Don 3: Heart's Desire

Chapter 18

Watching Don eat was truly an erotic experience for Roma, altogether. It felt so personal and intimate that it made her squirm. Just watching him eat across the table from her, gathering the pasta around the fork, very elegantly, using the spoon also, and then taking it to his mouth and sucking the remaining end of the spaghetti just made her shiver. She was barely touching her food of course, and Don wasn't pleased about it.

'Please eat' he said calmly but demandingly, and she ate a bit, barely enough to keep her satiated.

'Where have you been?' she decided to ask him, finally

'Shopping' he grinned 'I need to change my clothes sometimes, you would agree'

'Isn't it dangerous for you to wander the streets of Mumbai like that?'

'Aww' she could almost sense his sarcasm but then again, she couldn't even tell anymore 'Are you worrying for me?' he raised an eyebrow, visibly amused but his eyes were glowing, as if he were a teenage boy. Gosh this man was like chameleon, she thought.

'Hardly' she grimaced.

'Well I'm here now, safe and sound' he said as he cleared the table. She was still shocked to see him go about mundane stuff such as placing plates in the dishwasher.

'You can't stay here!' she snapped

He pouted playfully, sitting back on his bar stool, slightly above her chair 'Are you kicking me out?'

She tried to find her words but decided to play safe 'What about Malik? You're right under his nose!'

'Exactly' his look turned cold all of a sudden 'He'll never think to search for me here'

Roma choke quietly as she remembered assuring det. Malik that Don would never do something as stupid as to come right under their noses. Now she realized it was the smartest move, actually.

'So...you owe me an explanation. What exactly didn't I understand back in Paris, again?'

Roma chocked again. She thought she had made herself clear the previous night, but now Don seemed angry again. Who could even keep up with his mood swings.

'I told you, you misunderstood' she tried to compose herself 'Anushka called detective Malik and they put the pieces together'

'Is that so?' he was looking pretty upset. She instantly forgot all about the pasta and the kiss and the Italian. All of a sudden they we back to square one. 'What if I don't believe you?' he asked, leaning forward on his bar stool, towering her.

'Well... I guess there's not much I can do about that, is there?'

'Watch it!' he raised his voice but shut his eyes as if to calm down. 'Roma, my patience is limited, even with you, darling' he caressed her face, contrary to his tensed posture 'You will have to find a way to make up to me, now'

Roma felt a lump form in her throat, suffocating her.

'First things first. You'll keep me here, indefinitely. Till all the petty boys from your little office chill'

'It's the Interpol, not just my "little office"...'

'You think I don't know that?' he interrupted her sharply as he got off the chair and leaned over her, his hands on each side of her shoulders over the table, framing her 'You will under no circumstances reveal anything about my being here. After things settle down, you'll have a different mission' he straightened his back 'But don't worry about that now, we'll get to it'

Roma stood up, in an act of bravery 'And what if I don't want to?'

He pushed her back on the chair by her shoulders 'I'm sorry?' he asked laughingly widening his eyes as though he had heard something shocking 'You really shouldn't be testing my nerves, Roma!'

His look was so intense and cool it made Roma shiver.

'You try anything stupid, and... I don't mean to threaten you, sweetheart' he smiled 'But your precious little family back in London...' he mimicked a gun against his temple and stuck his tongue out 'Capisci?' he added laughingly

Roma nodded and felt tears form in her eyes.

He turned around and drank a glass of water and when he returned he bent before her 'Roma... Roma... don't cry'

She was trembling now and almost felt like leaning in and crying in the curve of his neck.

'You just be a good girl, and everything will be alright'

She was now crying out loud and he pulled her into his embrace, on the floor 'Why did you have to ruin everything back in Paris?' he pressed her closer to his body, his voice merely a whisper

'I told you ... I had nothing to do with it' she said between sobs

He pulled her apart from him and stared into her eyes as if to search for the truth.

She was calmer but suddenly felt like crying again

'Why are you crying?' he frowned as he could not comprehend and shook her lightly 'Please stop crying, Roma!'

'I can't ... ' she nodded looking deep into his eyes 'You scare me!'

He kept frowning, blinking at her. He raised a hand to wipe away her tears but she flinched and retreated a bit. He let out a sigh, and lowered his gaze as he let go of her and she stoop up, slowly walking over to her couch, curling up on top of it.

He looked over at her and saw how frightened she was and stared at her for a long while. She had calmed down but was still hugging her knees to her chest.

She glanced at him as she heard him stand up and walk towards the entrance door and before she knew it, he had left, locking the door behind him.