she flung herself on the bed.

 

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A/N: Guys I have my final exams from 15^th march, so chapter eleven will only be updated on 28^th march, seeing as my exams get over on 26^th. I will try to update during my exams, but please don’t bank on that. Pray for me guys, I need all the good luck. :)

 

PS – these are my LAST exams for this session, so YEAH. NEED ALL THE GOOD LUCKK.

 
Umm... I steal this idea from my dearest masam, and ask you all to pose any ONE question about the story and where it is going, but only on the IF Thread. I shall answer them as honestly as I can, without giving the future plot away. This is a meagre compensation to my delay in updating.

I know this update is short, but its important too. It has the details which frame an integral part of the story ahead.

With love,

-Vee

Chapter Nine - The Race

A/N: A shout-out to cmileyfreaky who understood the Harry Potter reference, though it wasn't a contest or anything, lol.

 

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Akash smiled slightly to himself, while packing away for work. He had been chosen to head the UK Deal, with Khushi. He was happy, for the deal was worth millions, and it would really boost his bar up the graph. He would have a better chance at that promotion, after the deal.

 

However, there was one problem... Khushi.

 

The world of business was a cut-throat race and you had two options. Win, or die trying. Akash was no newly-wed into this race, he knew one wrong step, and Khushi would tango him right out of the business. All of Gupta Corporation knew that the big job after the UK deal had two contenders, the first being Akash and the second being Khushi. Should Akash win the deal, he would be joint CEO. Something, which he knew that Khushi would not let happen. Akash knew he was a threat to Khushi, and he knew that Khushi knew that too. This was a war, and Khushi Kumari Gupta was one hell of an opponent. Nobody liked gambling with stakes this high, least of all Akash.

 

Something had to be done, but what?

 

* * *

 

Anjali stepped into the room, where the next customer was waiting for her. He would be the first this morning. Sometimes Anjali wondered how people could be up for sex early in the morning. But it was not her business to wonder about people and their strangeness. The stranger the people were, the better money she got.

 

The customer was standing with his back to her. She quickly proceeded to step out of the clothes, when the customer turned his face towards her. She smiled when she saw his face.

 

Shyam Manohar Jha promptly turned a bright scarlet.

 

“I..”

 

She waited for him to elaborate.

 

“I... was wondering if we could...”

 

“Talk?” she replied with a smirk. “Sorry, but for those things, you pay a shrink, not a whore”

 

At that, Anjali heard the door swish open, and turned back in surprise. “Now what?” she asked a visibly frightened Lavanya, who walked in quickly. “Devyani is away... she asked me to ask you to handle everything...” Lavanya replied, dragging the half naked Anjali out of the door - Shyam clearly forgotten. Lavanya quickly entered the door next to the room Anjali had just been in, and dragged Anjali in. “What should I do?” Lavanya asked her, as Anjali gazed up at the horrific sight.

 

Nirmala, the new girl, had hung herself from the ceiling. Below her rotating dead body, sat a woman, fully naked – with tears streaming down her face.

 

* * *

 

Devyani looked up at the dead body rotating from the ceiling. With her eyes, she gestured Anjali to take Lavanya and the crying woman out. Anjali was quick to comply, soothing the naked woman into walking to the next empty room, motioning Lavanya to follow behind.

 

Devyani kept staring at the young girl. What a waste of beauty, this girl could have gone far in the field. This would be the fourth suicide this month, funny how these girls had no spine, not being able to deal with life. But this dead body would have to be fixed, or questions would be raised and the business would crumble. Devyani reached for her phone and murmured softly into it, her voice soft and her instructions clear.

 

Moments later, the guards entered and minutes later, the body was out of the room. It would wind up in the sea somewhere, or maybe buried. She did not know, she did not care to ask.

 

The way Devyani saw it, Nirmala was officially out of the race.

 

* * *

 

Anjali tiredly walked back to her room. This would be the fourth suicide of the room, and somehow or the other, the same woman always happened to be a customer. It was a curious case... she had spoken to Nirmala ten minutes ago about her job. Nirmala had not seemed suicidal. Anjali knew a suicidal whore when she saw one. Something was missing, a key point. But what?

 

Anjali entered her room, tired – wanting to sleep her aching head away. She tiredly closed her eyes, stopping right outside the door, before swishing the door open and stopping short. She stared, unable to believe what

 

“Hello” Shyam Jha said.

 

 

 

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Chapter Eight - Silver Linings

The room had quietened down, after viciously celebrating Arnav’s win. Arnav smiled a devilish smirk – things like winning in organised street-fights were bound to happen when you start of your career as a street fighter. But what these people wont know, couldn’t hurt them. A siren suddenly blared through the room. It was time to see who had placed bets on Arnav.

