Billionaire's 'lost' wife

Chapter 22- Czech Mate

Vit's decision to fly to the Czech Republic was met with shock for various reasons. Vit had kept the real reason to himself and said that this was a business visit. Uncle, Yash and Param were surprised and confused as to why Vit was making a sudden visit to the East European office when the matter with Rukma was not yet solved. They thought that maybe Vit needed time off Rukma to think clearly.

By the time Vit had settled in his private jet, he decided to focus on his business till he saw what the 'conference' was all about. The time difference helped him reach the destination in time for dinner. He sent his bags to the house they maintained locally and headed straight to the official hotel for the conference to see what was happening.

When Vit entered the main dining hall, he felt he could have spotted Rukma a mile away. She looked so bubbly and in bright Red saree. Vit's eyes popped out as he noticed the light make-up. He had never seen Rukma in make-up. And the lighter touch suited her to the T. The lips were just red enough to make her flawless skin shine, eyes were highlighted by a line of kajal or kohl.  It was tough for him to take eyes off her. The dinner had been laid out and from the look of it, the group was about to finish dinner. Spotting no empty chair, Vit decided to stand a few feet away and listen in on the discussion while pretending to be lost in thought.

Rukma on the other hand was completely engrossed in her conversation with a professor from a local university. They both, it seemed, shared passion for sustainable livelihood and how it can be aligned to local geology. There were at least 4-5 people seated around the table keenly listening to the discussion.  Blonde haired handsome man who was smiling at Rukma was seated across from her. Vit had never seen Rukma smile like that at a man. More importantly he was keenly aware that Rukma had never smiled at him!

Somehow Rukma felt her neck tingle and she felt Vit's presence before she saw him. Quietly she looked around and saw him and the shock in her eyes made him smile. The strain of travel was gone when he saw the disbelief in her eyes, he responded with a sweet smile. Rukma quickly diverted her gaze to Jakes and the discussion.

Vit was focused on the discussion when he felt a pat on his back.

'If this is not the biggest surprise of the year! We have Vit visiting us again!' A bulky old man was talking to him.

Realizing this was his uncle's friend, Vit greeted him. 'Hello Mr Mulligan, How are you?'

By now half the dining area had shifted focus from the interesting arguments to Vit.

'I am good, your uncle called me to say that you are in town. I did not expect to meet you. Are you here for the conference?'

'Err...well I have some business, so I might not be able to do much for the conference.' Vit had no interest in such theoretical discussions. He considered them useless.

'But I should introduce you to...Professor Jakes ...and Prof Rukma....'Mr Mulligan steered him close to Rukma's table. So the blonde man is Jakes, Vit made a mental note.

"Professor Jakes is coordinating the environmental sessions for the conference.'

'It is great to meet you professor.'  He shook hands with Jakes, he wanted to shake the man but controlled himself looking forward to shaking hands with Rukma.

'Professor Rukma from India is our sustainability expert. She will be presenting a paper day after tomorrow.' Rukma very civilly extended her hand but Vit felt as if he got an electric shock. When he did not let go of her hand beyond the polite time, Rukma pulled her hand back with force. It was done with such grace that Vit  was sure others would not have noticed the tussle between the two.

'That is great to hear, we are trying to focus on sustainability in our businesses as well.' Vit said with a smile. Neither he nor Rukma wanted to admit knowing each other earlier. Rukma knew the protocols to follow but it was tough to behave businesslike with Vit around. Tonight again he was dressed in denims, T shirt and the jacket. Memories of what had happened in the study that morning jolted her.

'Well in that case let me invite you for a post-dinner coffee.' Professor Mulligan was excited to see Vit's interest and wanted to nurture it. Professor Mulligan led Jakes, Vit, Rukma and few other delegates to one of the open terraces in the hotel and they sat down for coffee. The group continued with formal talk for sometime and Vit gathered that the conference had kicked off today with Rukma as the special guest. He now understood her looks and makeup.

The conference was to continue for 3 more days and Professor Mulligan requested Vit to attend at least some of the sessions. To ensure his interest the Professor asked Vit to be one of the judges for presentations in one of the areas.

Jumping at the opportunity Vit suggested, 'Perhaps I can help with the sustainability category and I think the expert can provide her guidance to help me choose.' He ensured he was not looking at Rukma who was fuming inside. 

Giving a polite interval of 5 minutes, Rukma got up and announced that she wanted to retire for the day. Vit also quoted jet lag and suggested Rukma could guide him to the entrance as he had to return to his house. Reluctantly Rukma agreed and hurried moved to the passage to end this torture as quickly as possible. Vit had to literally run after her to walk with her.

'So you thought I could not catch you?' Vit said when they were out of sight of others.

'This is an official engagement! I am here as University's representative! Who said I was running away?' Rukma stopped in the corridor and retorted angrily.

'A convenient conference where you meet people like Jakes or whosoever you are planning to entice behind my back!'

'You are crazy, this is my normal professional life!' Rukma was having a tough time trying to keep her voice down.

By now she was backed into the wall and Vit was towering over her. No, again she was not feeling scared, she was feeling something else.....

Vit placed a hand next to her to pin her and softly whispered in her ear, 'So why are you looking like a Red Rose? Why have you not taken the makeup off?'

Shocked at his words, Rukma looked up at Vit and that was exactly when his lips came crashing  down on hers. The kiss had the force of passion, Vit wanted to wipe her lipstick so that no one else feels what he was feeling. It was a kiss of possession and Rukma could feel that this man was losing his control. He pinned her body to the wall and she felt her body hum a tune she never knew.

She could sense his arousal through the clothes and when started to kiss her neck, she was moaning in his ear. Vit was torn between wanting to pick her up and take her somewhere private and wanting to kiss every inch of her exposed skin.

Just then, others from the terrace started to head towards their room.Hearing commotion at the other end of the corridor, Rukma hurriedly broke the kiss and ran away.

Vit reached 'home' all tired yet sleep was nowhere near as the hormones were still running wild. He decided on a cold shower and though the hormones slowed down, the emptiness was troubling him for the first time. He was born and brought up in a huge family so when he lived on his own in the US and Europe in his 20s, he was more than happy with himself. But this was different, he was not homesick. He wondered if he would feel alone back home in India as well, in that big house?

That night Vit received a response  from Rukma to his messages, <angry emoji> and a hand next to it.