Desert Rose

Chapter 9

HER first kiss, Khushi thought as she sat on the stool of the dressing table looking into the mirror.

She had run all the way from the green house, rushed up the steps up to the balcony terrace and into the sanctuary of her bedroom. Her heart was still pounding wildly in her breast and she held one hand on it, trying to stem its velocity. Her other hand crept up to her mouth, feeling the contours of her swollen lips. She groaned inwardly, as hot colour surged in her face and she unwillingly recalled those few moments she had spent in his arms.

She knew that she had been subjected to the sexual expertise of Arnav Singh Raizada who had been totally in control the entire time. God only knew what might have happened if he had not decided to call a halt.

It should have been me, she accused herself miserably. But she had been paralysed into inaction, as bewildering sensations had assailed her body for the very first time in her life. And at the end, she had been very far from passive, she remembered with shame.

And she had achieved nothing, except to reveal herself as the worst kind of naïve fool, and to tell herself that she was trying to protect Payal, wasn't the slightest comfort.

From now on, she resolved, she would keep her distance and avoid provoking him the way she had. She would have to develop extreme patience while dealing with him. Otherwise, she would be solely responsible for ruining Payal's future with Akash. And probably her own, a small voice told her.

Arnav sat in his study, looking at the pictures of Khushi on his lap top. Each picture was a head- to-hip length shot, showcasing the back design of the blouse. The photographer had a done a fantastic job. Only a side profile of her face was visible in each of the pictures, her eyes at half mast, looking down demurely. Her hair was tied up in a sophisticated style covering her forehead down her cheek, going around her ears and then disappearing around her front.

There was one particular short sleeved blouse in pink brocade silk with a thin gold border, in which she was absolutely stunning. The back seemed almost completely open, held together with intricately doris at the top and bottom. The intricately designed tassles of the top dori sat perfectly at the centre of her shoulder blades and the tassles of the bottom dori aligned with her spine in the centre of her tiny waist. But it wasn't the beautifully designed blouse that stood out. It was the aura around her.

Her long neck curved into gently rounded shoulders,tapering down to her tiny waist. Her slim, delicate arms lay gently on her sides. Her skin looked smooth and creamy like butter. She was utterly sensuous.

No one else would be seeing these pictures again.He had made sure of that. His closed his eyes as images of Khushi's stricken face flashed before him. His thoughts went back to the phone conversation he had with Mrs Malhotra, Khushi's boss at the boutique.

'You will take those pictures off your website right now.'

'But Mr Raizada ____'

'Would you like a defamation suit slapped on you by my lawyers?'

'Of course not Mr Raizada, we will have those pictures taken off the web site.'

'A person from my office will come by later to pick up all the catalogues you have in your boutique.'

'But Khushi did agree.....'

'He will also compensate you for your loss.'

'Oh.....that's very kind of you sir.'

'Everything in this world comes with a price Mrs Malhotra.Kindness has nothing to do with it.'

It had been just three days since he had laid eyes on her and now he just couldn't even go to the gym without thinking about her. What was it about her that affected him so much? He shut the lap top in frustration. This wouldn't do. It just wouldn't do.