 

“Ms. Khushi Gupta placed a bet of 40 million dollars that Mr. Raizada would win, with just one injury to his face”

 

Arnav let the announcers blare become a faint buzz in the background. He lightly brushed his fingers against the small cut on his face. Something close to a grin lit up his face. So much for throwing handkerchief’s in the dustbin – challenge posed by Khushi Klepto Gupta wasn’t going to be as difficult as he had thought.

 

And in any case, he was Arnav Singh Raizada. And he always had to win, in the end.

 

* * *

 

“Leave us alone” Devyani commanded, as Lavanya stood in the centre of the room, stark naked. The circle of girls walked out quietly. It was futile to try and oppose Devyani, here she was at power. This was her circle – vicious and merciless. The last to trail out was Anjali. There was a certain indecisiveness in her steps, like she’d rather stay back. Anjali could feel Lavanya’s eyes appealing mercy to her back, however Anjali ignored it. She neared the door, and turned just in time to see the blue-grey eye appealing for help. Then her eye fell on Devyani’s, looking back at her with vicious, unveiled anger.

 

With a fleeting stab of pity, Anjali closed the door.

 

Anjali walked slowly back to her room. The stabbing of pity became deeper, like gouges from her conscience. All the girls felt pity for the girl, but Anjali felt it more deeply. For she knew what was happening in the closed door. For Anjali had been there, behind the closed doors, once upon a time. She knew the acrid taste of fear, the waves of disgust which followed.

 

What would your baba say? Suddenly her conscience prodded her. The memories of the happier days hit her with full force. She knew what her father would say. With a sigh, she wheeled back and ran towards the door. She knocked politely and entered. The most horrific sight greeted her eye. Devyani, half naked and Lavanya with tears down her eyes. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if this was how she would have looked to an outsider. She pulled herself together, and looked into Devyani’s eyes. “Devyani, the commissioner wants her” pointing to Lavanya. “Won’t settle for anything else”

 

Devyani closed her eyes. She smiled a ghoulish smile. “The customer comes first.” They were free to go.

 

Lavanya dressed with surprising speed, and the women quickly ran out of the door. “Thank You” she whispered shakily to Anjali, once Devyani was out of earshot. “You better be worth it” Anjali replied dryly, before walking back to her room.

 

* * *

 

Payal was having a surprisingly good day. For starters, she had scraped enough money to pay off Govindan. Today was a day to celebrate; the café was finally free of debt. The sun seemed a little bright to her, and her smile, even brighter.

 

The noise at the café abruptly thinned, and Payal looked up with surprise... and then shock. The click-clack of the shoes against the cracked linoleum seemed to her like a death knell.

 

Khushi Kumari Gupta in her café, again.

 

“What can I get you, ma’am?” Payal asked with supreme effort. Khushi looked back at the clearly frightened woman with impatience. “I’m here to make you a business deal. When will you shut off the café?”

 

The noise in the café began to swell again. “Today being Monday, I’ll be closing the café early, by around one”

 

Khushi glanced at her watch, it was twelve-forty five right now. Which meant Khushi would have to wait for 15 minutes. “Great, I’ll wait here”

 

Twenty minutes later, when Payal finally flipped the closed sign on the door, and turned to Khushi, her fears were abruptly stilled.

 

“So Anamika” Khushi began, examining her nails. “I have a business proposition for you. You cook pretty darn well, and I have always wanted to own a restaurant. What do you say, we collaborate? You will handle the kitchen, I’ll handle the business. You will not have to worry about accommodations, and you will be paid. Quite well.

 

Payal glanced around the cracked linoleum floor, at the mismatched chairs. She weighed in her mind all the pro’s and cons. She knew that if she took up the job, her little lie would be caught. On the other hand... this was a chance to finally escape this life of poverty and struggle. What should she do?

 

Payal glanced at Khushi’s face.

 

“I’ll take it” Payal said, heaving a sigh of defeat. “But...”

 

“We’ll fix the details of your contract later. Please do not speak about our little discussion to anybody. From now on, you are an employee of mine, and your first and foremost priority should be that nobody should know what you are to me. I hope that is understood?”

 

Payal grimaced and nodded.

 

Khushi walked out quickly, leaving Payal sitting weakly on the chair. With a sudden sob, Payal ran into her kitchen. One little line running in her head, again and again.

 

Nobody should know what you are to me...

 

Unknowingly, Khushi had touched a raw nerve with Payal. And for a moment, Payal hated Khushi.

 

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